Episode 53
4. The General’s Daughters
On Monday morning, the Rose Knights began the week with sweat and shouts.
Leopold, who sparred with the knights, shook his head after knocking down every single one of his subordinates.
He had no intention of starting a war, but he couldn’t tolerate those responsible for protecting the country in times of crisis being this weak.
“Get up. You need more practice.”
“C-Captain. Just ten minutes. No, five! T-Three!”
More than half the knights, not just a few, pleaded in voices that sounded like they were on the verge of death.
With a sigh, Leopold set down his sword.
“Exactly ten minutes.”
“Saved!”
As if waiting for the signal, the knights plopped down where they stood, gasping for breath.
Leopold sat down among them and handed out water.
After taking a sip, Knight Louis spoke.
“By the way, Captain. Are you still dating Her Majesty the Empress’s younger sister?”
Since the two often met at the palace, it wasn’t unusual for the knights to spot them together.
He hadn’t bothered to explain that they had dated only briefly, so they assumed Leopold had gone on a few dates with Regina.
Regardless of how he felt about her, their relationship now was just that of friends.
So he shook his head.
“No. I’m not.”
“That’s a relief. She has a bad reputation.”
“What kind of rumors are going around?”
“Well, um…”
Louis hesitantly began.
“They say her ability is to control people. If you make eye contact, she steals your heart and sucks out your soul. That’s how she goes around dating all these men…”
“That’s nonsense.”
Leopold’s expression hardened as he cut him off.
“But Patrick Downan and Jonas Hapan were affected. They said they didn’t feel anything at first, but the moment they made eye contact, they unknowingly asked her out on a date.”
“Did they really?”
“Hans Ovitz said so. He’s close to both of them. Said he spent the whole weekend helping Patrick and Jonas snap out of it and was completely drained.”
Miss Regina wasn’t the kind of person to do that.
Her ability wasn’t a tool to seduce others—it was a wound she wanted to hide.
Leopold suppressed a sigh that was about to escape.
“Hans Obitz is a scumbag. You’re believing a guy like that?”
“Not really, but… it doesn’t hurt to be cautious if she really has that kind of dangerous ability. She might use it on you, Captain.”
If he defended Miss Regina here, they’d just accuse him of being completely bewitched by her ability.
That would only turn all the blame and sharp suspicion toward her.
Honestly, he wanted to find Hans Ovitz and beat him to a pulp right now, but he had to hold back.
‘I just hope Miss Regina doesn’t get hurt by this…’
Seeing how the rumors were gaining momentum, it looked like the full-blown backlash against the foreign empress was beginning.
The palace was likely to be quite turbulent for a while.
***
While Leopold was feeling stifled by the ridiculous rumors, Regina was helping her sister at Alice’s first tea party.
“I was curious what kind of food is eaten in Her Majesty’s country, and now I get to try it! It’s not as bad as I expected!”
“Oh my, this cookie has cinnamon! Did Trovancha have cinnamon? Now that I taste it, there’s sugar, too! How fascinating!”
Regina struggled to keep her smile from twitching.
Earlier, they had asked if Trovancha even had wine, and now they were acting like it lacked cinnamon and sugar, too.
If it had been Emilia, she would’ve shown clear displeasure and snapped in anger, but Regina didn’t do that.
She didn’t want any controversy at her sister’s first tea party.
That said, she couldn’t just let Trovancha and her sister be disrespected.
“Oh my. I’ll pack some cookies and wine for you before you leave. These are common foods in Trovancha, so I didn’t realize they were considered luxury items in the Empire.”
Her tone subtly implied they were like country bumpkins surprised by such ordinary fare.
The ladies blushed and coughed awkwardly, prompting Viscountess Gressley to step forward.
Unlike her husband, who followed Duke Berg’s orders, Viscountess Gressley was practically the queen of high society.
Though her family wasn’t particularly powerful, she held her position thanks to a certain unique talent.
“Thank you for the thought. By the way, Miss Regina, how old are you this year?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Perfect!”
“Sorry?”
“That’s the perfect age for marriage!”
Viscountess Gressley was known for being a skilled matchmaker.
With her innate social savvy, she had deep knowledge of the affairs of many noble families, which helped her pair off young men and women of marriageable age.
