Chapter 15

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Marquise's Visit
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The only reason our conversation is flowing so smoothly is because I'm playing along, stooping to her level. Otherwise, it would have long since devolved into an awkward silence. But Roena was completely oblivious to this.

Not that I could get angry or tell her to stop. After all, this was just another beautiful scene in ‘Roena’s Efforts to Befriend Her Stepsister.’

Besides, most people in the hall had no idea what level of conversation Roena was engaging in, or how much it was tormenting me.

For nobles, this level of knowledge was essential, common sense. So a conversation like this was perfectly normal. If anything, *I* was the stupid and ignorant one for not understanding.

Exhausted by the endless conversation, I finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke up.

“Roena, you truly have such deep knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. This enlightening conversation with you has lifted my spirits. But don't you think this is enough for now? I'm nearly hoarse from admiring your intellect.”

“Oh, you’re right. I’m so sorry. I was only thinking of myself.”

Damn it, you’re only just realizing that now? You wretched, self-centered little brat!

Contrary to my true, sullen feelings, I put on a bright smile and shook my head lightly.

“Not at all. You weren’t the only one enjoying the conversation. But I do hope you’ll focus a little more on your food. You’ll be terribly hungry otherwise. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

It was the most refined way of saying, ‘So shut up and eat your food, you little witch,’ and she reluctantly agreed.

She turned away, her face bright red, but thankfully, Roena didn't utter another word. Instead, she focused on eating her food with her fork and knife.

This continued until the meal was over. It was a truly, blissfully wonderful silence.

Despite the brief incident, I was in a good mood after enjoying a leisurely meal for the first time in a while. I rinsed my mouth with the lemon water a maid offered and wiped my hands on a napkin.

My stepfather savored the afterglow of the banquet with a cherry brandy, while my mother sipped slowly at honey-sweetened wine in a chilled pewter goblet.

Roena was eating an apple baked in a stone oven and preserved in honey. It was when his brandy was nearly gone that my stepfather spoke up, as if a thought had just occurred to him.

“That reminds me, I received a message from my sister this afternoon. She said she’ll be arriving at the estate in two days.”

At his words, my mother’s face turned deathly pale. She was terrified by the visit of my stepfather’s sister—my step-aunt—the Marquise, Louise Bella de La Vallière.

A titan of the social world and a paragon for all young ladies, Madame de La Vallière was the lady of ladies, the noble of nobles—a woman everyone yearned to be.

Not only did she possess a deep artistic appreciation across many fields, but she also championed and adored young intellectuals, and her connections were vast from her many exchanges with prominent figures in every circle.

Moreover, despite being over forty, she was so stylish as to be a trendsetter, earning the envy of all. She was, in a word, a woman who bordered on perfection.

But my mother did not like Madame de La Vallière. No, it would be more accurate to say she feared her.

The powerful aura emanating from Louise Bella de La Vallière, her piercing gaze, and the look of near-contempt she directed at the woman who had ensnared her younger brother—it was more than my faint-hearted mother could bear.

How else could she have burst into tears in my arms after their first meeting?

‘Oh, my child. I feel so ashamed. I’ve never been so scorned in my entire life. I felt like a piece of meat hanging in a butcher’s shop. Louise Bella de La Vallière looked at me as if I were a prostitute who could be bought for a few coins. Heavens. You should have seen that arrogant smile of hers!’

When she first went to pay her respects, Madame de La Vallière hadn't said a single word. She had simply made my mother stand in the center, surrounded her with other women, and then sat like a queen, staring.

Silently, as if my mother wasn't even worth speaking to, as if she refused to acknowledge her very existence.

Then, just as my mother, exhausted by the silent pressure, was gasping for breath and trembling on the verge of collapse, she finally rose from her seat and tossed out a single remark.

‘What a waste of time. A thoroughly unimpressive woman, not even worth a second glance.’

Ah, how could I possibly describe the humiliation of that moment? She would probably never forget it until the day she died. It was a cruel remark that trampled a woman’s pride.

And now, Louise Bella de La Vallière, the very woman who had made my mother taste such feelings, was arriving at the Vischwartz estate in two days.

It was only natural for my mother to be afraid. She glanced nervously at my stepfather and spoke cautiously.

“Do you… happen to know the purpose of her visit?”

My stepfather replied as if it were nothing.

“The exhibition opens in ten days. She said she’s coming to see it. So I asked her to stay at the estate. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my sister, after all. And besides, there’s something I need to ask of her.”

“Ask of her?”

“There’s no one better suited to teach Cisse than my sister. Don’t you agree?”

My stepfather had tried to entrust me to Madame de La Vallière in the past. It was his way of trying to make me a proper lady with her help.

But back then, I had wasted a full six months indulging in extravagant purchases and couldn’t keep up with Madame de La Vallière’s lessons and guidance at all.

Instead, unable to bear her scornful gaze, I would throw tantrums and wail uncontrollably. This continued until Madame de La Vallière, exhausted by my foolish behavior, became enraged and left the estate.

I had failed to recognize the gold that had rolled right to my feet, kicking it away like a common stone on the roadside.

