67
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A week had passed since the wedding of the Archduke and Archduchess of Erzeht, but newspapers and magazines were still filled with stories about it every day.
Today's magazine featured an article analyzing the Archduchess of Erzeht in detail. The article praised her beauty and hailed the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess as a match made in heaven. After repeatedly praising her throughout the article until the ink ran dry, it concluded with a provocative sentence.
[...It was truly the day the true lily of Traon was born. We look forward to the Archduchess of Erzeht's conquest of the capital's high society in the future.]
Ornella's hand, clutching the magazine, trembled. She read the last part several times, forcing a smile. Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, she threw the magazine away.
The wedding scene kept replaying in her mind. Aileen Elrod, who had pretended to be so unsophisticated, had dressed up spectacularly on her wedding day to humiliate her. She felt like she was going crazy, constantly reminded of that worst moment when everyone's attention was focused on her instead of Ornella.
"Calm down."
Parvellini Duke, sitting across from Ornella, gently soothed his daughter. He offered comfort to Ornella, who was panting and breathing heavily, in a seemingly affectionate voice.
"Is there any reason to get angry over such a trivial matter? Everyone is just paying attention for a while because something new has appeared. When the heat dies down, people will eventually praise and admire you again."
He gestured to a servant to clean up the fallen magazine. Then, smoking a cigar, he said languidly.
"What does it matter to be the lily of Traon? Your happiness is most important to this father."
Ornella glared at the Duke with bloodshot eyes. The Parvellini Duke clicked his tongue briefly at her gaze. His only daughter was originally a lovely person. However, perhaps because she resembled the deceased Duchess, she would sometimes lose her temper without regard for the consequences.
This was exactly one of those times. Ornella, who was staring at the Duke without even blinking, opened her lips.
"...You wanted it."
Ornella trembled as if having a seizure. Unable to contain her anger, she shook all over and screamed.
"You wanted me to be a daughter more proud than a son, to be the noblest woman in the Empire!"
The Duke frowned with a cigar in his mouth at the piercing voice. He furrowed his brow and put the cigar down in the ashtray.
"Was that just my wish? You wanted it too, Ornella."
Even as he spoke coldly, the Parvellini Duke looked at his impudent daughter with loving eyes.
"Calm down. What a temper..."
The scolding contained affectionate affection. To others, it would seem like a father who cherished his only daughter.
But Ornella knew. The happiness that the Parvellini Duke spoke of was only within the scope that he allowed.
If Ornella were to marry a street poet, the Parvellini Duke would be the first to have the man executed on the Guillotine.
She found her father, who talked about happiness with such hypocrisy, disgusting. Ornella slowly regulated her panting breath. After screaming, her head, which had been boiling until just now, had cooled down a little.
Ornella slowly swept back her disheveled hair with her hand. Looking at the Duke, she said in a trembling voice.
"...I told you so many times that I should marry Archduke Erzeht. Not the Emperor."
"Even the Parvellini Duke doesn't have the authority to force you to marry a Grand Duke who doesn't want to. And at that time, he was a man who might die at any moment, so how could I send you to such a place?"
Ornella snatched the cigar that the Duke had placed on the ashtray and inhaled the smoke. The Duke looked at his daughter, who was huffing and puffing, as if she were cute. Ornella, her face flushed with injustice, exhaled smoke and replied.
"But look now. My judgment was right."
She was certain that that man would definitely stand in the highest position. It was an intuition she had built up over a long time ruling high society.
Nevertheless, Ornella had no choice but to make the wrong choice, and the price was this. The Archduchess of Erzeht was getting more attention than she, who would become the Empress of a nation.
Even if she became Empress in this state, she would only have a high position. It was clear that the Archduchess of Erzeht would take away the love and attention of the people of the Empire. Like Leone, whose twin sister had stolen all the glory.
Ornella, recalling the worthless Emperor, clenched her teeth again. The Parvellini Duke took out a new cigar and said.
"That's still unknown. In the end, he's just a Grand Duke. Not an Emperor."
Ornella chuckled at the sound of him repeating what she had said.
"A Grand Duke who can become Emperor at any time?"
"Do you think your father will let that happen?"
The Duke, bringing a cutter to the end of the cigar, said as if this whole situation was trivial.
"His Majesty is not without ambition either, Ornella. I hear the Archduchess of Erzeht is hosting a tea party? You just do what you always do."
With a snip, the sharp blade cut the cigar. The neatly cut head of the cigar fell onto the table with a thud. Holding a blade like the Guillotine, the Parvellini Duke smiled and said to his beloved only daughter.