Many of those light relationships had ended in marriage, so parents often turned to her to find good matches for their children.
“If you’ve come all the way here with Her Majesty, that means you’re planning to settle down in the Empire, right?”
“Sorry?”
“Of course you are. Now that you’re here, finding a good man and marrying would be the best decision—for your sister as well, don’t you think, Miss Regina?”
While Regina was taken aback, Viscountess Gressley exchanged glances with the other ladies.
She planned to use Regina to put the foreign empress in her place.
Every time they had to bow and greet a savage-born woman with no noble title, it wounded their pride.
The high-nosed nobles of the Empire had no intention of watching a foreign empress flaunt herself.
‘His Majesty may be scary, but he doesn’t concern himself with society affairs.’
Marius focused on consolidating imperial power and running the government.
That’s why he hadn’t even noticed how the courtiers treated Edgar.
He had recently given the empress the authority to appoint and discipline court staff, but that was just to show consideration to foreign-born Alice—it likely had no deeper meaning.
‘Still, he’s not someone who would sit back and let a foreigner wield power in the Empire without doing anything.’
Since the empress didn’t know the Empire well, if they played along and coordinated with her a bit, they could easily suppress the sisters’ presence.
“I have no plans to marry just yet.”
“Oh my! Miss Regina, what are you saying? That might be fine in Trovancha where there’s no real social order, but in the Empire, if a woman doesn’t marry in time, people talk behind her back. They think something’s wrong with her.”
“Ah.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take special care of you. Just trust me and you’ll have no trouble living without scandal in the Empire.”
Viscountess Gressley fluttered her fan gracefully.
The Berchio sisters had just begun adjusting to life in a foreign land.
So if she first subtly intimidated them and then offered a hand, they would feel too anxious to refuse.
Once she had them in her grasp, she would naturally gain the upper hand.
“Miss Regina. If you just listen to Viscountess Gressley, you’ll be able to meet men you otherwise couldn’t even approach.”
Alice’s eyes narrowed.
The statement implied that Regina couldn’t have met decent men because of her low birth.
Just as Alice was about to intervene, Regina gently grabbed her hand under the table to stop her.
It meant: don’t cause a scene on the very first day you step into society as empress.
When Alice remained still, the other ladies, encouraged, became even more talkative.
“She’s right. Just leave it to Viscountess Gressley. Ah, unless there’s someone you’re already dating…”
“Dating? Are you saying she i dating someone right now?”
As the ladies deliberately changed the subject, Regina tilted her head as if she truly didn’t understand.
Viscountess Gressley then feigned scolding the ladies who brought it up.
“Everyone, watch your words. Trovancha has a different culture from ours. We should be understanding. Maybe in her country, it’s normal to date multiple men at once!”
Then she raised her voice, strongly implying Regina was seeing multiple men.
The ladies, who seemed unfamiliar with the term “multiple partners,” gasped in shock.
Regina’s eyelids trembled slightly.
Viscountess Gressley bit her lip to suppress the smile creeping up her face.
Since Regina had stopped her earlier, Alice decided to wait and observe for now.
“Miss Regina. I’m sure you understand that Trovancha and the Empire have very different cultures. In the Empire, it’s a serious offense—whether you’re a man or a woman—to date multiple people at once. That’s where these rumors started. Keep that in mind.”
“You’re saying I’m dating men? That such a rumor exists?”
“Well… So it’s just a rumor, right?”
“I’m the person involved, so I’d like to hear it. How did such a rumor start?”
Viscountess Gressley bit her lip as if it was hard to say.
It was clearly deliberate, but Regina didn’t react to that.
However, her face grew pale, like a frightened lamb.
“I heard you’re dating several young lords. Some even fought duels over you…”
“Do you know their names?”
“Miss Regina, you don’t look well. Don’t mind it. I misspoke.”
Viscountess Gressley inwardly rejoiced at Regina’s anxious voice.
Regina looked on the verge of tears.
If her sister were suffering, the empress would be forced to act humbly for her sake.
That would allow Viscountess Gressley to continue wielding her influence in high society.
With a mere gesture, she could turn gossip into fact—and unfounded rumors would vanish without a trace.
Seeing right through her scheme, Alice sneered silently.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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