Home Chapter 27437-chapter-70

27437-chapter-70

**Chapter 70**

**#9. Founding Festival**

A few days later, late morning.

Elisa woke up feeling the emptiness beside her.

The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Richard, buttoning his cuffs against the backdrop of sunlight streaming into the room.

His indifferent gaze contrasted sharply with how he had appeared the night before.

His muscular body, damp and sticky with sweat, his lips that had passionately caressed her, the low, languid voice that had echoed in her ears, and… the red eyes that had gazed at her as if she were the only one he desired.

As those memories came flooding back, her heart began to race heavily.

‘There’s nothing like that face for morning mood enhancement.’

Elisa began to enjoy the pleasant fluttering in her chest as she admired his face.

At that moment, Richard turned around, feeling her gaze, and their eyes met.

Startled by the sudden eye contact, Elisa blinked and subtly averted her gaze.

The morning after spending the night with him, she felt shy for some reason and would look away.

Richard, unaware of her feelings, approached and sat beside her.

“Good morning, Elisa.”

His pleasant, deep voice echoed softly in her ear.

Elisa raised her gaze, which she had been avoiding, and replied in a small voice.

“Uh-huh, good morning.”

“How are you feeling?”

Elisa shot him a sleepy glare as he asked.

Since they had spent the night together, he always checked on her condition. It was hard to believe he was the same person who had deliberately taken his time to tease her.

Even though she found him a bit annoying, she didn’t dislike it.

“I’m fine.”

Elisa answered as she sat up in bed. Richard helped her.

She stole a glance at Richard, who was putting on his outer clothes, seemingly preparing to go out.

“Are you going to a meeting?”

“I need to start preparing for the Founding Festival.”

“Oh, the Founding Festival.”

Now that she thought about it, the Founding Festival was in early July.

The Founding Festival, along with the New Year’s Festival and Harvest Festival, was one of the grand events of the Empire.

Especially since it commemorated the founding of the Empire, it was a particularly solemn and significant event.

With just over two weeks left until the festival, he, the head of the noble council, would surely become even busier.

Richard leaned down and kissed Elisa’s belly, whispering, “I’ll be back, my love.”

He then rested his hand on her belly, silently waiting.

But, as always, there was no reaction. Even when he gently stroked her belly, it was the same.

After waiting for a while, Richard got up, wearing a slightly disappointed expression.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

His hand brushed through Elisa’s tousled hair, tucking it behind her ear. His careful fingers brushed against her cheek.

Elisa looked up at him quietly.

Since he started giving her belly massages every night, their physical contact had gradually increased, and after spending the night together, it felt even more natural.

Yet, she didn’t dislike that contact.

On the contrary, she enjoyed it.

His affectionate gaze looking down at her and his gentle touch were pleasant.

‘So, human warmth is like this.’

Through their skinship, she realized how warm a person’s body could be.

Her parents in her previous life had never touched or held her so affectionately.

For the first time, she understood how much peace that warmth could bring.

Elisa smiled at his touch, nodding her head.

“Yeah, come back safely.”

Elisa bid farewell to Richard as he left the room and approached the window.

After a moment of waiting, she saw Richard outside the mansion, getting into a carriage.

Elisa placed her hand on her belly, gazing at the carriage as it passed through the Duke’s mansion’s massive iron gates.

“I guess your dad is eager to talk to you, little one,” she murmured.

However, just like before, there was no response from the child.

‘Well, it’ll respond when the time comes.’

The doctor had predicted that she would start feeling the baby’s movements within a month or two, and since it hadn’t even been a month yet, there was no need to rush.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Ma’am, I’ve brought your meal.”

“Come in.”

The maids entered the room and began setting the food on the table.

In the meantime, Anne approached Elisa and handed her a letter.

“Here’s an invitation that just arrived from the palace, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

Elisa unfolded the invitation bearing the royal seal.

The invitation contained a simple greeting and a note that a tea party was being prepared ahead of the Founding Festival, along with the dress code for the event.

Elisa examined the invitation with a skeptical gaze but found nothing unusual.

‘There’s no way that Roze and the Empress would invite me so willingly.’

While it was plausible for the Empress, Roze had just been in opposition to her a short while ago.

