At the End of Ruin, There You Are - Chapter 34

It was quite unusual that the first meeting with the ladies of Lucenford remained so vividly in Kaella’s mind.

Usually, only very stimulating events remained in her brain, which had appropriately forgotten and erased things due to extreme exhaustion.

The mocking words towards her, the disdaining glances, Peon ignoring or not listening to her words at all. And the radiantly beautiful Beatrice. That was all.

Yet why did that day, when she went out first to greet the ladies as a young girl, remain? More precisely, the nervousness, slight fear, and anticipation she felt that day were most vivid.

Now too tired and powerless to have such feelings, Kaella entered as she saw the ladies all stand up.

After the sound of surprised gasps from several places, the ladies all grasped their dress hems and bowed politely. They hadn’t expected the Grand Duke to come along.

“I hope you enjoyed today, the first gathering hosted by my wife.”

Peon turned to look at Kaella affectionately in front of them and said,

“But if you feel even slightly tired or unwell, you must return immediately.”

For a husband to escort his wife to a gathering of women and even show his face – in Lucenford terms, it was a matter of losing male dignity.

Of course, the affairs of the ladies in Lucenford were not so insignificant as to be disparaged as ‘mere women’s business’ without any influence.

Anywhere, what happens in the inner chambers ultimately affects politics. They are ladies, the only ones who stand shoulder to shoulder with their titled husbands.

However, being affectionate to one’s wife or daughter, escorting them everywhere, and being tender was, in Lucenford terms, ‘the embarrassing behavior of those soft southern men.’

Even in Kline, it’s rare for a man to personally escort his wife to a gathering of just women. Kaella knew this too.

‘This is something my father would do.’

Duke Adeo de Chasser Ostein, who had married for love and never remarried after his wife’s death, was that kind of person. When Mother was alive, he always escorted her to and from the ladies’ gatherings.

So Kaella thought this was what all husbands naturally did. She thought a husband was someone who was always with his wife, took interest in her affairs, listened attentively to her words, and engaged in deep conversations.

Perhaps that’s why the failed marriage hit her even harder. If she had no expectations, she wouldn’t have been hurt, but she naively hoped for too much. Now she expects nothing. She knows a husband is someone who does nothing for you.

“Take good care of my wife.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

But this was too different, wasn’t it? Peon, who didn’t forget to instruct even the maids, was not a ‘husband who does nothing’ but rather a ‘husband who does too much.’

He casually did something that a Lucenford-raised Grand Duke of Lucenford would never do, glancing over the ladies one last time before turning back to Kaella.

“Enjoy yourself. I’ll be going now.”

The impact the Grand Duke left on this gathering as he smiled and disappeared was tremendous.

The eyes looking at the frail future Duchess of Ostein and niece of the Emperor were already cautious. Most of those gathered here had also been present at the banquet where the Grand Duchess had collapsed.

After the Grand Duke had exerted absolute power by banishing the head maid and executing the rest, now he even came to this gathering to show his doting on the Grand Duchess. The sharp-witted ones instantly sensed it.

Now the Grand Duchess would have an enormous influence on Lucenford’s power structure.

“Please be seated, Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”

The Ostein-born maids, heads held high, seated the Grand Duchess at the highest seat and quietly stepped back.

The Grand Duchess, her shoulders wrapped in snow-white fur that was clearly obtained here in Lucenford but never before seen, wore diamonds around her neck and on both hands that the Lucenford ladies could never even dream of.

Even her dress was of a sophisticated design completely different from the fashions popular in Lucenford, and made of rare material, causing the eyes of the fashion-conscious ladies to spin round and round already.

The quietly seated Grand Duchess only looked at the ladies. In truth, Kaella didn’t know what to say as she looked at these faces she already knew. More precisely, she couldn’t easily open her mouth, not knowing how to speak without inviting ridicule.

No matter what the young her said, those over there would smile and exchange meaningful glances among themselves, and then drop a word or two.

Words that would stab Kaella’s heart deeply later when she was alone, making her realize belatedly, ah, that’s what they meant.

‘How should I speak so they don’t look down on me?’

The defense mechanism that the Ostein princess should never have had to know in her lifetime instinctively sprang forth unconsciously.

The anxiety that they would laugh no matter what she said gripped her. What should she say? She didn’t want to. Couldn’t she just give up on everything?

At that moment, one of the ladies stepped forward.

