Chapter 18.
The Price of Sharpness
Despite initial concerns about what might happen, the tea party went smoothly. The presence of the Duchess played a significant role in this. She didn’t talk much, but she introduced appropriate topics of conversation when needed, ensuring that the conversations among the young ladies flowed seamlessly. Although everyone already knew each other, the young ladies chatted effortlessly. Sitting at the edge of the table, Retina sipped her tea alone, seemingly in her own world.
She wasn’t exactly standoffish, but she wasn’t the type to initiate conversation either. Unless someone approached her, she didn’t bring up topics. Listening to the lively discussions of the other young ladies was somewhat entertaining. Retina’s mouth was busy enjoying the delicious desserts and tea provided by the Duchess.
“Helen, I heard you commissioned the design of five dresses for your debutante ball?”
“Yes, I requested only five dresses. After all, on that day, the debutantes are the stars, so I shouldn’t steal the spotlight.”
Retina didn’t have a favorable first impression of Helen, but she was undeniably one of the central figures in high society. She had been chosen as the Crystal Moon, the debutante with the most exquisite presentation, in last year’s debutante ball. With just one season in high society, she had managed to form her own circle of followers.
“Why are you so considerate?”
Helen’s response was met with admiration from the young ladies, each chiming in with their approval. Before the tea party began, Retina had erased the memory of her argument with Helen from her mind. Still, the young ladies were quick to sing Helen’s praises.
“Isn’t she just overflowing with kindness?”
Retina couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. She wanted to forget the silly quarrel she had with Helen. She now understood why Helen had singled her out for no apparent reason.
The following year, Retina, now the Crystal Moon, was given the opportunity to become the partner of the Crown Prince at the first royal ball of the social season, a tradition that had continued until then. However, this time, the rule was broken, and she became the Crown Prince’s partner.
It was an unexpected turn of events, driven by her brothers who had never expressed any opinions before and by the Crown Prince’s acceptance of her as his partner without hesitation.
“It’s complicated.”
Retina quickly admitted her fault and felt a sense of wrongdoing, even though she had not done anything wrong. She had succumbed to the provocative attitude of a younger girl, an act unbecoming of her age. While she was not much older herself, most young ladies of her age were already married, not debutantes.
“Let’s end the gathering here for today.”
As the teapots were emptied one by one, the Duchess concluded the tea party. Although some of the young ladies were disappointed that they hadn’t had a chance to engage in conversation with the Duchess, she remained resolute, seeming eager to see them off.
Despite the short duration of the gathering, the young ladies who had been chatting and laughing with the Duchess gradually left the greenhouse. The Duchess’s decisiveness signaled that she wanted them to leave quickly.
Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only
As the other young ladies left, Retina, who had been sitting at the table the whole time, was reluctant to rise from her seat. She was met with curious gazes.
“It’s Retina, isn’t it?”
Unlike the other young ladies who had left first, the Duchess, who hadn’t stood up yet, was the first to speak to Retina. It seemed as though she wanted to talk to Retina.
Under the watchful eyes of the Duchess, Retina hesitated between getting up and walking over to her or staying in her seat.
“Come this way.”
As if reading Retina’s thoughts, the Duchess, who was already standing, turned and walked slowly in the opposite direction from where the other young ladies had left.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come in.”
As the Duchess beckoned, Retina hesitated for a moment and then rushed to follow her.
“You’ve had enough tea, so don’t bring any more.”
The Duchess dismissed the servant who was about to bring more tea. Retina and the Duchess sat facing each other at the table.
“Finally, we meet.”
The Duchess smiled graciously as she fanned herself with a black-feathered fan. The interior of the Duke’s residence, elegantly decorated to her taste, was filled with antique items, including the sofa Retina was sitting on, which had been made 70 years ago and meticulously maintained over the years.
“At first, I… would like to greet you.”
Unlike the Duchess, who had known Retina’s existence from before her birth, Retina had only learned about the Duchess yesterday. Despite the Duchess’s apparent kindness, an indescribable sense of intimidation emanated from her.
“I heard that my father offered to make you my lady-in-waiting.”
Overwhelmed by the atmosphere exuding from the Duchess, Retina maintained her composure. She had come as a guest to the Duchess’s invitation, and the more Retina bowed and scraped, the more she could potentially offend her.
“Yes, I volunteered to become your lady-in-waiting.”
The Duchess accepted Retina’s words positively. However, her expression, which had been gently smiling, suddenly changed to a serious one. Her neutral demeanor transformed into the stern countenance of the Duchess, a position that no one had dared to challenge in the past.
