Chapter 89

Viscountess Faunte frowned and grabbed her daughter's arm.

"What on earth is that noise?"

Viscount Faunte, who was passing through the courtyard, noticed the mother and daughter and approached.

"Why are you holding the child as soon as she arrives? She must be tired."

"It's because the former princess almost disgraced our Lumelisa."

"What did you say?"

Viscount Faunte, who doted on his daughter, furrowed his brow.

"Tell me what happened. What is it?"

Lumelisa pouted and continued.

"She walked into the party hall and then said she was leaving."

"The former princess?"

"Yes! I was taken aback and said, 'Don't go, why don't you stay a while?' But she flew into a rage!"

The viscountess stiffened and asked.

"Did you speak rudely to her?"

"Of course not!"

Lumelisa, as if recalling the humiliation, tightly gripped her skirt and shivered.

"She shouted, 'I'm leaving!' in front of everyone, and I was scolded and almost cried."

"What?!"

Viscount Faunte's eyes blazed with anger.

This was an unprecedented rudeness, even at the party of those rural nobles.

To say she was leaving as soon as she arrived.

And she even shouted?

"No matter how it was a children's party, how could she be so rude..."

Viscount Faunte gritted his teeth.

With a cold expression, the viscountess crossed her arms and said.

"Was it because it was a children's party?"

The viscount narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is the lily garden party just a children's party? It's a party for the heirs of noble families. Lumelisa is the only heir of the Faunte family."

The viscountess looked at her husband and said, as if savoring the words.

"Does the heir of the Faunte family look so ridiculous?"

"Hmm..."

"Did the former princess not know how much effort I put into this party? Did she not understand what it meant for the lady of the house to invite the Empress Dowager to attend?"

The faces of the Faunte viscount and viscountess turned red with anger.

Lumelisa said with a pout.

"It was really embarrassing. The other young ladies and gentlemen couldn't even speak to me..."

"Goodness, how upset my child must have been without a mother there."

The viscountess, who would faint for her daughter, quickly comforted her.

Lumelisa, nestled in her mother's arms, lifted her head and said, "Ah."

"But thanks to Lady Astra, I survived."

"Lady Astra... You mean the daughter of Diamond Astra?"

"Yes! She wasn't as bad as I thought."

Lumelisa had heard about Elyot from various places before the party.

'She's a mischievous child.'

'This time, the main character of the lily garden party won't be Lumelisa Faunte, but Elyot Astra.'

'She's a cunning child, so be careful not to be eaten alive.'

She even heard this from the Astra bloodline, with whom her parents had cultivated a relationship.

"Didn't Geoffrey Astra say that Elyot Astra would try to be the main character, even if it meant ruining the party?"

"Yes... That's what he said."

Valdric Astra, as the son of the Duke of Astra, had connections with many high nobles.

He was also a member of the same club as Viscount Faunte.

That's how he got the news about the Astra family.

Lumelisa said with sparkling eyes.

"But she was a very good child."

"Really?"

"Yes. When I was in trouble, she even went to see the former princess off..."

The viscountess's eyes widened.

According to her sources, the former princess had caused all sorts of trouble at the Astra manor, targeting Diamond.

It was said that her daughter, Elyot, had suffered greatly.

'She probably wouldn't want to meet the former princess under any circumstances.'

Of course, adults would put on a mask and use their social skills, even if they had a grudge...

But a ten-year-old girl wouldn't have that kind of social skill.

No matter how much her parents warned her, her feelings would come first.

"My goodness... With a troublesome child around, she must have felt compelled to help."

"It seems so. She's really kind, isn't she?"

"She's considerate, unlike the Astra bloodline."

Everyone knew how arrogant the Astra bloodline was.

There were even second-generation nobles without titles who bossed around the high nobles.

Lumelisa smiled.

"Why are the capital nobles like that? They pretend to be kind, but in the end, their own interests come first."

"That's true."

"But Elyot Astra wasn't like that. She didn't try to be the main character; she even protected me."

"Protected you?"

"Yes. The former princess said she was shouting because she was tired. She came here despite being tired because she found me so adorable!"

How smart.

It really seemed that Lumelisa was saved thanks to Elyot Astra.

Lumelisa smiled.

"I want to be friends with her. Can you invite her to your salon, Mother?"

The Faunte viscountess's salon was a gathering place for the elite of high society.

Only the top 10% of the high nobility were invited.

People often said that after the Empress Dowager's tea salon, the Faunte salon was the next best.

The viscountess smiled.

"Of course, for my daughter's request."

"Yay~!"

As Lumelisa hugged her mother's waist, the viscount and viscountess smiled affectionately.

The viscountess said to her husband.

"Since we've received a favor, we can't just let it be. How about inviting Diamond Astra to the club?"

"Our club? But the other Astra fellows will jump at the chance... It will be troublesome."

"What about Valdric, Hernan, or Gustav? The rising star of the Astra family is Diamond Astra now."

"That's true."

"Besides, our daughter likes her so much. Why not?"

Lumelisa looked at her father with sparkling eyes.

The viscount, blushing, rubbed his daughter's cheek.

"How cute, our daughter. Sure! Since my child received a favor, there's no reason not to."

The Faunte family burst into laughter.

Amidst the laughter, the viscountess's eyes gleamed sharply.

'Former princess... I won't let this go.'

A mother bear whose cub has been touched is the fiercest of all.

* * *

A few days later, at the Empress Dowager's palace.

Former Princess Anatoly shrank back, trying to gauge the Empress Dowager's mood.

"Mother..."

Thud.

The Empress Dowager closed the book she was reading.

Her demeanor was chillingly cold.

Anatoly quickly pleaded with the Empress Dowager.

