RAMHM Chapter 29

To Crush Your Enemy

"May the Lord God's blessing be with you, Your Imperial Highness the Crown Prince."

"You came! And with a partner, no less...!"

Crown Prince Bardenaldo turned his curious eyes toward the beautiful woman standing beside his younger brother.

"May the Lord God's blessing be with you, Your Imperial Highness the Crown Prince. I am Bliea Acacia, wife of Count Acacia."

"A new face. Count Acacia—one of the Grand Ducal house's faithful vassals, I believe. Welcome. Did the Grand Duke arrange a partner for Rhodness?"

The Crown Prince smiled gently and turned his head toward Novian. Grand Duke Novian's eyes had grown unusually wide. His mouth had fallen open without his realizing it, and he stared at the noblewoman standing beside Rhodness for a long moment before finally speaking.

"...Yes. The lady has not yet completed her debutante season and requires a chaperone. Additionally, Count Acacia cannot come to the capital at present."

"Oh my, so the Second Prince is the Countess's partner, and the Grand Duke is serving as chaperone in her stead?"

At Doris's intrigued voice, Novian nodded stiffly, like a wooden puppet. A small laugh escaped from Rhodness's lips as he watched Novian. The implication was clear—that he'd found a partner for a vassal's wife who couldn't secure a chaperone for her debutante, and was attending the party himself in that role. Doris, who had been carefully observing Rhodness's reaction as well, lifted her small chin slightly and narrowed her eyes.

'What ridiculous nonsense.'

While it was rare for an already-married woman to belatedly complete her debutante season, it wasn't unheard of. But naturally, since she was recognized as an adult, a chaperone wasn't truly necessary.

Doris regarded Bardenaldo with contempt—he'd accept any decision from his uncle with a trusting smile, no questions asked. Then she stared intently at the noblewoman bowing to her.

Novian Trovika, called the romanticist of the century throughout the Empire, might pity someone's circumstances—but to fuss over a young vassal's wife like this during his own wife's funeral period? And this woman who rarely showed her face at such parties, who'd secured the seat beside Rhodness and was drawing all eyes...

Adrienne Swan Pirreta.

The face was identical to that girl who'd upended Doris's entire past life—a face she couldn't forget even if she tried.

Doris, standing at the marble staircase railing with white-gloved hands resting upon it, trembled faintly.

She was watching the Countess Acacia dance her first dance with Rhodness, then her second—willingly—with the Crown Prince, who'd stepped onto the dance floor. Violent revulsion rose in her toward Countess Acacia, who wore Adrienne's identical face while dancing with Bardenaldo and receiving Rhodness's gaze.

"Grand Duke."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"If the Countess lacks a chaperone, I shall serve as one myself."

Doris turned toward the silent Novian, gathering her trembling hands under control. She glanced at Rhodness, still standing there looking down at his partner, and felt fire ignite in her chest.

"What do you say?"

"I am grateful, but it's unnecessary."

"Why?"

"The Countess is already married, and she managed well without a chaperone at the last victory celebration. There should be no problem."

How absurd. Then why had he attended as chaperone to this woman who wore Adrienne's identical face? That Grand Duke Trovika? Doris forced a smile.

"I'm searching for a noblewoman to serve as chaperone at Count Acacia's request. Since it's the height of the debutante season, they've been difficult to find, so I had no choice but to come myself. I'll handle it so His Highness the Prince needn't concern himself with such matters."

Such a taciturn man with such a long tongue. Doris twisted her red lips and let her eyes sparkle.

"I don't know if I should say this, but to my eyes, the Countess seems quite similar to the late Grand Duchess Trovika. Don't you think so, Lord Rhodness?"

When her eyes met Rhodness's as he stood looking down at the dance hall, Doris clutched at her heart briefly before continuing.

"Of course, it's been so long since I was in the same room as the Grand Duchess that my memory isn't clear, but that lady gives me an oddly similar feeling. Don't you agree?"

"I couldn't say. Aren't women's faces all rather similar?"

After his perfunctory answer, Rhodness turned his gaze back to his partner. Doris's eyes shifted to the Grand Duke this time.

"Well, it's probably just coincidence, and green eyes aren't exactly rare, so perhaps I'm mistaken."

As Novian's expression darkened, Doris smiled instead.

When people questioned my presence, he explained he was there in his capacity as chaperone, which intrigued them. Chaperones of the opposite sex were extremely rare, after all. After dancing frantically, I naturally melted into a gathering of young noblewomen.

"I heard His Highness the Second Prince has been entrusted with something important lately. Do you know about it?"

Standing quietly and watching Novian, my ears pricked up at the mention of Rhodness's name.

"Since you came as his partner, don't you know? It's been chaos for some time. Baroness Kuroseida went missing and turned the capital upside down."

"Baroness Kuroseida?"

"You know, the one..."

One noblewoman lowered her voice quietly.

"The woman rumored to be His Imperial Majesty's mistress."

"Ah!"

I flinched at the word mistress. Fortunately, the shock of Baroness Kuroseida's disappearance diverted some of the attention that had been pouring toward Rhodness and me. Baroness Kuroseida. I'd never heard the name before in my life.

"Similar incidents have happened three times in the capital, so the city guard is on high alert now."

"But why the Second Prince...?"

"Well, His Highness the Second Prince handles such matters."

What exactly were such matters that Rhodness supposedly handled?

"Why?"

The attention snapped back to me instantly. Several noblewomen who'd been calmly looking me up and down whispered as if bestowing charity.

"Because His Highness the Second Prince resolves all of His Imperial Majesty's headaches."

