Chapter Title: The Serpent's Salon
At his words, Adele looked up. The Ginoble family's villa sat on a jutting piece of terrain at the edge of Ador Beach. It was a reddish-brown tiled building with orange exterior walls and white brick edges. The excessive illumination made it look like a fishing boat's lantern.
*Palmina Genoble is a chauvinist who flaunts her wealth.*
Adele stared at the mansion and adjusted her collar.
"Let's go. It's a fight worth fighting for a shoeshine girl."
---
"Miss Adelaide Buonaparte."
The moment Adele entered the parlor, a barrage of arrow-like glances fell upon her. Adele surveyed her surroundings nonchalantly. The parlor, decorated with scarlet and purple chrysanthemums, was already crowded. Inside, she found Madame Ravenna and Geneviève seated in places of honor. Madame Ravenna twitched her lips ironically. Geneviève, on the other hand, looked worried.
*At least one of them seems to be on my side.*
Adele greeted Geneviève with a glance and made her way to the table. At the head of the table, Palmina Ginoble sat like a king on a throne. The presence of Lucrezia beside her was unexpected, but not surprising.
*Lucrezia seems to have made up her mind to turn me into an enemy.*
"Blessings of the goddess upon you."
Adele greeted Palmina, examining her closely. Palmina Ginoble was a woman in her sixties with a striking impression. Purple-dark eye makeup on a sallow complexion. A golden necklace coiled like a serpent. Nothing about her was understated. She smiled, her eyes narrowing with amusement.
"Blessings of the goddess upon you. Thank you for coming."
"You're welcome. Thank you for having me."
After the greeting, Adele's gaze turned to Lucrezia, who was seated beside her.
"Miss Lucrezia is here as well."
"Blessings of the goddess. Lady Palmina invited me. If I had known you were coming, I would have traveled with you."
Adele didn't answer, just smiled.
*I didn't mean to respond, but I'm not good at small talk anyway.*
Palmina soon offered her a seat, and Adele gracefully arranged the hem of her dress as she sat down. When she greeted those seated at the same table, they all responded kindly. As expected, what Eponi had said was true.
*They won't treat me badly outright.*
That meant they wouldn't pull out her chair, make snide remarks, or throw hot tea at her.
*They're probably going to attack in other ways... just like they did with Katarina.*
Adele smiled silently.
*Let's see how they drove out the princess of Orquinina.*
When everyone was settled, Palmina spoke in a leisurely voice.
"Now then. Miss Lucrezia. What were we discussing?"
"We were talking about the new products from '144 Prügge'. Isn't the color simply lovely?"
"Absolutely. I don't usually care for things made on the mainland, but Prügge is different."
"Didn't 'Midpendleton' do a wonderful job this season?"
"There's definitely a chic appeal to the retro look."
The other ladies and young women chimed in. A neat conversation ensued, as if weaving weft and warp together. Adele didn't bother to interrupt and sipped her tea quietly. This continued for quite some time.
When Adele didn't respond, a young lady beside her spoke up with slight nervousness.
"Which dressmaker does Miss Adelaide prefer?"
The moment she said that, Adele could feel everyone's attention sharpen. In other words, she had just heard the sound of heads rolling. Adele smiled faintly, holding back the urge to laugh.
"Unfortunately, I haven't visited enough tailors to have developed a preference yet."
"Oh my."
The young lady covered her mouth in surprise. It was a comical gesture.
"So you wore unbranded clothes in Capolo?"
"I don't need expensive dresses. Cotton clothes are sufficient."
Pity spread like a wave across the faces of the young ladies and their mothers.
"Lady Katarina was so devoted to fashion... No matter how unfamiliar you are with Fornatier, surely a daughter shouldn't be kept from the latest culture. It's too cruel."
"That's right. It's the rightful privilege of upper-class ladies to be at the forefront of fashion. She's been deprived of it..."
*I can see where this is going.*
Adele understood what they were implying, but she didn't respond, maintaining only a slight smile. When Adele remained silent, an awkward hush fell over the group. Someone spoke hastily, a little nervously.
"Miss Adelaide should join Fornatier society quickly... Otherwise, I fear she won't be able to adapt, just like Lady Katarina."
*You're still an outsider. You'll surely follow in your mother's footsteps.*
Adele grinned despite the blatant remarks.
"Thank you for your concern. But I won't leave Fornatier like my mother did. My brother cares for me very much."
Before she could finish speaking, Lucrezia, who had been conversing with Palmina, turned her gaze to Adele. The people around them naturally fell silent, sensing the tension between them. Lucrezia finally spoke in a dry voice.
"...Prince Cesare must have a great deal of trouble on his hands. It's not easy to take in and provide for a person."
It was the first time Lucrezia had spoken directly to Adele since the salon began. Adele smiled softly.
"He told me not to worry about it because I'm family."
"Family."
"Yes. My loving family."
The corners of Lucrezia's mouth twitched. Adele smiled more brightly.
"Thanks to his care, I am loved by my brother."
"..."
The corners of Lucrezia's mouth slowly dropped. Presently her lips parted, and her upper and lower teeth clicked together sharply. It wasn't polite, and Adele didn't even know what it meant, but it was a strangely unsettling gesture. It seemed rather ugly for such a refined beauty.
Presently Lucrezia's mouth opened.
"You..."
"Miss Lucrezia."
That's when Palmina interrupted her.
"Would you like more tea?"
"..."
Lucrezia tore her eyes away from Adele and looked at Palmina. After a moment, she returned to her doe-eyed expression and smiled innocently.
"...Would I? Thank you for your consideration, Lady Palmina."
Apparently, she had chosen to yield the power struggle to the owner of the salon.
"You're welcome."
Palmina smiled lovingly and poured more water into Lucrezia's teacup, which was still more than half full. Adele watched silently.
*She hasn't revealed that I'm a commoner.*
If that were exposed, Cesare might intervene. Lucrezia was a frighteningly skilled line-keeper. She was certainly resourceful. It was Eponi's guess that the affair with Madame Ravenna alone couldn't have swayed Palmina.
*So what did she use to bring Lady Palmina to her side?*
Adele pondered for a moment.
"Miss Adelaide."
Adele looked up at Palmina's call. Palmina was smiling leisurely, like a seasoned politician.
"You seem to have a bit of a rebellious streak. I understand that you didn't grow up hearing the bells of the Santa Palermo bell tower. But you are a Buonaparte. Shouldn't you maintain a certain level of decorum?"
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"I've heard that you've had a war of words with Lady Ravenna. Now that we're going to be in the same social circle, why make enemies of each other? You're a leader of society."
At that moment, Adele let out a soft laugh.
"Is it a virtue of society's leaders to speak of selling innocent people into slavery?"
"Everyone makes mistakes."
"There's no smoke without fire."
Palmina looked at Adele in silence. Then, at some point, the smile faded from her face, and she studied the rings on her hand with somber eyes.
"You don't share the same blood, but you're quite similar to Prince Cesare."
"..."
*How can you say something so distasteful?*
Adele managed to keep her expression blank and held her tongue. She knew nothing about Cesare publicly. Silence was best.
"Cesare always says this: The citizens of Fornatier are fickle and freedom-loving, and the politicians of Fornatier must fear them."
"It's the teaching of the Founding Fathers."
"You're not wrong. There was a civil government."
Palmina looked up from examining her gemstone ring. Her bulging, copper-coin eyes drifted toward Adele.