“It seems you haven’t been able to adjust to high society in the capital yet since you just came back from the duchy after a long time, Young Lady Billiam.”
Diana said with a laugh. She wore a superficial smile but her words were a euphemistic condemnation. Young Lady Billiam slightly frowned, it was the first time she had ever heard Diana talk like that.
‘I heard she had acquainted herself with Marchioness Garth.’
Carnie Billiam—she was now the center of Gel’s high society. Being the daughter of the only Duke in the Empire, she was backed by a strong background. Due to her grandmother’s illness getting worse, she went down to the duchy for a while but she thought her position would always stay firm.
If only she had not heard that Schuden Garth suddenly got married.
Marquess Garth was different from the other Marquesses. He was the only man among the four Marquess who people could refer to as ‘Your Grace.’ It was the same as the title of Duke Billiam, Carnie’s father. In terms of wealth, Marquess Garth was one rank above the Duke.
Carnie Billiam had found out that someone had just become the lady of the house with such power. When she returned from the duchy in a hurry, the Imperial banquet was just around the corner. Ever since she entered the hall with her followers, Carnie had been watching Marchioness Garth.
It was clear that Carnie was displeased but Diana did not erase her fake smile. In fact, Diana did not like Carnie very much.
‘Her personality doesn’t suit me.’
Although Diana was born in the capital, she spent most of her childhood in the county. The emerald-colored beach with fine white sand was the perfect place for the playful girl to grow up at. House of Marquess Joan had seafood dishes that were said to be amazing, and it was thanks to the fact that she brought in a skillful chef from the county during her marriage.
Marchioness Joan was now living in the capital to serve as the lady of the house of Marquess Joan but her childhood personality did not change. Diana liked to be straightforward and cheerful, and Carnie enjoyed dominating high society and being surrounded by her followers. They did not match well. She avoided the Duke’s daughter as much as possible because she did not want to bump into her, but the young lady belittled Valia as soon as she appeared, so Diana had no intention to just move on.
‘I’m Valia’s chaperone after all.’
Although she was too young to be a chaperone, Valia herself did not know about it. Under the noble face of being Marchioness Joan, her fighting spirit where she had buried her younger brother upside down in the sandy beach when she was young shone brightly.
“…My journey has been difficult, I inquire of your generous understanding.”
In the end, Carnie bent down first. There were so many people currently watching. Carnie looked at Valia with a smile that she soon painted.
Diana was from the Gel Empire, she had a strong position in high society as Marchioness Joan, but for Valia who just had her first banquet today, she felt easier psychologically.
“Are you Marchioness Garth?”
Nobles iiValia calmly answered.
“Yes, Young Lady Billiam.”
“Oh my, do you know me?”
“Yes, I just heard about you from Marchioness Joan.”
“…Hahaha, I see.”
Valia’s words had room for ambiguous interpretation, she might have sounded like she was criticizing Carnie’s behavior of pretending not to know something that could be easily deduced. Carnie was smiling but she was not at all comfortable inside.
‘I heard she was just a daughter of a knight from the Kingdom of Lisa.’
Carnie had already known everything about Valia’s origins and thought little of her because she was not even the daughter of an Imperial knight but a knight of a small kingdom. Valia was obviously not familiar with high society so Carnie planned to dampen her spirits even before she was properly established in high society. However, Valia was not as easy as Carnie thought.
But Carnie was still the daughter of Duke Billiam, someone who reigned in high society for a long time. She smirked and fluttered her fan.
“As rumored, Marchioness Garth is very beautiful. It’s the first time I have ever seen such a lace decoration. I even want to have one for myself.”
“Your praises are overly abundant. You’re also very beautiful today, Young Lady Billiam.”
“This is an Imperial banquet held after a long time, so I put a lot of effort into it. However, I was careful not to be too fancy. A woman’s beauty is also a woman’s power, I shall not stand out nor be more beautiful than Marchioness Garth, isn’t that so?”
There were noblewomen and young ladies who were dressed up fancier than Valia at the banquet, there were even a few in the group itself. After hearing Carnie’s skillful words, they began to read Valia’s face without realizing it.
Carnie laughed elegantly.
‘If she acts humble, she will be admitting that she’s one step lower than me. Otherwise, she will be attacking other nobles.’
Whatever answer Valia gave, it would be difficult to escape. Carnie already predicted her victory. Then, Valia calmly opened her mouth.
“You seem to be trying to use meaningless power as your standard.”
“…What do you mean?”
“You said that beauty is a woman’s power.”
Carnie got a little furious.
“What’s wrong with that? The more beautiful a woman is, the more she can enjoy. If beauty is not power, then what power do women have?”
“Technically, what you are talking about is just leased power. That’s not what you call power, Young Lady Billiam. If I had to express it, it would only be true power if I could say to a decent man, ‘You’re good-looking so you’re worthy of being adored.’”
