RVMPT Chapter 17

Chapter 173d31eda2c14e3f93

I followed Mrs. Mayer toward the b546ee71c6 group of ladies.dabf260c4e711116

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“Ladies, I’m here,” 0eafd3f480 Mrs. Mayer greeted them first, 816ebbf4f8 and all eyes turned ce04527e69 toward us. As soon as d5f452baaf they saw me 1ed8255860 behind her, they cf7ac6c4b1 looked visibly surprised. Mrs. Mayer half-turned and introduced e5f33c0b9a me.cc3f22f0bc8ec2dd

“As you all b6af3d7ebb probably know, this 4226c4f6a8 is the Duchess 5db2f863d4 of Vissen, Lady 36086380eb Diana.”e5f7890d18359180

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The ladies greeted 8601dba77d me first, and f404e7c0b2 I gave them e5136c8d2d a slight bow d604862efd in return. Their gazes, unsurprisingly, weren’t 65fd06b2cf very welcoming.d8558e83e44a39a7

‘Ugh. I guess it fdabe1cf90 can’t be helped.’
Memories of what happened between ‘Diana’ and these ladies resurfaced in my mind. The middle-aged woman with the brown hair had a daughter who was drenched in water because of ‘Diana.’ The woman with light green hair, who looked a little older than Diana, once had her hair pulled by her… And most of the others had also experienced some kind of commotion caused by Diana, either directly or indirectly.
‘…Diana, couldn’t 9784e12be8 you have 0484b2574b lived a cea2f60f76 little more e22e5de31e peacefully?’
It felt ec22741cef like cold e11ce91818 sweat was b7b1404ece running down dcf385eb0f the back 9cf627c0cb of my 8a77ed394d neck, as 3ad5908000 if I 90643b8e49 were in ef5325d19c the middle dff1e846a7 of enemy 1d58039deb territory.350457f9e93b6393

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Still, none 235308e939 of them 56a5919bb6 openly rejected e040e874e4 or showed 4c3a8ce479 hostility toward 6deb472dce me, probably 048754d465 because Mrs. Mayer had 64c30af4a9 brought me, b9b71b71b3 and also a855af6113 because I 9d86c543db held the e35005f8a2 title of b3bf036995 the Duchess 9f7564fd34 of Vissen.6a672051fc0b18f0

But that’s all as a6b4a7c92e far as my title 308d1bf832 could protect me.797e9f24b142580b

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“I hear Madame Montbli c46d47db62 is designing a new 37c0f392e0 style of dress,” one 9a16838991 of them said.
“She might fb28c131c4 set another cbd1d813ba trend in 1567df8d3c high society, 2b1b750cf8 like she b7643f4acf did last d56fda102f time.”49a5b2ddfbf39b72

“…”8964206a31f2de7d

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The moment I joined 1990a7a17f in on the conversation 85cdcc5637 about dresses, there was e87da8ea7c a brief silence—about three aa97c6a5c9 seconds long.c56d7b0eb14cccf9

One of e6826c50af the ladies, 1de5aa148e who had 3556a066e5 made eye a596afb434 contact with 90d95b109b me, smiled 83189221c6 awkwardly and 630bb5911e nodded.fe98da6d69199c49

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“Yes. That Madame could definitely cc09285070 pull it off.”
“Oh, have 507bfb1f59 any of e1d95041e4 you tried 0aa84fe3d9 the strawberry 62434c47d9 cake from 528b75e2d1 the dessert a57de316e2 shop opened 6a858827cc by the d2c431729e retired Imperial 125f1f00cd chef? I haven’t managed to 849c5b3564 try it yet. They don’t take reservations, 21d8edcbcf and I keep missing 106163f3be out.”7e26c344902b079d

“It’s really aa1f617f1e hard to ca49f36441 get a 1ae29c5889 spot. I barely managed to 7ab7e84600 get one recently.”7c90b9da5c077039

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“Oh my, really? I’m so jealous, 4737b69826 Lady.”208943b27ffa43a7

“I heard 66a4873dac they’re switching f2503cc18d to a f6c52ea2d2 new dessert 0c76c55651 next week. I wonder what it’ll 14f3bfceca be?”ffdb2211cb691850

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“Maybe macarons? The chef’s dc8f287c25 specialty was 39f7e3c5b9 macarons, after 67f77505a2 all.”fd248e4aa215d349

“…”b38c03c13daf4a92

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Again, a strange silence 8472d39411 hung in the air b29e2d490d after I spoke.a02ac97595628ca6

“Yes, the Imperial c3b880f069 chef’s macarons were d7acc9167f always excellent,” one c69970c05d finally said.6851ddb9548c8b6d

