Chapter 4 – Part 3

Kristin’s eyes were steady as she looked at Isabella, but she tilted her head and said,

“The Edith family is not that troubled yet.”

“Well, if you’re having a party like this right after the wedding. Oh, by the way, I’m curious about something. This dessert, was sent by the Duke, right? You two seemed so close, why did you break off the engagement?”

“Lady Isabella, it seems you’ve had a lot of questions for me.”

“Oh my, I suppose I have.”

Isabella laughed, covering her mouth with her fan, and glanced around the mansion, likely curious about the interior.

“If you have some time later, could I take a look around the mansion? I’m curious about your room as well.”

“Sure, I’ll show you around. It’s fine.”

Kristin smiled at Isabella.

Isabella Anderkin.

A lady that is full of vanity, particularly interested in dresses.

She loved dresses and jewelry so much that she would travel to distant regions to find unique dresses.

She had wanted to marry the young marquis but ended up marrying a poor baron from a rural outpost. Dissatisfied with her marriage, it lasted less than three months before ending in divorce.

Afterward, she returned to social parties and supposedly met Venice, who was working as a maid in the royal palace. Through Venice’s introduction, she entered the royal palace.

‘What happened after that?’

As Kristin furrowed her brow, trying to recall the past, Isabella spoke up.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

“Uncomfortable? Not at all.”

‘Right.’

Kristin had vaguely heard that Isabella worked as a maid in the royal palace but was punished for secretly wearing the royal family’s jewelry and dresses, a punishment that might have been banishment if she had been fortunate.

How great it would have been if that punishment had indeed been banishment.

Kristin felt a twinge of regret, but there was no lady as central to the social scene as Isabella, which is why she had invited her to this tea party.

Despite her active social life, Isabella’s marriage had not been smooth, and she was resentful of Kristin, who had effortlessly become a duchess.

So, naturally, she would dislike her…

No matter how hard Isabella tried, she was merely a maid, while Kristin, without even wanting it, held both a marquis and a duke in her hands.

Whichever one she married, Kristin would always be above Isabella.

Even without any effort.

This was why Isabella had made such remarks.

“I wish Lady Kristin would disappear. Why should someone like her rise to the top and become a duchess? Why?”

Because of her behavior and her jealousy towards Kristin, Isabella is a prime suspect.

‘You can hate me all you want, Isabella. I feel the same way about you too. However, I hope you’ll be around for me to use when I need you.’

Before Venice and Ellen arrived, Kristin quietly asked her,

“Lady Isabella, aren’t you curious why I invited all of you?”

“Well, that’s up to you, Lady Kristin, so I can’t say I know.”

Isabella reached for the chocolate cookie in front of her, nibbling on it bit by bit. She then picked up the teapot, poured herself some tea, and lifted her teacup.

“You can ask the maids to pour the tea for you.”

“No, it’s fine. Do you know why I didn’t bring my maid? She’s too stupid. Whether it’s because she wasn’t properly trained or because she was born a lowly commoner, I don’t know. Watching her struggle to pour tea properly is so frustrating. During tea parties with other ladies, she kept spilling tea, so I just poured it myself.”

“Lady Isabella.”

“The maids are too stupid. And the servants are the same, you know? This is why one needs to be a noble marchioness or duchess, so the properly trained, professional servants can pour tea gracefully.”

Kristin saw how Isabella’s words hurt Lenci and the other maids, their faces turning red. She clenched her fist but knew she couldn’t just throw Isabella out after inviting her, so she responded softly.

“Calm down, Lady Isabella. Have you ever seen embroidery like this?”

“I’m learning embroidery too. Embroidering a handkerchief is easy.”

As Isabella spoke dismissively, as if what Kristin was about to show wasn’t impressive, Kristin stood up from her seat, removed her thin gown, and revealed the embroidery on her waistline.

“Embroidery like this, on a dress. Everyone can embroider a handkerchief these days since we’re taught from a young age.”

“My goodness! Lady Kristin, how did I miss that earlier?”

Kristin had deliberately worn a dress with her embroidery. However, with a thin gown over it, it was not noticeable from a distance, so Isabella hadn’t seen it.

“How did you embroider this? I’ve never seen a dress like this in the empire, Lady Kristin.”

Isabella moved closer to Kristin, scrutinizing her from top to bottom.

Kristin’s dress had not the usual frills at the waist but flowers embroidered with threads of various colors. The straight-lined dress, adorned with embroidery, made her waist appear slimmer, and the hem was decorated with pearls, creating a design rare within the empire.

Isabella, seeing Kristin’s dress, swallowed dryly, indicating her desire to wear such a dress herself.

“I enjoy embroidering as a hobby, not just on handkerchiefs, but on dresses and hats too. It turns a simple dress into a unique one.”

