Extra Story 1
“The problem from the beginning was letting in people from that uncivilized kingdom. What’s the point of them being nobles? Their roots are rotten. Ever since those vulgar, ill-mannered people came, hasn’t the Empire’s high society been thrown into chaos?”
At the faint voices leaking from the room, Anje’s expression hardened.
“Milady has arriv—”
The head maid, who had been about to hurriedly announce Anje’s arrival, was stopped by Anje’s quiet wave of the hand. Anje stood still and listened to the conversation inside.
“Of course, His Majesty the current Emperor is incomparably more excellent than the late Emperor. And Her Majesty the Empress goes without saying. Hoho.”
At the affected laughter, the Grand Madam gave no particular reaction.
“Miss, it is improper to eavesdrop on others’ conversations. And what the Countess is saying is not something you need to take to heart.”
The anxious head maid whispered, careful not to let her voice carry inside.
“What business brings her here?” Anje asked.
An awkward expression crossed the head maid’s face.
“Well… the Grand Madam summoned someone to make your wedding dress, Miss. But for some reason, the owner of the merchant guild herself—Countess Dreiko—came in person.”
“So that’s what this is about.”
A bitter smile curved Anje’s lips.
Though it seemed outwardly that the Empire had entered a period of stability after the Grand Duke ascended above the Emperor, the reality beneath the surface was far from calm.
Those who had followed the late Emperor feared falling out of favor, yet still waited for a chance to seize power again. Meanwhile, the Emperor and Empress had yet to build a solid political foundation.
In the midst of it all, Anje—known as the granddaughter of Marquis Crow—was an easy target.
Unlike in her grandfather’s time, when their immense wealth carried everything forward, the Crow Merchant Guild had lost a significant portion of its fortune after forgiving the Imperial family’s debts. On top of that, Anje herself came from the back alleys lined with slums.
Was it yesterday morning—or the day before—that a newspaper had published a column claiming it was absurd for a woman like that not only to become a marchioness but to marry the Duke of Side?
“I knew this would happen. That’s why I wanted to give up being a marchioness and future duchess altogether…”
But Joseph had chosen her, and she had come to love him as well. There was no turning back now.
Though it had been her choice, the situation was unfavorable. These days, Anje hadn’t known a single peaceful moment.
“Grand Madam, what kind of family is the House of Side? One of the Empire’s most prestigious houses taking a woman from the kingdom as a daughter-in-law? It’s not too late—you might reconsider. I have a niece who is very well-mannered…”
Countess Dreiko’s syrupy voice grated unbearably on Anje’s nerves just as she frowned.
“Miss, you don’t have to stand here listening to this. I’ll step in—”
Josh, who had been following behind, bristled, but the head maid shook her head sternly.
“This is not your place to intervene. How dare you! Tsk!”
Then, no longer able to endure it, she announced Anje’s arrival.
“Miss has arrived.”
The door opened, and as Anje entered, Countess Dreiko—who had been chatting so noisily moments before—now sat with lips tightly pressed together, glaring at the table as if something unpleasant had occurred.
“You’re here, my dear.”
At the Grand Madam’s greeting, Anje faltered mid-step. The Grand Madam had always treated her kindly, but—
“My dear.”
It was a tender form of address she had never heard even from her mother in childhood.
“Come sit here beside me.”
The Grand Madam reached out, seating the flustered Anje at her side and personally poured her tea.
“It’s too early for lunch, and I thought you might be peckish, so I called you to share some refreshments.”
“Yes…”
Overwhelmed by the awkward atmosphere, Anje nodded obediently. The Countess sipped her tea, face turned aside, clearly displeased for some reason.
“I heard you were called about a wedding dress.”
Annoying is annoying—but the dress did nothing wrong.
The pink silk imported by the Dreiko Merchant Guild for spring was the most coveted fabric of the season. It was said to be sold out everywhere, with noble families paying exorbitant premiums to secure it—a rumor that had reached even Anje, who normally paid little attention to trends.