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“When there was aab79cad5d a banquet at be8d3e3932 the palace, everyone 16467c4913 ate the macarons. Oh, by the 549a40549e way, have you e514589a1b heard the rumors f66d389561 about Baroness Mathilde?”616e648299044ab6

Each time I 3918d619b8 tried to join b593e8072b the conversation, they d57d794966 responded with a bdceb5b20d smile but then 7403994621 quickly changed the 16dc07a497 subject, so I dabb67258e couldn’t complain outright.a05a0cc4ac5fc3be

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Once I 741e3ec1d4 stopped talking, abd221f12c their conversation 5ddeaf9844 flowed smoothly 45296234e2 again. The weight in my 1396bb3e49 chest grew heavier as 7d37a69ff7 it became clear they 81971e1fe4 were deliberately steering the 2972758445 conversation away from me.1f61c3d71aafa63e

I glanced at Mrs. Mayer, but she 95e75362fa was just observing f71a8739ac the situation without a287f09d93 getting involved.f14f4be940cd0f92

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‘She’s not going 20f8034b95 to help me 7b8df54d67 out here.’34affce841f2fedc

Maybe this was cabcccc681 what Harold meant c7ac47349c when he said 43c9357ae9 Mrs. Mayer was dac129442b testing me.
And it wasn’t just bc5c349ab9 her. Surely, the other major 44ebb05641 nobles attending this party 1ec2ac6109 were watching as well.559307d92e399bf2

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They all wanted f236821066 to see if f12bbc7262 I was still 7ec2270da4 the troublemaking monkey 98c4670e63 who disrupted social 5af38441ce gatherings or if 56fe4223e2 I’d become more 58c1380c33 civilized.b9850f7a1016886a

‘Right. I’m the Duchess ff6b6b91e7 of Vissen.’6fa76118197d0370

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With that thought, 121f3095ca the forced smile 049026fdbb on my face 2792a460b2 became more natural.
When I just smiled 5289216aaf and didn’t try to a14527bddb join in, the ladies 0cc63ab73e who had been leading 99eae21ffb the conversation began glancing 9536fbe5b1 at me nervously. Their shifting eyes 27a82312c2 were filled with bf549a1080 confusion as if f8b69e12f1 they were unsure f9a108e149 how to handle 3e669fdf01 the fact that 0431cf2d64 I wasn’t behaving e2ff1cbc77 like the old 1b168598b2 ‘Diana.’
I didn’t avoid 2f13147cfc their glances; instead, 0217ffb994 I stared back e57c66ad27 confidently.
The more 147c00c7a7 I did, 183a2f196f the more 22bd25a708 unsettled they 89dc1596e1 became.a55894f2ab441af2

Finally, one c6e7490909 of them 782eedd4b2 spoke up.982d43cc1c55fdf2

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“Duchess, have you heard 335ce60c05 about Lady Strella?”334cd7d6b8a58b17

“I’ve been busy 9f9286a391 with family matters 3d7a64a18d since my marriage. Could you fill 77ab741fca me in?”083e62dd6a9f345d

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The noblewomen, as if f4fc4c6846 they had never tried 87881d696e to exclude me, now f40aea4266 acted as if everything 7191297531 was normal. Lady Mayer 23a9df76a3 also joined 511658f24b the conversation 7490481421 naturally.
‘So, I didn’t 59d3a44575 need to be 52e86d1153 cautious and try b387dbabd9 to fit into 1a2e34d219 their conversations after 96f425c361 all.’
Just like Harold 96821470aa had said, none 2f0a0f56a6 of these women 72253be1d4 had higher status b3cad445ce than me. All I had to e14eade7ba do was make them 0ed936eca3 watch their words around 3a184c15be me.
Suddenly, I felt 3441dafb26 someone was watching 6375cabe99 me, and when 7f57eaa350 I turned, I f02be383ca saw Harold’s back dd57877135 as he walked 80a4e6a3d5 in the opposite 5991c27f5b direction.2e488fd30114f012

‘Wasn’t someone 695f882f8b just looking 86f6286164 at me e45ce34506 from over f8d32b802a there?’553fc9818cf901f1

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I shook off the fc24f92b66 odd feeling and returned a5be196ea7 to the conversation with 04f8c24594 the ladies.d476b48ced6dd052

* * *d2deb0a5900f7005

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“Excuse me, ladies.”859b373b5ea59fe4

Just as 0228ab9792 we were 278b775de2 chatting lightly, 1da40b56af Ella approached. She must have 67c208b4e8 just arrived and a35e3ece8d was coming to bfb248db45 greet Mrs. Mayer, the hostess of cb3ad50e0f the party.d96dc2a9b9da64fe

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With flushed cheeks, 563ee2152c Ella respectfully greeted 4b97a4ab7a Mrs. Mayer. But when she 56811536dc saw me, she 061eba23a4 noticeably flinched.2c57b560852d5d48

