“Duchess, it's been a long time, hasn't it?”
Ron truly admired and loved this graceful and beautiful noblewoman.
I smiled and greeted her warmly, and the Duchess replied with a soft smile.
“Yes, I've been very busy lately.
By the way, you don't seem to be in a good mood.
Did something unpleasant happen today?”
“Oh, no, nothing happened...”
Ronnie spoke, trying to avoid the question somehow.
“It's okay, you can be honest.
There's no one to interrupt us, right?”
At the Duchess's words, Ruona flinched.
'No one to interrupt?
Could it be that the Duchess did something, and that's why there were no customers?'
But if that were the case, the store employees would have warned her before she entered the guest room.
'And this place is frequented by members of both the Nobles Faction and the Emperor Faction, so even if she is the Duchess of Lenheim, she can't control them all.'
So, either this was a terrible coincidence or someone with real ability had intervened.
While Ron was coming to a conclusion, the Duchess of Lenheim spoke.
“Ron, have you visited the Duchy of Brant today?”
“K-how did you know...?”
Startled by the sudden question, Ron stuttered, and the Duchess of Lenheim laughed and shrugged.
“Oh, well, rumors are spreading in social circles, it would be strange if I didn't know, wouldn't it?”
“Oh, I guess so.”
Just as she was about to get over it with a smile—
“So, how was it?”
"Eh?
What do you mean...?"
Ron froze when her eyes met those of the Duchess of Lenheim.
“Did the ill-tempered feral cat of the Duchy of Brant like the gift her daughter-in-law gave her?”
The Duchess of Lenheim's gentle gaze suddenly turned fierce, like a predator stalking its prey.
Ron sensed her intention and swallowed nervously.
‘She is trying to find out what happened in the Duchy of Brant by interrogating me.’
An idea came to Ronnie's mind.
Should you reveal everything and feel comfortable, or should you keep quiet and bear it?
‘Honestly, I hope that Grand Lady Brant will be criticized.’
Originally, Ron wanted to win over Grand Madam Brant with beautiful jewelry and make her a customer.
She was undoubtedly the most respected person in the empire, and earning her praise would have confirmed Ron's status as the best jewelry store in the industry, surpassing Twinkle.
But after her actual conversation with the eldest lady, her desire to sell her the jewelry her sister had painstakingly made disappeared.
‘Our mother died after suffering a long time with her husband’s family throughout her life because she only gave birth to two daughters.’
Even after their mother died, their father showed no remorse.
So she and her sister left home and opened a jewelry store.
At first, it was small in size, but thanks to her sister’s outstanding ingenuity and artistic sense, the “Shining Stone” store overtook Twinkle and became the first in the industry.
‘But that woman criticized our store’s jewelry and called it inadequate.’
Frankly speaking, silence would not satisfy the Grand Lady.
She really didn't like the "shining stone." However, Ron couldn't speak rashly because of the possibility of revenge against Grand Lady Brant and Cornelia's reputation.
'No matter how much she is a victim, gaining sympathy as a princess and duchess will only backfire.'
Nobles, by nature, are obsessed with appearances and consider showing weakness shameful.
But how could the daughter of the current Emperor and Duchess endure a cruel marriage to the Duchess of Brant, a noble family with powerful influence?
There may be instant sympathy, but it will eventually become a limitation for Cornelia.
‘Those who hate the Duchess will try to portray her as a pathetic victim, no matter what she does.’
In noble society, being seen as pathetic was equivalent to being marked as unimportant.
In other words, the Duchess may face social rejection based on her reaction.
'So, I can't say anything about the Duchess.'
Even though it was a short encounter, Ron felt a crush on Cornelia.
She had a keen eye for beauty, knowing that even the simplest jewelry could be exquisite.
She treated her kindly, even though she was only a minor noble.
Moreover, she had previously willingly defended her, knowing that she might face a backlash from the Grand Lady.
So, Ron was determined to protect Cornelia from any harm.
'But at least I can say that much.'
“Honestly, whatever gift we gave, it would have been useless.
