“Look over there……”

In the middle of their conversation, a noblewoman pointed to the entrance of the salon.

The eyes of the noblewomen seated around the table, centered on Countess Tarel, all turned towards the entrance at once.

A young lady holding an intricately embroidered lace parasol was walking in.

“Who could that refined young lady be? It seems all of today’s invited guests are already in their seats……”

The nobles in the salon gazed at her figure, wondering what face might be hidden beneath the lace parasol.

With each step she took, her red dress fluttered like butterfly wings.

Her waist revealed above the dress and the arm holding the parasol showed a body that was slender to the point of being somewhat gaunt.

Currently in the capital’s social circles, voluptuous bodies with large hips and breasts were popular.

However, the young lady’s thin body wasn’t unpleasant to look at.

There was a time when thin bodies were popular among young ladies, but after the death of the Duchess of Amaterasu, it was considered outdated.

Yet, there was definitely something about this young lady that caught people’s attention.

“Which family’s daughter could she be?”

At that moment, a hand wearing gloves made of the same lace as the parasol gently folded it, revealing the young lady’s face that had been hidden underneath.

“……!”

The noblewomen who recognized the face of Duke Amaterasu’s daughter exchanged startled glances.

And soon they began to whisper quietly.

“That’s Duke Amaterasu’s daughter. The one from the rumors……”

“Why has she come here?”

While the noblewomen were looking at each other with puzzled expressions, the host of the salon, Countess Tarel, spoke up.

“I invited her. I thought it might be nice to have some variety occasionally.”

The noblewomen quietly exchanged glances.

While the quality of a salon certainly came from its host, the invited guests were also important.

So they couldn’t be pleased with the appearance of Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, who was somewhat lacking in dignity.

But it wouldn’t be polite to complain about an invited guest in front of Countess Tarel, so the noblewomen were busy hiding their troubled expressions.

“……As Countess Tarel said, it might be nice to mingle with someone new occasionally.”

The noblewoman seated to the left of Countess Tarel said.

Then other noblewomen nodded and added their own comments.

“It’s about time for a new topic to emerge.”

Indeed, the topic of Baroness Oppenheimer was becoming stale.

There was no new information beyond what everyone already knew.

In this situation, with the fool from the Amaterasu ducal family appearing, the noblewomen were secretly pleased.

Hoping that Duke Amaterasu’s daughter would make some ridiculous mistake.

Then they could attract attention at other social gatherings by saying they had witnessed it firsthand.

“Thank you for coming, Duke Amaterasu’s daughter. This is your first time at our salon, isn’t it?”

Countess Tarel slightly nodded her head in greeting to Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.

“Thank you for inviting me. I quite like the atmosphere of the salon.”

Jieselgrante, bowing slightly at the knees in greeting, gazed out the window for a moment before continuing.

“The weather has improved a lot recently. I wonder if the ladies here have all gone horseback riding together to the distant lakeside?”

Jieselgrante’s voice was gentle and soft, and her face with a faint smile was youthful but beautiful.

However, as her words continued, the corners of the noblewomen’s mouths twitched.

While the weather talk was fine, the mention of horseback riding by the lake felt somewhat out of place.

Her attempts to make sophisticated remarks befitting a high-ranking noble were both pitiful and amusing to the noblewomen.

Just as they were reaching their limit in suppressing the urge to laugh out loud and controlling the corners of their mouths,

A noblewoman sitting at the edge of the table stood up and greeted Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.

“Indeed, the weather has become much warmer. I too, having been cooped up in the mansion all winter, recently went out horseback riding to get some fresh air.”

The noblewoman who spoke gently smiled and slightly bent her waist to pat her thighs.

“……?”

At her words and actions, the other noblewomen exchanged puzzled glances.

The noblewoman who stood up and spoke friendly to Duke Amaterasu’s daughter was not a core member of Countess Tarel’s salon.

In other words, she was an occasional attendee.

‘Why is she acting like that?’

As the noblewomen were thinking this and snorting, another noblewoman also sitting at the edge of the table stood up and chimed in with the two.

“Still, the air is quite chilly in the mornings and evenings. I went out wearing even a fur coat with my husband……”

The other noblewomen blankly watched as the three continued their conversation.

In the salons of the Fesis Empire, hosts usually invited nobles of matching or slightly lower status than themselves.

