I Was Tricked Into A Fraudulent Marriage By The Obsessive Villain - Chapter 6.1 - Invitation

“Probably from today, invitations will flood in.”

Following Carvain’s words that invitations would pour in like a storm, Iona was already receiving etiquette lessons for tea parties from Madam Kalzavas.

“One. Support the teacup with your hand. Two. Gently hold the handle with the opposite hand. Three. Slowly sip as if savoring the taste.”

Madam Kalzavas demonstrated with graceful hand movements.

What? That’s easy.

Iona thought this would be a piece of cake as she reached out to grab the cup.

“Now. Let’s begin. One, two, three… Again!”

“Why? I did exactly the same, Madam?”

“You don’t drink it all at once!”

They continued the etiquette lessons for several days. As Carvain had said, invitations started to arrive one by one, and soon the tray for storing invitations was filled to the brim.

“Now. The invitations on this side are from families that are quite worthwhile.”

In place of Iona, who was completely unfamiliar with high society, Madam Kalzavas sorted the invitations.

Among the invitations that the Madam deemed “worthwhile” was one bearing the seal of the Second Empress.

“…I must go, right?”

Iona asked after opening the Second Empress’s invitation.

“That goes without saying.”

Madam Kalzavas answered with a sharp tone. As if to say, don’t even dream of backing out.

“…Sigh.”

Iona let out a deep sigh.

How did she end up stepping into high society, which was never in her cards?

Thinking about living like this from now on made her future look bleak.

‘Close your eyes. It’s dark, right? That’s your future!’ The words her friend had jokingly said in her previous life floated around in her head.

“Oh, my aching body.”

Iona patted both her shoulders.

Iona, who had no immunity to high society, quickly became exhausted after even a little social activity.

When she was living the guild life, she could stay up for days on missions and be fine.

How many days had she been groaning after attending just one party last time?

Of course, it seemed more due to Carvain’s torment after the party rather than the party itself.

But now a tea party? And the Empress’s tea party at that.

It felt like an endless series of challenges.

Moreover, it was the Second Empress’s tea party, who was hostile to Carvain…

“What a fate…”

Based on her experience of reading numerous romance fantasy novels, it seemed unlikely that the tea party would go smoothly.

Iona let out a deep sigh at the thorny path unfolding before her.

On the day of the Second Empress’s tea party.

Carvain stood by the window, looking down at Iona. Iona was in the process of boarding the carriage.

“What’s all this?”

“I heard you were going to a tea party.”

“We agreed to stop the gift bombing…!”

When he heard about the tea party, he had gathered every dress in the capital, and Iona had literally screamed.

Iona was wearing one of the dresses from the avalanche of gifts Carvain had presented.

The light pink dress, reminiscent of spring, made her already fair skin stand out even more.

Carvain slightly raised the corner of his mouth, seeing her obediently wearing the dress he had gifted, despite her earlier protests.

“It’s finally time to use it. That card you’ve been cherishing so much, the one about being a Grand Duchess.”

Jonathan muttered behind Carvain.

“…….”

Carvain tilted his teacup without any response.

“But really, do you think that naive Grand Duchess can survive in high society?”

What kind of place was high society?

It was a place where invisible blades crossed, and everyone had weapons hanging from the tips of their tongues.

Every year, countless noble ladies died in the glamorous battlefield called high society.

Depression, social anxiety, and so on. These were diseases that all ladies involved in high society suffered from.

“How many days do you think she’ll last? I don’t think she’ll make it long.”

Jonathan clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“…It doesn’t matter. This is why I brought her here.”

Carvain’s eyes followed Iona’s carriage until it disappeared from view.

Yes. It doesn’t matter.

Even if that delicate face becomes distorted and filled with sadness.

Even if she’s cut by sharp tongues, clutching her wounds and shedding tears.

In exchange, he would make Iona the most noble lady in this empire.

And he wouldn’t even charge her for the crime of daring to try to escape from him.

“……”

It doesn’t matter.

It shouldn’t matter.

A cold glint settled in his red eyes.

*** 

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess. This way, please.”

Upon arriving at the Second Empress’s palace, Iona was guided to the tea party venue by a servant.

The venue for the tea party was the glass greenhouse, the pride of the Second Empress’s palace.

The glass walls, intricately engraved with patterns, sparkled in the sunlight.

The inside of the greenhouse had an exotic atmosphere as if one had arrived on a different continent.

“Ah. Grand Duchess. You’ve come.”

The Second Empress greeted Iona warmly.

Despite her smiling face, there was a chilling air spreading somewhere.

“I greet Your Majesty, the Empress.”

“Yes. Please, sit down.”

“Yes, Your Majesty……”

As Iona raised her head after bowing at the Empress’s words, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

“……”

“Oh my. So this is the rumored Grand Duchess.”

“Welcome, Grand Duchess. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Ah, yes……”

What, what is this…?

Iona couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Not only the Empress, but all the seated ladies had robust male servants by their side.

Unlike the servants outside the greenhouse and the one who had guided Iona, all the servants in the glass greenhouse were scantily clad.

No, wait, their uniforms seem strange…

There was a servant with a chest so exposed it made you want to exclaim, “What an outrageous chest!”

And another servant with thigh muscles so prominently displayed, you could say, “Now that’s what you call thighs!”

Iona’s eyes rolled busily, darting from one sight to another.

“Come to think of it, I should gift one to the Grand Duchess as well.”

As the Second Empress clapped her hands, robust male servants, dressed in a way that made it unclear whether they were clothed, naked, or halfway in between, sprang forth.

“Now. Choose one.”

The Second Empress spoke as if exclaiming, “Surely one of these must be to your liking!”

Iona couldn’t control her eyes from the palpable masculinity she felt.

The healthy brown skin revealed under the light was etched into her pupils.

What is this place?

Is it heaven……?

Perhaps thinking Iona was flustered, the Second Empress spoke in an intentionally gentle voice.

“Don’t think too deeply about it. It’s just choosing a servant to serve tea. After all, you can’t bring anyone who isn’t a staff of the Empress’s Palace into my glass greenhouse.”

“……”

“Surely you don’t think we’d violate national laws within this august Imperial Palace.”

The Second Empress said, twisting up the corners of her mouth.

……It certainly looks that way, though?

We’ve agreed to call this an affair, haven’t we?

Iona rolled her eyes.

Should I just go crazy and pick one?