Chapter 63
“Cough! Cough…! Keh-keh!”
She began to cough violently, the sound rising from deep within her abdomen.
After acting so vehemently that her body shook, she pulled out a handkerchief from her pouch and belatedly covered her mouth.
As she caught her breath, she suddenly realized that the palace had become eerily silent.
“…….”
Turning around, she saw that Walter looked the most surprised of all. He had definitely fallen for it too.
Ignoring his serious gaze, Hermia put on the most pathetic, apologetic expression she could muster. Then, with trembling movements, she slowly curtsied towards the throne and stood up.
‘That should be enough as a greeting, right?’
“…Shouldn’t you see a doctor right away, Miss Vansen?”
The King asked, slightly bewildered. About to reflexively say she was fine, she realized her mistake and pulled Walter’s arm down.
Whisper, whisper.
Receiving her instructions, Walter nodded slowly and opened his mouth expressionlessly.
“She says she’s fine, but she’s worried the hoarseness of her voice might disturb His Majesty.”
“Hmm? It doesn’t bother me much?”
Then Hermia stood on tiptoe again and whispered into Walter’s ear. Walter, who had been tilting his head attentively, relayed her words again.
“She says you’ll regret it if you actually hear it.”
Even when hearing the second whisper, his face, which resembled a finely crafted sculpture, softened slightly.
The audience was astonished.
The kingdom’s pride, the army’s symbol, and the title held by the gun-toting clergyman had been reduced to ‘the mere spokesman of an illegitimate daughter’?
It wasn’t just being a spokesperson; anyone could see he was head over heels for his fiancée! The hopes of the young ladies, who had secretly been expecting the Duke to mistreat her, crumbled in that instant.
Watching the desolation, one of the Ban.Sa.Yo members hastily covered her mouth with a fan and whispered to Irene.
“Is… is this really happening?”
She flinched at Irene’s fierce glare but continued to speak out of anxiety.
“Wasn’t the Duke supposed to like Belle, not Helen?! And the maid wrote a novel about her story!”
“…Miss Rosaline.”
“Are you sure what you heard was correct, Miss Irene? Could there have been some misunderstanding?”
“…….”
“We were relying solely on what you said, Miss Irene, but if it’s not true, our families are doomed…!”
Irene bit her lip.
She had barely managed to escape being an outcast by turning Hermia into a common enemy. She had recruited Ban.Sa.Yo members and reigned like a queen within them!
Even if she couldn’t stop Hermia from becoming the Duchess because of the inheritance, the ending where she was mercilessly divorced a year later had become uncertain.
All because of that Duke who was as blind as a bat…!
‘What trick did that girl pull on the Duke? Could it be… her body? Did she offer him her body?’
The woman who had spoken to her looked at Irene, who was deep in thought, with a scowl and turned away sharply.
While the women were frustrated or anxious, most of the men focused on Hermia, who had captured the Duke.
They wondered if the quiet woman who always sought out secluded spots at parties had any other talents besides her face, harboring malicious curiosity.
Another gaze pierced Hermia, and the new cigar held between Frederick Cotton’s fingers snapped in half.
“What’s wrong, Freddie?”
He relaxed his stiff expression and offered his fiancée an awkward smile.
“Nothing.”
His gaze flickered between Hermia and his own fiancée, comparing their features more critically than ever. She had seemed beautiful enough in bed, but now…
Meanwhile, Hermia disregarded their noisy situation and waited anxiously for the King’s next words.
If he told her to speak anyway, saying the hoarse voice didn’t matter, she would have to execute Plan B, which was, of course, to pretend to collapse again.
The King pondered something deeply before finally opening his mouth after quite some time.
“…An interesting young lady. Very well, the greeting is sufficient. Now, let me get a proper look at you.”
‘Phew.’
She sighed inwardly in relief.
She was extremely relieved that the King wasn’t being as persistent as Elisabeth. Judging by how cleanly he was backing down, she decided to assume the princess took after her mother.
Since she was confident in feigning meekness, she put on a picturesque smile and shamelessly raised her head.
“Oh. She’s even more beautiful than I had heard.”
“Shawn!”
The Queen’s hand pressed down on her tactless husband’s hand.
“Alright, alright. I was being rude.”
Hermia was shaking her head when she suddenly spotted Elisabeth and Gerald sitting side by side next to the Queen.
Gerald was covering his face and laughing as if crying, while Elisabeth was frowning with an expression that read, “What a joke.”
It was embarrassing, but what could she do? She had to survive too.
The King, who looked ordinary for being a king… or rather, the King smiled kindly and continued speaking.
“Anyway, it’s good you came. I heard you’re the same age as our Elisabeth; I hope you get along well in the future.”
“……?”
He seemed to think of her as not twenty but more like twelve years old.
