97 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 97
==========
Rumors were rife that Chatoul's face had brightened since her seclusion, and indeed, her appearance was much improved compared to when I had seen her at the ball. Her unique aura was more than enough to overwhelm everyone.
In particular, the eyes visible above the fan were as sharp as a hawk's, possessing a power that intimidated others.
“To the Empire’s most esteemed mother, Roena of the Bishvarts Family bows in greeting. May you receive the highest glory.”
Again, Roena stepped forward to greet her first. Her demeanor was flawless and perfect.
I calmly waited for Roena to finish her greeting. And when the Empress accepted Roena's greeting, I stepped forward and greeted her, mimicking Roena's gesture.
“Welcome. You must have had a difficult journey. Now that all the guests I've been waiting for have arrived, we can enjoy our tea time.”
The Empress received our greetings with a very generous attitude. Despite Roena greeting her first, she was nothing like the oppressive figure I had expected from the start. It was completely different from the attitude the noble ladies had shown a moment ago.
Was she only allowing us to breathe?
Between the women sitting in a circle around the Empress, two chairs were visible. They were left empty for us. The maid was guiding us that way as well.
In social circles, the lower the rank, the closer one sits to the door. Starting from the right, they sit in order, alternating. The empty chairs were right next to the door.
People began to watch us closely as we tried to sit down. A minor etiquette could sometimes be a mirror reflecting everything, so they were trying to gauge our 'level' through it. Through unspoken pressure.
Was that why? Roena stood not at the chair closest to the door, as if she didn't know these rules at all, but at the other chair next to it.
I was flustered and quickly tried to correct her, but I couldn't. Someone else had pointed out her mistake before I could.
“Oh my, heavens.”
The woman folded the fan that had been covering her face and smiled wryly. Then, she raised her voice loudly and spoke as if tattling. Her appearance was so annoying that it was almost hateful.
“To think she can't even find her seat properly. Shouldn't we take her hand and guide her to the correct seat? Please, Pulcher, bestow your vast generosity and allow us to do so.”
Only then did Roena make a flustered expression, as if she had realized what mistake she had made.
Judging by her flushed face, it seemed she wasn't unaware, and she seemed to be blaming herself for her mistake. Her trembling lips and shaking eyes were clouded as if she were about to cry.
Fortunately, the Empress flatly refused the woman's words. She couldn't allow it, even for the sake of the young lady's pride. However, she narrowed her brow as if something was displeasing, which heightened the tension in the room.
“Rather, there is something we must revisit. Because it is very different from what I heard.”
As soon as she spoke, one of the noble ladies sitting on her right quickly took the words and asked back. As if she had been waiting for it. It was as if watching a well-crafted play.
“What are you saying? What is different from what you heard?”
“I was under the impression that Lady Roena was the younger sister and Lady Sissae was the older sister, but now it seems I was mistaken.”
“I also know that Lady Sissae is the older sister... Isn't that right, Lady Roena?”
“…Yes, I am the younger sister.”
Roena answered in a barely audible voice. Her face was so pale that it seemed to betray her anxiety.
“So she says.”
“But she tried to sit in her older sister's chair by mistake? And that too, by the younger sister. This means either she takes the Imperial Palace etiquette lightly, or she is ignorant.”
The other women were stifling their laughter, as if they knew what their leader was trying to point out. Malice, barely concealed, crept out from beyond the fluttering fans.
“Sissae, what do you think about this?”
Sometimes, excitement, along with impatience, leads to ruthless questioning. I thought this was such a situation. I couldn't help but think so, seeing the Empress continuing her words as if she had been waiting for it.
As if the generosity she had shown during the greeting was a lie, her eyes were fixed on me.
“Forgive Roena. Due to nerves, she has shown her hidden ignorance.”
I said in a quiet voice, bowing my head. I had expected an uneasy visit, but I didn't expect them to nitpick over something like this, so a blunt answer came out first. Roena, who had told me to trust her, stood still as if frozen.
Then, the Empress chuckled softly and waved her fan back and forth quickly. As if she didn't like it.
“Ignorance… Is this an admission that the rumors about the Bishvarts Family's intelligent young ladies are all false? Above all, didn't you receive Madame de Lavallier's education? That's why I had high expectations.”
“Rumors are bound to be exaggerated, aren't they? In reality, even I am so foolish that I have barely grasped the basics. Therefore, I have caused much trouble to my aunt. Please, be considerate.”