“…”
“Your opinion is very different from mine so I will pretend I didn’t hear what you said, Young Lady Billiam.”
Carnie’s cheeks turned pale. Carnie was the one who dug the trap, but instead of catching Valia in it, the tables were turned and Valia got back at her. It was an unbelievably good situation for a noblewoman who just debuted today. The unexpected attack made Carnie unable to speak.
Valia remembered Carnie in the past. As she was the only daughter of a Duke in the Empire, she always attended the Imperial banquets. Even then, her words were the same as it is now. Even at that time, Valia thought that Carnie had a very strange sense of value. She had never once agreed with Carnie’s opinion.
‘Whatsmore…’
From what she remembered, Carnie was not a young lady who would simply step down just because she was defeated once. As Valia expected, Carnie spoke up again after a while.
“I think Lady Eve is very beautiful today. Isn’t she, Marchioness?”
Valia looked at the young lady standing to the left of Carnie. The platinum-haired lady in lavender dress was somewhat shy and hesitant.
Even more strange were the noblewomen standing nearby. Diana and the other noblewomen had expressions of bewilderment. Seeing the strangeness, Valia asked with a feminine voice.
“I haven’t been introduced to this lady yet, Young Lady Billiam.”
“Oh, this lady is Louise Eve. Her father is Viscount Eve… Oh my, what am I thinking?”
Carnie looked surprised and covered her mouth with her fan.
“I almost made a mistake. I can’t believe I almost introduced the lady, who had a special relationship with Marquess Garth to the Marchioness…”
Special relationship.
Valia’s face hardened slightly. There was no noble who did not know what that word meant. Schuden had dated several times before marrying Valia.
But Schuden’s relationships never lasted long. Although he had never gone too far, there were a few people who knew such a detailed story. But the last lady that Schuden had dated, Louise, was an especially famous story. Rumors had spread that she had abstained from eating and drinking for over a week after breaking up with Schuden.
‘Is she out of her mind?’
Diana did not expect Carnie to be so daring. She could only cover her mouth, she did not even know how to react to this situation.
Valia looked at Louise once and Carnie once.
A small whisper pierced Valia’s ear. Carnie went so far as to bring Schuden’s ex-lover, but how would Marchioness Garth react? There was a subtle expectation in the eyes of the nobles looking at them.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Contrary to Carnie’s expectations, Valia did not react much to Louise. She did not tremble when she was insulted nor did she even show any signs of embarrassment.
“Young Lady Billiam.”
The only difference was the smile that had been on her lips the whole time having been erased without a trace. Her voice calling out to Carnie was noticeably colder than before.
“It seems that you are still tired of the long trip. I think you’re straining yourself by attending the Imperial banquet.”
“…Pardon? What do you…”
“When I heard of your fame, I had high expectations. But it’s too bad that you did not live up to my expectations.”
Valia was disappointed that they did not have the conversation she expected. Not only was she offended by Carnie’s attempted insults, but she also pointed out that Carnie was not sophisticated.
I mean, is this the kind of response a noblewoman who had just debuted at the banquet today would come up with?
As Carnie stood with a bewildered face, Valia put her goblet down on the table. It was the silver goblet that she had been holding for a long time.
“Do you need a more kind explanation?”
“…Pardon?”
“What I mean is, do I have to tell you about the same thing twice?”
“…”
Haa.
Carnie swallowed her sigh in spite of herself. Most nobles attending their first banquet were very nervous. There were a lot of nobles who were intimidated to the point that they could not take advantage of their background. Carnie, of course, thought that Valia would be like that too.
After a few conversations, she realized that Valia had a calm temperament. However, being calm did not directly lead to being strong-minded.
No matter how she was Marchioness Garth, Carnie never imagined that she would directly request for the daughter of a Duke to leave the banquet at her first debut banquet. Even Carnie herself, the daughter of the only Duke in the Gel Empire, did not respond as skillfully as Valia at her own debutante.
She boldly brought Louise in front of Valia because of these calculations. Carnie’s eyes widened as she looked at Valia’s still-smiling face. Her realization did not take long. A lot of strength entered her fine hand, which held her feathered fan.
“…If you will excuse me first, ladies. Have a good time.”
Carnie just turned around. Her followers, who were reading the room, hurried to follow her. To say it kindly, she did leave the group, but in reality, it was no different than being defeated and kicked out by Valia.
Valia shifted her gaze to Louise, who was still standing there as if stuck in her place until then. Seeing that she had not left with Carnie made it seem like she was not a follower of hers. But she did not even want to laugh and talk to the woman who was Schuden’s ex-lover.
“Do you have anything left to say to me?”
“…No. It was an honor to meet you, Marchioness Garth.”
After bowing her head to Valia, Louise hurriedly left the group.
