Previously
Back at Lancaster townhouse, Resurreccion coldly tells Dolores he never expected her to succeed anyway and plans to coerce Dowager Marchioness Lindinis into choosing Oswald Lindinis by strangling her estate's finances. Dolores takes in the injured imperial maid Nina Mason, deeply stung by Resurreccion's dismissive remarks.
“B-But Dowager Marchioness!”
Refusing to back down, Madame Rouare pressed on.
“Do you not see what an outrage it was for the Grand Duchess to publicly humiliate Countess Trevis that day—?”
“Hardly more of an outrage than a noblewoman leaving a stain on the imperial household’s pride.”
As the Dowager Marchioness repeated the Grand Duchess’s exact words, everyone froze.
She took a sip of tea and sneered softly.
“To begin with, a cultured noblewoman does not raise her voice to discipline a servant. That is the very foundation of etiquette.”
“Still—”
“It was every bit as unsightly as flaunting a soiled petticoat for all to see.”
“Even so, Countess Trevis is twenty years the Grand Duchess’s senior… and the wife of a high minister—”
“By that logic, the Grand Duchess is the wife of the Grand Duke.”
“…”
Madame Rouare shut her mouth, utterly struck dumb.
Was this the sheer privilege of being old and rich enough to voice such blunt truths without consequence?
The ladies who had been holding their breath seized the moment to chime in.
With their husbands belonging to cadet branches of the Lindinis family, they had to curry favor with the matriarch by any means necessary.
“…Q-Quite right!”
“Indeed, decorum is paramount! Her Highness the Consort was entirely justified!”
“Countess Trevis was… somewhat overly agitated that day…!”
Someone then swiftly changed the subject.
“Truly. I was enjoying the salon immensely until that maid tripped.”
“To fall in such a spot, of all places. What dreadful luck.”
“I know. The gift of teaware was simply lovely, too…. It was such a shame the salon had to end early.”
“I intend to ask Her Highness about the workshop later. I really would love to decorate my villa in that fashion….”
Madame Rouare and Angelica exchanged dismayed glances.
Angelica, in particular, gritted her teeth in secret.
‘This isn’t the reaction I wanted at all…! Ha!’
Fine. Perhaps Dolores’s reputation was not entirely beyond redemption after all.
‘She does nothing and gets all the luck.’
In that case, she would have to salvage her own reputation as well.
Angelica offered the Dowager Marchioness a graceful nod.
“You are exceedingly generous, Dowager Marchioness, to recognize the virtues of my sister, Her Highness the Grand Duchess.”
“…”
“I will be certain to tell her how grateful she ought to be.”
“…That day.”
“Pardon?”
“The white shoes you wore to the salon were rather striking. You seem to be wearing a different pair today.”
“Excuse me…? What do you…?”
Angelica tilted her head in confusion before her entire body stiffened.
Every eye turned to her in unison.
First toward her face.
Then, almost unconsciously, downward toward the hem of her gown.
A grown woman’s skirt swept down to the instep, keeping her footwear discreetly hidden under normal circumstances.
Unless she deliberately thrust her foot out.
Save for the soft trickle of tea being poured by a servant, absolute silence enveloped the garden.
‘What… what is this?!’
Panicking, Angelica could only flap her mouth soundlessly.
Why was that old woman picking at her flaws?
What was she supposed to say to that?
Madame Rouare quickly seized her hand.
Her eyes flashed with fierce reproach.
‘Get out of here at once.’
No answer would work in her favor now.
It was far better to offer a polite smile and retreat.
Forcing a trembling smile, Angelica rose from her seat.
“Huhu, thank… thank you for the compliment on my shoes, Dowager Marchioness.”
“…”
“If you will excuse me, I must step away to powder my face. Madame, pardon me.”
Though she rose with practiced elegance, Angelica hurried out of the garden in rapid, scuttling steps.
The remaining noblewomen watched her retreating back, murmuring among themselves.
“Didn’t Miss Rochester rely on the Grand Duchess’s help for her debutante ball?”
“My word. After speaking as though they were so close, could she truly…?”
“Was it an accident? Or was it deliberate…?”
“What did she say earlier? That someone ought to have lent a hand…?”
“Either way, it sends chills down my spine.”
Madame Rouare chewed on her lip as she listened to the whispers.
‘Damn it all. Can that wench do anything right?’
She should have tied up the loose ends cleanly; how could she leave such an obvious flaw exposed?!
‘And what is this woman playing at?’
Madame Rouare glared at the matriarch who had upended the mood.
