"It's okay. Come on, greet."
Brandt whispered awkwardly with his mouth that was awkwardly raised, as if he were doing ventriloquism. I hurriedly greeted the people.
"This is Duchess Albrenovic Edita. I'm glad to see you here on a day like today."
I hurriedly greeted him, but his movements were flawless from head to toe, perhaps as a result of his special training in hell. As I gracefully stood up again, they burst into courteous applause, congratulating me on my first social debut.
Only then did I smile and look up at Brandt. I could feel an inexplicable stubbornness in his smooth cheeks as he looked generously at the people who gave his wife a welcome applause.
Janet, who was standing there with a slightly dazed expression, suddenly laughed out loud.
"Oh my God. Is it my mistake? The Duke should introduce his beloved wife, but I stepped forward for no reason."
"In the end. I did it, so it's okay."
Brandt didn't tell Janet that it wasn't a mistake or that he didn't take action for nothing, even if it was empty words. I liked this man's honest way of speaking, and the corners of my mouth rose slightly.
***
"Duchess, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Baroness Allen."
"I'm glad to see you, Baroness Allen. Even if I didn't, I wanted to see you for a long time. The spices imported by your father-in-law are the best in the empire, right?"
"That's a big deal, Ma'am."
"It's an excess. Even if the Income is made by the father-in-law, everyone knows that it is thanks to Madam's eye to maintain the best quality. Please let me taste it sometime."
"If that happens, it will be an honor for our family. I would definitely like to treat you!'
Baroness Allen, who had an unfamiliar face, spoke with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and joy. The reaction of most of the ladies I talked to was not much different from hers. No one expected that Edita, who had been lucky enough to become the Duchess after living in hiding in the villa, would greet them first.
They came to mingle with Edita, who was standing bewildered, and then withdrew, admiring that I knew more about them than I thought.
Of course, the secular thoughts about Edita that were deeply ingrained in them did not end with just a few words. Even in such a cunning heart, the noblewomen were as happy as little girls that the Emperor's only daughter and noble Duchess thought of their details and greeted them. I rejoice at the attention of a woman who looks down on me. It was an interesting situation.
Feeling the satisfaction of memorizing the handbook so that all the hair on my head would fall out, I tried to stand among the ladies, and my eyes rolled away without realizing it.
"I thought he wouldn't come again."
"Someone more difficult to see at a party than His Majesty."
Because the types of people who want to greet me and those who want to greet Brandt are different, we naturally fall apart from each other. Brandt was surrounded by noblewomen and aristocratic young ladies who were anxious to greet him and exchange words at least once, leaning on the acquaintance of the men who escorted him. Brandt had a gloomy face and did not take off his lips properly, but I was very annoyed by this situation.
"How can the appearance of the Duke be so dignified? Even when there are so many people around, he stands out."
Madame Janet looked at the same place as I and muttered. At that moment, my face burned. Madame Janet was by my side as a party organizer as I made my debut in the social world today. Now that Brandt was gone, she was quite dependent, but she was also embarrassed by this mischief.
"Oh, I'm ashamed. It's natural to be worried about a couple. Even when he was a bachelor, the Duke was a man who made quite a lot of noise among women."
"I just saw it because I was curious about where it was."
"The Duchess is also cute, isn't that right?"
Janet burst into an exaggerated laugh and asked the ladies around her for consent. They all spoke to each other for the fun of teasing the little Duchess, and I wanted to hide in a rat hole.
It seems that the ladies misunderstood it badly, but I was just a little uncomfortable didn't like that other women were gathered next to the married man like that.
That was all. No matter how you think about it. Isn't it strange? My husband is definitely a married man, so why do women follow him like that? Does that make sense? No, don't those women have a balance? Even when he was a bachelor, they cried quite a bit. Oh, really! I want to grab the back of my neck.
"Seeing that the Duchess's face has turned crimson, I guess Madame Janet is right. The rumors weren't true, were they?"
"Is it a rumor?"
At the words of the noblewoman who was chattering. Janet asked back in a surprised tone. My cheeks, which had been hot, also cooled down. The word rumor was ominous.
"Nothing. It was just a story that was brought up as I passed by."
Viscountess Stern, who mentioned the "rumors," said while hiding her mouth behind a blue fan.
It was nothing short of shallow to throw all the bait out of curiosity and then fall backwards. However, she must have thrown the bait in the hope that the fish would get caught. Seeing the excited expressions of the ladies waiting for the balt to bite me, I tried to pretend that nothing was wrong, that I was not curious at all.
"It may not be a rumor."
However, there were always uninvited guests who appeared at such moments.
"Countess Courtney, what do you mean by that?"
This time, Janet asked the lady who opened her mouth. Countess Courtney, with her wavy red hair flowing abundantly over one shoulder, replied, blinking her eyes.
"It's not a big deal. It's just that the ladies here are sorry that they only tell the poor Duchess good stories."
Hey, what you're saying is the weirdest 'thing?' I pushed it into the back of my throat along with countless kinds of profanity floating in my head. I looked at her shameless face. The aura engraved on her eyes, nose, and mouth instinctively made me know that she was not an ordinary woman. Fear bloomed in the midst of discomfort.
