Chapter 18

“Hold on a second. Look at me.”

Climbing down from the carriage, Christine found Adele waiting for him, clearly with plenty to say. He had a good idea what it was about.

“If you’ve got something to say, say it here.”

“Not where other people can hear.”

Glancing around, Adele fidgeted in a way that wasn’t like her at all.

“Why did you tell them to fire all the servants?”

Adele clapped a hand over Christine’s mouth in a panic.

“Quiet, they’ll hear you!”

The carriage Mia had seen earlier that day had let out a good ten-odd servants, who were now moving nonstop through every corner of Adele’s small house.

For someone who’d always preferred a quiet, uneventful way of living, it was enough to give her a splitting headache.

“I kept it down to the bare minimum, knowing you’d react like this.”

“This is the bare minimum?”

“A housemaid to clean the house and handle the laundry, a footman for odd jobs around the house, a gardener to tend the grounds, a cook to prepare meals, a stable hand and a coachman to look after the horses and carriage, and a butler to manage all of them… That’s the bare minimum needed to keep this house looking properly noble. And also a clear statement of intent that these two hands will never knead bread dough again.”

So this was retaliation for making him knead dough, after all!

“Even so, you know how small our house is. Where are you going to feed and house all of them?”

“Is that really a problem?”

“Yes!”

Adele cried out as though she’d finally found her argument.

But Christine only tilted his chin arrogantly toward the large house across the street. It had stood empty for years.

“I rented it as lodging for the servants. The carriages and the baggage go there too. Does that settle everything?”

Adele was speechless. He’d already had the whole thing planned.

“But you said you’d only be staying here a little while…”

Judging by what he’d been doing the last two days, he looked like a man settling in for life.

“Of course. Once the renovations are done, I’ll take all of them away with me. And soon, too.”

Put that plainly, Adele had nothing left to say.

“Fine. Just for the time being, then.”

“Though it seems there’s still one more person who hasn’t arrived yet.”

He looked Adele over as he said it. She was dressed as always, in a worn, plain linen blouse and skirt.

“Is someone else coming?”

Just as Adele’s face began to show alarm, a gaunt, dignified-looking old gentleman approached.

“Ah, just in time.”

He introduced himself as Henry, and said he was the house’s butler. Adele, the lady of the house, only managed an “Ah, I see” and a nod.

“Who’s ‘who’?”

No sooner had Adele asked than a gaudy pink carriage came rolling into the garden.

Where other carriages bore a house crest, this one had a glittering sign reading HOUSE OF CHANEL bolted proudly to its side.

A few days later.

“This is amazing, truly!”

Tanya gave an admiring whistle, thumb raised high.

“That’s enough. Save the flattery.”

Adele laughed modestly, but she couldn’t help admiring her own reflection in the full-length mirror.

So this is why everyone insists on Madame Chanel’s dresses!

The last person Christine had summoned that day was none other than Madame Chanel, head designer of the House of Chanel.

She was the toast of Kalaim high society, famous enough that even Adele had heard the name. Wearing one of her dresses, people said, was every society woman’s secret dream. This year’s bookings for year-end banquet gowns were already full.

And Christine had bought up every single dress Madame Chanel had on hand. He said it was because he didn’t know Adele’s taste or size. Even so — buying dozens of dresses that cost as much as a small carriage apiece. Adele was reminded all over again just how rich the man was.

When she tried to refuse, overwhelmed by it all, he’d said only one thing.

“Wear it. For my sake.”

Thanks to that, Adele now stood in an elegant mint-green dress. The luxurious silk, shimmering faintly, and the design — restrained yet striking — gave her a bearing more graceful and beautiful than ever.

“Then let me do the finishing touches with makeup!”

Mia, who’d dropped by as faithfully as ever today, was just reaching for her cosmetics case.

“My lady! Please, put that away.”

Tanya rushed to block her.

“Out of the way. Makeup is what makes it perfect!”