Of course, it would be inappropriate to outright refuse to send an invitation for a personal matter, but she had expected to see some ominous tarot cards slipped into the letter, indicating malicious intent, yet there was none.

“Hmmm…”

Elisa narrowed her eyes at the invitation.

A few days later, the day of the tea party at the palace arrived.

Noble ladies and gentlemen who had received invitations from the Empress and Crown Princess were starting to arrive one by one at the palace’s garden.

Each of them was dressed in shades of pink, wearing pink dresses or carrying hair ornaments or accessories.

The arrivals greeted the waiting Empress and Roze politely.

“It’s an honor to receive your invitation, Your Majesty, the Empress. Your Royal Highness, the Crown Princess.”

“I’m grateful that you came, Countess Heden.”

Roze welcomed the guests with a gentle smile, though her gaze was fixed on the clock on the table.

It was ten minutes until the tea party was set to begin at 2 PM.

Despite most of the invited ladies arriving by this time, Elisa had still not reached the palace.

‘That’s to be expected. They told us the tea party would start at 3 PM.’

Roze smiled contentedly as she watched the second hand ticking away quickly.

The dress code had also been communicated as yellow instead of pink.

Similarly, she informed Olivia that the dress code was blue and the time was set for exactly on the hour.

Though born of noble blood, Roze’s scheme was to firmly keep Olivia, now a marioness, under her control.

‘Elisa will surely look flustered when she realizes.’

Roze’s plan to inform Olivia of the exact time while telling Elisa to arrive an hour later was also part of her scheme.

If the two women appeared simultaneously in different-colored dresses, attention would be divided.

‘The protagonist should make a dramatic entrance last.’

Imagining Elisa’s flustered expression, Roze smiled.

As the start of the tea party drew closer, with just five minutes left, only Elisa and Olivia’s seats remained conspicuously empty, apart from one noble lady who had briefly stepped away.

Roze glanced at her aide, Lady Meryl, slightly lowering her eyes.

It was a signal directed at her.

Understanding the signal, Lady Meryl spoke up.

“By the way, won’t the Duchess of Rubellin be attending?”

“That’s right. Now that you mention it, I don’t see the Marchioness of Beltien either.”

“Could it be that they’re expressing their feelings towards Your Majesty and Her Highness in this manner… Ahem.”

The noble ladies and young women whispering about Elisa and Olivia quickly fell silent.

The royal family and the Rubellin duchy, as well as the Beltien marquessate, maintained an openly strained relationship, so they were cautious of the Empress and Roze’s reactions.

However, Roze, who had been waiting for an opportunity to bring up Elisa’s absence, smiled as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“Of course not. The Duchess of Rubellin replied that she would definitely attend. I trust the Duchess.”

At Roze’s words, the noble ladies and young women wore disappointed expressions.

“Oh dear, how gentle-hearted Your Highness is.”

“I understand Your Highness’s feelings, but still, don’t place too much trust in the Duchess.”

“Exactly. It’s Rubellin, after all.”

The Empress, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, seemed to find the situation enjoyable and chimed in.

“The Crown Princess has such a gentle heart. While I appreciate that quality, I sometimes worry about it.”

“I’m sorry for causing you concern, Your Majesty. I will behave in a manner that alleviates your worries,” Roze replied.

At Roze’s response, the noble ladies and young women praised her once again while subtly disparaging Elisa.

Seeing the noble ladies and young women gossiping about Elisa, Roze lifted one corner of her mouth in a smirk.

‘Everything is going according to my plan.’

It was a very satisfying tea party.

Elisa would arrive late, and she would become the notorious villain who publicly ignored the Crown Princess.

And Roze would be the poor Crown Princess who had been emotionally hurt by such a woman.

Roze discreetly turned her gaze to the clock.

One minute until 2 PM.

The tea party would soon begin just as she intended.

“Then now…”

At the moment Roze was about to start the tea party, all the noble ladies and young women who had been criticizing Elisa suddenly fell silent.

Following their gazes, Roze’s eyes widened in shock.

‘No, how is this happening…?’

At the end of their stares, Elisa was approaching.

Elisa smiled brightly at Roze, who was blinking in surprise.

Ping!

At the same moment, the clock on the table struck exactly 2 PM.

 

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