Chapter 96

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 96

Chapter Title: First Audience

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About a week after the banquet.

Arpad and I were sitting on pins and needles.

No, wait. A quick glance showed that Arpad looked perfectly serene even in this situation. It seemed I was the only one squirming.

That was because Grand Duchess Aksion was standing there, personally brewing tea for us.

The maids nearby looked flustered and tried to step in.

"Your Grace, allow me to..."

"That's right, Great-Aunt. Please leave it to me."

"No. As head maid of honor, I must do it myself."

The teapot looked far too heavy for an elderly woman to handle.

Yet the Grand Duchess stubbornly brewed the tea herself and poured it directly for Arpad and me.

"......"

"......"

It felt deeply uncomfortable to be waited on by someone old enough to be our grandparent.

The Confucian in me is trying to leap up!

With superhuman restraint, I resisted the urge to snatch the cup from her hands.

I might have done it if it were just Arpad, me, and our close aides present.

But not now.

"Good heavens, for the Grand Duchess herself to brew tea for us..."

"It's not just for show—she's truly attending to Her Highness the Crown Princess."

A flicker of awe passed over the faces of the noble ladies gathered for the audience.

They already seemed stunned that I'd appeared alongside Arpad.

The Crown Prince dotes on her so much—it's true!

Reactions like that.

With the Grand Duchess—my temporary head maid of honor—adding her meticulous service, my status had skyrocketed to the heavens.

It was a stark contrast to the Empress's palace, which had been virtually deserted since the confinement order.

The guests honored with invitations to my first audience (as they themselves put it) were treated to an extra delight: tea brewed personally by the Grand Duchess.

Of course, she didn't pour or serve the cups herself to everyone.

Only Arpad and I received that privilege.

The maids carried the Grand Duchess's tea to the audience guests.

Even that had everyone in a state of humble gratitude.

They showered me with endless praise and flattery, their mouths running dry in the process.

"To meet Your Highness in person like this—it's an infinite honor."

"And to see His Highness the Crown Prince and the Grand Duchess as well. I must be the luckiest woman alive."

"It must all be because His Highness dotes on you so terribly."

"And isn't it true the Emperor commanded you to call him 'Grandfather'?"

"Yes, I heard it straight from the source."

They rubbed their hands together with enthusiasm that would put flies to shame.

"Now that Your Highness will oversee court affairs, the imperial palace will shine even brighter."

"Exactly. The capital's social scene has been so subdued until now, hasn't it?"

The shameless pivot from those who'd fawned over the Empress and Evangeline Ruth—the former queens of that subdued scene—was impressive.

I found their brazenness distasteful, but it didn't hurt me any.

This audience was my opening salvo in fully conquering high society, after all.

Thankfully, the first audience wrapped up successfully.

Right after, as Arpad headed to the Crown Prince's palace for his own duties, he ran into an unexpected face.

His maternal grandmother.

"Might I have a moment of your time, Your Highness?"

"...Very well."

He'd just seen her at the audience, so he was puzzled why she wanted a private word. Still, Arpad dismissed the others and spoke with her in a secluded corner of the garden.

Come to think of it, this was the first time he'd conversed alone with his grandmother.

She rarely visited even when Mother was alive.

He had no memories of being doted on by her as a child.

As a result, their grandfather-grandson exchange was stiff and awkward.

"No matter how I think about it, I'm the only one who can say this, so I followed you out."

"No need to beat around the bush."

A way of saying he was busy—get to the point.

Grand Duchess Aksion fixed her grandson with a cold gaze.

If Hilia had seen it, she would've clapped at how identical their expressions were. Neither realized it, of course.

"It seems Her Highness has inherited most of the late Empress's treasures."

Arpad's brow furrowed.

Was she seriously bringing that up?

"It's only natural for a daughter-in-law to receive her mother-in-law's jewels."

Thorns crept into his voice unbidden.

But Grand Duchess Aksion wasn't criticizing.