So most of the noblewomen gathered here were of lower rank than Countess Tarel, from viscounty or barony families.

Even Countess Tarel herself was rumored to have been a low-ranking noble from the frontier before becoming the Emperor’s mistress and marrying Count Tarel, or that she was of common birth pretending to be noble.

Imperial law recognized the Emperor’s mistress, but that didn’t make it respectable.

Because of her high status as a countess, and the advantage of being able to closely encounter the Emperor, everyone treated Countess Tarel well, but inwardly they scoffed.

At the fact that she was nothing more than an adulteress.

Of course, even if one commits adultery, if the partner is the Emperor, there are more flies drawn to seek benefits than to criticize.

But Jieselgrante was none other than the legitimate daughter of the Amaterasu ducal family.

Ordinarily, not only Countess Tarel but all the noblewomen in the salon should have sprung to their feet and shown proper respect to Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.

A common duke’s daughter, accustomed to such treatment, would have been aware of this fact and would have reprimanded the noblewomen for their lack of etiquette.

However, Duke Amaterasu’s daughter was not ordinary, and there was a high possibility that she didn’t even realize she was being disrespected.

Even if she were to find out, she would likely accept it if given a well-crafted excuse.

Even if she didn’t understand, it would be fine.

For that Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, rather than harboring resentment and plotting revenge, she would likely choose to throw a tantrum like an angry monkey on the spot.

While her mood might improve slightly after a brief outburst, this would actually become a weakness in noble society.

After all, nobles are taught to be wary of expressions that fail to hide or control emotions, and instead burst out in anger.

“……It seems Duke Amaterasu’s daughter also greatly enjoys horseback riding. There are some excellent riding trails in our viscounty, please visit sometime. I’ll be sure to entertain you well.”

“……”

At that moment, one of the noblewomen who had been blankly listening to the conversation of the three stood up, seemingly surprised.

“The same goes for me. Occasional exercise is good for both beauty and health, isn’t it?”

Then, another noblewoman sitting next to her quickly rose and added:

“I had no idea we shared such a common hobby. It’s the same for me. I’m actually suffering quite a bit from the muscle pain I got because of it……”

As she said this, she massaged her shoulders and arms, then even patted her thighs.

‘Oh no!’

Only then did the complexions of the noblewomen still seated rapidly worsen.

They realized that Duke Amaterasu’s daughter had very gracefully and nobly criticized the improper behavior of her counterparts in a roundabout way.

Asking if the reason they didn’t quickly stand up, but only held their heads high, was due to their legs trembling from muscle pain.

The noblewomen, trapped in their preconceptions, had failed to quickly notice her changed words and actions.

Realizing their clear misstep, the noblewomen began to stand up one by one.

If Duke Amaterasu’s daughter had even an average mind, the noblewomen should have prostrated themselves before her and tried to impress her.

Instead of maintaining a haughty or dismissive attitude.

“I’ve been suffering from muscle pain these past few days, does Duke Amaterasu’s daughter know any good ways to relieve this stiffness and pain?”

“It seems the best method is to soak in a hot bath and rest, or to apply plenty of scented oil for a massage before getting a good sleep.”

“Ah……”

The noblewomen all let out meaningless exclamations and nodded their heads.

As if the reason they hadn’t immediately shown proper respect to Jieselgrante, whose status was so high they dared not even look at her, was indeed due to muscle pain from increased outings as the cold winter retreated and warm spring arrived, just as she had led them to believe.

“……”

Reading the atmosphere that had begun to turn strangely, Countess Tarel reluctantly stood up.

“Please, continue your conversation.”

“Countess Tarel, where are you going?”

“Just to the powder room for a moment.”

“Then I’ll join you.”

The noblewomen seated on either side of Countess Tarel also quickly stood up.

Leaving behind the noblewomen who had begun to engage in lively conversation centered around Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, the three made their way to the powder room prepared for guests.

‘This is absurd.’

Countess Tarel was aware that her appearance was perfect and there was no need to go to the powder room.

However, if rumors spread that she had stood up to welcome someone like Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, she would be the one ridiculed.

Though she had been swept up in the atmosphere of the other noblewomen earlier, she needed to let everyone know that it wasn’t to welcome Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, but that she had been about to stand up anyway.