Yet the Dowager Marchioness was placidly sipping her tea, looking as detached as if she inhabited an entirely different world.
Dolores sat alone in her room at the Lancaster townhouse.
The Grand Duke had departed for the imperial palace, and Rachel had slipped away on her own business.
In truth, she found their absence a relief.
‘I just cannot seem to muster any energy.’
Even when she believed she had changed her life, crashing into an unforeseen failure drained the spirit right out of her.
At times like this, she lacked the confidence to force a composed smile.
Just then, a maid with a short black bob entered cautiously.
“Your Highness the Consort. Shall I prepare your afternoon tea?”
“Ah… yes, please, Nina.”
Dolores gave an awkward nod.
After the incident at the salon, one thing had led to another, and she had ended up taking in the injured maid to nurse her back to health.
‘Nina Mason, was it?’
Nina had recovered swiftly and thrown herself into attending Dolores with fierce devotion.
She took it upon herself to learn what teas Dolores favored and which gowns suited the weather best.
‘I never even asked her to.’
Thanks to her diligence, Rachel had an even easier time slacking off.
Watching the girl brew and pour the tea, Dolores spoke up.
“Nina. Did you mention how old you are?”
“I turned fifteen this year, Your Highness.”
“Fifteen, you say….”
Dolores murmured absently.
That was around the age Alexis had been the year she died.
‘Perhaps that is why seeing her weep brought Alexis to mind.’
That angelic child who had turned Dolores’s life into a living hell.
Shaking her head, Dolores pulled herself back to reality.
“Have your wounds healed properly? You shouldn’t strain yourself just yet.”
“I am quite well, Your Highness! The estate physician tended to me, so I have fully recovered.”
“…You are remarkably resilient.”
Dolores murmured as she accepted the cup from Nina.
However she had deduced Dolores’s tastes, the steep and the fragrance were exquisite.
‘I only helped her on an impulse… yet here I am, drawing comfort from her instead.’
Did she regret what had happened at the salon?
No. Countess Trevis had shown her true colors simply because she looked down on Dolores as a mere grand duchess.
Dolores did not regret putting such a woman firmly in her place.
Looking at Nina only hardened her resolve.
‘Indeed. What if a shard had struck the girl in the eye?’
Who would have taken responsibility for this girl’s life if she had been maimed at fifteen?
‘So I have no regrets about what I did. It is just….’
The reason she felt so dejected now came, unexpectedly, from the Grand Duke’s gaze.
‘Don’t apologize.’
‘I never expected anything from you anyway.’
Those words, that look, had pierced her chest deeply.
Though the circumstances of their marriage were a tangled mess, her gratitude toward him had been sincere.
And despite his biting words, there were moments she had felt his genuine consideration.
‘Did it hurt that much?’
‘I thought I held back.’
Just like when he had murmured those words while gently rubbing her forearm.
The more she dwelled on it, the more her heart pricked as though snagged on a rose thorn.
‘…Forget it. Now is the time to think about what to do next.’
At this rate, she would simply be discarded as useless.
Yet so long as Adrian remained relentless, she needed the Grand Duke’s protection.
‘I have to prove my worth.’
As she racked her brain, a shrill voice rang out from beyond the door.
“Your Highness! I have returned!”
“Ah, Lady Rachel.”
Fresh from her trip to the imperial palace, Rachel came scurrying inside.
She had already hidden the ring she had ‘borrowed’ from Dolores.
She promptly snatched the teapot right out of Nina’s hands.
“Your Highness! Do you have any idea what happened today?!”
“What happened?”
“At Madame Rouare’s tea party, of all places!”
Rachel glanced at Nina and lowered her voice.
“Suspicion arose that Miss Rochester deliberately tripped that maid that day.”
“…!”
“And would you believe it? It was Dowager Marchioness Lindinis who brought it up!”
“What?”
“It’s true! What’s more, the Dowager Marchioness spoke up in defense of Your Highness the Consort!”
Why? Dolores wanted to ask, but Rachel clearly knew nothing beyond that.
Even so, it was enough to settle her resolve.
“…Very well.”
“Oh, Your Highness?! What is the matter?”
“I must prepare to go out. Nina, bring me my bonnet, and have the carriage readied.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Leaving the bewildered Rachel behind, Dolores sprang into swift action.
There was still time left between the end of the ladies’ tea gatherings and the evening dinner.
And what did the capital’s nobility do with those spare hours?
Dolores called out to the coachman.
“To the Central Promenade! Start near the Lindinis Townhouse!”