Countess Pesain approached them.
The blonde woman quickly turned her head at the sound of someone approaching, causing her large earrings to jingle.
As soon as the blonde woman spotted Countess Pesain, she immediately stood up with a bright smile.
“Countess Pesain! You’re here! I really wanted to meet…”
“There’s no need for introductions. Please, have a seat, my lady.”
“Huh…? You know who I am?”
“I wouldn’t tell you to sit if I didn’t. Must I say it three times?”
“Oh… Oh, yes…!”
The blonde woman fumbled as she hurriedly sat back down.
Countess Pesain took her seat and made eye contact with each guest, acknowledging them with a silent nod.
Finally, she met the gaze of the brown-haired woman who had been sitting quietly. The woman, with calm green eyes that matched her dress, slightly closed her eyes in a respectful greeting.
Countess Pesain couldn’t hide her smile, increasingly pleased with what she saw.
‘This will be a perfect comparison.’
Countess Pesain had missed the Duke of Wintbell’s engagement ceremony, so she had only heard rumors about Philome.
Just as her curiosity was growing, the Imperial Consort had reached out to Countess Pesain.
The Imperial Consort had requested her help with Philome, intending to isolate her in the social world without getting directly involved.
And so, Countess Pesain had been fully prepared to undermine Philome’s confidence at this tea party before she could properly enter society.
This was why she deliberately denied Philome the chance to greet her and instead began asking pointed questions.
“How do you find the tea? Can you tell which region it’s from, Milady?”
“Oh, me? Hmm, well, it tastes really good. It must be from the South!”
At this cheerful response, Countess Pesain slowly turned her head away.
“…Do you also think it’s tea from the South, milady?”
“With my limited knowledge, it seems more like tea from the East. It has the same flavor profile as eastern tea, but with a unique sweetness at the end.”
“My, you seem to have quite a bit of knowledge, unlike some others.”
Countess Pesain openly compared the two.
As this went on, the blonde woman’s expression gradually stiffened. She realized that Countess Pesain was doing this on purpose.
Noticing that she might have pushed too hard, Countess Pesain decided to ease up with a lighter question.
“How is the Duke doing? I’ve been concerned since I couldn’t attend the engagement ceremony due to my poor health.”
“…Pardon?”
The blonde woman blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean by that…?”
It was at that moment that the brown-haired woman sitting beside her offered a faint smile.
“Madam…!”
The head maid hurriedly approached Countess Pesain.
“What’s the commotion?”
“Well, it’s…”
The head maid stammered, unable to properly explain herself.
Countess Pesain’s eyes sharpened at the sight of her maid causing a scene in front of the guests.
Suddenly, a commotion arose at the entrance to the garden.
Hearing unfamiliar noises in her own estate, Countess Pesain frowned and stared towards the garden entrance.
A small group of people was approaching from that direction.
Leading them was a man dressed casually, with his hair slicked back. He immediately drew attention with his silver hair gleaming under the sunlight and his mesmerizing violet eyes.
His solid muscles were clearly defined even beneath his clothes, and his deep-set eyes captivated anyone who looked at him.
The man, as if he had stepped out of a masterpiece, smiled with his thin lips.
His arrogant smile suited him perfectly, blending seamlessly with his overall aura. His overwhelming presence softened in an instant, and his sharp eyes curved gently.
“Philome.”
His low, calm voice descended over the silence.
Kaien strode forward, passing right by Countess Pesain, and bent down.
He lightly kissed the pale cheek of a certain young woman.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
The woman he kissed was none other than the brown-haired woman.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Philome, hiding her surprise, widened her eyes in astonishment.
“Kaien, how are you here?”
When Philome called out his name, Kainen flinched for a moment before straightening up and replying.
“Since this is your first social gathering after our engagement, I couldn’t help but worry. Countess Pesain, please forgive my rudeness. I was just too worried about my precious fiancée.”
Kaien nodded slightly toward Countess Pesain.
“…Forgiveness? Such a thing isn’t necessary. It’s not rude at all.”
