The Regret Novel Female Lead with Unbreakable Mentality Chapter 60

13. Feast of Saint Gladius

The long-awaited Feast of Saint Gladius had arrived. Before the main event—the swordsmanship competition—the unmarried ladies of high society gathered early for a small party.  This gathering was called the ‘Flora Party.’

 

While usual social parties buzzed with various conversations, today’s topic was undoubtedly the gossip surrounding Duke Kalinos’s upcoming marriage.

 

“Have you all heard the rumor?”

 

“You mean the rumor that Duke Kalinos is bringing a lady to the feast this year?”

 

“Yes, I’m really looking forward to it.”

 

From influential ladies aspiring to be the darlings of society to those who had just arrived from the countryside, everyone was visibly excited. They glanced at each other, subtly engaging in a quiet rivalry. Each wore a pale green flower pinned to their attire, symbolizing Saint Gladius, who died on the fields protecting the Empire’s people. Their eyes discreetly examined one another’s flowers.

 

“Your green flower looks like it bloomed in winter.” It was a polite way of saying it looked withered.

 

“Hmm, yours seems freshly bloomed.” Implying it was rough and unrefined, as if just picked and untrimmed.

 

The Flora Party was a silent battlefield where various ladies exchanged a few cutting remarks as they sized each other up. But every battle inevitably has a victor.

 

“Ah! Look, Lady Shabel is coming.”

 

As a lady walked in from afar like a protagonist, everyone’s eyes widened. She was always stunningly beautiful, but today, even more so. Her green dress was dazzling, elegant, and pure. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Shabel, who wore the vibrant green with such elegance.

 

“Lady Shabel!”

 

“My goodness, what a stunning dress!”

 

“It suits you perfectly!”

 

She didn’t forget to clutch the hem of her dress and twirl around, a somewhat childish gesture, to let everyone admire her beauty more closely.

 

“This color is called Celestine Green. It was a gift from Marquis Berto.”

 

“The marquis’s love for his fiancée is truly remarkable!”

 

Everyone present was absolutely certain that Celestine Green would become the most fashionable color in society.

 

“When he returned from his voyage, he brought this improved pigment used by the people of the Eastern Continent for painting.”

 

All eyes filled with admiration turned to the elegant green dress. Having meticulously built her reputation in society for this very day, Lady Shabel smiled with satisfaction.

 

Then, an oblivious lady looked at her and said, “Come to think of it, Lady Shabel, you aren’t wearing a flower on your ear? Today is the Feast of Saint Gladius, after all!”

 

As if she had been waiting for this question, Shabel smiled with eyes that seemed to melt. “That’s right. Today is the Feast of Saint Gladius.”

 

“Isn’t it obvious? Lady Shabel will be wearing the victor’s flower on her ear.”

 

“Ah!”

 

Everyone exchanged looks of awe and admiration.

 

Lady Shabel’s fiancé was Marquis Berto, a handsome swordsman of sword expert rank. If there was to be a winner of the swordsmanship competition in honor of the Feast of Saint Gladius, it could only be him.

 

“Besides, Lady Shabel is the flower of society.”

 

“Oh my.”

 

“With her family, her character, her dignity, and her perfect fiancé. Though the empress hasn’t made it official, isn’t the position already as good as hers?”

 

Everyone sighed enviously as they looked at Shabel. Her previously bare ears now seemed more enviable than anything else at this very moment.

 

Just then, one of Shabel’s loyal ladies sneered and said, “Here she comes.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“It’s Giselle Florette. With Madam Mariposa having suddenly vanished, I thought she wouldn’t show up.”

 

Giselle appeared in the Flora Party hall, clutching the fluttering hem of her dress. The ladies, ready to mock her as usual, faltered at the sight of her elegant presence.