Under normal circumstances, the Crow Guild would already have prepared new dress designs and jewelry for the spring social season. But with the sudden change in leadership and the burden of raising vast funds for the Imperial family, they had fallen a step behind.
As a result, the pale yellow silk from the Eastern Continent that Crow had imported slightly later risked becoming warehouse stock no one wanted. Rumors that the guild had suffered major losses right after the change in ownership would be unavoidable.
It was her own failure to manage things properly, and Anje had spent many sleepless nights blaming herself.
“I have heard much about the beauty of Dreiko Guild’s silk. It is an honor to meet you, Countess—”
“The Countess will be leaving shortly, my dear.”
At the Grand Madam’s repeated use of “my dear,” Anje’s shoulders twitched again. No matter how often she heard it, she couldn’t grow used to it.
“Pardon? But Mother, I was told we would be commissioning a dress…”
“That was the intention. But since not a dressmaker but Countess Dreiko herself has come, what can we do? It would hardly do to ask someone of such status to measure another’s clothes.”
“Ahem! It’s not impossible. Young lady, please stand over here—”
The Countess decided to swallow her pride. If word spread that she had made the wedding dress of the future Duchess of Side, it would greatly benefit her business.
But before she could finish, the Grand Madam cut in.
“On second thought, I find it distasteful to have my daughter-in-law wear a dress that everyone else is parading around simply because it’s fashionable.”
Having her words cut off was insulting enough—but to have her precious silk, which even money could hardly buy, belittled so openly left the Countess speechless.
After a moment of gaping in disbelief, she finally stood up in indignation.
“What do you mean by that? Do you know what kind of product it is? There’s already a waiting list of ladies who couldn’t secure the fabric!”
The Grand Madam, without sparing her even a glance, calmly sipped her tea.
“Is that so? How fortunate. Then the silk I ordered should be easy enough to resolve. Josh.”
“Yes.”
“The guest says she is leaving. See her out.”
It was a blatant dismissal. The Countess, eyes blazing and no longer bothering to hide her fury, shot Anje a glare.
She dared not utter a word against the Grand Madam, but toward Anje she spewed venom.
“I know you’re riding high now that your daughter has become Empress, Grand Madam, but that influence won’t last long. So don’t get too excited just because you’re becoming a duchess.”
What did I even do…? Anje was dumbfounded.
It was clear they thought her easy prey, title or not.
“I gave her the chance to leave on her own to preserve her dignity, and yet she chooses to cause a scene. Josh!”
Quick-witted as ever, Josh hurried out to summon attendants while the Countess continued.
“I wasn’t going to say this, but I’ve heard that the Kingdom of Nayan will be sending envoys this season.”
So what? What about it?
The Grand Madam’s gaze conveyed precisely that sentiment.
“I’ve heard Princess Ilya will be part of that delegation. You know who Princess Ilya is, don’t you?”
The youngest daughter of Nayan’s former king, with beautiful silver hair and red eyes so striking one could hardly look away. Even as the current king slaughtered all his siblings, he had never laid a finger on her. Ilya Baht—the princess famed for beauty.
The one people said any man would fall in love with at first sight. The woman every man supposedly longed to see at least once.
A foreboding feeling made Anje narrow her eyes.
What exactly was Countess Dreiko trying to imply?
“The purpose of this delegation is to establish closer ties with the Empire. I hear they are bringing gifts on a scale incomparable to those during the last war. But the greatest gift of all will surely be Princess Ilya herself. Otherwise, would conservative Nayan send a princess as the delegation’s representative?”
By now, Anje understood her meaning and frowned.
The Countess was suggesting that Princess Ilya would become the Emperor’s concubine.
Though the Emperor had only recently married—surely that wouldn’t happen… and yet, considering his calculating nature, if political interests were at stake between nations, who could say?
Anje’s face grew grave.
