“Hello, Your Highness and the Grand Duke and Duchess.”
Jeremiah responded to the old gentleman’s greeting.
“Welcome, Count Strict. The Countess is here too.”
“It’s been a long time. Your Highness.”
The old couple had a slightly stubborn impression, but they looked kind and dignified at first glance.
Despite their age, they had straight backs and seemed accustomed to their upright posture, and their behavior was filled with orthodox etiquette.
The two had been together as a couple for a long time, so they resembled each other a lot.
“Thanks to Your Highness’s support for the monster subjugation force this time, we were able to deal with the monsters that came down to the village with ease.”
“With Your Highness’s help, we were able to reduce the damage to the village. Thank you, Your Highness.”
The old couple bowed their heads politely and expressed their gratitude.
It was not just empty words, but a sincere greeting.
As Jeremiah and Count Strict’s conversation continued, the Countess’s conversation partner naturally became Karina.
“This is the first time I’ve met you in person. I was a little surprised when I read the invitation, but I’m glad to know the Grand Duchess’ intentions.”
“I’m glad to meet you too, Countess Strict. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”
Karina smiled brighter and greeted the countess.
Karina’s goal was to win her favor.
“I would be honored if I could be of even a little help in the work for the North.”
“You will be of great help. I will do my best, so if there’s anything you need me to do, please tell me without holding back.”
Karina humbly accepted.
“You’re very different from what I’ve heard.”
Countess Strict’s eyes looked at Karina more gently than before.
Karina smiled inwardly.
It seemed like she had made a good first impression.
As if the conversation with Jeremiah was over, Count Strict approached her.
Then the Countess also greeted Karina.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
Karina politely accepted her greeting.
As the old couple left, people gathered around them again.
“Thanks to the business advice you gave me last time, I was able to prevent a big loss. Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Our family is planning to implement a new investment method this time, and I would like to hear your opinion.”
“Your Highness, we have a new business that we’re going to implement this time. Would you please take a look at the business plan?”
The people gathered around them soon began to bring up their main issues.
As soon as the business talk began, Karina naturally became a sack of straw.
She thought she would spend a long time blankly and bored, but Jeremiah said to Karina,
“I’ll talk to the guest for a bit.”
Caroline changed the uncomfortable topic.
Lamberda Young Lady looked up from her tea, where she was stirring sugar, and answered.
“Oh, my second brother is in charge of the mining business. My father was delighted because we recently found a distributor to supply the copper from the mine.”
“Oh my, that’s great news.”
“Thanks to the Princess. I’m always grateful for your help.”
Karina, who had been listening to the conversation while drinking her tea with an expression of disinterest, became lost in thought.
'If you're talking about the second son of the Lamberda family, you're talking about the man I ran into that day.'
Karina thought of Revals, whom she had met a while ago when she bumped into a kid on the street.
'The Lamberda family. I thought it was nothing special in the past, but it seems like it's more intertwined with many things than I thought.'
Karina smiled silently.
In the meantime, the young ladies continued the conversation by bringing up other topics.
"The earrings you made today are so pretty, young lady."
"Oh, they're spinel earrings custom-made by Paulo Jewelry."
"Paulo Jewelry is the place that's fully booked until next year?"
"Yes, that's right. I made a reservation the year before last and just got them this time."
The young lady, who was receiving attention, showed off her earrings to the envious looks of those around her.
"The colors are different, as expected from Paulo Jewelry."
"By the way, have you heard that story? I heard that the artisan of Paulo Jewelry created an incredible masterpiece that only comes once in a lifetime?"
“The master craftsman of ‘that’ Paulo Jeweler?”
Asked one of the young women with wide eyes.
“The jewelry handled by Paulo Jeweler is famous for its incredible value.”
“That’s why. I was really curious about what kind of masterpiece a master craftsman of that kind of place would make.”
Another young woman who was listening to the conversation chimed in.
“But I heard that it already had an owner. The price must have been really high, so who on earth would have bought it?”
Caroline opened her mouth to the young women’s chatter.
“That’s right. Even things have their own owners. If you can’t find the right owner, no matter how great a masterpiece it is, it’s just a lump of stone that never saw the light of day.”
Caroline glared at Karina as she said that.
“...?”
Karina didn’t understand why she was glaring at her while saying such things, but Karina also felt bad and opened her eyes.
At that moment, a young man who had just arrived entered the auditorium.
He was a man with slicked-back hair and a rather slick appearance.
One of the young ladies who was sitting in the seat where the entrance was visibly blushed and said.
“Oh my, over there! Isn’t that Lord Peggyson Genon?”
“Lord Pegyson Genon?”
