Grace said to Sally, moistening her dry lips with her tongue.
“I’m going now, Sally.”
“Yes… Ah, by the way. Before that.”
“Huh?”
It was Sally who took the lead in holding Grace, who was about to go out of the bedroom. Grace turned her head and asked Sally, who stared at her with a stiff face, as if she was wondering why.
“Madam, please don’t speak up so casually to me from now on.”
“…Sally.”
“I thought your good and caring personality let you treat even a lower class person like me well. I didn’t tell you before because it might be tough for you, but the maids from this mansion or the other mansion would ridicule you.”
“…but so far, I haven’t gone that far…”
“You knew?”
Sally’s request was enough to baffle Grace, as she had never been condescending to any servants or maids until now, and Alberton’s servants and maids also took Grace’s words for granted.
“You can treat me like the last time you fiercely questioned me. It’s usually like that for other royal families or nobles. So please, don’t speak to me like that even if it’s awkward. Is that fine?”
So when Grace hesitated, Sally demanded her definite answer with a determined face.
Grace eventually nodded with an awkward face and spoke at her momentum of never stepping down.
“Yes. I…… I get it.”
“Good job. Shall we go then?”
When Grace comfortably moved off, Sally smiled and followed her.
Grace caressed her necklace for no reason, thinking Sally was such a strange person to be more pleased with orders than politeness.
She felt awkward when she treated someone like that for the first time. Grace shook off the shyness and awkwardness, and took a quick step.
Sally took hold of the hem of Grace’s dress and said, “Take your time.”
“Yes? Huh? Why?”
“Do you really need to go fast? You are Duchess Felix.”
“What’s with that?”
“There’s no wife who has a higher rank than you at this party today, right? As a matter of fact, the higher the rank, the later the lady enters the party.”
Seeing Sally advising Grace with a determined face, Grace said while bursting into a small smile.
“Haha, what do you mean?”
“Anything like a small war of words between ladies? I would call it a battle of power.”
Sally shrugged and replied, then added the advice to walk more slowly, with her head raised, and gracefully.
Grace’s shoulders shook with a laugh, and she walked slowly as Sally said. Her appearance was just like an arrogant swan. Grace giggled and spoke to Sally, who was following her.
“Thank you, Sally.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Until a while ago, her heart was burdened with how to get out of here secretly, but thanks to this, she felt lighthearted.
Grace smiled lightly again at Sally’s natural appreciation of her thanks.
───※ ·❆· ※───
After passing the path that could be found even with her eyes closed, Grace arrived in front of the party hall and secretly took a deep breath in front of the door.
This was because as soon as she stood in front of the door of the party, the tension from what she was going to do after a while soared. Standing behind Grace, Sally spoke in a somewhat arrogant tone to the gatekeeper guarding the door of the party hall.
“Tell them that Duchess Felix has arrived.”
“Alright.”
At Sally’s words, the doorkeeper quickly opened the closed door and shouted.
“Duchess Grace Felix has arrived!”
At the same time as those words, Grace entered the party hall, the eyes of the people who were crowded in it suddenly poured on Grace.
Like a bridal shower party, the party hall was full of ladies in colorful dresses.
Grace was relieved inwardly as she saw the candles emanating from the chandelier in the center of the party hall and the reflections of the crystal reflected in them, wearing colorful clothes.
It was because if she mixed up between them wearing such an outfit and spent some time in moderation, they would not know at all even if they fell in love with wine.
‘Then I’ll go to the corner first and kill time in moderation.’
If she could, she wanted to get out of it right away, but unfortunately, now the eyes in the party were focused on her, who had just arrived.
Moreover, it was even before giving congratulations to her older sister Marianne, the main character of the party. Honestly, she didn’t really want to congratulate her, but it was still a public place, so it was right to show sincerity.
‘Let’s just do what I have to do and get out of here.’ It was when Grace was walking with Sally, thinking so.
“Oh my, aren’t you Duchess Felix?”
“Nice to meet you, Duchess. It’s your first time since the Wedding Party, right?”
Two ladies, quite chubby and wearing light green and light blue dresses, respectively, approached Grace and pretended to know her.
Grace greeted them politely, smiling at them who couldn’t even remember their names.
“Nice to see you all. How have you been?”
“We’ve been well! How have you been, Duchess? How surprised were we when the Duchess suddenly collapsed that day?”
“Ugh, me too. How astonished we were that we might lose the new Duchess Felix with that hideous curse! Maybe it’s not like that again today, is it? Ah, indeed. There will be no problem with the Duke Alberton and Lady Marianne, right?”
Grace did not know what kind of innermost thoughts were contained under the words that seemed to worry about her at first glance. Perhaps it means that they feel curious about her, who looks quite normal, and that they will make an impression on her, the Duchess, for now.
