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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Picket Party and Imperial Guests
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The celebration welcoming back the Hadellus Grand Duke and his wife ended on a high note. The lobby, which had been abuzz with noise and excitement, fell silent.
I giggled to myself, picturing the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess's dumbfounded faces. The picket sign event was something I'd pulled off plenty of times back when I was deep into my fandom days.
When the Grand Duchess grimaced but still tucked away the picket, I felt a swell of quiet pride. I'd told her not to bother with it, but she hadn't said she hated the idea either.
I figured that had to count as a positive reaction. After all, the Grand Duchess adored children.
The Hadellus Grand Duke had chuckled openly as he pocketed his sign.
Something about hanging it up in his study.
It was obvious he planned to tease me with it for the rest of my life. But that kind of ribbing didn't faze me one bit.
Coming up with those cringey picket slogans was easier for me than falling off a log.
If the target had been Akid, I might've unleashed otherworldly levels of cringe.
So if he actually hung it in his study, the one in real trouble would be the Grand Duke, not me. After I washed up and came out, Hanna dried my hair as she spoke.
"How on earth did you come up with such a brilliant idea? I kept wondering what you'd been tinkering with in your room this whole time."
"I just wanted to give them a proper welcome."
"I'm sure they loved it."
Hanna beamed at me. The servants had been floored when they first heard my plan. They clearly hadn't expected me to take the lead on welcoming the Grand Duke couple.
But since I'd decided to make nice here, I wanted to do it right if I was going to bother at all.
And hey, why not rack up some goodwill points while I was at it?
The whole thing was a smashing success, and it put the servants in high spirits too. They seemed relieved I wasn't throwing tantrums anymore.
That's when Vivian, who was tidying the bedding nearby, chimed in.
"Everyone just stared at you and Sir Akid. They were so cute together."
"We should've brought along a painter," Shuri teased.
I slammed my fist into my thigh in enthusiastic agreement.
"Exactly! We needed a painter to capture Sir Akid just like that!"
'Everyone should've seen that shy posture, that flinching little head tilt! It needed to be passed down through the generations as a treasured heirloom!'
I couldn't hide my excitement, and Hanna shot me a startled look.
"Young Madam?"
Vivian and Shuri stared at me with wide-eyed confusion too.
Oh no, I thought, dropping my gaze. I'd let my inner fangirl run wild without realizing it.
Truth be told, Akid's awkward shyness earlier had been so adorable I nearly shredded my picket sign on the spot.
I was already regretting sending Cobishtein away.
'When Coby gets back, first thing I'm making him do is create a video crystal.'
Blinking back tears, I crawled into bed.
A few days later, the imperial delegation arrived in Delus territory. Only a handful of key figures stayed at Hadellus Castle, while the main group headed straight for Eviss Mine.
The Hadellus Grand Duke found out too late about the spirit traces discovered at the mine and nearly keeled over from the stomachache.
It stung even more since ownership had already transferred to Elena.
He'd given me that wistful look and said,
"My dear, I'm disappointed. I thought I'd treated you well all this time."
"Next time something like this pops up, come to me first. I'll give you a warmer welcome than the Grand Duchess ever could."
He must've learned about my deal with Elena.
Of course, since he knew about the letters we'd exchanged, there was no way he'd think I was in the dark.
Elena had been grinning ear to ear ever since.
Who would've thought I'd get to see her flash that victorious smile—the one she wore every time she got one over on the Grand Duke in the original story—like this.
Even as husband and wife, their mutual grudge ran deep.
Anyway, since it was an imperial delegation, the castle was hosting a banquet. The whole place buzzed with preparations.
They'd lent the group a nearby villa in its entirety for their stay. Apparently, a lot of people had come down, even though it was just for verification.
'Must be because it's the first spirit sighting in centuries.'
The delegation's massive scale left me reeling at first, but I quickly pieced it together. The wormhole was on a whole other level compared to the one in the original story.
Not long after, I got the scoop on the wormhole from the spirits.
— It's because we contracted with you. Our traces don't fade away anymore.
— Normally, without a contractor, spirit traces are tough to detect. They vanish once you go beyond a certain distance.
That explained why Henry had never spotted a single trace over all those long years.
Who could've guessed spirits went undetected simply because there was no contractor?
It was new info even for me, and pretty fascinating. In the original, Loena died without ever awakening her spiritist potential, so the Eviss Mine incident never blew up into a big deal.
It was just vaguely noted that magic stones poured out thanks to spirit blessings.
