Chapter 21

Elena glared fiercely.

“You’ll keep the line, right? There’s a limit I can put up with it.”

“Oh, how scary.”

Ren swept up his hair, and suddenly pushed his face close enough to reach the tip of his nose. Elena, who didn’t know this would happen for a moment, was surprised and swallowed in vain.

“Don’t provoke me too much. Before I go overboard.”

“What can you do?”

Elena didn’t lose and glared. There was no reason to be pushed unless the band was caught. Ren pulled out first in a staring contest that seemed unlikely to end.

“You’re right, what can I? I’ve never thought about it. I should think about it from now on.”

“If you’re going to think of it, would you go outside?”

When Elena pointed at the door with her slender index finger, Ren laughed as if she was absurd.

“Fine, I’m going to go where you want me to, lady.”

Ren said goodbye exaggeratedly and then turned around. The footsteps moved away, and soon the door opened and closed with a thud. Elena could relax only after turning her head to confirm that Ren had left.

“Oh…”

A groan broke out between Elena’s small lips. She was so nervous that her whole body was completely drained and her body was sore.

“You son of a bitch.”

Elena spat out what she wanted to say a hundred more times. Although she couldn’t do it in front of his face, she felt relieved after shouting like this. It felt like she was clearing a big rock that was blocking her way.

“I’m over the hump. Let’s just think about the future.”

At that time, Ren was walking down the stairs to the annex where the banquet hall was located.

“It’s weird. The more I think about it, the stranger it is.”

Ren’s footsteps did not stop even in the midst of an accident, as if he knew the internal structure of the main building.

“You were obviously poisoned…”

Ren’s eyes, muttering to himself, were deeper than ever.

“How the hell did she wake up?”

The poison was known to be impossible to detoxify once you were poisoned. You could only prevent the toxicity from spreading, but that was the limit. To stop the toxicity, you had to sleep all day. You would be alive, but you could not be said to be alive.

“Did they find the antidote?”

He had no choice but to come to such a conclusion.

Veronica’s alive and well. Ren looked into his swollen hand and repeatedly clenched his fist.

“You’re not just handsome, are you?”

Despite Ren’s unexpected blow, Hurelbard caught it. He even looked like he was repressing Ren’s fist. It wasn’t the skill of a single knight. He may not know the exact skills until he faced the sword, but he must have been a strong man.

“This is going to be fun.”

Ren grinned. Like he was enjoying the current situation.

***

It is difficult to treat the annex of the Grand Duke as a simple annex. It was bigger and more majestic than the Sarubian Palace, where events organized by the imperial family are held. There were so many aristocrats that there was no room to step in such an annex.

There was not enough space in the inner hall alone, so this was the case even though the outer fountain was used as a banquet hall by opening a glass wall. It was realized that the Grand Duke being above the imperial family was not a myth.

Elena looked down from the window of the waiting room on the second floor to the nobles who visited to celebrate. She stayed in the palace at the expense of the crown prince and held a few national events, but she has not seen a feast as grand and splendid as it is now being held in the Grand Park. It was obvious that the Grand Duke’s power was higher than the imperial family.

“Grand Duke Friedrich.”

Elena looked down on him, the owner of the hall and the organizer of the banquet. Countless around him, Elena looked down indifferently at him, the owner of the hall and the organizer of the banquet. Countless aristocrats gathered around him, trying to build a bond with him and flattering him.

“Wait for me. I’ll pull you down one day.”

Kiiik.

The waiting room door opened and Leabrick came in.

“It’s time. You need to go down to the celebration.”

“Liv, I’m nervous.”

Elena shrank and shivered.

“I’ll be standing in the back. I’ll come out in case of trouble, so relax.”

“Yes, I’ll just trust Liv.”

“Let’s go down now.”

Elena rose from her chair and Leabrick signaled out of the room. Ann and Lunarin came in quickly and smoothed out the dress.

Elena, who finished her final preparation in the mirror, came out of the waiting room and stood in front of the stairs going down alone. As it was a blind spot on the corner, Elena on the upstairs was not seen in the hall.

When the maid approached the conductor who was playing a symphony in the hall and said something, he nodded and stopped. Then he changed the song and swung the baton again. The song is <Brilliant Night>. The melody of the violin and cello stood out as a song praising the queen’s beauty and piety.

“Princess Veronica is entering.”

The people of the banquet hall turned to the stairs leading to this floor, holding their breath at the powerful cry of the butler who was in charge of hosting the hall.

Tak, tak, tak.

Elena, who was waiting, turned the corner and stepped on the stairs. A proud, slightly raised chin, distinctive authoritative eyes, and symbolic blond hair of the great house. The graceful walk that makes even the dress that may seem monotonous stand out, at first glance, captured the attention of the nobles.

