WPVMVA Chapter 67

Ashelard Empire Capital.

Gloriana Road, the secret garden of Duke Lamber’s mansion.

A tea party hosted by Lady Eugenia, Duke Lamber’s only daughter, was currently being held in a giant greenhouse filled with all sorts of exotic flowers. Since only noblewomen were invited, they happily chatted about topics that were a bit too scandalous or undignified to ever be mentioned in front of gentlemen.

The person leading these conversations was, of course, Lady Eugenia, the host of the party. She looked at the noblewomen and young ladies surrounding her and said in a cheerful voice, “You all know I was invited to the Grand Duchess’s home and visited Grand Duke Alberich’s townhouse a few days ago, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes! We do!”

“I hear the Grand Duchess is now living with the Grand Duke in his main residence? What was it like, the Grand Duke’s residence?”

The noblewomen eagerly looked at her with curious eyes and asked questions. Lady Eugenia’s face flushed as if just the thought of it was enchanting.

“It was absolutely wonderful. I thought the reception room she was using would be a bit rough and unadorned since it’s the one His Highness mainly uses, but it wasn’t at all!”

“Really?”

“Yes! My head maid said that His Highness ordered them, ‘Don’t worry about me, change everything to the Grand Duchess’s liking.’ And to top it off, he orders new flowers from the garden every day because the Grand Duchess loves them! That’s probably why the sweet scent of stocks was everywhere in the reception room, almost overwhelmingly so!”

“Oh my, my! To think the Grand Duke was such a romantic man!”

“Of course he would be. They say he’s had feelings for the Grand Duchess ever since she was the Crown Prince’s fiancée. He finally has her in his hands, so of course he’d dote on her.”

The noblewomen were thrilled and impressed by the lady’s words. Lady Eugenia nodded in agreement and continued.

“Exactly. But I don’t think His Highness cherishes his wife just for her looks. I thought so at first because of the rumors, but after meeting the Grand Duchess and talking with her, I realized she’s a person worth falling for.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! She’s kind, knowledgeable, and… she was also very polite and considerate! You know the popular play, ‘The Abandoned Prince of Merlyn Kingdom,’ right? I mentioned that I hadn’t been able to get a ticket yet, and she gave me five tickets as a gift!”

With that, the lady proudly pulled out five play tickets. The noblewomen gasped in admiration once again. They continuously gushed about how envious they were, showering her with flattery and begging her to take them along.

Among them, however, there was one person who just sat silently, drinking her tea with a blank expression.

It was Lady Helena Strand. She wore a splendid, pale-green dress embroidered with orange and apricot peonies, and her dull, brownish-yellow hair was loosely tied and fell over her shoulder. She carefully set down her empty teacup.

Beside her, Marquise Clarense Lamier, in a crimson dress, spoke. “Helena, you’re unusually quiet today. I suppose the tea is to your liking? You’re not even joining the conversation, just silently sipping your tea.”

“…Ah, yes. The tea is very delicious.”

Helena replied with an awkward smile. The Marquise Lamier smiled playfully as if she knew exactly how Helena felt, and she continued.

“Oh, really? It doesn’t seem that way to me.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Stop pretending. It’s just us girls here, why don’t you be a little honest? It’s not because the tea is delicious; it’s because you’re so jealous of Lady Eugenia that you can’t stand it even when you’re drinking tea. Am I wrong?”

At that, Helena’s hand, which was awkwardly raised, trembled slightly, and she spoke as if nothing had happened. “…No, you’re mistaken.”

“I’m not, am I? When the Grand Duchess was the Crown Prince’s fiancée, how much did you flaunt your closeness to her? But as soon as she broke off her engagement with the Crown Prince, you completely changed your expression and pretended you didn’t know her, didn’t you?”

“…!”

“Her family had fallen, and she was cast aside by the Crown Prince, so you thought she would never be able to properly set foot in high society again. You pretended to drift apart naturally and completely cut ties with her, didn’t you?”

The Marquise Lamier continued to speak as if she didn’t care about Helena’s feelings at all.

“And now she’s suddenly married to the Grand Duke, and her reputation is rising due to a successful charity. So you feel bitter, don’t you? You’re regretting not having been good to her when she was cast aside by the Crown Prince. Isn’t that right?”

“…Y-You’re going too far. I never did that. The Grand Duchess and I are still the best of friends.”

Helena’s face clearly showed her discomfort as she fought back against the Marquise’s words. The Marquise Lamier simply smiled mockingly, elegantly lifted her teacup, and sneered. “Yes, of course you are. If you two are such good friends, then how come we haven’t heard about you getting a single proper invitation from the Grand Duke’s family this entire social season? What a magnificent friendship.”

“Marquise Lamier…!”

Helena’s face turned red and then pale as she raised her voice. Seeing this, Lady Eugenia and the other noblewomen quickly intervened to stop the two.

“Both of you, please stop. This is becoming unpleasant to listen to.”

“That’s right. Marquise, that’s enough. What you said just now was too much.”

But the Marquise Lamier just snorted and opened her hand fan.

“Hmph! Did I say anything wrong? I just can’t stand opportunists who change their attitude like flipping their palm depending on a person’s circumstances, so I can’t help but say what I feel.”

“Marquise!”

The noblewomen shrieked in shock.

Helena, her face now completely pale, weakly rose from her seat and said, “…I think I should excuse myself. Lady Eugenia, please forgive my rudeness.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I’m sorry. Please be careful on your way back.”

Eugenia awkwardly accepted Helena’s farewell. Helena fled the Duke Lamber’s secret garden as if she were running away. Her maids followed in a hurry.

When Helena arrived at her carriage, she heard the clear laughter of the noblewomen echoing from the secret garden. Her face reddened with shame, regret, and humiliation, and she angrily threw her fan to the ground.

Her chaperone and head maid quickly picked it up and said, watching her carefully, “Oh, Lady… Please don’t take what the Marquise said to heart. She was just speaking without knowing the full story.”

“…No. It’s frustrating, but she’s right. My judgment was wrong.”

“Lady.”

“If I had only known that Daniela would marry the Grand Duke and start a big charity like this, I would never have been the one to ignore her…”

Helena’s older brother, Richard Strand, was one of the high priests of the Ashelian Temple. Her family, the House of Strand, was also a family that had produced priests for generations and had earned great wealth and fame by selling expensive healing potions containing the goddess’s blessing.

‘If I hadn’t turned my back on her when she broke off her engagement with the Crown Prince… I could have sold the medicine my brother made to her hospital for a high price…!’

She truly regretted it the more she thought about it. Helena let out a heavy sigh. Her head maid said, trying to comfort her, “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Lady. It’s not too late. If you go to the Grand Duchess now and try to get on her good side, you can regain your friendship like before.”

“…Do you think so?”

“Of course! Lady Enchantment… no, the Grand Duchess was always crazy… I mean, she loved gems and pretty things, right? If you give her a gift like that, she’ll probably forgive you in no time.”

“…Yes. You’re right. She does have a stupid and simple side to her.”

Hearing her maid’s words, Helena’s face brightened a little. With her maid’s help, she got into the carriage. Once the door was closed, she gave her instructions.

“Send a letter to the Grand Duke’s residence right away, requesting to see her. And prepare a gem gift worthy of the Grand Duchess’s status.”

“Yes, Lady.”

The maid bowed politely. Soon, the carriage carrying them left the Grand Duke’s estate.