CHAPTER 025
The Lotus Garden of the Detached Palace.
"Hohoho."
"Kakakaka."
"Kekeke."
The sound of carefree laughter from young ladies, around eighteen to twenty-four years old, filled the garden. Their joyous laughter continued unabated as they found endless amusement. Eleven empress candidates sat around a paulownia wood table, enjoying their lunch.
A bit away from their table, the maids attending to the ladies were also gathered, chatting together. However, they were actually busy keeping an eye on the candidates' movements.
"The first three are all new faces... Is it true that Lady Arabelle came from the Kingdom of Acreure?"
"Wasn't it the Kingdom of Chatel? I heard someone say that the lady was born and raised in Chatel."
"Oh, if she had been in Chatel, I would have known. There aren't many noble ladies around Princess Annie's age in our kingdom, so I've met all the young ladies there."
"Then she really did come from Acreure. But hasn't Acreure been on bad terms with the Empire for a long time, with immigration of high-ranking nobles forbidden?"
"When did Lady Arabelle start being served? If she followed her here to the palace, she must have been with her since birth, like us."
"Are they from Acreure, then? Their appearance and accent seem Imperial..."
The endless barrage of questions from the maids made Rosa and Dina sweat, while they looked at their superior with admiration.
Vera calmly lifted the corners of her mouth.
"Well... here and there... The Delcrank family loves to travel. Ho, ho. We three are like the lady's shadows. We've been serving her for so long that it's almost like it's our calling. Ho, ho."
She answered all questions vaguely, displaying the skill that earned her five times the salary from the emperor.
The maids of the candidates were growing increasingly frustrated as they failed to extract any new information about Lady Arabelle, other than the fact that she had turned twenty last month.
Unlike the capable Vera, her lady was a deer thrown to the wolves.
Arabelle seemed unaware of the intentions behind the questions, lacking any thought of evading them. In fact, she seemed wholly unprepared and naive.
Answering honestly without suspicion, Arabelle faced a barrage of questions disguised as kindness. The ten candidates around the round table, having finished their light lunch of sandwiches and salad, wore peculiar smiles.
Their eyes sparkled as they gazed into their cups of cinnamon black tea. They had identified a weaker, easily dismissible prey, one they could trample without consequence, and were quite pleased with their find.
"Oh, so it was a mere misunderstanding that you came from Acreure. Born and raised in the southern region of the Empire, and never left?"
"Oh my, to have no family estate. So your father treated people and sold medicine door-to-door like a peddler, without owning a business establishment?"
"Kender Baron... I’ve never heard that name. Which social circles did your family belong to? Our family has long overseen the southern nobles' council, so we're familiar with all the local families."
"Neither your father nor your uncle were part of any noble council? That’s unusual. I thought any noble who could enter the palace and pay dues would automatically be listed in the regional council..."
"Oh, they couldn’t afford the dues and were expelled, and had to return the palace entry pass? Now I understand."
The ten candidates were busy exchanging glances, seemingly forgetting they were competitors just a day before.
"So that’s why we never saw you. You didn’t have your coming-of-age ceremony at the palace."
Grace of the Lesang Grand Duchy spoke courteously, though with hidden ridicule.
The perceptive daughter of the McVivier Count probed,
"Then you must have attended a local debutante ball. Which family’s coming-of-age ceremony did you attend? My sister couldn’t make it to the palace ceremony due to distance, so she attended the one hosted by the Duke of Belleku in the eastern territory. I thought I might have seen you there."
Her response was startling.
"Oh, the pigs caught a disease, so I couldn’t even think about my birthday."
She hadn’t had her coming-of-age ceremony at the palace, nor a debutante ball at all. Even wealthy merchants now held such ceremonies for their daughters.
It was from this point that the candidates' eyes began to gleam like wolves.
Until seeing Arabelle for themselves, they had been quite anxious and uneasy due to the myriad rumors surrounding her.
The eleventh empress candidate was personally brought by Emperor Maxwell, who had never been involved in a scandal with any woman. How beautiful and exceptional must she be to have captured the picky emperor’s heart?
The remaining ten candidates, representing the noble families of the Empire and the continent, were exceptionally proud and confident.
Every one of them had watched Arabelle cross the threshold of the detached palace, hidden behind glass curtains.
She wasn’t a dazzling beauty like Princess Lilibet of the Seville Kingdom or Lady Kendall of the Hawthorn Count family. Compared to themselves, she was entirely unremarkable, with an ordinary appearance that didn’t stand out at all.
On one hand, she felt relieved, but on the other, her anxiety doubled. If she hadn't caught the Emperor's eye with her beauty, it meant she had captivated him with something else.