“I dare to greet you first, Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”

Kaella stiffly turned her head towards her. A middle-aged lady wearing a dress with yellow embroidery on deep green velvet bowed deeply towards her.

Kaella barely swallowed the laughter that threatened to burst out in disbelief. She knew well that this lady was showing her unnecessarily excessive courtesy.

“I am Yolnes of the Pare family. My husband is Lord Pare, who is in charge of the watergate of Lucenford Castle.”

Yolnes Pare, who was acting as the representative of these ladies, had joined forces with the head maid Doris who looked down on the young Grand Duchess and swung at her recklessly.

As a typical Lucenford person who liked to take charge and had a loud voice, she was one who had sided with those who cornered Kaella at the first banquet. Whether she escaped punishment thanks to her husband the watergate keeper is unknown, but how could that personality have disappeared?

She had the characteristically sturdy Lucenford build, plus she was tall and plump with middle-aged weight.

To that, add protruding brow bones, a large nose, and slightly prominent cheekbones. The expression that fully reflected her personality was completed by large, protruding eyes.

Those eyes would roll and stare fixedly at the young Grand Duchess, muttering a few words in Lucenford dialect and cackling, leaving the already sickly and small-framed Grand Duchess frightened and at a loss.

It’s always the loud-voiced, bossy ones who step forward. This time was no different.

“Since there is no head maid at this first meeting with Your Grace, I think it’s proper for us to take turns directly greeting Your Grace.”

In other words, since the head maid was gone, she would act as head maid herself. Everyone knows that the candidate to fill the vacant head maid position will have to be chosen from among those gathered here anyway.

Yolnes Pare had taken the initiative to gain the upper hand. With her husband as watergate keeper and wife as head maid, the Pare family’s influence would become formidable.

Perhaps she hadn’t spent her time as Grand Duchess in vain, as Kaella could immediately read that much intent.

“Do so.”

With no head maid, there was no way to proceed according to protocol anyway. Moreover, Kaella, who had no motivation whatsoever, nodded halfheartedly, and Yolnes Pare brightened.

“Thank you. Then, let’s start with Alicia from our Rulmon family…”

“No.”

No, even without motivation, anger rises. Yolnes Pare’s words mentioning her own family first were abruptly cut off.

Kaella, automatically angered by these insufferable Lucenford people who so naturally looked down on her, forcibly squeezed out her voice from her weak body. In such a familiar situation, Kaella’s way of dealing was ultimately just polite words.

“Didn’t you yourself say to greet in turns directly?”

Where do you think you’re subtly acting as head maid and trying to have your close associates and friends greet first as you please?

Those who greeted the Grand Duchess first had an advantage. The later one went, the more perfunctory the receiver of greetings became.

No matter how unmotivated she was, she didn’t want to just let such a weak attempt slide with an “I see.”

If Yolnes Pare looked at her and rolled her eyes laughing again, she’d have her strung up on the execution stand just the same. Kaella, freshly angered by the experiences of being disrespected until now, opened her eyes wide and spoke strongly.

And the response that came back was only silence. The large-framed Yolnes Pare hesitated and looked around at the Grand Duchess’s strong rebuke. Whether she tried to gloss over it but was caught off guard, she couldn’t open her mouth right away.

Good. Having confirmed that the initiative was hers, Kaella immediately took her gaze off Yolnes Pare and pointed to the opposite side, that is, to where people distant from the Pare family were gathered.

“There, let’s start from that side and come introduce yourselves to me directly. Yes, I mean you sitting at the very end.”

The plain-looking lady who had been quietly sitting against the wall was startled when singled out. She seemed to have been subdued originally, hesitating and looking around at those nearby.

“Come now.”

No matter how much she was disrespected, Kaella was a Grand Duchess who maintained her dignity and never lost her authority to the end.

She was well-versed in speaking clearly and distinctly with her shoulders straight and chin slightly tucked. This time too, when she urged shortly and strongly, the lady who had been pointed out hurriedly came forward and bowed.

“It, it’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”

The voice that came out first was trembling and small, but soon regained composure.

“I am Fabiola, wife of Sir Alfred Sirenster. Congratulations on your marriage, and welcome to Lucenford.”

The greeting started by the first contestant is usually followed by later contestants. Kaella received greetings one by one from ladies she already knew, congratulating her on her marriage and welcoming her to Lucenford.

