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Chapter 41
The Verdin Duchy (3)
Translated by Wook
Edited by Wook
Anne was sitting in front of a large mirror.
The maids comb her hair finely, then pull it up and braid it up. Anne’s complexion became even paler as her skinny neck was exposed.
The maids brought trinkets that are not flashy to her taste, helped her to try them on, and waited for the master to choose.
As Anne pointed to a few things with the tip of her chin, the maids began to dress her in turn.
Then the door opened and another maid, who was Anne’s closest confidant, approached.
“What were you doing? We can’t be late for dinner, when are you going to pick me up?”
“… T-That…”
Anne’s eyes trembled as the maid kept her mouth shut in hesitation.
“Are they still on it?”
“Yes. It seems like she will accompany the guests to the dinner table.”
Anne was biting her lips, but the maid who was aiding her in wearing the earrings made a mistake, probably nervous about the cold that radiated from her.
“Ugh!”
Anne frowned and touched her ear.
It was hot and wet.
Anne immediately stood up and slapped the maid on the cheek.
Slap!
“My apologies. My apologies, Madam!”
The maid straightened her staggering body and bowed her head.
Anne looked at the maid’s head and sat down again.
In the eyes of the other maids, the maid who had made the mistake stepped back as another maid took her place.
The hand movements of the maids became more careful, and they moved without making a sound.
The more she looked at herself in the mirror, the more Anne couldn’t understand why the 2nd Empress neglected such a perfect hostess of the Duchy.
Anne was the first to go to the dining hall, and after she had checked everything, she opened the door and greeted the guests.
It was not an easy task to prepare enough that the prestige of the Duchy would not be undermined without making it seem too fancy.
Still, Anne persevered.
A father-in-law who only weighs her, and a sick mother-in-law who is not interested in family affairs.
And her incompetent but greedy husband who is no help at all.
But Anne is still able to accept it to that extent.
Because they are married after all.
However, she finds it unacceptable that the brother-in-law who had lived his life as he wanted without fulfilling his obligations, but later brought in a lowly girl and messed up the atmosphere of the Duke’s Castle and eventually gave birth to a child, twisted the succession structure.
Those people are hindrances.
Those people are parasitic insects who have nothing to depend on that eat away at the effort she made.
“Madam Anne.”
“Nothing is out of the place this time as well.”
Before the start of the dinner, the women who approached Anne gave compliments.
They are aristocratic ladies belonging to the Western aristocracy, and they are close because they often met in the Duke’s Castle, the center of the Western aristocrats.
It is only natural for them to attend the dinner held by Duke Verdin, the representative family of the West, to welcome the guests from Barossa.
“But, I heard that the 2nd Empress is hanging out with her. Is it true?”
“There is Madam Anne, who should be the successor of the Duchy, how could she do that…”
The women were as angry as she was.
Then. someone breathed out and whispered.
“It is inevitable since they are in the same situation.”
“In the same situation? Are you talking about her and the 2nd Empress?”
Another woman had her eyes widened, then nodded her head in comprehension with an “ahhh”.
“That’s right. The two of them…”
Since the end of the sentence was obvious, Anne, who would normally have cut it off by properly adjusting the conversation as a mediator, chose silence.
The woman, who glanced at Anne, gave more strength to her voice.
“Making relations with a freak of a fallen baron’s family. And even that news’ credibility is unknown, so it is still unclear where she came from.”
While talking, the women around her raised their hands and laughed, shaking their heads as if they were sad.
But perhaps that was just an act out of formality, as the smirking sound leaked out and their wide-bent eyes showed what they actually thought.
The noblemen who came with their wives and younger sisters toasted their glasses filled with wine and talked about their interests.
That’s why.
The somewhat noisy air buried the presence of anyone approaching.
With Leon in her arms, Elisha stood in front of the dining table.
“Oh, I didn’t know that the Duke’s second daughter-in-law and I have such a thing in common. But now that I know, we will have to get along better.”
Elisha looked at the women who had been talking.
Anne was among the women who grumbled and turned their eyes away.
She faced Elisha with her back straight.
Like a proud lady.
With a straight gaze, Elisha lightly rubbed her chin on Leon’s, whom she was holding, head.
Elisha was accustomed to the multitude of jealousy, hatred, contempt and disgust that was poured out on her.
Those were just one of those eyes.
“Is there anything you’d like to say to me?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Really? Alright then. I thought you’re going to make an excuse for those people. Aren’t they all your relatives?”
At Elisha’s response, Anne twisted her lips.
“Shouldn’t I praise what is good and punish what is wrong even though we are relatives? I have no intention of covering up anything that is wrong.”
It’s not wrong.
But if it’s just to show off one’s pride and expose the faults of others, well…
That’s hypocrisy.
Anne bowed her head slightly, noticing how Elisha had been staring at her.
“I apologize if what they said offended Your Majesty.”
It seems like Elisha was intentionally igniting the fire.
