“It’s always warm here, no matter when one visits.”
Except for one thing—the cold.
“Viscountess.”
“Come to think of it, my eldest son-in-law, Count Oberdeen, had this entire greenhouse dismantled and transported from the royal palace of Armenia.”
“……”
Larissa Lauren de Cartien was a woman with a natural talent for beginning conversations as if thoughts had ‘just occurred to her,’ even when they were obviously premeditated. Even without the blue leaves hanging over the teacup, the inside of the greenhouse was warm enough to make one doubt it was the middle of winter.
It was also an essential place for the young prince who was unusually susceptible to cold, unlike his Northern Imperial bloodline.
“They say the King of Armenia begged to at least leave this behind. But what could be done? It was absolutely necessary for our precious prince…”
“So, what’s your point?”
“What else?”
If your son is precious to you, my daughter is just as precious to me.
The Empress cut in sharply with a trembling voice, revealing her temperament, but Viscountess Cartien responded leisurely. After coming all the way to the Imperial Palace only to deflect with absurd talk about weather and food, she was now being sensitive about her own child. The Empress, who could no longer pretend ignorance about ‘that matter,’ forcibly swallowed a cold laugh.
“I heard from Alexei. That there was a somewhat unpleasant incident.”
“Somewhat? Then it seems you haven’t heard the full story.”
Viscountess Cartien’s demeanor changed as they finally reached the main point after a long exploratory conversation. Moreover, with the rights and wrongs of the situation being clear, she had no reason to hesitate.
“Things were hastily concluded that day, but if this continues, rumors will spread soon. By then, Your Majesty will learn the detailed circumstances.”
“Viscountess!”
“I wonder if the Duke really needed to act that way on our Tatiana’s birthday, despite his urgency. As the head of such a great house, I thought he would have better judgment.”
“Are you insulting our House Atlas now?”
“…Insult? How could I dare to insult the Duke’s house?”
Viscountess Cartien covered her mouth with a somewhat bewildered expression. The corner of the Empress’s mouth, who had become excited without realizing it, was trembling slightly.
“In any case, I too regret the incident.”
“I am the one who regrets it. I thought we might become in-laws with Your Majesty, but now that it’s come to this, I can only feel regret.”
“…Surely you’re not suggesting we break off the engagement?”
How dare that old fox!
Behind the teacup raised to her lips, the Empress clenched her teeth firmly. Her opponent was the Viscountess who had been moving as smoothly as if she were the tongue in the Empress’s own mouth. No matter how formidable the influence of House Cartien might be, she could not be disrespectful or threatening to the Empress, the mistress of the Imperial Palace.
“I’m shocked! To treat it so lightly when it’s strictly an agreement between our houses. House Atlas is to become the maternal family of the future Emperor!”
“That may be so, but as I recall, it was House Atlas that took the agreement lightly first.”
“……”
BANG!
Unlike the Empress who slammed down her teacup forcefully, the Viscountess’s hand movements remained elegant until the end. As if truly regretful but with no other choice, as if without a trace of lingering attachment, Larissa Lauren de Cartien shook her head and rose from her seat.
“I must be going now. Your Majesty, thank you for your precious time.”
“…You’re leaving just like this?”
This woman wouldn’t do that.
Empress Charlize narrowed her eyes openly. It was almost absurd how easily this woman spoke of breaking the engagement, when she had meticulously negotiated every single detail before deciding on the marriage.
“Yes. I must look after our Tatiana. The poor thing was so shocked, I, as her mother, must take care of her.”
“…That’s unfortunate. I wish her a speedy recovery.”
The Empress snorted, barely audibly. Whatever her nerve, there was no reason for the Empress to cling to that woman and beg. This mere glass greenhouse. Though they had received much help from the Viscount’s family both internally and externally until now, it wouldn’t be difficult to acquire something like this.
For the sake of her son’s authority as the future Emperor of the Empire…
“By the way, have you heard that His Highness the Crown Prince will be entering Lebron in about two days?”
“…What did you just say?”
“I heard he conquered Greenton in the east and entered the Southern Triomphe Arch ten days ago. Along with the famous Red-Eyed Wolf.”
The Viscountess’s hands became busy as she adjusted the white fur collar that matched her hair color. After gently tying a ribbon into a knot, she raised her eyebrows as if quite surprised at the Empress who had frozen like ice. Even that gesture was incomparably elegant.
“Oh my, you didn’t know?”
“…Is it true that the Crown Prince…”
“Well. I heard it from my fourth son-in-law, Marquis Levoni. Since my son-in-law is involved in international affairs and politics, such news reaches him quickly.”
Not that only this kind of news reaches him quickly.
