131 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards Episode 131
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Lüsette Roshan came to see me as soon as the weather warmed up, as if she had been waiting for spring. After a few months, she looked even more radiant, like a fairy.
“Something interesting happened.”
Lady Roshan smiled and said that the news she brought would please me. I couldn't help but be curious about her confident attitude.
I asked what it was, and Lüsette Roshan opened her mouth with a slightly excited voice.
“His Majesty the Emperor has returned to Madame de Châteauroux’s arms.”
It was said to be a very touching reunion. The Emperor clung to Chatoul as if he were a prodigal son returning to his parents, rubbing his wrinkled cheeks against her bosom and begging for forgiveness.
He exclaimed that he couldn't understand how he could have thought of anyone else when no one else pleased him as much as Chatoul.
Whether he didn't remember why he had kept Chatoul locked away, or whether he deliberately ignored it, the Emperor's attitude toward her was undeniably submissive. He groveled so much that the people around him were embarrassed.
It seemed that this old man had finally realized through his wanderings that Chatoul was the only woman who could make his old age enjoyable.
Anyway, now that the Emperor had returned to Chatoul, it was obvious that the Empress's momentum would be weakened. This meant that I, who had been confined to my room, would also be freed.
Now that Chatoul was back in the forefront, the Empress would have no reason to pay attention to a small fry like me.
Was this why the Crown Prince told me not to move until spring? I couldn't help but be amazed by his near-clairvoyant insight, whether he knew it in advance based on his intelligence or whether he made it happen.
At the same time, I felt sympathy for the Baroness of Flanders. She had managed to capture the old Emperor's attention for quite some time, but in terms of months, it was less than six. It was hardly enough time to build her own power within society.
Beatrice, who had sent her to the Emperor, must have prepared some countermeasures. But it was true that she wouldn't be as imposing as before.
Now, this poor prostitute would have to choose between being locked away in a shabby room like other rivals or going down to one of the mansions in the city, clutching the jewelry the Emperor had given her as a gift.
Lady Roshan didn't seem too anxious or sorry, even though her relative, the Empress, was facing a rather unpleasant situation.
It seemed that she valued their friendship more than anything else, like the Crown Prince, and was happy that she could take me out.
Her face, full of the freshness of spring, was adorned with a beautiful, happy smile.
In fact, there is no busier season than spring for noble ladies. They are busy ordering new dresses for their plump bodies, which have gained weight from being cooped up in the cold all winter, massaging their rough faces, attending spring balls, tea times, hunting grounds, and sending letters to acquaintances.
The noblewomen are busy dealing with the work coming up from the farms, but for the girls who are flying around like busy bees socializing, the latest fashion belt that tightens the waist is more urgent.
So, as soon as the weather warmed up, carriages with all kinds of crests were parked in the city's carriage waiting areas, and ladies with maids and knights fluttered in and out of this store and that store, scattering the silver coins they had brought with them like water.
Lady Roshan took me around to the stores a few times, not so much to buy things as to announce that Cishe de Bishwaltz was by her side.
People were very surprised to hear Lady Roshan call me "Sis" and opened their mouths wide. And when I called Lady Roshan "Lüce," they almost fainted.
“I don’t know about Sis, but not everyone who debuts in society enters in a pure white state, knowing nothing. If you have good connections, you can visit aristocratic gatherings before your debut and make an impression in advance.”
Lady Roshan took me around diligently. Most of them were aristocratic gatherings, so I was able to make friends by drinking tea and talking with people I had never even greeted in the past.
Lady Roshan called this 'Desalon'. She said that debuting in society is just an illusion, and the real debut starts from these activities.
“Most people are like that. That's why Roena has been showing up so often these days.”
Come to think of it, Roena in the past also went out often at the invitation of Madame de Lavalier and other friends. And every time she did, she would come back with one or two more followers. Unlike me, who was isolated, Roena was surrounded by more and more people.
Looking back, it seems that it was a preparation for entering society. Her visits to the Imperial Palace these days must also be part of these activities.
“From now on, we will be doing 'Desalon' activities. First of all, Sis, let's start by clearing up the misunderstandings about you.”
Princess Dieunzel tried to force me by putting me in her group, but Lady Roshan took on the role of supporting me while letting me go almost to the point of neglect.
Even though the Empress is faltering again these days, her power is not going anywhere, so there are few people in society who can ignore Lady Roshan's words.
The fact that she took me around and praised me so much that her mouth was dry naturally changed people's perceptions.
Has it been two months? Now, I could hardly find anyone who would give me a subtle smile when they heard my name, or openly frown and give me a look of contempt.
I don't know what they were saying behind my back, but the fact that they recognized me as Lady Roshan's friend and treated me politely was the biggest change.
