CH 124

High-class carriages come in one after another, and ladies in equally high-class dresses get off. Some got out of the carriage and headed for the dance hall, while others enjoyed small talk with the other guests in the surrounding area.

A carriage comes through the gates. It’s certainly a high-class carriage, but compared to the other vehicles, it’s a normal carriage that no one pays attention to.

The quality of the carriage you use to arrive in also indicates the wealth of the House that owns it. No poor man would come in a modest carriage to a royal soiree. Even though it’s a luxurious carriage, everyone who comes here rides one that’s especially so. Hence, the flashy decorations and eccentric designs.

In the midst of all this, a carriage that was so unimposing you could only describe it as “of fine quality” at best or at worst “simple” stopped at the entrance. The coachman of the carriage gets off and prepares the platform. His being so young and handsome caught the attention of the ladies who were chatting with each other.

“Everything is ready, Miss.”

“Thank you.”

The voice of the handsome coachman was even sweeter than expected and touched the hearts of the ladies. Just hearing that voice seems to bring back the excitement they thought were just distant memories now.

But it wasn’t the handsome young coachman who caught everyone’s eyes. The carriage door opens and the maid gets off first. On the left and right of the platform, the driver and the maid wait for their master to come down. The quality of the maid was also very high. Even though she is a young and beautiful maid, the elegance of her gestures is not comparable to that of other young ladies. Who the in the hell is their master, to have a maid of such incredible quality?

Then, they heard the owner of the angelic voice who’d answered the coachman’s call earlier. What kind of person are they? After all the eyes of the passersby in this venue gathered, it took quite a while for the owner to finally appear.

“Oooh……”

First, the men raise their voices. The master is a beautiful girl with pale blue eyes and long blond hair. It flows as she moves, catching the eye.

“What is that…?”

“I’ve never seen fashion like that before…”

Then came the voices of the women. Light pink fabric, a wide skirt called a Princess Line on modern earth, with five-tiered lace folds all around. The fabric emits a mysterious luster, as it is woven from silk, a material that already exists in this world but is still rare and not very well-known.

Everything about her, from her physical appearance, the beauty of her gestures, and her hairstyle and outfit was out of the norm.

Normally, it is not good for a low-ranking person to stand out too much over their higher-ranking peers. Unconventional hairstyles and costumes are out of the question. Even though it should have been so, no one had the time to even consider such a taboo.

5 years ago, when she made her debut in the social world, she certainly attracted attention, but even so, the people around her were sane enough to show their hostility and not get involved. But not now. There was no one who tried to say anything cruel about Flora, who had grown up and polished her beauty.

“Thank you, Helmut. Now, then, Katharina, let’s go, shall we?” the young lady said as she stepped off with her coachman, Helmut, lending a hand.

“Yes,” the maid, Katharina, said as she started walking off with her master.

They can only stop and stare at her and her back.

“Could I bother the reception for a moment?”

“… Huh? Oh! Yes! I’ll examine your invitation,” the receptionist said, finally snapping out of their daze and remembering their duties. After confirming the invitation handed over by the maid was genuine, they opened the door.

“Yes,” the receptionist said. “Your invitation is indeed genuine. We welcome you to the venue, Lady Flora Charlotte von Carruthers.”

At that name, the surroundings finally unfroze and started to buzz with noise.

“Carruthers… that girl is…”

“Where was that country girl I’ve heard about? She looks more elegant than any young lady I’ve ever seen, isn’t she?”

“I envy Prince Ludwig for having her as a fiancee.”

“Who wouldn’t indeed?”

In general, the men’s reception was excellent. Mainly with ulterior motives, however… there was no man in this place who wouldn’t want to sleep with Flora now.

“To think that you would come to an evening party hosted by Queen Amelie in that sort of dress…”

“Won’t she stand out even more than the organizer, Queen Amelie?”

“It’s unacceptable for ordinary invited guests to stand out more than the host.”

“But… if she’s the guest of honor, it wouldn’t be strange if you stood out more than Queen Amelie, wouldn’t it?”

“Could it be that tonight’s party is supposed to be…”

And the women’s eyes are drawn to Flora’s outfit. It’s different from the plain colored dress that they wore. This is a traditional outfit, but it’s a plain design that hasn’t changed much over the years. Compared to that, Flora’s outfit earlier fascinated the ladies.

They wanted a dress like that for themselves. It was so full of charm that they couldn’t help but think that.

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After entering the venue, Flora quickly checked the interior. After confirming that all people are in position, she stroked her chest for the time being.

“You’re here, Flora.”

“Good day, Princess Mikoto,” Flora said.

Mikoto had already entered earlier. Her words are fearful as she smiles. Mikoto struggled to hold back her laughter at the dissonance in Flora’s appearance.

“Upuhpuh…!” Mikoto sniggered. “Hold up, stop that. Do you want me to expose us…?”

“What’s the matter? Is something wrong?” Flora asked.

Mikoto struggles even harder to hold back her laughter as Flora tries to act normal. For Mikoto, Flora is nothing more than her memories of Floto whom she met in the forest. She can only feel that Flora is just compensating with how she is at school and in public places.

“Your true nature is like that, isn’t it, Flora?” Mikoto asked.

“Well… it’s because of you, Princess Mikoto…” Flora said.

It’s true that she’s a pretty young noble lady, but seeing Flora’s attitude made Mikoto desperately hold back her laughter.

“It goes for you as well, Princess Mikoto… you’re invited tonight as a member of Del’s royal family.”

“It’ll be alright,” Mikoto said. “Just leave it to me.”

Even though Flora felt uneasy about Mikoto beating her chest saying that, Flora didn’t even show it and responded with a smile. A young lady passes by near Flora and Mikoto.

“Good day to you, Lady Lingerburg,” Flora said.

