So What Exactly Is This Eleonora Society?
"You know it's a women's military comrades' association, right?"
"Of course I know. I'm not an idiot."
Chloe waved her hand dismissively as she waddled down the corridor of the royal castle. Georges chuckled beside her.
"I nearly fainted when I saw you coming to work in a dress today."
"What else was I supposed to do? I was told to 'fulfill the duties of Her Grace, the Grand Duchess.'"
She pouted, mimicking Madame Brun's stiff tone. Madame Brun had been treating Chloe with absolute rigor. For three days now, Chloe had been forced to memorize everything from how to drink tea, how to bow, how to politely reject unpleasant people, and the do's and don'ts of banquets. For the record, all of this training took place in the aide's office.
Naturally, this made Chloe highly suspicious of Curtis's refusal to dismiss her from her post. Is he keeping me around just to watch me get scolded by Madame Brun? she wondered. And with good reason. Every time Chloe was scolded by Madame Brun or tripped over her own feet, a muffled snort of laughter would drift over from the adjoining office, as if intentionally letting her hear it. Even this morning...
"You have dance practice today, correct?"
"Yes, and?"
"Wear this instead of your uniform."
Chloe had been rather busy this morning. Philip, the head butler, had reported that one of the maids from the grand ducal residence had run away. Why on earth would a maid flee the estate? When asked, Philip had simply replied, "I am not entirely sure, Your Grace."
If this were the military, old man, you'd be thrown straight into the brig.
Of course, she didn't say that out loud. Instead, Chloe ordered, "She might have stolen something from the estate, so conduct an inventory check on all valuables."
It was right then that Curtis had walked in. Then, right in front of Philip, he had dragged her into the toilette room and personally selected a dress for her. She had almost asked him if he was seriously doing this. The dress Curtis chose was the perfect length for her to trip over and face-plant onto the floor.
Curtis had smirked, saying, "The current trend has shifted from the gavotte and branle to a Tawaiye-style fast jig."
"Tawaiye... what?"
Of course, Chloe hadn't understood a single word other than "Tawaiye."
Curtis had swept his gaze up and down her figure before replying, "She was probably one of the King's spies anyway. Don't worry about it," and walked out. Only later did she realize he was referring to the runaway maid, not the dress.
In the end, without even knowing why, Chloe had to waddle her way to work while clutching the hem of the trailing dress. To make matters worse, Noel, unable to bear the sight of her struggling, had asked Georges—who happened to enter just as Chloe was leaving the aide's office—to escort her. That was how they ended up walking together.
"If you keep clutching it like that, it's going to get wrinkled," Georges said. "Just let it drag. That's the style. My sister walks around with grass and roots stuck to her hem all the time."
"Are you insane? Do you not see how many rolls of lace are sewn onto the hem of this dress?"
Chloe's sharp retort made Georges blink in surprise. For context, on the day she had gone to get fitted for clothes with the Grand Duke, she had boasted about showing him what was what. But after seeing the astronomical sum on the receipt, she had been so horrified that she secretly went over the itemized bill line by line that night. To her shock, every single charge was indeed for things she had used or ordered. Once she realized the sheer cost of the lace alone, there was absolutely no way Chloe could bring herself to drag this dress along the floor.
"Hey, the Brigadier General is filthy rich," Georges argued. "Do you have any idea how much war reparations he received from the last armistice?"
"I don't know. And even if I did, it's not my money."
Chloe replied bluntly to Georges's bewildered question. She wasn't rich enough to casually order dresses like this, and if she fell into the habit of spending money like a high noble, she would be in deep trouble later. Of course, Georges, who knew nothing of their contract marriage, looked even more puzzled.
"Well... I guess high noble marriages can be like that. But the Brigadier General married you because he's in love with you. It's not like you two signed a marriage contract or anything. Unless you take a lover, there's no reason for the Grand Duke to pinch pennies with you."
We actually did sign one, my friend.
"That's entirely different," Chloe said. "Besides, up until two weeks ago, I was eating at the Royal Guard dining hall just to save on food expenses. Do you expect me to suddenly start throwing gold coins around?"
She left it at that, and Georges seemed to understand.
"True," he conceded. "Still, you should probably throw some money around at the Eleonora Society."
"I suppose I'll have to. Tell me what you've heard about it."
The Eleonora Society. It was a women's military comrades' association that spanned both the Navy and the Army. While it usually functioned as a simple social club, whenever Ivanes went to war, the society would organize bazaars to raise funds and provide full-scale support. Even during the recent war with the Three Kingdoms—which Curtis had successfully brought to an armistice—supplies sent under the name of the Eleonora Society had played a major role.
