Chapter 50
“Madam…”
Confirming the slight movement of the Grand Madam’s throat, Olvia cautiously called out to her.
The quick-witted Grand Madam made a small gesture toward the attendants and maids.
“Everyone, leave us.”
After they all flowed out like the tide, Olvia, now alone with the Grand Madam, cautiously spoke up.
“Grand Madam, are you really going to sit by while that commoner girl struts around so brazenly?”
“And if I don’t sit by? What exactly can I do?”
“At the very least, you must prevent the banquet from succeeding. If she makes a solid impression on the retainers as His Grace’s fiancée—his future duchess—her arrogance will only grow.”
The Grand Madam nodded but let out a sigh.
“But I can’t ruin the banquet. It’s for our Benny. He’s the star of the event.”
“Of course, the banquet itself must be a success.”
The Grand Madam didn’t notice that Olvia had subtly changed her wording.
“But if just the future duchess becomes a laughingstock… then it’ll just go down in history as a lighthearted incident, won’t it?”
“A laughingstock?”
“When choosing the dress design, didn’t Lady Vanessa say she would wear a tiara, while the future duchess insisted on decorating her hair with iris flowers instead? So…”
Olvia leaned in and whispered her wicked plan into the Grand Madam’s ear.
Though something seemed to be bothering her, the Grand Madam eventually nodded with a look of firm resolve.
Meanwhile.
Dr. Graham, the resident physician of the Delphinium Wing, was pacing the hallway with a tense face when he suddenly heard the door creak open. He immediately lifted his head.
“Maid!”
“Doctor…”
“I heard the physician from the Lapis Wing visited. What’s going on?”
Olvia quickly darted her eyes around.
There was no one else in the hallway, but just to be safe, she pulled Dr. Graham into an empty room and shut the door behind them.
“You don’t have to worry. The Grand Madam refused the consultation.”
“What if the Lapis Wing’s doctor visits again? What if she agrees next time?”
He looked overly anxious, as if something terrible would happen if the Grand Madam were treated by another doctor.
It was suspicious behavior, but Olvia remained calm and sought to reassure him.
“There’s no need to worry. The Grand Madam won’t be seeing any other physician. I’ll stop it from happening.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Did you forget? If things go south, I’ll be the first one under suspicion.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Dr. Graham nodded, a bit more at ease now.
“You’re the one who prepares the mint tea for her, after all…”
“Ts-tsk.”
“Oh, my apologies. Ahem, ahem.”
Seeing Olvia’s displeased gaze, Dr. Graham awkwardly mimed sewing his lips shut with a needle.
“We’re in the same boat now, aren’t we? No matter the situation, my lips are sealed.”
“You’d better mean that.”
“Of course, of course. By the way…”
From the way he watched her, Olvia could read a faint greed in his expression.
Expecting this, she sighed lightly and pulled a small gem from her sleeve.
“Just make sure not to leave a trail when you get rid of this.”
“Haha, you’re preaching to the choir!”
Dr. Graham swiftly shoved the gem into his pocket and straightened his clothes as if nothing had happened.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“Sure.”
As she watched him scamper away like his tail was on fire, Olvia let out another sigh.
‘The Grand Madam is so pitiful… she trusts someone like that completely just because he’s her physician.’
Still, it had worked in her favor, so perhaps she should be thankful.
After staying in the empty room for a while to avoid suspicion, Olvia stepped outside as if nothing had happened.
A long, dark shadow stretched across the floor at her feet.
“One, two, three. One, two, three… Lady Vanessa! Straighten your back!”
At the sharp clap, Lady Vanessa looked about to cry.
“I’m already standing up super straight…”
“No, your back is already hunched. Here, like this! Use your spine!”
“Eek!”
“Good! Keep this posture! Again! One, two, three. One, two, three!”
The instructor who came to teach Lady Vanessa and me how to dance, Baroness Lesire, was a strict tiger of a teacher.
If our posture even slightly faltered, she would jab at our backs and waists with her sharp fan.
Thanks to that, Lady Vanessa was completely exhausted in less than an hour.
“Haaah…! I can’t… I’m dying here…”
“No, my lady. No one dies from a little dance practice.”
“But I was a patient not too long ago! I didn’t even sit for two hours a day!”
“Sigh… fine. Let’s take a short break.”
It seemed Lady Vanessa’s cries had tugged at Baroness Lesire’s heartstrings.
The moment she called for a break, the maids waiting by the wall swarmed over to hand her water, wipe her sweat, and fan her.
“Future Duchess, aren’t you tired?”
“I’m fine. I’ve always had good stamina.”
I had learned to maintain proper posture the hard way as a child—by getting scolded by my grandmother. So standing straight and following the steps wasn’t all that difficult.
“I’m so jealous… seriously. After a lifetime of being sick, I know now—health is everything.”
“You’re healthy now, though.”
“Nope. If I collapse after less than an hour of practice, I can’t call myself healthy.”
Baroness Lesire, now personally massaging Lady Vanessa’s legs, spoke firmly.
“Lady Vanessa, building up your stamina should be your priority. The banquet is in two weeks. You’ll be practicing every day until then.”
“E-every day…?”
“You said you’ll be opening the banquet with a dance with Sir Adrian, right? That’s the most attention-grabbing moment of the evening. Do you want to make a mistake in front of everyone?”
“Ugh, no…”
“Then practice is your only hope. Now, are you all rested?”
“Huh? I haven’t even caught my breath yet!”
“Oh dear… even resting requires focus. Enough chatting—rest properly. I’ll give you five more minutes.”
“Ten! Please, just ten more!”
Though Lady Vanessa pleaded, Baroness Lesire didn’t budge.
She then came over to check on me.
“How are you holding up, Future Duchess? Managing okay?”
“Yes! It’s my first time learning to dance, so I’m really enjoying it.”
“Hoho! Enjoying your lessons is the best mindset. You’re doing so well that teaching you is a joy. You seem quite athletic—have you trained in something before?”
“No, I just… did a lot of labor.”
“Oh dear. Future Duchess, if anyone at the banquet asks a question like mine, you mustn’t answer like that. A noble lady must never say the word ‘labor’!”
Baroness Lesire gently massaged my arms and legs, then clapped her hands to end the break.
Lady Vanessa begged to rest a bit longer, but the Baroness was unyielding.
She stood us both in front of the mirror and resumed clapping.
“One, two, three! One, two, three! …Good! You’ve got the basics down. Let’s move on to the next stage.”
“Can we rest before we move on…?”
“I’d love to give you more break time, but I can’t take liberties with the schedules of busy guests. Everyone! Help the ladies change into their next outfits!”
“We have plenty of time! You can take all the liberty you want!”
Baroness Lesire ignored Lady Vanessa’s protest completely.
It wasn’t until we returned from changing out of our indoor dresses and into our formal ball gowns that we realized who she meant by “busy guests.”
“Now, everyone. From this point on, you’ll be dancing with your partners as if it’s the real thing.”
In the center of the ballroom stood the Duke and Sir Adrian.
