The Fake Vase
The one left with the most thoroughly awkward expression was Sir Oslo, the ambassador of Glintland. He had been dispatched from Glintland to Ivanes ten years ago. Since Glintland had originally held very little presence in Ivanes, he had been enjoying a rather leisurely, carefree life until now.
"Duchess Isabelle! If such a matter was underway, you should have at least consulted me...!" It seemed Isabelle had orchestrated this entire affair without consulting him in the slightest.
The King looked at Sir Oslo and shook his head with a look of profound regret. "You should have been more prudent, Ambassador. After all, Grand Duke Curtis Shan Berk is my brother."
It was a matter that could bring shame upon the royal family, so it could not be spoken of. There was no way to dispute such a claim. Isabelle chimed in as well.
"I merely considered Sir Oslo's position, as he must remain here even after I depart. I apologize if my consideration was lacking."
If she had truly considered him, consulting him would have made far more sense. But they were standing before the King of Ivanes. Moreover, the situation had already escalated far beyond what an ambassador could salvage. With a thoroughly crumpled face, Sir Oslo retreated from the crowd.
Beside them, the Marquise of Flandre spoke up. "I conducted the investigation as swiftly as possible. Upon bringing the vase from the Grand Duke's residence to compare, we found that one is mere glass, while the other is indeed the green beryl vase from Tawaiye."
"It is a vase presented as a gift to His Majesty the King of Glintland some thirty years ago. In truth, he gave it to me in anticipation of a potential royal marriage during this summit, but since that did not come to pass, I sent it as a wedding gift instead." Isabelle smoothly picked up where the Marquise of Flandre left off. "I had my maid deliver it as a wedding gift through the Palace Affairs Department, so you may verify this yourself."
"I have already verified that," the Marquise replied, her face stiff as she looked at Isabelle. "Normally, the Royal Guard would conduct the investigation in these matters, but since Grand Duke Berk is involved, I handled it personally."
Ah, so that's why... Several noblewomen of the Eleonora Society standing nearby whispered among themselves.
It was then that Curtis stepped forward. "So, what is it you all ultimately wish to say?"
The man exuded the most menacing aura Chloe had ever seen from him. He stood in front of Chloe, shielding her from the prying eyes of the crowd, while gently catching his wife's wrist to stop her from speaking. He merely held her wrist quietly, yet somehow, she knew exactly what he was thinking.
So this is what these godforsaken relatives of mine have cooked up. Chloe remained still.
With a sigh, the Marquise of Flandre continued. "This is not a matter for you to interfere in, Grand Duke. We have received anonymous testimony claiming that the Grand Duchess sold this item herself."
"The Grand Duchess has been with me constantly since the wedding."
"The Grand Duchess wouldn't be mad enough to go out and sell it herself, Grand Duke Berk," the King interjected. "I hear it was a maid from the Grand Duke's residence who sold it."
"Do you have proof that the maid in question belongs to my household?"
"How should I know!" came the sneering reply, accompanied by a loud laugh. "I hear a maid from your residence went missing recently. What do you have to say to that?"
Standing behind Curtis, Chloe couldn't see his face. However, she could easily guess. He was likely as rigid as stone, just as he always was when conducting a punishment drill on his subordinates.
"I tried to understand that Her Highness the Grand Duchess might find my gift unpleasant. But still..." Isabelle Glintland feigned dabbing away tears.
Curtis let out a low, mocking chuckle. Ignoring him, the King pressed on.
"For a woman from a family of mere first-class honorary knights—a household far removed from luxury—who knows what kind of greed such sudden, extravagant goods might have fostered."
"Your Majesty." The man's voice was razor-sharp.
"You speak in circles, but in the end, are you not accusing the Grand Duchess—who comes from a low-class family—of secretly selling off a gift from Glintland because it looked expensive, only to get caught?"
"Grand Duke, there is no need to put it so harshly, is there?" the King smirked. "For instance, a gift from an exceptionally beautiful rival might naturally rub a woman the wrong way, wouldn't you say? Speak for yourself, Grand Duchess."
All eyes turned to Chloe.
Chloe's face remained entirely blank. It wasn't because she was exceptionally cold, nor was she barely holding back her humiliation. She simply didn't know what to say in this situation.
If she could have said what was on her mind, she would have asked: Are you senile, you old geezer? This is so pathetic. You know damn well that's not what happened, so why are you acting like this? Of course, she couldn't say that.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty." She thought her voice would tremble, but it came out surprisingly calm.
Chloe gently nudged Curtis aside. The man, who looked as though he would never budge, stepped aside with surprising ease. Instead of looking at Curtis, she directed her gaze toward the table where the vases stood.
