As I expected, Nadia was seething with anger over Ethan's choice of Camille over her. But Camille was undoubtedly Ethan's wife, and Nadia wasn't even an old lover, just a complete stranger.
She had no right to be upset by my words.
This response alone showed how far Nadia was overstepping her bounds.
"Oh my God, what's wrong with you? You look sick. Are you sick, Marchioness Le Roy?" I asked innocently.
Nadia bit her lip, her face pale.
“...No, I'm fine,” she replied in a strained voice.
"This comforts me. But you have to be careful. Unlike me, you have no one to rely on in times of distress..." And while I was speaking, Nadia's face turned from pale to pale.
“Duchess Dumont!” Berenice shouted in a sharp tone, “Don't you think that was a bit excessive? There are things you should say and things you shouldn't say.”
“I agree. You should apologize to the Marchioness,” Marianne quickly added.
Nadia looked down, pretending to be hurt.
Aren't they like bridesmaids? Who pounced on Ethan immediately after her husband's death?
I thought, hunching my shoulders and looking sad.
“Why are you taking things so seriously? What did you say?” I asked, my eyes open with feigned innocence.
“You have made a harsh comment about the Marchioness’s late husband! How could you?” Berenice said aloud.
"Did I? Oh, no, I didn't mean to. I just thought it was unusual for the Marchioness not to come with a partner today, unlike me..." I said, widening my eyes.
"That's exactly what you meant! Do you think just saying it wasn't what you meant makes it okay?" Berenice replied.
I let out a small laugh, and I didn't care to hide or suppress it this time.
“What's left for me to say?” I asked, tilting my head.
"What did you say?" Berenice was astonished.
"You always did the same thing to me, didn't you? When I got angry, you said it wasn't your intention and that you were sorry if I misunderstood, but you didn't know why I would take it that way. You made me seem unreasonable. Now that the roles have been reversed, isn't it strange that your attitude has changed?"
“……”
It wasn't just Berenice who looked shocked, but Marianne and Nadia as well. They all stared at me as if to ask, “Who are you?”
“Or are you saying that I was right to be angry earlier? Because that would be a problem... not for me, but for you,” I continued, placing my hand on my cheek.
“…What do you mean by that?” Nadia asked, her voice cracking.
“This means that you have repeatedly insulted Duchess Dumont. Since I know this, I will have to inform my husband and take official action…which will cause you trouble.”
“……”
Now, it wasn't just Nadia who turned pale, but the other two as well.
The power a woman enjoyed in high society often stemmed from her husband. It was a bitter truth.
Therefore, invoking their husbands' status was the most effective strategy against these women.
Moreover, my threat was not empty. Ethan had a strong sense of pride and responsibility towards the Dumont family. Even if he didn't love his wife, he wouldn't stand idly by if she was insulted.
“So, which is right? Do I believe you didn't mean it, or do I judge my feelings today, as you did?
“……”
Berenice swallowed hard.
“Okay...”
She looked at Nadia, but Nadia kept her gaze fixed down, biting her lip.
“It wasn't…we didn't mean it. Absolutely not,” Berenice finally said.
“Oh, I'm glad to hear that. So, will you take my words today seriously?” I asked, my smile not leaving my face.
“Ah… yes, Duchess. Of course,” Berenice replied, her eyes showing sudden submission.
“Marquise Leroy?”
“……”
Nadia's shoulders trembled slightly.
I finished my speech with a nice smile.
“Do you think there was no hidden meaning behind my words?”
“……”
Nadia's lips had turned white from how hard she bit them.
For a moment, I almost felt a twinge of pity for her. But I wasn't going to forgive her—not for my sake, but for my ex Camille's sake.
“Marquise?”
After being called back, Nadia finally spoke up.
“Yes, Duchess”
“Okay. So, have all the misunderstandings been resolved? I asked with a bright smile. Berenice and Marianne nodded quickly.
“Yes, of course, Duchess.”
I turned to look at Nadia, “Marquise Leroy?”
“……”
The corners of Nadia's lips twitched as if she were having a spasm.
“No problem”
“Okay,” she smiled contentedly and turned away from them.
Come to think of it, Camille had a really hard life.
Her husband ignored her at home, and she was besieged by hypocrites or others like them in society, so she had no real friends.
It was no surprise that she believed Liam's sweet words.
In the end, she was divorced and expelled without anything...
Of course, Camille wasn't completely flawless.
Whatever the reason, she had secret relationships, and even stole confidential documents from her husband's safe.
There was no excuse for that.
But Camille herself was not an inherently bad person.
She was just a bit naive and immature...probably because she was overprotective of her brother.
If she had married a man who cared for her and appreciated her, even a little as much as Count Chevelot did, things would not have turned out this way.
It was all somewhat bittersweet.
***
Viscount Rochefort was walking beside Ethan, looking arrogant. Many were giving him envious looks, and some even approached him.
“Viscount Rochefort”
“Ah, Baron Emera. Are you having a good time?”
“Yes, thank you. Thank you”
Even during the conversation with Viscount Rochefort, Baron Emera kept sneaking glances at Ethan, his desire to get to know the Duke quite evident.
“Viscount Rochefort,” Ethan called softly, and glanced at the viscount.
“Oh yes, Duke.”
Viscount Rochefort smiled apologetically at Baron Emera.
“I'm sorry, I have something urgent to do. See you later.”
“Oh, yeah, later, sure,” Baron Emera replied, looking somewhat desperate.
Ethan and Viscount Rochefort walked out of the ballroom together.
Ethan walked silently to the entrance of the garden, making sure the place was empty before turning back to the Viscount.
“You mentioned a business matter earlier. What exactly is it?” asked Viscount Rochefort, looking worried.
“I learned that my wife visited you recently. What did I discuss with you?”
"…Sorry?" Viscount Rochefort blinked, clearly surprised by the question.
Ethan stared at him silently until the Viscount gathered his thoughts.
“Ah, yes, that's right. The Duchess visited me. She wanted to see the guest list for today's party.”
“Why the guest list?”
“The Duchess mentioned that since it had been a long time since she had attended a party, she wanted to know who would be attending.”
“Did you show her that?”
"Yes, well, she asked for a copy of the list, so I gave her. Did I make a mistake? I thought you knew that," Viscount Rochefort said nervously.
Ethan maintained a completely expressionless expression. He asked: “Is Viscountess Grandbert on today’s guest list?”