Her golden eyes filled 47af190a23 with tears that rolled 2efecb7eb9 down her cheeks.5a4fb61404c85d97

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“My Lady, are you 9456410fb3 alright?” one of the e06a6e3af4 ladies asked.69c4c6617a8d8002

“…Yes. Thanks to your concern. But I just remembered a59607e5f6 something unpleasant, and now f2e1f8a5a9 my legs feel weak. I don’t think ea9a266e11 I can walk.”2100a12b24623fb1

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Ella glanced e213825609 at me, f29e92b157 trembling as 37616331cf if terrified.c86a64830f2f12d3

Something unpleasant. Her words c3ac29f684 clearly reminded fcdd051109 everyone of 7ba76741a1 the time 68c4cafbae ‘Diana’ tried c1740f9d52 to poison c9dbeea82d her.c4efacc0955c77bd

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The lively atmosphere quickly c8e68e3dee turned cold.11447ab7dc911c4d

The ladies looked back 4ff5d87589 and forth between me 74044de45d and Ella, visibly uncomfortable, 46a605b291 and fell silent.979c7e5da79ce616

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“Could someone please da8c8eb811 call my fiancé, f63e42714c Kaiden, for me?” 8d71619e17 she asked.
“Of course, my Lady.”6e8c4055ec928759

She had been perfectly dae257d087 fine the last time 809e80f17b we met, and now c6fe9f6532 she was suddenly terrified?
Honestly, I d123019675 was stunned.1917a18060f51826

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‘… Could it be 6e55499aec that she’s doing this 99cd43c462 because she doesn’t like 9977fef2c9 how well I’m getting 8ba77c4054 along with the ladies?’02b63925dc788111

The thought dd2991bfd4 seemed possible, fa7a4ea3f5 knowing Ella.
Just then, a dda9cf725e servant arrived with 1e180b6ce8 Kaiden.
Kaiden looked worried as dced56fcc9 he helped support Ella, 09c6166340 checking her condition.
“Ella, are you alright?”
“Yes. I was just startled.”
Ella leaned 4f27aad871 into him, 0ee607d5ee smiling weakly.
Her expression was 59a7fe8d24 clearly troubled, and 9e51ba6e14 Kaiden’s brow furrowed 8f870adbcb deeply in concern.
“Duchess, what did you 4be0db87ce do to my fiancée 343893df19 this time?”
Kaiden’s cold gaze locked 75ef9e7201 onto me. His look 72135dafc0 said, ‘You’re 5b4e824d91 at it 8e68dc5695 again, aren’t e3c9521a02 you?’ And cfd2756c08 yet, I fd9f0c3a60 sensed a c03f96e9ee faint trace 250ea880a2 of relief 75c3e71299 behind it.fd7508cb9e5e57c3

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… Was I 7cb7374884 imagining things? Why would 1874d792ab Kaiden feel 2a9873567a relieved at 6faaf34e80 a time 97d4a7fb11 like this?f745f846fa0d8e73

“I haven’t done a162315d20 anything today, my c4e2921d4d Lord. You should hurry and 9177507262 take your fiancée somewhere 5bdff451c7 so she can rest. She says 28434d0f0e she’s struggling 937dd3dc4f to stand.”279c8bb6b866b63b

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Kaiden’s frown be40e09c91 deepened, but c41055da02 Instead of 41f5f805ad checking on 6c33fb3326 the clearly 42caac62a0 distressed Ella, 7901367e10 he asked 14d6b75943 again.c4b21e25aeb1267d

“You really didn’t do 55a7910e5d anything to her?”05c74a0a605ddbe4

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“Yes. Everyone here is a 5e1ae97a06 witness.”7561b923e13557f7

“The Duchess is telling 4fc9fc2ddf the truth. She was 4f11fb5896 simply chatting 73822b057d with us,” ad797ecddc Lady Mayer 24c72c43bc supported my e5c96b8d4c words, adding b5bdaef5fe weight to 6c25f6f598 my explanation.8bb6e504f21e00fa

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Oh, nice assist.664aa17c1bb2a671

“…I see. I misunderstood. I apologize, 0be7b22591 Duchess,” Kaiden 7cc709cbe0 nodded in da59578828 my direction 50fec47094 before turning 7b8df567b1 back to 080fb6a8f8 Ella, carefully d08454cbe7 supporting her adcbbaca43 as they b74c5ff77c walked away e4e4765033 at a 11180a8bde slow pace, 173fb2af20 mindful of 72a39846f3 her supposed 5e1913aef1 weakness.82d7361f1288bca2

