Chapter 17
Meanwhile, at the same time that Killian had visited Count Frauss, Countess Rubissella had arrived at the Duchy for dinner with Lady Chanelia, or so now, Duchess Chanelia.
She was quite tired from the hectic morning.
Because Sophia Frauss, that girl without a drop of blood shared with her.
From the morning she roamed the social world, she was plagued with all sorts of questions and her mouth was dry.
But, to be honest, she didn’t think the situation was that bad.
Wherever she went, people paid attention to her.
A scandal in Count Frauss!
At any gathering, the hostess of the Frauss family stood at the center of the topic.
The beautiful lady shook her head, pretending to be in trouble or tired of the pouring questions.
“It’s utter nonsense!”
Countess Rubissella vehemently denied the rumors, waving her hand when asked if Sophia was actually her maid.
Of course, she didn’t go out with an explanation for her stepdaughter.
‘If it were true, it would eat away my reputation and face.’
The real Sophia died and disguised herself as a maid and stood as a surrogate.
If that was true, then arrows of reproach and suspicion will be poured out on the stepmother as well.
Therefore Rubissella had to pretend to be sorry for her and at least.
‘Even my explanation cannot improve Sophia’s poor reputation.’
It was embarrassing to debut in the social circle through a scandal like this.
This scandal will follow Sophia like a tag in the future.
The engagement to the Archduke will also have an effect.
Right now, there was no word from the Archduke’s side, but Rubissella secretly expected the breakup.
The damage to her family is great, but it was something that she didn’t want to see even if she died.
So after all her hard work, she finally got her place with the Duchess of Chanelia.
“Welcome, Madame Rubissella Frauss.”
The owner of the weekly magazine received Rubissella.
Her lavishly braided hair, the white powder she applied to her skin, a multi-layered pearl necklace, and large diamonds twinkling in her ears.
Rubissella smiled, engraving on her head that she was the queen of a formidable socialite.
“You’re really beautiful today, Mrs. Frauss.”
“Ho-ho, the wife never grows old! People would still think I’m a teenage girl.”
Behind the pretentious greeting and smile, there was tension.
Chanelia escorted her precious guest to a well-prepared table.
Candlesticks adorned with ivy, fragrant wine, and sparkling white silverware.
‘You must have been sorry, though it’s not tea time, but it was an invitation to eat.’
Rubissella took her place in a dignified manner without hesitation.
“Thank you for the invitation, Duchess.”
“No. I just had something I wanted to share with the wife, and it went well.”
If it was something she wanted to share, she was probably just trying to confirm the rumor.
Just like the countless questions that came to Rubissella today.
“You must have been very busy since yesterday.”
“Ho-ho, I was. I haven’t been able to rest all day since dawn.”
“Oh, please stay at my house and relax a bit.”
Take it easy and relax?
It meant that the conversation will last for a long time.
Soon the servants came out with food, and it was a course that can be eaten for a long time.
As she ate an appetizer, Duchess Chanelia talked about pointless stories, such as the current weather and a painting that was auctioned a few days ago.
Rubissella knew this was her under-work before starting her tight tug-of-war.
It was after the main dish came out that the main topic came out of Chanelia’s mouth.
“Miss Sophia has been living in an attic ever since her childhood.”
Chanelia naturally brought up Sophia’s name.
“Ah, she has a little unique side of the child. Why? You know those kids who like to have their own hideout in the attic?”
As Rubissella added with a smile, Chanelia asked with a smile on her eyes.
“Are you saying that Miss Sophia stayed there because she wanted to?”
There seemed to be a different meaning hidden in Chanelia’s somewhat pretentious smile, but Rubissella was not discouraged even in the presence of a lady who loved the gossip.
She was the one who had a place in the social circles after managing to become the Count’s legal wife.
She stuck with it, and she made her attendant and her handmaiden by her side.
She gave expensive gifts, invited people to big parties, enticed people’s hearts with her words, and sometimes trampled on someone.
On the other hand, Chanelia, a descendant of the distant imperial family, has walked a solid path in the social world from the beginning.
She was married to the power of the duke, and bought all kinds of stories based on her enormous wealth.
After she debuted in the socialites, never once did she drop the title of ‘Queen of the socialites’.
From their roots, the other two ladies often confronted each other.
