Chapter 58
The carriage departing from the Imperial City headed toward the teleportation gate along a wide boulevard. Eluana looked out the window, glancing here and there. As it was her first time in the capital, everything caught her attention—especially the magic streetlights.
Eluana imagined how those streetlights would light up the dark night.
“Do they really turn on at night?”
According to Ron, they looked like giant stars hanging from trees. Next time she came to the capital, she wanted to stay overnight and see them for herself. Since there was a night market, bringing Rui, Ssing, and Ring would make it even better.
Just imagining that someday made Eluana smile. The carriage carrying her crossed the central plaza and exited the outer edges of the castle.
As she watched the scenery shift from tree to tree, Eluana leaned her head against the window frame. A small orb that had been stuck to the window rolled over and perched on her shoulder.
Alex, who was riding beside the carriage on horseback, looked at it with curiosity.
“That iron orb really does seem alive.”
“Right? I still get confused sometimes too.”
She was petting the orb with her finger when the carriage began to slow down and eventually stopped.
“What’s going on?”
Eluana poked her head out the window to look outside—unaware that Lady Rene had never told her she shouldn’t do that.
Alex cleared his throat and explained the situation.
“A carriage is blocking the road. One of its wheels seems to have broken.”
“Then we have to wait until it’s fixed?”
“Yes. But it’s the carriage of the Marquis of Pegimule. That mansion up on the hill belongs to their family…”
“Pegimule?”
As Eluana looked at the carriage blocking the road, its door opened, and a beautiful young lady stepped out.
Her flowing white dress and elegant gait were striking, but what stood out the most was her lavender-colored hair.
“She’s beautiful.”
The words slipped from her lips in admiration.
If she hadn’t heard this was the daughter of the Marquis of Pegimule, she might have felt immediate fondness. The young lady stepped toward a tea table set under a large tree by the roadside. Seated gracefully, she gazed at Eluana’s carriage with a melting smile.
A maid approached one of the knights and whispered something. With a strange expression, the knight returned to the carriage and said,
“She invites you to join her for tea while they repair the wheel.”
Tea time in the middle of the road?
“That’s odd.”
It was definitely strange. Very strange.
“Isn’t this one of those cliché plot setups? If your wheel breaks, you should be busy trying to fix it, not having tea while waiting for a replacement.”
Even if the person was light, their weight would make repairs take longer. Just as Eluana began to suspect this was a ploy to stall for time—
“It’s not particularly strange.”
Eluana turned to Alex.
“Not strange?”
“A marquis’ daughter can’t just stand by the roadside.”
Alex answered matter-of-factly.
“Is that so? If she can’t stand, she could’ve just walked. It’s not far.”
“Ladies don’t usually walk. You won’t find a lady walking back to her townhouse just because a wheel broke.”
“So that’s normal? Then maybe I was being overly suspicious.”
Eluana scratched her cheek.
“The situation isn’t suspicious, but the fact that she’s from the Pegimule family is.”
“So I was right to be suspicious.”
Alex hesitated before asking,
“What should we do?”
Good question.
Eluana looked at the woman smiling at the tea table. As long as she didn’t drink poison, someone that delicate probably couldn’t harm her.
And if needed, she had her orb.
Dusting off her skirt, Eluana swung the carriage door wide open. Caught off guard, Alex asked,
“Didn’t you suspect her?”
“Well, I’m all dressed up to go to the capital. Might as well meet her. It should be fine as long as I don’t eat anything.”
Eluana grinned.
If it was a truly coincidental encounter, it would just be a short meeting. And if this woman had come to start a fight, Eluana didn’t want to avoid it.
Because running away wasn’t part of her plans starting tomorrow.
Eluana walked toward the lavender-haired woman. As she stepped forward, she asked Alex, who was following behind,
“What’s that lady’s name?”
“Shavia Vallon Pegimule.”
“Anything else I should know about her?”
“She’s said to be aiming for the position of Duchess.”
Eluana blinked, stunned.
“Duchess?”
There was only one ducal house in the Empire. That meant—stepmother?
“She’s even considered the most likely candidate.”
Eluana’s expression hardened. Stepmother—a word she had never even imagined.
“I see.”
As she approached Shavia, Eluana layered a smile onto her face. When she reached the tea table, Shavia greeted her with a gentle laugh.
“Please, call me Shavia.”
Shavia looked both refined and extravagant. She had a noble yet melancholic aura, likely thanks to her mysterious lavender eyes. Her matching hair only enhanced the impression.
Her and Father…
Eluana imagined Shavia standing beside Duke Spes. Just the thought filled her with overwhelming rejection.
Why do I hate this so much?