"You know the Marquise of Flandre is the absolute top dog there, right?"
"Watch your language, First Squad Leader. Use proper terms."
Slang aside, because Ivanes shared borders with the Three Kingdoms everywhere except along the Prado Coast, the military held immense sway. The Eleonora Society, in particular, had been founded generations ago by Princess Eleonora. Initially established as a social club for noblewomen in the military, it had evolved over time into its current form. As a result, the Eleonora Society received substantial royal patronage, and by tradition, one of its executive positions was always held by a royal woman. Currently, the Marquise of Flandre had been associated with the Eleonora Society for nearly thirty years.
"I heard His Majesty the King assigned the Marquise of Flandre a separate task for the upcoming diplomatic banquet," Georges whispered.
"Who did you hear that from?"
"My secret informant."
Chloe clicked her tongue. Georges's "secret informants" were usually women. Despite his behavior, Georges was actually quite popular. Miss Sara really needs to find out what this guy is truly like.
In any case, the point was that the Marquise of Flandre was absent today because of the task the King had assigned her. Regardless, Georges grinned mischievously.
"To put it bluntly, the number one boss of the Eleonora Society is gone. So, here's a quiz! Who is the number two boss?"
"I really don't want to guess..."
"Correct! It is Her Grace, Grand Duchess Chloe Le David Berk, who stands right before me!"
"Sigh..."
"Now, will our Grand Duchess be able to seize the top spot on her very first day at the Eleonora Society, a place she has never even set foot in?"
Chloe could bet her life on it. The task the King had given the Marquise of Flandre was undoubtedly trivial. This was just another part of his scheme to humiliate her. Staring up at the ceiling of the castle corridor, Chloe muttered with a hollow gaze, "Can someone as fragile and cute as me really handle this...?"
"Give me a break. If the guys currently lifting weights in the Royal Guard fitness training room to break your records heard you say that, they'd lose their minds. Oh, we're here."
At his words, she looked up and realized they had arrived in front of the Hall of Radiance, where the Eleonora Society meeting was to be held. The doors to the Hall of Radiance were wide open, suggesting people had already gathered. Quite a crowd could be seen inside. Georges gave her a thumbs-up.
"Good luck, our self-proclaimed fragile and cute Grand Duchess."
"Get lost."
"Yes, ma'am. First Squad Leader Renard is taking his leave. Hey, boys!" Georges chuckled and called out to the Royal Guard members standing sentry outside the Hall of Radiance. They happened to be members of his 1st Squad. "Take good care of our fragile and cute Grand Duchess!"
"Are you going to get lost, or do I have to make you?"
Even as he turned to leave, Georges couldn't stop snickering.
Chloe clicked her tongue. It was already embarrassing enough to walk in while clutching her trailing dress, but thanks to Georges's loud voice, the people inside the Hall of Radiance were beginning to turn their heads toward her one by one.
"Grand Duchess Berk. Shall we announce your arrival to the room?"
"No, that's fine. Um, my seat..."
"When the Eleonora Society meets, conference tables are set up inside the hall. You are to sit in the red chair at the very front round table."
If the squad members hadn't guided her so kindly, Chloe would have been utterly lost.
"..."
The moment she stepped inside, the vast Hall of Radiance fell dead silent, as if cold water had been poured over the room. The Hall of Radiance was on the smaller side among the castle's multipurpose halls, but right now, it felt incredibly vast. Inside the hall were four massive round tables, each capable of seating twelve people. A total of forty-two women were either sitting or standing around them, chatting.
As a soldier, counting people in groups was second nature to Chloe, so she had sized up the crowd instantly. However, it wasn't a particularly useful skill in this situation. If anything, it only made her more nervous.
To make matters worse, she spotted a few familiar faces here and there. Agathe Montpis, wearing a thoroughly displeased expression, was a prime example.
Madame Brun, thank you!
As Chloe walked toward the red chair at the front table indicated by the guard, she felt a wave of genuine gratitude toward the elderly lady who had spent three grueling days correcting her posture and stride. With eighty-four eyes watching her every move, anyone would have been sweating bullets.
"Welcome, Your Grace."
"Ah."
When she finally reached the center table, a woman standing beside the red chair waiting for her offered a polite bow. It was a face Chloe recognized.
"Lieutenant Tornier. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Theodora de Tornier. She was an army lieutenant and the older sister of Sara de Tornier. Appearing to be in her mid-thirties, she wore glasses and carried an air of extreme severity. She belonged to the regiment known for having the strictest discipline in the entire Royal Army...
"I have heard a great deal about you from the Grand Duke."
...the 8th Regiment, which Curtis had commanded. They had been the core force during the War of the Three Kingdoms.