“My name is Louisa of Caroli, Your Highness.”
"Ah."
“It is a noble family not far from Lotan. Elvanoton, which Your Highness is familiar with, is my maternal family.”
Louisa pulled her chin up and showed her teeth. Else stared blankly at the woman. She was a small, slender woman with prominent cheekbones and thin lips. She was not particularly beautiful, but her curly blond hair and amber eyes were memorable.
“You came from far away.”
Else looked at Louisa, who had even mentioned her family, and muttered softly. The Roate were the Elvanoton horsemen. Before that, they were slaves and household members of that house. In the Maxman War, where her great-grandfather had received his first title and fiefdom, Louisa's great-grandfather had made great contributions and had become a war hero in one fell swoop. Furthermore, with his influence, his daughter Anais had become Queen. In recent times, few families could compare to Elvanoton in terms of family nobility. There was a reason why Louisa was so arrogant.
"Yes."
Louisa answered shortly. Else stared blankly at the woman who was looking at her with prickly eyes. She could see what she was expecting. Frantically, daring to blush before her innate nobility. To bow her head in embarrassment.
If that was what she wanted, she would never show it. Besides, there was no need to stamp her feet and bow her head to her. After all, no family was noble at court. In fact, if we were to discuss the noblest family, the noblest family in Siena was the royal family. That was the Riccarlo family. Furthermore, if you gathered them all together and asked which family was nobler, they would pretend to praise each other's family and only talk about the nobility of their own family.
Else tugged at the corner of her lips, looking at her with a pout. It seemed ridiculous and easy to think that a descendant of a lowly servant, who had been the head of her family until a few generations ago, had become the government of the King, who was her blood relative. Her lips were chewed hard as she knelt before such a lowly being. Else made a cynical expression. Their eyes met, and Louisa spoke one more word.
“Your Highness, it must have been difficult for you to come from far away. Your husband, of all people, came with you...”
“It wasn’t hard.”
Else didn't listen to Louisa any longer. Louisa's expression hardened as she was cut off from speaking.
“His Majesty personally gave me a ride in the palace carriage.”
“Yeah...”
“And... Madam, are you referring to the person who was executed two days ago as my husband?”
Louisa shut her mouth as if she realized her mistake right away. A slight fear flashed in her amber eyes, which seemed to be looking at a lowly woman with nothing but a half-face and a skill between her legs. Louisa looked up at her with a tense face.
“It has only been a few days since His Majesty personally annulled the marriage, and yet you call that shameless traitor my husband.”
"That..."
“I think Countess Caroline made a mistake.”
A clear voice was heard from afar. Else stared at her with familiarity. Ivana...
“Please look kindly on Madam’s mistakes.”
Like Louisa, the woman wearing a wide-brimmed beige hat smiled brightly. Else stared at her blankly. She was still tall and slender. No. She had returned to her original status and lived a wealthy life befitting her status, so her complexion and figure had become much brighter and more toned than when she was in Lugdun.
“When I think about the past...”
Ivanna, who was looking at Louisa with a leisurely expression, glanced down at Else.
“I don't think there's anyone here who deserves your generosity of heart.”
"Ah."
“It is a noble family not far from Lotan. Elvanoton, which Your Highness is familiar with, is my maternal family.”
Louisa pulled her chin up and showed her teeth. Else stared blankly at the woman. She was a small, slender woman with prominent cheekbones and thin lips. She was not particularly beautiful, but her curly blond hair and amber eyes were memorable.
“You came from far away.”
Else looked at Louisa, who had even mentioned her family, and muttered softly. The Roate were the Elvanoton horsemen. Before that, they were slaves and household members of that house. In the Maxman War, where her great-grandfather had received his first title and fiefdom, Louisa's great-grandfather had made great contributions and had become a war hero in one fell swoop. Furthermore, with his influence, his daughter Anais had become Queen. In recent times, few families could compare to Elvanoton in terms of family nobility. There was a reason why Louisa was so arrogant.
"Yes."
Louisa answered shortly. Else stared blankly at the woman who was looking at her with prickly eyes. She could see what she was expecting. Frantically, daring to blush before her innate nobility. To bow her head in embarrassment.
If that was what she wanted, she would never show it. Besides, there was no need to stamp her feet and bow her head to her. After all, no family was noble at court. In fact, if we were to discuss the noblest family, the noblest family in Siena was the royal family. That was the Riccarlo family. Furthermore, if you gathered them all together and asked which family was nobler, they would pretend to praise each other's family and only talk about the nobility of their own family.
Else tugged at the corner of her lips, looking at her with a pout. It seemed ridiculous and easy to think that a descendant of a lowly servant, who had been the head of her family until a few generations ago, had become the government of the King, who was her blood relative. Her lips were chewed hard as she knelt before such a lowly being. Else made a cynical expression. Their eyes met, and Louisa spoke one more word.
“Your Highness, it must have been difficult for you to come from far away. Your husband, of all people, came with you...”
“It wasn’t hard.”
Else didn't listen to Louisa any longer. Louisa's expression hardened as she was cut off from speaking.
“His Majesty personally gave me a ride in the palace carriage.”
“Yeah...”
“And... Madam, are you referring to the person who was executed two days ago as my husband?”
Louisa shut her mouth as if she realized her mistake right away. A slight fear flashed in her amber eyes, which seemed to be looking at a lowly woman with nothing but a half-face and a skill between her legs. Louisa looked up at her with a tense face.
“It has only been a few days since His Majesty personally annulled the marriage, and yet you call that shameless traitor my husband.”
"That..."
“I think Countess Caroline made a mistake.”
A clear voice was heard from afar. Else stared at her with familiarity. Ivana...
“Please look kindly on Madam’s mistakes.”
