Chapter 28
The noble ladies who spotted Reina all rose from their seats and offered their respects.
“We greet the Star of the Empire and the Guardian of the North.”
“I’m pleased to meet you all.”
As Reina skillfully acknowledged their greetings and moved toward her seat, she stopped precisely in front of Lady Mery.
Lady Mery, who had been lost in thought and hadn’t even noticed her arrival, belatedly stood up and greeted her.
“I greet the Star of the Empire.”
At her words, the room flinched. It was because she had deliberately omitted the title “Guardian of the North.”
This was tantamount to refusing to acknowledge Reina as one of the northern people.
Yet Reina didn’t take issue with her greeting.
Instead, she tossed out an offhand remark.
“You seem to be having trouble with your legs. Or perhaps your hearing is failing.”
“Pardon?”
“I said that because everyone else stood up to greet me, but you were late in doing so.”
At this blatant reprimand, everyone let out awkward coughs.
In aristocratic society, it was an unspoken rule to express intentions indirectly.
But Reina had ignored this and pointed out the fault with direct speech, which surprised them.
Lady Mery forced an awkward smile and apologized.
“I’m sorry, Duchess. I’ve been so preoccupied with various matters lately that my greeting was delayed. Please be generous and forgive me.”
“Well, it’s true that you’ve been overburdened with duties.”
“It’s all due to my own shortcomings. Still, I’m grateful that you’ve entrusted me with them.”
“No, on second thought, it does seem like too much work has been piled on you, Lady Mery. How about we take this opportunity to lighten your load a bit?”
“Pardon?”
When Lady Mery wore a puzzled expression, Reina continued.
“We can’t keep pushing an elderly lady like you too hard, can we?”
“……”
Lady Mery’s primary duties involved assisting the heir, Dalia.
This also meant she was the one leading the future of Crencia from the forefront.
Since Aiden had become immersed in his research, she had even taken on the affairs of that entire family.
The message directed at her, the de facto power behind the minor ducal house, was clear.
It was a warning that someone else could be placed in Lady Mery’s position.
The atmosphere among the noble ladies who understood this shifted subtly.
Some eyed Reina with gleaming interest, while others looked at Lady Mery with concern.
Lady Mery, who finally grasped the implication of Reina’s words, ground her teeth.
‘Is she picking a fight with me right now?’
This young princess, barely dry behind the ears, was recklessly challenging her without knowing the tiger’s ferocity.
Lady Mery replied with a mocking smile.
“Well, I’d like that too, but Miss Dalia and Young Duke Aiden trust me so much.”
“Is that so?”
Reina smiled as if to say she wasn’t particularly interested in her opinion and proceeded to her seat.
The humiliated Lady Mery flushed red and sat down.
She had tried to flaunt her connections, only to end up embarrassed instead.
* * *
Reina discreetly scanned the group as they engaged in amicable socializing.
In truth, hosting this social gathering wasn’t solely to familiarize herself with the northern noble ladies and exchange greetings.
The real purpose was to identify the inner circles among the northern nobility.
By nature, people tended to gather with those they were close to.
Those who gathered in this way formed tight-knit inner groups.
They also competed with other inner groups of similar scale.
Reina noted those who had clustered around Lady Mery.
At the same time, she confirmed the inner group to which Baroness Bringenton belonged.
In truth, Reina had long known that the relationship between the Brington family and the Mery family was strained.
She had deliberately placed Baroness Brington’s seat right next to hers to provoke Lady Mery.
As Reina had anticipated, Lady Mery couldn’t hide her displeasure.
Even so, her stubborn persistence in staying put was likely to demonstrate her unyielding resolve.
At that moment, another group caught Reina’s eye.
Unlike the two factions busily competing with each other, they had been steadily gazing at Reina all along.
Among them, the one who stood out most prominently was the Marchioness of Saint.
The House of Saint was one of the key families guarding the North, just like Crencia.
They had also been part of the reformist faction that stood with Crencia until the end in her previous life.
Since they, too, had lost numerous family members at the hands of the Emperor, Reina couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
The Marchioness of Saint’s gaze was serene.
She neither revealed hostility like Lady Mery nor wore a fawning smile like Baroness Brington.
Not displaying emotions outwardly signified a high degree of shrewdness.
‘How can I earn their trust?’
Those who aided Kaiden were allies to Reina as well.
She was resolving to make them her own people by any means necessary when it happened.
“Oh my!”
With someone’s exclamation, the ladies who had been scattered in conversation parted to the left and right.
Through the gap, Kaiden was walking toward Reina.
The sudden appearance of the Duke hushed the surroundings.
Reina stared blankly at Kaiden as he approached right up to her.
“Kaiden, what brings you here?”
“I heard you were hosting a gathering, so I came out of curiosity.”
Kaiden courteously kissed the back of her hand and spoke affectionately.
Then, after quietly scanning the room, he grinned.
“I thought you’d be nervous for your first social event, but it seems you’re a natural.”
“No way. I’m so tense right now I can’t even sip water.”
“Hahaha!”
At Reina’s words, delivered with a shrug of her shoulders, Kaiden burst into hearty laughter.
The evidently intimate atmosphere between the two drew rapid glances from the noble ladies.
In fact, most of the northern nobility harbored doubts about their marriage.
Unlike the founding era, the current Mernie imperial family was excessively wary of Crencia.
Especially three years ago, during the great famine in the Empire, the imperial family had provided pitifully inadequate aid to the North compared to other regions.
They had claimed verbally that they were sorry they couldn’t help more, but in reality, it was a political maneuver to weaken the North’s military strength.
In the end, Crencia, unable to stand by, had opened its own granaries to provide relief.
Given that history, it was hard for everyone to believe that Crencia had simply accepted the Emperor’s command to make the princess the Duchess.
The Marchioness of Saint watched the pair with a peculiar look in her eyes.
The Emperor had subtly boasted that he had orchestrated this marriage.
No noble was unaware that the grand banquet in the capital was all to showcase his influence.
Yet, observing the two with her own eyes, it seemed it wasn’t solely due to the Emperor’s command.
Judging that there was something more between them, the Marchioness of Saint stepped forward.
“I greet the Guardian of the North.”
“You must be Lady Saint.”
“Though belated, congratulations on your marriage. May Crencia and Mernie stand together.”
At the greeting that evoked the ancient alliance, Reina blinked in surprise.
For a northern noble who disliked the imperial family to directly mention Mernie carried significant meaning.
It was also an implicit expression of intent to acknowledge Reina as one of the northern people.
Kaiden, well aware of this, looked at the Marchioness of Saint with satisfaction.
“Thank you. I hope Saint will join us in that endeavor.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
The Marchioness of Saint offered a light smile and bid Reina a regretful farewell.
“I must leave now as I have matters to attend to. I’d like to continue our unfinished conversation at Saint Castle another time.”
It meant that her scouting was done, and she would take her leave.
Reina, in turn, responded with a faint smile, conveying her agreement.
“I’ll accept any invitation you extend.”
“I’ll contact you soon.”
With an elegant smile, the Marchioness of Saint departed along with her group.
