IMDL 07

Chapter 07

I glanced at the butler standing behind Mikhail. The elderly man was wearing a bitter smile.

‘Did he actually understand what Helene meant?’

“Getting used to things,” my foot. Helene’s warning had really meant, Don’t stir up unnecessary trouble.

It was obvious how it would look to the retainers if the new Duke respectfully attended to his low-born stepmother.

He might have to watch the Emperor’s mood, but he couldn’t afford to throw away the authority of the head of the family.

“I’m relieved to see that you look so healthy. Are you comfortable living in the detached residence?”

“…I’m doing well. I lack for nothing.”

“But it’s so far away that I’m worried. If you need anything, you can always move into the main castle with us—”

“No, that’s unnecessary.”

I refused without hesitation.

I hated the thought of living in the castle and constantly worrying about everyone watching me. More than that, the idea of running into Helene there was horrifying.

“The son’s family lives downstairs while the new mother-in-law lives upstairs!”

This wasn’t some ridiculous intro to a divorce mediation TV show. If anyone had to play the villain, it would obviously be me.

“Then at least—”

“Master, the banquet is ready.”

“Oh? Then let’s go, Mother.”

The elderly butler at his side interrupted us.

Apparently worried that Mikhail might make another strange request, he hurriedly gestured for the banquet hall doors to be opened.

As if on cue, the doors swung open.

Mikhail extended his left arm toward me.

Suppressing my discomfort, I hooked my right arm through his.

Since I was filling Helene’s place today, Mikhail would be escorting me into the banquet.

As we started walking, the retainers behind us followed.

‘Under normal circumstances, this would have been a heartwarming scene between mother and son.’

Having my first escort in life be my stepson felt incredibly awkward.

After entering through the rear entrance, we stopped beneath the wall displaying the ducal crest and banners.

Then the main doors opposite us opened.

“The Count’s House of Chersil of the Lake enters.”

The butler standing at the entrance announced each guest one by one.

After slowly surveying the hall, they approached us.

“We greet His Grace, Duke Leighton.”

Each noble bowed deeply in formal greeting.

Lady Rollan had warned me beforehand, but actually having nobles bow to me in person still made my shoulders tense.

I’d only ever seen greetings like this in movies. I never imagined I’d be the one receiving them.

I lightly held my abdomen and gave a small curtsy, while Mikhail simply patted the count on the shoulder like an old acquaintance.

“Welcome, Count. I hope your journey here was uneventful.”

“It was, Your Grace. Far lighter than my trip here last month.”

Whenever a noble offered their greetings, Mikhail responded with polite words before sending them inside.

That was apparently our job for the evening.

We would be repeating this dozens of times.

I didn’t know any of them, nor did I have any pleasantries to exchange.

My role was little more than a mannequin that bowed politely.

The guests didn’t seem particularly interested in speaking to me either.

‘Though they’re definitely watching me.’

They were curious about my relationship with Mikhail, whether showing friendliness toward me would incur his displeasure, and even who exactly I was.

Some nobles concealed their expressions well, but the less experienced ones openly displayed their curiosity.

Seeing through them so easily made me realize that nobles weren’t all that different from ordinary people.

“The next guests to enter are…”

Perhaps because we had entered first, the guests were announced in order from the highest-ranking nobles down.

Since the lowest-ranking guest attending today’s banquet was a baron, once he arrived, Mikhail would personally bring in the Margrave for introductions, bringing the entrance ceremony to an end.

I continued mechanically accepting greetings while waiting for it to finish.

‘Let’s get this over with so I can grab a plate of food and hide in the lounge.’

As the lady of the ducal house, I naturally had my own private lounge.

I intended to use fatigue as an excuse, load up on the luxurious dishes and wine filling the banquet hall, and quietly relax there.

The butler had already kindly advised me beforehand.

“Once the greetings are over, we’ll prepare the lounge for you.”

“Lastly, Baron Millije, known for his dignity, enters.”

At last, the final noble had arrived.

He was a middle-aged man whose short stature and protruding lips reminded me of a duck.

Beside him walked a girl slightly shorter than he was.

‘A father and daughter attending together, I suppose.’

There had already been another father-son pair among the guests, so it wasn’t unusual.

The two slowly approached us.

At first I wasn’t paying much attention, already wondering which dishes I should eat first.

Then my eyes landed on the girl.

‘What on earth are those heels?’