"Last time, at the lily garden party, it wasn't intentional. That cunning girl—!"

The Empress Dowager's fierce gaze fell on Former Princess Anatoly.

Anatoly flinched and clutched her skirt.

"Mother..."

"Do you know who stopped the trouble you caused at the Astra manor?"

"Diamond..."

The Empress Dowager chuckled.

"The one who first argued that you should be punished was that Diamond."

"..."

"I haven't seen the Duke of Astra so angry in 40 years."

"Then..."

"Elyot Astra. She clung to her grandfather and father, barely preventing you from being brought to trial."

"..."

The Empress Dowager had interrogated Anatoly's maids fiercely right after the royal family arrived in the capital.

As a result, she already knew that Anatoly had used Elyot's monster to try to claim Diamond.

Former Princess Anatoly stammered.

"I am the Empress's sister. If the Astra family doesn't want to feud with the royal family, they can't do anything to me..."

"Yes, the royal family can handle everything else. But the Harvest Festival—!!"

The Empress Dowager shouted loudly.

She had never seen the Empress Dowager so angry.

Anatoly turned pale, and the maids present knelt down.

The Empress Dowager glared at the former princess with eyes burning with anger.

"How dare you use such unholy herbs at the Harvest Festival."

"Mother..."

"Summoning a monster to ruin the festival."

"That, that..."

"And then trying to pin the blame on the Astra family!"

"..."

It was fortunate that Elyot summoned a dragon.

Otherwise, Elyot and the former princess would have been brought to trial together.

Beyond the disgrace, it was unknown how the Astra family would have reacted when the truth came out.

Former Princess Anatoly quickly grabbed the Empress Dowager's arm.

"Please listen to me. I really tried to do well."

"Do what?"

"Pardon?"

"Did you try to do well with your marriage to Diamond?"

"..."

"I held back when you attempted suicide, saying you would die if you didn't marry him."

"..."

"I handled it myself when you repeatedly sent spies to dig up dirt on Diamond."

"..."

"But now you've gone so far as to drag his daughter into this mess—!!"

The Empress Dowager threw a letter at Former Princess Anatoly's face.

Thud!

The letters hit her face and fell to the ground.

"See for yourself."

"What is this...?"

"These are letters saying that the parties you were supposed to attend have been canceled one after another."

"What?"

"Who do you think? The Viscountess Faunte. She's trying to bury you in high society."

"How can this be! She's gone mad! Even with the Astra incident, I'm still a member of the royal family!"

"This is the result of your accumulated misdeeds."

"..."

"Even before the Astra manor incident, and now with the lily garden party, this is the result!"

The Viscountess Faunte used 'Elyot' as a card to pressure the former princess, who had disgraced her daughter.

'Former Princess, who went berserk at the Astra manor, targeting Diamond.'

'The monster's rampage—was it really due to the Astra family's negligence?'

'Why did something go wrong when the former princess was there, with such a powerful blessing that tamed a dragon?'

'Apparently, the former princess publicly forced Elyot Astra to call her mother.'

'Did the former princess do something to claim Diamond Astra?'

These were the rumors circulating in high society.

It was a backfire while trying to attack the former princess.

But it gave high society a reason.

[The former princess, who oppressed her innocent daughter to marry her father, must be condemned.]

Morality, which seems to mean nothing in the noble society, can sometimes be different.

In high society, it can sometimes be the strongest reason.

The Empress Dowager glared at the former princess with a stern face.

"Formally apologize to Elyot Astra."

"Mother—!"

The former princess, jumping up, shouted.

Why me?

Why should I apologize to such a cunning child?

"Formally apologizing means you can never have a relationship with the Astra family again."

It means that becoming Diamond's wife is out of the question for life.

The Empress Dowager frowned and rubbed her forehead.

"What am I supposed to do with you..."

"I can't do it. I can't! I can't bear the humiliation for such a girl and lose Diamond forever!"

"Then you'll have to live as a disgraced former princess for the rest of your life."

"Mother?"

"I have nothing more to do for you."

"Mother, how can you..."

Anatoly's expression crumbled.

"Think of the late Emperor. How much he doted on you. He entrusted you to me before he passed away."

"That's why I've been looking after you."

"..."

"I announced you as my child to bring you into the royal family, despite being born to a gypsy."

"..."

"The reason I've looked after you so far is for the late Emperor and your blessing!"

"..."

"Elyot Astra even wrote a letter asking not to punish you."

What a commendable child.

She was far more considerate and intelligent than the former princess.

"I'm not going to clean up this mess for you. Even if you cling to your brother, it will be the same."

Of course, the Emperor no longer meets her.

The former princess's expression froze.

'Do you think I'll just take this lying down?'

The former princess tightly twisted her skirt.

She stormed out of the Empress Dowager's palace.

Alone in the corridor, the former princess's eyes glinted with malice.

"Aliana."

A maid approached with quick steps.

"Yes, Princess."

"Go and get that drug."

"You mean the drug...?"

"Yes, that drug!"

"What are you going to do with the drug?"

"The Faunte party, that girl is attending, right?"

"Yes..."

"Have someone put the drugged cookies there."

"Princess!"

The maid, shocked, exclaimed.

The former princess's expression was cold and frozen.

"Since she's pushed me to this corner, I can't just let her be."

It wasn't poison.

But if ingested, it would make life very difficult.

The former princess's lips curled up in a sneer.

* * *

At the Faunte party.

"Hello, Viscountess Faunte."

"Oh, what a lovely lady. Welcome."

I'm more!

A Faunte party, what a luxury.

I chuckled to myself and looked around.

'Let's see. The cookies are over there.'

So the drug must be there too.

'Stupid Anatoly.'

Thank you for falling for it.

'No matter what you do.'

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