CH 49

“Congratulations on the Grand Ducal couple’s wedding. We, the Armando family, have prepared a small present.”

…Duke Armando.

Could she finally see the Lady’s face? Behind a middle-aged man with dark blue hair, a woman with light blue hair bowed her head.

“It is a mineral that only comes from our family.”

What they showed them was a mineral that was not glamorous and looked crude, unlike the gifts of others. At first glance, what looked like a lump of stone didn’t seem precious at all.

“If processed, it can also be used as an ornament.”

“It’s a magic stone only produced by the Armando family.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Magic stone. Elysia looked at the stone once more. No matter how she looked at it, it looked just like an ordinary stone. Although it looked blue at first glance, that was all.

“I’d prefer the Duke over other people who bring trash.”

“Thank you.”

Elysia was surprised by Damon’s remarks mentioning that it was outright trash. Holding on to her mouth that was about to open, she barely caught her breath. But here, only she was perplexed. That said, it wasn’t the first time Damon had acted like this.

“Greetings, Your Grace. This is my daughter.”

“I am Sierra Armando.”

One of the women who almost became Damon’s bride, Lady Armando.

Unlike Duke Armando, who had dark blue hair, the Lady had light blue eyes and light blue hair. Even though she didn’t want to admit it, based only on her appearance, she looked more suited with Damon than with Elysia.

The Lady caught attention because of her pale blue eyes and his eyes that seemed similar yet different.

Lady Armando was more beautiful than Elysia, who had been decorated with all might from dawn. She must have been the lead of the wedding, but so did Lady Armando. Unlike her, who was dazed at the first party she attended, Lady Armando stood proudly with her back straight, and her eyes lit up.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Armando.”

“It is an honor to meet the Grand Duchess.”

She gripped the social world, the rumors seemed to be true. As soon as Lady Armando entered, the atmosphere of the hall changed in an instant. Although Elysia had not yet met the Empress, she could tell by looking at Sierra that she was not normal.

It was a brief greeting, though Sierra’s image was strong. Arianne looked like she wasn’t invited. No matter how she was given the rank of Countess by the Empress, it seemed that a former maid couldn’t be invited to a party like this.

“Are you tired?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t look good.”

Elysia seemed to have hardened her expression without even realizing it.

It was good that Arianne wasn’t at the party, but she felt strange about the nobles’ duality. She was, in fact, one of those people who shouldn’t even have to sit in this seat. Even nobles with illegitimate children were also socialites, but they did not recognize them as true nobles.

“No, it’s okay…”

She couldn’t attend a party attended by such great nobles. Whereas now, not only did Elysia attend the party, but she also rose to the rank of Grand Duchess. Originally, she was in a position that she would not have dreamed of becoming the Grand Duchess.

A Grand Duchess from an illegitimate child… It was clear in her eyes what the talks would be.

Even now, as if looking at a stranger, the vigilant eyes would soon turn into a bright light. It was probably not long before the rumors would spread that she was an illegitimate child. Since she had to get married, they were hiding it for now.

“Your Grace, you should take a break and change your dress.”

“Yes.”

When the maid who approached her said that, she nodded her head.

…How long did she have to change her dress in the middle of the party? Elysia felt it was amazing again. She couldn’t do this with normal stamina.

The number of nobles who would give greetings to her still remained long—even that, Damon was in control. The dark dress, which was closer to blue than navy, had a dragon pattern engraved on it diagonally. Jewels were densely adorned over it, which shimmered with every movement.

“It’s even more glamorous when you wear it.”

The dress with a mermaid line has a pleated hem, which complements what would usually be plain. Aside from it being a little chubby on the chest, it was a good fit for her. Although she had gained some weight, Elysia was still skinny, so it was difficult to wear a revealing dress.

“Exposure was minimal except for the chest area.”

Actually, she didn’t choose this dress because she really liked it although she had no choice but to choose it.

Elysia had no choice but to choose a design that seemed to have copied Grand Duchy Raphael. The fabric material was different from that of the wedding dress and was more attached to the body, revealing the body as it was.

To be honest, it was a cumbersome design.