It seemed as if the grand lady didn’t like our store’s stuff.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, especially since her favorite jewelry store is Twinkle...”
At that, the Duchess of Lenheim rolled her eyes into a half-moon shape and laughed.
“Well, Twinkle is run by Marquis Arjen, so I guess you two are rivals.”
While Ron was smiling approvingly instead of giving a direct answer, the Duchess of Lenheim spoke.
"But is there something else?
Like if the eldest lady is abusing her daughter-in-law or something?"
Seeing her inquiring again, Ronnie quickly answered.
“Otherwise, it's customer privacy...”
“Ron, I thought you were quick-witted, but you are not as sharp as I thought.”
“Excuse me?”
“Who do you think has the power to send me here?
Moreover, he has the power to dismiss all the guests present here at once.”
“This...”
Ron remained silent.
The Emperor himself was the only one capable of moving nobles of this caliber.
'Even if they are from the Nobles Faction, they will have to respond to the Emperor's summons.'
Seeing Ron's silence, the Duchess of Lenheim laughed.
"I told you before, didn't I?
When you gain reputation in society, you will eventually have to choose between two paths.
The Nobles Faction or the Emperor Faction."
The Duchess of Lenheim looked at Ron and smiled wryly.
“Well, it seems that you have already, involuntarily, chosen the same side as me.”
Normally, Ruona should have denied her words and remained neutral, but she couldn't.
In the end, if she had to choose, she didn't want to side with Grand Madam Brant.
'Right now, I must understand the Duchess of Lenheim's intentions.'
Ruona swallowed hard, then opened her mouth.
“Your Highness, you could have gotten what you wanted from me without revealing the truth.
But why are you telling me all this?”
At that, the Duchess of Lenheim laughed.
“Well, it was endearing and admirable to see you awkwardly trying to divert attention away from the Duchess of Brant.”
At her response, Ruona laughed foolishly before speaking.
“So, does that mean you’ll protect me even if I speak ill of Grand Madam Brant?”
At Ron's provocative question, the Duchess of Lenheim narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, of course!
That's why I made time out of my busy schedule to come."
Ron, who did not understand the Duchess of Lenheim’s intention, asked in confusion, “Excuse me?
What do you mean?”
“After a while, the guests will return.
At that time, all you need to do is respond with ‘yes, no.’ If the question is too sensitive to answer, keep your mouth closed and look embarrassed.”
In other words, the Duchess of Lenheim will fuel the rumors, and she must react appropriately to fuel those rumors.
'Surely, if it's this woman, she can handle Grand Madam Brant.'
The Duchess of Lenheim, with her unique elegance, held a high position in high society.
Moreover, her revealing the Emperor's intentions meant that she would definitely provide protection.
Ron opened her mouth.
“I thank the Duchess of Lenheim for her kindness.”
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
The next morning, I stretched and got out of bed.
'Hmm, did you indulge too much in acting yesterday?
'I feel a little lethargic.'
As usual, I quickly showered and got ready for breakfast.
Moments later, someone entered carrying a tray.
"Landon?
What brings you here?"
For a moment, I was puzzled by his sudden visit to my room instead of wandering around Zenon and the Grand Lady.
However, she was surprised when she noticed dark circles under Landon's eyes.
"No, but what happened to your face?
You look very tired."
“Well, ma'am... it's no big deal; eat.
Your baby will grow healthy if you eat well.”
'Impossible, how can I eat quietly with a face like that next to me?'
Anyway, I'm using Landon now, so I said something quickly.
“Okay, thanks.”
At that point, Landon spoke up.
“Don't worry, this food is safe.
I monitored the entire process from beginning to end.”
'No, I didn't say anything about spying on the chef…'
At this point, I don't know if he's stupid or just trying to do his best at everything.
However, being a human being, I felt a little guilty for manipulating Landon.
'I think it's okay to let him get his job back.'
With a smile, she turned to Landon and asked, “By the way, have you tried to look good in front of the eldest lady?”
“That, that… heck!”
Seeing his hesitant expression, I furrowed my eyebrows.