***
***
She was overwhelmed by the scenery in front of her and stiffened. Ladies in all kinds of beautiful dresses, with perfume, fans, and silk shoes were paying their respects to her.
Carlz whispered in her ear.
“Madame, you have to go in.”
Only then did she come to her senses, hold her head high, and head towards the hostess, Duchess Mülze.
‘Be calm, you have been practicing for this moment for weeks.’
“Thank you for inviting me, Duchess Mülze.”
Fortunately, her voice didn’t sound strange.
The gorgeous duchess bowed deeply to her.
“It’s an honor for you to visit my salon, your highness. May I have the honor of introducing her highness to the guests?”
As expected by Sumona, the Duchess, a middle-of-the-road aristocrat, seemed to be willing to serve as her debutante host.
She nodded in relief.
The Duchess grabbed her hand and introduced her to the ladies.
“This is the Grand Duchess of Morte, Amarion. I hope you have a good time because you have visited my salon.”
“Hello, I’m Amarion Morte.”
Countless wives complimented her, one after the other. ‘How good to see you, how beautiful you are, and your dress is perfect.’ Most of them wanted to make a connection with the Morte family, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
When she faced their friendly gazes, she felt relaxed. Even though Carlz had to leave her side, the party wasn’t as scary as she thought it would be. She remembered the servants who had encouraged her several times, saying that she would be untouchable as the Grand Duchess.
For some reason, she was excited. She thought she could finally do something really well, and help Victor.
That was until a lady smiled and covered her mouth with a fan.
“I heard that his highness the Grand Duke really cares about her highness, and it seems that he does.”
Another wife opened her fan with a smile.
“How can he not? Her highness is an important person to him.”
Another wife put a fan over her mouth.
“I thought he’d treasure her like a flower… I didn’t know he’d show her to us.”
Their laughter continued.
As she listened to them, her smile slowly disappeared.
Something was off.
What Sumona taught her with particular care was how to distinguish insults. Insults in the social world were done in a very subtle way, so it was not uncommon for them to go unnoticed. While reassuring her that it wouldn’t be necessary, she was meticulously taught every manner of insult.
All of Sumona’s lessons were put to use. She knew one thing for certain.
They had no intention of accepting her as a member of the salon. No, at this point, it was fortunate that they didn’t kick her out.
She was embarrassed and clenched her skirt.
‘It’s my first time seeing these ladies, so why do they need to be so hostile?’
‘I’m even the wife of the greatest hero of the Empire.’
They laughed like a pack of hyenas.
“It’s a virtue to be loved by your husband.”
“Of course. Especially if it’s an unexpected marriage…”
“It’s not uncommon for love to bloom after a sudden meeting.”
“In addition, isn’t the Grand Duchess a knight? It’s like an old fairytale.”
She tried to understand them.
Unexpected marriage.
Sudden meeting.
Husband’s love.
She realized it all at once.
They used this kind of insult to belittle low-ranking women who married into a noble family.
She immediately frowned. No matter how different their* status was, she couldn’t understand why she, his wife, had to hear this.
[*E/N: Victor and Amarion]
Another lady took it a step further.
“Well, the Grand Duke actually had a fiancée.”
‘What… are you talking about?’
“Oh, my. I made a mistake in front of her highness.”
The lady grabbed the hem of her skirt, mocking Amarion’s actions earlier.
At the same time, someone approached through the crowd of cruel women. She was an aristocratic young woman, who perfectly suited the greenhouse. She was beautiful, with warm auburn hair, big blue eyes, and long deer-like lashes that fluttered with every blink. She bowed her knees and greeted Amarion.
“Nice to meet you, your highness. My name is Nanael Welch.”
She looked at the woman in disbelief.
She already knew her name. According to Sumona’s information, she was the daughter of a famous Duke. She was also the most notable social flower in the Empire. She, who was from a family of knights, swept the Capital’s party venue, and was said to already be courted by numerous men.
Sumona was very businesslike about relaying this information, and Carlz, who was normally passionate about this kind of subject, was quiet, so her story ended there.
