'Why would ladies be tormented in this outfit? The corset makes it difficult for me to breathe! It's really too unpleasant. They're squeezing my internal organs!'
I scream internally while my servants try to help me with the dress.
"You look great, my Lady. All eyes would be on you tonight," the designer is squealing and trying to praise me simultaneously. I look in the mirror to see the dress.
'Great, my ass. I am miserable because of this dress, you know!? But, at the very least, I look stunning.'
As a mental retort, I pull up the corner of my mouth and nod at the designer.
Carriage riding left me with a painful posterior. Obviously, it hurt a lot. I was under the impression that it was a plush carriage. So we're off to a terrible start. This has seriously dampened my spirits. Apollo, my escort, notices that I'm in a glum mood and tries to lighten the mood by making jokes. Fortunately, after that, I started to feel better.
We're making our way to the banquet entrance now. At first, I'm nervous, but then my worries fade away as Apollo gently squeezes my shoulder and assures me everything will be fine. Being by his side is a blessing. We exchange pleasant looks before the servants make their announcement.
"Announcing the entrance of the Duchess of Light, Duchess Natalie from the House of Smith, and Lord Apollo into the Banquet Hall!"
I can feel all eyes on us as we stroll through the carpet. However, there's a gaping wound on the left side of my brain. When I turned around, I found Ares staring at me, with Countess Hera at his side. Until one of the nobility approaches Ares, we stand there staring at each other. Now he seems really aggravated. Ha! It's about time you get even with him. Then, Apollo says he has to get us both something to drink. The announcer makes another announcement while I wait for him.
"Entering the hall are Duchess Medea of the House of Valimos and Marquess Hector of the House of Alwyn."
It does appear that they are a powerful couple. Duchess Valimos must look very stunning tonight. Dressed in a deep purple gown and accessorised with minimal jewellery, she seems even more attractive. Hector doesn't look too terrible, dressed in a silver suit with a few embellishments to match Medea's clothing. His new look is perfect for him. There is as much attention on them as on Apollo and me. However, rather than being impressed, the crowd seemed to be both disapproving and fearful.
Medea and Hector couldn't care less. After all, they are that powerful. Why, therefore, am I so jaded by it, despite its stunning natural beauty? In an instant, two sets of purple eyes pierced me. Marquess Hector and Duchess Medea are observing me. I want to say something, but I nod my head lightly at them and then go find Apollo, who is occupied with the other nobles.
This night has been a total drain on my energy. I've been talking to the nobility and reinforcing my connections as Duchess Natalie, and now I feel like my social battery is dying. Currently, all I want to do is go home and sleep. The crushing feelings started to engulf me. So I went for a walk outside to clear my head. There's nothing improper about stopping for a moment to contemplate the beauty of nature. The moon is shining brightly tonight and casting a magnificent glow in the garden of the Imperial Palace. Those who haven't seen it in person might guess it's too dark to see anything, yet the gardens beyond are visible. Unfortunately, Prince Ares interrupts me right in the middle of my observation.
"Duchess Natalie, you never cease to astound me when you attend the banquet. You always look wonderful," Ares tries to falter me as he always has with the real Natalie.
His vacuous remarks were useless before, and they were useless today. I am Duchess Natalie, after all. Nonetheless, the thought makes me sick to my stomach.
"Thank you, Your Highness," I end the conversation as soon as possible.
"Next month, the Empire will hold a hunting competition. As the representative of each house, Hera and Medea will attend it as compulsory. Will you show your loyalty to the Empire as well?" Ares asks me, talking in a riddle.
"Hunting competition? Loyalty? What is he implying to me?" I wonder, drowning in my thoughts.
"I would die for the sake of the Empire, Your Highness. But, rest assured, for that, I'll enter it to prove my loyalty," I reply, trying my best to be in character.
"Our little mouse has grown up smarter now. It seems the little one has a change of heart. Would you check it for me during those time?" the sapphire eyes burn in mine.
He is not asking me to do it. Instead, it seems like he demands me to do it for him. In other words, he wants me to keep an eye on his fiancée, Countess Hera, at that time. He mentions the secret code as 'our little mouse.'
Quickly saying, "Leave it to me on that issue, Your Highness," I hurried out of the garden. The longer I spend with that scumbag, the worse off I'll be.
As I made my way to the banquet hall, I overheard a moan coming from the garden's edge. At first, I believed it was all in my head. However, I also heard a groan coming from over there. My curiosity won out in the end. My soiled brain seems to be preoccupied with other things.