As the sunlight hit the dress, its hem shone even more brilliantly.

The puff sleeves also had silver thread embroidery along the arm’s line, making Kristin appear even more elegant in the dress.

“It’s truly beautiful. I don’t know if I should say this, but I’d love to try wearing it. Could you show me the dresses you’ve made?”

At that moment, a servant’s voice was heard.

“Lady Venice Tetras has arrived. Lady Ellen Agneta has also arrived.”

As the servant at the mansion’s front announced loudly, Kristin leaned in to whisper to Isabella, who was looking at her intently.

“I don’t have more dresses with embroidery like this, but if you wish, I can embroider a design of your choice.”

At Kristin’s words, Isabella’s eyes sparkled with genuine interest for the first time.

Venice and Ellen had also arrived at the tea party venue, Edith’s estate. Despite their strong dislike for Kristin, they had accepted her invitation for one reason only: to uncover any hidden secrets or flaws within Kristin’s residence.

Kristin, who had almost become a duchess, surely had something concealed within her mansion. As a disgraced viscount’s daughter, it wasn’t easy for someone of her humble status to simultaneously win the hearts of both a duke and a marquis. They believed she must have something extraordinary.

The three women had watched Kristin and Raphael disappear after leaving Begonia Cafe’s shopping street, and they had quickly conspired together.

“Why do you think Lady Kristin invited us? She’s not stupid; she must know we don’t like her,” Venice said to Ellen and Isabella.

Isabella replied, “Well, her wedding plans fell apart, so she has no man to rely on. Whatever her intentions are, they can’t be good.”

“Of course, but…” Ellen, who disliked Kristin the least among them, spoke cautiously.

“Maybe Lady Kristin genuinely wants to make a good impression on us. After ruining her wedding, she must know how much other nobles dislike and gossip about her. We just happened to meet her today, so she might have chosen us instead of sending invitations to other ladies.”

“That’s why I don’t like Lady Kristin,” Isabella interjected. “She’s too calculating. If she thinks we’ll become her allies, she’s sorely mistaken.”

Ellen continued, “Breaking off the engagement with Duke Raphael must have come with a hefty penalty. I’ve heard that the amount was substantial, and there were rumors that the Duke sold a mineral mine to cover the dowry for the wedding. But of course, rumors are just rumors.”

Venice, who had been listening quietly, responded angrily, “Selling a mine to marry someone like her? I can’t understand it. Why Kristin, of all people?

“Look at her family. There’s that vulgar commoner, Lady Rose, and El—Elena, was it? They act like they were born as the viscount’s wife and daughter. It’s disgusting.”

“Her stepmother came into the family six years ago, so Kristin must have learned how to seduce men properly. That’s probably why Duke Raphael fell for her.”

“Maybe it’s for the best that Lady Kristin didn’t marry Duke Raphael,” Ellen suggested.

“It’s too soon to say that,” Isabella countered. “Marquis Winston was also invited to the wedding. I heard that when Kristin tried to run out, he gave her his jacket.”

“Was she trying to garner sympathy from the Marquis then?”

Isabella’s remark made Venice and Ellen tremble with anger. Seeing their reaction, Isabella spoke calmly.

“Since it’s come to this, we should go. The day after tomorrow.”

“What? But if word gets out that we attended Lady Kristin’s tea party, we might be treated the same as her,” Venice objected.

“She asked us to keep it a secret from the other ladies, didn’t she? I don’t think Kristin will go around telling everyone. Aren’t you curious about why she invited us specifically? Why us, of all people? Inviting the three of us, who dislike her the most, to a leisurely tea party right after her broken engagement doesn’t seem like something a sane person would do.”

“A sensible lady would have maintained friendly relations with other noble ladies. Continuing relationships between families are important because they can support each other during difficult times. That’s why we meet, but… ah, I think I understand now!”

“Understand what?”

“Kristin has been out of her mind since then! She probably deceived everyone when she was Marquis Winston’s playmate. She acted kind and elegant, but she was more drawn to the Marquis than to Duke Raphael. Or maybe she broke off the engagement because Duke Raphael discovered something problematic about her.”

“Should we pity her or feel sorry for her? Alright, let’s go and figure out Kristin’s secret.”

“Yes, we can attend this once.”

“Then, the day after tomorrow, I’ll go first and talk to Kristin. Lady Venice and Lady Ellen, you can come a bit later. Before you arrive, I’ll ask Lady Kristin if we can have a tour of the mansion.”

“Sounds good.”

“Alright then, see you the day after tomorrow.”

And so, the three of them came to Kristin’s mansion. Despite their disdain, Venice and Ellen couldn’t help but be curious, so they forced themselves to smile when they saw Kristin.