Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Elaine replied, smiling shyly.

“I was talking about how much I enjoyed the trip because, as you all know, it’s the first time I’ve been out of the imperial castle.”

The cheerful Dieppe laughed, revealing his many teeth. I was so curious that I quickly counted his teeth, and surprisingly, the number itself didn’t seem much different from others.

[ T/N: Last chapter, I mentioned that the meaning of ‘many teeth’ metaphorically describes someone who is quick-witted, clever, or sharp-minded though I think he actually has a lot of teeth literally LOL ]

While I was doing so, he spoke.

“Considering the timing, I’m concerned that Your Highness the Princess might encounter some unfortunate events.”

“Unfortunate events?”

“Have you not heard the rumors about rats infiltrating the area and draining people’s vitality as they roam around?”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that.”

“It would be wise for Your Highness to be cautious as well.”

“Is that so?”

If it had ended there, it would have been a heartwarming conversation with Dieppe showing concern for Elaine. However, he didn’t stop and glanced at me briefly before continuing.

“Even Madam Elbas, who is my aunt, was also affected by the recent rat incidents.”

At that moment, Latina, the daughter of Count Schdental, intervened.

“Oh my, is Madam Elbas alright?”

Even though I didn’t want to invite her to this gathering, as the daughter of a senior council member and even the same age as Elaine, I couldn’t possibly exclude her.

‘I expected that Dieppe and her would’ve concocted a plan to embarrass me, but as expected…’

When he brought up Blois’ vulnerability to rat incidents, it was obvious that remarks questioning how that could be possible when Dimitri, a cat shapeshifter, was present would arise. Soon, the topic would shift to discussions about the shapeshifter Duke, and Dieppe and Latina would join forces to subtly insult Dimitri as people would discreetly exchange glances about it.

‘Such shallow people.’

“Madam Elbas quickly recovered and is in excellent health, Young Lady Latina.”

I smiled, hiding my true feelings.

“That’s really good to hear. By the way, I’ve always been curious, do rat shapeshifters…”

I anticipated that she would ask, ‘Aren’t rat therianthropes afraid of cat shapeshifters?’ and I had prepared my response in advance.

But unexpectedly, Latina brought up a different topic.

“…Why do you cooperate with the demons? I thought demons were the ones who stole human vitality, so what do rat shapeshifters gain by being with them?”

Someone answered that question.

“According to what I’ve heard when the demons put people to sleep, rat shapeshifters can easily steal belongings and food.”

“That’s really horrible!”

With a frown on her face, Latina turned to me and asked another question.

“From what I know, demons have a hierarchy, right? Isn’t the demon of Duke Bluear’s rank not much higher than those demons, Duchess?”

‘…What kind of plan is this?’

Even though I was suspicious, unable to discern her intentions, I had no choice but to give a straightforward answer for now.

“Yes, the hierarchy of demons corresponds to their abilities.”

“Then, can’t Duke’s demon, being of a higher rank, easily drive away those lower-ranking demons? Just like how the nobles of the Empire prioritize the orders of the Emperor.”

“Well, demons are independent beings, so their hierarchy isn’t governed by the same rules as humans…”

At that moment, the conversation was interrupted as Latina accidentally dropped the teacup she was holding.

The glass shattered, and the person sitting next to her let out a scream and ran away.

While Latina apologized, a maid rushed over to clean up the broken cup, momentarily disrupting the atmosphere. Once the atmosphere settled again, the topic of conversation shifted to something much lighter and mundane, so I couldn’t conclude my previous thoughts.

‘What is this…?’

There was no sign of the shallow and deceitful conversation I had anticipated. But still, I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

‘…It feels like she purposely interrupted me.’

Latina’s action of dropping the cup seemed unnatural, and it only deepened my suspicion.

In the end, the gathering seemed to conclude with a mix of trivial gossip among the nobles and a somewhat pleasant atmosphere. The lavishly prepared refreshments disappeared without a trace, receiving favorable reactions, and there was no unpleasant incident to speak of.

I slowly gave the signal to gradually dismiss the guests.

“I can’t believe it’s already this late.”

Upon hearing my words, one by one, they nodded and rose from their seats.

“It’d be best for us to return before it gets too late.”

“I had a truly enjoyable time today.”

“Will you invite us again?”

As everyone exchanged various formal farewells and exited the greenhouse, Dieppe stayed until the end before approaching me with a request.

“Thank you once again for inviting me to Blois, Duchess. Blois’ residence is a truly special place to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I have many fond memories from my childhood when I used to come and play here. So, speaking of that, would it be alright for me to stay at Blois for a few days?”

