Chapter 91
The fact that the man asking for my love now is another son of the Emperor isn't the biggest problem. The most important thing is that he's the man Marquis Winblayer chose.
'This means that the three great families are planning to install him as emperor!'
After the fall of the Duke of Lancaster, the three great families seemed suspiciously quiet. I thought they were merely being cautious, but secretly plotting something big!
“Is it wise to tell me such a thing? As you know, the Count Bliss family…”
“Of course, I don’t trust the Bliss family, but I trust you, because you are the right person for the position of Empress.”
Leandro took Angela's hand and gently kissed the back of it.
“Just as I must be the emperor, you must be the empress. That is the only place that suits you, isn’t it?”
Of course you know. There may be other places that inspire ambition, but Empress is the highest place a woman can reach.
Angela smiled inwardly with a triumphant smile, but she pretended to be shy and lowered her head.
“I will grant you this position. So please, come to me, Miss Angela.”
It was a risky gamble.
But Angela is the type of person who believes in taking risks to achieve great gains.
She did not refuse his hand, which gently lifted her chin.
She received his lips, which could not hide his nervousness and haste, while she vowed to herself that she would not let this man slip through her fingers.
***
After the party, Laszlo wasn't the only one who was busy.
With Edel's help, Linnea began sorting invitations and attending appropriate parties, and even invited guests to her home.
“Do you think it would be a bad idea to invite Mr. Talon again?”
Linnea, who had spent a wonderful time with Ian Tallon over tea, sighed as she looked at the invitations she had received.
But Idil, who was next to her, shook her head in negation.
“If you invite him repeatedly, rumors of an impending engagement will spread. It’s still too early for that. You should also invite the people who invited you before to improve your reputation.”
“Huh… so who should I invite? It’s not appropriate to invite women older than me… but if I only invite those my own age, it might attract the attention of others…”
Edel was quickly sorting the invitations in front of Linnea, who looked bewildered.
“As you said, it is inappropriate for a young girl to invite older women. It might appear inappropriate. Usually, it is enough to send thank-you cards.”
"So, should I just send thank-you cards?"
“But since you need to build a reputation, what about inviting their daughters or daughters-in-law as well? That way you maintain the status of the ladies who invited you, and at the same time you will feel more comfortable.”
"Wow... how did you think of that? Amazing!"
Edel smiled faintly as Linnea applauded her admiringly. Edel felt pleased that her previous efforts to build a reputation in the community were now paying off.
Several days later, a simple tea party was held in the reception room of Count Crisis's house.
Simple, uncontroversial sweets were served, and tea was prepared using the excellent tea leaves that Linnea had received from Ian Tallon, so the guests' cups were filled with fine tea.
“Thank you for the invitation, miss. I didn’t know the reception hall at Crissis Palace was so beautiful.”
“In fact, you are all the first guests in this lounge.”
“Oh! What an honor…”
Everyone, whose curiosity about the Crisis family had grown after the party, felt proud to have been the first to visit the reception hall. They now had something to boast about in the future.
"Really, it's fantastic. Who has such great taste in interior design?"
“Ah, the hall actually reflects a lot about my brother. In fact, neither my brother nor I have great taste in this area, so we received a lot of help from the palace housekeeper.”
With these words, the guests' eyes suddenly turned to Idil, who was standing next to Linnea.
It was surprising that Linnea so confidently acknowledged her flaws, and in doing so, raised Idel's standing in society.
“Ah… haha… so this was it…!”
“Well, the taste of a housekeeper here… you know, everyone knows that.”
Linnea enjoyed watching the guests carefully choose their words.
The former Linnea Crisis was not the same person who used to shrink back and fear the gaze of others.
I learned from Idyll to know her strength, and I came to realize how much higher society wasn't as complicated as she had thought.
So, her personality began to unfold slowly.
“Actually, it seems everyone knows about it. I didn’t know at first, but I recently discovered that I have a great home tutor!”
