Chapter 7

“I had a feeling you didn’t want to be scrutinized.” Marquis Alfred Elraba adjusted his cuffs, “It was a good chance to gain merit though. Are you upset?”

“Not at all, Father. I’m glad you did.” Elphie let out a sigh of relief.

Marquis Elraba smiled, “Crown Prince Troy can be a tricky figure, but he’s a capable young man. You two are around the same age, perhaps you should meet again under different circumstances.”

Elphie sat in the dark carriage, a shadow casting on her face where the moonlight couldn’t reach. Her eyes were slightly downcast as she smiled and closed her eyes, “Of course, Father.”

No, Marquis Elraba. You don’t know what the Crown Prince is capable of.

Crown Prince Troy was ultimately the one who caused the destruction of us all.

The carriage continued to rattle past the imperial gardens. Exotic flowers bloomed in the moonlight, carrying dewdrops that glistened like stars. The sound of water falling into the fountain could be heard from afar.

Marquis Elraba and Marquess Diana rested against each other with their hands clasped. Elphie bathed in the night atmosphere, slowly sinking into the back of her seat.

At last, the night was finally over.

The Northern Duke hadn’t appeared, and Ariadne hadn’t made an appearance during tonight’s fiasco. She and her family did have to bid farewell to Crown Prince Troy as they left, but Elphie hoped that the spotlight wouldn’t be on her this time.

However, the events of the night had changed a lot. Elphie rubbed her eyebrows. What had gone wrong? Why was there a mysterious assassin?

Was this the influence of the novel plot? If the assassin had succeeded in her attack, and if Crown Prince Troy hadn’t reacted soon enough, or Elphie hadn’t subdued her, perhaps many guests would have been hurt.

A shiver ran down her spine. If someone had been injured, the obvious course of action would be for Ariadne to heal them. Elphie didn’t like to believe in coincidences, but it luckily worked in her favor this time.

But if the plot’s corrective influence was truly this strong, the path ahead would be riddled with danger.

And if she missed just a single step, it would all come crashing down, leading to the Elraba Family’s demise.

4 months remaining until the Elraba Family’s destruction.

• • • • • • • • ─ ·✶· ─ ·

“So, did you find anyone you fancy at the banquet?”

Elphie paused mid-sip, slowly lowering her teacup back to the plate. She wiped her mouth and said, “No.”

Marquess Diana and Elphie sat in the middle of the greenhouse. It was filled with lush greenery, with some colorful flowers blooming in the surroundings. A small circular table and chairs were set up in the middle small clearing, where the sun cast a radiant glow.

Diana sighed regretfully, “Is that so?” Suddenly, she asked with excitement gleaming in her eyes, “What about the Northern Duke?”

“Unfortunately, I missed his appearance.” In the original novel, the Northern Duke only briefly showed his face in the ballroom before escaping outside. These raucous events weren’t for him.

“I remember he headed towards the gardens. You didn’t bump into him?”

“Did he? We did not happen across him.” Elphie joked as Diana chuckled.

The moment the Northern Duke was brought up, the hair on Elphie’s arm began to rise. She knew that the Northern Duke had been in the garden as well, but he hadn’t appeared before them. Perhaps he found it below his status to walk in on two young ladies’ conversation.

Either way, it worked out in her favor. She had taken Ariadne to the garden in order to avoid the Crown Prince, also because she knew the Duke wasn’t one to socialize. But if she had to choose, she would rather Ariadne encounter the Duke than the Crown Prince.

Diana placed a hand against her cheek, saying whimsically, “The Duke was as handsome as the rumors say. If I was 20 years younger…”

“Mother!” Elphie laughed as she handed a small cake to Marquess Diana. “Father would be sad if he heard that.”

“Hmm…” Diana thought for a moment before smiling widely, “I still think your father is better after all!”

Under the bright sunlight, surrounded by vibrant greenery, the duo enjoyed their afternoon tea. They basked in the sun, Marquess Diana was the first to continue the conversation. She slowly sipped som e tea and set it back on the table.enjoying this moment of peace.

Diana was the first to continue the conversation. She lightly sipped from her teacup, then set it down on the round table. “I heard that Count Frieda and Countess Frieda have been on bad terms recently.

