“Even in Ryuidra? It’s the same for us in Cham. My husband doesn’t say much, but he’s been coming home very late, often only by dawn these days.”
“The security has become so tight that they won’t even let us go into town without our bodyguards.”
“What on earth is happening?”
The noblewomen gathered by Lilian were all from estates neighboring Drew.
This was exactly as I had secretly requested in the morning for information gathering.
I hadn’t expected her to use cream stew to draw them in, though.
Ryuidra, Naian, Cham.
According to Lilian, the lords of these estates did not attend, leaving only their wives and children to come here.
This meant that something serious was happening in Drew and the surrounding territories, serious enough for the lords to miss a large-scale event attended by royalty.
Countess Naian leaned forward, as if sharing a secret, and whispered.
“I’ve heard rumors spreading in the estate that a monster appeared.”
“A monster?”
Everyone’s eyes widened as they leaned in to listen to her. The upper-class ladies, who usually shunned hard work, were always thirsty for stimulating material, so everyone’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Sensing the atmosphere, Countess Naian set the mood, then leaned in even closer and spoke as if revealing a great secret.
“They say it’s a monster that can change from a human into a lion and back again.”
“Oh my! A monster like that exists?”
Small exclamations escaped from the ladies.
‘A lion beastmen.’
While it’s understandable because they didn’t know about them, it wasn’t pleasant to hear the term ‘monster’.
More surprising was the news that beastmen had already invaded other nearby estates.
‘So, the ones who attacked Ludwin in Drew and the ones who ambushed me in Dilucia weren’t the only ones.’
It seemed I had to accept that beastmen had infiltrated various parts of the empire in large numbers.
Somehow, it felt like their goal wasn’t just to find me or Ludwin.
‘First, let’s deal with what we can.’
I dabbed my mouth with a napkin and spoke up.
“That’s actually a species called the beastmen.”
“Beastmen? Not monsters?”
“Yes.”
As I spoke up, having been quiet and only eating stew until now, all eyes turned to me.
“Deep within the La Sente Mountains, there are people who possess the ability to transform from human to animal. They’ve been known as beastmen for a long time.”
“Oh my, so such a species exists?”
“Yes, according to books, they’ve been around for thousands of years.”
“But how can a person turn into an animal? That sounds a bit unsettling.”
One of the noblewomen made a face, finding the idea distasteful. Some others nodded in agreement, seemingly sharing her sentiment.
Not knowing what kind of animal they were imagining, I quickly continued before a negative opinion could form.
“Does it? If my younger brother could turn into a tiny squirrel, I think that would be adorable.”
Just imagine a tiny squirrel with cheeks full of acorns, scurrying about.
The noblewomen’s reactions were immediate.
“Oh my! That could be quite cute.”
“Right? And if you could transform into a bird, you could enjoy the breathtaking view of Lake Maidin from the sky.”
“That sounds wonderful!”
For those who still seemed uneasy, I lowered the hurdle even further.
“Besides, their true form is still human. They just have the ability to transform, like wizards in legends. Frankly, I’m a bit envious.”
I did my best to convey a positive image of a species they were encountering for the first time.
At the moment, this place was technically the center of social life.
Apart from the empress, there was the crown princess, who was at the top of the empires social hierarchy, and there were numerous noble ladies following her.
Those noble women were raising children and the lower classes want to emulate the mindset of the ladies and the nobles.
Just improving their perception would have a huge impact.
But just then, I was interrupted.
“Envious of transforming into a filthy animal? You have such peculiar tastes.”
The loud, deliberate voice belonged to someone I knew.
Meeting my gaze, she feigned surprise, widening her eyes as she added another remark.
“Well, for someone who runs a flower shop, I suppose that’s expected.”
Lush pink hair, eyes as blue as the sea, and a vibrant navy dress.
The young lady stood out in the sea of warm tones. She didn’t bother hiding her hostility towards me.
‘So, she’s here after all.’
There were so many people earlier that I hadn’t noticed her when we sat down.
Lady Sherina Ferumwell, the cherished daughter of Marquis Ferumwell, whose family business involved international trade, was renowned in society for her beauty and graceful social skills.
And she was also the one who recently sent a troublesome customer to my flower shop.
‘Perfect timing.’
I had been expecting to meet her at the hunting festival.
Her mocking words brought silence to the table. Lady Ferumwell was smiling smugly, as if she thought she had struck me with a blow.
‘How cute if she really thinks that.’
I smiled calmly.
“It’s been a while, Lady Ferumwell. I received the gift you sent to my flower shop recently. It was quite memorable.”
Her pale face twitched slightly. She hadn’t expected that response.
