♛
Her half-sister, Razvia, was also described as jealous of Radiata’s hair color because her hair was reddish auburn.
‘Count Ricoris is a neutral faction, so he’s nowhere to be seen at the Palace, and we won’t see each other for a while.’
Not all neutrals are powerless, but Count Ricoris had a bad reputation and had no personal connections, so it was right to say that he became a neutralist.
As long as she doesn’t meet Razvia, no one will be able to recognize Radiata immediately, so it will be okay.
On the last day of the New Year’s party, there was such a commotion in the middle of the party hall, but people don’t remember it for long unless it concerns their own business.
It became a hot topic because Ellex was involved, and the shame of a powerless Count in the social world was nothing more than gossip to chew and spit out once.
“We’ve arrived.”
When the carriage stopped, Rendle, who was escorting her outside on horseback, opened the door and escorted Stella. Erica and Daphne followed in order.
‘Wow, it doesn’t even compare to my house.’
My mouth gaped at the splendid style of the building.
‘Is this real?’
It was not built for residential purposes, it was like a state of art. I heard that the estate of Marquis Eustoma is in the south, so this mansion is a place to stay for New Year’s parties or banquets…
While surprised by the Marquis’ wealth, a neat maid approached Stella.
“I greet you, the descendant of the Guardian, Princess Stella. We will guide you to the garden for the tea party.”
The Marquis’ security was comparable to that of the Imperial Palace, so Rendle went to the place where the knights were waiting, and we followed the guide of the maid and headed to the garden.
‘It’s not like a tea party, it’s just like a party, right?’
When we arrived at the backyard, many nobles were busy chatting.
The tea party that Stella held a few days ago felt like a playhouse. The number of tables was different.
Unlike Stella’s tea party, where only young nobles were invited, the age range was also diverse at this party.
Perhaps she felt the difference, I could see the fan she was holding shaking.
“I greet you, the descendant of the Guardian, Princess Stella.”
As she sat down at the seat that the maid had guided her, Iris, the sister of the Marquis of Eustoma, greeted Stella.
The flower of the social world appears in every romance fantasy novel. It refers to a person who’s a socialite and always leads the trend.
Of course, it was here, too. Usually, the wicked woman is the flower of society, but she has not appeared in ‘Limited Time Duchess‘ a few times.
Iris Eustoma.
She was a character in a slightly awkward position.
She’s the villain’s younger sister, so of course, she’s supposed to also be a villain, but she helps Radiata who’s in trouble because of Stella at the party.
However, she did not establish a friendship with Radiata.
Since her presence was so small due to her short appearance, readers even commented on why the author put such a useless character in it.
‘Well, I’m not the one to care.’
As Iris greeted her first, the other young nobles next to her also greeted Stella in turn.
The seat where Stella sat was a collection of only unmarried noble ladies. I looked around at the people sitting at the table and clicked my tongue. She didn’t have a good seat.
‘They’re all nobles.’
Unsurprisingly, they slowly started to ignite chattering.
“Princess, you are so beautiful today!”
“That’s right. It’s like a gorgeous red rose.”
On the surface, it was a compliment, but looking into their eyes, it’s as if they felt unpleasant blurting out those words.
Their gazes are like searching for a place to bite like a hyena.
“I came lightly because it was a tea party, but I should have put more effort into it.”
They’re simply pointing out that she wore too much without understanding the atmosphere.
When one rhymed, the young noble ladies around her giggled. At first glance, it looked like a friendly atmosphere, but in reality, it was a battlefield.
An unfavorable battlefield with no allies.
‘The imperial faction is almost nonexistent.’
At the other tables, I could see some occasionally, but here, except for Stella, all were of noble factions.
I don’t know if the seat was chosen intentionally or if the imperial nobles who were invited by chance did not attend.
Stella did not make any rebuttal.
I’ve been thinking about it since last time, but she’s a soft talker. No, rather than being weak, she couldn’t even refute it at all. She pretended to be strong when she was with me or Erica.
The topic of conversation that started with Stella’s attire continued with the dress.
The gilded each other’s faces with embarrassing compliments and stabbed them at the back.
Among them, the person mentioned the most was Iris.
Like the flower of the social world, the dress she wore today belongs to the most popular designer recently, and the sapphire necklace is a masterpiece made by the most popular craftsman of these days.