But, to put it bluntly, what Elisha said was just a little bit of an addition…
In the end, the true meaning of what Anne said was nothing less than reprimanding the noble ladies who are her so-called relatives for talking about the second daughter-in-law of the Duke, to please Elisha.
Looking at the betrayed gazes of the Western ladies towards Anne, it seemed that the price she had to pay for even trying to touch Elisha once was very high.
And above all.
“You don’t need to apologize. I was just curious.”
Elisha reluctantly accepted it, but the listeners did not.
Elisha glanced over the ladies, as well as the nobles who were already seated at the dinner table over their shoulders, and then opened her mouth.
“I’m not sure what kind of stern judgment the first daughter-in-law of the Duke will make, who doesn’t seem fair enough to those who mocked me and made fun of me, the 2nd Empress.”
Elisha is now in a position to grow the game.
Those ladies aren’t the only ones who got hurt because of Anne’s mistake.
Elisha deserves a price as well.
“… …”
Anne’s face hardened.
There are many things that are intertwined with this event of the 2nd Empress.
As there are many things to be done in cooperation with each other, she thought that the 2nd Empress, who first stimulated herself using Vera, would retreat once.
She didn’t know that the 2nd Empress, who is cold as ice and rational, would come out so emotionally!
“Why no answer? Did what I said hurt your feelings?”
Anne couldn’t say anything to Elisha.
Anne had gone through many hardships before reaching the pinnacle of the Western society, eventually overcame them all and got what she wanted. Unfortunately, her opponent is far better.
Elisha, who had confronted the most glamorous and beautiful women in the central capital, the flower and core of the social circle, deprived her of her victory.
Even if it wasn’t socially appropriate, that doesn’t change the outcome.
Compared to Isabelle, Anne is rather pitiful like a flower that blooms along the way.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Elisha won’t step on it.
Even if others don’t know that Anne looks small to Elisha, but to others she’s no different than Isabelle of the West.
Elisha glanced at Vera and Jonathan, and their child, who are at her right.
Rozenin spoke of the parents who gave birth to Benjamin, but that was only half true.
Maybe it wasn’t that the child was born to be a demon, but it’s that woman, Anne, that eventually made him a demon.
If one is curious about the faces of the parents who gave birth to the real demons, Elisha would point not to her right, but to the woman opposite her and the stupid man beyond her.
In the midst of the confrontation, it was felt that the last participant had finally arrived.
It was Duke Verdin, the owner of this place.
Elisha turned her head, thinking that he was really a man with a very heavy butt.
“Why are you standing at the entrance and didn’t go in? This old man thought I was already very late, but it doesn’t seem like it.”
Seeing that the servant who was guarding him had disappeared, Duke Verdin must have already received the report, but he talked as if nothing had happened.
“I wish you had come a little sooner, Duke.”
If so, who would dare to make a fuss in front of the Duke?
At least the Western nobles in this banquet couldn’t have done that.
“Why don’t we sit down and talk for a while?”
The Duke pointed to the inside of the banquet hall.
Elisha agreed by opening a space in the middle for the Duke, the master, to let him in first.
The atmosphere of the dining hall was cold because it happened before the dinner started.
The honor of welcoming Barossa’s guests is something only the representative family of the West can have.
The innermost part of the long tables was placed horizontally inside the dining hall.
Everyone was seated either with their backs to the entrance to the dining hall, or facing the others with their backs to the innermost wall.
Duke Verdin, who is the head of the table, sat in the center of the table, and made eye contact with the Western nobles.
As soon as he sat down, he lifted the glass of wine in front of him high.
“Glory be to the place of the light! Allegiance to the sun of Barossa! Bless the hands of Barossa!”
“Loyalty! Blessings!”
Other nobles follow the Duke’s words and raise the wine glass at the same time.
And as they finished speaking, everyone took a sip of the wine.
The Duke said to Elisha, who followed them with a glass of wine and lowered it.
“Does Your Majesty have anything to say?”
“Thank you for the hospitality.”
“…”
Everyone waited for Elisha’s greetings to continue, but is there any possibility?
Those who realized that it was really the end of it were confused.
Maybe it’s because they’re uncomfortable with what happened just before.
When the atmosphere did not subside easily, Elisha added something.
“I heard that everyone here gave up this opportunity to the three regions that are in the most urgent situation even in the most difficult times. His Majesty can feel the ties of the West once again, and gave great praise to everyone. He also wish everyone the best of luck.”
“Whoaaa!”
The tension was released, and cheers erupted even louder than there had been originally.
Rohan, who did not have to lightly lead people or press them to cheer for the 2nd Empress, was amazed at how the 2nd Empress controlled the atmosphere of the dining hall, which is filled with the sly people of the Duchy.
However.
Looking back, what makes him think that she will not be able to do something she had already done before His Majesty the Emperor?
And he was very curious about what would happen next.
Rohan looked at the 2nd Empress from the side.
Her thin sky-blue eyes were twinkling.
It looked like something was about to start.