Chapter 49
“Ah, thank you.”
It wasn’t Hyperion’s voice that responded to my greeting, but that of someone unexpected.
“Hyun, that’s unnecessary. This lady is so strong that she would never catch a cold.”
Now I noticed that the insufferable prince was also present.
As the prince and the young lord surrounded me, Derek quietly stepped back. He mumbled something about getting a shawl from Belle and quickly disappeared.
“Of course. Unlike someone who bleeds from the nose at the slightest provocation, I am very healthy.”
At my reply, the prince glared at me with fierce eyes.
By now, shouldn’t you have realized? You can’t defeat me with words or actions. Could you just give up and go away?
“Hyun, why didn’t you inform me in advance that this charming lady is staying at your mansion?”
Hyperion replied flatly to that.
“Well, was it something I needed to tell you?”
“Of course! If you had, I wouldn’t have made a mistake like earlier!”
“Mistake?”
“When I ran into you on this floor earlier, I almost…”
The prince swallowed his words mid-sentence. His ears suddenly turned bright red.
Almost what? Why did you stop talking?
“…I recognized her at first sight. She’s still the arrogant and unpleasant woman.”
I let out a hollow laugh. Taking advantage of the chaos from the fireworks, he was saying whatever he wanted without holding back.
“Who was it that was planning to approach that arrogant and unpleasant woman on purpose?”
“That wasn’t me; it was my mother…”
At that, Persis looked at me as if to say, what is this nonsense?
“What’s with that rude tone? How dare you speak like that to someone!”
“I told you, right? If you want respect, you should show some courtesy first.”
“You seem to be blinded by your father’s power and can’t see what’s in front of you!”
I took a menacing step closer to him.
“Watch your mouth. Don’t you remember why you got hit 12 years ago? It was because you recklessly messed with my family back then.”
“Messed with your family?”
“Are you saying you don’t remember?”
“I never did that.”
“Fine, let’s leave it at that. But you should know that being stupid isn’t something to be proud of.”
“This is ridiculous!”
“Why? Do you want to hit me first again? Go ahead. This time, it won’t just end with a nosebleed.”
As we glared at each other with fierce looks, Hyperion chuckled to himself.
“You two haven’t changed at all since you were kids.”
In that moment, all my strength drained away. Yeah, it must be funny to watch us fight like children at this age. I didn’t want to be this childish either. This guy is dragging me down to his level!
“And Persis, you were the one who made the first mistake back then.”
With Hyperion’s testimony, I quickly gained the upper hand.
Just as I was smiling triumphantly, a group approached us. Among them, a young lady glanced at me before greeting the prince first.
“It seems all the main characters of today are gathered here. May I join you for a moment?”
Just as I was thinking it was a good opportunity to make an excuse and slip away, Persis spoke up.
“Of course, Baroness Louis. I heard that your father, the Marquis of Skarsdale, couldn’t attend today due to a cold. Is he doing well?”
“Yes, fortunately, it’s just a mild cold.”
At those words, I looked at them again. Only then did I realize who this noble lady was.
She was the daughter of the Marquis of Skarsdale, whom I had met on the street when I was six years old. No, now she holds the title of Baroness Louis.
I heard that after the incident with me, she and her family faced quite a predicament. Not only were they completely uninvited to my parents’ wedding, but they also had to endure the cold shoulder from the duchess in high society.
Being shunned by the two most influential families in the kingdom naturally caused people around them to drift away. Consequently, their market value in the marriage market also declined.
In the end, I only heard that she was married off to a low-ranking baron who had money, due to her family’s pressure.
The baroness smiled and greeted me.
“Lady Iskas, it’s been a long time since we last met.”
I tilted my head slightly in response.
“Hello, Baroness Louis.”
“I’m not sure if you remember, but we met once when you were very young. You were such a bold and beautiful girl back then, and now you’ve grown into such a lovely lady.”
I narrowed my eyes at the unexpected compliment. It was hard to tell whether she thought I wouldn’t remember because it was so long ago or if there was something else behind her words.
“Thank you for your kind words. Fortunately, I remember everything from my early childhood.”
I had no intention of sharing any camaraderie with her. No matter how long ago it was, I could never forget how she had hurt my mother.
Yes, I really was someone who held grudges.
At my words, the Baroness’s lips twisted slightly.
“…Is that so?”
Her gaze shifted to the garment draped over my shoulders. Then, she glanced at the prince and Hyperion, letting out a laugh.
“Seeing Lady Iskas monopolizing these two, people are saying that it feels like watching the Duchess and Duke of Acanthus, along with Grand Duke Iskas, from over twenty years ago.”
I frowned slightly. Monopolizing? We hadn’t even been together for that long; what was she talking about?
“It would have been wonderful if Her Highness the Grand Duchess could have seen this. It’s a shame that while His Highness the Grand Duke is busy with affairs, the Grand Duchess didn’t attend as well.”
I replied nonchalantly.
“My mother doesn’t particularly like crowded places. Since it’s something I can handle alone, she decided to stay at the Grand Duchy.”
“Well, everyone has a place that suits their status.”
It was a remark that sounded quite subtle.
It could mean that my mother is the rightful mistress of the Grand Duchy, but it could also imply that she is someone who does not belong here. In the latter case, it would be an intention to insult my mother, who became a grand duchess despite being of commoner status.
“A place that suits one’s status…”
My muttering caused the surroundings to fall silent in an instant. The Baroness made a delayed expression of surprise, covering her mouth as she laughed.
“Oh my, please don’t misunderstand. I meant that Her Highness the Grand Duchess is the true mistress suited for the Grand Duchy. I certainly didn’t mean to imply that she doesn’t belong here. If I’ve offended you in any way, I apologize.”
And this cunning woman cleverly employed a strategy of retreating while attacking.
If I were to get angry here, I would appear to have anger management issues. Yet, if I stayed silent, I would just look like a fool who couldn’t say anything even after being insulted.
“No, Baroness, you are correct. Everyone has a place that suits their status.”
At my response, she let out a small laugh. It was as if she expected me to choose the path of being a fool.
“My mother, as the Grand Duchess, is happily living with the love of my father and the residents of the Grand Duchy. I suppose Baroness would find it hard to understand the desire to not leave the Grand Duchy, since you are not a Grand Duchess.”
I deliberately waved my fan gracefully, wearing an elegant smile.
“How could someone of a mere baroness’s status know about such things?”
The Baroness’s face hardened in an instant. My retort seemed to have shocked her quite a bit.
“And Baroness, you fit your current position very well. You look much better now than when you were a young lady of a viscount. It’s as if you’ve found a place that suits you.”
Her status was indeed quite unusual. It is rare for a lady of a viscount family to marry someone of such a low rank in nobility.
However, since her family was of viscount rank, it seemed she continued to receive the same treatment in high society as before.
But that was about her relationships with others; it was none of my concern.
“In that sense, I hope you will act more appropriately for a baroness from now on. You should refrain from speaking without my permission like you did just now.”
Her face immediately twisted in displeasure.
“…lady, do you not know who my father is?”
“Oh dear, aren’t you past the age of running to your parents in times of trouble, Baroness?”
At that, a nearby noblewoman stifled a laugh, clearly having found the situation amusing. It seemed that she had relied on her parents’ influence quite a bit in her life.