“I don’t have much exposure, but… It’s very revealing.”

“It’s a leather dress, so I think it’s because it’s attached to the body.”

In order to express dragons and gems like this, it seemed that it was necessary to use stronger material than cloth.

Aside from the beautiful and intense dress, she had been malnourished not so long ago. It was only now that she was barely tall and fat, so her body was still far from a healthy body enough to pull off a dress like this perfectly.

“If you wear fur here, you’ll be fine.”

They lifted her loose hair back to reveal her neckline and changed her make-up a little darker. When Catherine put the fur on her arm, she looked just like a mafia woman from a Hong Kong movie. The fur shawl covered her body line and wrapped around Elysia’s skinny body.

“I’m going out now.”

“Good work, Catherine.”

“It suits Your Grace so well, I haven’t done anything.”

Only after fitting the last dress did Catherine leave the waiting room. Together, all the maids lined up and left.

Now, only Elysia and Estelle were in the room.

“Excuse me, Estelle.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Elysia was hesitant to ask this. Of course, Estelle was right to teach her anything that she didn’t know, but things have changed a lot now. She knew that it was a place where she had to be careful to say each and every word.

“Please, feel free to speak as before. I have always been Your Grace’s person.”

Perhaps noticing her mind, Estelle spoke first. Still, Elysa still couldn’t help but hesitate, so she continued.

“Your Grace, I have told you before. You’re just uneducated, you’re smarter than anyone else.”

“Actually… I couldn’t understand why the Grand Duke would be angry with the gift from the Emperor.”

“Did the Emperor send you a tiara?”

Although it was small in size, it was a gift anyway. For some reason, however, Damon became very angry as soon as he saw the gift. No matter how he disliked the gift, it was a gift from the Emperor. Damon reacting that way made it difficult for her to know how to react.

“First of all, you didn’t say anything, you did well.”

“Why is he so angry…?”

She thought it would be better to keep silent, so she was relieved to hear that keeping her mouth shut was a good choice.

“Only two people can wear a tiara in the Caesar Empire.”

Two people, Elysia nodded her head slightly.

“Originally, it was the Grand Duchess and the Empress. I said that the Grand Duchy had autonomy, do you remember?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks to that, they are the most free family in the Imperial Family, so much so that treason cannot be established even if a person commits treason. Therefore, you can wear a tiara.”

She didn’t know that so many power relations were intertwined with just one small tiara. The more she knew, the more difficult and complex the world was.

“The tiara sent by the Emperor today is not an adult tiara. It’s the size of a tiara that princesses usually use.”

…Ah, now she understood—why was the tiara so small, why was Damon angry? She knew everything.

“Besides, the jewel on the tiara is also ruby… Grand Duchy Raphael uses a lot of blue gems.”

“I know what Estelle is talking about.”

Even Estelle could not speak openly and was talking round and round. It was as if the Imperial Family was trying to press down on the Grand Duchy using the tiara. Although she hadn’t met yet, Elysia already hates the Emperor.

‘They’re behaving in such a way… It’s no good.’

Even if she recalled what kind of character the Emperor was, she couldn’t remember well. She had lived here for twenty years, so Elysia could not clearly remember the contents of a book she had read before that.

Damon was the only thing she remembered because she was directly involved.

“I should have explained it earlier… Forgive me.”

Seeing Estelle bowing her head, Elysia waved her hand to stop her.

It wasn’t Estelle’s fault. The Emperor, who unexpectedly hit the back of their head in this way, was the culprit. It was surprising how he could piss people off in a way that didn’t make sense.

As an emperor, he still could not be free from Damon’s face.

According to her memory, Damon even brutally murdered him. It wasn’t for any reason. He was just bored and wanted to become Emperor because the Emperor’s seat was not vacant.

“No, it’s not Estelle’s fault.”

“No, I’m not good at teaching…”

Elysia hated the Emperor even more because Estelle became apologetic. She realized why she didn’t remember the Emperor. It was because it was a supporting role that had no importance in the original.

His only role was to be killed at Damon’s hands. It was only natural that she couldn’t remember the Emperor.

‘I don’t think the supporting role is of any help…’