“Although everyone else is getting married, you haven’t even had your debutante ball. So I summoned you to the capital.”
“I appreciate your consideration, but I have no intention of marrying into the nobility.”
“Is it just a lack of intention to marry? It seemed like you didn’t want to receive the title from Duke Deneuve either. Why do you want to live as a commoner?”
The Duchess’s piercing words struck at the heart of Retina, and she winced as the Duchess clicked her tongue. What exactly had her father told the Duchess? Retina felt as though the Duchess could see through her completely, and she swallowed hard despite being dressed in her finest attire.
“Well…”
“You were born with the same hair color as your mother, weren’t you? Just because of that, you’re distancing yourself from the family? You don’t even have the courage to distance yourself from your family because of your appearance?”
Retina clenched the hem of her dress as the Duchess mentioned her mother. She was talking about Retina and Cecelia’s silver hair. Despite knowing how people with silver hair were treated in the Empire.
“How can I not? People look at silver-haired dolls and think they bring bad luck, they’d tear out all your hair just by looking at you.”
As Retina argued with the Duchess, she bit her lip, and her jaw trembled slightly. Who would willingly live with fake hair? When you experience discrimination just for being different from others, you instinctively start hiding it. The fear that had crept into the hearts of the Empire’s citizens was more deeply rooted than one might think.
“The curse is a tale from the war. It’s already been known for a long time that it’s a false curse. They merely inherited the blood of the northern royalty. The silver hair symbolized the high-ranking northern royalty, so during the war, rumors were spread to invoke fear in order to capture those who had hidden throughout the Empire.”
While the curse was dispelled in the Imperial City to prevent further harm after the war, the deep-seated hatred in the hearts of the Empire’s citizens didn’t easily disappear. The curse was nothing more than an excuse to justify the fear caused by the war.
The Duchess’s words struck deep into Retina’s heart, and she felt a shiver down her spine. She had known the Duchess for less than a day, yet the woman seemed to see through her completely. Retina clenched her dress, her fingers white from the pressure.
“War has been over for a hundred years. Do you know how many innocent people were sacrificed in witch hunts like this? It’s time to change the wrong perception, even if it’s for the sake of those who come after us.”
And the Duchess had chosen Retina as the catalyst for this change. Since hearing about Retina, Cecelia, who looked so much like her, and her plan since then. The Duchess had planned it all along.
“What your mother couldn’t do. Your father said he wanted me to be your Chaperon.”
Retina watched the Duchess, who had covered her head, even though it was mostly because of Cecelia that she decided to be Retina’s Chaperon.
Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only
“This year, you will become the Crystal Moon at the debutante ball. There are enough people to support you as your followers. Use your own strength to rise to a position where no one can ignore you. Even if you’ve been hiding a shocking secret, don’t rush to reveal it; you’re not ready to handle the consequences if your wig is forcibly removed in public.”
“Your Grace, I… I don’t know.”
“Don’t be so scared. Someday, you will have to face your problems. What will you do if your wig is forcibly removed in public? No one will be able to help you then.”
The Duchess spoke bluntly to the trembling Retina. It was the best solution, as discussed with Duke Deneuve and Lencia.
No matter how powerful Duke Deneuve and Lencia were, there was no way to protect Retina as things stood now. As long as the nobles of the Imperial faction and most of the Empire’s citizens continued to support the ridiculous curse theory, changing public opinion would be difficult.
“We will somehow create allies for you in the social circle. I don’t mean to gather everyone around you. Having a few who can help when you’re in trouble is enough. Besides, there’s a Northern Prince coming to the capital. I haven’t seen him personally, but he’s said to be a prince from the northern bloodline, so he probably has silver hair like yours. If you build a friendship with him, he might be able to help.”
The Duchess also didn’t want to burden the young Retina, but unless she took action herself, the perception of people wouldn’t change even in ten years or even a hundred.
Deneuve had wanted to paint a future where Retina could live freely. The Duchess had a task to complete before her time was up.
“Even the Emperor won’t be able to treat you lightly if you rise to a position where no one can ignore you. That’s why I chose to be your Chaperon.”
The Duchess spoke firmly, her words carrying a sense of responsibility and determination. Her eyes, like an abyss, locked onto Retina, who was struggling with her thoughts.
‘At least protect your daughter from the curse, Cecelia.’
The Duchess’s gaze, filled with uncertainty about what to do, settled on the helpless Retina.
