Chapter 8.1 (Part 4)

In the late afternoon, the banquet began.  

As soon as the vassal meeting in the garden ended, Sellakia was led straight to the dressing room by Nancy. The task of getting dressed from head to toe was quite exhausting, but her fatigue disappeared the moment she entered the banquet hall with Tenus.  

The banquet hall, luxurious even when she had seen it before, was now decorated to a breathtaking degree.  

The chandeliers on the ceiling and the lights illuminating the walls sparkled like starlight. Decorations placed strategically so as not to impede movement were pleasing to the eye, and the abundance of flowers added a touch of romance.  

Even the sound of waves from the open balcony window was atmospheric. Unfortunately, the moonlight was obscured by clouds, but the banquet hall shone brightly enough to illuminate the dark sea in its place.  

Sellakia was genuinely impressed by the hard work of the servants who had decorated the banquet hall so perfectly. Raising their wages alone wouldn’t suffice. It seemed a special allowance would have to be added.  

“Haa. I don’t know how many years it’s been since the last banquet. It would have been nice to invite other dignitaries too.”  

“Indeed. There will be another opportunity soon, won’t there? Hahaha.”  

“In that sense, I must ask the Duke about his future plans.”  

While Sellakia was marveling at the banquet hall, the vassals flocked to Tenus like a school of squid drawn to the light.  

He was soon caught by the vassals and moved away. The sound of his footsteps, dragged along, seemed to carry a sense of dissatisfaction.  

“Wow.”  

Behind her, Erica kept exclaiming in awe. She wandered around, peeking here and there with excited steps.  

Julien, with an expressionless face, focused on keeping by Erica’s side. He seemed worried she might cause trouble.  

Sellakia looked at them, pleased with how they had grown, and spoke.  

“Sir Julien, Erica, please enjoy the banquet to your heart’s content.”  

“Yes. Oh, I mean, yes!”  

Erica replied cheerfully and ran over to the table with light banquet snacks. Julien sighed, left a greeting with Sellakia, and followed her.  

As Sellakia continued to meticulously survey her surroundings, she suddenly noticed Marguerite. She was skillfully directing the servants from a secluded corner.  

Sellakia’s heart was endlessly complicated as she watched the flawless Head Maid. She still hadn’t decided what to do with Marguerite.  

“Madam., should I bring you some champagne?”  

Nancy, curious about Sellakia’s blank stare, suddenly asked. Sellakia turned her gaze away from Marguerite and shook her head.  

“I think it’s better not to drink. I shouldn’t show a disheveled appearance.”  

“There is non-alcoholic champagne too. I’ll pick something delicious and bring it to you.”  

Before Nancy could be stopped, she went to fetch a champagne glass. Meanwhile, those who had been glancing at Sellakia from afar approached her. They were young ladies from vassal families around her age.  

“We greet the Duchess. It’s the first time we’ve had the chance to greet you since the day you arrived at the mansion.”  

“That’s right. It was hard to see you after the first night’s banquet.”  

“We hoped to run into you in the garden by chance. We heard you were busy chatting with Lady Lashley.”  

“Did you? I should have arranged a meeting first, but I wasn’t thoughtful enough.”  

Sellakia raised her stiff lips into a smile. Her tension had reached such an extreme that her neck felt stiff.  

“Did Lady Lashley tire you out?”  

“Not at all. She was actually a very good conversational partner, and I’m grateful for that.”  

“Lady Lashley? That can’t be right…”  

Nancy appeared in the midst of the puzzled faces, holding a raised glass.  

“Madam, here you go. I brought non-alcoholic champagne.”  

A sense of relief momentarily washed over Sellakia. It was a comfort she could only feel from someone familiar.  

It was then.  

As Nancy briskly approached, someone brushed past behind her. The interval was so brief that just as Sellakia was about to feel puzzled, Nancy, who was handing her the glass, staggered as if she had been pushed.  

“Oh.”  

“Oh my.”  

The champagne glass in Nancy’s hand tilted toward Sellakia.  

