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[Chapter 8]
Every time someone mentioned Charlotte, Lady Hilton would jump in with gossip.
“She’s quite the eye-catching young lady. That necklace with top-quality diamonds is very rare.”
Even now, when someone showed interest in Charlotte, she was quick to speak up.
“She’s Lady Charlotte of the Rohilton family. Still… I’m surprised. Didn’t expect to see her here.”
“Rohilton? Then she’s from the East? Now that I think about it, I do remember. That young lady is said to have exceptional talent in painting, isn’t she?”
“Then did she buy that necklace by selling her paintings?”
“Hmm, that seems unlikely. That’s Madame Tina’s necklace, isn’t it?”
“Oh, you’re right.”
Madame Tina was a famous artisan whose accessories were in demand all across the Empire. That necklace couldn’t have been bought just by selling a few paintings.
“Then was her family originally wealthy?”
Lady Hilton scoffed.
“Do you really think so? If that were true, would they have sent the other young lady out dressed so plainly?”
She smiled knowingly, hiding her face behind a fan.
“It’s obvious. They didn’t have enough money to dress up both girls.”
Then, with a whisper of “this is a secret,” she began gossiping about how the current Count inherited his title.
“Oh, I see…! I understand wanting to secure a better marriage for your daughter, but when your intentions are so obvious… That Count is really something.”
“Now I understand why people say, ‘There’s always someone who fits the outfit.’”
It was a jab at the Count, who had inherited the title by default after his older brother died.
Several nobles laughed at Lady Hilton’s words, only to quickly fall silent again—because Bella Rohilton was walking past.
She looked like she could fall over at any moment.
“Ah!”
Bella stumbled and collided with Lady Hilton, falling over.
“I’m so sorry! Are you okay, ma’am? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Bella quickly stood up and fussed over Lady Hilton’s hands, checking her for injuries.
“I’m fine, dear.”
Lady Hilton smiled and gently pulled her hand away.
“Oh, thank goodness! W-Well then, I’ll be going now…”
Bella smiled like a clueless fool and walked off. Lady Hilton then looked down at the hand Bella had touched and frowned deeply.
Another noblewoman asked her:
“Is something wrong?”
“Are you feeling unwell, ma’am?”
Lady Hilton straightened up and smiled.
“It’s nothing at all. Shall we head over there? I’m feeling a bit thirsty and could use a drink.”
Meanwhile, Charlotte was completely unaware of the surrounding chatter.
Ever since she stepped into the ballroom, she’d been anxiously looking for someone.
With excitement all over her face, she scanned the room.
“Oh, Lord Durnaar!”
She quickly approached Young Duke Durnaar and greeted him.
“Oh, that’s not right. Greetings to the young ruler of the East.”
The duke’s face immediately darkened when he saw her.
Still, he quickly corrected his expression and politely responded.
“You must be Lady Charlotte of the Rohilton family.”
“You remember me?”
“Yes. You left quite an unforgettable impression.”
Judging by his displeased face, it seemed the maid had told him the truth about what happened at the party.
“Oh no… I must’ve caused quite a scene unintentionally. I’m so embarrassed.”
Charlotte didn’t notice the tension. She wasn’t used to reading people’s reactions.
“My sister told me—you’re the one who invited me today, right? Because you knew I was an artist? Thank you so much for that.”
“…”
“To honor your kind invitation, I’ll make sure to offer a wonderful painting for the auction.”
“…Why would that be for my honor…”
The duke murmured, clearly baffled. Then he caught himself and stayed silent.
“Well then, if you’ll excuse me, I have someone I must greet over there.”
He must have been quite upset. But the fact that he didn’t mention the incident with the maid at all suggested that he blamed himself for not managing his staff properly.
‘He really is a good person…’
That quiet, considerate personality was exactly why Charlotte had the wrong idea about him.
Charlotte muttered while glancing in the direction he left.
