Chapter 32
From the day after her ferry date with Cheyton, Duke Railaten became incredibly busy.
The fact that the two of them had gone on a ferry date together spread through high society, and the nobles of the emperor’s faction began subtly pressuring Duke Railaten.
Even the nobles who had been quietly supporting Cheyton from the shadows started sending secret letters to Duke Railaten.
As the situation grew increasingly strange, this very morning, an urgent messenger from the emperor arrived, demanding his immediate presence at the palace.
It was an attitude like summoning a dog. It couldn’t help but feel rude.
Yet Duke Railaten, barely able to open his eyes, donned his uniform and rushed to the imperial palace, boldly proving his loyalty to the emperor.
Returning to the mansion with a pallid complexion after skipping both breakfast and lunch, Duke Railaten sat Roshanne down and went on with his usual nagging for hours.
Of course, Roshanne simply covered her ears with both hands and hummed to herself.
Every time he caught sight of Roshanne’s bandaged hand from her injury, Duke Railaten would falter and stop his scolding. Then, declaring that he couldn’t stand the sight of her, he sent her back to her bedroom to rest and even called for a doctor.
Thanks to Henry’s capable handling, fortunately, no one suspected that Roshanne had shattered the mirror with her hand.
Meanwhile, in society, people were dredging up the fact that Archduke Barpheus had attended Lady Railaten’s wedding and participated as a knight in her duel, chewing over the relationship between the two.
As if it were something you could pop into your mouth and savor by chewing and rolling it around for a long time, finding it quite entertaining.
“That damned Barpheus, Barpheus! Don’t lump Railaten and Barpheus together as if they’re a matched set!”
Unlike the nonchalant protagonists, Duke Railaten, caught in the middle, was seething with rage.
No matter where he went, even as he waved his hands denying it, the nobles only grew more intrigued by the provocative topic.
“Roshanne. His Majesty is as vast as the sea, but as perilous as a mountain peak.”
This was the phrase Duke Railaten would grab Roshanne and recite every day, like an incantation.
He would add that families entangled with Archduke Barpheus were usually not left alone, but this time His Majesty had turned a blind eye, so she must be cautious from now on; that the emperor is benevolent like the sea, yet with a single gesture, he could plunge them into the abyss—a warning laced with awe.
Duke Railaten asserted that even if the emperor turned the entire continent against him, he would emerge victorious.
It was because of that ancient sword, sharp as ever, which only the emperor possessed.
The hero.
Because he believed that the emperor’s greatest weapon was still firmly in his grasp.
And so, in an effort to quell the rumors about his daughter, Duke Railaten stubbornly bundled Roshanne into a carriage…
“Kyahaha, kyahaha.”
And sent her off to a tea party.
Right now.
Here.
“Ha.”
Roshanne, who had been abruptly dressed up by the maids without knowing why, loaded into the carriage, and delivered like a package, now sat in the center of the tea party and let out a soft sigh.
She held her teacup and rolled her eyes around.
The place was filled with unfamiliar people. Moreover, they only greeted her and nothing more; no one approached to talk or be friendly.
‘Right, this is how it was…’
Roshanne recalled the memories of this body. Though she was Lady Railaten, Roshanne had no friends.
Her personality had been timid, and dominated by the thought that she was an unwelcome illegitimate child to her father, she hadn’t been able to form close relationships with anyone.
People had mocked such a Roshanne, viewing her as insignificant, and that remained the same today.
But the current Roshanne actually preferred it this way.
‘I’ll just kill some time appropriately and head back.’
If she had her way, she’d leave this place immediately. But if she did, Duke Railaten would likely send her to another tea party, so she decided to just pass the time casually.
After all, there was no one here who would bother her.
‘But why has she been staring at me like that since earlier?’
Except for one person.
Brina Fortlen, that is.
From the moment Roshanne entered the tea party, Brina had been strutting around with a triumphant expression, and she still wore that smug face.
It was the first time they’d met since the last duel. According to rumors, the nobles who had bet on the duel lost a lot of money, leading to much grumbling, and the Fortlen family had been struggling to send out consolation gifts.
Brina, who had been surrounded by young ladies in the distance, chatting amiably, approached Roshanne as soon as their eyes met, as if she’d been waiting.
“I greet you, my lady.”
As Brina greeted her with proper etiquette, the other ladies following behind her let out soft chuckles.
“You’ve been alone since earlier, so you must be feeling lonely. May we join you to fill the seats?”
Brina asked with a smile.
‘…Worrying about me being alone. She’s kinder than I thought.’
Roshanne looked at Brina, greatly misunderstanding her.
‘But it’s annoying…’
Roshanne furrowed her brow. Brina seemed determined to sit here no matter what, her resolve burning bright.
Even if she refused saying it was bothersome, it would only prolong the conversation, and in the end, Brina would find a way to sit anyway.
“Fine.”
Roshanne finally nodded. Brina and the ladies following her all took seats around the table. Their conversation flowed naturally.