“It seems you haven’t been able to adjust to high society in the capital yet since you just came back from the duchy after a long time, Young Lady Billiam.”
Diana said with a laugh. She wore a superficial smile but her words were a euphemistic condemnation. Young Lady Billiam slightly frowned, it was the first time she had ever heard Diana talk like that.
‘I heard she had acquainted herself with Marchioness Garth.’
Carnie Billiam—she was now the center of Gel’s high society. Being the daughter of the only Duke in the Empire, she was backed by a strong background. Due to her grandmother’s illness getting worse, she went down to the duchy for a while but she thought her position would always stay firm.
If only she had not heard that Schuden Garth suddenly got married.
Marquess Garth was different from the other Marquesses. He was the only man among the four Marquess who people could refer to as ‘Your Grace.’ It was the same as the title of Duke Billiam, Carnie’s father. In terms of wealth, Marquess Garth was one rank above the Duke.
Carnie Billiam had found out that someone had just become the lady of the house with such power. When she returned from the duchy in a hurry, the Imperial banquet was just around the corner. Ever since she entered the hall with her followers, Carnie had been watching Marchioness Garth.
It was clear that Carnie was displeased but Diana did not erase her fake smile. In fact, Diana did not like Carnie very much.
‘Her personality doesn’t suit me.’
Although Diana was born in the capital, she spent most of her childhood in the county. The emerald-colored beach with fine white sand was the perfect place for the playful girl to grow up at. House of Marquess Joan had seafood dishes that were said to be amazing, and it was thanks to the fact that she brought in a skillful chef from the county during her marriage.
Marchioness Joan was now living in the capital to serve as the lady of the house of Marquess Joan but her childhood personality did not change. Diana liked to be straightforward and cheerful, and Carnie enjoyed dominating high society and being surrounded by her followers. They did not match well. She avoided the Duke’s daughter as much as possible because she did not want to bump into her, but the young lady belittled Valia as soon as she appeared, so Diana had no intention to just move on.
‘I’m Valia’s chaperone after all.’
Although she was too young to be a chaperone, Valia herself did not know about it. Under the noble face of being Marchioness Joan, her fighting spirit where she had buried her younger brother upside down in the sandy beach when she was young shone brightly.
“…My journey has been difficult, I inquire of your generous understanding.”
In the end, Carnie bent down first. There were so many people currently watching. Carnie looked at Valia with a smile that she soon painted.
Diana was from the Gel Empire, she had a strong position in high society as Marchioness Joan, but for Valia who just had her first banquet today, she felt easier psychologically.
“Are you Marchioness Garth?”
Nobles iiValia calmly answered.
“Yes, Young Lady Billiam.”
“Oh my, do you know me?”
“Yes, I just heard about you from Marchioness Joan.”
“…Hahaha, I see.”
Valia’s words had room for ambiguous interpretation, she might have sounded like she was criticizing Carnie’s behavior of pretending not to know something that could be easily deduced. Carnie was smiling but she was not at all comfortable inside.
‘I heard she was just a daughter of a knight from the Kingdom of Lisa.’
Carnie had already known everything about Valia’s origins and thought little of her because she was not even the daughter of an Imperial knight but a knight of a small kingdom. Valia was obviously not familiar with high society so Carnie planned to dampen her spirits even before she was properly established in high society. However, Valia was not as easy as Carnie thought.
But Carnie was still the daughter of Duke Billiam, someone who reigned in high society for a long time. She smirked and fluttered her fan.
“As rumored, Marchioness Garth is very beautiful. It’s the first time I have ever seen such a lace decoration. I even want to have one for myself.”
“Your praises are overly abundant. You’re also very beautiful today, Young Lady Billiam.”
“This is an Imperial banquet held after a long time, so I put a lot of effort into it. However, I was careful not to be too fancy. A woman’s beauty is also a woman’s power, I shall not stand out nor be more beautiful than Marchioness Garth, isn’t that so?”
There were noblewomen and young ladies who were dressed up fancier than Valia at the banquet, there were even a few in the group itself. After hearing Carnie’s skillful words, they began to read Valia’s face without realizing it.
Carnie laughed elegantly.
‘If she acts humble, she will be admitting that she’s one step lower than me. Otherwise, she will be attacking other nobles.’
Whatever answer Valia gave, it would be difficult to escape. Carnie already predicted her victory. Then, Valia calmly opened her mouth.
“You seem to be trying to use meaningless power as your standard.”
“…What do you mean?”
“You said that beauty is a woman’s power.”
Carnie got a little furious.
“What’s wrong with that? The more beautiful a woman is, the more she can enjoy. If beauty is not power, then what power do women have?”
“Technically, what you are talking about is just leased power. That’s not what you call power, Young Lady Billiam. If I had to express it, it would only be true power if I could say to a decent man, ‘You’re good-looking so you’re worthy of being adored.’”