She never thought Duke Spes would remain unmarried forever. He was an ideal bachelor. It was unrealistic for him to be alone forever, and the position of Duchess couldn’t stay vacant. So this aversion—she concluded—must stem from the fact that Shavia was a Pegimule.
“Yes. You can call me Eluana as well.”
When Eluana picked up her teacup, Shavia gave a soft laugh.
“I was worried you might think poorly of me since you seemed hesitant to accept the invitation.”
Did she invite her even knowing she’d hesitate? Because of the distaste she felt toward Shavia, Eluana found the comment slightly irritating.
“I’m not sure why you’d think that.”
“Well, I am a Pegimule. I heard Regis caused you trouble. I hope you don’t dislike me just because we’re related.”
“Of course not.”
At least not yet. While she did feel uneasy, it would be strange to dislike someone she’d only just met.
Eluana smiled as she put judgment on hold. Now was the time to act like Lady Rene. She recalled Rene’s tone and spoke gently.
“I was just momentarily surprised by the sudden invitation.”
Oh, it came out even better than expected. Satisfied, she saw Shavia’s eyes widen.
“Oh my, you didn’t know who I was?”
Her reaction was overly dramatic, as if something unthinkable had happened. According to Eluana’s memory—
“We’ve never met before, have we?”
“Well, every noble lady knows who I am. Ah, I suppose since you only recently became nobility, you might not know. My apologies—I lacked consideration.”
“I think you’re mistaken. I was born a noble.”
To this, Shavia responded with a dazzling, annoyingly beautiful smile. She had already formed her judgment of Eluana.
A naive country bumpkin, just like Cindy described.
A pretty face and alchemy skills might make her valuable in the marriage market, but nothing more. She’d make a profitable sale within a year or two after her debut. A good return on investment.
So that’s why Duke Spes is acting so protective?
In any case, girls like her were best dealt with by lowering their self-esteem before extending a hand. Shavia put on her sweetest smile and said,
“Not all nobles are the same, after all.”
So that’s how this was going to go.
Eluana’s lips curled slightly. Now that she could sense clear malice, dealing with her would be easier. Her stance toward Shavia was now clear.
“You’re right. Not all nobles are the same. There’s hierarchy, isn’t there? Don’t you agree, Shavia?”
She wanted to point out that she ranked higher. Fortunately, Shavia seemed to get the hint—barely managing to keep her expression from twisting.
“Y-Yes, of course. So let’s get along. We’ll be leading society together, after all.”
“I haven’t even had my debut yet.”
“You may not attend parties, but young ladies do have their own small gatherings. We usually start building relationships from a very young age. I could bring you to one.”
Eluana smiled brightly.
That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
She imagined pulling one of the girls by the hair—or maybe all of them.
Eluana tried to come up with a polite refusal. In the storybooks she read in Arden, characters usually dodged invitations with indirect speech, but she couldn’t quite remember how.
“I hadn’t thought about attending any gatherings. I still have much to learn.”
“That’s true. You’ll need to start with basic tea etiquette.”
Shavia criticized Eluana’s awkward movements.
“That’s true.”
She hadn’t gotten to that yet. Because of her upcoming trip to the capital, Lady Rene had replaced all her lessons with imperial etiquette.
Eluana’s calm response made Shavia’s smile widen.
“High society isn’t easy. I worry for you, Eluana.”
“I can see why.”
Looking at Shavia, it definitely didn’t seem easy. After taking a sip of tea, Shavia added as if she had just remembered something.
“Oh right—your affinity material is iron, isn’t it?”
“That news spread already?”
“Of course. Anything about House Spes becomes the talk of the town.”
“It’s true, though I think it’ll take a while before I can use it properly.”
Eluana smiled.
“Don’t overwork yourself. In most ducal families, children begin learning alchemy before they can even read. No one expects you to do much.”
Shavia was openly dismissive. But Eluana saw no need to correct her. If that’s what she believed, all the better.
She gave a vague response, and Shavia laughed again.
“What could you possibly accomplish starting now?”
“I hope I can accomplish something.”
Eluana smiled back.
“If you raise expectations, disappointment follows. It’d be better for you to focus on social matters. I say this only because I care.”
“Thank you for caring.”
Their exhausting conversation dragged on until the carriage was finally repaired. As soon as she heard the wheel roll into place with a clunk, Eluana quickly said,
“Sounds like the repairs are done. This was a fruitful meeting.”
She dearly wanted to add, Let’s never meet again.
“So, are we friends now the next time we meet?”
Seriously? After biting and clawing at each other, now they were friends? What kind of Serus logic was this?
“No. We’re not friends. We’ve only met once—how could we be friends?”
Shavia’s lips twitched.
“Is that so?”
“Of course. So please be sure to remain courteous next time as well.”
Eluana turned away, flashing her most dazzling smile.
