Patrizia responded back, with an amused look in her eyes. What else was she going to say to try to shake her up this time? Anxiety rose at the same time as interest.
“Suddenly a gift? Is there any particular reason, Baroness?”
“If it has to be a particular reason, there is a particular reason. I heard that Your Majesty helped me get my title.”
She acted innocent as she smiled and said to Patrizia.
“If the Empress had not helped, I would not have been sitting here. How dare the daughter of a poor family raise her head towards Your Majesty? That is why I have never forgotten the grace of Your Majesty ever since I moved to the new palace.”
On the outside, there was clearly nothing wrong with those words, but a few words in the middle disturbed Patrizia’s mentality. However, she calmly smiled and captured her emotions, then responded casually, “No need to thank me for that, Baroness. It was not a big deal for me, and it was not difficult. I have heard that you have kept His Majesty’s side for a year when I wasn’t there, so I have to pay up for that.”
“I’m glad you acknowledge my hard work, Your Majesty. I hope I can maintain this relationship in the future.”
“I think for a smooth relationship to keep running, both parties must be friendly to one another. If one side starts having certain thoughts, then everything would be over, Baroness.”
“I feel the same way as Your Majesty. You are as smart as I have heard.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
It was a face that didn’t look grateful at all, but neither Rosemond nor Patrizia did anything else about that. In a strangely taut atmosphere, the other ladies including the Duchess of Grochester were tense, but fortunately, that atmosphere was broken by Mirya, who had just arrived.
“Your Majesty, the envoys’ wives have just arrived. Would you like them to come inside?”
“Of course. Welcome them in, Mirya.”
The conversation that had naturally been broken up from the rigid atmosphere was revived. The strange vigor brought on by the appearance of new guests quickly spread through the room.
Soon a group of women came into the room where Patrizia was. The age range varied from younger to older women, but given that they had come from a foreign country by ship, no lady seemed that old. Patrizia welcomed them with her fluent foreign language skills.
“Welcome. We were waiting.”
When her sister Petronilla, had gone around having tea parties with other girls, Patrizia had stayed alone in her home to learn foreign languages, especially the one belonging to the Christa Empire which was allied with the Marvinus Empire. She had vaguely thought that she was going to use it someday, but she never thought it would be used like this. They seemed to admire Patrizia’s fluent conversational skills, and the seeming leader among them spoke out.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Moon of Marvinus. It is an honor to see the new mother of this Empire. I am Christa’s Duchess of Verica.”
“I am also extremely happy to meet with you, Duchess. Please, everyone, sit down.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Christa’s noblewomen, who sat in the empty seats, all had the distinctive black hair and impeccable complexion of the Christa Empire, which was hard to see in the Marvinus Empire, so Patrizia was amazed. However, she didn’t show that kind of amazement on her face as she thought it might be rude.
“You must be tired of coming from such a distant place, it would be better to start eating. The chef in our palace is quite amazing at cooking.”
“Since you talk that far, we are excited to try. To be honest, we are very excited about the food from Marvinus. I had heard that Marvinus food was that good?”
“That is an excessive compliment, Duchess. It would be good if it fits with your palette.”
Patrizia, after saying that, made movements with her head as if asking Mirya to bring the food, and soon, a number of maids came into the banquet hall with plates of food.
Along with colorful vegetable dishes, there were meat dishes with delicious smells that caught their attention. Someone seemed to already be salivating as a gulping sound seeming to swallow their saliva could be heard. Patrizia had on the world’s proud face, Rosemond looked on at her as she smiled inwardly.
The steak, which the maids came in innocent expressions originally had to be a beefsteak, but the ingredients had been replaced because of her plans.
Of course, if one had been a chef who cooks professionally, one would be likely to be able to distinguish the two, but even then, it would not be easy. Just before the chef started cooking, she had replaced it with pork of similar shape and color, which made it hard to tell. Rosemond discussed the steak with an expression that she knew nothing.
“Oh, the steak looks really delicious. I think very good quality meat has been grilled.”
“Correct, Baroness. I specifically asked the chef. To make the dish with very good quality meat. So please eat a lot. I hope everyone else also enjoys it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We will enjoy this food.”
Rosemond, with a smirk, soon began slicing the steak with her elegant hands. As she did this, the juice from the meat came out, and the large steak began to be cut into small pieces. Rosemond deliberately cut into the steaks in a slower motion than the others, and then glanced at the other people taking the steak pieces into their mouths. One of Christa’s most prominent wives had a look of anticipation and put a large-sized piece of steak in her mouth.
Just because pork was not allowed in the Christa Empire did not mean they wouldn’t even know the taste of pork. Rosemond put a piece of steak in the dish into her mouth, hoping for a huge uproar. However…