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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Setting the Stage
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Everyone was astonished when such a proposition, one so impactful that even seasoned noblewomen rarely dared to attempt, came from the mouth of a young noble lady.
And a smile appeared on the Grand Duchess’s lips, who had been listening to Nora’s words with interest from the start.
"Your name is Nora White, isn't it?"
"Yes, Grand Duchess."
"What a bright and clever child. Marchioness White has educated her daughter very well."
"Thank you."
The Marchioness quickly bowed her head, gripping her daughter's hand under the table. It was a gesture of praise for a job well done.
The Grand Duchess cleared her throat and solemnly addressed the noblewomen.
"Aracilla Vandermir, despite being married, is not dedicating herself to her household and displays a disrespectful attitude towards her family elders. Therefore, if the wise and virtuous noblewomen gathered here would kindly offer her some good guidance, I would be most grateful."
No one dared to defy her indirect command to participate in the Purple Violet Turning.
Aracilla's birth family, the Hugo Marquisate, was undoubtedly formidable and not to be underestimated, but their true patron was none other than the Grand Duchess Vandermir herself.
Moreover, they weren't targeting Aracilla Hugo, but rather Aracilla Vandermir.
With the permission of the Grand Duchess, the highest elder of the Vandermir Ducal Family, what could possibly stand in their way?
Most importantly, the families present here were not close to the Hugo Marquisate.
It was only natural to side with an allied family over an unacquainted one, and even more so when that allied family was the Vandermir Ducal Family.
So, no one tried to stop the Purple Violet Turning from being held against a young noblewoman who could have been their daughter or granddaughter.
Instead, they merely smiled, anticipating the interesting events that were about to unfold.
***
The Grand Duchess sent a tea party invitation.
Aracilla gazed down at the invitation, which had a thin gold border and the Hounds Countship’s crest, with a profound expression.
‘Why did she give this to me?’
It was even more puzzling considering the Grand Duchess's unusually gentle face when she handed over the invitation.
‘Even if I'm clueless about high society, I know that inviting someone you dislike usually means ill intent.’
The problem was simply that she couldn't grasp the purpose behind the invitation. Was she planning to gather her close noble friends to scold her?
But if that were the case, why would she host the party at someone else's estate instead of the Vandermir mansion?
Aracilla, clutching her head in thought, made a decision. Such matters should be consulted with an expert. And she happened to know a high society expert very well.
"Emma. If the Grand Duchess returns and looks for me, don't tell her where I went. Just make up a suitable excuse."
"Yes, Madam."
Despite being given a difficult task, the loyal Head Maid bowed her head. Aracilla, accompanied by Audrey, went to meet the high society expert.
Even though it was a surprise visit without prior notice, the expert warmly welcomed Aracilla.
"Ari, it's been a while."
"How have you been, Sis?"
"Oh, I've been well."
Iris's eyes gently curved into a smile. That's right. The high society expert Aracilla had thought of was none other than her elder sister, only a year apart.
"You've lost some weight."
A gentle hand caressed Aracilla's cheek. The rumors spread by the Vandermir mansion's maids had reached Iris's ears.
This meant she also knew that Aracilla was being tormented by the Grand Duchess, who had come up from the ducal territory.
"I heard the Grand Duchess locks you in your room during meal times so you can't eat. Is that true?"
"…Huh?"
At the sudden question, Aracilla's eyes widened. While she did make her serve during meals, causing her to eat late, she had never actually locked her up.
"And that she treats you like a slave, making you carry her on your back when she moves around the mansion."
"Oh… anything else?"
"I also heard you were whipped by the Grand Duchess and can't even sleep on your back properly."
Rumors, once they pass through several mouths, tend to snowball. The Grand Duchess's alleged misdeeds had evolved and were now secretly spreading.
"They even say it's more credible because the rumors came from the existing maids, who you didn't get along with, not maids from our family."
If the rumors had come from maids from the Hugo Marquisate, they might have been dismissed as biased, but coming from the existing mansion maids, their credibility increased.
Aracilla wanted to commend whoever had first spread these rumors outside, even if she didn't know who it was.
Still, she didn't want to worry her family with exaggerated rumors, so she told her sister the truth.
"It's not really that bad. I just eat late and get bossed around a bit. If it were as bad as the rumors say, the mansion would have already been blown up by my hand."
If it had truly been that severe, Aracilla would have confronted them, regardless of whether they were elders or not, intent on ending it. It was precisely because it wasn't that bad that she was trying to outwit them as much as possible.
At her sister's clear explanation, Iris smiled faintly and said,
"Honestly, I didn't believe it at all. No matter if she's an elder of your husband's family, you're not the type to just take that lying down."
"Exactly, exactly. Oh, but don't tell others that the rumors are exaggerated."
"Understood. I can even make them worse."
The sisters burst into laughter at the lighthearted joke. The two soon sat facing each other affectionately, and a maid brought out refreshments.
"I came to see you today for a reason. The Grand Duchess gave me a tea party invitation, and something about it feels off."
"Really? If you brought the invitation, let me see it."
"Yes, here. Why would she give me a tea party invitation from another family when she dislikes me?"
Iris meticulously examined the invitation. She scrutinized it from front to back, and side to side. She even held the invitation up to the light.
Her eyes practically popping out, she scrutinized the invitation from every angle, and finally discovered the hidden trap.