There were still people remaining who were listening to our conversation, so making such a personal request publicly was undoubtedly a maneuver to make it difficult for me to refuse.

Still, I smiled slightly and declined.

“Currently, Grandmother Rosanne and Madam Elvas are staying at Blois, not to mention that the Princess is here as well. Though I’ll make sure to extend another invitation to you another time.”

I wasn’t the type of person who couldn’t refuse other people’s requests.

On the other hand, embarrassed, Dieppe stepped back.

Seeing him, I secretly instructed a servant to follow him and see where he went. It was because he didn’t seem likely to leave willingly. Before long, the servant returned and informed me that he had unpacked his belongings at an inn somewhere in Blois’ commercial district.

‘If Dieppe actively participates in social gatherings from now on and leaves a strong impression on the nobles, it would mean that Madam Elbas has completed thorough preparations to deal with Dimitri…’

At the thought, I instructed the servant to keep a close watch on Dieppe.

After the banquet, Elaine seemed to be enjoying some personal time with Cadis.

Since it was my first time hosting a banquet and I was feeling tense, I took a moment to relax in my room. However, I didn’t stay for long and immediately went outside again.

‘I’ll have to find out what Elaine was thinking when she came here.’

The butler informed me that she was at the equestrian center, so I headed there right away. Lately, the equestrian center in the estate was practically my own domain. I thought it would be easier to talk to Elaine in a place we were familiar with.

“Duchess!”

Elaine, who was sitting on the horse, greeted me with joy.

Cadis, who was watching her posture, seemed restless and paced around. He probably wanted to come to me, but he couldn’t leave Elaine alone, so it seemed like he was behaving that way.

“Did you come to ride a horse?”

“Yes, because there are some things that need to be done consistently.”

As I approached, Cadis’ face lit up with a smile.

“Eunsoo!”

As Elaine looked at me with a puzzled face at the name coming out of his mouth, I made up a quick explanation.

“Ah, I told you the name I was called when I was young.”

“Although I did hear stories about the Duchess from him, I didn’t realize you were so close.”

Elaine smiled innocently as she said so. Nonetheless, I willingly took the bait after reading her underlying intention behind the smile.

“In the past, I did something wrong to Cadis in the palace. So when he was here, I wanted to seek forgiveness. And as you can see…”

Hearing my words, he spoke firmly.

“Eunsoo didn’t need to seek forgiveness from me. You’re my benefactor.”

At those words, Elaine stared at the two of us intently before hesitantly asking me a question.

“It seems like you must like the shapeshifters. No, or is it that the shapeshifters follow you? Both the Duke of Blois and Cadis.”

It was obvious what kind of response she wanted to hear.

“As someone infamous for being a shapeshifter hater, it must be surprising to see that I married a shapeshifter husband.”

“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Then, I brought up a story similar to what I had told Count Herman in the past.

“After meeting my husband, I changed a lot. I realized that I had been too arrogant and malicious. My husband accepted me for who I was and loved me… being treated well by him, I became ashamed of my past behavior.”

If Dimitri were here, he would have applauded me for casually reciting this tear-jerking fake love story.

I averted my gaze weakly with a wistful expression.

Then, in a fleeting moment, I glanced at Elaine and noticed that she couldn’t hide the expression of ‘I can’t believe someone can change so completely because of love.’ However, when our eyes met, she was taken aback and quickly turned her head.

‘This wouldn’t work with her. Well, considering her cynical personality, I shouldn’t be surprised by her dismissive remarks.’

Before appearing more suspicious, I decided to change my strategy and confront her with an honest and nonchalant attitude.

“It seems like you can’t believe it, can you?”

“Ah, no! It’s such a tearful story… it’s truly romantic. The Duke of Blois must have been so devoted. Haha…”

“It’s okay. Even I wouldn’t have believed it either.”

As I said that, I took out the wine that I had hidden behind my hand and shook it in front of Elaine.

“I didn’t want to show this side to the Princess, but since you’ve occupied my hideout, I had no choice.”

Saying so, I then bit open the cork I had taken out halfway with my molars before handing it out. It was an action Elaine used to do when she would open the hidden wine bottle from under the bed in the original story.

‘To get close to someone, mimic their behavior’.’

I remembered seeing this phrase in a psychology book.

After that, I took out a single glass from the other pocket of my skirt and filled it with wine, offering it to her. In the meantime, I took a sip directly from the bottle and noticed Elaine biting her lips, trying to hide her smile.

‘Successful in building rapport.’

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