"Well done. You've handed your master a fine prize."

"...?"

It was a relief she wasn't complaining, but did this warrant pulling him aside?

Her next words hit Arpad like a blow to the back of the head.

"But I noticed hardly any new jewels or trinkets."

"...!"

Arpad realized his mistake.

Of course, Hilia already controlled the Crown Prince's palace budget—and with the platinum key in hand, money was no issue.

She had plenty of accessories and dresses.

But.

I haven't given her anything myself!

It was a lightning-bolt realization.

Wait... have I even given her an engagement gift?

Naturally, no.

If anything, Arpad was the one who'd received a jewel.

Agrippina's Tear.

It had been an advance on a commission, but in his mind, it had already transformed into an engagement gift.

Thanks to the bride abduction marriage, they hadn't even held a proper wedding.

The closest thing was the reception at Artanus Hall.

In the end, from proposal to marriage to reception, he hadn't properly given his wife a thing.

Arpad's expression grew grave.

Kemel's dress shop was packed to the brim today, as always.

Melissa Kemal surveyed the bustling shop and busy staff with a satisfied smile.

It's already been ten days since the banquet ended. No word from the Crown Princess means she's letting it slide.

If she meant to punish them, she'd have done it by now.

Besides, we had no power—we just did as we were told.

So the Crown Princess's grudge was aimed solely at Evangeline.

As Melissa breathed a sigh of relief, her daughter whispered.

"Looks like those hefty bribes paid off, huh?"

Melissa hardened her expression and silenced her daughter.

"Never say that again. If word leaks and reaches the Crown Princess's ears, we'll truly earn her ire."

The mother-daughter duo donned a few more shawls and began greeting customers.

That was when it happened. The already crowded front of Kemel's dress shop grew unusually rowdy. Melissa Kemal went out herself to check and froze in shock.

A golden carriage drawn by six white horses had pulled up in front of the shop.

The crest emblazoned on it made her eyes bulge.

A blue sea serpent impaled on a spear.

Even she recognized it as the mark of a great noble house.

The Muzen Ducal House!

Only three ducal houses existed in the empire.

What they shared in common: each had once ruled a sovereign nation before submitting to the empire.

There had been four originally, but the western duchy had died out, with its cadet branch—the Solenu Marquisate—acting as proxy, though it lacked true ducal prestige.

Three remained. One was the Delphin Ducal House, rooted in the east.

The others: Teslan in the north and Muzen in the south.

The Delphins had fallen under imperial influence since the previous duke's time.

With his heir Hilia marrying into the imperial family, they were effectively absorbed.

The northern and southern houses had clung to their independence to the end.

Thus, they enjoyed extraordinary autonomy and command over their own forces.

With near-sovereign rights, members of those two houses rarely ventured to the capital—only for major events like a change in house head, a new emperor, or a betrothal.

"Wait, isn't that crest the Muzen Ducal House from the south?"

"Y-yes, it is!"

"I haven't heard anything about the Muzens coming to the capital."

"Oh my!"

Amid gasps of shock and admiration from all sides, a handsome young man alighted first from the carriage.

His fiery red hair contrasted strikingly with his deep blue eyes.

He extended a hand into the carriage.

"Here, Mother."

"Thank you, Aaron."

The noblewoman had striking deep purple hair. Her eyes matched the young man's blue hue, making their relation obvious.

Her dress was violet, adorned with lavish wave-like lace.

Their identities were easy enough to guess.

"No way—that's Aaron Muzen, the Sub-Duke, strongest knight of the south!"

"Ah, the one who won the tournament at age fourteen?"

"Then that lady must be the Duchess of Muzen?"

Eyes watched from afar as the glamorous pair, drawing massive buzz, entered Kemel's dress shop.

From a nearby second-floor terrace she'd rented, a woman hiding her face with a fan flashed victorious green eyes.

Yes, you've arrived!

Evangeline had known of the Muzen Duchess's arrival and lay in wait.