Chapter 89

I was so angry that I told you to come and bow your head before I caught you.

I kind of expected something like this...

"The Empress invited us."

And it’s a debutante ball.

The debutante ball held by the royal family was only for the children of high-ranking nobles.

"If I were an ordinary noble lady, I would have been happy... but..."

The current Empress is Kartia, the only daughter of the Latianel Count.

"And my mother was caught trying to steal from the Latianel Count’s family."

Usually, when someone offends the royal family, the entire family is exterminated, but the Latianel Count settled everything by just killing my mother.

Moreover, my mother had red hair and purple eyes, while I had golden hair and green eyes.

There was no resemblance in appearance, so no one knew I was her daughter.

That’s why when I went to Saint Orphanage, I was quickly adopted by another noble family.

"Huh? You... No way. Why are you here?"

But one of the thieves who had been causing trouble in the territory recognized my face.

"I will provide information that will be of great help to your family. You won’t regret it!"

He was released in exchange for revealing that I was my mother’s daughter.

After that, I was disowned and returned to the orphanage.

Even though I could have been adopted a few more times after that, my identity was already exposed.

While they weren’t high-ranking nobles... there was a possibility that Empress Kartia also knew I was my mother’s daughter.

So there were two possibilities.

Either she doesn’t know who I am, or...

'She called me knowing who I am.'

That I am my mother’s daughter.

I clenched my fists.

'I kind of expected this.'

I tried to steady my heart, but it kept pounding. It felt like a heavy stone was placed on my chest...

Then, the Duke gently stroked my head with his large hand.

"You can live well even without making a name in society, just with the Duke’s family’s wealth."

"..."

"You don’t have to go to such places. Ignore the criticism."

As always, his face was indifferent, but his touch was warm.

But I shook my head.

"I want to go."

"Elly..."

"Because I can’t hide forever."

I wanted to live with the people I loved, and to do that, I needed to gain strength. If I could use the social scene well, it could become a significant source of wealth for my business.

"I’m not scared. Because the Duke and Damian are with me."

And turning a crisis into an opportunity was what I did best.

The Duke’s deep eyes turned to me. After a moment, he nodded.

"Alright. Then we need to prepare."

"Prepare for what?"

"Preparation for a child named Schuetz."

As he said this, he opened another letter.

His expression seemed to change for a moment, then he put the envelope down again.

I wanted to see what was inside, but I couldn’t look openly because he was watching me.

He poked my cheek and said,

"Since we’re going together, there’s nothing to worry about."

"Are you coming with us, Duke?"

I opened my eyes wide.

"Of course."

He said it as if it were obvious.

"Even though I might not be able to show a good face to the children."

I understood what he meant.

If the Duke came with me, there might be a commotion at the palace.

"Don’t worry. I’ll have a reliable guard by your side."

The Duke chuckled and glanced at me.

Before I could ask what he meant, he poked my cheek again.

"Hmm. It seems to have grown a bit."

I pouted.

'After you fed me so much...!'

He tilted his head, as if asking why I was looking at him with such a betrayed expression.

"Is there a problem with my compliment?"

What, really.

His smooth talk was annoying, but I couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing me smile, Damian also smiled brightly.

The Duke ruffled Damian’s hair, saying "Oh," but he was smiling faintly too.

This was the kind of laughter I wanted from my family.

Then, the oppressive fear in my heart disappeared.

It’ll be fine.

Because I have a family to protect me.

* * *

A few days later, Damian and I got into the carriage heading to the palace.

It wasn’t an official debutante ball.

It was customary for the participants to meet beforehand to get to know each other, and today was that day.

On the day of the debutante ball, I would have to greet many people and pretend to be happy, even though we already knew each other.

'It’s like a show.'

We were directly invited by the Empress, after all.

It might sound childish, but I couldn’t complain since I accepted her invitation.

The Empress’s invitation was definitely a good opportunity.

'But there are probably many traps beneath it.'

However, I was better at spotting those traps than anyone else.

I clutched the necklace.

The necklace made of holy stone was given to me by the Duke before we got into the carriage.

Since it was a gathering only for debutante participants, the Duke couldn’t come with us.