"I see."

"I suppose the rumors about you being unfamiliar with capital society are true. As is the talk that the Grand Duke begged and pleaded until His Highness the Second Prince took on the burden of being your partner."

While unable to take their eyes off my clothes and accessories, several noblewomen displayed territorial behavior. But for me, who'd suffered through excessive territorial displays from servants, the atmosphere was barely an itch.

"Ahem. Well, if you plan to continue social activities in the capital, remember this clearly. For a lady who debuted without a proper chaperone, even this counts as premium information."

"What is it?"

"His Imperial Majesty loves all the late Empress Letina's sons, but he particularly dotes on His Highness the Second Prince. That's why he can achieve military distinction despite his notorious reputation."

"Why does His Imperial Majesty favor the Second Prince over the Crown Prince?"

"Because he greatly resembles the late Empress Letina. Her portraits hang throughout this palace, so even if you've never seen her in person, you'd know her well, wouldn't you?"

The scarlet-haired noblewoman spoke as though it were obvious I'd never glimpsed even the hem of Empress Letina's garments. I nodded along to meet her expectations.

Then, without further response, I turned my gaze toward Rhodness. Standing crookedly with bored, impassive eyes, he projected not delinquency but a precariously attractive quality. Thinking that way, he did resemble Empress Letina greatly. She too had worn her glittering golden hair pinned up, radiant even from a distance.

And suddenly—though we stood quite far apart—Rhodness's eyes met mine precisely. I startled and hurriedly looked away, only to lock eyes with Crown Princess Doris standing beside him. Oh no. She was probably one of the few high-ranking nobles who knew Adrienne's face.

But when I'd greeted her earlier, whether due to my drastically altered makeup and attire, she'd made no particular comment. I'd worn even heavier makeup today just in case, so it was plausible she didn't recognize me. The last time she and I had been face-to-face was at Novian's wedding, after all.

Doris Castagna. Now called Doris Ronteaux, the Crown Princess. We hadn't even been particularly close as young ladies. Yet her face remained in my memory. A woman whose dark brown hair and deep green eyes complemented each other exquisitely. I remembered how this woman I'd barely befriended had lavished blessings upon us at the wedding. Doris Castagna had certainly seemed to welcome Novian's and my marriage immensely.

I was summoned to them after dancing five more times. The Crown Prince and his wife's gazes raked over me nakedly—though fortunately, their expressions suggested they were viewing a clown about to perform tricks for them rather than being shocked by a face resembling Adrienne's.

"I greet you again, Your Imperial Highness the Crown Princess. I am Bliea Acacia, wife of Count Acacia."

"Such formalities are unnecessary, Countess."

The Crown Princess showed a face far gentler and warmer than the version I'd known. And then—

"I heard you're searching for a chaperone. Is that correct?"

Momentarily flustered, I glanced at Novian. He shook his head quietly, his face rigid. Don't accept her proposal, he was saying.

You want me to refuse the proposal you yourself couldn't turn down?

In truth, as an already-married woman, a chaperone held little significance. Originally, a chaperone's role was to guard a young noblewoman just come of age—preventing and blocking unnecessary scandals while simultaneously helping expand her network. For a married woman, at least the possibility of unnecessary scandals was minimal. But refusing when the Crown Princess graciously offered to attend to someone as insignificant as Bliea would constitute tremendous rudeness. While I didn't know Doris's personality well, at minimum I needed to act deeply honored.

"I am honored, Your Highness. However, Your Highness must be extremely busy, and I fear accompanying you might cast a shadow upon Your Highness's reputation."

At the subtle answer, Doris's well-groomed eyebrows twitched slightly. Novian looked somewhat relieved.

"Of course, I'm not offering to do this for free."

No one asked you to. Doris was fixating on me strangely. Between frantically scheming how to torment Novian and now having to worry about the Crown Princess too, my head would ache doubly. Still, I maintained my smile.

"What would you ask of me...?"

"I happen to need a lady-in-waiting."

"Your Highness."

Novian's voice burst out grimly, as though he'd been forcibly suppressing it. Doris twisted her face briefly before ignoring Novian's call and smiling warmly at me.

"What do you say?"

I'd meant to decline indirectly, but thinking it over, this was an extremely fortunate turn for Bliea's circumstances. Little influence, little wealth, and I hadn't even meticulously crafted plans to drive Novian to despair yet. But accepting too readily gave me pause—because of my situation, where soon I'd only need Rhodness's consent to formally file divorce papers with the court and lose noble status entirely. Bliea's original status was, to put it crudely, seriously inadequate for serving Doris, who would become Empress.

But if I'm at her side, I could gain new connections besides Rhodness, and maybe properly catch Novian's weakness.

If I could postpone the divorce briefly and stay beside Doris even temporarily... Duke Castagna—the Crown Princess's father—and Novian weren't on particularly good terms, so I might obtain some kind of information. I cast my gaze toward Rhodness, standing some distance away. His face remained expressionless, but he nodded slightly as though telling me to do as I wished.

"Though my health is fragile and I cannot manage for long, I would be honored to accept this position until Your Highness brings in a lady from a more distinguished house."

To crush your enemy, befriend your enemy's enemy. As Rhodness nodded, courage swelled in me, and I offered a greeting that didn't breach etiquette. Doris looked me up and down, then nodded graciously as though she understood perfectly.

"The conversation seems concluded."

Following the Crown Princess's lead, I smiled and raised my head—only to find Novian wearing an even more chilling expression than when I'd entered with Rhodness.