Adele, just as desperately, caught Mia’s hand and held it fast, smiling.

“Mia, I think today’s better left as it is. It would be a problem if I ended up prettier than the Princess.”

“Fair point. That would be a problem.”

With Mia won over, Adele and Tanya finally relaxed.

Today was the day Adele delivered dessert to the imperial palace. It also happened to be the day she’d been invited to the Princess’s tea time.

There had been more than a few mishaps along the way, but she’d managed to put together a flawless dessert set. The pastel-toned desserts, decorated with fruit and flowers, were so lovely to look at that the household’s own staff had crowded around just to admire them.

“Shall we get going, then?”

Tanya said briskly, closing the lid on the oval box holding the desserts.

A step behind her, Henry announced with his usual gravity,

“The carriage is waiting at the door, my lady.”

“Ah, yes… thank you.”

Adele nodded hastily.

She still hadn’t grown used to having servants in the house. Back in the marquis’s household she’d lived little differently from a maid herself, so all of this still felt strange and awkward to her.

Henry the butler in particular was simply too much for her. In his spotless, immaculate suit, courteous and correct in every gesture yet without a single gap in his bearing, dealing with him felt like dealing with some impossibly proper aristocrat.

When Adele stepped outside, a light rain was falling.

Though it was no more than a short walk down the front steps to the carriage, Henry held an umbrella ready over her all the same. A few of the footmen even caught up the hem of her skirt so it wouldn’t get wet. On top of that, a good ten-odd servants lined up on either side of her to see her off all at once.

It looked, if anything, like a royal procession.

Ah, I really can’t get used to this…

Adele was shaking her head as she climbed into the carriage.

“It’s supposed to rain hard this afternoon, so take an umbrella with you.”

Henry had even thought to prepare an umbrella for her to carry along.

“Thank you, Henry.”

“And this — Count Weiss asked that I give it to you.”

Henry held out a small box.

“The Count?”

“Open it on the way, my lady.”

Inside the box was a green hair ribbon.

It looked almost identical to Adele’s own worn-out one, except the lace and embroidery were far more elaborate and refined.

So he’d told her to throw it out and buy a new one — and then gone and bought it himself after all?

“It’s a ribbon tie. Why would the Count send this…?”

Tanya tilted her head, puzzled, and Adele scrambled for an excuse.

“Ah — Madame Chanel said she’d throw it in for free! The Count must have picked it up for me.”

“Ahh, I see.”

“Tanya, would you tie it in my hair?”

“No way. It’ll ruin all the styling I worked so hard on. Do you know how much effort went into these waves?”

“Oh, come on, just do your best. You’re good with your hands.”

“Well — I suppose my hands are rather gifted.”

Saying so, Tanya deftly tied the green ribbon into Adele’s hair.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

All the while, the carriage pressed on through the rain toward the imperial palace.

Before long, the desserts Adele had made would be put to the test before the imperial family’s discerning palates. The thought of her first tea time with the Princess made her plenty nervous too.

And yet, without quite meaning to, Adele kept smiling. Every time she thought of the green ribbon, it was as if some sweet little breeze came tickling at her chest.

“This way, please.”

Guided in by the attendants, Adele grew tense as she stepped into the imperial palace.

She’d attended the Emperor’s year-end banquet every year, but this was the first time she’d ever been led this deep inside. The vivid, colorful frescoes painted across the soaring ceilings, the broad and magnificent corridors — just the sight of them was overwhelming.

Tap, tap, tap.

And the crisp, disciplined footsteps of the imperial guards trailing along behind them felt menacing in their own way.

“I’m so nervous I might actually wet myself.”

Tanya’s whisper very nearly set off a burst of laughter in her. Granted, Tanya was probably even more nervous than she was.

“Relax. The Princess is a kind person.”

“It would’ve been nice if the Count could’ve come with us.”

“Shh! Don’t say useless things.”

At Adele’s warning, Tanya — still carrying the box — snapped her mouth shut at once.

