Episode 8: Castillo's Bombing of Capitalism
The next morning. The massive main gate of the Duke of Castillo's estate swung open, and six of the finest carriages, renowned as the most splendid on the capital's First Avenue, drove in in a procession. Engraved side by side were the coats of arms of the boutique of 'Madame Marcel,' a legendary dress designer whose tailors required even Imperial ladies months of waiting to have clothes made, and the magnificent coats of arms of the Empire's three greatest jewelers.
"M-Madam! Madame Marcel and the heads of the jewelers have arrived at the central reception room."
Reported Hans, the head butler, in a trembling voice. The capital's most powerful figures, whose travel expenses cost thousands of gold coins just to be invited once, had mobilized en masse to the Duke's estate at the single summons of the Castillo's mistress.
"Tell them to come in."
Eleanor commanded, resting her chin lazily on her hand as she sat at the head seat in the reception room. Sitting beside her was Liliana, who, while still clearly showing signs of tension, stood much more upright than yesterday.
Soon, Madame Marcel, wearing a splendid hat adorned with feathers, and her attendants entered in a line, carrying mountains of fine silk and jewelry boxes.
"Greetings to the mistress of Castillo, who is more dazzling than the sun of the Empire. Madam, I heard you are having a dress custom-made for the Foundation Day ball! What kind of unconventional design is it this time?"
"No."
Eleanor set down her teacup and lightly put her arm around the shoulder of Liliana, who was sitting beside her.
"The person you must risk your lives to adorn today is not me. It is Lady Liliana von Werner, who will succeed me as the new sun of Castillo."
"Ah!"
Madame Marcel's eyes widened. Rumors in high society traveled fast. Gossip was rampant in the capital that the Young Duke of Castillo was deeply infatuated with the daughter of a lowly Baron and was treating his fiancée, the daughter of a fallen Count, like a second-class citizen. Madame Marcel, too, inwardly wondered, 'Could she be having a dress made for the Young Duke's mistress?' She had just arrived, harboring such suspicions.
However, the scene unfolding before her eyes was the exact opposite of the rumors. Eleanor, the ice witch who seemed incapable of shedding a single drop of blood even if pricked, was seated beside that troublesome daughter-in-law, gazing at her with eyes dripping with sweetness!
"M-Madam. But that person is..."
"Did you have trouble understanding me, Madame Marcel?"
Eleanor's red eyes gleamed coldly.
"More dazzling than the Empress of the Imperial Household. Make sure that any young lady in high society dares to stand beside this child, and their own dress looks like a rag. The budget is unlimited. I will purchase every single precious fabric and thread in your boutique in Castillo's name."
"Unlimited?!"
Madame Marcel and the head jeweler dropped their jaws. No matter how great a noble one was, the budget for a single ball dress was bound to be limited. Yet, unlimited!
Faced with the overwhelming financial power standing at the pinnacle of capitalism, golden sparks began to fly in the eyes of the merchants.
"Immediately! Measure the young lady immediately! Bring out all the finest Arachne silk and Southern pearls brought in by carriage!"
With Madame Marcel's furious command, Liliana was instantly surrounded by dozens of tailors. At first, Liliana flinched, feeling awkward even at the touch of the measuring tape; however, when Eleanor nodded with a gentle smile, she soon lifted her chin and maintained an elegant posture, just as she had learned the day before.
"Oh, oh my! The young lady's skin is dazzling like porcelain; it would drown out most pastel tones!"
Madame Marcel could not contain her astonishment when she stripped off Liliana's tattered clothes to reveal her true nature. Hidden only by poverty, malnutrition, and a timid demeanor, Liliana's true appearance was that of a tremendous beauty. Skin so white it was translucent, mysterious pale green eyes, and a slender figure with perfectly proportioned lines.
"Th-this is a raw gem! If cut, it will become the Empire's finest diamond! Here, bring me this fabric embroidered with silver threads on deep green velvet, resembling a night sky! It will perfectly complement the color of your eyes!"
"Jeweler over there! Bring me the 'Teardrop Diamond Tiara' and emerald necklace set, said to have been crafted in the Elven Forest, right now, and place them around your neck!"
In an instant, the drawing room transformed into a massive battlefield to make Liliana the Empress. The finest silk, worth tens of thousands of gold, wrapped around Liliana's body, while blindingly dazzling jewels lavishly adorned her delicate neck and earlobes. Watching this wondrous process of adornment, Eleanor raised her teacup with satisfaction.
"Indeed. My hound certainly deserves that level of investment."
The amount of gold coins was written down without hesitation. It was a 'flex' so cool it was almost violent, made possible only by the true majority shareholder of the Castillo Trading Company and the owner of the vault. Meanwhile, in the study on the second floor of the Duke's mansion, the husband, Duke Valdemar, was gulping down cheap hard liquor straight from the bottle while staring out the window with bloodshot eyes.
