Chapter 1.3

From the moment Carnier had spotted Katrina Eseth upon her arrival, she had foreseen that this tea gathering would not only be dull but also quite irritating.

She set down her teacup and smiled gently.

“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t quite catch what you said. We’re seated rather far apart, you see.”

“…!”

Katrina Eseth’s smile froze. The other young ladies hurriedly picked up their teacups or fanned themselves, pretending to be preoccupied. They were desperately trying to stifle the laughter that threatened to escape.

Carnier was seated next to the hostess, in the most prominent position at the table. Meanwhile, Katrina Eseth was at the far end of the rectangular table—the lowest-ranked seat.

It wasn’t as if their voices couldn’t reach each other, but as was customary with the distinction between the upper and lower seats, a clear gap in status was evident even here.

Carnier’s words were as good as saying she hadn’t bothered to listen to someone seated so far beneath her.

“How dismissive of you. For someone who is to become the Crown Princess, not listening to others is…”

“Oh, Lady Eseth.”

Carnier sighed softly, as if disappointed.

“As I said, it’s difficult to hear. Perhaps you could come closer or ask someone else to relay your words?”

“There’s no way you couldn’t have heard…!”

Katrina Eseth’s smile finally vanished as she trembled with barely contained anger. She glanced at the hostess, silently pleading for intervention.

“Ahem, ahem…”

But the young lady of Marquis Lusein’s household had no intention of taking her side. She pretended not to notice Katrina’s plea and sipped her tea. Katrina’s expression twisted in disbelief.

‘It seems even the hostess didn’t invite her here willingly… Could someone else have influenced this?’

Carnier’s gaze shifted to an older maid brewing tea nearby. She had seen this head maid often since her first visit to the Lusein residence.

‘The Marchioness of Lusein…’

The picture was becoming clearer.

Suppressing her irritation, Carnier maintained her smile.

“So, is there anyone who could repeat what Lady Eseth said to me?”

“Well…”

The young ladies, who had been stifling their laughter moments ago, now looked visibly uncomfortable. None of them seemed willing to repeat whatever had been said.

Once again, the hostess, the young lady of Marquis Lusein’s household, had no choice but to speak.

“…Lady Eseth was wondering why the wedding between His Highness the Crown Prince and you, Lady Raymore, had been delayed.”

Immediately after, Katrina Eseth placed her teacup down with a sharp clink.

“You should also relay the rest of it, Lady Lusein.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

“Why hesitate? Are you, too, going to pretend you didn’t hear it after criticizing me for bringing up an inappropriate topic?”

“Pretend? That’s not…”a

“I was simply curious, Lady Raymore. Wasn’t this engagement decided long ago? And yet, why was the wedding delayed for so long, even after you came of age?”

Katrina Eseth sneered openly this time.

“Could it be that there’s some disqualifying reason that hasn’t been made public?”

“Lady Eseth…!”

The young lady of Marquis Lusein’s household gasped, horrified. The other young ladies reacted similarly. After all, Carnier was the future Crown Princess. Offending someone of her stature would bring no benefit.

However, Katrina’s gaze remained steady. As if she were ready to risk anything, her eyes burned with even greater intensity.

In truth, Katrina was the former fiancée of the Third Prince. Before the Third Prince’s fall from grace, she had once been a lady who shared the spotlight with Carnier in high society as a prospective Princess.

And the one who had orchestrated the Third Prince’s downfall was none other than the Duke of Raymore—Carnier’s brother.

‘She probably wants to believe that’s true.’

Carnier smiled faintly.

“So, you’re wondering if I, too, have a disqualifying flaw like the one attributed to you that’s known to the public?”

“…What did you say?”

Katrina’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. The other young ladies also gasped audibly.

‘What, did you think you were the only one who could speak bluntly?’

The one holding the blade was Carnier, not Katrina.

“Oh dear, it seems you couldn’t hear me clearly either. I was asking if you were curious whether I have a flaw similar to the one that caused your engagement to be annulled.”

“My engagement wasn’t annulled!”

Katrina shot to her feet. In her haste, her teacup tipped over, spilling tea onto her sleeve. But she paid no attention to the mess, too preoccupied with defending herself.

“It wasn’t annulled! I was the one who broke it off! The flaw wasn’t on my end but on his…!”

“Oh my, are you saying that the Eseth family sent a letter of annulment to the Imperial Family? Is that true?”

