Chapter 006
* * *
After that, Elody spent a long while persuading Isabel.
Isabel listened intently to her sister-in-law’s explanation and eventually agreed that the proposal could be quite effective. The problem, however, was that Elody’s role in this plan was immense.
If something went wrong, even Elody’s reputation could be dragged through the mud…
‘Why is the Young Lady going out of her way to help me?’
Isabel furrowed her brows, sinking deep into thought.
Elody von Labantes.
She was Isabel’s sister-in-law and the Empire’s only Princess. Although she hadn’t bullied Isabel openly like Marissa did, Isabel actually found facing Elody much more difficult.
Born of noble blood, Elody had never once treated Isabel as an equal. Even though Isabel hailed from a prestigious Count’s family, Elody possessed boundless pride in her status as the ‘Empire’s only Princess.’
Thus, Elody looked down on everyone as naturally as she breathed, and she was even more cold-hearted when dealing with her sister-in-law, who was ignored by the rest of the family. Every time Isabel met those eyes that dismissed her as a matter of course, her heart would ache…
‘Let’s not expect too much.’
At the same time, Isabel’s gaze grew calm and subdued.
After all, this was that Elody.
It was likely just a whim. Or perhaps, for some reason, she was dissatisfied with Marissa and was using Isabel as a pretext to cause a disturbance.
‘Let’s just focus on work.’
Isabel tried her best to ignore the rising tide of expectation. She gripped her quill once more and began to immerse herself in paperwork.
However, she could do nothing to stop her heart from racing of its own accord.
* * *
Time flew by, and the day of the garden party finally arrived.
Thanks to the days of devotion Isabel had poured into it, the gardens of the Labantes Duchy were steeped in the full essence of spring.
What was most overwhelming were the various spring flowers blooming across the entire garden. The flowers, blooming in harmonious colors, were so beautiful that the garden looked like a landscape painting a painter had poured their soul into.
Beyond that, there were comfortable chairs, elegant tableware, and a never-ending supply of food and drinks. It was, quite literally, a flawless garden party.
And in that very garden Isabel had worked so hard to decorate, Marissa was heatedly badmouthing her.
“I knew it from the moment she stepped forward as the host. Just look at these flower arrangements.”
Marissa let out a snicker, tapping the fresh floral centerpiece on the table with her index finger.
“Isn’t it truly tacky?”
“Ah…”
The noble ladies seated with her subtly glanced at one another.
Objectively speaking, today’s garden party was magnificent. Yet, despite the awkward atmosphere, Marissa remained completely unbothered.
“I suppose because of her background, that low-class taste just bleeds through.”
If one were to be technical, Marissa had no right to say such things. Marissa came from a Baron’s family, while Isabel came from a Count’s. Furthermore, the guests gathered here were a mix of high-ranking and lower-ranking nobles.
In such a situation, bringing up one’s background was no different than insulting every lower-ranking noble attending the party. The noble ladies’ expressions became ambiguous.
Then, Marissa took it a step further.
“And regarding the expenses for this party—would you believe she didn’t even seek my permission?”
Marissa clicked her tongue loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“It makes me wonder if she’s just outright ignoring me, the elder of the family.”
“Oh my, is that so?”
“You must be truly hurt.”
While the ladies offered verbal agreement, they couldn’t hide their subtle expressions. No matter how much Marissa was the current Duke’s adoptive mother and the family elder, those words crossed the line.
Marissa wasn’t the head of the household, so why should she have to approve the budget? Furthermore, domestic affairs were the domain of the Mistress of the house. Strictly speaking, it was Isabel’s right.
“She’s lacking in many ways to establish herself as the Mistress of the Duchy.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Really, my bones are aching from trying to cover for that girl’s inadequacies.”
Marissa complained about Isabel again in an irritated voice.
“Then she should at least be grateful. That girl doesn’t even know what gratitude is, honestly.”
Taking a sip of tea to moisten her throat, Marissa added with an air of triumph.
“And besides, hasn’t she failed to perform even the most basic duty of a Mistress yet?”
“The basic duty?”
“Yes. An heir for the family.”
The noble ladies let out short, sharp intakes of breath. Regardless, Marissa was too preoccupied with ridiculing her daughter-in-law to notice.
“I don’t know when she plans on having a child. Well, I suppose it can’t be helped since the field itself is so poor.”
At that blatant insult, the ladies exchanged secret glances once more. In truth, hadn’t Marissa herself failed to produce an heir for the Duchy?
But just then.
“Oh my, what is that?”
One of the noble ladies spoke up, her eyes widening.
In the distance, a lady with brilliant blonde hair elegantly swept up had made her appearance. However, something was strange.
Today’s dress code was yellow. Consequently, all the guests were dressed in colors matching that theme. But the Isabel before their eyes was…
“…She’s wearing a green dress?”
The lady who first spotted Isabel muttered in bewilderment.
Today, Isabel wore a deep green dress that perfectly matched the color of her eyes. While her appearance looked as fresh as a nymph who had just emerged from the forest…
“Goodness, wasn’t there a designated dress code for today’s garden party?”
“And for the host of the party to ignore it…”
“That is a bit disrespectful.”
The noble ladies whispered in low voices. It was exactly the reaction Marissa had been waiting for.
‘Good.’
Marissa twisted the corners of her lips into a satisfied smirk and pointed at Isabel.
“Just look at that. No matter how much she’s the host of this party, her greed to be the only one standing out is just too much…”
But then.
The noble ladies began to stir once again.
“Wait, that person over there. Isn’t that Princess Labantes?”
“But the dress the Princess is wearing is…”
Marissa’s eyes bulged. She had certainly sent word of the dress code to Elody through Judy beforehand.
So why?
‘Why is Elody dressed in such a state too?!’
Everyone’s eyes were now fixed on Elody. Though she could have been intimidated, Elody walked with a confident stride. The silver dress she had meticulously chosen just for today rippled elegantly at her feet.
Diamond earrings the size of a fingernail sparkled like stars on her earlobes. From head to toe, there was not a trace of the ‘yellow’ designated as the dress code.
The guests attending the party whispered amongst themselves.
“Why didn’t both of them follow the dress code?”
“Indeed, I wonder if there’s some sort of reason?”
If Isabel had been the only one who didn’t follow the dress code, it would have been fine. As Marissa said, it could be understood as ‘Isabel being overly greedy because she wanted to stand out alone.’
But for both women of the Duchy to ignore the dress code… wasn’t that a bit strange?