The hem of Viscountess Cartien’s dress slowly covered the strangely verdant meadow.
“Oh dear. I’ve taken too much time. I must hurry to our Tatiana. Your Majesty, if you’ll excuse me.”
“H-how is Lady Tatiana doing?”
“……”
Yes, that’s how you should respond.
At the Empress’s urgent voice, the Viscountess bit back a smile that was about to escape. As she turned around as if she had no choice, the rare white peacock beside the table spread its tail wide as if startled. It goes without saying that even the peacock, the Empress’s most treasured bird, had passed through the hands of House Cartien.
“…How is she? As a mother, I can hardly bear to look—she’s dying, that’s what.”
△▲△▲△
“Tiara. How long has it been since we all went shopping together?”
“We’ve been waiting for you for so long. You should have come out earlier.”
“That’s right.”
Ladies gathered around a table at a coffeehouse in the center of Lebron, chattering away. Tatiana smiled lightly as she watched her friends sitting close to her.
‘It was good to come out like this at least.’
It wasn’t bad to get some fresh air for a change after a long time. In truth, she wasn’t one to enjoy shopping. To be precise, there was no reason for her to go through the trouble of shopping.
Why bother with such hassle?
It often took half a day just to unwrap the gifts her mother, sisters, and brothers-in-law gave her. Even now, her room was filled with boxes she hadn’t even opened, so it was annoying to think about looking at or buying anything more.
“As expected of Tiara. The entire shopping district has emptied out.”
“Definitely. This would never happen at my house.”
“……”
Nevertheless, ‘once you set your mind to something, you see it through properly’ was the iron rule of the Cartien Viscount family. Tatiana, having properly enjoyed the rare pleasure of paying for things herself, focused on her friends’ conversation. While she wasn’t fond of gossip, it was a hundred times better than being pestered all day by her twin sisters.
“Instead of this, shall we go shopping some more?”
“What for? There’s nothing else to buy.”
Her friends shrugged with bored expressions.
“Sigh. These days, all dresses look the same. This is why Lebron is so stifling.”
“I heard from my brother that the South is a bit different. Apparently, the necklines there are cut down to here.”
“How scandalous!”
When Aileen, daughter of Baron Hamilton, whispered while covering her chest, some of the young ladies laughed brightly despite their serious expressions. Most of the ladies, having been born in Lebron and rarely leaving the place, were extremely curious about the outside world.
“But I heard that such dresses appeared here recently too. What was the designer’s name? I think it was Camille.”
“Don’t even mention that filthy woman!”
Rebecca from the Marquis Carriean family suddenly raised her voice. As a member of a distinguished family where titles below Count were nowhere to be found, she was a young lady with immense pride in her lineage.
“Who doesn’t know that commoner woman is Count Therese’s mistress? Not only does she commit adultery, but she shamelessly displays vulgar dresses. Well, it might be better for you, Aileen. Since they use less fabric, they should be cheaper.”
“Re-Rebecca, I…”
“Lady Camille is not an adulteress. She is clearly unmarried, and Countess Therese passed away long ago.”
Tatiana raised her head toward Rebecca, who was making fun of Aileen’s worn dress. From shopping until now, Tatiana had only smiled faintly or nodded without saying much, so even Rebecca, who couldn’t stand losing, couldn’t help but flinch when Tatiana spoke.
“Tatiana!”
“If Lady Camille’s dresses were that terrible, I don’t think we need to talk about her every time we meet.”
“……”
Don’t you agree?
Tatiana quietly lifted her teacup and lowered her eyes as if enjoying the aroma of the tea. I came out to avoid hearing about myself, must I now listen to gossip about others? As only the sound of teaspoons clinking could be heard, Tatiana soon wore a faint smile.
“Speaking of the South, that would be your third brother who went to the battlefield, right, Aileen?”
“Ah. Y-yes!”
Gently, as if nothing had happened, Aileen quickly agreed with Tatiana’s even-toned comment. Though they were both women, watching Tatiana often gave one a feeling of being enchanted.
“He returned with His Highness the Crown Prince’s troops the other day. Since the return is still unofficial, he’s quietly resting at home, but there will be a victory celebration at the Imperial Palace soon!”
“Then all the knights will be there too!”
With Aileen’s words, an excited atmosphere quickly enveloped their table. They were all ladies of marriageable age, so there could be no more interesting topic than this.
Wild knights with sharp swords!
No matter how many refined gentlemen there were in the capital, Freya itself was a conquest empire founded on military power. Unless one was the heir to a prestigious family, it was natural for knights who expanded territory with powerful strength to appear far more attractive to the ladies.
‘Return, is it? It’s been three years, hasn’t it?’
No wonder the streets seemed noisy.
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