“…”
“Your opinion is very different from mine so I will pretend I didn’t hear what you said, Young Lady Billiam.”
Carnie’s cheeks turned pale. Carnie was the one who dug the trap, but instead of catching Valia in it, the tables were turned and Valia got back at her. It was an unbelievably good situation for a noblewoman who just debuted today. The unexpected attack made Carnie unable to speak.
Valia remembered Carnie in the past. As she was the only daughter of a Duke in the Empire, she always attended the Imperial banquets. Even then, her words were the same as it is now. Even at that time, Valia thought that Carnie had a very strange sense of value. She had never once agreed with Carnie’s opinion.
‘Whatsmore…’
From what she remembered, Carnie was not a young lady who would simply step down just because she was defeated once. As Valia expected, Carnie spoke up again after a while.
“I think Lady Eve is very beautiful today. Isn’t she, Marchioness?”
Valia looked at the young lady standing to the left of Carnie. The platinum-haired lady in lavender dress was somewhat shy and hesitant.
Even more strange were the noblewomen standing nearby. Diana and the other noblewomen had expressions of bewilderment. Seeing the strangeness, Valia asked with a feminine voice.
“I haven’t been introduced to this lady yet, Young Lady Billiam.”
“Oh, this lady is Louise Eve. Her father is Viscount Eve… Oh my, what am I thinking?”
Carnie looked surprised and covered her mouth with her fan.
“I almost made a mistake. I can’t believe I almost introduced the lady, who had a special relationship with Marquess Garth to the Marchioness…”
Special relationship.
Valia’s face hardened slightly. There was no noble who did not know what that word meant. Schuden had dated several times before marrying Valia.
But Schuden’s relationships never lasted long. Although he had never gone too far, there were a few people who knew such a detailed story. But the last lady that Schuden had dated, Louise, was an especially famous story. Rumors had spread that she had abstained from eating and drinking for over a week after breaking up with Schuden.
‘Is she out of her mind?’
Diana did not expect Carnie to be so daring. She could only cover her mouth, she did not even know how to react to this situation.
Valia looked at Louise once and Carnie once.
A small whisper pierced Valia’s ear. Carnie went so far as to bring Schuden’s ex-lover, but how would Marchioness Garth react? There was a subtle expectation in the eyes of the nobles looking at them.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Contrary to Carnie’s expectations, Valia did not react much to Louise. She did not tremble when she was insulted nor did she even show any signs of embarrassment.
“Young Lady Billiam.”
The only difference was the smile that had been on her lips the whole time having been erased without a trace. Her voice calling out to Carnie was noticeably colder than before.
“It seems that you are still tired of the long trip. I think you’re straining yourself by attending the Imperial banquet.”
“…Pardon? What do you…”
“When I heard of your fame, I had high expectations. But it’s too bad that you did not live up to my expectations.”
Valia was disappointed that they did not have the conversation she expected. Not only was she offended by Carnie’s attempted insults, but she also pointed out that Carnie was not sophisticated.
I mean, is this the kind of response a noblewoman who had just debuted at the banquet today would come up with?
As Carnie stood with a bewildered face, Valia put her goblet down on the table. It was the silver goblet that she had been holding for a long time.
“Do you need a more kind explanation?”
“…Pardon?”
“What I mean is, do I have to tell you about the same thing twice?”
“…”
Haa.
Carnie swallowed her sigh in spite of herself. Most nobles attending their first banquet were very nervous. There were a lot of nobles who were intimidated to the point that they could not take advantage of their background. Carnie, of course, thought that Valia would be like that too.
After a few conversations, she realized that Valia had a calm temperament. However, being calm did not directly lead to being strong-minded.
No matter how she was Marchioness Garth, Carnie never imagined that she would directly request for the daughter of a Duke to leave the banquet at her first debut banquet. Even Carnie herself, the daughter of the only Duke in the Gel Empire, did not respond as skillfully as Valia at her own debutante.
She boldly brought Louise in front of Valia because of these calculations. Carnie’s eyes widened as she looked at Valia’s still-smiling face. Her realization did not take long. A lot of strength entered her fine hand, which held her feathered fan.
“…If you will excuse me first, ladies. Have a good time.”
Carnie just turned around. Her followers, who were reading the room, hurried to follow her. To say it kindly, she did leave the group, but in reality, it was no different than being defeated and kicked out by Valia.
Valia shifted her gaze to Louise, who was still standing there as if stuck in her place until then. Seeing that she had not left with Carnie made it seem like she was not a follower of hers. But she did not even want to laugh and talk to the woman who was Schuden’s ex-lover.
“Do you have anything left to say to me?”
“…No. It was an honor to meet you, Marchioness Garth.”
After bowing her head to Valia, Louise hurriedly left the group.
