The Tea Party and the Warning (1)
***
A new wind had begun to blow through the imperial palace.
The palace, once filled with shades of blue and silver, was now drenched in warm gold and crimson. The porcelain and tea sets cherished by the previous empress had been wrapped in layers of thick paper and tucked away in the storage room behind the drawing room. In their place, simple, transparent glassware had been brought out.
The imperial servants whispered in bewilderment that the duchess’s tastes had flipped overnight like the back of a hand. But their confusion lasted only a moment. The sight of Viscount Linton, who now attended to every minute detail of the palace, left their jaws hanging.
‘They say His Majesty entrusted Duchess Winteira’s duties to Viscount Linton.’
‘Goodness, what strange times we live in. Still, she seems to be handling things quite well…’
‘She’s just putting on a decent show. How could the eye of a lowborn maid ever match that of a true highborn noble?’
‘But isn’t it odd that the duchess handed over the household affairs so willingly?’
The servants each had something to say about Karina and me.
Everyone knew that Karina had fallen from Regentera’s favor after bringing down Count Silanda.
People thought the lowborn viscount who had dared to snatch the duchess’s duties must have lost her mind, yet they were dying to see how I would react.
I, however, had no intention of giving them a spectacle. Since it had been by His Majesty’s command, protesting would only make me look ridiculous.
‘The dress incident during the Founding Festival comes to mind.’
When Karina and I had been at odds, His Majesty had taken her side. The chances were high he would do the same this time. I had no desire to let my emotions get the better of me and end up flushing with anger in front of him again. Still, remaining silent was difficult when Karina’s every move felt like a brazen deception.
I picked up the letter lying on the desk. It was from the Imperial Art Gallery. Inside was a long list of the new artworks scheduled to arrive this month. By now, Karina must have received the same letter.
***
“From now on, Viscount Linton here will be selecting all the artworks to be displayed in the imperial palace.”
I introduced Karina to the gallery director. The director offered her an awkward bow, clearly flustered by the unexpected handover. Karina accepted his greeting with a smile.
Unlike curtains, bedspreads, or tableware that could be replaced with relative ease, handling artworks was not something that could be done overnight. It involved consulting with the director, selecting paintings, paying for them, and rotating them out with the changing seasons. Mere greed could not resolve such matters.
Karina seemed to realize this as well, which was why she had asked me to handle the handover for this particular task. That was the reason I had come to the gallery with her today.
“Where are the newly arrived pieces?”
“Ah, they are right this way. Allow me to guide you.”
At Karina’s question, the director led the two of us deeper inside.
“Please take your time to appreciate them and make your selections. We will deliver them to the palace.”
The director left us alone and hurried away with quick steps.
Karina and I walked through the exhibition hall without exchanging a single word. The sharp click of our heels against the pure white marble floor echoed throughout the room.
The walls were densely lined with paintings of every kind. Seasonal landscapes, still lifes featuring fruits and flowers from the south, portraits of nobles—every piece was breathtakingly beautiful without exception.
“From what I have observed so far, most of the paintings hanging in the palace are portraits. I thought we might try switching to landscapes from now on.”
Karina stopped in front of a long horizontal painting. It depicted a peaceful meadow overflowing with green, where various animals frolicked.
“His Majesty has been unable to leave the palace for quite some time due to his poor health. He must be tired of seeing the same faces every day. It would be wrong for him to only look at portraits in the paintings as well.”
At the edge of the vibrant, peaceful scene stood a man and a boy gazing tenderly down at the meadow. Karina looked at the painting with evident satisfaction.
“I like how the landscape is emphasized while the figures are kept relatively small. With a composition like this, I believe His Majesty could appreciate the painting from the perspective of these figures. What do you think, Duchess?”
「Pavelu and Alikson: Eve of Battle」
I read the title engraved on the metal plate beneath the painting. Then I spoke to Karina.
“Why ask for my opinion? When you went to His Majesty and stole my duties, did you bother asking for it then?”
“……”
“So choose whatever you like. The only reason I came here today was to explain the situation to the director and complete the handover.”
“……Are you upset, Duchess? Is it because I’ve taken over all the palace household affairs?”
Seeing Karina’s eyes widen in feigned innocence, I let out a tired laugh. It seemed I was gradually building an immunity to her infuriating way of pretending to be naive while turning people’s insides upside down.
“Upset. How cute. That word alone isn’t nearly enough to describe how I feel.”
“Then please don’t be too hurt. His Majesty gave me your duties with a joyful heart.”
“A joyful heart?”
“Yes. When I told him I would lighten your burden, he said it was a good idea and gladly gave his permission.”
Karina spoke in a haughty voice, as if boasting of the emperor’s favor right in front of me. She studied my complexion, clearly hoping to see it darken. But I kept my expression perfectly blank.