I eyed the spirits, who returned stuffed to the gills with Delus flowers. There were none in Hadellus Castle, so they'd gone off to graze from afar.
Now that they were contracted to me, they didn't need Delus flowers anymore, but I couldn't exactly police their tastes.
At least they weren't pulling stunts like blooming them everywhere, the way they had at Eviss Mine.
I was still keeping my spiritist status under wraps, so no Delus flowers in the castle.
I poked one spirit with my fingertip and muttered,
"So if you munch on Delphina all over the place, magic stones pop up wherever you've been?"
— If enough residue builds up, sure.
"Talk about finding the golden goose."
I grinned wickedly, and the spirits shuddered before scampering off.
They'd seemed like innocent little kids at first, but nope—cunning little souls through and through.
— Eviss Mine had a ton because we hung around there forever. It doesn't usually form that quickly.
— Golden goose? You greedy little monster! All you care about is money.
"Gotcha. What a shame."
I brushed off their scolding with half-hearted disinterest. It felt like a sweet dream had popped, but whatever.
I hadn't contracted them for easy magic stone riches anyway. I needed their ultimate powers in the end.
I was strolling through the garden, chatting away with the spirits, when Elena appeared from the opposite direction—escorted by someone.
Judging by his outfit, he was from the imperial side. And his hair color was strikingly unusual.
It jogged a memory of someone, leaving me puzzled, until Elena spotted me first and called out.
"Loena."
"Mother!"
I flashed a bright smile as if I hadn't been scrutinizing them a second ago, hurried over, and dipped into a curtsy.
Lately, this greeting always made Elena's lips twitch in amusement, and I got a kick out of it.
"Ah, the Grand Duchess Heir."
The man greeted me with proper etiquette upon seeing me.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Douglas Essel."
His greeting was so courteous that I bowed on reflex—then froze solid at the surname.
It was one I knew all too well. And sure enough, Elena followed up with the details.
"He's the head of the Essel Ducal House. Leader of this delegation."
"Gasp!"
Ah, what was the villainess's father doing here of all places!
I panicked hard at this sudden drop-in by the villainess's dad.
The villainess in question: Catherine Essel.
The Essel Ducal House's only daughter and an arrogant powerhouse rivaling Loena herself.
If Loena hadn't died, those two might've made the ultimate villain tag team!
Just thinking about how much Mabel suffered because of her made my teeth grind. Needless to say, the Essel Duke's arrival wasn't exactly welcome.
Of course, he'd botched raising his own kid too, so he was pitiful in his own way.
Still, getting tangled up with a villain's family could only spell trouble, so my eyes narrowed warily on instinct.
I plastered myself to Elena's side and stayed quiet, but she tugged me forward gently.
"Loena, say hello."
"Hello, Duke Essel."
I managed a stiff, mechanical greeting before ducking right back behind Elena's skirt. The Essel Duke let out a hearty laugh.
"No need to worry. It's only natural for a child to be scared of strangers at that age."
"Speaking of, how's Catherine faring?"
"Quite well. She's utterly obsessed with horseback riding these days—keeps coming home covered in scrapes and bruises. It's a nightmare."
"Oh my. You'll want to keep some potent ointment on hand at all times."
"As expected from Your Grace—you truly understand our little Cathy's heart. Experience talking?"
"Though I suspect I fell off fewer times than you did."
"How embarrassing."
The Essel Duke ducked his head in mock shame, playing along.
'Looks like they're old acquaintances.'
They chatted so easily about childhood stories; they had to be close.
Made sense—the Essel Ducal House was staunchly pro-imperial, so he'd probably frequented the palace as a kid.
Elena, being imperial blood, would've mingled plenty with high noble heirs.
The Hadellus Grand Duke had spent his early years in the capital too, so maybe the three of them had even been friends.
'Catherine into horseback riding? That doesn't suit her one bit.'
In the original story, she'd despised anything physical. Wouldn't budge an inch without a carriage. Odd hobby.
Well, kids go through phases like that sometimes. I was about to shrug it off when the Essel Duke spoke up again.
"I've heard so much about you from the Grand Duchess. They say you pulled off something incredible at the last festival."
"Pardon?"
"What a clever girl. If only our Cathy took after you even halfway—she's only interested in play."
Elena must've filled him in on me. But the Essel Duke wasn't done.
"And just the other day, you threw a massive welcome for the Grand Duke couple right after they returned to the main estate. Elena wouldn't stop bragging about it."
Pardon? My mother-in-law?
I whipped around to stare at Elena in shock, and she averted her eyes while mumbling,
"I didn't brag that much."