Bad terms is most likely an understatement. Elphie lamented. On the surface, she nonchalantly replied, “Is that so?”

Diana chuckled, “Oh dear, there’s no need to pretend with me. After causing such a huge scene and almost getting the Prince assassinated, how could they be fine?”

Elphie could only smile ruefully, “I suppose Count Frieda and Countess Frieda have been on bad terms for a long time.”

“Perhaps they’ll finally divorce this time.” Diana looked up at the glimmering blue sky through the roof of the greenhouse. She shook her head and picked up her teacup, “Maybe it’s for the best. They’ve never gotten along.”

It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that Count Frieda and Countess Frieda have long been at each other’s throats. Countess Frieda had a fiery personality, and her reputation in the noble ladies’ circle was quite disastrous. She was known for her arrogant and brash personality, daring to offend but mocked for not quite daring to face the consequences. In the end, the other ladies ostracized her.

Back in her home, Count Frieda found Countess Frieda an eyesore. They were an arranged marriage for benefits, and Count Frieda constantly talked down on her. With Countess Frieda’s personality, there was no way she would take the insult lying down, so the two’s relationship continued to devolve.

“What do you think of Countess Frieda, Mother?” Elphie asked.

Diana’s eyes seemed to lose focus. She sighed, “…I think that she’s a pitiful woman.” Elphie patiently waited for her to continue. Marquess Diana circled the rim of her cup with her finger, “You’re aware of Countess Frieda’s personality. After getting ostracized by the other ladies, Count Frieda decided to also cast her away.

“Of course, she may be in the wrong, but isn’t it sad to be deemed useless and thrown away? Even by a nominal husband. I think that Countess Frieda only truly went mad after her husband’s insult to injury.”

To not have a single person on your side… Elphie silently stared at her teacup for a while.

In the novel, it was stated that Count and Countess Frieda constantly fought, with the Count insulting the Countess’ inability to gather connections and the Countess mocking the Count’s ineptitude in court.

Perhaps in this kind of environment, Countess Frieda slowly went crazy. After over 10 years of wearing each other down, she finally had her public meltdown in front of the Crown Prince. In the end, these long years were finally ended with a set of divorce papers.

Elphie suddenly announced, “Mother, I would like to write to Countess Frieda.”

“Hm? Why?”

“I want to persuade Countess Frieda to go through with the divorce.”

Diana stared in surprise for a moment before saying with a twinkle in her eye, “My, what spurred that on?”

“Like you said, I simply found Countess Frieda’s past pitiful.”

“That’s not very like you.” Elphie froze at her mother’s words, but Diana continued, “It’s a good thing though. As a mother, I applaud your kind heart.”

Elphie relaxed and smiled.

The cogs were set in motion, and the next chapter of the plot had arrived.

Upon gaining her family’s approval, Elphie went back and wrote a letter to Countess Frieda, stating an intention to meet.

Though Countess Frieda was utterly isolated at this point, she was not one to agree to such an invitation out of loneliness. Thus, Elphie used a different hook to lure her out.

A few days later, Elphie sat in a middle-class cafe, dressed in a humbler dress. However, the visitors couldn’t help but be drawn to the girl who had elegance ingrained in her every movement. Despite trying to blend in, she appeared starkly out of place in this environment.

But there was no need to feel self-conscious, as a much more flamboyant red-headed noblelady soon walked in. Of course, it was Countess Frieda.

She strutted in with red heels, quickly scanning the cafe before landing her eyes on Elphie, situated in the corner. Like a whirlwind, she stormed over and slapped a hand on the table, demanding: “What do you mean by your letter?”

“Exactly what I said.” Elphie took a moment to study her. Despite today’s setting, Countess Frieda did not deliberately dress down, not minding that she was like an ostrich in a group of chickens.

This was quite in character for her, paying no heed to the opinions of others, saying her true thoughts without masking anything. She was certainly a misfit in the aristocratic circle.

Elphie lowered her head slightly and smiled. For the first time, there was a sharp edge to her tone that gave Countess Frieda a chill down her back.

“Don’t you want revenge?”

Small Theater:

Northern Duke: Wait, what happened to my appearance?