At those words, all the young ladies’ eyes turned towards the entrance.
Jeremiah responded to the old gentleman’s greeting.
“Welcome, Count Strict. The Countess is here too.”
“It’s been a long time. Your Highness.”
The old couple had a slightly stubborn impression, but they looked kind and dignified at first glance.
Despite their age, they had straight backs and seemed accustomed to their upright posture, and their behavior was filled with orthodox etiquette.
The two had been together as a couple for a long time, so they resembled each other a lot.
“Thanks to Your Highness’s support for the monster subjugation force this time, we were able to deal with the monsters that came down to the village with ease.”
“With Your Highness’s help, we were able to reduce the damage to the village. Thank you, Your Highness.”
The old couple bowed their heads politely and expressed their gratitude.
It was not just empty words, but a sincere greeting.
As Jeremiah and Count Strict’s conversation continued, the Countess’s conversation partner naturally became Karina.
“This is the first time I’ve met you in person. I was a little surprised when I read the invitation, but I’m glad to know the Grand Duchess’ intentions.”
“I’m glad to meet you too, Countess Strict. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”
Karina smiled brighter and greeted the countess.
Karina’s goal was to win her favor.
“I would be honored if I could be of even a little help in the work for the North.”
“You will be of great help. I will do my best, so if there’s anything you need me to do, please tell me without holding back.”
Karina humbly accepted.
“You’re very different from what I’ve heard.”
Countess Strict’s eyes looked at Karina more gently than before.
Karina smiled inwardly.
It seemed like she had made a good first impression.
As if the conversation with Jeremiah was over, Count Strict approached her.
Then the Countess also greeted Karina.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
Karina politely accepted her greeting.
As the old couple left, people gathered around them again.
“Thanks to the business advice you gave me last time, I was able to prevent a big loss. Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Our family is planning to implement a new investment method this time, and I would like to hear your opinion.”
“Your Highness, we have a new business that we’re going to implement this time. Would you please take a look at the business plan?”
The people gathered around them soon began to bring up their main issues.
As soon as the business talk began, Karina naturally became a sack of straw.
She thought she would spend a long time blankly and bored, but Jeremiah said to Karina,
“I’ll talk to the guest for a bit.”
He said only what he wanted to say and went somewhere else.
“...”
As Jeremiah left, the area around Karina became empty.
‘Whew.’
It felt like a storm had passed.
As soon as Karina took a deep breath, the Caroline group approached her as if they had been waiting for her. The gorgeously dressed young ladies and gentlemen surrounded Karina.
“Oh my, Grand Duchess. You’re here?”
“But why are you alone?”
“Yes. How cruel of His Highness to leave you alone like this.”
“...”
As Jeremiah left, the area around Karina became empty.
‘Whew.’
It felt like a storm had passed.
As soon as Karina took a deep breath, the Caroline group approached her as if they had been waiting for her. The gorgeously dressed young ladies and gentlemen surrounded Karina.
“Oh my, Grand Duchess. You’re here?”
“But why are you alone?”
“Yes. How cruel of His Highness to leave you alone like this.”
They must have seen Jeremiah leave the table to talk about business, but they said such things.
Karina was already feeling tired.
“We can’t leave the Grand Duchess alone. Can I sit next to you?”
Caroline, who had come over without even listening to Karina’s answer, seated her group at the table where Karina was.
Then they began to get to know each other.
“It’s nice to meet you. How have you been?”
“Yes, Grand Duchess. You look as beautiful as ever today.”
“Why does your beauty seem to shine more and more as the days go by?”
“Is there a way to manage it? If so, please let me know.”
“Oh, that’s too much praise.”
Caroline laughed and exchanged greetings with the guests.
Of course, Karina, sitting across from her, was treated as if she were invisible.
‘How childish.’
Karina snorted inwardly and carefully examined the faces in front of her.
When she looked at them one by one, they all looked familiar.
They were the people who had treated Karina rudely and spoken rudely in the past.
They were full of boasts and had a soft mouths, so they would create exaggerated rumors behind Karina’s back and spread bad rumors about her more than anyone else.
It would be safe to say that half of the insults Karina had suffered in the past had started with their mouths. There was no way they could look good on such people.
“But the Grand Duchess is wearing a similar dress today to the one she wore at the last banquet?”
One of them noticed and blurted out something that would definitely hurt Karina.
“Oh, I see. You really like that style of clothing, don’t you think?”
The young lady next to her sneered and agreed.
It was clear that they had not even looked at the dress Karina was wearing.
The only similarity was that it was a light-colored dress, but if you looked at the detailed design, it was a completely different dress.