Her anger toward me ran so deep that Madame de La Vallière didn’t even send a letter to the estate until after my stepfather died.

Because of me, my stepfather was forced to become estranged from Madame de La Vallière. What more is there to say when, even after I realized I needed her help to defeat Roena and went to beg for forgiveness, she wouldn't even open her gates to me?

That same Madame de La Vallière was coming. To teach me, just like before.

My mother’s lips trembled as she looked at me with worry. Her gaze held a deep concern that words could not express.

I gave my mother a reassuring smile. Then, in a much brighter voice, I spoke to my stepfather.

“But my aunt can’t possibly take on all of my lessons herself. I’m worried it would be too much trouble for her because of me.”

“My sister will teach you the basic etiquette and dignity a lady must possess. You will learn the other subjects from tutors, so do not worry.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried I would be a burden to her.”

There was so much for me to learn again, from basic social dances to musical instruments, music, singing, literature, painting, embroidery, history, basic arithmetic, and even ancient and foreign languages.

I also had to learn new forms of entertainment, such as horseback riding, of course, as well as simple strategy games, gambling, and theater.

To ensure I wouldn't be uncomfortable, my stepfather hired all new tutors for me, making sure none of them overlapped with Roena’s.

To show my gratitude for his consideration, I ran up and kissed him on the cheek. My stepfather seemed slightly taken aback by such a bold display of affection, one more suited to a commoner, but he soon let out a hearty laugh, not at all displeased.

It was understandable. Roena was a very lovely, beautiful, and charming daughter, but having been taught the strict etiquette of a lady, she showed very little physical affection.

For them, kissing a man on the cheek, as I had just done, was something only possible in a private space where no one was watching.

Ignoring Roena, who was staring at me with wide, surprised eyes, I put on the happiest smile I could muster.

“I’ll work hard so I don’t disappoint you.”

I already knew everything, thanks to my past memories, but by hiding that fact and pretending to be ignorant, I intended to show that I, too, was a genius with limitless potential, just like Roena.

This was all in preparation to shed the stigma that had clung to the back of the old Cisse Vischwartz—‘the foolish, ignorant, and ill-mannered girl’—and replace it with a new title: ‘a girl who is not only a genius on par with Roena, but also a hard worker.’

Therefore, for the sake of that glorious day to come, I was confident I could laugh off Madame de La Vallière’s sharp tongue and scornful glares.

If it meant creating a stepping stone for my growth, I wouldn’t think twice about prostrating myself at her feet and licking them like a dog.

So let me learn greedily and absorb everything I can. Let me strive to grow great feathers on these downy wings. Until the day I can soar freely through the vast, high sky.

My stepfather, pleased with my words, laughed heartily. Then he gave me a gentle smile and said,

“Yes, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Instead of answering, I gave a deep, silent bow and calmly met my mother’s anxious gaze, wishing all the while that she would arrive even a day sooner.

After the banquet, I made some idle chit-chat to aid my digestion before excusing myself from my stepfather and mother and rising from my seat.

Roena, who seemed to be staying longer, bid me farewell. Judging by the way her eyes sparkled with adoration and affection for my mother, it seemed she hadn’t yet heard the story of the ‘key.’

Was that why? Her behavior was like that of a young animal. A puppy, desperate for affection—in other words, a wretched thing that ruins everything by feigning innocence.

No wonder I kept feeling the urge to shatter that innocent face of hers. But I couldn’t let it show.

Instead, I feigned the part of a sister who couldn’t bear how adorable her younger sibling was, and with a shy smile filling my face, I kissed her on the cheek.

Of course, the moment I got back to my room, I yelled for Marie to bring me water to rinse my mouth.

***

To become a beauty praised by all, one needed to meet several conditions.

Things like shimmering golden hair, smooth skin, a full bosom, a slender waist, long and firm legs like a deer’s, eyes that sparkled like jewels, a sharp nose, pale pink lips, and a well-rounded bottom.

But most important of all was to have skin as white as snow.

No matter how perfect a beauty’s features were, if her skin was tanned, she would be scorned as being of low birth. In the world of nobles, skin that wasn’t pale was something only a commoner who toiled under the hot sun would have.

Unfortunately, my skin was not pale. Perhaps because I had worked alongside my mother since I was young, it had a slightly yellowish hue, like freshly baked bread.

It was a mark of my low birth, making me an object of ridicule for those in high society. Even if I could hide my face with white powder, I couldn’t cover places like my collarbones or my arms.

To make matters worse, the dresses in fashion at the time had sleeves that only came down to the upper arm, making it impossible to even wear gloves that reached above the wrist.

So at every party I attended, I had to stand alone under the stares of others, swallowing my resentment as I received scornful looks even from the women who pretended to be on my side.

Marie and the other maids knew how important fair, snow-white skin was to noblewomen, but they never offered me any beauty massages or advice.

Even Roena had said to me, ‘I thought your skin was the type that wouldn’t benefit from applying the whitening paste,’ so there was no need to wonder about the others’ attitudes.

But after my stepfather’s death, when I took control of the estate, I learned of the existence of the ‘whitening paste.’ Once I began diligently caring for my appearance with it, my skin became astonishingly white. As white as Roena’s.