Chapter 43
“That village had no contact with the outside world at all. That’s why it took so long to find her.”
The Duke of Rudian had been devastated after the divine beast was killed and remained mentally incapacitated for nearly a month.
The emperor personally went west and led the search himself, asking the spirit of the World Tree to help him find the empress.
Fortunately, he eventually found the empress hiding in a small rural village. Had he failed, the Rudian family would’ve been punished for failing to protect her.
Or rather, in a way, they were punished anyway.
“The Empress gave birth safely in that village, but… the spirit of the World Tree, having exhausted its strength in the search, fell into slumber. Because of that, the princess was not blessed by the spirit.”
Maybe because of the hardships experienced before birth, unlike her two older brothers who were born robust and healthy, the third princess was born frail and sickly.
Eventually, she died before reaching the age of two.
The empress was consumed by grief.
But instead of sympathy, the people criticized her.
—The spirit of the World Tree fell into slumber while searching for the missing empress. What if it never wakes up? Then what?
She had only been able to marry the emperor, despite being of common birth, because she was credited with saving countless lives.
But now that the spirit had fallen asleep, that merit was seen as nullified.
If she had carried out her duties as empress well afterward, public opinion might have turned.
But instead, consumed by guilt over her child’s death—believing it was her fault—the empress shut herself away.
After that, she became the laughingstock of high society. She was ridiculed for reaching above her station, punished for daring to covet a position unfit for someone of common birth.
“If Her Majesty had been born a duke’s daughter—or at least a marquess’s—would she have been mocked like that?”
“……”
“Even if that incident hadn’t happened, Her Majesty would have been constantly tested for her worth—just because she was of common birth!”
“If Airi becomes the duchess… are you saying the same thing will happen to her?”
“Yes! So what if the Penian and Bolani families pledged loyalty? Are they the only vassals under Rudian? Do you know how many people live in the west?”
People might welcome the shocking scandal of a commoner girl becoming a duchess—at first. After all, the public loves sensational tabloid gossip.
But the moment Airi makes a single mistake, they’ll point fingers and say, “See? A commoner will always be a commoner.”
Wasn’t that already proven by the empire’s own empress—the second highest position after the emperor?
“Can that girl bear all the criticism and blame, in addition to the duties of a duchess? Never! One day, she’ll end up running away. Better that she never take the position at all!”
After the long and passionate tirade from the Dowager Duchess, Vanessa calmly summarized her words in a single sentence.
“So, in the end, Mother is worried about Airi, isn’t that right?”
“What? Did you even listen to me properly?”
“Yes, I listened carefully. You’re not really worried whether Airi will do her job well as duchess. You’re afraid that if she makes a mistake, people will attack her—not for what she did, but because of her background.”
Vanessa smiled sweetly. A pure, innocent smile, untainted by a single speck of darkness.
“You…! Of course she won’t be able to do it properly! I never expected her to!”
“Really? That’s a problem, then…”
“What is?!”
“The banquet where I’ll announce my engagement. Naturally, the host of that banquet will be Airi, right?”
The Dowager Duchess hesitated for a moment.
Vanessa was right. Whether the banquet was large or small, or no matter what its purpose was, if it was held at the ducal estate, the hostess had to be Airi.
Unless the Dowager Duchess herself held the Lazuli Key.
“It’s the banquet where I debut in western society… and the official announcement of my marriage. If Airi can’t host it properly, won’t my reputation suffer?”
Again, Vanessa was right.
Truthfully, the Dowager Duchess would’ve been delighted if Airi failed at her first banquet and ran away after being scolded harshly. But in that case, the one most affected would be Vanessa herself.
“Mother. Won’t you help? Just this once?”
“…You impudent girl. Even if I gave advice, would she even listen?”
“Of course she would! Airi knows nothing. She’ll definitely follow your guidance.”
Vanessa beamed brightly.
“I’m so happy. Then I’ll be counting on you, Mother!”
Her daughter’s spotless, radiant smile was so lovely that the Dowager Duchess couldn’t bring herself to consider…
…how others might see the former duchess and current dowager, standing next to the future duchess and advising her on how to host a banquet.
