I knew that my sister had not shown her face at social gatherings for a year since our family was restored to its former status. She had devoted the past year solely to rebuilding our family.
Thanks to this, I, who slightly differ in appearance from my sister, was able to pass as her in front of others just by changing my hair and eye color.
It was safe to say that there was virtually no one in the social circles who was familiar with my sister, and even if they had met her, it would have been nothing more than a brief encounter at a large banquet.
Look. Even now, everyone thinks I am ‘Serbia Obelton,’ who paid no attention to social gatherings.
Of course, the fact that Countess Sirael knew my sister was an unforeseen factor…
As I was lost in thought, a lady sitting nearby spoke.
“Oh my. I have been longing to meet you, my lady. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Zarna from the House of Winter.”
Pulled from my reverie by her lively voice, I slowly turned to look at the lady who introduced herself as the Lady of Winter.
The woman with glossy red hair and crimson eyes was smiling confidently.
Looking at her light-hearted mouth and unsettling smile, I had a strong feeling that getting involved with her would be troublesome.
“That’s nice. I’m also pleased to meet you, Lady.”
I responded as formally as possible, to which a fleeting, strange light swirled in the Lady of Winter’s eyes before disappearing.
……Hmm?
Upon seeing that, I momentarily wondered but soon brushed it off as nothing significant.
I only realized later that I shouldn’t have ignored it.
After greeting Lady Winter, other ladies eagerly approached me to talk. They introduced themselves as belonging to such and such noble family, expressing their happiness to meet me, among other polite exchanges.
After I had greeted all the ladies in attendance, the greenhouse filled again with the sound of conversation.
“Has everyone heard the rumor that Baron Gratel has gone bankrupt?”
“Oh, is that the rumor? I had no idea.”
“Isn’t Baron Gratel the owner of the Henton Trading Company? That’s a significant establishment.”
From societal gossip.
“By the way, the complexion of Duchess Valeria seems to improve day by day.”
“Oh, really? Maybe it’s because she and Jeremy have gotten much closer recently…”
“Weren’t they always close? Everyone knows that the duchess and Count Senton are the romance of the century, following in the footsteps of Count and Countess Sirael.”
To their recent statuses.
Countless topics flowed swiftly one after another. Due to this, I had to struggle not to miss out on the conversation. Even the slightest distraction meant I might miss the change of subjects.
While I was diligently listening to the stories of the ladies, Miss Winter, who had been quiet so far, suddenly started a new topic.
“Speaking of lovers, there’s something I want to ask Lady Obelton.”
“Me? Oh… What is it?”
I was about to let her mention of my name go in one ear and out the other, but I reacted a beat too late.
Perhaps due to my distracted nerves, my concentration shattered momentarily.
“How does it feel to become His Majesty the Emperor’s fiancée? I was quite surprised to hear that His Majesty, who has rejected proposals from all the distinguished ladies, sent you a proposal. It was unexpected.”
The question that followed from Miss Winter had an indescribable edge to it.
It almost seemed like she was questioningly suggesting how I managed to secure the spot beside Ruth, which even the most esteemed ladies couldn’t.
I managed to gather my flustered expression with difficulty and answered.
“Of course… I’m happy.”
It was perhaps an obvious answer. After all, who wouldn’t be happy to become the empire’s top lady?
…But why am I not happy?
A chain of contradictory thoughts followed, bringing a self-mocking sentiment.
Why is what’s supposed to be natural not natural for me? Why does a clear fact seem unclear to me?
While I was lost in my thoughts, fiddling with the now cold teacup with my fingertips, I heard Lady Winter, the Countess, burst into laughter.
“How blissful, you say. Well, that’s quite…”
Her voice trailed off meaningfully as she slightly covered her mouth. There was something dubious about the way her eyes curved into crescents.
The look in her eyes, as if she was looking down on someone inferior, made me furrow my brows in annoyance. It was utterly displeasing.
After briefly making eye contact with me, Lady Winter quickly shifted her gaze across the other ladies, changing the topic.
“By the way, have you all heard that rumor?”
“What rumor?”
At one lady’s question, Lady Winter’s eyes turned towards me.
“The rumor that Lady Obelton is His Majesty the Emperor’s first love.”
“……”
I kept silent, not taking my eyes off her.
The rumor Lady Winter was talking about was something I had already heard from Isabella.
However, unlike Isabella, who couldn’t contain her excitement while sharing the rumor, Lady Winter was clearly doing it in a mocking tone.
And this difference was irksomely noticeable, like a thorn one couldn’t remove and had to live with.
So that was it. The unusual gleam in Lady Winter’s eyes from before.
Now everything seemed to fall into place. I clenched the hem of my dress tightly, silently waiting for her next move.
“Yes, I’ve heard. Lady Obelton being His Majesty’s childhood first love, how romantic…”
“But.”
The cut-off in the lady’s response to Countess Winter’s story was, I figured, anything but coincidental.
“A few days ago, another rumor came. About His Majesty and Lady Obelton…”
Another rumor?
Could it be ‘that rumor’ Elleana mentioned? It was at that moment, while I found the expression Countess Winter used puzzling.
“Countess Winter. It seems you’re more interested in Lady Obelton than the hostess of this tea party.”
For someone to raise their voice in such a frivolous manner at her own tea party.
The hitherto silent Lady Abyss spoke up. The overt criticism in her words cast a shadow over Countess Winter’s face.
“I, I just…”
“Even if there were a valid reason for the Countess’s behavior, forgetting one’s place is against etiquette.”
“……”
“Did you understand well?” I was internally surprised when I heard Lady Abyss speaking in a gentle yet firm tone, warning me. It seemed unlike her character to press someone with her status, but I was mistaken.
After a long silence, Lady Winter nodded her head slightly.
“…Yes.”
Then, she turned towards me with a distorted face.
“I’m sorry for being presumptuous, Lady Abyss.”
The apology, void of any sincerity, made me uncomfortable. I didn’t want to accept her apology.
However, if I didn’t, the tea party hosted by Lady Abyss would surely turn into a mess. Moreover, the Abyss Duchy was one of the four great ducal families I needed to secure support from, so I didn’t want to fall out of favor over such an incident.
It would be rude to the other ladies attending the tea party, and it would also create complications for my future plans… So, it seemed I had no choice but to accept Lady Winter’s apology.
After a brief moment of contemplation and a small sigh, I responded.
“I’m alright. So, please don’t feel too sorry.”
By accepting Lady Winter’s apology, the conflict between us was nicely resolved.
Afterwards, the tea party proceeded quite smoothly. The ladies chatted as if nothing had happened, and I occasionally joined in their conversation.
During that time, there were two things that bothered me.
One was Lady Winter, who had become strangely quiet after being reprimanded by Duchess Abyss, and the other was the young ladies who treated her as if she didn’t exist.
***
As the sky dyed with twilight, the tea party came to an end. I walked toward where the royal carriage was waiting, looking at the dimming sky. Perhaps because the tea party ended without any issues, I felt relieved of a burden that had been weighing on my chest.
Just as I was about to step into the carriage, I was called from behind.
“Lady Obelton.”
Turning around, I saw Duchess Abyss, panting.
“I was worried you might have already left.”
“Duchess Abyss. Catch your breath first and then we can talk. Did you run here?”
“Yes. I ran a bit.”
Duchess Abyss, immediately affirming my concern, took a deep breath and smiled.
I waited for her breathing to calm down, then broke the silence.
“So, what’s the matter?”
Duchess Abyss hesitated for a moment as if contemplating, then her gaze became determined.
“I want to become friends with you.”
The request from Duchess Abyss was utterly unexpected. Maybe that’s why.