Grace said, looking at the ladies who chatted among themselves around her and those who gradually flocked towards her.
“Thank you all for your concern. I’m fine.”
“Oh, that’s a relief.”
“Yes. So, rather than me, focus on ‘Lady Marianne’ over there. After all, Lady Marianne is the main character of today’s party.”
Grace deliberately emphasised Marianne’s name and looked at Marianne sitting on the podium in the center of the party hall.
Then, when Grace arrived, Marianne’s gaze, which had been sharply watching her, turned even darker. Grace knew well what her gaze meant.
‘Do you hate losing your attention to me so much that you can’t even stand it for a second?’
Marianne glared at Grace, who had captured people’s attention in an instant, with a cold gaze, whether she could not tolerate being taken away by her even with a gaze filled with only such ironic interest.
Grace thought her appearance was too childish as slowly walked in front of her. After that, she raised the hem of the dress slightly and greeted Marianne, who was still staring fiercely at her.
“Congratulations on your marriage to the Crown Prince, Lady Marianne. You are finally becoming the Crown Princess you so longed for.”
“…..Thank you, Grace.”
Grace, who smiled more brazenly at Marianne, who was greeted with a grim face, winked at Sally, standing behind her.
Then Sally held out a large box of velvet that she had brought from the bedroom. Grace was handed it over, opened the box, and held it out to Marianne and said.
“This is a present from me to Lady Marianne.”
What was in the box was a necklace with dozens of peridots about the size of a nip of gold coins.
When the jewels, which were light green under the chandelier light, shone brilliantly, a faint greed and intense vigilance passed by Marianne’s eyes. Grace looked at her older sister Marianne’s gaze and said.
“Since ancient times, Peridot has been said to symbolize marital love. Like the meaning of the jewel, I hope that you and the Crown Prince will love each other and live a happy life as it is now. Just like my husband and I.”
“……..What?”
Marianne’s expression suddenly stood blue at Grace’s ensuing words.
Grace also frowned with the same expression as if she had heard something she couldn’t hear.
‘Did she say something bad about me, and why is she making this expression? Ah, is it because she has to hear those words from a person whom she thinks to be below her?’
For some reason, it didn’t seem to be the only thing, and it felt like the back of the head was being pulled, but Grace pretended not to know.
It was because there was no time or need to have such a wasteful conversation with Marianne now. So, Grace greeted Marianne as if to end her talk with Marianne, who was staring at her like she was piercing her.
“Then excuse me. I’ll go and enjoy the party you’ve given me.”
Grace went down, leaving Marianne trembling in anger as she stared at her without answering her greeting. And somehow, she managed to go to the corner of the party hall with Sally, who had a cool expression on her face.
Now that she has dealt with the greeting, she was relieved that she had finished her work. Her mind was full of thoughts of passing time until the arrival of the Crown Prince so that the party would begin in earnest, and people’s attention would get distracted.
Maybe that’s why.
Grace didn’t hear a smack of mouth surrounding her and Marianne.
“Countess Lux, did you hear what Duchess Felix said just a moment ago? Oh my God. What does she mean, be happy and love each other like now?”
“Are there any nobles who don’t know that the Crown Prince doesn’t like Marianne’s presence? But to live like now… Wouldn’t that mean that she should live without her husband like this?”
“Duchess Felix must have felt right with those words because she grew up like that from her childhood at Duke Alberton. Tsk tsk.”
“……But was it just me? Wasn’t it a bit chilly? Honestly, I was just about to say something like that. Look. No matter how much he doesn’t care, where in the world does the groom leave the bride alone at the new bride’s bridal shower party?”
“No actually, he made excuses for coming late because he is busy with the academy work. …maybe he just didn’t want to come.”
“In many ways, the situation of the sisters is ridiculous. One is a cursed Duchess, and the other one is unloved by the Crown Prince.”
“Shh! Please refrain from talking. We might end up making a scene later.”
And unlike Grace, Marianne’s face, who was listening to it all, became distorted, and Grace didn’t notice that.
T/N: Hello my dear readers, It’s New Year’s Eve!!! ヾ(≧ ▽ ≦)ゝ
A year full of ups and downs is finally ending.
Have you decided on your new year’s resolution? ( •̀ .̫ •́ )✧
Well, as for me, I have quite a lot of things on my resolution’s list. But, I will start with fixing my sleeping habits, hehe.
…..B-,but it’s very cold at my place and I like to stay inside my comfy blankie more. (=￣ω￣=)
Anyways, it’s the time to party hard and to treat yourself with delicious food. Yummm…
And stay tuned for more, to see how the story unfolds…
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