Chapter 1

"Milady Eleonora, you have been ordered by your husband to attend the ball held at the Imperial Palace today."

The middle-aged woman, dressed in fine work clothes and with a rather unfriendly demeanor, entered the small brick annex of the house without even a greeting and informed Eleonora, the mistress of the house. Eleonora is the eldest daughter of the Purpureus Duke's family, which has existed since before the founding of the Virides Empire. She is a strikingly beautiful woman with wavy golden hair and purple eyes.

As is often the case, she is living alone in a modest and small house due to the jealousy of her stepmother. Incidentally, this house was originally built to isolate members of the Purpureus family who had contracted a contagious and incurable disease.

The Purpureus Duke's family, located in the capital, has an old and grand main house, as well as two small annexes, one old and one new. However, Eleonora was assigned to live in the small annex by her stepmother. A housekeeper comes to take care of various matters, and a governess is also provided.

When Eleonora heard that she had to attend the ball, she placed her hand on her cheek and tilted her head, looking troubled.

"…I see."

The unfriendly maid from the main house was momentarily flustered by the strange allure emanating from Eleonora, but she cleared her throat and gave instructions to the young maids she had brought with her.

"You, get Eleonora's preparations done quickly."

Then she turned her gaze back to Eleonora.

"Once you are ready, wait quietly in the main hall of the main house. Make sure you do not keep the gentlemen waiting."

If someone outside the house saw a mere maid, even a senior one, treating the Duke's daughter so arrogantly, they would be quite shocked. However, for Eleonora, this was a very ordinary occurrence, so she did not mind at all.

The dress prepared for her was a bright red, with a skirt that flared out dramatically. This was likely part of the harassment, but when Eleonora wore it, her beauty and presence stood out even more. Once she was fully dressed, she went to the main house alone and waited in the hall for her father, stepmother, and half-sister.

After a while, her half-sister Sophia came down the grand staircase, looking irritated. When she saw Eleonora, she threw a fan at her. However, Eleonora caught the fan with a quick hand, without flinching.

"What, why are you going to the ball too?"

"…"

Eleonora, who had been strictly taught not to speak more than necessary, pondered how to respond.

(Oh dear. I didn't expect to wear such a beautiful dress and go to the palace today. I don't know what to say.)

Eleonora, if she did not think carefully before speaking, would inadvertently use a very accented dialect from her past life.

Indeed, Eleonora had memories from her past life.

She had vivid memories from her previous life since birth. However, to avoid worrying her new parents, she tried to act as much like a baby as possible. Despite her efforts, she was still considered a strange baby and was disliked not only by her parents but also by her nurse. She lived in the main house until her mother died. Even so, her parents did not directly raise her, which was quite common in the upper class.

Her mother died just before her second birthday, and a new wife, her current stepmother Anna, was soon brought in. As expected, the beautiful Eleonora, who resembled her late mother, was treated poorly and was sent to live in the small house.

Still, as the eldest daughter of the Duke's family, she was taught etiquette and academics to ensure she would not be a disgrace when she married. She was also taught dancing, embroidery, and musical instruments, all of which were appropriate for a Duke's daughter.

However, her speech could not be corrected. She always spoke with an accent. When she first spoke at one year old, it was just single words, so there was no suspicion. However, as she started to form two-word and three-word sentences, she could not hide her accent.

The caretakers were very worried. If the Duke's daughter said something like, "The food is so good. Do you want to eat it too?" they might be demoted or even fired. The cause of her accent was thoroughly investigated, but no one in the Duke's household spoke with such a rural accent. In the end, the cause remained unknown, but a solution was needed.

Therefore, the maids and teachers trained her to think through her sentences in her head before speaking them aloud.

Thanks to this training, she never spoke with an accent at tea parties. By speaking as little as possible, Eleonora became known as the quiet and beautiful princess of the Duke's family.

(Oh dear. I've heard that the Emperor's ball will have the best food from all over the country. I'll have to endure not eating when I see all that delicious food. I really want to eat my fill. Being a lady is so difficult!)

Eleonora sighed and showed a worried face, but in reality, she was only thinking about the food.