‘I’ve been hardened by political battles since I was young, you know.’
If you go even further, in my past life I survived among arrogant cousins who thrived on belittling others. This was nothing more than a gentle breeze.
Besides, despite the pampering I’ve received lately, ten years ago, dealing with such provocations was a daily occurrence for me when I was powerless and infamous.
She had taken a jab, and now it was time to return the favor.
Of course, being the merciful person I am, I’d include interest for the time that’s passed.
“You asked if I was envious, didn’t you? Of course. If I could transform into a white deer, I could gracefully dodge any stone thrown at me, wouldn’t you agree?”
I smiled even more brightly.
“Or if I could become a cute Welsh Corgi, I could use my keen sense of smell to track down whoever ordered the stone to be thrown.”
The sarcasm in my tone was unmistakable, even to those around me. Lady Ferumwell’s face twisted with anger.
“What does this talk about stones have to do with anything?”
“A stone the size of my fist. Just the right size for a man to hold.”
I lifted my hand and mimed grabbing something out of the air.
“Like this, in one hand.”
My casual tone seemed to make Lady Ferumwell realize something, and her face turned pale.
“I-I never told anyone to throw a stone…”
“Throw a stone? Who would dare throw a stone at Lady Dilucia…?!”
Amused by toying with Lady Ferumwell, I suddenly snapped to attention at the menacing tone in Lilian’s voice and quickly redirected the conversation.
This could get serious if I continued.
“It was just an example, Your Highness.”
“…I see.”
But Lilian’s glare at Lady Ferumwell was anything but casual.
Everyone here likely had a pretty good idea of what happened.
Sometimes, I get the creeps when I see how observant the women in high society could be.
Lady Ferumwell would likely face significant challenges in the social scene going forward.
Right now, the crown jewel of high society was Lilian, the Crown Princess.
“Lady Ferumwell, you haven’t touched your stew. It’s quite delicious. Do you not have an appetite?”
I, on the other hand, clearly have a good appetite.
I smiled sweetly, and Lady Ferumwell’s face turned red with anger.
She probably only instructed her lackeys to cause a scene at my shop. The man throwing the stone was likely acting on impulse out of desperation.
But if he named her as the mastermind to save himself, she’d be in real trouble.
‘She should’ve pretended not to know about my flower shop from the start or made sure her henchman disappeared right away.’
As expected of a pampered flower, she was careless with her schemes.
Lady Ferumwell had her reasons for trying to harass me.
‘It was just her luck that she was the same age as Lilian and ended up overshadowed at her debut.’
She had put so much effort into her debutante ball at the palace.
At that time, Lilian, who was adopted as the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Biod, grew up in the Dilucia household, and I had already gained the favor of the royal family by saving the Crown Prince.
As I was making a name for myself, at that year’s debutante, Lilian received overwhelming attention from people who wanted to form a relationship with me, while Lady Ferumwell was essentially pushed to the sidelines.
To make matters worse, I was awarded the sanitization system patent. The patent that the Ferumwell’s wanted was given to another family that had better conditions. The income from that patent alone was enough to sustain a small estate for a year. It was understandable that the Ferumwell’s would have a grudge against me.
But that was then, and this was now.
I had no intention of showing Lady Ferumwell any mercy.
‘Lu could have been hurt by that stone.’
I was someone who always repaid my debts.
“Please excuse me.”
Lady Ferumwell couldn’t take it any longer and abruptly stood up, leaving the table without Lilian’s permission.
The way people were now looking at her was anything but kind.
“Oh my, how rude.”
“I’ve reconsidered my opinion of Lady Ferumwell.”
“Indeed. I used to think she was quite a decent young lady.”
“Lady Dilucia is truly the Crown Princess’s master of speech…”
Wait… Did I just hear something strange?
I turned my head, but the noblewomen were simply chatting with smiles.
At that moment, Lady Bamelon exclaimed loudly, as if to change the subject.
“Now that I think of it, Lady Dilucia, I heard you’ve opened a flower shop?”
I accepted a glass of white wine from a passing servant. All that excitement made me thirsty.
“Yes, I’ve opened a small shop in town.”
With a new topic on the table, a few ladies quickly chimed in.
“Oh, I saw it in the local paper! It’s become quite popular.”
“I’ve heard about it too. You have a wonderful dog there, don’t you?”
“Ah, if you’re referring to Lu, he’s here with me, so you’ll be able to meet him tomorrow.”
“Oh my!”
The atmosphere brightened at the mention of a cute dog in the flower shop.
‘Oh, this wine is quite good.’
As I debated whether to have another glass, a familiar sound suddenly caught my ear.
