I Was Tricked Into A Fraudulent Marriage By The Obsessive Villain - Chapter 6.2 - Invitation

No. Get a grip! Hold onto your sanity!

But she soon shook her head to clear her mind.

It was clearly a trap that anyone could see.

Iona discreetly turned her head to survey the ladies seated around.

Thanks to Lady Kalzavas’s Spartan-style special lectures, Iona could roughly identify the families to which the ladies belonged.

They were all nobles from the Second Empress’s faction.

If that was the case, it was crystal clear what would happen if she chose a servant here.

Whether through newspaper articles or rumors. It was evident they were trying to create a scandal in a negative way.

In this empire where people react as if they’ve eaten rat poison at the mere mention of the word ‘affair’, the rumor of being promiscuous was the ultimate shame.

Because even the circulation of such rumors was considered a disgrace to the family.

Moreover, judging by the appearance of the servants, it didn’t seem like it would stop at just a rumor of promiscuity.

It was obvious they would spread rumors about the Grand Duchess having a lover, saying she was with such scantily clad men in one place.

“I told you to choose quickly. Do you intend to refuse my goodwill?”

The Second Empress said, lowering her voice.

What should I do?

Iona racked her brains.

“Or should I choose for you? I can do that much for my precious daughter-in-law. Let’s see….. What might be our Grand Duchess’s taste?”

“Indeed. What might Her young Highness like?”

“Surely a sturdy waist is the best. Hoho.”

“……”

The atmosphere was such that they would choose just anyone to sit next to her.

After pondering for a while, Iona opened her mouth.

At times like this, a direct approach is the answer!

I know my strengths, so I’ll just be straightforward.

“I will pour and drink my own tea.”

“……What?”

The Second Empress asked as if she had heard something absurd.

A moment of silence fell at Iona’s words.

‘……It’s chilly.’

The atmosphere sank as if daggers were about to fly and strike.

‘But don’t worry. My hands are faster!’

“I enjoy making tea, so I’m quite good at pouring it for myself.”

Iona quickly tilted the teapot in front of her and poured her own tea.

The atmosphere cooled at her action.

The Second Empress, who had been frowning, soon reproached Iona.

“Is it because you’ve been cooped up in the mansion without mingling with people? Your etiquette is a mess, Grand Duchess.”

At the Second Empress’s words, Iona drew a perfect social filter on her face in three steps, as Lady Kalzavas had taught her.

She smoothed her brow, half-curved her eyes, and lifted the corners of her mouth as if applying force, yet not.

It was a perfect society smile as if painted in a picture.

“Yes, I am lacking in learning, Your Majesty the Empress. Please teach me more in the future.”

After responding to the Empress, Iona slowly lifted her cup and brought it to her lips.

“……”

Iona felt like she was sitting not just on pins and needles, but on thorns themselves.

The gazes flying and piercing her were incredibly sharp.

Even blades sharpened by a master knife grinder probably wouldn’t be this sharp.

‘This is no ordinary situation.’

Observing Iona’s composed behavior, the Second Empress gave a signal with her eyes to the lady seated in the highest position among the ladies.

The lady in the highest seat then exchanged glances with the other ladies.

‘This won’t be an easy fight.’

‘The appearance of Lucifer at a gathering of social satans….. Huh. Shall we begin?’

These ladies were the Second Empress’s confidants, seasoned by all sorts of experiences in high society.

For these ladies, dealing with such a young and green Grand Duchess was nothing.

Soon, the ladies began to converse.

That is, about things only they knew about.

“Hoho. By the way, have you heard the news about the Countess?”

“Oh my, don’t even mention it. When I heard that news, I was absolutely flabbergasted.”

“How could such a thing happen….. Isn’t it just shocking?”

“When I heard that news, I rushed to the temple to donate. I prayed that such a thing would never happen in my family. Hoho.”

The ladies continued their conversation about things only they knew, leaving no room for Iona to interject.

‘It seems they’re all talking about different things.’

But despite the ladies’ attacks, Iona remained indifferent.

She merely tilted her teacup while maintaining the society smile Lady Kalzavas had taught her.

Seeing that Iona was unaffected, the ladies exchanged glances again.

‘Tch. Indeed, she’s not an easy opponent.’

‘This won’t be an easy fight…..’

‘Let’s move to Plan B. Personal attacks!’

The next moment, the lady sitting next to Iona grabbed the hem of her dress and examined it closely.

“My, my. Where did you get this dress, Your Highness? You’re quite talented-. Someone once said it takes talent to find something so out of fashion. Hoho.”

“It’s a style of dress I’ve never seen in the capital. If one just… opened their eyes a little, they would know what’s in fashion… Oh! Perhaps your eyesight is a bit poor, Your Highness? Oh dear. To have blurry vision at such a young age, is it early presbyopia… Or did the Grand Duke fall victim to a marriage scam?”

“Hoho. That couldn’t be, could it? Your Highness. You know it’s a joke, right? I hear even young people these days can have presbyopia.”

“Oh my. My personal physician is quite good with presbyopia… How about… Shall I introduce you to him? Hoho.”

The ladies giggled amongst themselves as they spoke.

Normally, they would never dare to behave like this.

After all, among those gathered here, the Grand Duchess’s rank was second only to the Empress.

But in this greenhouse, it was different. Here, where the Empress was openly sitting in the highest seat, tacitly approving the ladies’ behavior.

Seeing the Empress’s act of savoring the tea aroma as if she heard nothing, the ladies sharpened their tongues even more.

To cut into the flesh of that seemingly delicate Grand Duchess and make her blood drip.

“Which salon did you get it from? We should take measures to prevent such inferior goods from being sold at all. It lowers the quality of the Empire’s nobility.”

One of the ladies said, covering her mouth and laughing.

“Madame Lezak.”

“Pardon?”

“Madame Lezak, my lady.”

At the words of the Grand Duchess who had been silent all this time, the lady who had criticized the dress froze.

“Ma-Madame Lezak, you say…?”

Who was Madame Lezak?

The designer who led all the trends in the Empire. The designer was said to have years of reservations due to her popularity.

Her pride was as high as her reputation, and even the high nobility had to strive to please her to barely be able to buy a dress, so sensitive was Madame Lezak to the social scene.

And now, this lady had inadvertently insulted Madame Lezak.

If this became known, it was clear she would never be able to acquire a dress from Madame Lezak again.

“I-It’s a design I’ve never seen before, so that can’t be. I know Madame Lezak well, and she wouldn’t produce such a design. Hoho. Madame Lezak creates much more elegant and beautiful forms…”