Given that he had five other children older than the princess, the King did seem somewhere between an uncle and a grandfather in age.
She bent her knees slightly and straightened up.
It meant, ‘Your daughter doesn’t seem to think so, but I understand.’
“Eat lots of tasty things and have fun before you go.”
He treated her like a child until the end, but as she grabbed Walter to respond, the King raised his hand to stop her.
“That’s enough. There’s no need to relay thanks. Goodness. You’ve really captured a man who can’t even do formalities.”
With that, he grinned slyly.
What is this? An insult? Or just a compliment…?
As she blinked blankly, the King rose from his seat. At the same time, all the seated royals stood up.
Hermia felt a flurry of movement behind her, and she turned around, opening her mouth slightly. The servants, as well as the haughty nobles, were all kneeling on one knee on the floor of the banquet hall, bowing their heads.
She was about to sit down in confusion when Walter grabbed her arm, causing her to stand awkwardly. He, like the royals, remained standing upright in a place where everyone else was kneeling.
For the Duke, a light nod of the head was sufficient.
The sight of everyone lowering themselves except for Walter and herself caused both unfamiliarity and a strange sense of exhilaration.
As she unknowingly turned her head, Walter whispered softly.
“Front.”
Look forward. The King, lightly gripping a cane decorated with silver knobs, was descending the stairs.
Hermia swallowed hard. Although he was slightly shorter than Walter, he was tall enough as he leisurely walked over and addressed the audience.
“Drink moderately, indulge moderately, but have fun. You’re at that age. You can worry about appearances when you’re old.”
Then he approached and lightly patted Walter’s shoulder.
“Do you still play chess well?”
It was an order to have a private conversation.
* * *
Inside the banquet hall, from which the King and Queen had departed, the melody of stringed instruments gently descended.
Inside the beautiful palace, where beautiful music flowed, Hermia was now flustered. After Walter excused himself and disappeared somewhere with the King, people swarmed around her as if they had been waiting for this moment.
“Oh my, the dress is so beautiful!”
She turned her gaze toward the person who had made the most fuss. Who was it again? Ah, she remembered.
“It almost looks like a wedding dress!”
This lady, clasping her hands together in admiration, was the one who had ignored her and walked right past her when they had met on the street before. She had been so embarrassed then.
“And what about the necklace! It doesn’t look like pearls; what kind of jewel is it?”
Another lady, cheerfully flaunting her ignorance, was the one who had frowned and brushed off her skirt when their clothes had touched at someone’s birthday party. She had felt awful then.
“The Duke must have bought it for her, right? I heard that the two of you were seen on Lundberry Street two days ago.”
“Of course! The Duke must cherish Miss Hermia very much!”
The two ladies, excited among themselves, were the duo who had been gossiping loudly during the recital. She remembered them clearly. They had said, “What would she know if she heard?”
It was true that she had been sitting there without knowing anything, but she could never forgive those words.
Hermia merely smiled aloofly at the barrage of flattery. What were their names again?
“You said you lost your voice, right? Oh dear, my family’s doctor is very good at treating colds. May I invite you to our house soon?”
“Why invite her when you can just send the doctor?”
“Ah! Come to think of it, Miss Giselle’s house doesn’t have a doctor, does it? What a pity.”
Those who had been adding a word each were now engaging in a battle of nerves. If left alone, they would probably start pulling each other’s hair.
Hermia, who could no longer smile, sighed briefly.
“I’m not going.”
“Pardon?”
“I said I won’t go, even if you invite me.”
“Oh… your voice… is coming out?”
Someone’s panicked words seemed to have triggered something. Pandora’s box had finally been opened.
“Yes. It’s coming out. It’s coming out very well. Why? Because I have to tell you that no matter what you do for me now, nothing will change!”
At the raised voice, those who were far away all turned their heads at once. It was a shout that had even caused the royal musicians playing the violin to stop.
“No, there is something that will change! When I go home after the ball, a lot will have changed!”
Hermia continued to shout like a person who had lost control.
“Are you all bird-brained? Have you already forgotten how you treated me? It would be better if you just ignored me, insulted me, and pointed fingers at me like before. Did you think I would just accept all this with a smile? Absolutely not! It’s so disgusting I feel like throwing up!”
While everyone was stunned, Irene shouted with a strangely bright expression.
“Did, did everyone see that? That’s the real identity of the Vansen’s bastard! A villain worse than in novels!”
“Shut your mouth, Irene!”
“Hahaha! Look at her! How hard must it have been to hide her true nature and act innocent all this time!”
Next to her, smiling triumphantly as if she had gained the upper hand, was the thick scent of perfume. It was Elisabeth.
“Miss Irene Schwein.”
“Princess! That illegitimate child dared to cause a disturbance twice in the presence of the Princess…”
“Shut your mouth.”
“…Excuse me?”