So, I set out to stalk and spy. Duchess Medea and Marquess Hector are making out, and I am astonished, albeit not too surprised. Reading the book taught me that these two are just friends with benefits. What I don't know is that I would encounter and witness it myself. Under the light of the moon, Duchess Medea appears even more ethereal. What would this woman do if she found out the truth about me? Does she intend to treat me the same way she treated Hector? And once more, the query "Why do I feel bitter about it?" emerges. When I got up to leave, Apollo shouted out to me. His voice must reach them.
"My Lady, there you are. I was looking for you. The dance will begin shortly. Would you like to have the first dance with me?" Apollo is stating the glaringly obvious.
I take a sneaky look at the couple, finding that they're long gone at this point.
"My Lord, I would love to dance with you. Let's go to the banquet hall before the music starts," I draw Apollo away from Medea and Hector before he finds out.
Now that I've finished dancing with Apollo, I'm back to tedious work and entertaining a few nobility. But, of course, as soon as I spot Countess Hera in the area, I make the first move to approach her and strike up a discussion.
"My Lady, you appear to be fatigued from entertaining those nobles as well," I test the water with a bit of teasing.
"Yes, you look not bad for yourself either. Are you approaching me to avoid Count Harren?" Darn, I was caught in the act.
"Ye---"
"Well, it looks like an interesting conversation between you, Countess Hera and Duchess Natalie. Would you mind sharing it with me?" Medea makes herself known with a taunting voice.
Initially, Duchess Natalie actually likes Countess Hera, although she loves Ares. However, the kindness that Hera displayed to her continues to amaze Natalie. Deep inside, Natalie wishes to be Hera, a strong and kind-hearted woman. While being confined to the house basement doesn't affect Hera's compassion for people.
Well, here we go again. Medea looks at me with a face, 'I know you see earlier.' My question is why she would be upset instead of me. Let me rephrase that: why should I also be angry? 'Fooling around' is a frequent pastime among the nobility.
Now that we're back on track, I can't let any of them know that I suspect they're conspiring against Prince Ares. They must be putting on a show now, thinking they can convince me with their act since I am Ares's devoted underling. Ha! And who exactly do you think you're fooling, ladies? However, seeing others try to trick you is entertaining if you know the truth.
"Duchess Medea", Countess Hera and I acknowledge Medea's presence.
"It was nothing, just us talking about the--"
"Can I talk to you, Duchess Natalie?" Medea cut off Hera as a sign of being plain rude to Hera.
Medea effectively eliminates two problems at once. First, as the general public had predicted, she is now attempting to be harsh to Hera in my presence. But concurrently achieves her goal of communicating with me openly and credibly.
To make the situation more believable, Countess Hera frown and have her eyes glassy with tears, showing that she is too hurt by Medea's action.
'Wow, both of you should get an Oscar after this,' I mentally chuckle about it.
"Should we proceed to the balcony, Your Grace? It is a pleasure to converse with you, Countess Hera," I follow Medea as she leads the way. This is going to be awkward.
I was completely incorrect. In fact, the opposite is true. We seem to enjoy each other's company rather than trying to force conversation when none is needed. Or so I thought.
"It is common for nobles to fool around. Yet, it doesn't look like the first time you are like that with him," I break the silence between us.
Medea's face changes and her amethyst eyes darken. Her eyebrows furrow, deep in her thought about my words. She looks like she wants to say something else but holds it back.
"I'm here to discuss our last conversation. I accept your offer and will teach you swordsmanship," Medea looks me in the eye.
'Fuck, don't look at me like that.'
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Grace. I will prepare a secret place for us to practice soon," I nod, looking at the Duchess.
Hector appears on the balcony, possibly looking for Medea. He raises an eyebrow, perplexed as to how the Duchesses may interact contentedly apart without killing each other. His face flushed when the Marquess realised what had happened in the garden. He's adorable, I thought to myself. Hector's face is still flushed, but his eyes are filled with venom. If only appearances could kill.
"What are you doing here?" his voice glazes with burning hatred, asking me.
"Not kissing this lady here, I guess," I shrug as his attitude pisses me off, pulling up a smirk to annoy him.
It's no secret that Hector has a deep hatred for Duchess Natalie. A few months ago, while Medea was on the point of death, Hector suspected Natalie of trying to assassinate Medea. Since it was part of Ares's master plan, Natalie has remained in the dark. Ares does not involve Natalie in any way, consulting or informing her. Since then, Hector has been highly cautious around Natalie. His resentment and anger grow when he learns that Natalie and Medea were once his friends. Although he is curious, Medea chooses to keep the matter to herself. And so did Natalie. For this reason, he is eager to learn the answer to this question.