"Am I to understand that one of these two items is a fake, and that you brought that fake from my residence?"
"Your residence, you say. For now, yes." It was a sneer implying, Is that place even truly yours?
Don't make me laugh. My name is on the marriage certificate, so it's my residence. Naturally, she couldn't say this either.
"Under normal circumstances, I know that even as King, I cannot remove items from a household without the mistress's permission. However, if this incident is true, Ivanes has committed a grave diplomatic discourtesy against Glintland. I could not simply overlook it."
This royal piece of trash. He knows that, and yet he still does this? Chloe wanted to scream. But when she saw Philippe Deltang creeping forward from the other side to offer a grand, sweeping bow, she lost even the will to speak.
The King smirked. "I made a polite request to the butler of the Grand Duke's residence."
"I am Philippe Deltang. Your Highness, forgive me, but for the sake of your honor, I, Philippe Deltang, actually insisted that they take it to compare."
That bat-like butler. He already held a grudge against Chloe, so he was undoubtedly seizing this opportunity to pay her back. Even if he didn't hold a grudge, he would have acted the same way as the King's spy.
Whether Chloe was quietly seething inside or not, the King pretended to stroll beside the table and asked the butler, "Was this gift a fake from the moment it arrived? Or was there an opportunity for it to be swapped along the way?"
The butler bowed respectfully. "I merely placed the received gifts in the storehouse. However, as that vase was the most precious of the gifts, Her Highness the Grand Duchess examined them all while writing her thank-you letters and kept that particular item by her side the entire time."
"The entire time? Then what about a swap in the middle?"
"Well, so many people frequent the Grand Duke's residence, and servants constantly enter Her Highness's chambers for cleaning and decorating..."
The King raised his voice. "Then look at these two vases and tell me. If the vase placed in the morning was swapped by the evening, could you tell the difference?"
The butler answered immediately. "Forgive me, but this humble servant does not possess eyes sharp enough to discern the difference so quickly."
"Peter! You were once a palace attendant, there is no way! One cannot even enter the Palace Affairs Department of Ivanes if they lack a discerning eye!" The King patted the butler's shoulder.
The butler flinched and opened his mouth. "I-I am Philippe..."
"Regardless! It means it is such an exquisite fake that even someone with a discerning eye cannot tell them apart!"
She could see everyone straining their necks to peer at the table. The two vases on the table were indeed remarkably similar. Even Chloe could see it. Thanks to a slight difference in clarity and the faint inclusions inside, they could be distinguished when placed side by side, but an inattentive person would easily mistake one for the other.
"So, Your Majesty, you are saying that a foolish woman like me, blinded by greed for a luxury item the likes of which she has never seen before, sold this vase."
"If you wish to put it that way."
"And even prepared a fake to replace it."
At Chloe's strangely calm tone, the King clicked his tongue in clear displeasure. "Grand Duchess, I have no intention of blaming noblewomen for keeping a secret purse behind their husbands' backs."
"..."
"But you should have known when to stop! At a time when the Grand Duke has already committed a discourtesy to Glintland by forcing through this marriage with you, how could you harbor such base greed!"
In her mind, Chloe ruthlessly rearranged her ranking of the bastards she wanted to beat to a pulp. Congratulations, Grand Duke Curtis Shan Berk. At this very moment, you have been demoted to second place in my book.
"I hear you worked day and night in both the Navy and the Guard? It is quite well known that the Grand Duchess is a notorious miser!"
She hesitated for a brief moment. Should I endure this? Of course she had to. Enduring the King was undoubtedly an implicit, fundamental condition of her marriage contract with Curtis Shan Berk. But she couldn't help the rage boiling inside her. She walked straight to the table and nudged the two vases with her fingertips. Even Chloe, who had looked at this vase for over ten days, couldn't tell which was the real one.
"Which one is real?"
When she asked, the Marquise of Flandre cautiously pointed to the one on the right. Chloe flicked the vase on the left with her finger.
Ting.
A clear sound resonated. To the eye, it was merely a beautiful, expensive vase. But they claimed it was a fake. Chloe immediately picked up the vase. Watching the Marquise of Flandre instinctively cup her hands around the real one nearby, Chloe hurled the other one onto the floor.
A sharp crash echoed.
"Ah!" The thick glass shattered, sending shards flying, and the noblewomen flinched in fright. The King also shrank back in surprise, retreating a step, before belatedly roaring, "Grand Duchess!"
"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty." Chloe looked calmly at the King and spoke. "It was indeed a fake."
The King's face went completely blank.