The women from the Pare, Rulmon, and Duncaster families, who had tightly held Lucenford until five nobles were executed this time, behaved extremely politely to the Grand Duchess. They bowed more deeply and even said they were ‘overjoyed’ that the Grand Duchess had come.

‘Words they don’t mean at all.’

Kaella knew those words were all blatant lies. During her first experiences as Grand Duchess, it was these very families who had taken the lead in despising her polite words and ignoring her along with the Grand Duke.

Surely they must have played a big part in slandering her and having her confined. This time, she would die before being victimized. Not being victimized was too positive and dreamlike a goal for her to have.

“I am Merma, wife of Sir Hugo Forweding. It’s truly fortunate and joyous that Your Grace has recovered your health. I pray that only happy things await you in Lucenford from now on.”

Of course, there were those who spoke so boldly, judging this to be an opportunity.

The already tense atmosphere froze, and members of the families executed this time, including Yolnes Pare, as well as relatives of the head maid Doris from the Windgood family, immediately glared at Merma Forweding.

Come to think of it, Sir Hugo Forweding had a very brave and upright personality. Couples tend to resemble each other. Or perhaps Merma Forweding had hidden ambitions.

In any case, everyone knew that this gathering was the first appearance of the barely recovered Grand Duchess, as well as an occasion to scout for a candidate to replace the banished Doris Windgood as head maid.

“Thank you.”

So Kaella replied for the first time, unlike before when she had only nodded slightly while receiving greetings. The meaning was clear enough just from the fact that the completely unsmiling Grand Duchess had responded. The Grand Duchess would thoroughly exclude those who had hurt her.

*

Why did she remember the first day of performing her duties as Grand Duchess? It was an unremarkable day. Outwardly, there seemed to be no problems, and Kaella felt somewhat proud that she had done her job properly. The maids had rejoiced together that day.

Today was more calm than joyful. The ladies greeted the Grand Duchess, enjoyed the refreshments she provided, and then left.

In the past, she would have put her heart into even the refreshments, naively thinking that introducing Ostein or Kline styles would intrigue the ladies, but this time Kaella didn’t pay attention to the refreshments.

Every time she faced them, the words, expressions, and glances they had given her before, which in fact no longer existed now, came alive and stabbed at Kaella. She didn’t want to attach meaning or put effort into what went into the mouths of such people. It wasn’t worth it.

“Are you feeling good, Your Grace?”

Her maid Denise, following behind her, asked with a bright smile. Feeling good?

“We feel very good too. How satisfying it was to see them unable to make a peep and bowing their heads before our Grand Duchess.”

“Lower your voice, Denise. Someone might hear.”

Cecile admonished, glancing at the Lucenford knights Peon had assigned to Kaella, but a smile was also on her lips.

“So what if they hear? It’s only proper order being established as it should have been. How dare they commit such, such barbaric acts before our Grand Duchess? I felt so relieved today.”

It was all true. It was true, but could such words be spoken so openly? Kaella’s heart sank for a moment and she tried to stop Denise.

“I’m just glad our Grand Duchess’s expression brightened a little and she smiled even slightly.”

Smiled? Kaella unconsciously touched her lips. That couldn’t have happened. At that moment, the cheerfully speaking Denise and other maids looked behind Kaella’s back, startled, and hurriedly stepped back. Why?

“Are you just finishing now?”

The knights escorting Kaella stood at attention and bowed their heads, and likewise, the knights escorting Peon also bowed their heads towards Kaella.

The tall Grand Duke was already standing three steps away. When had he approached? Kaella, her eyes round with surprise, barely managed to answer.

“Yes.”

“How was it?”

“Oh, nothing special happened.”

“No, not that.”

Peon, who had placed trusted confidants around Kaella to be her eyes and ears, wasn’t curious about what had happened.

“Please tell me how you felt there, what you were thinking.”

“It was fine…”

“Don’t say it was fine.”

Peon smiled affectionately while frowning slightly. Somehow, he seemed to be trying to smile.

“Don’t use that word, use a different one.”

But it really was fine. She didn’t feel irritated or have her pride hurt, and there were no strange people looking down on her or picking fights.

Rather, as Denise said, seeing them unable to make a sound and maintaining proper etiquette was quite fine and felt good.

Kaella hesitated.

‘It felt good?’

Yes. More precisely, it was satisfying, gratifying, and relieving. That’s why it felt good.

Incredibly, there was something in Lucenford that made her feel good.