“Edel, I mean… was she playing the role of Miss Linnea’s private tutor?”
“Yes! Thanks to her, I discovered what I was doing wrong, and I received a lot of help. Now, she is an indispensable person in our home.”
“Ah, miss…”
Idil was in an awkward position when Linnea introduced Idil as if she knew her family.
Why is Linnea doing this all of a sudden?
Although she wanted to stop her, she couldn't speak up in that situation. Moreover, Linnea seemed to know exactly how Idell was feeling.
“Edel, there’s nothing to worry about. I didn’t say anything wrong, and you’re not diminishing my standing because I told them what I benefited from you. Isn’t that right?”
Her smiling face displayed a certain confidence similar to that of her brother.
Linnea didn't stop there, but also began praising Idel in front of the guests.
“Edil is worried that this might harm me. She is always preoccupied with worrying about others. Although she could be more ambitious and take what is rightfully hers, she buys snacks for others and helps people in need…”
"truly?"
“Yes! She is very kind and honest, so my brother trusted her and gave her the position of housekeeper. After we were betrayed by the previous head butler, my brother became very strict in choosing staff.”
While Linnea was speaking, none of the guests showed any sign of discontent. On the contrary, everyone seemed to be enjoying her conversation about the secrets of the Crisis family.
Idell smiled quietly as she watched Linnea lead the party atmosphere.
'When did Linnea become so mature?'
From the Duchess's point of view, it was clear that Linnea's behavior and actions needed some adjustments.
But instead, Linnea was promoting those rougher aspects of her personality as her own unique charm. Perhaps this was the first time Linnea's true allure began to emerge.
While Idell felt proud of Linnea, the guests noticed the close relationship between them and exchanged meaningful glances.
Then, when Linnea Idel left the place together, the guests began to whisper.
"Isn't this different from rumors?"
“Yes, it seems that Linnea is not under her control as was rumored. In fact, the opposite is true…”
“If Edel Lancaster had been the mistress of Count Crisis, Mademoiselle Linnaeus would not have defended her so fiercely. She must have been a formidable opponent.”
“It is said that Conan Crisis was betrayed by a butler. Isn’t that the same butler who was involved with that lady in the Owen family?”
“Yes! Actually, that was strange. I thought Duchess had a good reputation since her youth, and then suddenly she turns evil.”
The guests were making shocked expressions as if they had discovered something big, but when Linnea returned to her place, they all smiled as if they hadn't said anything.
***
Ever since Marsha began working undercover at Baron Owen's house, her days have been filled with fun.
Perhaps because of Edmund's recommendation, Marsha was treated specially in Baron Owen's house and did not have to do the hard work that ordinary servants did.
All she had to do was serve tea when the guests arrived, then start answering questions posed indirectly by Baron Owen or his wife, after which she simply had to promote stories that were offensive to the Crisis family.
“And with all this, I get a maid’s salary plus special bonuses, where could I find a better job than this?”
Marsha was smiling and adjusting her hair when she heard that guests were coming today as well.
Since the first party was held in the Crisis family, the number of guests has increased, and it has become rare for a day to pass without going out to the reception room.
If she considered it work, it would have been a bit annoying, but for her, speaking ill of Crisis Edel's family was the greatest pleasure.
“I’ll show you, I’ll make Idell look like a wicked whore, and I’ll make that mercenary look like a womanizing fool.”
Marsha thought it was an excellent story. In fact, the Baron's guests accepted her story without question, which boosted her confidence even further.
She firmly believed that she could destroy the Crisis family with just her words.
“What shall I say today? Yes! I shall say that Edel was sold to several men while she was being dragged from the Duke’s principality to the capital. If not today, then when?”
Marsha laughed alone, heading towards the reception room.
As usual, she sat in a corner of the reception room, her hands clasped together, waiting for the guests to arrive. A short while later, Mrs. Baron entered with the guests.