People often asked Lady Roshan what she saw in me to hang out with me.
They were vague because they were conscious of me, but what they meant was clear. 'If you hang out with such a vulgar woman, your status will also drop, right?'
Every time Lady Roshan heard this, she said that I was lovely. She didn't care about the distorted gazes around her and even said that I was a very good person as a friend and that she was just sorry that she had only met me now.
But this answer was not enough to convince everyone, especially me. So, if it hadn't been for someone's mocking story when Lady Roshan was away for a while, I would have continued to doubt and be wary of her.
“Did you know? Lady Roshan had a cousin. She was very beautiful and lovely, but she didn't trust people well and constantly blamed herself. The fact that she lived in a rural area also contributed to her inferiority complex. Was that why? Unfortunately, she couldn't stand the attention of society. And the gossip that was pouring on her.”
Everyone was holding their breath and listening to the story. But the woman's gaze was directed at me.
“So she took her own life. In the Roshan family's mansion, wearing the dress that the Lady gave her.”
From her humble status to her social life under the halo of Lady Roshan, I was very similar to Lady Roshan's 'cousin' who came out of her mouth.
Surprisingly, I was the same in that I was suffering from an inferiority complex due to a sense of inferiority and chose 'suicide' as a last resort. The only difference was that I came back, and her cousin didn't.
When the woman closed her mouth as if she had said everything she had to say, everyone's eyes turned to me again. What was in their eyes was 'sympathy' or 'mockery'.
Most people seemed to think that I would not be able to endure the social life like that cousin and would run away by a method equivalent to suicide.
But that was only for a moment. When Lady Roshan came back, she pretended to be kind and burst into a hypocritical smile as if nothing had happened.
Then she winked at me, an unspoken pressure not to tell her the story they had shared.
I didn't particularly want to grant their request, but I kept my mouth shut because it was awkward to bring up the story of a dead person.
But the story about her cousin was not a secret. Every time I attended a new gathering, I had to hear the above words from jealous women.
They wanted me to know my place and disappear early, like a cowardly loser like the dead cousin.
They seemed quite resentful that I, who was nothing, was occupying the delicious position of Lady Roshan's friend.
Some people even spread the nonsense that I became her friend by using Sir Ayres.
Every time Lady Roshan heard these words, she retorted in an angry voice and took care of me even more ostentatiously.
Thanks to her, the results that I had worked so hard to achieve in the past, and that I had tried to enter the social circle while enduring ridicule, were easily obtained thanks to her.
Has it been three months since I started 'Desalon'? I finally realized that Lüsette Roshan was a quite useful woman and that she was still showing me sincerity rather than lies.
If I could just get rid of the inexplicable uneasiness, Lady Roshan was an irreplaceable helper and advisor to me.
In particular, the invaluable advice she occasionally gave helped to raise me, who was struggling due to my narrow vision, to her level.
“People who enter society each have their own ambitions. What is the ultimate goal that Sis wants? If you don't decide on that, you will never survive in this world.”
“The Bischwartz Family has been engaged in commerce for generations. Not only the previous head of the family but also the current Count does business with nobles. Therefore, he knows the tastes and hobbies of noble families better than anyone else. If I were you, I would use this to create an opportunity to easily become friends with other nobles. But why isn't Sis doing anything?”
“Sis is too wary of people. Before you even start a conversation, you shrink back and roll your eyes. You seem to be trying to hide it well, but it's still clumsy for people like me who have been active in the jungle of society since childhood.”
But even she became very awkward in her attitude towards me when the Crown Prince's orders intervened.
This was especially noticeable when she indirectly asked about what happened when she met the Witch with the Crown Prince.
“My maid said that one of Sis’s maids bought a very good item from the Witch. That was before Founding Day. I don't know why you believe in such things, but it's said to be more effective than Vagus. Has Sis ever talked to the Witch?”
Lady Roshan's brow was slightly furrowed as if she didn't want to ask this question.
Was she testing whether I still remembered the prophecy I heard back then? I shook my head with a calm expression and emphasized that I didn't believe in Witches.
Then Lady Roshan looked at me as if she was puzzled. And she muttered to herself as if she was mumbling something.
“Then why did the words that weren't prepared in advance come out of the Witch's mouth?”
“Yes? Are you asking me now?”
“No, it's nothing.”
Lady Roshan waved her hand as if it was nothing, but I could intuitively feel that the question from earlier would not easily subside, judging from her attitude.
As expected, a few days later, I was invited to the Roshan Marquisate under the pretext of tea time, and I was able to meet the Crown Prince there. He seemed to have slipped out on his own, and he was in quite casual attire.
