The carriage she rode in was luxurious and shiny, drawn by eight well-groomed black horses.
As it is known that expensive cars cost a lot of maintenance, the strong and durable horse-drawn carriages were no different.
Carriage driver, carriage mechanic, horse groomer…
Why did I raise this topic?
It won't all count against me, will it?
This thought suddenly occurred to me as I was getting into the carriage bound for the Marchioness of Ambrose.
At first, I assumed that the expenses would be borne by the Grand Duke, since my stay in the Imperial Capital was connected with business belonging to the citizens of the Grand Duchy. But if that's not the case...
What about the wages of the newly hired staff and chefs, the upkeep of the property in the capital, the transportation fees – if all of that will be charged to me?
So what was I supposed to do?
“I am not the Grand Duke’s mistress. It is not as if he likes me. There is no possibility that he likes me.”
If all this had not been an expression of affection for a woman he loved, there was every chance I would have paid for it all.
As I instinctively began to estimate the cost of bringing my people here, I closed my eyes tightly.
Please...let's cover this as a business expense.
This is technically a business trip, so he should cover its costs... right?
If the Grand Duke had a shred of conscience, he would take over. I will not discuss housing and food costs this time either.
While I was repeating this to myself—or rather, praying to God about it—I finally arrived at the Ambrose estate.
“You have arrived from the Grand Duchy of Blair, right? Come this way.”
She was the same maid who had accompanied me on my last visit to see Baroness Bavron. She took the lead once again, leading the way.
And the moment I entered the tea party place—
What the hell is this?!
I was stunned for a moment, and I stared into space with my mouth slightly open.
It was because of the noble ladies who were chatting happily, and they seemed to be unaware of my presence.
The room was filled with bright, multi-colored dresses.
High-pitched laughter, elegant speech… and most important of all, there were a lot more people than I expected.
I think the number is at least more than ten?
“Now that I think about it...this is the first time I've ever attended a social gathering like this.”
Limia handled all outside social events. As for me, I was the administrative officer working behind the scenes.
Most importantly, I was not recognized as a princess in Salt.
In short, I had no experience in such matters.
“There is no way I could be familiar with this kind of society of noble ladies, which includes women ranging in age from their twenties to their fifties!”
Doubt began to creep in – perhaps I would be isolated before I even had a chance to enter.
It's easy to deal with straightforward, direct business discussions...but this? It was a battlefield where people were smiling while exchanging insults and insults.
“It's my first time on unfamiliar ground, but... let's try.”
However, I took a deep breath and held the hem of my dress tightly.
I had so much to gain from this that I couldn't back out now.
It was I who asked the Marchioness Ambrose to arrange this gathering in the first place – because I needed it.
Because…
“I cannot understand who the enemy is within the Grand Duchy of Blair.”
I had my suspicions about Marquis Stefan's family, but I didn't know exactly what they did or what their history was.
Sure, the Grand Duchy's intelligence network had gathered some information, but the internal gossip that only circulated among nobles was something I could never hope to access directly.
That's why I chose this method – the social circle.
I can do this.
I asked for people who were fans of the book “Safety Rules in the Duke’s Haunted Mansion” to attend – a request that was supposed to be in my favour.
At the very least, revealing that I was one of the authors of that comic would probably earn me some positive impressions.
Yes. Even if it was a bit convoluted, it was better than going into it without any prior knowledge.
“Ahem, ahem.”
“You have finally arrived.”
I made a point of making my presence known, and the Marchioness Ambrose's face lit up as she approached to greet me.
The Marchioness was usually very busy with her own distribution business, but she made time for this gathering at my request.
Of course, it wasn't just generosity, if the Grand Duchy's business continued to decline, her trading company's commission would shrink. So her collaboration made perfect sense. However, I was grateful for the help, no matter what.
“Hello ma’am. Thank you for the invitation.”
“Not at all, we've all been waiting for you. Hohoho, let's go.”
After exchanging appropriate greetings in front of everyone, the Marchioness rose from her table and gently tapped her spoon on her teacup to attract attention.
“Let me introduce someone to you. This young woman is Miss April, a distant relative of Grand Duke Kayan Blair, and one of the creators of the book ‘Safety Rules for the Duke’s Haunted Mansion.’”
Oh my God!
Was it thanks to her dramatic appearance?
I could clearly see curiosity lighting up the faces of the noble ladies sitting at the various tables.
“Miss April, please sit here.”
“Oh, thank you, ma’am.”
My sitting at the Marchioness's private table meant that she publicly recognized me as an important person.
I took my seat, smiled and greeted everyone as if I hadn't been shaking with nervousness moments before.
“It is a great honor to meet such distinguished ladies in person.”
Now, thanks to the strong support of the Marchioness, it is time to start achieving my real goal.
* * *
“So the story hasn't come to an end yet?”
“Unfortunately, no... As you know, every character has their own story, so it's hard to say which direction things will go.”
“I thought everything was planned in advance, but hearing these behind-the-scenes details makes it even more interesting.”
As expected from a comic book fan club, the conversation continued to follow a familiar path.
As I had hoped, the revelation that I was one of the creators of “Safety Rules for the Duke’s Haunted Mansion” seemed to soften the attitudes of the haughty noblewomen.
“But there is one thing that makes me curious.”
The question came from Countess Cornelia, who had tied up her dark gray hair loosely.
“The thermal mugs and bottles were made by the team behind the book 'Safety Rules at the Haunted Duke's Mansion' for our loyal readers, right? Aren't you going to address the rumors that have been spreading recently?"
It was a question I was expecting – and had been waiting for.
“Sure we will.”
I shook my head quietly.
"We take this matter more seriously than anything else. Our official response... will be published on the last page of this week's issue."
“Oh, so you've already decided how to handle it.”
It must have been a really curious topic, because everyone, including the Marchioness Ambrose, leaned in to listen.
“Yes, I can’t share the details now, but… I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.”
To come up with this plan, I probably expended at least a liter of metaphorical blood and tears.
However, it was my responsibility to finish what I started.
At that moment, I reaffirmed my resolve to uncover the mastermind behind the plot.
“However, those of us who work in comic production are getting frustrated – every day there is a new article criticizing thermal mugs and thermal bottles.”
"my darling."
When I smoothly changed the subject, Countess Cornelia was the first to respond.
“The elegant lady’s way of speaking is very frank.”
“She tends to go into detail when she's focused on something.”
“But can we really say that it's all up to her? Hohoho...”
Ah. Finally, the hidden and twisted discourse that characterizes noble social circles began to emerge.