---
"Your Excellency!
Your Excellency the Archduke!"
The moment I heard a loud sound from the entrance to the garden, Archduke Richard and I jumped back, terrified, without uttering a word.
Our faces were red for some reason.
I calmed myself by looking at the distant mountains, but the sound, panting, continued.
It was the butler, Albert.
“We have a message from the palace!”
"From the palace?
What's going on?"
The astonishment disappeared from his face, and the Archduke's mood immediately soured.
I also turned my head nervously, waiting for Albert's response.
The news from the Imperial Court, which is completely hostile to the Archduke, cannot be good news either.
Albert muttered quickly.
“You have orders to bring Her Excellency the Archduchess.”
∗ ∗ ∗
The next day.
The palace sent me a carriage.
But an unexpected problem has arisen.
“Why can't I?”
“My apologies, but only Archduchess Elena Richard is allowed to enter the palace.”
The Archduke, who was trying to get into the carriage with me, objected violently.
Of course, the palace servant who blocked his way trembled slightly at the Archduke's violent expression.
I tried hard to give a calm smile to the Archduke, who was becoming more sensitive by this time.
“I'm fine.
Don't worry.”
“The palace is not an easy place.
Maybe they are hiding something...”
The Archduke's face looked very serious.
It was logical.
Not only were our relations with the imperial family bad, but they had a lot of things to hide.
It would be a disaster if the imperial family found out about our arranged marriage.
“They even sent a vehicle...
How could anything happen?”
Of course, all kinds of thoughts were running through my head last night.
I wondered if they had caught me listening to the Empress and the Crown Prince at the party, or if they had discovered that I was investigating them and suspected them of involvement in the murder.
Fortunately, one of them did not tie me with ropes immediately, but politely escorted me to the carriage.
“Okay, let's go then.
They'll be waiting for us at the palace.”
The palace servant closed the carriage door forcefully with a stern face.
How far have we come?
Soon, a luxurious palace appeared through the carriage window.
It was a magnificent and dazzling place, as if announcing to the world that it was the center of a vast empire.
It was a place of wealth and luxury, a place built on countless wars and conquest.
Looking at the building, filled with precious spoils, I swore again.
If the Empress or the Crown Prince tries to force me to open my mouth with brutal torture...
I will tell the truth and sever my relationship with the Archduke.
Attorney-client confidentiality laws are very weak in the face of imperial authority.
The carriage stopped quickly.
I stepped onto the soft, well-kept grass with a sense of dignity, ready to admit anything.
“You have come, Archduchess Richard.
I have always wanted to meet you alone.”
“…..?”
I was greeted by Vivian, a person I never expected.
I blinked in confusion, but Vivian closed her eyes and smiled.
“Today is the day of the annual tea party at the Crown Prince’s Palace, and I wanted to invite you so much.”
“Your Royal Highness...Greetings.”
I hesitated in confusion as I bowed and greeted her, and Vivian smiled gently and then turned away.
I followed her into the tea-ceremony hall, muttering to myself, the back of her head shining like moonlight.
'Why are you treating this Tea Party invitation like an investigation summons?'
I seemed to be the only one who found the tea party invitation unexpected.
The tea room was full of elegant ladies.
Fortunately, I saw the faces of women I knew from a previous party.
One of them was particularly welcome.
Madame Bovary, or rather Princess Claire Zacharias, received me warmly.
"Elena!
I was waiting for you."
"Claire, what's all this about?"
I sighed in relief and quickly sat down next to Claire.
She whispered to me, covering her mouth with a lace fan.
“It is an event that the Crown Princess regularly hosts.
Only the most distinguished ladies of society are invited.”
"And you're suddenly calling me me?
My only social experience is from the last party!"
“Oh, you are more than qualified.
Elena is the only Archduchess in the empire.
Count on me today as well.”
Claire smiled as she said this, but something about it made her feel a little uneasy.
Frankly, from Vivian's point of view, I could never be more pleased with the release of Archduke Richard, the suspect accused of her father's murder and for which he was imprisoned?
Even if I were the only Archduchess, she might not have wanted to invite me.
I turned my head slightly and looked at the women sitting around the long table.
In fact, they were prominent in imperial society.
They seemed to be speaking politely, oblivious to their surroundings, but in reality, their eyes were scrutinizing each other.
They were thinking about the best way to treat me in this situation.
Vivian provided the answer.
“We didn't get to say hello properly at the summer party, did we?”
The voice was surprisingly friendly, as if the experience had never happened.
As the Crown Princess, the last person to sit, spoke to me first, the mood of the ladies changed quickly.
They all stopped their conversations and listened intently to our conversation.
"I should have said hello, but this was my first gig, and I was too distracted to say hello.
Thanks for the invite."
I too, with a practical smile, spoke politely.
I was wondering how I could get close to Vivian.
It is likely that she was aware of what had passed between Baron Haydn and the Empress.
So this was my chance.
An experienced woman naturally joined in the conversation.
“Although this was the first time the Archduchess had attended a social event, she performed the task perfectly.”
“You were really beautiful that day.”
As soon as we started, everyone added their compliments.
While they complimented me, Vivian, who had been watching silently, smiled mockingly at herself, and murmured in a low voice.
“Actually, it wasn't the Grand Duchess who was distracted that day, it was me.
It's my fault.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the ladies jumped in frenzy.
“Oh my God, you must have been so sad that day.”
“Let it be just between us, Her Majesty the Empress was too harsh.”
“It was really excellent wine!
It was from a young winery.
How could she consider it such a cheap wine!”
With all the attention now focused on Vivian, I finally caught my breath and took a sip of tea.
Moments ago, I was laughing and responding to their compliments with such laughter that my face almost trembled.
As Vivian listened to the ladies' incessant consolation, she elegantly wiped away her tears.
To everyone who saw her, she seemed like an innocent and pure heroine.
She quickly spoke to Claire first.
“Princess Zacharias, who hosted the summer party, I was a bit rude to you as well.”
“Not at all, Your Highness.
Thanks to you, the party was such a success.”
Claire smiled modestly, and the ladies joined her.
“That was the best party, wasn't it?”
“It was the best party I've been to in the last ten years.”
“All of this is thanks to Archduchess Richard, who gave me freedom and wealth.”
Claire's eyes lit up, and in a fleeting moment, she flirted with me by bringing up the subject of her divorce proceedings.
After a long silence, I found myself back in the middle of the conversation thanks to Claire's expert leadership.
“I saw that article too.
Your Excellency is fully aware of the law.”
“Maybe your father was a solitary scholar.”
I nodded and smiled.
Perhaps influence in imperial society was determined by who offered the most appropriate compliment at the most appropriate moment.
Vivian suddenly joined the wave of praise.
“Perhaps I am the one who knows the Archduchess’ abilities better than anyone else.
I personally witnessed her defense of the trial of Archduke Richard.”
For a moment, the audience was silent, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them.
Everyone here knew this, but no one dared to bring it up in front of Vivian.
The trial of Archduke Richard is also the trial of the suspect in the murder of Vivien's father, Baron Haydn.
And yet, here was Vivian, the character in question, putting on that perfect smile.
She was defending the suspect.
'What on earth are you thinking?'