 

“That dress…”

 

“The color is just…”

 

It was a striking, vibrant color that completely outshone Shabel’s ‘Celestine Green’ dress.  The ladies exchanged urgent glances over the aristocratic, rare violet iris-like gown. There was simply no way to belittle that dress. It was artistically flawless.

 

But Lady Shabel smiled gracefully and said, “Your dress is very beautiful, Lady Giselle.”

 

“Mmm, yes~ It’s beautiful!”

 

There was something odd about the way she spoke.

 

Shabel furrowed her brows and glanced at her ears. “There’s something that even that purple dress can’t hide.”

 

“Ah.”

 

“For example, rudeness that shows no manners. Why didn’t you wear a flower?”

 

“Don’t tell me you were expecting Marquis Berto to give you the victor’s flower?”

 

At that, Shabel and her loyal followers burst into giggles. Giselle’s bare ears became the subject of their laughter.

 

Usually, Giselle would have held back tears with a strained expression. But today, she just shrugged nonchalantly and replied, “The victor’s flower belongs to Giselle.”

 

That statement set off a round of hearty laughter. Lady Shabel herself couldn’t help but laugh at such a childish remark. Yet, on the other hand, she found Giselle’s shameless desire for her fiancé irritating.

 

“Oh dear, Giselle. Are you still chasing after impossible dreams? Well, that must be why you ‘did it again.’”

 

“Good heavens, again? You mean besides coveting someone else’s man?”

 

“I’ve heard some very interesting news from my fiancé. Apparently, Lady Giselle runs a coffee house. You know the one, right? The place connected to the Opera House.”

 

The unexpected revelation made the ladies in the social circle widen their eyes in exaggerated surprise.

 

“My goodness, that place is famous! I’ve been there!”

 

“…If I had known that woman ran the place, I wouldn’t have gone.”

 

“Sigh. What on earth… How could an unmarried lady be caught running a business under a pseudonym…”

 

Giselle, who had been staring at them intently, muttered to herself. “What an incomprehensible mindset. Everyone runs a business these days, yet if a lady is caught running a business under someone else’s name, she’s condemned.” Amid her murmurs, words like ‘unfairly accused’ and ‘unjust’ could be heard now and then.

 

Hearing this, Shabel smiled with a hint of mockery. “Maybe it’s because Giselle is running it that she’s being condemned?”

 

“It’s not run by Giselle though?”

 

That statement sparked another round of laughter.

 

“Do you think Lady Shabel would lie? You might as well try to cover the sky with your palm.”

 

“There’s just no reasoning with you. Sure, sure, I get it. Shabel is al~ways right.”

 

“…”

 

“Yeah, yeah, Shabel’s so smart. The best!”

 

The ladies exchanged glances, overwhelmed by the absurd and outrageous way of speaking. If Giselle had been foolish and incompetent in the past, now she seemed like a madwoman.

 

“This is u-utterly ridiculous!” Shabel, fuming, took a deep breath, when from afar, the sound of a horn blew.  It was the signal announcing the gentlemen’s ‘swordsmanship competition.’

 

The ladies rose as if shivering with excitement. One by one, the men participating in the competition began to appear.

 

“Oh, there! That’s Marquis Berto, isn’t it?”

 

Shabel’s complexion brightened instantly at the sight of her fiancé.

 

“I’m really jealous.”

 

“Gasp, and the Kalinos family is arriving too!”

 

Seats had been assigned in the pavilion prepared for the swordsmanship competition, each reserved for a different noble family. As one by one they found their places, Giselle also turned around. Behind her, Lady Shabel gave a smile with a hint of laughter.

 

“I’m looking forward to the ‘Victor’s Flower’ that will soon be pinned to your ear, Lady.”

 

“Ah, yes! Please look forward to it, absolutely~♡” Giselle glanced at Shabel and then headed toward the seat where Count Florette was sitting.

 

Up until that moment, the ladies of the social circle hadn’t been too flustered. To be precise, that was true until members of Duke Kalinos’s family sat down alongside the Florette family.