Chapter 101
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101
“Wh-what…?”
“You think I won’t do it? Huh?”
Sandra stumbled backward, her face having turned pale long ago.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and walked past her.
The nerve of her.
Just because I’ve been playing nice, she thinks she can crawl all over me.
In this world, the only thing allowed to bully and ignore Tulia is the Status Window!
Shortly after I took my seat.
“Her Majesty the Empress is entering!”
Empress Carmi made her entrance.
As soon as she stepped in, she greeted everyone with eyes as kind as a doe’s, thanking them for coming.
Then, she specifically singled me out and called my name.
“Lady Tulia Frezier. I am delighted that you could join us as well.”
“The honor is mine, Your Majesty.”
I lifted the hem of my skirt and curtsied according to etiquette, then continued with a fake smile plastered on my face.
“As a token of my gratitude for Your Majesty’s invitation, I have prepared a small gift.”
“Oh my. A gift from the granddaughter of the Frezier family? I am quite looking forward to it. What might it be?”
At my signal, an attendant I had coordinated with beforehand clapped his hands twice.
Immediately.
“Oh, my goodness!”
“Look at all those flowers!”
“They’re all tulips!”
“It must have been so difficult to find them in winter.”
“You can see flowers all year round in the Mage Tower’s greenhouse! It’s just that they’re incredibly expensive!”
Thousands of tulips, which I had sent people from the main castle to the Imperial Capital to procure in advance, were brought in one after another.
Pale pink, white, soft yellow, purple, orange.
The fresh-colored tulips were still dewy, making them look even more vibrant and fragrant.
In an instant, the atmosphere turned radiant, as if spring had descended upon the entire room.
“My, my. This is an unexpected gift, and it is truly perfect.”
As if echoing Empress Carmi’s praise, admiration broke out from all sides.
Good. My social standing is perfectly maintained.
Procuring this many flowers cost a fortune. They were jewels that didn’t last forever. When nobles held banquets, they invested as much money into fresh flowers as they did into the food.
With this, no one would dare whisper about me being a lady without a mother or a father.
[System] Your reputation among those around you has increased!
Nice, nice.
While I was basking in satisfaction, Empress Carmi made an elegant gesture.
“Chief Maid. See to it that these tulips are used for decoration immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The maids moved with clockwork precision, and in no time, every vase on every table was adorned with tulips.
Fragrant tea and snacks so beautiful they made your eyes pop were served.
It was then.
“Your Majesty. Will Prince Dave be showing his face today?”
At a noblewoman’s question, Empress Carmi’s face stiffened for a fleeting second.
What’s this?
There was no way the seasoned noblewomen hadn’t noticed what I just did.
I felt them quickly exchanging glances with one another.
But it was only for a moment.
Empress Carmi said with a smile, “Dave is feeling unwell today, so he unfortunately won’t be able to attend the party.”
“Oh dear!”
“I must send some good medicine to the Prince.”
“Still, the Second Prince is robust and takes after His Majesty the Emperor. He’ll be back on his feet in no time.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you, everyone.”
Is that brat Dave throwing another tantrum somewhere and collapsing?
Well, that works for me.
Since I’d come this far, I had been bracing myself to run into Dave.
I hope I can just finish the quest safely without running into him at all.
The quest was still in an incomplete state.
It seemed it would only be marked as ‘Complete’ once the party ended and I either left the Imperial Palace or returned home safely.
“The reason I called you all here today is to mourn the passing of Countess Charl Orquichin three months ago…”
Empress Carmi finally brought up her main business.
“…and to introduce the new Countess Orquichin to you all.”
Unlike the relatively quiet noblewomen, the young ladies, who were still little more than chicks, began to whisper.
“Oh my.”
“A new Countess Orquichin? Who could it be?”
“The title of Countess Orquichin is one of the titles the Empress can bestow, isn’t it?”
“That’s right! By custom, even a commoner can become ‘Countess Orquichin’ by the Empress’s command!”
Empress Carmi looked toward me.
More accurately, toward the Freziers sitting around me.
“Lady Belladonna Merton.”
Like a stage actress who had been waiting for her cue, Belladonna Merton stood up with natural grace and confidence.
