Chapter 71

Elisa, who was approaching, was wearing a pink dress that matched the dress code.

Her milk-white skin, the pink dress, her light green eyes reflecting the freshness of summer, and her radiant blonde hair shining under the sunlight all came together to create a refreshing atmosphere.

She looked like the star of the tea party, no matter who saw her.

“Did I cut it a little too close?”

Next to Elisa, who greeted them with a smile, stood Olivia.

She wore a navy blue dress, which was the dress code suggested by the Empress, and draped a pink shawl that matched the original dress code.

‘W-what in the world is going on?’

The Empress and Roze were visibly flustered as they stared at Elisa and Olivia.

With a bright smile, Elisa looked at the two and recalled the events from a few days ago.

A few days earlier, after receiving the invitation from Roze, Elisa visited the Count of Hallos.

The Count of Hallos was one of the families showing great interest in the luminous stone business and had previously proposed a collaboration through Richard.

Moreover, the Countess of Hallos was deeply involved in both the business and the actual management of the family’s affairs.

The Countess of Hallos couldn’t hide her delight at Elisa’s visit.

“Welcome, Duchess! Oh my, and you’re expecting, yet you came all the way here. If you’d invited me instead, I would have come to the duchy myself.”

After giving a positive response to the Countess’s long-awaited proposal about the luminous stone business, Elisa subtly asked,

“By the way, did you also receive an invitation to the tea party at the palace?”

“Oh, yes. I received it yesterday afternoon.

If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me the details of your invitation? I have a cat in my garden that I feed, and it ran off with my invitation…”

“Ah, I see. Please wait just a moment.”

The Countess of Hallos, wanting to help, quickly brought her invitation.

For her, it was more beneficial to build a good relationship by helping Elisa, who had just become a business partner, rather than ignoring her.

Thanks to her, Elisa was able to confirm the details of the Countess’s invitation.

“The dress code is pink, and the tea party starts at 2:00…”

However, the tea party invitation that Elisa had received listed the time as 3:00 and the dress code as yellow.

Elisa smirked. It was just as she had expected.

“Should I call it crafty, or just a petty attempt at revenge?”

Having memorized the time and dress code from the Countess of Hallo’s invitation, Elisa adjusted her plans accordingly and attended the tea party.

When she arrived at the palace and stepped out of the carriage, she noticed someone lingering in front of the entrance, as if they had just arrived.

“The Marchioness of Beltien?”

“Oh, Duchess of Rubellin.”

It was Olivia.

As soon as Elisa saw her, she realized why Olivia was hesitating at the entrance, unable to go inside.

Olivia was wearing a navy blue dress.

A young noble lady who had been anxiously pacing next to Olivia said,

“Madam, I’ll hurry home and bring you a different dress…”

“No, I can’t let you go to all that trouble.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Elisa took off her shawl and draped it over Olivia.

“How about this?”

Coincidentally, Elisa’s shawl was light pink, so when Olivia wore it, she more or less matched the dress code.

Olivia looked surprised by Elisa’s quick thinking, then soon smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Duchess.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Elisa said sincerely.

Helping Olivia was, of course, for her benefit, but it was also to turn the Empress and Roze’s scheme against them.

And so, Elisa and Olivia were able to safely attend the tea party.

Sitting at the table with a calm expression, Elisa seized the opportunity and spoke up.

“It seems there’s someone among the attendants trying to stir trouble between me and Her Highness. They sent out invitations with different times and dress codes.”

“Oh, my…”

“Not long ago, Her Highness even summoned me to the palace separately, so it seems there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.”

Invitations were usually written by the palace maids.

However, no maid, not even one favored by the Crown Princess, would dare to pull such a stunt under the Crown Princess’s name.

Thus, Elisa’s remark was practically exposing Roze’s scheme.

‘That wretched girl!’

Roze, who hadn’t anticipated that Elisa would reveal everything in front of everyone, panicked and quickly glanced around.

The noblewomen and young ladies were all looking at Roze with astonished eyes, and even the Empress, who had conspired with her, was pretending to be just as surprised.

Roze, who had gone from a tender-hearted Crown Princess to a schemer in an instant, clenched her dress tightly and called out in a somewhat irritated voice.

“Amelie. You were the one who wrote the invitation for the Duchess, weren’t you?”

“Yes? That’s correc—”

Before Amelie could even finish her sentence, *smack!* A sharp slapping sound echoed as Roze struck Amelie’s cheek.

With cold eyes, Roze glared at Amelie and said, “How dare you use my name to plot something like this? I am ashamed of you.”

