RGBR 09

Chapter 9

Elenor could easily see what the Grand Duchess of Raiwens was getting at with her roundabout question about why she had taken so long to arrive. She wanted to laugh out loud.

This woman really does think I’m stupid.

Elenor deliberately put on a miserable expression and let out a deep sigh before slightly lifting the hem of her dress to reveal her foot.

She had already changed back from slippers into shoes before coming here, so the bandage was stained with blood from the wound.

The noblewomen were startled when they saw the injury and covered their mouths one after another.

“Oh my! What happened to your foot?”

“Exactly! It’s a young lady’s foot, too. What if it leaves a scar?”

The Grand Duchess of Raiwens was equally surprised.

She had heard from the maid that Elenor had been injured, but she hadn’t expected the wound to be this serious.

The Grand Duchess of Frihosen, who had deliberately avoided looking at Elenor the entire time, turned her icy gaze toward the Grand Duchess of Raiwens.

If her daughter had been injured, wasn’t it only natural that the mother should be informed first?

Yet the Grand Duchess of Frihosen had known nothing about it until Elenor showed everyone her foot.

Surely the maids of the Grand Duke of Raiwens’s residence weren’t so incompetent that they couldn’t even handle something like this properly.

They had simply refrained from stepping forward because it was what their mistress wanted.

The Grand Duchess of Frihosen’s eyes sharpened as she looked at the Grand Duchess of Raiwens.

“I’ve heard many times that the gardens of the Grand Duke of Raiwens’s residence are beautiful. Apparently, there are even flowers there that cannot be found in the Kingdom of Seilo, which is famous for its beautiful flowers. I was so eager to see the gardens that I walked a little too quickly, and unfortunately, I stepped on a piece of broken glass.”

“Oh, dear.”

“Come to think of it, how beautiful are the flowers in the gardens of the Grand Duke of Raiwens? It’s understandable that the young lady might have been distracted by them.”

“Indeed.”

One by one, the noblewomen began agreeing with Elenor.

Elenor paused for a moment before letting out another deep sigh.

“Ah… This was all my own fault. But the wound isn’t as deep as it looks, so please don’t worry. His Highness’s consideration ensured that a physician had already examined and treated it.”

The noblewomen’s gazes turned toward the Grand Duchess of Raiwens, who was seated in the place of honor.

“Her Highness called for a physician.”

“When did that happen? We had no idea…”

The women exchanged glances, distrust written plainly across their faces.

No matter how much the Grand Duchess of Frihosen was disliked, this was still unreasonable.

Her daughter had been injured, yet the Grand Duchess of Raiwens had dealt with it on her own without even informing the girl’s mother.

Since such behavior went against common sense, the noblewomen’s gazes toward the Grand Duchess of Raiwens grew noticeably colder.

Looking at the shadow falling across Elenor’s pale face, everyone exchanged subtle glances with those they were close to, as though apologizing for the disturbance.

The Grand Duchess of Raiwens, who could hardly have failed to notice the atmosphere, felt the corners of her smiling lips twitch slightly.

How could I have made such a stupid mistake?

The Grand Duchess of Raiwens regretted it inwardly.

Her reason for calling Elenor here had been simple.

She merely wanted to corner Elenor in front of the Grand Duchess of Frihosen, the woman she found so irritating.

She had never imagined that she would be the one put in an awkward position instead.

She had trusted the maid’s word that the injury wasn’t serious and, worried that announcing it would disrupt the gathering, had summoned a physician without telling anyone.

But she had never expected Elenor to point out her mistake right here, in front of everyone.

As the Grand Duchess of Raiwens clenched her teeth, the Grand Duchess of Frihosen gave a derisive snort and set down the cup she had been holding.

Clink!

The sharp sound instantly drew everyone’s attention toward her.

The Grand Duchess of Frihosen’s delicate brows furrowed.

“My daughter was injured, so why am I only learning about it now, Grand Duchess of Raiwens? I believe I should know what happened as well.”

The Grand Duchess of Raiwens forced the corners of her lips upward.

“Please don’t worry. I’m also going to ask the maid now what exactly happened—”

“Isn’t the master of this residence the Grand Duchess of Raiwens? I suppose one has to ask the maids to find out about something this important.”

The Grand Duchess of Frihosen spoke calmly.

The Grand Duchess of Raiwens’s eyes narrowed sharply at her words.

“…Grand Duchess of Frihosen. What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I’m questioning your ability. What else would I be saying?”

“…Grand Duchess, that is going too far—”

“That’s enough. I have no desire to exchange any more words with you. Elenor. Let’s go.”

With that, the Grand Duchess of Frihosen rose from her seat as if to make a point.

Elenor, who had been keeping her head lowered and quietly observing the situation, was inwardly startled by her mother’s actions.

Her mother usually didn’t care much about what other people said to her.

Even in gatherings filled with people, she rarely took the initiative to speak unless someone addressed her first.

Yet this mother had stepped forward for Elenor.

Elenor’s heart grew warm.

She lowered her eyes to hide the fact that they were beginning to sting with tears.

The Grand Duchess of Raiwens felt the strange looks being directed at her and clenched her fists.

To humiliate me in front of this many people…

It was no different from picking a fight.

