99 - The Evil Husband (15th Anniversary Edition) Chapter 99
99
===
The moment Ornella threw those words at her as if she were shooting arrows, Aileen felt a sense of kinship with her for some reason.
The idea that there could be any common ground between Ornella, who had grown up as the Parbellini Duchess Young Lady, and herself, who had grown up as the Lord Elrod Young Lady, was laughable to others.
But she couldn't stop the feelings that arose on their own. Ornella, who said she would live as her father commanded, was craving his affection. Aileen knew it because she had lived the same way.
Aileen recalled the things she had done in the past to receive her mother's love. They were the things she had concluded were the best she could do at the time.
Ornella, who said she had given up everything to receive her father's affection, seemed proud of herself. But Aileen knew that she couldn't be entirely happy inside. Aileen saw her past self reflected in her.
What if her mother had told her to quit botany and pharmacology?
It was a question that already had an answer. Aileen had given up university and returned to the capital as soon as she received her mother's letter. And she always missed what she had left behind in a corner of her heart.
"......"
Ornella's eyes narrowed. Aileen belatedly realized what kind of eyes she had been looking at her with.
She hurriedly lowered her gaze, but the emotions mixed in her eyes had already been exposed. Ornella, who had met all kinds of people in society, would be more sensitive than anyone to the other person's mood. She must have noticed what Aileen was thinking.
Aileen was nervous, wondering if Ornella would shout at her for daring to show her any sense of kinship.
She expected her to scream at any moment, but she silently grabbed her teacup. Then she swallowed the tea that had already cooled.
She didn't empty the teacup. She just took a sip, put it down, and then met Aileen's eyes again.
"I've been talking too much nonsense. Aileen must be busy too."
Ornella seemed to have cleanly swallowed her emotions that had been surging with the tea. She, who had returned to being the Parbellini Duchess Young Lady and the Emperor's fiancée that Aileen knew so well, smiled beautifully as usual.
"Do your best with the Tea Party. I'll be looking forward to it?"
The animosity in her smile was still there. But there was also an inexplicable subtle emotion mixed in that hadn't been there before.
Aileen couldn't tell exactly what that emotion was. Perhaps it was closer to the negative side. But what was certain was that both Ornella and Aileen had slightly different views of each other.
The Archduchess of Erzeht's first Tea Party was held in the garden. The outdoor Tea Party was reminiscent of the Grand Duke's wedding.
It wasn't exactly the same as the wedding, but similar decorations were arranged to deliberately induce guests to recall the previous wedding.
Like the wedding, to which only a small number of people were invited, this Tea Party was also intended to give the feeling that only the chosen ones were invited.
The invited noblewomen had flowery smiles blooming on their faces from the moment they entered the Grand Duke's Residence. Just attending this event today would give them something to brag about in society for the time being, so of course they couldn't help but be happy.
There would be quite a few people who would expect Ornella and Aileen to clash. Whether Ornella was disgraced or Aileen was disgraced, it would be the best gossip.
Aileen greeted the noblewomen who were entering and taking their seats for the Tea Party, and she understood Ornella's feelings a little. To reign as the queen of society, she must have endured the moments when so many people were evaluating her.
'It's really difficult.'
Aileen glanced at Ornella. Ornella was already smiling and chatting lightly with others. She was leading the atmosphere as if she were the host of the Tea Party.
If she didn't keep her wits about her, Ornella would end up eating up the Tea Party that she had worked so hard to prepare. Aileen quietly took a breath without anyone noticing.
She still hadn't heard an apology from Ornella for her rude remarks. Aileen didn't really expect her to take any action to apologize to her, so she just let it go.
However, unlike before, she had a small curiosity about Ornella. That's why there were times when she unconsciously observed her. She was trying not to show it, but she occasionally made eye contact with Ornella.
Then Ornella would frown slightly instead of giving a fake smile like before. Aileen thought she should be more careful with the reaction full of displeasure, but she kept unconsciously turning her gaze to her.
The Tea Party began in a strange atmosphere. Aileen hid her trembling hands in her dress and opened her mouth.
"Thank you... for attending today."
As everyone's eyes focused on her at once, she naturally broke out in a cold sweat. It wasn't an academic presentation where she was presenting confident content, but a Tea Party, so it was even more so. Aileen trembled inwardly and tried to move her tongue.
She carefully looked around, conveying her honest words that there would be shortcomings as it was her first Tea Party, but she had done her best. She wasn't good at reading the atmosphere, so she couldn't be sure, but it didn't seem too bad for now.
Except for Ornella, the guests who visited the Grand Duke's Residence today basically had a good impression of Aileen. It was thanks to Sonio's meticulous selection of attendees for Aileen. They would turn a blind eye to Aileen's slight mistakes.
'Of course, I can't make too big of a mistake......'
Aileen picked up her teacup with trembling hands. Because everyone was a seasoned noblewoman, the conversation continued smoothly even if Aileen didn't bring up a topic.
They praised the Tea Party's excellent tea and food, and elegant tableware. Then they began to ask about the Grand Duke's couple's private life in earnest.
The noblewomen had wanted to ask Aileen about it for a while, but they hadn't had the opportunity to ask, so they tried not to miss the opportunity that had finally come. Aileen recalled the teachings she had received from Sonio.
"You will inevitably have to share some of your private life."
The opinion was that it was better to reveal some of it first than to have false rumors spread. Archduke Erzeht was the most watched figure in the Empire. This was the price she had to pay to live as his wife.
"Did the dress that the Grand Duchess is wearing today also made by the dressmakers who were in charge of the wedding dress? It goes very well with your gold-green eyes."
As the three most popular dressmakers in the capital were in charge of Aileen's clothes, there were many noblewomen who showed interest in them. Of course, the main topic of the Tea Party was Cesare.
"Everyone was so surprised on the wedding day.... We didn't know that His Grace the Grand Duke was a person who knew how to make such an expression."
As the story that started with praise for the dress flowed to the wedding, Cesare naturally became the topic. They were very curious about the reason why Cesare had fallen in love with Aileen.
From the outside, it would be a love of the century. Even if it was a marriage of convenience, it was very rare for there to be such a difference in status.
When she replied that they seemed to have gotten married because they had known each other for a long time, the noblewomen's eyes sparkled. Reality was very different from their imagination, but Aileen answered as people wanted and hoped.
"He cherishes me a lot."
She couldn't say that he loved her. It was a word that she couldn't bring herself to say, no matter how false it was. She wished there was a better expression, but she couldn't think of one, so she answered appropriately and was about to move on to another story.
"How much?"
A voice mixed with laughter was heard. Aileen looked at Ornella, who was holding a teacup and smiling brightly. She asked again with a smiling face.
"How much does he cherish you? I'm curious. He's also known to be very taciturn."
The face that asked the sensitive question was spotless. She made a face that was packaged with pure curiosity and continued.
"Before the wedding, he didn't even give me a proposal ring, so I thought he was very indifferent."