“The imperial banquet is coming up soon, isn’t it? Are you using Neria’s atelier again this year, Lady Fortlen?”
“Yes. I said it was fine, but my father insisted that someone destined for a high position shouldn’t wear just any clothes, so he reserved Neria’s atelier for me.”
“Wow, I’m so jealous. Neria’s atelier is usually reserved for the imperial family, after all.”
“Lady Fortlen is bound to become part of the imperial family in the future, so of course she should use Neria’s atelier.”
Kyahaha. The gathered young ladies all burst into laughter together.
Brina joined in their laughter, shaking her head modestly.
“Future imperial family? Nothing’s been decided for certain yet.”
Even as she said that, Brina’s shoulders shrugged up high, as if piercing the sky.
“The position of crown princess suits no one better than Lady Fortlen.”
“That’s right. For several years now, the only lady selected as the ‘Milky Way of the Heavens’ has been Lady Fortlen.”
The assembled young ladies passionately took Brina’s side. Brina smiled at the corner of her mouth, feigning humility as she waved her hand.
“This year, it might be someone else instead of me.”
“Who could possibly surpass Lady Fortlen and take that spot? It’s obviously yours!”
Seated at the same table, Roshanne was neatly ignored, as if she weren’t even visible, while they continued their conversation.
Brina glanced at Roshanne, who hadn’t opened her lips once in the past few minutes, and smirked as if finding her pathetic.
This was the natural order between Brina and Roshanne.
If she wasn’t included, she couldn’t even open her mouth on her own—a nuisance to be dealt with.
She should have known her place.
Brina flipped her hair back and asked, as if bestowing a favor.
“What do you think, Lady Railaten?”
As if on cue, the young ladies who had been chattering nonstop without pause all clamped their mouths shut at once. Countless eyes shot toward Roshanne.
“Hm?”
Roshanne, who had been sipping her tea lost in other thoughts, tilted her head.
“What?”
At the innocently naive counter-question, Brina forced her trembling lips into a smile.
Was she pretending not to hear to salvage her pride?
“I’m asking what you think about the conversation we were just having, my lady.”
“Oh. I wasn’t listening at all, so I have no idea what the conversation was about.”
Roshanne’s expression was genuinely apologetic.
Brina’s fist, resting on her thigh, trembled violently. She was barely maintaining the smile on her lips, but it was on the verge of crumbling.
“We were talking about how this year’s ‘Milky Way of the Heavens’ is obviously Lady Fortlen’s spot.”
Another quick-witted young lady hurriedly interjected.
“Ah. That damned Milky Way again…”
If she’d known that casually thrown word would drag on this long, she would have put a bit more thought into what she said.
Roshanne wrinkled her face, feeling a sense of responsibility for the previous emperor’s terrible naming sense.
At the same time, Brina’s face twisted in unison.
“W-what did you say? That damned Milky Way? Are you talking to me right now?”
Brina, who had taken pride in being called the ‘Milky Way of the Heavens’ for several years, bolted up from her seat.
Roshanne shook her head, as if to say there was no misunderstanding.
“No, I just meant the name ‘Milky Way of the Heavens’ itself is…”
So tacky.
Roshanne couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence and pressed her lips shut. Brina’s face flushed red, convinced she’d been insulted.
“Ha, it seems like you’re taking that position too lightly, my lady. Fine, then let’s compete for this year’s ‘Milky Way of the Heavens’ spot.”
“A competition? Again?”
Roshanne looked at Brina with concern.
“Lady Fortlen. You’re not addicted to gambling or anything like that, are you? Betting and competitions can be fun and addictive, but if you do it too much…”
“Who are you calling addicted to what?!”
Brina shouted in shock.
Thanks to that, even the young ladies at other tables turned their attention.
“I was just saying it out of worry, but if not, that’s a relief.”
Roshanne nonchalantly turned her head away. Brina clenched her fist tightly.
“Last time it was a duel between knights; this time, let’s properly compete ourselves for the spot. The ‘Milky Way of the Heavens’ is a position that can only be given to the most beautiful and dignified lady of the year, so we can see which of us is more beautiful.”
Only the most beautiful and dignified lady is selected?
Roshanne paused for a moment.
‘If I become this year’s ‘Milky Way of the Heavens,’ neither the magic tower nor the imperial family will suspect me.’
Who would ever think that a hero who only roamed battlefields had become a recognized lady of the empire?
With Brina laying out the challenge so openly, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.
“Sure, sounds good.”
Roshanne nodded readily.
The corners of Brina’s eyes trembled with fury.
“Are you really accepting my challenge right now?”
For several years, the ‘Milky Way of the Heavens’ had been Brina’s position. Everyone expected her to take it again this year.
So, she thought that proposing a competition for it would make Roshanne apologize and bow her head in front of all these people.
“Yeah. You were the one who suggested the competition first.”
Instead of apologizing, Roshanne accepted the proposal lightly.
“Somehow, I feel like this year’s whatever-it-is—Milky Way or heavens or whatnot—should be mine.”
Roshanne resolved with solemn determination.