Perhaps she possessed exceptional talents or came from an illustrious family background. Or maybe she had both, like Princess Lilibet of the Kingdom of Sebille and Lady Grace of the Duchy of Ressaine, who were seen as the two frontrunners in this selection contest.
With the competition seemingly narrowing down to Lilibet and Grace, the sudden emergence of the unknown Arabelle was undoubtedly a headache for the remaining candidates. If they couldn't become Empress, they had to at least make connections with her to benefit their families.
Competing incorrectly and falling out of favor with the future Empress could have serious repercussions not only for themselves but also for their families. That was why, despite being competitors, they had to present themselves well to Lilibet and Grace.
The thought of having to be deferential even to Arabelle, whom they were meeting today, made her blood boil... But upon meeting her, she realized Arabelle wasn't even worth the dirt under her fingernails.
Arabelle was the daughter of a fallen noble family, barely worthy of being called a noble. If she had any sense, she would avoid answering sensitive questions, but she was so foolish that she revealed her status openly.
Even though the Emperor had personally chosen and brought her, he would soon realize the truth.
He would see her true nature, unable to blend in among the best-educated and most well-mannered ladies from the highest families, like oil in water.
He would surely be so ashamed to have looked at such a rustic woman that he would kick off his blanket in his sleep.
Moreover, this separate palace was a place out of the Emperor's sight. The Emperor had never set foot here, and he wasn't the type to lower his standards for a woman he fancied.
This meant they could freely disregard Arabelle without fear of repercussions.
Unfortunately, Arabelle had no idea what the other candidates were thinking. She was just grateful that the ladies had gathered to welcome her.
"Honestly, I was quite nervous and worried. But everyone is so kind and friendly."
Arabelle's clear eyes sparkled warmly as she smiled at the woman.
"My mother sent Mulberry silk fabric for us to share. This fabric hasn't yet arrived in the Empire. Why don't we go to my pavilion, continue our chat, and take the fabric?"
Princess Lilibet said, rising from her seat, and the other ladies stood up with her.
"Oh dear, it seems my mother sent fabric for only ten, as there are ten finalists in the Empress selection. There's none prepared for Lady Arabelle."
Lilibet said to Arabelle, who was following behind the candidates.
"It's alright. I'm just happy to chat and look around with everyone."
She was sincere. She had never had the chance to laugh and chat happily with peers or have lunch with them. Arabelle was grateful to the ladies who had accepted her, even though she had joined late.
Surrounded by four or five ladies, Princess Lilibet sighed shallowly,
"Even if you have nothing, you should at least have the sense to know your place."
She muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear, her blue eyes cold as they looked down on Arabelle.
"My pavilion is already full with the ten ladies here, so it's not possible to invite Lady Arabelle. I'm sure it's the same for the pavilions of the ladies gathered here. Am I right?"
All the candidates nodded without hesitation, not forgetting to maintain their polite and friendly smiles.
Even Grace, who usually clashed with Lilibet, agreed with her this time, lifting her chin arrogantly.
"Besides, we have so many invaluable jewels and dresses in our quarters... It's not easy to let someone of uncertain status in."
Picking up on Grace's remark, two ladies standing beside her added with mocking smiles.
"Honestly, these items could change a poor person's life if stolen. It's hard to resist the temptation, especially if one hasn't received proper noble etiquette training."
"We should probably ask the Imperial Selection Committee to increase security in each of our quarters. The ruby necklace my grandmother gave me is a unique heirloom in the Empire."
Arabelle stood alone at the table, unable to say anything. The ten top noble candidates, usually not on good terms, left arm in arm, laughing as if they were the best of friends.
Arabelle bit her trembling lower lip, trying not to cry.
"My lady..."
Vera's voice came quietly from behind Arabelle.
She had come with the other maids, thinking the meeting was over, only to hear the venomous words of the ten noble ladies.
Arabelle, who had been looking down, lifted her head and looked at the three maids.
After taking a deep breath, Arabelle spoke in a deliberately cheerful tone.
"I wanted to take a walk in the garden, so this works out well. I'll be back soon, so don't worry and go back first."
Her round eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she held them back.
Vera nodded, and Arabelle turned and walked away quickly.
"I'll follow her to make sure she doesn't get lost."
Millie, who had appeared at some point, said gruffly and followed Arabelle.
In an instant, Arabelle had become an easy target for everyone. It was crucial to form allies among the ladies during the competition, but now no one would want to side with her.
They must have decided it was better to attack and eliminate the Emperor's chosen one.
‘The head maid won't even need to intervene. This will be over sooner than expected.’
Millie smirked as she followed Arabelle, her expression blank.
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