"Damn it! Those, those lowly creatures dare to... my money!"
His gaze rested on the countless bundles of boxes being relentlessly loaded from carriages by the henchmen of designers and jewelers. It had been several days since his wife, Eleanor, had completely taken the key to the vault. Valdemar had suffered the humiliation of being turned away at the door of his usual high-end secret gambling den and entertainment club for failing to pay his debts.
The Duke of the Empire had been reduced to the plight of drinking cheap whiskey out of destitution. But to think that vicious woman, who had forbidden him from spending even a single gold coin, was pouring tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of gold coins like water onto Liliana, the daughter-in-law he despised the most!
"Without my permission, the head of the household, of all people! To waste Castillo's budget on that daughter-in-law like that—that crazy bitch Eleanor is determined to ruin the family!"
Not even thinking about the millions of gold coins he had embezzled, Valdemar, consumed by inferiority and rage, slammed his fists against the desk in the study.
'At this rate, Castillo will lose all real power to those bitches.'
Valdemar's eyes flashed as he rummaged deep inside the drawer and pulled out an old, worn bronze key. Although the 'Magic Seal' and the 'Vault Key,' the true power of the Castillo family, had been taken by Eleanor, this was the key to the 'secret passage' connecting the basement of the annex to the outside, which Valdemar had secretly hidden away as the head of the household.
Scanning his surroundings, he slipped out of the study like a rat and secretly headed toward the back door of the annex where Claude was being held captive.
"C-Claude, my son."
Valdemar whispered, having approached the annex window to avoid the eyes of the guard knights. Through the iron bars of the window, Claude's face, gaunt from eating only bread and soup for days, suddenly appeared.
"Ah, Father?! Father! Please let me out! Mother has completely lost her mind. She intends to starve me to death!"
Claude gripped the bars of the iron cage and howled like a beast. Valdemar clicked his tongue in annoyance and glanced around.
"Quiet! If Eleanor's knights find out, it's the end."
"Father, what on earth is going on! My safe, and Vivian waiting outside! On top of that, there are widespread rumors that Mother is taking that rat-like Liliana to the Imperial Ball!"
"I know. That vicious woman intends to cast you aside and install that fallen noble as the successor."
Venom gleamed in Valdemar's eyes.
"Claude. Listen carefully. As the head of the household, I will personally snatch you out through the secret passage in the annex, targeting the knights' shift change on the night of the Foundation Ball."
"Are you serious, Father?!"
"Fine! Go to the ball and boldly assert your rights before His Imperial Majesty and the nobles. Take your mistress, Vivian, with you, too. I hear she's quite popular in society, doesn't she? Use her connections to completely isolate Liliana and Eleanor from society!"
It was a despicable plot by a father and son, consumed by pathetic inferiority complexes. Relying solely on the hollow titles of 'Duke' and 'Prince,' their scheme was to utterly humiliate Eleanor right in the middle of the ball.
"Of course, Father! Right at the center of society, I will expose in detail how Mother and that lowly woman are tarnishing Castillo's name!"
Claude gripped the prison bars, vowing revenge. However, neither of them found a clue. They knew that the moment they walked into the ballroom of their own accord, it would become the stage for the most perfect 'public execution' to dig their own graves.
***
Once again, in the central reception room of the main building.
"Madam...! It is over. Please, please open your eyes and see!"
At Madame Marcel's trembling voice filled with emotion, Eleanor opened her eyes, which had been languidly closed. And at the sight unfolding before her, even Eleanor, who usually showed no change in emotion, momentarily held her breath.
"...My God."
On the platform set up in the center of the reception room, the small animal trembling in a worn, drab dress was nowhere to be seen. A deep green silk dress, sparkling as if starlight had settled upon it, breathtakingly enveloped Liliana's dazzling white skin. Dozens of teardrop diamonds and emeralds flowing down her slender neckline harmonized perfectly with her light green eyes, exuding a mysterious yet overwhelming allure. The figure of Liliana, with her hair elegantly styled up and her chin slightly raised as she looked down, was just as she had learned from Eleanor. It was the appearance of the perfectly bloomed 'True Ruler of Castillo,' whom no young lady of the Empire dared to approach.
"Madam."
Liliana looked at Eleanor with tears welling up, as if she could not believe her reflection in the mirror. Eleanor rose from her seat and slowly approached the podium. Then, gently cupping Liliana's cheeks, she flashed the proudest smile.
"Do not cry. It would be a waste if this dazzling makeup were to fade."
"Madam. Is this really me?"
"Of course. This is the true form of you that has been hidden within you."
Eleanor held Liliana's hand tightly and turned her gaze toward the magnificent view of the capital visible through the window.
"On the day of the Foundation Day Ball, you will wear this dress, stand by my side, and make the entire Empire kneel at your feet. Watch closely."
All preparations to destroy the Imperial Ball and place that pathetic, trashy rich man on the guillotine were perfectly complete.
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