“No matter how much you like it, wouldn’t it be better to pay a little attention to current trends? It’s not good for the Grand Duchess to be out of style.”
Another young lady also turned around and put Karina down.
But Karina didn’t even feel the need to refute.
Everything Karina said and did was just a nitpick to them.
‘Ha.’
Karina sighed inwardly.
She felt tired of responding to her inappropriate scheming.
Then Caroline added a word.
“Yes, Grand Duchess. Please be aware of your position and try to maintain your dignity.”
Karina narrowed her eyes at Caroline’s criticism.
It was different from the past when she would feel intimidated by even a single word like this.
“Since the Grand Duchess only lives in the North, you don’t know much about the capital’s fashions, do you?”
Karina calmly answered with a calm smile.
“...The capital’s fashions? Yes, I have a trustworthy person who picks out dresses with designs that are popular in the capital. I’m afraid they’ll try to push me into wearing something outrageous like the last time, saying it’s a northern fashion.”
“Ah...”
As the story of the last banquet spilled out of Karina’s mouth, everyone around her glanced at Caroline and checked her reaction.
Karina looked straight at Caroline and continued.
“The merchant you mentioned, Abdul. He was the merchant that the Princess personally introduced to me, but he was such a swindler... I really didn’t know who to trust. It was so shocking.”
“...!”
Karina openly attacked Caroline, and Caroline’s expression hardened in an instant.
“...What happened at the last banquet was really regrettable.”
Caroline quickly regained her composure and smiled.
“But didn’t I tell you then? The merchant did it all on his own to satisfy his greed. I had no idea.”
Karina was already feeling tired.
“We can’t leave the Grand Duchess alone. Can I sit next to you?”
Caroline, who had come over without even listening to Karina’s answer, seated her group at the table where Karina was.
Then they began to get to know each other.
“It’s nice to meet you. How have you been?”
“Yes, Grand Duchess. You look as beautiful as ever today.”
“Why does your beauty seem to shine more and more as the days go by?”
“Is there a way to manage it? If so, please let me know.”
“Oh, that’s too much praise.”
Caroline laughed and exchanged greetings with the guests.
Of course, Karina, sitting across from her, was treated as if she were invisible.
‘How childish.’
Karina snorted inwardly and carefully examined the faces in front of her.
When she looked at them one by one, they all looked familiar.
They were the people who had treated Karina rudely and spoken rudely in the past.
They were full of boasts and had a soft mouths, so they would create exaggerated rumors behind Karina’s back and spread bad rumors about her more than anyone else.
It would be safe to say that half of the insults Karina had suffered in the past had started with their mouths. There was no way they could look good on such people.
“But the Grand Duchess is wearing a similar dress today to the one she wore at the last banquet?”
One of them noticed and blurted out something that would definitely hurt Karina.
“Oh, I see. You really like that style of clothing, don’t you think?”
The young lady next to her sneered and agreed.
It was clear that they had not even looked at the dress Karina was wearing.
The only similarity was that it was a light-colored dress, but if you looked at the detailed design, it was a completely different dress.
“No matter how much you like it, wouldn’t it be better to pay a little attention to current trends? It’s not good for the Grand Duchess to be out of style.”
Another young lady also turned around and put Karina down.
But Karina didn’t even feel the need to refute.
Everything Karina said and did was just a nitpick to them.
‘Ha.’
Karina sighed inwardly.
She felt tired of responding to her inappropriate scheming.
Then Caroline added a word.
“Yes, Grand Duchess. Please be aware of your position and try to maintain your dignity.”
Karina narrowed her eyes at Caroline’s criticism.
It was different from the past when she would feel intimidated by even a single word like this.
“Since the Grand Duchess only lives in the North, you don’t know much about the capital’s fashions, do you?”
Karina calmly answered with a calm smile.
“...The capital’s fashions? Yes, I have a trustworthy person who picks out dresses with designs that are popular in the capital. I’m afraid they’ll try to push me into wearing something outrageous like the last time, saying it’s a northern fashion.”
“Ah...”
As the story of the last banquet spilled out of Karina’s mouth, everyone around her glanced at Caroline and checked her reaction.
Karina looked straight at Caroline and continued.
“The merchant you mentioned, Abdul. He was the merchant that the Princess personally introduced to me, but he was such a swindler... I really didn’t know who to trust. It was so shocking.”
“...!”
Karina openly attacked Caroline, and Caroline’s expression hardened in an instant.
“...What happened at the last banquet was really regrettable.”
Caroline quickly regained her composure and smiled.
“But didn’t I tell you then? The merchant did it all on his own to satisfy his greed. I had no idea.”
The surrounding ladies, sensing the displeasure in her tone, quickly relented.