"This father will take care of the cleanup."
It was the first official event where Aileen appeared in front of people as the Archduchess of Erzeht. The Grand Duke's Residence employees put all their efforts into Aileen's adornment.
The employees brought various accessories and dresses and asked her about her preferences. These were truly difficult questions for Aileen, who had only ever dressed up properly for her wedding.
In fact, she didn't really know what was what, so she simply entrusted everything to them and let them dress her as they pleased. Perhaps that's why the result was so wonderful.
The dress was made by the same dress shop that had made her wedding dress, and she heard that three dress shops had worked together this time as well.
She had naturally assumed that what they had said at the wedding was just empty words, but the dress shop owners really wanted Aileen to wear their clothes.
The dress, decorated with delicate lace and ribbons, was so luxurious that she was afraid to wear it. Terrified by the dazzling luster of the high-quality silk, Aileen moved very carefully to avoid damaging the expensive dress.
Holding the hem of her dress and descending the stairs as slowly as a snail, she saw the man who had been waiting in the hall, chatting with Sonio, widen his eyes and applaud.
"Wow, Lady Aileen! You're an angel today too."
Aileen, not yet accustomed to compliments, awkwardly expressed her gratitude.
"Thank you, Sir Diego."
He, who had uttered the embarrassing words so casually, was Diego, who had been assigned as Aileen's escort today.
He was too valuable a resource to waste time on escorting. But for today, Aileen pretended not to notice the excessive personnel.
It was her first external activity as the Archduchess of Erzeht. In a tense and nervous situation, it seemed like it would be a great help to have Diego with her.
"You're so beautiful that everyone will be surprised."
Diego praised Aileen extravagantly for a long time, boosting her confidence. Sonio also made light jokes to Aileen, whose face was full of worry.
"Tell this old man some heroic tales when you return."
Thanks to them, Aileen was finally able to smile. Aileen, escorted by Sonio, got into the carriage and headed to the Imperial Palace with Diego.
Previously, she had traveled through the passage used only by the Imperial family, but today, as it was her official entry into the palace, she had to use the public passage.
It was the moment Aileen got out of the car with Diego's escort. As if waiting, gazes poured out. Diego clicked his tongue and muttered.
"Oh my, they've swarmed like bees."
There were so many people that the expression "swarm of bees" was not enough. It felt like there were even more than at the Imperial Palace banquet.
Aileen, her face pale with tension, followed Diego, who was escorting her, and moved her steps creakily. Diego smoothed Aileen's dress and whispered.
"Everyone is here to see Madam."
The nobles who had not been invited to the wedding had gathered to see Aileen on the day of her entry into the palace. Aileen couldn't believe that so many people had gathered just to see her.
Fortunately, perhaps thanks to Diego, no one readily approached her. After walking for a while surrounded by gazes, Aileen encountered those she really didn't want to meet.
"Aileen!"
Ornella, with her luscious platinum blonde hair, approached at a hurried pace. She smiled brightly, calling her name in a friendly manner, and even hugged her as she got closer.
"I missed you. How have you been?"
It was a scene that would seem like close friends to others. While Aileen was bewildered by the sudden pretense of friendship, Ornella continued to speak affably.
"This is my father."
She smiled, lightly placing her hand on the arm of the middle-aged man standing next to her. The man, who had green eyes similar to Ornella but a little darker, greeted her with a faint smile.
"It is an honor to meet you. I am Asef von Parvellini, Parvellini Duke. I saw you from afar at the wedding, but this is the first time I have greeted you up close."
"I am grateful that the Duke has greeted me first."
As Aileen gave an awkward reply, he gazed at Aileen with a smiling face. His observing gaze was subtle yet cold.
A chilling sensation swept down her spine. Aileen was giving strength to her feet so as not to step back without realizing it, when Ornella widened her eyes.
"Oh my, now that I think about it, has Baron Elrod not yet entered the palace?"
Ornella leaned affectionately against her father and smiled.
"Since it's an auspicious day, surely the Baron will come too?"
Aileen seemed to know now what Ornella wanted and why she was acting like this. She was showing off what Aileen could never have. Just as Aileen, who had been silent for a moment, was about to slowly open her lips to answer.
Diego, who had been standing silently behind her, gently pulled on Aileen's dress and looked somewhere. Following his gaze, she saw a man walking through the now quiet crowd.
It was Cesare, who had come to greet his wife entering the palace.
But Cesare was not alone. Next to him was her father, Baron Elrod, with a pale face and cold sweat.
