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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The First Book Club Meeting
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* * *
“Oh, w-welcome.”
“We greet Duchess Claudius.”
At the sudden appearance of a figure as prominent as Duchess Claudius, the poor ladies of the book club froze stiff.
Oh, this is a familiar sight.
Just like my parents when they first met the Duchess…
“…”
However, judging by the way the Duchess was keeping her lips tightly sealed right now…
…it seemed she had not the slightest intention of displaying the same sociability she had shown when meeting my parents.
“Thank you all for such a warm welcome.”
I quickly jumped into the conversation.
“I was so delighted to be invited to your gathering, Lady Sherwood.”
“Ah, I’m the one who’s delighted to hear you say so.”
Lady Sherwood, snapping back to her senses, quickly chimed in.
“Shall we head inside, then?”
And so, the ladies each took their seats.
Lady Sherwood, the host of the book club, spoke on behalf of the group.
“First, I’d like to express our gratitude to the Duchess and Lady Ansi for joining our gathering. Our book club is a place where we select a book and share our thoughts on it…”
The welcome speech flowed out smoothly, as if she had prepared and memorized her lines beforehand…
But the atmosphere was strangely excited, and the reason was…
*To think the Duchess would attend our meeting!*
*What do I do? This is the first time I’ve seen the Duchess this close!*
…because the other two ladies were completely lost in their excitement.
Well, I could honestly understand how they felt.
In truth, the members of the book club weren’t exactly the most popular ladies in high society.
They were the rather quiet, inconspicuous type, you could say.
Which meant…
*…they were often looked down upon a bit by the more popular ladies.*
Like Serapina, for example?
*Hmm.*
The thought of Serapina reflexively soured my mood.
Of course, since the book club members all came from powerful families, they were never overtly ignored.
But it was more like they were oil and water, never quite mixing in properly.
Just then, one of the ladies clasped her hands to her chest and spoke.
“We’re so happy you came to our meeting, Your Grace…”
To her ecstatic voice, the Duchess propped her chin on her hand and asked indifferently.
“And what about Lady Ansi?”
“O-of course we’re happy to see Lady Ansi too!”
“It’s true! Why else would we have sent her an invitation?!”
The flustered ladies hurriedly exclaimed in unison.
“That’s right! We’ve been wanting to meet Lady Ansi, too!”
Even Lady Sherwood chimed in to support them.
But for some reason, the gazes turning to me were more earnest than I’d expected.
*Huh? Me?*
I blinked blankly.
Wasn’t I just invited as a stepping stone to get to the Duchess?
“Lady Ansi is quite famous these days.”
“I… am famous?”
“Of course. You’ve changed a lot, after all.”
“Your personality has become much brighter than before. And it may be a bit forward of me to say this, but…”
One of the ladies, who had been cautiously observing me, gave a shy, smiling glance.
“You’ve also become very beautiful.”
R-really?
Well, I was aware that the way people looked at me had changed quite a bit.
I just suspected it was because the Duchess was so famous, and I was simply basking in her reflected glory.
*…This is nice.*
It was a little embarrassing, but it was true that I was happy.
I gave an awkward smile.
Meanwhile, the Duchess…
*‘That’s all because of me, you know?’*
…was preening beside me, her expression and gaze proclaiming just that.
“In the past, you were always so busy taking care of Lady Lopes that it was difficult for us to approach you.”
“These days, you seem to get along well with others, so we were able to work up the courage.”
Hmm, they’re working hard to put that delicately.
To put it bluntly,
*‘You were so devoted to being Serapina’s handmaiden that it was awkward to approach you.’*
…isn’t that what they mean?
Ha, really.
Why did I live such a pathetic life?
I briefly mulled over my past regrets.
“So it’s truly a misunderstanding that we don’t welcome you, Lady Ansi.”
“That’s right. We hope you don’t think that.”
The ladies, exchanging glances, spoke up again.
I nodded readily.
“I won’t misunderstand, so please don’t worry.”
“We’re so happy to hear you say that.”
“Let’s get along well from now on.”
Just as a warm atmosphere was beginning to form…
*Huh?*
A sudden chill ran down my spine, and I cautiously glanced to my side.
And I was shocked.
*Wait, what?*
And for good reason—the Duchess was glaring at me with a strangely cold look in her eyes!
*But why?!*
But the Duchess’s strange behavior continued.
She quietly rose from her seat and sat down, sticking right next to me.
*Why is she acting like this? Did I make some kind of mistake?*
I hurriedly replayed my actions up to this point in my mind.
*…No, I didn’t!*
I came to the conclusion that I hadn’t.
Just then, the ladies called out to me, their eyes sparkling.
“Um, Lady Ansi!”
“Yes, please speak.”
“That… about the party in the south.”
The lady who spoke blushed slightly as she asked her question.
“There was a rumor that Duke Claudius danced with you, Lady Ansi. Is it true?”
Ah.
I found myself at a loss for words.
As I hesitated, feeling a bit awkward…
The Duchess, who had been staring intently at me, snapped in a strangely sulky tone.
“Excuse me, I attended the Ansi party too, you know?”
“Y-Your Grace?”
“Is my brother the only member of the Duchy of Claudius? Am I not?”
…The Duchess seems a bit prickly today.
After a quick glance at the Duchess, I quickly brought her into the conversation to keep the atmosphere from freezing over.
“Ahaha, the party was all the more enjoyable because you were there, Your Grace.”
Forcing a laugh, I quickly looked at Lady Sherwood.
“So, what is the title of the book you’ve selected for this time?”
“Ah, the book is…”
And as I focused on the conversation…
…the Duchess watched me without even blinking.
* * *
The first day of the book club ended on a more or less amicable note.
“Today was truly enjoyable!”
“See you again in two weeks!”
As I was exchanging goodbyes with the other ladies…
*Ugh, my back is tingling…*
I felt a cold sweat run down my spine.
And for good reason—the Duchess had been staring at me with a sharp gaze for a while now.
For some time, it had seemed the Duchess was in a bit of a bad mood.
*It would be better if she just told me what was bothering her.*
But judging by her tightly sealed lips, it seemed unlikely she would say anything…
I sighed inwardly and boarded the carriage with the Duchess.
“…”
“…”
Silence fell.
Normally, the Duchess would have already been chattering away about the book club meeting.
But now, she just rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window with a displeased look.
“Um, Your Grace.”
I cautiously addressed her.
“What is it.”
A sullen reply came back.
I gave an awkward smile.
“By any chance, did you not enjoy the book club meeting today?”
At my question, the Duchess pouted.
“No? It was fun.”
…Someone who had fun is making a face like that?
*I can’t just let this go.*
My instincts were sounding an alarm.
I quickly tried to soothe the Duchess.
“You can be honest with me.”
The Duchess, still resting her chin on her hand, rolled her eyes to look at me.
She seemed to mumble to herself for a moment, then…
“Never mind that. How was it for you, Lady Ansi?”
…she suddenly returned with this question.
“Me? I… did enjoy it, but.”
As I answered without thinking, I flinched and my shoulders tensed.
*Just now, the Duchess scowled, didn’t she? She did!*
I hurriedly added.
“But if you don’t want to, you don’t have to come to the book club anymore, Your Grace.”
After all, she only attended the book club because I had invited her.
Who would dare force the Duchess to attend?
I chose my words carefully.
“From next time on, I can just attend by myself, so…”
“No.”
Huh?
I blinked blankly.
At the same time, the Duchess turned her head away primly, like a sulky cat.
“I’m going with you.”
I really have no idea what she’s thinking.
I couldn’t hide my bewildered expression.