Feigning genuine surprise, Carnier covered her mouth with her hand. At this, Katrina’s shoulders flinched.

The Third Prince—now a deposed prince—had been disgraced due to charges of drug use and distribution.

Despite the Emperor’s strict prohibition of narcotics, reinforced by new laws, the Third Prince had brazenly brought such substances into the inner palace. The Duke of Raymore, who also served as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Knights, had personally uncovered the evidence, which was then reported to the Emperor through the Crown Prince.

The Emperor was furious. Not only was the Third Prince banished, but his mother, a once-favored concubine, was also expelled from the palace.

In the process, the marriage alliance with the wealthy Eseth family collapsed as well.

“Well, Lady Eseth?”

“T-that’s…”

Katrina, who had been so eager to disparage Carnier no matter the cost, bit her lip.

‘Yes, even she wouldn’t dare to lie about that.’

Carnier smirked inwardly.

In truth, Katrina wasn’t wrong in saying that the flaw lay with the Third Prince. Without the drug scandal, there would have been no obstacle to their marriage.

However…

‘The Imperial Family would never bow its head under any circumstances.’

Even in such a situation, the Imperial Family, with its long-standing traditions and immense power, would never allow itself to be the one “rejected.” Thus, it was the Imperial Family that had sent the letter of annulment.

The Earl of Eseth accepted it without complaint. A pragmatic man, he was relieved that the investigation had cleared him of any wrongdoing. Moreover, the compensation quietly sent alongside the annulment letter was quite substantial.

But Katrina Eseth, the party directly involved, didn’t see it that way.

She harbored a grudge not against her former fiancé, who had been caught using drugs, but against the Duke of Raymore, who had exposed the scandal. Her resentment was so deep that she openly displayed hostility.

“It… it was a matter of formality! Everyone here knows that! Don’t twist my words into something absurd!”

“I see. A matter of formality.”

Carnier nodded as she gently fanned herself. She had expected this response.

“So, while you wish for others to understand the unavoidable circumstances that led to your broken engagement, you’re determined to uncover a flaw in my delayed marriage?”

“…!”

“I never realized how petty you were, Lady Eseth.”

Snap. The fan closed. At some point, the smile had vanished from Carnier’s lips, and her voice carried a cold monotone.

“Still, we were almost family once—sisters-in-law, even.”

Perhaps that was why Katrina Eseth’s resentment had reached such a peak.

Her dream of becoming a Princess had been shattered, while Carnier’s path remained smooth and untroubled.

‘But so what?’

It had been five years. Whether Katrina had spent those years sharpening her metaphorical blade or not, it was none of Carnier’s concern. She looked indifferently at Katrina, whose shoulders trembled with anger.

‘Honestly, did I tell him to use drugs? Did I tell him to get caught doing so in the palace? Why come here and throw a tantrum at me?’

As soon as the argument’s outcome became evident, the other young ladies, who had been holding their breath, began to chime in.

“You’ve gone too far, Lady Eseth.”

“W-what did you say?”

“It’s unfortunate what happened to you, Lady Eseth, but that doesn’t mean you should direct your anger at Lady Raymore.”

“No! I wasn’t speaking out of spite…!”

“If it wasn’t out of spite, then what evidence did you have to bring up the idea of a flaw?”

“T-that’s…”

“If you had no evidence, then what else could it have been but spite?”

“Exactly. Everyone knows how devoted His Highness the Crown Prince has been to Lady Raymore, even amidst his busy schedule.”

“….”

At this last remark, Carnier’s hand, which had been lifting her teacup, trembled slightly. However, no one noticed, as they were too busy criticizing Katrina.

“Perhaps the flaw lies with you, Lady Eseth. After all, who doesn’t know about how the former Third Prince, now deposed, once favored an older widow…?”

“You! How dare you say that?!”

“Oh my, how frightening. Did I say something wrong?”

“Well… Suddenly someone started shouting so rudely that I couldn’t hear a thing…”

“Y-you…!”

As the other young ladies giggled behind their fans, Katrina’s face turned bright red. To be humiliated by those who once wouldn’t have dared to stand against her was unbearable.

‘And that Marquis Lusein girl… why has she been siding with them from the start…!’

Despite her repeated glances for help, the young lady of Marquis Lusein’s household had ignored her entirely. It seemed that the hostess was more concerned with currying favor with the future Crown Princess than supporting Katrina, who might never regain her former status.