It was quite unusual that Kaela’s first meeting with the ladies of Lusenford remained so vivid in her mind.
Usually, only the most stimulating events remained in her brain, which had conveniently forgotten and erased things due to exhaustion.
The mocking words, the disdainful glances, Peon’s dismissive attitude or complete disregard for her words, and the radiantly beautiful Beatrice. That was all.
So why did that day, when she, as a young girl, went out first to greet the ladies, remain in her memory? More precisely, the anticipation, nervousness, slight fear, and expectations she felt that day were the clearest.
Now too tired and weak to harbor such feelings, Kaela entered as she saw the ladies rise in unison.
Gasps of surprise were heard from various places, followed by the ladies curtseying respectfully, holding the hems of their dresses. They clearly hadn’t expected the Grand Duke to accompany her.
“I hope you enjoy this first gathering hosted by my wife,” Peon said affectionately, turning to Kaela in front of them.
“But if you feel even slightly tired or unwell, you must return immediately.”
For a husband to escort his wife to a ladies’ gathering and make an appearance was, in Lusenford terms, a blow to male pride.
Of course, the affairs of the ladies in Lusenford weren’t so inconsequential as to be dismissed as “mere women’s business” without any influence.
Everywhere, what happens in the women’s quarters ultimately affects politics. These ladies were the only ones who stood shoulder to shoulder with their titled husbands.
However, being affectionate towards one’s wife or daughter, escorting them everywhere, and being kind was, in Lusenford terms, “the kind of embarrassing behavior only those soft southern men engage in.”
Even in Crania, it was rare for a man to personally escort his wife to a ladies-only gathering. Kaela knew this too.
‘This is something my father would do.’
Adeo de Chasser, the Duke of Ostein, who had married for love and never remarried after his wife’s death, was such a person. When her mother was alive, he always escorted her to and from the ladies’ gatherings.
So Kaela thought this was what husbands naturally did. She believed a husband was someone who was always with his wife, showed interest in her affairs, listened to her words, and engaged in deep conversations.
Perhaps that’s why the failed marriage hit her harder. If she had no expectations, she wouldn’t have been hurt, but she naively hoped for too much. Now she expects nothing. She knows that husbands don’t do anything.
“Take good care of my wife,” Peon said.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
But this was too different. Peon, who didn’t forget to instruct the maids, wasn’t a “husband who does nothing” but a “husband who does too much.”
Peon, who casually did what no Lusenford-raised Grand Duke of Lusenford would ever do, glanced over the ladies once more before turning to Kaela one last time.
“Enjoy yourself. I’ll be going now.”
The impact of the Grand Duke’s cheerful smile and departure was enormous.
The eyes watching the fragile future Duchess of Ostein and the Emperor’s niece, now the Grand Duchess of Lusenford, were already cautious. Most of those gathered here were present at the banquet where the Grand Duchess had collapsed.
After the Grand Duke had banished the all-powerful head maid and executed the rest, and now showing such doting behavior towards the Grand Duchess even in this gathering, the perceptive ones instantly realized:
The Grand Duchess would now have an enormous influence on Lusenford’s power structure.
“Please be seated, Your Highness,” they said.
The Ostein-born maids, heads held high, seated the Grand Duchess in the place of honor before quietly retreating.
The Grand Duchess, wrapped in snow-white fur that was clearly procured here in Lusenford but new to her, wore diamond necklaces and bracelets that the Lusenford ladies could only dream of.
The dress, with its sophisticated design completely different from Lusenford’s fashion trends and made of rare material, had already caught the eyes of the fashion-conscious ladies, making them dizzy with interest.
The Grand Duchess sat quietly, merely observing the ladies. In truth, Kaela didn’t know what to say to these familiar faces. More precisely, she couldn’t easily open her mouth, unsure how to speak without inviting ridicule.
As a young girl, no matter what she said, those present would smile, exchange meaningful glances among themselves, and then drop a word or two.
These were stinging words that would pierce Kaela’s heart later when she was alone, making her realize their true meaning and feel hurt.
‘How should I speak so they don’t look down on me?’
The Princess of Ostein instinctively employed a defense mechanism she should never have had to know in her lifetime.
She was gripped by anxiety that they would laugh at whatever she said. What should she say? She didn’t want to. Couldn’t she just give up on everything?
At that moment, one of the ladies stepped forward.
“If I may, I’ll greet you first, Your Highness.”
Kaela barely managed to turn her stiff neck towards her. A middle-aged lady wearing a dark green velvet dress embroidered with yellow patterns bowed deeply to her.
Kaela swallowed a laugh of disbelief. She knew well that this lady was showing her unnecessary courtesy.
“I am Yolnes Pare. My husband is Sir Pare, who serves as the gatekeeper of Lusenford Castle.”
Yolnes Pare, who was acting as the representative of these ladies, was one who had sided with the head maid Doris in belittling the young Grand Duchess.
As a typical Lusenford person who liked to take charge and had a loud voice, she was one who had joined those who cornered Kaela at the first banquet. Whether she had escaped punishment thanks to her husband’s position as gatekeeper was unclear, but her personality certainly hadn’t changed.
She had the typically robust Lusenford build, tall with middle-aged plumpness. Her face had prominent brow bones, a large nose, and slightly protruding cheekbones. Her personality was fully reflected in her large, protruding eyes.
When those eyes rolled and stared fixedly at the young Grand Duchess, muttering a few words in Lusenford dialect and cackling, the already frail and small Grand Duchess would be terrified and at a loss.
It’s always the loud, bossy ones who step forward. This time was no different.
“Since there’s no head maid at this first meeting with Your Highness, I think it’s appropriate for us to take turns greeting you directly.”
In short, she was saying that since the head maid was gone, she would act as one. Everyone knew that the vacant position of head maid would have to be filled by someone from among those gathered here anyway.
Yolnes Pare had taken the initiative to gain an advantage. If the husband was the gatekeeper and the wife the head maid, the Pare family’s influence would become formidable.
Perhaps not having wasted her time as Grand Duchess, Kaela could immediately read this much intent.
“Do so,” she said.
Without a head maid, there was no way to proceed according to proper etiquette anyway. Moreover, as Kaela nodded half-heartedly, having no enthusiasm whatsoever, Yolnes Pare’s face brightened.
“Thank you. Then, let’s start with Alicia from the Rulmon family…”
“No.”
Well, even without enthusiasm, anger can arise. Yolnes Pare’s words, abruptly mentioning her own family first, were cut off.
Kaela, naturally angered by these tiresome Lusenford people who looked down on her, forcibly squeezed out her voice from her weak body. In such a familiar situation, Kaela’s way of dealing was ultimately just to speak properly.
“Didn’t you yourself say to greet in turns directly?”
