The Abandoned Empress Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Chapter 62

What are the rumors that could divide the political factions?

When I cut in and asked, everybody was paying their attention to .

“Oh, haven’t you heard it, Lady Monique? Well, the parties concerned usually get to know it the latest.”

I felt so sort of uneasy feelings, so I cut off Ilia who was trying to say sothing and asked,

“What rumor is it about?”

“Well, the rumors are that you and Allendis are lovers…”

Suddenly Lady Nuen’s face turned white. Trembling like a leaf, she looked at Allendis.

“Lady Nuen?”

“Yes, yes?” She was so surprised that she touched the mug in front of her while standing up.

The tea in the cup was spilt on her ivory-colored dress.

“Lady Nuen!”

“Please stay seated. Let take care of it.”

Allendis stopped and Ilia who hurriedly stood up and approached her.

“Lady Nuen, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Please wipe it with this first.”

Allendis pulled out a folded handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to Lady Nuen. I was puzzled while watching her wiping the spilled tea with her trembling hands. Why is she trembling like that as if she was afraid of sobody?

“Oh my god… Your beautiful dress is all ssed up. Do you have any extra clothes to change into?” The nobles’ banquets, such as tea parties, dinners, and balls, often take several days to finish even without intermissions, so the participants usually brought extra clothes. At small tea parties or short events, they didn’t carry extra clothes, but it is still essential to bring shawls or simple clothes. So, it was customary that when they sent invitations, they gave the guests such a reminder.

“Oh, no. I didn’t bring any extra clothes.”

“I see. I can’t give you the dress my mother used to wear. What should I do?”

Making an embarrassed expression, Allendis asked the maid urgently, “Are there any extra dresses that she can wear?”

“… Sorry, we don’t have one.”

“Oh, what should I do?”

“Fine, never mind. As I can’t stay here like this, I’d like to leave first,” she said calmly.

She seed to have co to her senses now. I looked at her stained dress with a bit of sympathy. I wish I could give her my extra dress, but she looked several years older than , so it wouldn’t fit her.

“Don’t you have any extra dress, Lady Genoa and Lady Whir?”

“No, how about you, Lady Monique?

“…Neither do I. ”

Right after Genoa said in the negative, Whir followed suit. I felt they were a bit strange, but couldn’t afford to question them. I just nodded to Lady Nuen who was leaving after saying goodbye.

“Sorry, Lady Nuen. I think I’ve not been prepared well enough. Let take you to the carriage as a sign of apology. ”

“I’m fine, so don’t worry.”

“No, I feel uncomfortable if you go like this. Excuse , everyone. Please enjoy the party while I’m away briefly.”

Allendis asked for our understanding, voluntarily asking to escort her. As expected, he was kind and considerate. Obviously, he felt very sorry that he didn’t prepare any extra dresses just in case.

When the two disappeared to the other side of the greenhouse, I heard sobody giggling on my right.

“Carsein?”

“How funny and ridiculous! I see it every ti, but it’s really ridiculous.”

“What is so ridiculous, Carsein? ” I asked quickly.

But Carsein was laughing so much that he couldn’t answer. I couldn’t understand what was so funny. After laughing his head off, he said, looking back at , “I wonder if he is stupid or if he really believes it. Well, that’s enough. It’s good I ca here, though I didn’t want to. It really was sothing to see.”

“… ”

“Now, everyone, as Allendis has asked us to enjoy our tea party, shall we have a chat until he cos back? What would you like to talk about? Rumors circulating in social circles? Or slandering Allendis?”

The atmosphere that beca cold because of the happenstance a mont ago got better when Carsein broke the ice by cracking jokes. Watching them having a dialogue at Carsein’s initiative, I was lost in thought for a mont.

‘Rumor?”

Given the atmosphere, it didn’t seem to be a big deal, but I wanted to find out a little more about the rumor.

Allendis returned after seeing her off and sat down. I thought that as soon as I got ho, I would have to order my family’s intelligence people to look into the rumors. Soon I also chatted with them in a good mood.

Today is the first day of 962 by the imperial calendar.

And I turned fourteen this year.

As the damages caused by the massive famine in the previous year had not fully recovered, the emperor issued a decree that he would cancel the New Year’s festival just like last year.

Even though the New Year’s festival was cancelled, the Central Palace was very crowded with nobles who ca to greet him in the New Year. It was because three dukes, eight marquises and more than half of the empire’s earls were waiting for their turn to offer New Year greetings to the emperor.

“Welco, Keiran and Lady Monique.”

“Oh, it’s been a while, Ruth. Hello, Duchess!”

When I entered the waiting room, Duke Verita greeted my father and . He stood at the center of one of the two groups. I could not see Duke Lars and his family mbers perhaps because he already went to see the emperor. I saw the duchess, Allendis and another man who looked like his elder brother standing next to the duke.

I bowed to the duke and looked at the duchess.

“Hi, Duchess. Thank you very much for inviting the other day. I enjoyed the party.”

“Oh, I’m glad you enjoyed it. You are welco to visit my house anyti, so co often.

By the way, do you know my eldest son?”

“No, it’s my first ti eting him. Nice to et you today. My na is Aristia La Monique, the eldest daughter of Marquis Monique.

“Nice to see you here. I am Alexis de Verita, Duke Verita’s eldest son.”

Alexis looked like Allendis very much, but he had a different impression. He had his father’s dark green hair, mother’s dark eyes and white skin like Allendis. He was twenty this year, but he looked younger than his age. Unlike Alendis, who never seed weak, he looked pale. Maybe the rumor that he had poor health was true.

“I really wanted to see you once. Nice to et you. ”

“Really? Oh, nice to et you too.”

“I heard you have turned my brother into a ek boy, so I was very curious about who you were.”

“Pardon?”

“Hey, brother.”

With a gentle smile, Allendis called his brother. Surprised by his gentle tone, Alexis smiled at him. When he tried to say sothing more, a protocol officer ca into the waiting room and announced who was the next person to see the emperor. Duke Verita’s family, the 2nd most powerful in the empire, was the next.

“Then, see you later, Keiran. Let leave first.”

“Okay, Ruth. See you next ti, madam. ”

After the Duke Veritas’s family left, my father and I remained. Everyone around us belonged to the sa political faction, so they should not have been neglected. Moreover, the people here were the mbers of earls and above in rank.

However, I had no friendship with any of them because I hadn’t been active in social circles since I ca back from the past. Of course, I rembered their nas and appearances, based on my past mories, but it was a little difficult for to exchange greetings with them as I didn’t know them well.

At that mont, a woman, with her thin brown hair twisted into an elegant updo, approached and gently bowed to . She was Lady Genoa.

“Hello, Lady Monique. It seems to be my first ti seeing you since I t you at the previous garden party.”

“Hello, Lady Genoa. How have you been?”

“Thanks. I am doing well.”

After she replied calmly, she introduced to the successors of the four marquis families as well as sons and daughters of those powerful earl families who belonged to our faction.

Among them were the daughter of the Whir family and the son of the Earl Burt family whom I t at the recent garden party.