She ground her teeth.

So this was her intention all along.

Acting like such a meek little cat all this time, only to seize an opportunity like this.

The Grand Duchess of Frihosen, now standing, looked toward the noblewomen and gave them a slight bow.

“It has been a long time since we’ve all met, so please excuse me for leaving first.”

The noblewomen glanced at the Grand Duchess of Raiwens, gauging her reaction, but one by one they stood and showed the Grand Duchess of Frihosen the proper courtesy.

“Please don’t say that, Your Highness.”

“Yes. Since your daughter has been injured, of course you should return home.”

“Exactly. Please don’t worry about things here and go home with Lady Elenor, Your Highness. Lady Elenor, you should go home and get plenty of rest as well.”

Elenor identified the woman speaking kindly to her, smiled, and lowered her head in greeting.

“Thank you, Countess Piodell.”

“Oh my. Young Lady. You know who I am? I was away for quite some time and only recently returned to the capital, so I thought everyone had forgotten about me.”

Countess Piodell smiled mischievously as she looked at Elenor.

Elenor quietly smiled back.

The House of Piodell was one of the royalist families trusted by the Emperor.

Around this time, Countess Piodell had returned to the capital after mourning the loss of her mother, whom she had personally cared for during her illness.

Count Piodell had been one of those who opposed Joshua’s succession to the throne.

At the time, there had been no particular flaw in the First Prince that would justify opposing him.

But in the end, it was Joshua who ascended the throne.

After becoming Emperor, he eliminated one by one those who had opposed him.

Count Piodell was one of them.

In her previous life, the people who had been hostile toward Joshua could, in other words, be considered allies of hers now.

Naturally, Elenor had no reason not to respond to them warmly.

She lifted the corners of her lips.

“I heard that Lady Piodell recently graduated from the Imperial Academy with excellent marks. I recognized you because Lady Evelyn’s face in the weekly magazine resembles yours.”

At the mention of her daughter, Countess Piodell’s face brightened.

“I’m a little embarrassed that Your Grace has seen news about my daughter.”

“Why would you be embarrassed? I heard that the Imperial Magic Bureau recently took a magical device Lady Piodell invented. Doesn’t that mean she is exceptionally talented in magic?”

“You knew about that too? Well, I suppose my daughter is rather clever, just like her mother. Ho ho.”

Countess Piodell laughed brightly.

It was obvious at a glance that she liked Elenor.

The other noblewomen nearby exchanged glances and began looking at Elenor differently.

The Grand Duchess of Frihosen’s daughter they had known had always seemed to want to avoid attention wherever she went, hiding among the crowd.

To them, seeing her take the initiative to speak to someone else like this was truly unexpected.

The Grand Duchess of Frihosen wore an expression that suggested she had no interest in what any of the noblewomen were thinking.

But when she noticed several women casting unfriendly looks toward Elenor, she silently stared back at them.

Under her fierce gaze, they had no choice but to turn their heads away.

Elenor reached out and gently took her mother’s hand.

She could feel the Grand Duchess of Frihosen looking at her, but Elenor calmly said,

“Mother, just a moment. The host of today’s Rirangttli is Her Highness the Grand Duchess of Raiwens. We should at least say goodbye before we leave.”

The Grand Duchess of Frihosen stared at Elenor for a moment before giving a small nod.

It was her way of agreeing.

Elenor smiled brightly and stood before the Grand Duchess of Raiwens.

Then, deliberately, she smiled even more warmly at the Grand Duchess of Raiwens, who was looking at her with undisguised disgust.

A crack slowly appeared in the Grand Duchess’s expression.

“Your Highness, my mother and I will be taking our leave now. And please don’t worry about the wound on my foot. It really is only a minor injury. Since the maid didn’t examine my wound carefully, I’m sure she naturally assumed it was only a small one.”

“…Are you saying that because you’re afraid I’ll punish the maid for failing to report the situation properly?”

Elenor opened her eyes wide.

“No. Of course not. That’s a misunderstanding. I know very well how wise Your Highness is. I’m only saying this because I’m worried that someone who doesn’t know the whole story might put the maid in an awkward position.”

“You certainly care a great deal about those beneath you, Lady Elenor.”

“You do as well, Your Highness. You cherish your servants like family, don’t you?”

“…Let’s say I do.”

The Grand Duchess of Raiwens pressed her lips tightly together.

She looked at Elenor with obvious displeasure.

The Grand Duchess of Raiwens was not particularly kind by nature.

The Grand Duke of Raiwens’s notorious history with women was already famous.

Whenever his name appeared in the various weekly magazines because of some woman-related scandal, the Grand Duchess of Raiwens would always vent her anger on the maids.

Elenor had only learned about this after becoming the Imperial Consort.

The brother of a maid who had been beaten to death by the Grand Duchess of Raiwens had unexpectedly become one of Joshua’s loyal supporters, and that was how Elenor came to know about it.

And if her memory was correct, the maid who had died had probably been named Jane.

The Grand Duchess of Raiwens’s answer was essentially a promise that she would not lay a hand on Jane.

Elenor felt relieved.

As Elenor bid the noblewomen farewell with a bright expression, the Grand Duchess of Raiwens’s face grew even colder.