The golden liquid sloshed heavily, about to spill from the glass.  

“Yap!”  

Nancy raised her arm high and crossed her legs to regain her balance. With a movement akin to acrobatics, not a single drop of champagne spilled from the glass. Not even a small splash.  

The disaster that could have ruined the dress was narrowly avoided.  

“Oh. Well done, Nancy. Your agility has improved quite a bit. Your leg strength is also commendable.”  

Roberta, who had been about to step in front of Sellakia, clapped her hands. The young ladies gathered around awkwardly followed suit.  

“I don’t know what happened, but… I’m glad the dress is safe.”  

“Indeed. It was almost dangerous. The maid is quite cute.”  

“Hehehe.”  

Nancy, having successfully handed the glass to Sellakia, laughed proudly. Sellakia thanked Nancy and looked at Amy, who was striding away with angry steps.  

Come to think of it, she still hadn’t figured out why Amy had summoned her to the vassal meeting. Judging by her continued antics at the banquet, it seemed she hadn’t achieved her goal yet.  

What exactly was her purpose?  

Intuitively, it seemed like she was trying to ruin the dress this time.  

However, Sellakia still found it hard to understand Amy. It felt like too shallow a trick.  

Even if the dress got ruined, she could just change into another one. It wasn’t as if she’d be embarrassed in front of others for having an unexpected accident.  

There had to be a more sophisticated purpose…  

While Sellakia was lost in her thoughts, someone spoke up.  

“Ahem. By the way, I heard that not only vassals but also your guests are attending today’s banquet? I heard they’re commoners…”

“Isn’t that person over there? You can tell just by the unsettling atmosphere.”  

Some glanced at Erica, who was seriously admiring the decorations from afar.  

Sellakia forgot to manage her expression and frowned. This was clearly a prejudiced statement.  

Erica’s dress, though slightly old-fashioned, wasn’t shabby enough to be pointed at. Being from a Baron’s family, she was well-versed in basic etiquette. This meant she hadn’t done anything that could be criticized.  

However, before Sellakia could point that out and defend Erica, the conversation took a different turn.  

“I understand why you associate with commoners. I heard your childhood tutor was a commoner. A male commoner, at that.”

“Is that true? I thought it was just a rumor because it was so unbelievable.”  

“Look over there. The uncomfortable truth is walking around in plain sight.”  

Someone pointed at Julien with the end of a fan. Julien stood against the wall like a flower, sticking to one side of the banquet hall. His choice of position showed his effort to be as inconspicuous as possible while staying by Erica’s side.  

Julien surely knew the uneasy gazes directed at him. Sellakia felt a pang of affection from his stance of observing from a secluded spot without enjoying the banquet.  

If it weren’t for Julien, enduring the isolated life at the Viscount’s house would have been much harder.  

What allowed Sellakia to endure the lonely and difficult times at the Viscount’s house was not only the deep love she held for her parents but also Julien’s dedication.  

Sellakia had invited Julien and Erica to the banquet to spend a joyful time together, not to subject them to such treatment. She wouldn’t have been so angry if they had been mocking her instead.  

The smile that had been on her lips vanished in an instant.  

“I understand it’s an unusual choice, but Sir Julien is a graduate of the military academy and possesses all the qualities of a great teacher. Please refrain from making unpleasant assumptions.”  

The young ladies exchanged glances, startled by the sudden change in Sellakia’s demeanor, which had seemed gentle to the point of weakness.  

“We didn’t mean to upset you, Duchess. We just wanted to know the truth.”  

“To serve a new master, we must know about the past. Please don’t take it too harshly.”  

Then someone seemed to realize something and snapped a fan against her palm.  

“Wait a minute. A military academy graduate? Why would such an imperial talent volunteer as a tutor? And for a mere Viscount’s family…”  

“Miss. Watch your words. A mere Viscount’s family?”  

“Ahem. I apologize. I meant to say that he can’t be considered a commoner. When enrolled in the military academy, a knighthood is inevitably granted.”  

A wave of amazement swept through those gathered around Sellakia.