The moment Catherine Roman stepped into the banquet hall, the lights around her seemed to dim.
She wore a pure white off-the-shoulder evening gown, its fine silk gleaming softly under the lights as it hugged the slender, elegant curves of her figure.
A ring of tiny diamonds adorned the neckline like stars scattered across the night sky, perfectly accentuating her fair collarbones and the graceful lines of her neck and shoulders.
Her features were delicate and gentle, her emerald eyes always held a harmless softness, and a perfectly measured smile rested on her lips. She looked like a white rose quietly blooming beneath the moonlight.
Yet the arrival of this white rose drew little attention from the Empire's powerful elite.
Catherine stood at the edge of the social gathering with a glass in hand, her calm gaze sweeping across the banquet hall.
She noticed that most of the Empire's dignitaries had gathered around her second eldest brother and third eldest sister, chatting enthusiastically, exchanging business cards, discussing partnerships, and laughing constantly.
Whenever someone noticed her, they merely offered a polite nod before hastily looking away to find someone more valuable to speak with.
No one approached her to strike up a conversation, much less discuss a partnership.
Catherine sneered inwardly, but her expression remained as gentle and harmless as ever.
She thought:
It seems these snobs did their homework beforehand. They know I'm merely the daughter of an ordinary concubine, out of favor within the Roman Merchant Guild, with far fewer resources and much less authority than my brothers and sisters.
So they think there's no reason to waste their energy on a worthless concubine's daughter like me.
Still, she understood their behavior. It was only human nature, after all. Personal interests really did matter most.
She had long since