Chapter 30
“You’re… looking for me?”
Merlin nodded.
“Yes. I’ve spotted some suspicious figures near the shop lately. When I reported it to the guards, they said those men were asking about Madam Emilina.”
“……”
“I may be overthinking it, but… I don’t have a good feeling about this. I think even nobles might be involved.”
Merlin spoke with concern, saying it certainly didn’t seem like they were searching for Emilina with good intentions.
Emilina listened carefully to that worry.
After all, the value of chocolate was higher than even she had expected.
And it was impossible to guess how far others might go to seize it.
There was no guarantee they wouldn’t resort to violence.
They could start plotting something nearby at any moment.
After parting ways with Merlin, Emilina felt her head growing heavy with complicated thoughts.
First things first… I should keep a low profile.
The next problem was how to prove the accusations of narcotics false.
She had to find a way to demonstrate that chocolate was harmless.
For now, they were just rumors, but in the worst case, the royal family could order an inspection.
If that happened, she would be forced to reveal her production method—and that was the one thing she absolutely wanted to avoid.
Not to mention, her personal identity would be exposed as well.
Emilina’s worries only deepened further.
“──Lady.”
“……”
“──My lady.”
“……”
“Lady Klein!”
“Ah.”
Emilina hurriedly came to her senses at the sound of someone calling her name.
Looking around, she saw a group of ladies, all dressed to impress, staring her way.
That’s right. I’m at a tea party right now.
She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she had completely forgotten.
Yes—she was currently attending a small social gathering she’d been invited to.
It was a gathering composed solely of young ladies who had yet to marry.
In other words, it was a space for women her age to strengthen friendships.
She had been dragged here against her will, thanks to Katie’s insistence that she must attend.
Her plan had simply been to sit quietly, wait out the hours, and then leave.
And now they suddenly want to talk to me?
They had ignored her completely until now, only to show interest at this moment.
Emilina felt a flicker of irritation.
“What is it, Lady Heather?”
But she couldn’t show her feelings openly.
Instead, she forced a smile onto her lips and asked.
Heather, the daughter of a viscount, spoke with a feigned apologetic tone.
“I must have been terribly neglectful toward Lady Klein. To think I only just noticed your presence here… As the hostess, it’s really inexcusable of me.”
Her murmured words made the ladies nearby titter with laughter.
Emilina gave a hollow smile.
So—they’d called on her just to mock her?
What a pointless way to spend time.
Truly, what a waste of time.
She was already busy worrying about quelling the rumors about chocolate.
She didn’t have the luxury to sit around drinking tea and indulging in empty chatter.
But reality was harsh, and here she was.
For today at least, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for herself.
“Lady Klein?”
Heather called her again.
Her sideways glances suggested a faint confusion.
As if wondering why Emilina wasn’t acting timid.
She looked at Emilina with curious eyes.
She must have expected me to react.
But Heather had overlooked one thing—
Emilina was long accustomed to situations like this.
For a fragile young lady, such barbed remarks might sting, but to her, they didn’t even itch.
“Yes, my lady. I’m listening.”
“…It’s just that you didn’t respond earlier. I thought perhaps you weren’t enjoying the gathering.”
“Was a response required?”
Emilina asked back as if she truly hadn’t realized.
Heather’s smile faltered, her lips twitching slightly.
“That’s not what I meant… I simply hoped you might join in with us.”
“I’ll do so.”
Emilina answered indifferently.
Of course, those ladies were already closely bound around Heather; there was no way they’d truly include her.
Soon, their chatter resumed as if nothing had happened—excluding her entirely.
No one paid Emilina the slightest attention anymore.
Honestly, Emilina was grateful.
Dealing with people who weren’t favorably disposed toward her was exhausting.
If they continued to ignore her, that would be perfect.
She lifted her teacup, thinking:
Even if I don’t enjoy this gathering, at least the tea is pleasant enough.
Though she hadn’t properly savored it earlier, the flavor was so good she thought she might want to procure the leaves herself.
For tea to have such depth, the leaves must have been quite expensive.
This must have cost Heather’s family a fair bit.
Judging by the endless servings of high-quality tea, Viscount Heather must truly have made a fortune recently.
Emilina gave a wry smile and waited for the gathering to end.
But Heather, apparently unwilling to leave her alone, once again addressed her.
The other chattering ladies fell silent at once.
“By the way, Lady Klein, I heard you still haven’t found a marriage partner.”
At her words, two of the nearby ladies exclaimed with exaggerated surprise, “Oh my, really?”
Emilina couldn’t help but laugh.
Why was everyone so fascinated by her marriage prospects?
No matter where she went, the topic always surfaced.
Not sometimes—always. At this point, it was simply tedious.
With a dry tone, Emilina replied,
“As you can see, that’s how things turned out.”
“I just can’t understand it. Why would gentlemen leave someone as charming as you unattended? How terribly unkind of them.”
So—they had finally decided to stop treating her like a ghost. Heather began speaking in earnest.
For Emilina, it was most unwelcome.
Already, she felt the beginnings of a headache.
Heather kept up her artificial smile, feigning genuine sympathy.
That opened the floodgates, and soon the surrounding ladies began whispering about rumors.
As always, rumors grew exaggerated regardless of truth, and the atmosphere quickly grew heated.
The easier a target was to disparage, the more freely tongues wagged.
Did her family wield any power? Any prestige? Any honor?
Not even wealth, for that matter.
Having nothing, Emilina made the perfect target for their gossip.
And that was exactly what Heather had intended.
Emilina, however, only smiled kindly.
“Well, isn’t it exactly as you say, Lady Heather? Perhaps I’m just too attractive to handle.”
Heather blinked like a mute with her tongue tied at Emilina’s brazen answer.
At that moment, a curly-haired lady—hostile since Emilina had first arrived—spoke up instead.
“Hmph. That’s hardly something someone who’s been rejected multiple times can say. I’ve heard you’ve had several courtship offers turned down as well.”
“And that’s exactly what I meant.”
“What was that?”
The curly-haired lady glared sharply.
“Oh dear, you didn’t know? It was always the gentlemen who first approached me out of interest. We each had our own reasons, but in the end, we couldn’t share a future together.”
“But in the end, it amounted to nothing. Your words are meaningless.”
Her reply dripped with hostility. She clearly felt offended.
Emilina found her overreaction rather odd.
But it wasn’t her concern. With a bright smile, she said,
“You’re right, it was meaningless. Those men realized their own limits and gave up.”
She recalled the noblemen who had proposed courtship.
She bore them no particular ill will, but neither did she have any fondness.
After all, who could like a man so indecisive?
Worse, they had rejected her without reason, one after another.
There was no chance for good feelings to grow.
And besides, some had even contributed to the rumors that plagued her.
So—she felt no guilt in cutting them down a little.
While Emilina thought this with a self-deprecating smile, the curly-haired lady suddenly leapt to her feet.
“Are you saying Lady Heather found herself an inferior match?”
“Hmm? Does it come across that way?”
Emilina asked back in genuine puzzlement.
That only enraged the curly-haired lady further.
“Don’t play innocent! You said that deliberately, knowing Lady Heather is engaged to Young Master Dwayne!”