Considering each other’s reputation and the political relationship of the opposing family, they did not argue, but it was true that the two have been competing for quite some time.
Who was trending, who had the strongest words, whose party gets more guests.
Chanelia’s daring publication of her scandal against Sophfia in her weekly magazine must have had a big impact.
Rubissella pulled her own red hair back behind her ear once and gave her a smirk.
“Sure. She was so unique that I don’t know what she was thinking. After all, it was absurd that Sophia is my maid.”
Chanelia, who had listened, cut the steak with a knife and spoke as usual.
“I also heard that Miss Sophia wore it in a diary.”
“It’s just the kid’s hobby.”
“Then she fell down while doing chores?”
Chanelia, who picked up a steak with a fork, elegantly placed the steak in her mouth.
Chanelia’s gaze turned to Sophia’s stepmother, noblely chewing her tender meat that melted in her mouth.
“When she’s immersed in something, she sometimes goes too far. You know, sometimes skipping meals when she’s hooked on one thing and focusing on it.”
Countess Frauss took a sip of wine in response, leisurely.
Then, Chanelia’s shoulders shrugged, puffed up by her sleeves.
“So when she collapsed, did you call the doctor for treatment?”
“What?”
“There was no medical record of Miss Sophia’s treatments in the system.”
At Chanelia’s tenacity, Rubissella’s lips raised awkwardly.
‘Did you investigate this? Damn you.’
She bit her lips and swallowed the swear words.
Even in the imperial family and the military and police force, if someone wanted to investigate someone, it was clear that they would borrow the hand of Duchess Chanelia.
“That… It wasn’t bad enough to call a doctor. She is stronger than she looks.”
With that excuse, Chanelia’s eyes perfectly drew a line. Read only at pm tl.
“But… She lives on moldy bread and soup with bugs, so she must be strong, right?”
The queen of gossip threw out a few words as if giving an ordinary daily greeting.
At that, Countess Frauss’s eyes lost their way and trembled.
“Soup with bugs… What do you mean?”
“I heard that there were people who slapped Sophia in the face in front of the maids. Since it’s within the Frauss family, Countess Frauss must know who did that vulgar thing, right?”
She also recounted the discrimination within the Frauss family.
The person in question seated across from Chanelia first smirked and refuted, but now could not even eat the food in front of her.
“No, who said that…!”
“Unfortunately, the principle is to protect the identity of the informant.”
Rubissella, who had barely come to her senses, asked a question, and Chanelia gently put her fork down and raised the corners of her lips.
Rubissella’s eyes trembled with the moment after she had taken a full blow.
“Duchess Chanelia, you have spread such obscene false rumors in the name of Sophia, and now you are trying to frame me!”
“Ah, I am truly sorry about Miss Sophia. I’ll write a fair article next week. I have already apologized to Miss Sophia.”
“The Duchess apologized…?”
The decreed Duchess? No, when was she more than that? No way… When?
“Oh, didn’t I tell you this? I met Miss Sophia yesterday.”
As confusion crept into her guest’s topaz-colored eyes, Chanelia pretended to have made a mistake and said, ‘Oops!’ and laughed.
But it certainly wasn’t a mistake.
Chanelia was the one who even made Sophia join the club at a social gathering yesterday.
The loyal subjects were willing to follow orders from the queen of society.
Thanks to that, she never heard of Chanelia meeting Sophia, even though she met other nobles that day.
Only then did Rubissella know the story of this incident.
“Did that girl tell you I was mean?”
“Ah, you call your daughter ‘that girl’, ma’am?”
Chanelia smiled as she covered her mouth with a napkin. It was as if she had caught a weakness.
Desperate, Rubissella clasped the fork in her hand.
“…You don’t intend to speak with Count Frauss?”
The corners of her eyes, which rose upwards from her original figure, looked sharper.
“The richest king of the south in the empire, Count Frauss? But if you spill water…”
Chanelia picked up a glass of water in a sieve and poured it onto the plate in front of her.
The water fell down on Rubissella’s plate.
Chanelia puts down her glass of water with elegant gestures.
The pool of water on her silver plate glided on a thin surface tension.
“…You can’t pick it back up, so shouldn’t you get rid of it? I thought I’d do my best to tell the truth to my dear Frauss.”
Chanelia dropped the napkin she had been wiping her lips from on the drenched plate.
As if everything was over.