She tried to scatter the intrusive thoughts that fogged her mind and greeted the lady with difficulty.
“Hello, I’m Amarion Morte.”
Nanael smiled brightly and covered her mouth with gloved hands. At first glance, it was a bright smile that made one think that she was really happy to see them. But her eyes weren’t smiling.
“Your tiara is very beautiful. Of course, it can’t be compared to your hair, your highness.”
‘My hair is a characteristic of the north…’
She closed her eyes tightly.
“Thank you…”
“Your highness, which family are you from? I want to hear your life story!”
Nanael held Amarion’s hand in a friendly way.
She wanted to shake it off, but couldn’t gather the courage. Her small voice struggled to leave her mouth.
“I was born to the Count of Amari, in the northern part of the kingdom…”
Her words were interrupted by the close friends of Nanael, who were gathered around them both.
“Don’t make her feel uncomfortable, Nanael. You have to keep your manners.”
“Is that so? I’m sorry, your highness. A woman often makes mistakes because of her short learning.”
Nanael curtsied in a very lively manner. Her friends laughed.
“But I still understand how happy you are. It is said that the sickness of the Grand Duke is improving, thanks to you.”
“Oh, my. What do you mean by disease? It’s not polite for someone outside the family to talk about her business.”
Nanael scolded her friend in a sharp voice.
Amarion watched the clown play unfolding blankly.
Nanael Welch was pretending to be the hostess of the Grand Duchy. But no one pointed that out. About half of the ladies were just silent, and the rest did not hide their ridicule of Amarion. She could hear them whispering all around her.
-“How can there be such a shameless woman?”
-“If it weren’t for the famous insomnia of the Grand Duke, would she have been able to visit the Empire?”
-“Whether it’s making medicine or doing magic, she’ll do whatever it takes to stay, how dare she…”
Her heart sank.
The realization hit her.
These people knew.
‘I’m the woman who was sold to Victor to put him to sleep.’
***
She didn’t know why she came here in high spirits.
The subtle ridicule continued, and neither Duchess Mülze nor any other moderate noblewoman was willing to come forward and stop them. In the end, she couldn’t stand their ridicule and ran out of the salon.
Sir Carlz, who followed her, joked that she was just too nervous, and Amarion just nodded her head without a word. Carl thought it was because she was tired, so he didn’t say anything more.
During their silent carriage ride home, dark thoughts plagued her mind.
Their insults were painful, but… they weren’t wrong.
She was the daughter of a count, but the reason why her house was not famous was because they lived in the north. The count was nothing more than a facade to station more Imperial Knights in the north.
Of course, she had never been to the Capital, so she never made her debut. Even if she left her estate, monsters were everywhere, so she never even dreamed of visiting another noble’s mansion. She knew more mercenary commanders than the noble ladies.
It was ridiculous for a woman like her to marry a Grand Duke.
She didn’t know if she was even qualified like the young Welch girl…
Everything she wore looked awkward. Everyone knew that she wasn’t fit for the position.
***
She didn’t talk to anyone at the second tea party. There were a few women who didn’t know the rumors, but that never lasted long. Gossip spread during the social season faster than the wings of a Wyvern, and sooner or later they would know the reason for the hatred and avoidance of Amarion Morte.
She wanted to go back to the Grand Duke’s residence and lock herself in the bedroom. She wanted to complain to Victor…
…because it was difficult.
But she wasn’t really a noble… right?
***
She got out of the fancy carriage with a dry throat. Under the darkened sky, the beautiful lights of the mansion welcomed the guests who gathered for the ball.
The ball was held in a mansion outside the Capital, and was much larger than the previous two meetings. In addition, men were allowed to attend, which made the atmosphere more exciting.
But this time, it would be better because she had Carlz. She held his hand with confidence and entered.
But that confidence didn’t last. In the middle of the ballroom, Nanael Welch was smiling, surrounded by countless people. She hurriedly turned to Carlz to avoid making eye contact with her.
Carlz looked down at her with a worried expression.
“What’s wrong, Madame?”
***