Like Louisa, the woman wearing a wide-brimmed beige hat smiled brightly. Else stared at her blankly. She was still tall and slender. No. She had returned to her original status and lived a wealthy life befitting her status, so her complexion and figure had become much brighter and more toned than when she was in Lugdun.
“When I think about the past...”
Ivanna, who was looking at Louisa with a leisurely expression, glanced down at Else.
“I don't think there's anyone here who deserves your generosity of heart.”
Her cheeks flushed. Else, who had pursed her lips, blinked quickly. As her nose turned red with the color of an apple, heat gathered in her neck. Where had she been confidently dispelling Louisa’s arrogance just a moment ago? Else was now pitifully sullen. It wasn’t because she couldn’t refute her. As she had said, in the past.... Yes, it was because she had thought back to the past.
For something so insignificant... Yes, it was nothing. The feelings Else had kept for the past dozen years were fleeting and indifferent. In fact, the woman in front of her, the woman she had called Ivanna, was not even Sybil’s fiancée. The fiancée that Jules had spoken of was the niece of Queen Bonaparte, a lady with brown hair named Henrietta.
“What do you mean, Countess Duanen?”
At Ivanna's appearance, Jules, who had been behind Else, took a step forward. Else bit her lips and turned her gaze askance. Ivanna smiled smoothly at Jules, who had stiffened slightly.
“Well, I believe Her Highness the Duchess would know better.”
"Countess..."
“Then, will you be generous in forgiving Countess Caroline’s mistake?”
“When Her Highness the Duchess was in Lugdun...”
“Come to think of it, I heard that Count Duanen was in Lugdun with His Majesty, assisting him. Unfortunately, I heard that he was a slave at that time... Is that true?”
Jeanne, who had interrupted the angry Jules, stepped in between them. Unlike Jules, whose expression was stiff, Jeanne had a bright, almost innocent face. Ivanna, who was smiling at Jules with a relaxed face, could not easily open her lips to Jeanne’s words.
“Stop going back...”
“Yes. I disguised myself as a slave to assist His Majesty.”
"Yes."
Ivanna pulled her lips together forcefully. Jeanne also pulled the corners of her lips together and smiled even more captivatingly. The air between them was tense. Jeanne, who had been smiling elegantly like a painting, slowly pulled her lips apart.
“As expected, the loyalty of Count Duanen must be known to all the people of the kingdom. Even if the Duchess did not know the truth and used Countess Duanen as she pleased, she would not be the type of person to be offended. I, a fool, did not know that and ended up harboring rude thoughts toward the Countess.”
Jeanne whispered quickly with her lips pulled back. Else's cheeks flushed. Under the hot sun. Her temples, which had never sweated because she was wearing a wide-brimmed hat, seemed to be beaded with cold sweat. That was why she had thought that she couldn't handle Siena's society. Even for a moment, when she had met Jules, Else had thought that it would be difficult to set foot in Siena's society. Even if she held her head up high and smiled as much as possible, she would collapse in ten minutes and drag her feet.
“Of course. I only hope that Your Highness will be generous and forgive Countess Caroli’s mistake. I’m sure you would be able to do so, considering the past. Isn’t that right?”
Ivanna, who was looking at Jeanne, who had a smile plastered all over her face as if she was wearing armor, looked at Else. Despite Jeanne’s provocation, she opened her lips with a relaxed expression and slightly pulled them in.
“Now that it’s come to this, I guess I should introduce myself formally. I am Liena of Duanen. I am the lord of Azevedo.”
Liena. That was the name. Else stared blankly at the woman with her long eyelashes falling down beautifully. It was an elegant name. It suited her dignified and elegant face. The woman who had finally come to her senses bent her knees once in front of Else. Even though their gazes were lowered, it seemed as if Liena was superior to her.
“She is in His Majesty’s favor as Minister of Finance.”
Countess Caroline gave her a brief introduction. Else looked at them standing side by side, then turned her gaze to the woman who had arrived late. Her dark, metallic-colored hair was elegantly braided into a half-updo, and she had a fruity bouquet of flowers tucked into her hair.
She was holding a parasol in one hand, wearing a lace glove, as if she had been on a boat ride. As soon as she saw Else, she handed the parasol to her maid and put her brimmed hat back on. The hat half hid her small face. She was a woman with delicate features and clear sky-blue eyes.
“You said you were going straight to the salon?”
It was a thin voice. It wasn’t a slow chant, but Else savored each syllable. Her heart beat fast. Her shoulders tensed up, and the strings on her hat felt stuffy.
“I have come across Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Montana. I have stopped for a moment because the Marchioness de Levante, the Countess Alentus, the Countess Loper, and the Viscountess Dalmas are also present.”
"Yes."
The woman's face, which had been holding a faint smile, hardened. Else stared at her blankly. A woman who couldn't smile in front of her. A woman who was the only one with a stiff face in this place, where even Liena was smiling brightly. She seemed to know who it was. She couldn't help but know.
Else, too, if her fiancé had given birth to an illegitimate child. If the woman who gave birth to that illegitimate child were to shamelessly appear in front of her, she wouldn’t be able to smile anymore. Else had even been through something similar. The woman who had appeared with a swollen belly and smiled charmingly in front of Else. How did Else look at that woman? The corners of her eyes twitched. Else tried to turn around so as not to make another mistake.
“That’s how it is. How about we all go to the salon and have a cold drink? The sun is so hot that even a parasol can’t block it.”
Henrietta quickly whispered, her face hardened as if she were thinking about something. She was about to refuse, as she wanted to turn back.
“Let's do that.”
“Jules, I...”
Else whispered to Jules with an anxious face. Jules pretended not to see her expression and lightly grabbed her hand. Else bit her lips and shook her hand away. Henrietta led the group. After they disappeared, Jules grabbed Else and stopped her.
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