Iris responded with just a smile, and Stella’s expression grew stiff. It was because she couldn’t join their conversation.
They secretly left Stella out of the hook.
“Oh my, the ruby earrings are so dazzling. I guess it’s a good grade.”
As the conversation was in full swing, a woman with impressive freckles spoke while looking at Stella’s expression.
“Yes, I told you that there was a tea party today, and His Majesty gave me a dress and a variety of jewelry yesterday. And for today’s tea party, I just wore earrings lightly.”
Stella made a proud expression by emphasizing ‘lightly’, perhaps resentful for being criticized earlier.
‘Oh, I knew it. That earring was the reason Stella quietly accepted the budget cut.’
The Emperor, who was not interested in Stella, could not have given her accessories out of the blue.
And I realized why I was released today. Grandiel deliberately issued a budget reduction order yesterday.
To cut off the nuisance in advance. Knowing that there’s a tea party today, he would have given Stella luxury along with a budget cut.
Dresses and jewelry that Stella would be satisfied with.
‘Stella is very conscious of what others think of her.’
She hated being ignored. She was ignored once at the tea party last time, so this time she would have adjusted her dress and sharpened her teeth.
However, she must have felt that a dress made with a limited budget was not enough.
Grandiel would have dug into that gap. The immediate urgency for her was not a maid who she didn’t even need to take with her, but dresses and accessories that she would wear tomorrow.
“It goes well with your dress!”
Slightly relieved by the compliments on her earrings, Stella ruffled her fan and raised the corners of her lips.
But the good atmosphere didn’t last a minute.
It was because the nobleman who first talked to Stella intervened with a fishy smile.
“Do you like Ruby, Princess? You always wear rubies.”
“Yes.”
“Ruby is also a jewel that reminds me of the Duke of Kolnuta.”
“…”
“Ruby is beautiful, but I feel uncomfortable wearing it because I don’t think it fits me.”
She was right. Stella’s obsession with Ellex was the only reason she dressed up as Ruby.
‘Wow, that’s no joke. Which family was he?’
But apart from that, his remarks were problematic. It was because he was openly saying, ‘Ellex doesn’t fit you’.
Even though Marquis Eustoma is behind him, there are a lot of people who heard it, so isn’t it too early to leave?
“I like Ruby, too. I don’t wear it often because it doesn’t match my hair color, but I think it looks good on you.”
Iris interrupted the flow of conversation before raising her voice. The nobles who attacked Stella must have trusted Iris and acted out, but when she stopped him, he quietly backed away.
“I didn’t mean to upset the Princess with my personal opinion. I’m sorry.”
Iris’ intervention lifted the frozen air again.
Other nobles also wanted to quickly pass on the subject that will lead to a problem, so they changed the subject to dessert prepared by the Chef.
Stella’s going to throw a fit of nerves back in the Palace. I sighed inwardly at the already visible future, and suddenly felt the vacancy and shifted my gaze.
Erica, who was standing next to Daphne, disappeared. I didn’t notice because I was focused on their conversation.
“I can’t see Erica.” As I whispered to Daphne, she also tilted her head.
“I know. Where did she go?”
“Did she disappear without a word? Should I look for her?”
“Uhm, no. Maybe she’s making connections with other maids.”
Even the maids build relationships with each other!
…I learned something new.
I thought Erica didn’t get along with the other maids. Stella rose quietly from her seat while Daphne and I were whispering. Stella, who was attacked in the beginning, was now completely excluded from the table.
No one at the table looked at her when she got up.
We chased after Stella, who was moving silently with a fan, and as she headed towards the mansion, she quickly turned around and yelled, “Don’t follow me!”
“But, Princess…”
I felt a sharp high-pitched rage. She must be resentful to be treated like air by the nobles. Still, unable to leave the Princess alone, Daphne grabbed her, but Stella cut her off, annoyed.
“Don’t answer back! I want to be alone, so wait here!”
Stella, who was hysterical, strode alone, and we watched her fall into conflict. If we followed, we had to deal with Stella’s anger and if anything happened, we had to be punished.
“I’ll follow her right away.”
“She must be angry… Shall we go together?”
“No, you’ve already been warned about it, so wait here in case there’s more fire.”
Daphne was right. Still, it was Stella who hated me. If she sees my face, she might get angrier. I had no choice but to send Daphne and wait.
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