Chapter 40: Trials
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 40: Trials
Since their last encounter was discovered by the Grand Duchess, Meisel’s access to the Grand Duke’s Castle had become significantly more restricted. Ultimately, Marzella had no choice but to take a leave of absence and visit the Count of Arbor’s estate herself.
Meisel, who had been putting on a show for the maids with an overly excited voice about her nanny’s rare visit, underwent a total transformation the moment the drawing room door clicked shut.
Of course, this was the face Marzella was far more accustomed to seeing.
“You should have told me she was going to appoint ladies-in-waiting!”
“I only heard the news quite late myself…”
“Everything is going to be ruined because of you, Nanny!”
Fuming again at her own words, Meisel threw her pen in a fit of rage.
Well, who told you to be so disrespectful?
Marzella bowed her head, biting her lip to hide her expression.
For a daughter of a Count to speak so recklessly in front of the Grand Duchess—it had been an incredibly imprudent move.
Unless the Grand Duchess is a complete fool, she won't be looking to appoint Lady Meisel as a lady-in-waiting.
In truth, Marzella also regretted her own hasty behavior. Her mistake had been grossly underestimating the young Grand Duchess.
“Nanny, did you do that on purpose just to screw me over?”
At Meisel’s suspicious tone, Marzella hurriedly shook her head.
“I truly had no idea.”
“How does it make sense that the Head Maid didn't know something like that?”
“The Grand Duchess only issues orders through the Head Butler…”
“Then you should have coaxed it out of the butler! Is there anything you can actually do right?!”
Meisel huffed, her neck flushing a deep red.
In the Grand Duke’s Castle, the role of the Head Maid was slightly different from that in a typical noble household. While Marzella was the chief manager of the maids, she received no direct instructions from the Grand Ducal couple.
In other words, she was merely a middle manager with no influence in the castle beyond supervising the servants. Furthermore, that fox of a butler, who managed all castle affairs under the Grand Duke’s direct orders, never breathed a word of information to her.
In the end, I only found out about the search for ladies-in-waiting because the maids mentioned it while preparing for tea time.
“Have you forgotten who put you in that position? Do you think you’ve actually become someone important just because you’ve been sitting around eating and playing in a comfortable spot?”
Marzella swallowed her irritation.
Who put me here? I climbed to this position through my own blood, sweat, and tears.
Marzella had been recommended and transferred from the Count’s estate to the Grand Duke’s Castle during a period of labor shortage, yet Meisel brought it up constantly as if she had personally bestowed a medal of honor.
However, because Marzella had recently accepted a significant amount of money and jewelry from Meisel in exchange for information, she had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.
“Why won't the Grand Duke just kick that woman out?!”
“Agh!” As Meisel screamed in frustration, Marzella calmly offered the kind of answer she knew the girl would want to hear.
“I suspect he is being mindful of the Marquis’s influence.”
“What does a mere daughter of a Marquis matter? Once I become the Grand Duchess, the Frais family will be the first ones I deal with.”
Hmph. Marzella scoffed inwardly.
And how exactly do you plan to do that?
Meisel was a thoughtless noble lady who believed the entire world revolved around her. The only person who believed Meisel would one day become the Grand Duchess was Meisel herself. Even the Count and Countess secretly clicked their tongues at their daughter’s absurd delusions.
It’s a relief her dreams have no chance of coming true.
Marzella’s current life was perfect. Though she had to be wary of the Head Butler, she had reigned as Head Maid for years without interference from a master. The sudden arrival of the Grand Duchess was a problem, but the woman didn't seem intent on seizing Marzella’s domain just yet.
Everything will return to normal soon.
Until then, she would simply humor Meisel and squeeze as much out of her as possible. Or perhaps… it wouldn't be a bad idea to pour a little oil between the two of them and watch how well the fire caught.
A provocative glint flickered in Marzella’s eyes as the thought occurred to her.
“Is there any need for you to be so cautious, My Lady?”
“Since things have turned out this way, wouldn't it be better to clearly show who the real power in Blenheim is? No matter which lady-in-waiting the Grand Duchess chooses, she won't be able to set foot in high society if you don't permit it.”
Meisel leaned back slowly, clearly taken with the idea. Rather than trying to please the Grand Duchess now, it felt far more satisfying to firmly establish who held the upper hand in Blenheim’s social circles.