Countess Pesain replied smoothly, even as her gaze flickered nervously between Philome and Kaien.
Though her voice was steady, she couldn’t hide the confusion in her eyes. Swallowing dryly, Countess Pesain asked,
“So… you’ve come here to see Lady Philome? Your fiancée?”
“Yes. Did you enjoy your time with Philome?”
Kaien gestured for the servants of the count’s household to bring a chair, then naturally he took a seat.
Philome quickly raised her teacup to her lips, hiding her face as she whispered to Kaien,
“How did you even get here?”
Moreover, his sudden appearance without any prior notice almost made it impossible for her to maintain her composure.
“I told you, I came because I was worried about my fiancée.”
At his shameless response, Philome couldn’t help but glance at Kaien. Kaien, who had been watching her all along, smiled broadly as soon as their eyes met, as if he had been waiting for that moment.
Philome was at a loss for words in the face of his confident demeanor. Sensing her hesitation, Kaien quietly asked,
“So, was everything going according to plan?”
“…Yes.”
As Philome replied, she cast a quick glance at Countess Pesain, who was still in a state of shock.
‘So, I was mistaken all along?’
Countess Pesain looked back and forth between Philome and Nadia. She had confused Nadia for Philome and vice versa.
Up until now, she had been criticizing Nadia while praising Philome.
‘Could it be that she’s been deceiving me all this time?’
The thought suddenly struck her, and she looked at Philome and Nadia again. Nadia was glancing at Philome and Kaien with a tense expression.
On the other hand, Philome seemed completely unconcerned with Nadia, engaging in conversation with the other ladies and noblewomen who were cautiously observing her. However, due to Kaien’s constant interruptions, she ended up conversing with him alone.
‘But… I was the one who didn’t receive a proper greeting.’
From the beginning, she had deprived Philome of the opportunity to greet her, intending to break her spirit. Little did she know that she had been gravely mistaken from the start.
Countess Pesain realized that her plan had gone entirely wrong from the outset.
‘I need to recover from this, starting now.’
It was actually fortunate.
She knew that Kaien spared no expense for his fiancée, even assigning the prestigious Beauté Salon exclusively to her, but she never expected him to attend the tea party himself.
Moreover, the way Kaien gazed at Philome now was completely different from the icy demeanor he had shown earlier. His eyes were soft and sweet, leaving no doubt about his feelings.
If she had insulted Philome, and if Kaien had arrived at that time…
Countess Pesain shuddered at the chilling thought.
She quickly composed herself and smiled at Philome and Kaien.
“If I had known the Duke would be coming as well, I would have prepared more formally. I’m worried that it’s inadequate.”
“It’s alright. It’s my fault for coming without any notice. I was so anxious and preoccupied with my worries.”
Kaien took Philome’s hand in his.
Philome responded with a shy smile.
Kaien gently stroked the back of Philome’s hand.
“Philome, have you been enjoying yourself?”
“Yes.”
Philome nodded.
Countess Pesain felt a sense of relief from her response.
However, Kaien glanced at her with a smirk before asking again with a warm smile,
“So, has Countess Pesain been treating you well?”
At Kaien’s question, Countess Pesain’s smile faltered.
She hadn’t expected him to ask so directly.
While the power or wealth of the Pesain family was not particularly prominent, as the 3rd Prince’s nanny and the Imperial Consort’s representative, few dared to treat her disrespectfully until now.
However, Kaien Wintbell was one of those few who did.
Countess Pesain’s face turned as white as a sheet, realizing that her future depended on Philome’s answer.
TL/N: Hello Readers! I am very sorry. I made some mistakes. Winston’s mother is not the Empress but she’s an Imperial Consort. (Actually I’m still not sure.🤣) I’m a bit confused with these words 황비 and 황후. In the Korean dictionary I used, they both translate to Empress/Queen but to make some difference between the two I’ll use Imperial Consort when addressing Winston’s mother. Also the Real Empress is dead but she was mentioned a few times.
Thanks for the chapter