A moment later, an ornate archway opened, and Princess April appeared. As always, she looked lovely, her cheeks rosy and her smile bright and open.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Marchioness!”

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

Adele and Tanya bowed with proper courtesy.

“You look absolutely beautiful today!”

April seized Adele’s hand, showering her with compliments without reservation. The ladies-in-waiting and noblewomen behind her recognized Adele’s dress as well and made their own remarks, each in turn.

Among them, however, was one unexpected face.

Seira and Madame Hans had arrived early and were already waiting.

“I invited Lady Seira too, so you wouldn’t feel out of place, Marchioness.”

What a pointless thing to do…

But Adele’s answer could only go one way.

“I’m grateful for Your Highness’s thoughtful consideration.”

At that, Seira made a show of gratitude so exaggerated it made Adele’s own composed greeting look positively cold by comparison.

“I was so happy to receive Your Highness’s invitation. It’s been painful, watching my relationship with Mother grow more and more distant over these unfortunate rumors. I’m grateful all over again to Your Highness, for arranging a moment like this.”

Seira’s performance was shameless beyond belief.

But April, naive to the ways of the world, seemed to have already fallen for it.

“My goodness, Lady Seira really is so warm-hearted.”

“I believe that once someone has my heart, they have it for life. Even if she’s my stepmother, once she became family, she became precious to me.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Adele steered the conversation elsewhere.

“I do hope the dessert I’ve prepared is to Your Highness’s liking.”

Tanya stepped forward at once and opened the dessert box. The desserts meant for the palace’s own kitchens had already been sent ahead with the attendants; this box, prepared separately, was for the Princess’s tea time.

“They’re so pretty! However am I supposed to eat something this adorable?”

April was delighted, giddy as a little girl.

Then Seira spoke up.

“Why don’t we invite Count Weiss to join us? It seems a shame to enjoy these all by ourselves.”

As if she’d been waiting for exactly that cue, April clapped her hands together.

“That’s a wonderful idea! Someone go and fetch the Count at once!”

One of the Princess’s attendants answered.

“The Count is in audience with His Majesty just now.”

“Then tell him to stop by for a moment once his business with His Majesty is finished. The Marchioness is here too, after all.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As expected, the reason April had invited Adele at all was Christine. She wanted to use Adele as an excuse to grow even a little closer to him.

Adele had no intention of judging the Princess for her earnest feelings toward someone she liked. If anything, she wanted to cheer her on, however she could.

It was just a shame that the man in question happened to be Christine.

Still, Seira’s presence kept nagging at her. There was no way the woman had come to a gathering like this without some scheme in mind.

Clink.

Some time had passed in pleasant conversation when it happened.

“Oh!”

Madame Hans spilled her teacup, and the tea splashed across Adele’s skirt.

“Oh dear, what should we do?”

The Princess’s ladies-in-waiting rushed to dab at Adele’s skirt and tidy the table. In the commotion, everyone’s attention gathered around Adele.

“I’m so sorry, Marchioness. It’s such expensive silk — I’m afraid it might stain.”

“Madame Hans, how could you be so careless.”

But Adele was, if anything, glad of the commotion. So it’s finally starting, she thought. This had to be a little play staged by Seira and Madame Hans together.

Just then, Seira’s reflection caught in the silverware. Pretending to wipe up the spilled tea on the table, she was quickly sprinkling something over the Princess’s dessert. A white powder, blending seamlessly into the sugar powder already dusted on top.

So that was the plan, after all.

If the Princess ate that powder-laced dessert and took ill, what then?

Not only would the palace cut off Adele’s deliveries, she’d be the one held responsible.

Will the rumor this time be that I tried to poison the Princess?

They might even drag Christine into it, weaving some filthy scandal around the two of them. That was Seira’s specialty, after all.

So this wasn’t something she could simply sit back and take.

Adele gave her own teacup a quiet nudge, and let it fall.

Crash!

The rose-patterned teacup shattered to pieces on the floor.