“So, you're saying it's due to your own shortcomings? Even so, there's no way you wouldn't know the basic etiquette of sitting in a chair, right? When did the invitation I sent arrive? Today? That can't be right? Then what did you do after receiving the letter?”
No one looks at Roena, who doesn't apologize. They ignore her as if the mistake a moment ago was caused by me.
The Empress, who is emphasizing the word 'you,' is doing just that. She was transferring 'Roena's ignorance' to me. So naturally. A direct intention to question only me.
I felt like a sneer would leak out at that baseness. I also felt pathetic at my situation, where I had no choice but to play along.
“Unfortunately, I spent the day Pulcher gave me to beautify my appearance.”
I thought it was a ridiculous answer even as I said it. It was like advertising that I was a stupid person with nothing to show off but my appearance. But what else could I show as proof that I was prepared? Since the thing that girls my age are most interested in is their appearance. Therefore, whatever the reason, it was a plausible excuse.
Above all, it was a great relief that I didn't show up wearing a dress with a similar design to Roena's. Otherwise, I would have been told that I was insincere. That I wasn't prepared at all.
“So you valued the exterior more than the interior?”
“Isn't it the heart of every child to want to look pretty to the Empire's most exalted mother?”
The Empress smiled softly and calmly accepted my words.
“Well, even so, does it take that much preparation that a whole day is spent on it? I don't quite understand.”
In fact, although I say a day, the letter arrived well after noon, which is a period that most noble ladies would hardly dare to say they prepared for. If you know how many hands go into a woman's adornment.
Therefore, it was something to be applauded for having come this far in such a short time. In other words, it was not something that could be lightly dismissed as a trivial matter, as the Empress said.
“Flowers are loved primarily because they are captivated by their appearance. The fragrance is something to think about later. Above all, since it is a matter of going before Pulcher, how can I not pay attention to my appearance?”
So, I had no choice but to say, 'I took the time to dress up elaborately to meet you, you bitch.'
While also subtly pointing out her unattractive appearance. The very statement that I couldn't help but pay attention to my appearance because it was before the Empress meant a desirable outfit, and at the same time, it implied the intention of trying to look prettier than you.
But on the surface, I was saying 'I wanted to look good to you' in a sweet, flattering way, so it wouldn't be easy to find fault and get angry.
I was bowing down so humbly because I wanted to look good to her, so what more could she say?
However, the Empress was the Empress. She didn't easily fall for it, as if she hadn't drunk the water of the social world in vain. She stared at me as if looking at someone immature.
“What I want is not a beautiful face, but an intellectually mature inner self. I'm just letting it go now because I find your heart endearing, but next time, come after learning more. Tsk, you've been influenced by bad water.”
No one would not know that the 'bad water' mentioned here refers to Chatoul. The stifled laughter flowing out from beyond the fans proved it.
“I will keep that in mind.”
She didn't stop there and uttered another mocking remark. It sounded like a compliment about Lavalliere on the surface, but in reality, it was a sound filled with ridicule towards me.
“I have long admired Madame de Lavallier for her love of reading, and seeing you, I think it's indeed understandable. Reading aloud in a clear voice, how much better will your eloquence become.”
I would have preferred her to say that I had butter on my tongue, but she deliberately brought up Lavalliere because she knew the influence she had on the Bishvarts Family.
It was also because she anticipated the displeasure she would show me when this conversation leaked out.
Therefore, I knew that the conversation I had just had with the Empress would somehow reach Madame de Lavalier's ears.
Anyway, since it seemed like she was giving me a compliment on the surface, I bowed my head and expressed my gratitude. Then, the Empress folded her fan and told me to sit down.
Roena was already sitting in her original seat. Her face was flushed, and she couldn't even make eye contact with me.
The chair prepared for me was slightly diagonally offset from the Empress's seat.
Even if I covered my face with a fan, my profile would be completely exposed, a spot that perfectly revealed even the gaps in the angles. There was no better seat selection for reconnaissance.
As soon as I sat down, the Empress announced the start of tea time with a light remark. At a small wink from her, the doors opened, and maids carrying refreshments entered in an orderly fashion.
They carefully placed the food down, making sure not to bump into the arms of the women sitting in their seats.
All the snacks were sure to be sweet. The yellowish-green tea pouring from the teapot had a vivid light that was very beautiful, but the smell rising from it was quite bitter.