'What should I do? I really can't fight with words...'
However, I thought that if I pretended to be okay again, I might be seen as a hog.
I have to stay calm. Let's talk as if it were not a fight, as if it were a little sharp conversation between cultured noblewomen.
I squeezed the fan as hard as I could and calmly parted my lips.
"Are you saying that the ladies here hid the truth from me and only told me good stories?"
"How can I tell you the details here?"
The Countess of Courtney continued slowly, as if convinced that she had the upper hand. The medicine went up, and I was on the verge of going crazy, but I suppressed my irritation as I remembered the time I spent memorizing the aristocratic manual.
"Whether it is a detailed story or a short story, if Countess Courtney cannot tell me, I will only remember that Countess Courtney made unprovable falsehoods to insult the noblewomen who had said good things to me."
My words caused a stir among the ladies who were surrounded by agitation. It worked to bring them into the topic. The tongue of the Countess of Courtney, who had been enjoying her leisure, began to quicken.
"Why do you take such a leap forward, Duchess? I was only trying to tell you about a small connection with Duke Albrenovic in the past. I stood still, but Your Highness first showed interest in me."
"What does that have to do with rumors?"
When I heard that Brandt had expressed interest first, something that had been tightly blocked in my heart was pierced. Brandt was an infinitely difficult man in a way, but in a way, a simple man. And at this moment, I realized that it was a simple and clear lie that Brandt, who was involved in social activities, had flirted with the unfamiliar Countess first. Even if I dare to emphasize that 'the lower lady showed interest in me first,' this was her bluff.
Unable to listen any longer, she cut off Countess Courtney's words. Then she raised her eyebrows and responded with a rapid-fire cannon.
"Do you really not know that he was forced to marry because of his oath to the deceased Baron Orleans?"
The excitement made Countess Courtney's voice rise a little. I hurriedly stared at Brandt. I didn't want him to hear this nonsense. Fortunately, the noise around him was so loud that Brandt didn't seem to hear anything.
With a more sober face, I turned my head. Brandt had no choice but to marry Edita. You don't know any of this? This jerk would be very foolish if she found out what happened between the two of you.
The Countess of Courtney was ridiculous for lying about everything. If so, it is human nature to cross the number.
"Is this the rumor that Viscountess Stern mentioned?"
At my cold voice, Viscountess Stern tightened her mouth.
"Oh no. I believe that such a story is unfounded. Oh, yes. Don't do this here, but ask my lord. Then his innocence will be revealed."
Viscountess Sterns obvious lies didn't have to be exposed. One enemy was enough, and the more allies, the better.
"You don't have to. I believe in Viscountess Stern. Isn't it a fact that he doesn't go to parties well? I don't really understand how such a lowly lady and the lord were able to meet and create a small relationship. I know that the exchange between the AIbrenovic family and Count Courtney is not frequent."
"The work of a man and a woman cannot be understood from the outside."
Countess Courtney's voice became quieter as she noticed the air turning against her. Naturally strong women have always been like this. She was always on the rise, but because of that, she was unable to adapt to the situation where she was clearly driven into a dead end.
"In the end, it's a word that can't be proved. It's a pity that you are leaning on unprovable stories and driving the ladies into pretentious people who only tell good things to the poor Duchess."
At first, the ladies, forgetting that they were also some accomplices, stared coldly at Countess Courtney.
"I don't lose anything because I look a little pitiful, but I have to apologize for insulting the honor of the ladies who are with me."
Before I could finish speaking, the ladies began to add words one by one
"Yes. It's too unpleasant to go on like this."
"I'm fine, but you shouldn't do that to the Duchess. How meticulous are you, yet you commit such rudeness?"
They had no qualms about pretending to be friendly all of a sudden, because I had skimmed their boasts once and for all with the knowledge I had memorized in the aristocracy's handbook, even though they had put a wall on me.
Countess Courtney, who had bitten her lower lip, took a step back and bowed her head to the ladies, including me.
"Please forgive me for being rude. I never had bad intentions."
The ladies accepted Count Courtney's apology. But one by one, unfiltered dregs must have piled up on their chests. I received Countess Courtney's apology, but it wasn't cool or refreshing. I was just lust horrified by the physiology of the social circle I had just jumped into.
"The Duchess must need some rest."
Janet hugged my waist and pulled me out of the ladies. I felt like I was breathing.
"Before marriage, there were many women who looked up to their fathers. The Count of Courtney is one of those people. When strange rumors circulated, they had a small hope and magnified it with nothing."
Janet whispered as she dragged me into the wide-doored common room.
"I don't think Countess Courtney's words are even an exaggeration. She is probably lying. Anyway, thank you for taking me out, Madame Janet."
"Thank you. When I was young, I used to get involved in childish fights like that. Whenever that happened, it was too hard to laugh right after the quarrel was over. After a while, I have to cool my head. Like this."
Janet said, lifting two small glasses on the common room table. She held one out to me, and she drank it herself.
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