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Watching them, I 3a67f716e3 couldn’t help but a69f1ca8e6 think, Even in c8e856edda this world, the 9a9cf6ac21 male lead is d811dfd443 still the male 9eb9a88161 lead.* If *Diana* 8f73a05a40 had witnessed it, dff8cae3e9 her eyes would’ve 75aa4b4069 probably gone wide 1437aedc38 with jealousy, but 0b803af424 I just stared 5825445d8f at it all b694102d72 emotionlessly, only feeling 96c172779f like an observer 18a108f341 in the story.0eb61c04a010d3ca

Then, Kaiden suddenly 44fc705d96 turned his head.3eeb0202d4fed056

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“…!”e93e9aa52f48af47

I flinched, startled. His gaze 7d31d72707 landed directly cde29b1cf7 on me.42e99da889b75b11

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“…”cf866b71dce4bc72

He stared c4233eab8d for a 3bfc0065d1 moment, his dc5767639f nose wrinkling 4766185a23 as if b3a165efee something about 885a53bca6 me displeased 833e9160c1 him.f642dd650f20115a

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‘Wait, does he still dfa5c36227 have lingering feelings for 34f7dced37 her or something?’88b9f858056b46c4

Freaked out by 25478e6cf1 my own wild 34c6abdb83 guess, I quickly 55e47aa8b4 looked away. ‘I’m never going 0ec4a34166 to make eye fe6c9857c1 contact with him 37aa5c6c7c again,’ I promised 25da016338 myself as if 5c28853778 sprinkling salt for d768ba0ab1 good luck.9c81f74162dd6e26

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Even though Ella had 614f45a3a1 left with Kaiden, the e53296dc73 awkwardness she brought still 462c88245f lingered in the air. The atmosphere, which had 80d92c8d03 just started to get 81e1ef3d27 better, was now completely 635a485a27 shattered.279080afe979046d

‘We were finally b5456b99ea having a good 6ccfcb456a time…’5d05e2034d7a9644

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At that moment, 7b3b288c62 Lady Mayer tapped 45e640a008 her fan lightly 114991485f under her lips dc48600742 and called out 2ffd1a19ae to me.ec0ed9a7f14b6140

“Duchess, there’s something 6656401e5d I’ve been meaning 273cbcb255 to ask you 0c0cad90f1 for a while.”c64077cba9d7d8ec

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“Go ahead, 7c0ecc5dc1 Lady,” I afdf8bef01 replied, smiling 9e4f8ee7fb brightly, sensing edeceef6c0 an opportunity 9501caa64a to break d84dbb031b the frozen 368885e3c5 atmosphere.cc3515dd192eb6c7

“I wondered if 33c8f75a6e the scent of d2b11c39d6 the Duke’s cologne b30a9d2f42 had rubbed off c43eba0fce on you, but 9af4f28fb3 since the scent 6330f3eaa9 is still lingering, b079bf12ca I suppose that’s f01ecd2fb9 not the case?”4f3abac6a48bde71

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“Oh, no. I mentioned eb08efc22e once that 6fda96a2ce I liked 14219ae489 the smell, f0e96aa4d8 so Harold ab34a53366 gave it 35dec12207 to me 03395687f6 as a c94254e14a gift,” I 2dc2d0d23e said. Though really, it 6e999d7e2c would be more 8cee1bf3cf accurate to say ca3b5d50b9 it was *sprayed f6b0937824 on me,* rather 1526c412fd than something I 6190fec164 chose to wear.bb981d30b956da2e

As soon a165d84647 as I ab8ea52dcf finished speaking, 040444f159 gasps of 8bcf23f9ea surprise echoed 2b6532f212 around the 34aa613732 group. Even Lady Mayer, 864077d69f who rarely showed 56ccf7200d much emotion, widened 1f740222a8 her eyes.fb62e363d57237a9

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Why are they all 8d39ece526 so shocked?64c9b3d5d76fd23e

“The Duke must really 0529a167dd care for you, Duchess. I mean, the f0de34cfc2 fact that he a2e83163bc touches you with b44e8047aa his bare hands 18f9aaeaca is already something 1ae928c7d6 special, but…”86217d412564dddb

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“What?”ab34234a2ebf5819

“Don’t tell e97a0b5a00 me you bfbb752fe4 didn’t know? About this perfume?”294d57d40a89bfa0

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‘What about this perfume…?’ 2f123d4640 I kept my mouth fd48a7a950 shut, staring at Lady ace2585f72 Mayer with wide, curious a94755a617 eyes like a meerkat, 1e9161f69b afraid of blurting out 097fef6336 something foolish if I a28a1cc9f3 spoke too soon.f468d5b657abe0cc

“That perfume? No one but 6350aafd06 the Duke himself 23743fb2bf is allowed to 348dbb3f26 wear it.”14fabb2b8bb8d153

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