‘If that’s truly how he saw it, then I suppose it’s a small mercy.’
After His Majesty entrusted the imperial household affairs to Karina, Baroness Turen had immediately submitted her resignation. Unable to contain her fury, Rose had sworn revenge through gritted teeth so violently that she chipped a tooth and had been suffering from a toothache for days.
Molly, who had suddenly received cooking orders from Karina, and the palace servants, whose superiors had changed in the blink of an eye, felt much the same. Even though Karina enjoyed the emperor’s favor, they all deeply resented her for taking my place.
Strangely enough, their behavior was a great comfort to me. It felt rather pleasant to know there were people who grew angry on my behalf and missed me. Because of that, I was able to refrain from showing Karina any overt displeasure.
‘I really have lowered my standards. To think I can find satisfaction in something like this.’
Until now, I had believed His Majesty had only divided my duties with Karina because of her request. But it seemed his true intention had also been to ease my burden. Thinking of it that way made my heavy heart feel a little lighter.
“Then I will choose this painting.”
Karina continued, looking at me.
“I’ll hang it in the entrance hall of the palace. It would be nice to remove the painting you hung there three months ago and put this one in its place.”
“You won’t regret it?”
“Pardon…?”
“You haven’t even properly looked at the other paintings. Are you sure this one is fine?”
After a brief hesitation, Karina gave a strange little smile. She seemed to think my repeated questions were some kind of test.
“It looks like I’ve chosen quite a fine piece. Don’t you agree?”
With a satisfied smile, she called for the gallery director.
“Did you call for me, Duchess? Ah, and Viscountess as well.”
“Send this painting to the palace.”
“Pardon? This one, you mean?”
The director looked startled and glanced at me, seeking confirmation. I gave him a quiet nod.
“It is the first piece Viscountess Linton has chosen. Do as she wishes.”
***
The day of Karina’s tea party.
The imperial palace garden was overflowing with extravagant floral decorations and mouthwatering delicacies. The garden’s banquet hall was a space reserved exclusively for members of the imperial family or for truly important guests of the royal house. It was far too extravagant a venue to open merely for a viscountess of low birth.
“I really, really don’t want to go. I’d rather die, Duchess.”
Rose trailed behind me, clutching her invitation and whining.
“What kind of confidence does that woman even have? She sent invitations to all the capital nobles saying everyone wanted to see her?”
Contrary to Rose’s complaints, the central nobles were all immensely curious about Karina. After all, aside from the few who had access to the palace, none of them had ever seen her before.
The emperor’s favor, her feud with Count Silanda, and those golden eyes.
All of it was more than enough to capture the attention of nobles who thrived on gossip. They must have been counting the days from the moment they received her invitation.
“So the only ones not attending today are Duchess Regentera and Countess Silanda?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Lost in my uncomfortable thoughts, I soon found myself standing before the garden. I followed the maids’ guidance and stepped inside.
“Welcome, Duchess!”
Karina spotted me and greeted me with a bright smile. Dressed beautifully in a golden gown, she led me with a delighted expression to the seat right beside the head of the table.
“Thank you so much for coming. Please, sit here.”
The seat beside the hostess’s place was reserved for the highest-ranking guest. Whether I liked it or not, I had to sit beside her. Rose grumbled as she took a seat at a table a little further away from the head position.
Even though it was still early, the garden was already packed with the invited noblewomen. They all approached my seat, offered polite greetings, then quickly returned to their places.
Normally they would have showered me with compliments and flattery, but not today. Every gaze was fixed on Karina—especially on her golden eyes.
‘They’ve come to see if her eyes really look like Rubia’s.’
With a displeased expression, I lifted the glass of cold water in front of me and drank. I could understand their curiosity, but their blatant stares were incredibly irritating.
“Come in, Countess Bladin!”
Following me, Ebony Bladin made her entrance. As always, she wore a wide-brimmed hat, an ornate jeweled coat, and trousers.
Not only Karina, but one of the seated noblewomen quickly rose from her chair and hurried over to Ebony. It was the wife of Count Telon, who had recently become prime minister with Ebony’s help. The countess approached Ebony and politely took her hat as if attending to her.
“Hello, Duchess Winteira.”
“It has been a while, Countess Bladin. Though it seems you’ve taken the wrong seat.”
Contrary to my expectation that she would sit across from me, Ebony took the seat right beside me. Even among count families, the Bladin house was on an entirely different level. If her seat wasn’t across from mine, then whose seat could it possibly be?
“Well. It seems someone else will be coming besides me.”
Ebony’s purple eyes sparkled as she gave a crooked smile.
At that moment, the noblewomen began to murmur. All eyes turned toward the garden entrance. Through the suddenly hushed air, a figure appeared.
“The… the Marchioness of Lilche…?”