No one noticed that she was a substitute. They looked alike from head to toe. The atmosphere of Elena, who even rose to the top as the empress, was beyond comparison with Veronica herself.

Clap, clap, clap.

In the hall filled with silence except for the performance, the applause of the aristocrats continued. Most of them were aristocrats lining the Great Dynasties, so they welcomed the return of Princess Veronica.

There have been constant rumors about Princess Veronica’s escape from the grand duchy. He was not a great man to be swayed by a rumor, but as Veronica’s absence lengthened, he had no choice but to talk more about the succession of Grand Duke Friedrich. In particular, the Bastasche family, which gained independence from the Grand Family Friedrich, was likely to bring about a change in the power structure as it was possible to inherit the title. Elena’s health today will dispel such concerns at once.

“Have you come?”

Grand Duke Friedrich came to the front of the last step and escorted her.

“Yes, father.”

Elena smiled openly as she held his hand. Grand Duke Friedrich was also pleased with Elena’s quite plausible performance. The woman stood side by side on the platform, looking at the aristocrats of the banquet hall. The Duke had a cocktail glass handed over to a maid.

Grand Duke Friedrich said to the crowd, looking at Elena with a warm gaze.

“Today is a very happy day. On the anniversary of the birth of the Friedrich family, I was able to express my gratitude not only to myself but also to my precious journey.”

The nobles applauded. Grand Duke Friedrich lifted a glass of cocktail.

“Thanks to the nobles who gathered here, I think we were able to make the House of Friedrich  more prosperous today, which was founded by our forefather, the Duke of Rosette. Let’s raise our glasses together and pay our respects. For the Duke of Rosette!”

“For you!”

The aristocrats all raised their cocktail glasses high and shouted. Then, the congratulatory speech ended by emptying the glass. It also marked the beginning of a full-fledged banquet.

“You’re not in good shape yet, so go in moderation.”

Grand Duke Friedrich showed the aristocrats the image of his father taking care of his daughter, and left an excuse for Elena, who is poor at posing as Veronica under the pretext of health, to leave the banquet hall early.

“Yes, father.”

Elena lifted the hem of her skirt and played a submissive daughter. So far, there was nothing special because it was already talked about in advance.

‘It’s my time now.’

Elena had never spent a minute in vain before leaving the duchy. In particular, she moved under a thorough plan right after she came to the duchy. It was the same today. Elena will not miss this opportunity. It is a banquet organized by the Grand Duke. The birthday banquet was a day when all the aristocrats in the Empire gathered together. It was a great opportunity for aristocrats, who could not be free from political relationships, to build friendships or find a marriage partner for their children. Elena was going to make full use of this.

‘There’s something I have to do before that.’

Elena glanced back. Sure enough, Leabrick was stuck behind her back like a leech. She’d come forward and try to control her.

‘It’ll be easier if I take Leabrick off first.’

Elena was not impatient. It was because she could make a mistake if she were hasty.

“Greetings to Your Highness the Princess. My name is Serena Williams.”

“I’m Daisy. Does your Highness remember me?”

“How can you be so beautiful, even after such a long time?”

In a blink of an eye, aristocrats surrounded Elena. They were all eager to talk to Elena and build a favorable impression. Elena responded with a smile.

“I’ve heard of the beautiful young lady under Count Williams. You’re even more beautiful in person.”

“Oh, you know me.”

Elena’s head turned.

“How can I forget Daisy?”

“Do you remember me?”

“Of course.”

Elena, who once had a reputation as the queen of society, faced the majority with equanimity.

“To the point that Leabrick doesn’t doubt me.”

At the same time, Elena didn’t forget to make her appearance often awkward so that she didn’t look too experienced.

“Did I do that?”

“Huh? Can’t you remember what you said?”

“Th… That…”

When Elena showed her embarrassment, Leabrick, who had been silently behind her, stepped out.

“Your Highness seems to have forgotten that. It’s rude to keep talking about the same thing.”

“I-I’m sorry. I just…”

The lady who was trying to talk about the past, stepped down without a word under the influence of Leabrick.

Meanwhile, a group of people surrounding Elena split up as if the sea opened. Beyond that, a group of women with bobbed hair approached Elena.

‘Avella.’

Like the Grand Duke, she is the eldest daughter of the Reinhardt family, one of the four great families of the Empire. She had a great influence in the social world despite her young age, resembling Duke Chrome, her father whose political sense and knowledge were unrivaled.

Throughout Veronica’s absence for the past two years, all the young children who followed her were under her influence. In the future, she and Elena fought a faction over the leadership of the social world, and competed for the final decision for the appointment of Crown Princess in many ways. She smiled bitterly.