“What choice does the Grand Duchess really have?”
“Indeed…”
The Grand Duchess was the interloper here. If she wanted to survive in Northern society without a single acquaintance, she would naturally have to look to Meisel for cues. Above all, she wouldn't dare risk taking a daughter of a Viscount or Baron as a lady-in-waiting over a daughter of a Count.
Among the daughters of the various Counts, Meisel would naturally be the top priority, considering both her family’s prestige and her reputation.
“She wouldn't be able to choose Roselle or Karina.”
Meisel spoke as she recalled the other daughters of Counts who might pose a threat. No matter how many young ladies were invited to tea, the only viable candidate for the Grand Duchess would be Meisel.
Still, it’s best to be prepared, just in case.
The position of the Grand Duchess’s lady-in-waiting was prestigious enough that someone might try to seize it even if it meant defying Meisel. She would have to warn everyone in advance so no one did anything foolish at the tea party.
After handing a brooch to Marzella—who lingered even after being dismissed—Meisel began writing letters to the potential candidates the Grand Duchess might consider.
On that day, she would show the Grand Duchess clearly.
If she didn't choose Meisel of Arbor as her lady-in-waiting, there would be no place for her in Blenheim’s high society.
Once I finally meet the Grand Duke…
Meisel held a firm conviction. If the Grand Duke could just see her and remember their meeting, he would surely fall in love with her.
Because we share a tender past that no one else knows about.
Before the Monster War broke out, the gates of the Grand Duke’s Castle had been wide open. Meisel remembered the day of her first visit as vividly as if it were yesterday—the moment she encountered the young Grand Duke in the brilliantly decorated glass greenhouse.
The gentle voice asking who she was.
The noble aura that radiated from him from head to toe.
The kind face that, instead of scolding the girl who had entered his mother’s private greenhouse without permission, simply gave her a smile.
The moment she saw that smile, Meisel had made up her mind. She would grow into a proper noblewoman and cultivate the qualities worthy of the Grand Duchess of Blenheim. She would be the only woman standing by that beautiful young lord’s side.
But soon after, the gates of the castle were firmly shut. The rumors that he avoided women were actually a relief; she didn't have to worry about other ladies fluttering around him. She could even overlook the political marriage to Princess Pelianes. As long as the Princess didn't set foot on Blenheim soil, Meisel was the only one who could be the Grand Duke’s true companion.
Until that damn Lady Frais proposed to him, that is.
To dare use her family’s influence to force a marriage. When her father, the Count of Arbor, informed her that the Grand Duke’s marriage had been decided, Meisel had wailed in her room for an entire week, refusing to eat.
I am the only match for the Grand Duke.
If Marzella hadn't occasionally brought news from the castle, she would have gone mad long ago. The Grand Duke hadn't even come out to meet the Lady on the day she arrived, nor had he spent the wedding night with her. Meisel had expected her to become a pathetic woman, unacknowledged as a wife, and return to the Capital in short order…
Meisel took a deep, steadying breath.
It’s fine.
All of this was merely a trial on her path to becoming the true Grand Duchess of Blenheim. Expressing her submission to the Goddess’s will in testing her, Meisel began to write her reply to the Grand Duchess’s invitation.
*
It was early afternoon, and I was sipping tea in the drawing room.
Behind the head chef, a line of cooks entered, pushing no fewer than three trolleys.
“Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you. I am Berni, the one in charge of the kitchen at the Grand Duke’s Castle.”
Th-this man is the chef?
The chef standing before me was a man of rugged appearance, looking more like a mercenary than a cook. His massive frame, straining against an overly tight uniform, was easily a match for the Grand Duke’s.
However, what caught my eye even more were the plates of cakes and cookies filling every inch of the trolleys he had brought.
“Wh-what is all this?”
Seeing the cooks behind him endlessly unloading plates of refreshments onto the table, the question burst out of me before I could even offer a greeting.
“Starting from the far right, we have mini lemon cakes, almond nougat cakes, chocolate cakes, and Madeira cakes. As for sandwiches, we have cucumber sandwiches, strawberry cream sandwiches… For pies, we have poached pear slices, cherry tarts, apple tarts… And for bite-sized treats, vanilla cookies, macarons… and…”
I waved my hand at Berni, whose eyes were sparkling as he listed the names.
“No, I get what they are, but there’s just so…”
Much!