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Damia’s eyes twitched slightly in recognition.
‘Teresa Dmitry.’
It was a name she had recently heard a few times. A candidate for the Crown Prince’s fiancee who was backed by the High Temple
She didn’t know why she was picking a fight with her, but she couldn’t back down after hearing her introduction. Damia was obliged to respond to her greeting.
“My name is Damia of Count Primula.”
“Ah, that was Miss Damie.”
Teresa laughed as she pronounced her name with a strange force. As if that was a signal, the noble ladies whom Damia had previously circumvented came rushing in to surround her and started chatting.
“What, it is that lady from the North!”
“Why did you lie to me? Aren’t you taking us too lightly?!”
Damia frowned at the voices of those chirping like sparrows. And she spoke in a gentle tone.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t deal with rude people who don’t even reveal their own name.”
“What did you say now?”
“Amazing—really!”
They were outraged when they were criticized for being disrespectful to Damia, who had dared to ignore them despite being a northern rural bumpkin. One of them stepped forward, glanced at Teresa, and admonished Damia.
“I think you came up from the countryside without knowing anything. Do you know who she is? You don’t even know your place!!”
“Didn’t she just introduce herself? Lady Teresa of the Marquis Dmitry. Correct?”
Damia didn’t even blink as she responded without losing a beat. Then the woman who stood in the front, shouted with a loud, bubbly growl:
“That’s right, but that’s not what I’m talking about… … !! You—aren’t you too clueless about the situation?!”
“Indeed, I don’t know.”
Damia tilted her head with an even more puzzled expression and smoothed her clothes.
“That person’s name is Teresa, and a group was rude to me without introducing themselves. What do these two have to do with each other?”
In response to Damia’s words, who was standing alone resolutely and unperturbed, the woman in front of her staggered as she grabbed the back of her neck. [t1v: grabbing the back of neck is like a Korean expression of “this person is going to give me a heart attack from frustration”] It was as if she was so frustrated she could not continue the conversation.
“Stop.”
When her minions couldn’t win against the lady and get a headstart, Teresa sighed and dissuaded them. And she reproached them for their conduct as if she was innocent.
“Ms. Damia is right. You were too rude, Leah, Rose, and Louisa.”
“But, Miss Teresa… … !!”
“Let’s start by introducing yourself. Miss Damia is a person who has just arrived in the capital from the far north. How bewildered she must have been because of you?”
Indeed, Teresa was different from her minions. Very gracefully she blamed Damia for being a northern peasant.
Then the other noble girls reluctantly handed Damia belated greetings.
“My name is Leah Judith.”
“I’m Count Mary’s Rose.”
“… … This is Louisa Calusten.”
Naturally, Damia was not interested in their introductions. It was obvious that she would forget who they were after a night’s sleep.
But since Teresa had laid out a board, wouldn’t it be polite to play a little?
“I see. My name is Damia Primula. It’s nice to meet you.”
Finally, the self-introductions likened to chewing a brick was over. Damia, who had been waiting only for this moment, asked with a bone in her smile,
“But, what is your business with me?”
It was clear that they would not go away if she didn’t immediately bring up the main topic. At this, the woman who introduced herself as Leah rushed forward and shot back:
“You recently visited and had an audience with His Highness the Crown Prince—twice, didn’t you?”
“So what?”
“You don’t seem to know anything since you’re from the countryside, but it has already been determined that the Crown Prince will be engaged to Miss Teresa! But for what purpose do you keep approaching the Royal Crown Prince’s Palace?”
… … Ah, was it about something like this?
Damia surveyed the women in annoyance. Although she didn’t know the capital’s nobles well, she had a rough idea about them.
‘Probably the pro-temple aristocrats.’
Of course, it was true that there were rumors of an engagement between the Crown Prince and Teresa. But nothing had been confirmed yet.
To be precise, Heinrich did not want to be engaged to Teresa. So, it seemed that they were trying to make their own efforts to push it forward.
By removing all the women around the Crown Prince.
“It’s rather delightful to have to listen to this.”
Unfortunately for them, Damia, wasn’t accommodating nor dumb enough to suffer from their tricks and smiled brightly.
If they were pro-temple they were already anti-royal. So, it was only proper to put them in their place.
“The reason why I had an audience with His Majesty the Crown Prince was because he had a very urgent request for me.”
“What is it? Let’s hear it.”
Leah, who had not yet sensed the ominousness, asked and demanded sternly. Then Damia, who had been waiting for that question, shot back with her eyes shining,
“Oh my goodness. Are you interrogating me about the Crown Prince’s personal order right now?”