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Chapter 60: Reputation

Nora smiled brightly as she finished speaking.

Of course, her real intent was to take a subtle jab at Aracila—highlighting how, while her husband’s reputation had taken a hit, hers had actually improved.

The other young ladies quickly caught on and eagerly chimed in, subtly insulting Aracila under the guise of conversation.

“Lady Vandemir isn’t the type to hold back just to accommodate others. She seems like someone who always gets what she wants, no matter what.”

“She really is talented. Regardless of what happened to her husband, she didn’t suffer any losses from this incident.”

“Indeed. Even after the case was closed, she persisted and worked with the knights to capture the murderer. People are praising her determination.”

“If I were Sir Vandemir, I think I’d feel a little hurt. He allowed her to work with the knights, but she hasn’t even acknowledged that publicly.”

Nora had merely set the stage, yet the young ladies naturally steered the conversation exactly as she wanted.

Their words painted Aracila as someone who cared only for herself, indifferent to her husband’s struggles.

No one tried to stop it—because this was precisely what Nora had intended.

“Even during the Hunting Festival, Lady Vandemir didn’t seem to yield much to her husband. A person shouldn’t be too greedy.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve never really seen her supporting Sir Vandemir in any way since their marriage. It seems like her ambition to become the Mage Tower Master is the only thing that matters to her.”

“Honestly, if she was going to be so self-centered, she shouldn’t have gotten married in the first place. They say it was a love match, but she shows no basic consideration for her husband.”

“Now that I think about it, maybe there was a good reason why she argued with the Grand Madam before. The Grand Madam must have been genuinely worried about her grandson.”

The young ladies’ criticisms snowballed, turning into an unstoppable train of negativity.

Nora lifted her teacup to her lips, hiding the smirk that threatened to form.

‘Even if she doesn’t care about her reputation now, that won’t last forever.’

Married noblewomen had to be even more mindful of their reputation than unmarried ones.

With so many social ties and obligations, even a small stain on one’s name could lead to major consequences.

If the words spoken at today’s gathering spread through the social circles, Aracila would inevitably be affected.

Nora tightened her grip on her teacup, recalling how Aracila always carried herself like a cold, untouchable swan.

No matter how skilled she was as a mage, in high society, Nora held the upper hand.

This time, Aracila’s aloof nature would come back to bite her.

Confident in her victory, Nora sealed the conversation with one final remark.

“A virtuous wife should know how to support her husband wisely. In that regard, Lady Vandemir does fall a bit short.”

With a soft clink, she set down her teacup, drawing even more attention to her words.

“Still, I doubt she’s deliberately trying to hold him back. It’s probably just inexperience—she is still newly married, after all.”

On the surface, it sounded like she was defending Aracila.

But everyone present knew better.

Just a few days later, rumors began circulating in high society—whispers that Aracila was failing as a wife, that she wasn’t supporting her husband, and that she was even hindering his career on purpose.

—

A large hand reached across the table, placing an envelope bearing the imperial seal in front of Aracila.

She had just been about to take a bite of sausage and salad when she set down her fork and picked up the invitation.

She unfolded it absentmindedly, only for her expression to shift slightly in surprise.

“…A banquet for the First Prince’s return?”

The Emperor of the Setron Empire had multiple children, but none of them shared the same mother.

He had fathered exactly one child with each of his consorts.

Among them, the First Prince, Lucas, was the son of the First Consort.

Although the Empress’s son, Frederick, held a higher status, Lucas had been born first, making him the Emperor’s eldest child.

During his youth, Lucas had been sent abroad for both diplomatic missions and education.

Even after reaching adulthood, he had never returned to the empire permanently. Instead, he traveled from nation to nation as a representative of Setron.

“Yes. He recently secured a peace treaty with the Kingdom of Silin and is returning in recognition of his achievements.”

“Is that so? I didn’t know.”

Aracila had been too busy to keep up with international politics.

Still, she was aware that the Kingdom of Silin had been a growing threat along the empire’s eastern coast.

A peace treaty was a major achievement—one worthy of a royal banquet.

“So, will you be attending the party with me?”

“Hmm…”

Damian’s tone was indifferent, but Aracila hesitated.

The Johnny Pattinson case might have been over, but she was far from free.

She had refocused on her floating stone research, working on developing new magical artifacts.

She had no interest in wasting time at a party.

She was already known for rarely attending social events.

Even imperial balls didn’t tempt her.

“Do I have to go?”

“Not really. Even if you decline, His Highness won’t be offended.”

Damian’s certainty was oddly firm, considering he wasn’t the First Prince himself.

But Aracila didn’t dwell on it.

“Then say I’m unwell and excuse me. No one will find it strange—I do this often.”

“Understood.”

And that was the end of it.

Unlike before, a comfortable silence settled between them as they finished their meal.

Afterward, they parted ways and returned to work.

—

That day, Aracila sat with her two juniors, brainstorming new magical artifact ideas.

They had considered several concepts, but nothing had truly clicked.

Leaning back in her chair, Aracila folded her arms and tilted her head all the way back.

Outside the window, the sky stretched in a brilliant shade of blue.

And then—

A sudden thought crossed her mind.