It was a tiny violet drawing, no bigger than a pinky nail, pricked onto the left corner of the invitation as if drawn with a needle.
"It's a Purple Violet Turning."
Iris said, her face hardening as she set down the invitation.
When initiating a Purple Violet Turning, it was customary to notify the target beforehand.
However, since openly inviting someone for such a purpose would mean no one would show up, a small, inconspicuous drawing like this was used for a snatch-and-grab notification.
"Why turn a violet? Oh, is it to give me a hint with the flower's meaning?"
Aracilla, ignorant of high society customs, didn't know what it was.
The Purple Violet Turning had such immense effects and side effects that it happened perhaps once a year, if at all, so most people had never even heard its name.
"It's similar. It's pretending to give someone a flower to signify humility, but it's actually about tearing them down from head to toe and ostracizing them."
Iris bit her lower lip. This stage had clearly been set because her sister's standing in high society wasn't solid.
How could the Grand Duchess be so cruel?
Angry, she wondered what Demian, her husband, had been doing to let things get to this point, and she asked,
"What is Lord Vandermir doing?"
"Monster investigation in the eastern Etar Mountains. The Grand Duchess arrived the day Demian left."
"Then, does he know about the situation between you and the Grand Duchess? Is he just focusing on monster investigation even though he knows what you're going through?"
At her usually gentle sister's sharp questions, Aracilla's eyes rolled. Up until the wedding preparations, she had kept the conflict with the Ducal Family hidden.
But from the sending of spies to the Grand Duchess's attack, their conflict was increasingly coming to the surface.
Her family also had ears; she couldn't keep it a secret forever. It was better to open up to some extent and gain their support.
"Demian would have stopped it, of course. Don't be too angry with him, Sis."
"...He's causing you trouble by not being able to control his own family. How can I not be angry?"
"I know how you feel, Sis. But he's still the husband I chose. The Grand Duchess and Demian are separate."
When Aracilla sided with her husband, Iris had no choice but to relent. It was always difficult to interfere between a married couple.
"If you say so… alright."
"Thank you for understanding, Sis. And thank you for figuring out the secret of this invitation."
"Don't go there, Ari. Even if you're not interested in high society, being ostracized and cast out is different."
This could lead to being completely ostracized from noble society, so she truly had to be careful. Especially now that Aracilla was no longer just a noble lady but a married noblewoman.
Aracilla, knowing what Iris was worried about, let her lips curl into a faint smile.
"Don't worry, Sis. I've been waiting for the right time and place too."
"Huh…?"
"Since the Grand Duchess herself has set the stage, I'll gladly make use of it."
Iris looked at her sister, who was speaking in riddles, with a bewildered and perplexed expression.
Aracilla, who had collected the invitation and was about to stand up, suddenly remembered something and sat back down.
"Sis, has there been any major scandal in high society recently? Something that reporters would find extremely interesting to cover?"
"Oh… there was an anonymous tip that a certain noblewoman was having an affair with an opera singer."
"Who is that noblewoman?"
"Her identity wasn't revealed, but they said her initial was K."
Hmm, I see. Aracilla nodded and then threw out another question.
"Are there any reporters who would rush to cover a scoop, regardless of the family involved?"
"Hmm, the reporters from the Hyena Newspaper are generally like that."
"Thanks for the good information. Truly, I only have you, Sis."
After embracing her sister and leaving the Marquisate, she fortunately returned home just before the Grand Duchess did.
Secret outing complete.
To proceed to the next step, Aracilla took out a pen and paper.
***
A few days later, a tea party was held at the Hounds Countship. It was a large-scale tea party attended by renowned noblewomen and young noble ladies. It would be more fitting to call it a spectacle.
Aracilla, while being adorned, earnestly instructed the maids.
"You absolutely, absolutely must make me look sick and haggard. Absolutely!"
At their mistress's somewhat absurd request, the maids reluctantly complied.
They applied a thick layer of powder, making her already fair skin appear ghostly pale, and dulled her lip color to make her look unwell.
They meticulously accentuated her cheekbones to create the illusion of hollowed cheeks, and after applying dark powder under her eyes…
Aracilla truly looked like a sickly person who hadn't eaten in days.
Audrey and the other maids were very worried about their mistress attending the tea party in such a state, but Aracilla herself was extremely pleased.
Oh, perfect.
Having finished her preparations, she departed for the Hounds Countship, accompanied by two additional maids besides Audrey, unlike her usual custom.
Thanks to the Count's decision to open the largest hall for the tea party, the estate's entrance was bustling with people coming and going.
Aracilla liked this too.
‘The more spectators, the better.’
The Grand Duchess must have thought the same, clearly setting up such a grand stage. She must have intended to humiliate and conquer her in front of many witnesses.
Aracilla, a corner of her mouth twitching upwards, picked up her handbag and stepped out of the carriage.
The Count's butler flinched at her complexion, then quickly composed his expression and guided her into the hall.
"Madam, Duchess Vandermir has arrived."
At the butler's words, all eyes in the hall turned to Aracilla as she entered. Aracilla, in turn, calmly surveyed the interior.
Amidst the circular tables laden with delicate refreshments, the Grand Duchess sat with several noblewomen at a table positioned prominently, like a seat of honor, before a grand tapestry.