“…………”

The young lady wearing a blond wig with vertical drill curls passes them by. She didn’t show any reaction to Flora’s words.

“Hmm… so that’s Alexandra, huh?” Mikoto said, grinning as she watched Alexandra leave.

“Yes. The lady from earlier is Lady Alexandra von Lingerburg,” Flora said as she stared at Alexandra’s back, as well.

The invited guests gather in the hall at the evening party’s start time. Queen Amelie appears on the upper floor of the halls and begins her welcome speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all to tonight’s event. We will be making an important announcement. But first, please enjoy my hospitality first.”

Amelie’s greeting ends with the thunder and roar of applause. Everyone enjoys the buffet-style party however they please. Some eat the food that is served. Some start dancing quickly. Some call out to various people, from friends and acquaintances to members of hostile factions. Flora was the one who got everyone’s attention even though they were here for all manner of reasons.

“Tonight they have an important announcement…”

“Are you sure she’s from House Carruthers?”

People talk constantly about Flora. Flora’s dress is more novel, flashier, and more beautiful than that of Queen Amelie, who appeared on the upper floor to give her greetings. No matter how you look at it, today’s protagonist can only be Flora. Everyone thought that today’s guest of honor would be Flora because the guest stood out more than the royal host.

If so, it would be natural to imagine that the important announcement to be made tonight would also be about Flora, the guest of honor. And they come to the conclusion that the only thing that the second Queen Amelie, who is a member of the royal family, can announce about Flora is her being married to Ludwig.

It is known to some that Ludwig and Flora are officially engaged. However, it is not officially announced and it is not a well-known fact that all citizens know. Only some heavyweights know about it, and even high-ranking nobles doubt its formality still.

Under such circumstances, if there was an important announcement about the daughter of House Carruthers, the one being welcomed as the guest of honor at an evening party held by a member of the royal family, Queen Amelie, everyone would think tonight was to announce her and Ludwig’s engagement. And there is another point of major significance.

It was rumored Second Queen Amelie devoted herself to the power struggles because she wanted her children to inherit the throne. However, if there was an announcement of the engagement between Ludwig and the daughter of House Carruthers at an evening party hosted by Queen Amelie, what would that mean?

No need to think about it. It’s a difficult situation for the Second Queen’s sons to assume the throne when they are not the children of primary consorts and there is already a legitimate son. On top of that, the Second Queen’s faction is no match for Ludwig’s faction, even though they have the prestigious Duke Nassam.

Even so, if House Carruthers, who is said to be by far the most powerful military force in the Kingdom of Ploiss, join Ludwig’s faction, the Second Queen Faction’s hopes of a comeback will be dashed. They said that Carruthers’ military strength is equal to or even greater than that of the Principality of Aust, an ally of the Kingdom of Ploiss.

If Ludwig’s faction, which originally had the upper hand in the capital, added a military force comparable to that of a single country, it would be impossible for the Second Queen’s Faction to succeed to the throne. Even though she would know all that, Queen Amelie hosted a party to announce the engagement of Ludwig and the daughter of House Carruthers. In other words, isn’t it a sign that the second Queen Amelie is not fighting for her succession to the throne, or that she is withdrawing from the fight?

All the nobles who were here that day understood that. They don’t know if Queen Amelie wasn’t interested in the fight for her two sons’ right to the throne from the beginning, or if she gave up and decided to follow Prince Ludwig. The only thing they know is that if there is such an announcement here, the next king will be decided as soon as possible.

Perhaps there will be an announcement of the Crown Prince at the same time as the engagement announcement. Such rumors were all over the place.

After retiring from giving her welcome speech, Second Queen Amelie was in a terrible state in the waiting room.

“What nerve must that insignificant girl in the pink outfit have?! It’s flashier and more conspicuous than my outfit!”

Gashan! A shattering sound rings out and a full-length mirror is broken. It’s a small mirror that’s different from the gigantic mirror used by the First Wife, Elizabeth. Of course, this should be large enough, but it cannot be compared to the one Elizabeth received as a present from someone.

“Hah… of course, it would be Flora Charlotte von Carruthers who’d be wearing that pink outfit tonight,” an attendant mutters.

“Flora!” Amelie yells. “That’s her! That little brat…!”

Amelie’s anger grows more and more. For Amelie, all members of the Third Prince’s Faction are enemies. However, among them, the power of House Carruthers, who alone is said to have more military strength than the Principality of Aust, cannot be underestimated. In the capital, Carruthers is considered just country people, but when it comes to military might, they are second to none. When it comes to enemies, there is no one more troublesome than them. After all, an armed uprising becomes an elaborate suicide when Carruthers comes to squash it.

And above all, the outfit that Flora wore. Even Amelie’s heart is taken by that outfit of hers. The luster of the silk was well contrasted with the beautiful light pink color. If you’re in a position like Amelie’s, of course, you’d know what silk is. However, the silk that comes from the southern sea, Ploiss has no contact with whoever manufactures it, is not available in Ploiss from the start. They can only expect it to be sourced from the Principality of Aust and other countries bordering the southern sea.

And yet she wears clothes woven from such silk. How powerful must she be? You can’t get such items unless you have high financial strength, diplomatic ability, and negotiation ability. In other words, flaunting such things is nothing less than showing off the power of House Carruthers.

Also, how much does it cost to make a costume that is so novel, has fine embroidery, and uses that much lace? Compared to Flora’s outfit, this finest outfit that Amelie had prepared for today is no different from the rags worn by the poor.

“Fuh… fufufu! Well, that’s fine!” Amelie chuckled. “Today marks the Death of the Carruthers Vassals. At most, you should enjoy your last soiree before it’s too late! Oh~hohohoho!”

Amelie laughed loudly at the thought of what was about to happen, of her big announcement.