‘Hmm. Wouldn’t it be fun if there were ships floating in the sky?’

The idea flashed through her like lightning.

She immediately sat up straight and turned to her assistants.

“What if… we invented a ship that could float in the sky?”

“…Excuse me?”

Her juniors blinked at her in confusion.

“Think about it. There are carriages for land, ships for the sea, but nothing for the sky. Why not create an airship using floating stones?”

Aracila had no interest in simply making objects hover with magic.

The key to invention was practicality.

No matter how innovative something was, if it lacked usefulness, people would quickly lose interest.

That would diminish the value of both the invention and the research itself.

She refused to let her hard work be wasted like that.

That was why they had spent so much time carefully considering their next project.

“Ooh! I actually think that’s a fantastic idea!”

Sally was the first to voice her enthusiasm.

Rudy quickly followed.

“I agree! We’d be creating an entirely new mode of transportation. If we do this right, we could surpass even Travis’s research team in commercial success!”

The competition between seniors inevitably influenced their juniors as well.
Rudy and Sally were just as determined as Aracila to defeat Travis’s side.

“Since our opinions have aligned, let’s proceed with development in this direction.”
“Yes, senior!”

—

“This was sent by the Duchess of Vandemir.”

Returning home late from work, Aracila received a letter from the head maid. The sender was not someone she welcomed, and her expression soured.

She climbed the stairs while reading the letter, skipping over unnecessary pleasantries and getting straight to the main point.

The two-page letter, filled with accusations and threats, could be summarized as follows:

“Your reputation in the capital’s social circles is utterly disgraceful these days. Are you not properly supporting Damian? Do you want a divorce?”

Aracila casually folded the letter and handed it to Audrey, her expression turning serious.

It was nothing new for her to have a poor reputation in high society, but the fact that the Duchess was now bringing up divorce suggested that this was no ordinary situation.

“What on earth is being said about me for her to react like this?”

Since divorce was still a bit of a sensitive issue, Aracila realized she needed to thoroughly understand the current state of the social scene.

The next day, she sought out Paula.

Her older sister, Iris, was also well-informed about social gossip, but it was a little too embarrassing to ask family members about rumors concerning herself.

After exchanging a warm hug with Paula, who welcomed her, Aracila got straight to the point.

“Paula, I have something to ask you.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Is my reputation really that bad in high society lately?”

Paula, who had been smiling brightly at the unexpected visit from her friend, flinched. Her eyes darted about awkwardly.

“You can just be honest. You know I don’t get hurt over things like this.”

“…Actually, there are some strange rumors going around.”

Paula hesitated before answering. She had been debating whether to tell Aracila about it or not.

She usually refrained from sharing the negative gossip circulating in high society, knowing that Aracila didn’t care about her reputation.

But this time, even her husband, Damian, was being dragged into the rumors, making it a difficult dilemma for Paula.

“You’re not quite on Lexie Litterson’s level, but… well, there’s talk that you deliberately married Lord Vandemir to hinder his future.”

“What?”

“Some say that Lord Vandemir is turning a blind eye because he loves you, or that he’s an innocent man who knows nothing about women and is simply being deceived by you.”

What kind of nonsense is this?

Aracila couldn’t hide her irritation and frowned.

Far from hindering Damian’s future, she was actually supporting him.

So why was she suddenly being portrayed as a wicked woman who seduced a naive man to ruin his life?

The absurdity of it all left her speechless, and she gulped down her herbal tea as if it were alcohol.

But Paula wasn’t finished yet.

“There’s also talk about how you defeated Lord Vandemir at the hunting competition, and that you were in charge of the recent disgraceful incident involving the Red Hawk Knights…”

“…….”

“All in all, people are beginning to question your relationship with Lord Vandemir, saying that you’ve only brought him misfortune.”

This was the result of Nora spreading malicious gossip in her social circles, which had snowballed out of control.

Thanks to that, Aracila now had an annoying problem on her hands and pressed her temples.

“…I understand, Paula. Thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem. If you ever need help, just say the word, Aracila.”

After leaving Paula’s residence, Aracila headed straight to Damian.

If left unchecked, the rumors in high society would only grow worse, not die down. She needed to put an end to this scandal.

“I’m going too.”

With that, she stormed into Damian’s office without warning and declared her decision.

“…To the internal knights’ meeting?”

Damian, who had been reviewing documents for the meeting scheduled the next morning, asked in confusion.

“No, not that. The First Prince’s return banquet.”

“Didn’t you say you weren’t going?”

“I changed my mind. So far, we’ve only been showing the world a strained relationship. It’s time to show them what a strong couple we are.”

Since it had been nearly ten years since the First Prince’s return, the banquet would be attended by many influential figures.

If she and Damian displayed their affectionate relationship there, it should help suppress the wild rumors to some extent.

After explaining this, she firmly placed her hands on Damian’s shoulders and asked him seriously:

“Damian, do you remember when my mother came to visit me in the hospital?”

“Yes.”

“At this party, you have to act even more in love with me than you did back then. That’s the only way to stop these ridiculous rumors. Understood?”
For a moment, Damian looked hesitant, but upon seeing the fire in Aracila’s eyes, he gave a small nod.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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