The sudden commotion left the noblewomen and young ladies wide-eyed in shock as they watched the scene unfold.

Turning to Elisa, Roze apologized.

“It’s my fault for not keeping my subordinates in check. I apologize, Duchess.”

Then, she commanded Amelie, “Amelie, quickly apologize to the Duchess for your foolishness.”

Elisa, recognizing Roze’s intentions, smirked.

Roze was trying to deflect the blame entirely onto Amelie by acting stern and assertive while distancing herself from the situation.

‘Of course, I didn’t expect you to admit your involvement so easily.’

Although Elisa wasn’t pleased with Roze slipping out of responsibility, she decided to let it go for now.

Even though Roze had pinned the blame on Amelie, the sharp noblewomen and young ladies had likely already figured out that this was Roze’s doing.

Moreover, by throwing her close maid under the bus, Roze had likely sown quiet resentment among her servants.

That alone was enough of a victory.

Elisa stopped Amelie, who was about to kneel before her. With a gentle smile, she said, “I’ve already forgiven this matter. It seems the young lady misunderstood the relationship between me and Her Highness, so I suppose all we need to do is continue strengthening our bond, to make sure something like this never happens again, don’t you think?”

Amelie hesitated, glancing nervously at Roze.

Roze’s expression twisted with frustration as she bit her lip.

She was not at all pleased with Elisa’s act of feigning innocence and playing the kind, gracious Duchess.

“You truly are magnanimous, Duchess,” Roze said, though her eyes were far from smiling, despite the words sounding like a gesture of gratitude.’’

Sensing the awkward tension between the two women, one of the noblewomen quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, wasn’t the Countess of Asna supposed to attend?”

Roze, regaining her composure, responded, “The Countess of Asna sent word that she’s nearing her due date and needs to rest.”

“Ah, that must be why the Dowager Countess of Millig has come to the capital then.”

The Dowager Countess of Millig was the mother of the Countess of Asna.

As childbirth approached, most mothers-to-be tended to rely heavily on their own mothers for emotional support. Having someone close who had already gone through the experience, especially as they prepared to become a mother themselves, helped them understand and be understood by their own mothers.

But Elisa couldn’t relate to those feelings.

“A mother…?”

To Elisa, the concept of a “mother” felt more like a stranger than family. In her previous life, her mother had left scars rather than love, and in this life, her mother was someone she didn’t even remember.

*It’s okay,* she thought. *Even if I don’t fully understand a mother’s heart, I can still be a good one.*

With that resolve, she gently wrapped her hands around her belly, vowing that her child would never grow up lonely, deprived of a mother’s love.

—

Today’s noble council meeting focused on how to allocate the remaining budget.

The loudest voice in the room belonged to Marquis Dion, the Emperor’s son-in-law and close confidant.

“It’s not just any event; it’s Founding Day. This is perhaps the Empire’s most historic and significant celebration. Such an occasion deserves to be marked with a gift to show our deep gratitude to His Majesty, the foundation of the Empire…”

However, the true authority in the room was Richard, head of the Empire’s only duchy and leader of the noble council.

“As the Marquis said, Founding Day is meaningful to everyone in this Empire. Therefore, the remaining budget should be spent on preparing festive meals so that everyone in the capital can enjoy the celebration.”

Richard cut off Marquis Dion’s proposal, not seeing any need to hear more.

Marquis Dion was indignant.

“How can this be! Every time, this meeting is conducted in such a unilateral way…!”

Richard looked at him coolly and responded, “Is it not the chairperson’s duty to dismiss matters unworthy of discussion and move on to the core issues?”

“W-what?”

Richard’s words were tantamount to saying that the Marquis’s opinion wasn’t even worth discussing.

Marquis Dion’s face flushed with anger. His mouth opened and closed as if searching for words, but he could say nothing.

Without waiting for any further argument, Richard concluded the meeting.

“That’s all for today.”

Though the pro-Emperor nobles looked like they had more to say, they were silenced by Richard’s authority and left the hall quietly. Marquis Dion ground his teeth but exited without uttering another word.

Richard also left the meeting room, followed by his aide, Agyle.

As he walked towards his carriage, gazing out the window at the darkening sky, Richard’s expression grew grim.

*It’s late.*

He had intended to go fetch Elisa from the palace after her tea party, concerned about what might have transpired between her and the Empress or the Crown Princess, but the meeting had run too long.

He was eager to check on her safety and see her face as soon as possible.

As he quickened his pace towards the carriage, he overheard a conversation between some nobles walking ahead of him.