She was wearing stiletto heels nearly twice as high as mine, an excessively tight corset, and a revealing dress that exposed her shoulders.

The more I looked at her, the more uncomfortable it felt.

It was that strange sense of awkwardness you got when a child tried far too hard to look seductive.

On top of that, her complexion was terrible.

She was trying to walk calmly, but I could see from all the way here that her eyes shook with every step she took.

Eventually, the father beside her scolded her to walk properly.

‘Good grief. What a disaster.’

The curse escaped my mind automatically.

She couldn’t have been older than a first-year middle school student.

She was already painfully skinny, yet her waist was squeezed by a corset as narrow as a wine bottle.

Her face was covered in white powder that didn’t even match her natural skin tone.

Just looking at her made me frown.

At a glance, she looked like a petite noblewoman.

But if you looked closely, she was no different from a middle school girl wearing far too much makeup.

‘If she were one of my students, I’d have smacked her on the back and told her to take care of her skin.’

Many of the ladies attending the banquet were dressed rather extravagantly.

But none of them were like this.

The ridiculous part was that no one seemed to find her appearance strange.

As though this were perfectly normal.

“We greet His Grace, Duke Leighton.”

After her unsteady walk finally brought them before us, they bowed.

The father bent first, and the girl followed behind him.

Can she even bend over in that corset? I wondered.

Sure enough, just as she started bowing, the girl suddenly covered her mouth.

“Urgh!”

“Ilina!”

The girl called Ilina staggered where she stood.

With heels that high, she looked ready to collapse at any second.

Even then, she nervously glanced up at us, watching our reactions.

“Baron, is everything alright?”

“Y-Yes! Everything’s fine! Ilina, what do you think you’re doing? Stand up properly!”

The baron harshly scolded her.

Watching the scene, I quietly sighed.

She couldn’t stand properly.

Anyone who had experienced nausea knew how unbearable it was just to lift your head once the urge to vomit struck.

If stomach acid had already come up, it was even worse.

At that point, throwing up was honestly easier.

I’d seen this before in my previous life.

It reminded me of one of my teenage students who had been obsessed with staying thin.

“Mother?”

I quickly stepped forward and grabbed Ilina’s arm.

It was so thin and hard that it barely felt like it belonged to a child.

“What is this? Your arm’s so thin. You’re nothing but skin and bones.”

Even if someone told me she had come from the slums instead of a noble family, I would have believed them.

With a sigh, I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and covered Ilina’s mouth.

I placed my other hand gently over her stomach and slowly rubbed it, hoping to calm her stomach.

At times like this, I was grateful that my hands naturally stayed warm.

“Child… have you been eating properly?”

I wasn’t expecting an answer.

Her throat was burning with stomach acid right now.

Speaking would only make it worse.

Holding Ilina close against me, I looked back at Mikhail.

“It looks like she’s suffering from dizziness. I’ll take care of her.”

“Y-Your Grace… you don’t have to trouble yourself.”

“It’s fine. Enjoy the banquet.”

Only after the words naturally left my mouth did I realize I’d spoken down to the baron.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

Mikhail looked startled for a moment as he met my eyes.

Then he nodded and gestured to the butler.

“Call for the physician.”

“No physician. Just bring warm water and some honey.”

The physician was a noble too.

There was no way the poor girl would be able to vomit in front of them.

Supporting Ilina, I headed toward the lounge.

The constant chatter filling the banquet hall made her shoulders tremble over and over.

Even in a situation like this, she still had to worry about what other people thought.

Being a noble really seemed exhausting.

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll settle down soon.”

“Hic…”

It didn’t seem my words were enough to calm her.

It would have been nice if everyone would simply keep quiet.

Unfortunately, people had already begun turning Ilina’s condition into the evening’s gossip.

I never imagined I’d end up looking after another child here as well.

I quietly sighed where no one could hear.

Just before leaving the banquet hall, I looked back.

Countless eyes were fixed on us.

After entrusting Ilina to the servant who had followed us, I offered the greeting Lady Rollan had taught me.

“I apologize for causing a disturbance. I will excuse myself for a short while.”

Raising my head, I slowly swept my gaze across each noble who had just spoken Ilina’s name.

“This banquet is a celebration in honor of the Margrave. I hope you will all enjoy celebrating him to your hearts’ content.”

In other words, stop gossiping about the child and mind your own business.

“That is Helene’s wish… and mine.”