Chapter 122
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------
123.
The tea party was held in the Garden of Langster Mansion.
A long table and chairs were arranged beside a picturesque pond shaded by a zelkova tree.
"Alicia! Thank you so much for coming all this way despite the difficulty."
Petunia greeted Alicia warmly.
"Not at all. Your handsome servants helped me, so it wasn't difficult at all."
At Alicia's deliberate mention of their handsomeness, Petunia's eyebrows shot up.
The ladies already present whispered among themselves about Alicia's remark.
But today was Alicia's turn to play an important role.
She was a commoner, after all. Alicia had merely done exactly what was expected of her.
Petunia smiled knowingly.
"Thank you for speaking kindly of my humble servants. Please, come this way. Standing must be difficult for you, yes? When I was carrying Wesley, this time was the most challenging for me as well."
Petunia guided Alicia to the seat beside her own.
The gathered ladies looked at Alicia with astonished expressions.
Not only had Petunia invited a commoner mistress to the gathering, but she had seated her at the hostess's side.
No one could fathom what Petunia was thinking.
Yet no one objected to this absurd situation.
The identity of the guest who arrived next explained everything.
"What a beautiful garden this is, Petunia."
"Welcome, Rebecca. It has been some time."
Alicia, leisurely admiring the autumn foliage and savoring her tea, nearly spat out her drink upon hearing the name from Petunia's lips.
Alicia gripped her trembling hands and turned around.
Rebecca, too, seemed surprised to see Alicia, her eyes widening slightly.
"When you sent me an invitation requesting to attend, I had already invited Alicia. I do hope you're not displeased?"
'There, you see...'
Petunia regarded Rebecca with triumphant satisfaction.
Though Rebecca had come to this gathering appearing to yield to Petunia, she had no intention of being looked down upon.
Rebecca spoke with composure.
"Displeased? Why would I be? We were once family, after all. We're closer than anyone here, wouldn't you say, Alicia?"
"Y-yes, that's right."
"I was disappointed that you didn't attend my wedding. I heard you were unwell, but you seem fine now."
Rather than appearing displeased, Rebecca smiled brilliantly and treated Alicia with affectionate warmth.
The sound of Petunia grinding her teeth seemed to echo across the pond.
Witnessing a spectacle unlike anything they'd seen before, the tea party guests held their breath.
If Petunia was the queen of society, Rebecca was the empress.
'At last, Petunia has met her match!'
The ladies popped cookies into their mouths and delightfully observed the subtle psychological warfare flowing between Petunia and Rebecca.
* * *
"How is married life treating you? Is the Duke treating you well?"
Lady Deborah, unable to contain her curiosity, asked Rebecca.
I felt Petunia's sharp gaze upon me, but her threat could not overcome Lady Deborah's curiosity.
The other ladies were equally intrigued, their ears perked with interest.
As befitted a newlywed, Rebecca wore a bashful smile upon her face.
"I feel foolish saying such things, but... Julian treats me wonderfully. He is remarkably tender, and being young, he possesses such boundless vitality."
Though she omitted the explicit details, the seasoned ladies instantly grasped the hidden implications.
Most of the husbands of the women gathered here had entered middle age.
Thus they lavished Rebecca with exclamations of envy, genuinely wishing they stood in her position.
As the conversation's momentum shifted toward Rebecca, Petunia quickly turned her gaze to Alicia and spoke.
"The Earl of Devonshire is hardly lacking in youth either. Alicia must be quite fortunate. Especially lately, there have been rumors that the Earl of Devonshire has become quite the devoted husband—how is it truly?"
'Prove your worth as my invited guest.'
Petunia's gaze carried an unspoken pressure as it fixed upon Alicia.
Alicia, who had been comparing the quality of the lace adorning Rebecca's dress with her own, suddenly lifted her head.
All eyes turned toward Alicia.
"Z-Zeppelin treats me very well too. In fact, he insisted I remain at home today. As I near my confinement, he has become remarkably attentive."
Having finished speaking, Alicia glanced sideways at Rebecca, gauging her reaction.
Rebecca, as though utterly indifferent to Alicia's words, gracefully lifted her teacup.
At Alicia's remark, Petunia seized upon the bait like a wolf spotting prey.
"Indeed, it seems that when a man becomes a father, he truly matures. The Earl of Devonshire hardly seemed such a devoted husband before, yet seeing how he cherishes Alicia now that she carries his child—it is remarkable. My own husband's eyes changed toward me the moment Wesley was born. All of you gathered here surely understand this well."
Petunia spoke, her gaze sweeping deliberately across the assembled ladies.
She had deliberately invited only relatively young ladies who already had children.
This was because she had obtained information that Rebecca's body could no longer bear an heir, and that she had been cast out from the House of Devon.