“Does he really need to leave? I guess, as a young duke, he still can’t freely command high nobles. Still, it’s a shame…”
It never even crossed her mind that he’d used another noble as an excuse to get away from her.
“All these people—I don’t know any of them. They all look like big shots though… Should I ask for an introduction? No, that might seem rude… But you know what? Opportunities don’t just fall into your lap. Who knows—I might end up with someone even more powerful than a duchess.”
Charlotte began walking again, muttering to herself.
“Charlotte?”
I didn’t have time to stop her.
She walked so quickly she wasn’t even looking ahead—
“Ah!”
“Oh, pardon me.”
—and bumped into a noble lady wearing a knight’s uniform.
“What the…?”
The slight stumble caused her to lose sight of the young duke. Charlotte turned around angrily.
Then, recognizing who she had bumped into, her face twisted in disgust.
Camilla Aphelra.
A woman who had received knighthood despite being female—and someone Charlotte absolutely despised.
Charlotte mocked her every chance she got, claiming Camilla’s behavior was unladylike and her sun-tanned skin made her no different from a servant.
But in truth, she was just jealous—Camilla was everything Charlotte wasn’t, and she was loved for it.
Camilla, of course, didn’t care one bit. When Charlotte picked a fight, she’d just give her a glance like, “Why is this dog barking?”
That only enraged Charlotte more—because the thing she hated most was being ignored.
Just like now.
Camilla gave her a quick glance and kept walking, but Charlotte shouted after her.
“Where do you think you’re going? You bumped into me—shouldn’t you apologize?!”
“Apologize…?”
Camilla stopped, and the noble ladies around her glared at Charlotte.
They were all Camilla’s supporters.
“What nonsense! You’re the one who bumped into her! She should be the one getting the apology!”
“I saw it clearly too—Lady Camilla wasn’t even moving.”
Charlotte scoffed.
“And how am I supposed to believe you? You’re all close friends. How can I be sure you’re not lying to protect her?”
“Excuse me?”
“You really are… rude, as I expected. I suppose it’s hard to form genuine friendships when—”
“That’s enough.”
Camilla stepped in to stop the argument.
“There’s no point in figuring out who was at fault. It’ll just lead to more embarrassment. If you really want to sort this out, do it somewhere else. Causing a scene here is disrespectful to our host, the Marquess of Akard.”
Charlotte, who looked like she was about to explode, suddenly smiled.
“You’re right. I should hold back—for the sake of Lord Durnaar, who invited me here. Very well, I’ll forgive you.”
“Lord Durnaar…?”
Camilla, who would usually walk away without a second thought, couldn’t hide her surprise.
Of course—she was the duke’s secret lover.
Meanwhile, Charlotte was thrilled. It was rare to see Camilla flustered.
“Oh? Didn’t you know? I’m here today thanks to the young duke’s invitation.”
She then spun a tale about how the duke had approached her first, about the maid spilling water on her dress—all with her own dramatic twists. If you only listened to her, you’d think they were the romance of the century.
“I heard he attends this event every year? It must be hard to choose something worthy of the duke’s prestige… I thought, ‘He really is someone others should look up to.’”
No one had asked, but Charlotte kept talking.
Then she clapped her hands and looked around at the ladies.
“That’s why I brought a painting I made myself for the auction. I worked hard to make it my best piece. Speaking of which—did you bring something too? If it’s not too rude, may I ask what it is?”
It was a question easily ignored, but…
Lady Amy, who had been pointed out, replied coldly.
She didn’t want to cause more trouble.
“I brought a bronze sword excavated from Artisan. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, I remember hearing about that. It’s certainly meaningful from a historical point of view. I’m sure historians will try to win the bid. But… hmm.”
Her smile was clearly mocking. Lady Amy narrowed her eyes.
“What’s so funny?”
“To be honest… it just doesn’t seem very impressive. I mean, it’s not like you played a special role in discovering it… And bronze swords aren’t that rare, are they? In other words…”
Charlotte clicked her tongue and gave a pitying look.
“…It just seems kind of low-class.”