“That merchant was really mean. How dare he try to commit such a swindle against the Grand Duchess.”
“Of course. Where would the Grand Duchess of Colesburg blink at such a shabby trick?”
Karina was dumbfounded by their behavior, blaming the merchant for everything.
In the meantime, Caroline added naturally.
“As you all know, that merchant paid a high price for his wrongdoing.”
“He threw as food for the northern forest monsters.”
“That’s a fitting ending for a swindler.”
“This is what they call karma.”
Karina laughed inwardly as she listened to them.
Caroline, who had planned the whole thing, didn’t pay any price. She had covered up the merchant’s mouth by mentioning his family’s safety and cut off his tail to get away with it.
“That’s right. And that’s already in the past. What’s important is the future.”
Caroline laughed disgustingly, her face covered in iron.
Her shamelessness was enough to make Karina admire it.
‘I should learn how to smile all the time.’
Karina raised one corner of her mouth and sneered inwardly.
“Now that I think about it, Lady Lamberda. How’s that business your family is investing in? The mining business run by the Lamberda family?”
“That merchant was really mean. How dare he try to commit such a swindle against the Grand Duchess.”
“Of course. Where would the Grand Duchess of Colesburg blink at such a shabby trick?”
Karina was dumbfounded by their behavior, blaming the merchant for everything.
In the meantime, Caroline added naturally.
“As you all know, that merchant paid a high price for his wrongdoing.”
“He threw as food for the northern forest monsters.”
“That’s a fitting ending for a swindler.”
“This is what they call karma.”
Karina laughed inwardly as she listened to them.
Caroline, who had planned the whole thing, didn’t pay any price. She had covered up the merchant’s mouth by mentioning his family’s safety and cut off his tail to get away with it.
“That’s right. And that’s already in the past. What’s important is the future.”
Caroline laughed disgustingly, her face covered in iron.
Her shamelessness was enough to make Karina admire it.
‘I should learn how to smile all the time.’
Karina raised one corner of her mouth and sneered inwardly.
“Now that I think about it, Lady Lamberda. How’s that business your family is investing in? The mining business run by the Lamberda family?”
Caroline changed the uncomfortable topic.
Lamberda Young Lady looked up from her tea, where she was stirring sugar, and answered.
“Oh, my second brother is in charge of the mining business. My father was delighted because we recently found a distributor to supply the copper from the mine.”
“Oh my, that’s great news.”
“Thanks to the Princess. I’m always grateful for your help.”
Karina, who had been listening to the conversation while drinking her tea with an expression of disinterest, became lost in thought.
'If you're talking about the second son of the Lamberda family, you're talking about the man I ran into that day.'
Karina thought of Revals, whom she had met a while ago when she bumped into a kid on the street.
'The Lamberda family. I thought it was nothing special in the past, but it seems like it's more intertwined with many things than I thought.'
Karina smiled silently.
In the meantime, the young ladies continued the conversation by bringing up other topics.
"The earrings you made today are so pretty, young lady."
"Oh, they're spinel earrings custom-made by Paulo Jewelry."
"Paulo Jewelry is the place that's fully booked until next year?"
"Yes, that's right. I made a reservation the year before last and just got them this time."
The young lady, who was receiving attention, showed off her earrings to the envious looks of those around her.
"The colors are different, as expected from Paulo Jewelry."
"By the way, have you heard that story? I heard that the artisan of Paulo Jewelry created an incredible masterpiece that only comes once in a lifetime?"
“The master craftsman of ‘that’ Paulo Jeweler?”
Asked one of the young women with wide eyes.
“The jewelry handled by Paulo Jeweler is famous for its incredible value.”
“That’s why. I was really curious about what kind of masterpiece a master craftsman of that kind of place would make.”
Another young woman who was listening to the conversation chimed in.
“But I heard that it already had an owner. The price must have been really high, so who on earth would have bought it?”
Caroline opened her mouth to the young women’s chatter.
“That’s right. Even things have their own owners. If you can’t find the right owner, no matter how great a masterpiece it is, it’s just a lump of stone that never saw the light of day.”
Caroline glared at Karina as she said that.
“...?”
Karina didn’t understand why she was glaring at her while saying such things, but Karina also felt bad and opened her eyes.
At that moment, a young man who had just arrived entered the auditorium.
He was a man with slicked-back hair and a rather slick appearance.
One of the young ladies who was sitting in the seat where the entrance was visibly blushed and said.
“Oh my, over there! Isn’t that Lord Peggyson Genon?”
“Lord Pegyson Genon?”
At those words, all the young ladies’ eyes turned towards the entrance.
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