Petunia went further still, grasping Rebecca's hand firmly as she spoke.
"Rebecca, you must conceive a child soon, yes? I hear the Duchy of Johannes is in need of an heir. You should attempt as many times as possible while you are young. But given that the Duke is said to possess such vigorous vitality, surely it will happen quickly?"
Even Alicia was startled by Petunia's words, her mouth falling open.
Though no one spoke of it openly, rumors of Rebecca's infertility had spread quietly among them.
Should Rebecca show anger or distress here, it would be tantamount to admitting the truth.
'Regardless, Petunia has crossed the line by touching upon the matter of children.'
Alicia soothed her suffocating heart, constricted by her corset, by stroking her belly.
It had been quite some time since Rebecca left the House of Devon.
Moreover, she had already remarried.
The ill will Alicia harbored toward Rebecca had diminished somewhat.
Though her curiosity remained keen, and Zeppelin had treated her kindly, with the thought that her child would soon be born, Alicia had come to regard Rebecca with something akin to pity.
'Petunia has resolved to crush her entirely. Had I heard such words, I would have wept with fury. To be unable to bear children is to be stripped of a woman's very worth.'
At the same time, I was curious how Rebecca would respond. Part of me wished to see her lose her composure, to witness her trembling with emotion.
Rebecca gazed quietly at Petunia's hand as it stroked her own.
I deliberated whether to grovel before her as planned, or to seize the throne instead.
The deliberation was brief.
Petunia had certainly touched upon my tender wound.
She had deliberately pressed upon it, knowing full well it was a festering sore.
And I harbored not the slightest inclination to forgive such a scoundrel.
In the silence that settled, Rebecca gently withdrew her hand from Petunia's grasp.
"It doesn't matter. Julian says he's happy with just me. Rather, people who lack confidence in their husbands tend to become obsessed with their children—they use them to seek love. How pitiful, to have nothing left in this short life but one's children. In comparison, I feel truly blessed. I've finally found a husband who loves me completely, as I am. And my husband has no hidden mistresses either."
Rebecca's eyes, which had been relatively composed until now, transformed into those of a predator.
Her blue gaze seemed to flash like lightning.
Petunia and Alicia simultaneously clenched their fists.
"Pfft."
Deborah couldn't help but laugh. The sight of these two former mistresses trembling together was amusing.
"Oh my. I'm sorry."
She felt Petunia's burning gaze, but Deborah picked up a cupcake as if nothing had happened.
She knew well that Wesley was ostracizing her rather plump son at the Academy.
She'd complained to Petunia several times, but Petunia had dismissed it, saying there was nothing more unseemly than parents interfering in children's games.
'Like mother, like son.'
Deborah cast a subtle glance toward Rebecca.
The rules for controlling high society were simple.
Never bow to anyone and ruthlessly secure your own interests.
And most importantly, never lose your elegance.
Until now, Petunia had followed this rule well, but Rebecca's arrival was causing her elegance to fade.
A queen who had lost her elegance was nothing but a tyrant to be overthrown.
The moment Deborah felt certain the tide was turning, she swiveled her chair toward Rebecca.
"When are you planning to host a party, Rebecca? I've heard the Duke of Johannes Castle is quite beautiful. I'd love to see it sometime."
Several ladies began to agree with Deborah's enthusiastic approach. One after another, they turned their attention to Rebecca.
Rebecca regarded these people who had suddenly become so intimate with her with obvious disdain.
She knew what they wanted.
They desired a new leader to dethrone Petunia.
But Rebecca had no intention of sitting in that position herself, dancing to the tune of these fickle ladies.
From the moment she married Julian, she already possessed everything.
There was no reason to exhaust herself with such struggles.
"Now that you mention it, I heard the House of Johannes is undertaking an interesting venture. A salon rental business, I believe?"
Petunia's eyes sharpened as she seized on a different thread and posed her question.
Rebecca responded smoothly.
"Yes, that's right. Since you saw it at my wedding last time, I imagine you have a general sense of what the business entails."
"What would I know about business? I'm someone who doesn't need to be particularly industrious. But even with my limited perspective, I'm somewhat concerned."
"Concerned about what, exactly?"
"I've heard that the key to any business is choosing the right target market. But from what I can see, the Labonne Salon seems to cater to nouveau riche commoners and those who buy their titles with money. No matter how times change, accepting money from such lowborn people would surely diminish one's standing. Even Princess Catherine expressed this concern."
"I think it's fine, actually."
Alicia stepped forward to defend Rebecca.
Rebecca looked at her with an expression of surprise.
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book publication.
January 12, 2022
Author.
Gin Bam Ha Neul
Publisher.
Desert Fox
Published by.
Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
Submission Inquiry.
naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog.
blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter.
@wjt_fennecfox
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------