"Instead, this will protect you."

I vaguely understood what he meant.

This necklace was made of a new holy stone, not the one from the temple.

'And my father-in-law is Duke Schuetz.'

I couldn’t touch it carelessly, as I didn’t know what kind of magic he might have put on it.

'Sure enough, the Duke.'

Just as I was admiring him, the carriage stopped.

"We have arrived."

Taking a deep breath at the butler’s words, I got out of the carriage with Damian.

'Wow... how much is all this worth?'

I thought I should go confidently, but I couldn’t help but gape at the magnificent building.

"This is the annex. I will guide you inside to prevent you from getting lost."

The approaching butler greeted us.

If this is the annex, how big is the palace?

Overwhelmed, I straightened my hunched shoulders. I had many trials ahead, and I couldn’t be intimidated here.

"Damian, you have to hold my hand tightly."

"Okay."

Damian said with a brave face.

In the past, he would have been reluctant to come. I wondered when he had grown so much.

'What a brave kid.'

I patted Damian’s head and followed the butler inside.

In the large, spacious room, the invited noble ladies and gentlemen were chatting with each other.

When they noticed Damian and me, they started whispering.

Judging from the occasional mentions of Duke Schuetz, they seemed to know our story.

I was used to such whispers, so I sat down without much concern. But it was hard to ignore when it continued.

'This is going to get out of hand.'

So I looked at them, my eyes full of a challenge.

"Ah!"

One of the young gentlemen who met my gaze trembled in surprise and bowed his head.

His face turned red, and he kept glancing at me.

Hmm. Just as I was about to give him a stern look...

The young gentleman who was looking at me suddenly shuddered and hurriedly bowed his head.

Hmph. You should have done that earlier. I snorted, seeing him turn pale.

"Everyone is here."

At that moment, the door opened, and someone came in.

"I am Ritta, the governess. It is a true honor to serve the young nobles invited by the Empress."

The slightly strict-looking woman introduced herself, and the children in the room greeted her.

"Hmm."

She exhaled deeply and scrutinized us.

It wasn’t a proper action for a governess, but no one could point it out.

In a place directly invited by the Empress, it wouldn’t be wise to offend her confidant.

Then, our eyes met. Her eyes narrowed, and a slight crack appeared on her expressionless face.

'That’s...'

What kind of expression is that? Could she have recognized me immediately?

However, she skillfully erased the crack in her expression.

"Very well. I will explain. You are all personally invited by the Empress. In other words, you are the stars of the ball."

Her sharp gaze swept over the children.

"Before the ball, I will teach you the appropriate etiquette."

Her gaze eventually fell on Damian and then moved away.

"So, from now on, we will separate the boys and girls to teach the palace etiquette. The boys will follow this person."

Separate the boys and girls?

This was an unexpected turn of events.

Is it really necessary to separate boys and girls to teach palace etiquette?

'Besides, Damian is...'

He was already stiff. I was worried that this small, delicate child might get hurt.

"Elly..."

"Don’t worry. Nothing will happen."

The Empress wouldn’t harm me directly in an officially invited setting.

I hugged Damian, who was trembling like a rabbit.

His grip was unusually strong, as if he was very scared.

"Come on, let’s go this way."

But the time to part had come. I gently stroked Damian’s head, who was making a sad face, and said,

"It’ll be over soon. I’ll be here, so don’t worry. You can do it, husband?"

"Husband?"

Damian’s trembling stopped.

"Yeah. Got it."

"Really?"

Good, good. I wanted to pat his bottom, but I restrained myself in front of others, clenching my fists.

Eventually, the young gentlemen and Governess Ritta left.

The remaining young ladies glanced at each other and naturally formed a group, saying, "We met last time, didn’t we?"

Judging from how they kept looking at me while talking, they seemed to be trying to show off their connections...

'Too obvious, it’s not fun.'

I was indifferent.

I’ve been through so much.

This kind of thing doesn’t even count as bullying.

'I need to focus on my own business.'

I scanned the young ladies.

At first, I accepted the Empress’s invitation because I couldn’t hide under the Duke’s name forever.

But thinking about it step by step, this was an opportunity.

'Because the queen of the social scene is here.'