Then, she bowed deeply toward the Empress.
“She is the new Countess Orquichin. Everyone, please welcome the newest member of our social circle.”
In an instant, many of the young ladies gasped.
Wow. So that’s why she called that woman here.
This is insane.
Belladonna Merton was a mistress.
While there are many mistresses of noble birth, Belladonna Merton’s origins were murky.
Everyone probably suspects she’s a commoner.
Nigella went around saying she was the daughter of a baron from some remote countryside, but almost no one believed him.
I only know her true origins thanks to ‘The Milk Bread’.
Corico, the protagonist of The Milk Bread, is an orphan.
That’s why she easily becomes friends with Belladonna Merton, who is of low birth.
If you max out her favorability, you learn Belladonna’s true background.
That’s how I know.
Right now, even Nigella probably doesn’t know Belladonna Merton’s true origins.
“Uncle Nigella.”
I whispered softly to Nigella, who was sitting next to me, while clapping along with the other nobles.
“Congratulations.”
“Ahem. Thank you.”
Just what did he offer to Empress Carmi?
Empress Carmi herself was the daughter of a humble family, so her position wasn’t exactly rock-solid based on her lineage alone.
And yet, she was giving the position of Countess Orquichin—one of the Empress’s closest confidantes—to a mistress of uncertain birth.
It seemed Nigella had promised something massive to Empress Carmi in exchange for placing Belladonna in that seat.
These two are really having the affair of the century.
Despite my internal thoughts, I smiled outwardly and asked Nigella.
“By the way, Uncle. Does Grandfather know about this?”
Instantly, Nigella’s expression stiffened. He spoke in a low but stern voice.
“I will speak to Father myself, so do not worry. A child shouldn’t be meddling in the affairs of adults.”
As I thought, he hasn’t told Grandfather.
He probably invited me because it would look bad if not a single direct descendant of Frezier was present when Belladonna Merton received her title.
Well, I guess that’s a relief.
I was worried the Empress had actually lost her mind and was trying to set me up with Dave.
Of course, Belladonna Merton being appointed as Countess Orquichin while being the ‘Mistress of the Grand Duke of Frezier’ was a big deal.
But that was a problem for Nigella to handle at home.
Whether he gets kicked out or not, if he’s the one who fell in love, he’s the one who has to deal with the consequences, right?
Once the anxiety about Dave appearing or being linked to me subsided, I felt much more generous.
Let them ruin themselves.
*
“Argh! It hurts! I said it hurts!”
The Second Prince, Dave, was screaming and practically thrashing around on his bed.
He roughly swatted away the hand of the Imperial Physician, who was applying a cotton ball soaked in medicine to his face.
“Dammit! Are you trying to set my face on fire?!”
“You must endure it if you do not want your face to be scarred.”
“Ugh.”
A scar on his face?
Scars were for lowly mercenaries or incompetent knights!
While there were veteran knights with sword scars across their eyes, Dave had neither their exceptional swordsmanship nor their distinguished service.
His smooth face was the pride of his noble blood, so he had no choice but to stop screaming and endure the stinging pain of the treatment.
“Prince Dave. Her Majesty the Empress asks that you come to the banquet hall immediately…”
Dave finally snapped at the Empress’s Chief Maid, who had come to urge him.
“You want me to go out with this face?! If you have eyes, look for yourself!”
“…”
“Tell Mother! I cannot possibly show my face in public in this state! This is all because of that damn Crown Prince!”
“…Please rest for now, Your Highness.”
There were few servants in this palace who could handle Dave’s temperament. That was true even for the Empress’s Chief Maid.
Dave huffed and puffed as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.
His face was covered in wounds that looked as if they had been clawed. It was a disgrace.
“That damn Ferdinand!”
A string of curses finally erupted. Of course, everyone in the Second Prince’s palace pretended not to hear.
“I wondered what had gotten into him to actually answer me for once… Dammit, dammit!”
Dave’s cherished sword had already been snapped in two.
The person who had broken that artistic masterpiece of a sword, encrusted with emeralds, was, of course, Crown Prince Ferdinand.