“That’s amazing! You received the title of Countess at such a young age.”

“They say it’s even the first time in the Empire that a woman has received a title!”

“Weren’t you scared to throw yourself in front of the rampaging horse to save His Highness the Prince? It’s truly remarkable.”

“I also saw the horse running wild there, but I was too scared to move. I was afraid the horse might come at me. Countess Hydrangea, weren’t you scared at all?”

“Did you have feelings for His Highness the Prince before? Or was it an instinctive action to help someone whose life was in danger?”

While their interest was flattering, many of their questions were awkward and difficult to answer unless I was the real Claire.

As I hesitated to answer easily, Ileana stepped in on my behalf.

“Of course she was scared. Nevertheless, Claire… no, Her Excellency Countess Hydrangea showed courage. She would have helped whoever was there, even if it wasn’t His Highness the Prince.”

At her words, they looked at me with admiring faces.

“You’re truly amazing.”

“Such admirable courage. I heard you couldn’t wake up for over a month due to your injuries then. It was such a dangerous situation, yet you stepped forward!”

For a while, they praised Claire’s courageous action and congratulated her on receiving the title of Countess.

If I had been eloquent, I would have naturally continued the conversation with them, but I was just as awkward in such conversations as Claire was.

They lost interest in me as I gave only brief answers to their questions, and naturally, the topic of conversation began to shift to other things.

I, who was more comfortable listening to others’ stories than leading the conversation, listened to their talk with a more peaceful expression. Even though the topic of conversation had changed, Ileana remained at the center of attention.

“Isn’t Muer Ditera the artist sponsored by the Perve Ducal family?”

“Yes. He had a hard time due to a huge gambling debt, but my mother stepped in to help him. I heard he’s quit gambling now and is working hard.”

“That artist handles portrait paintings really delicately. I happened to see a painting at an auction and fell in love with it, so I bought it. I like his style and want to see other works, but I hear most of them are owned by the Perve Ducal family.”

“He’s skilled at handling light, so my mother cherishes him as an artist. Since many of the paintings he was commissioned for are private works of the Perve family, they aren’t widely known outside…”

“Some of the works he painted before receiving sponsorship from the Perve Ducal family have started to gain attention recently. I’m curious how his style has changed now.”

“Compared to then, his paintings have become more mature. My favorite work is the portrait he painted of my mother. It’s of her sitting in the living room, and the light falling on her face in the shape of a window is surreal yet incredibly vivid.”

“I’d really like to see that.”

“Then how about visiting our mansion sometime this week? It’s not as much as our family home, but I brought a few of Muer Ditera’s works when I got married.”

The reason she was called the queen of social circles was not just because the Perve Ducal family sponsored numerous artists and had a great influence on social circles.

She had an innate charm that captivated those around her.

Even without raising her voice, people naturally listened to her words. It was truly an enviable ability.

I watched her talk with others, newly impressed.

Their conversation topics were diverse. Not only about fashionable clothes or hair ornaments, but also about artists they sponsored, merchant ships they invested in, and even wars occurring in distant foreign countries – they covered all fields.

‘I’ll need to study a lot if I want to join the conversation next time.’

It was when they were discussing the desserts that came out at Lady Wilters’ mansion party last night and talking about the patissier brought from another country.

The married noble ladies mostly led the conversation, while the young ladies were in the position of listening.

Suddenly, during the conversation, a noble young lady with brown hair and round eyes, who had a cute impression, covered her reddened cheeks with both hands and bowed her head deeply. Everyone’s attention was drawn to her sudden action.

“I think His Highness the Crown Prince is interested in me. He keeps looking at me… I’m too embarrassed to raise my head.”

At her words, I looked around wondering what she meant. Then I saw Ian staring intently in this direction. Was it just my imagination that his gaze seemed to be resting on me, not on her?

“Don’t worry and raise your head. His Highness the Crown Prince isn’t looking this way now. He’s talking with someone else.”

When I looked back, as she said, Ian was now talking with others. Was it just a needless misunderstanding…

“Ah!”

The one who had said Ian seemed to be showing interest in her once again turned bright red and bowed her head deeply.

The noble ladies covered their mouths and laughed at her appearance. It didn’t seem like they were trying to embarrass her, but rather they found her shyness cute.

“It’s understandable to misinterpret. His Highness the Crown Prince is that charming.”

“It can’t be helped when both His Highness Crown Prince Ian and His Highness Prince Daniel go around setting young ladies’ hearts aflame with their handsome faces.”

“Why just the young ladies? Even I, a married woman, sometimes feel my heart flutter.”

I almost nodded unconsciously at their conversation.

“I find myself more drawn to His Highness Prince Daniel than His Highness Crown Prince Ian. The Crown Prince is handsome, but he’s so cold that when you get close, it feels like a biting wind is blowing.”

A biting wind! I couldn’t understand how Ian could be considered cold. He smiles often and is very considerate.

“To be honest, I feel the same. His Highness the Crown Prince does resemble His Majesty the Emperor more in appearance, making him quite handsome… But it seems he’s inherited that cold temperament as well, which makes me feel afraid. In contrast, His Highness Prince Daniel is as gentle as a spring breeze, isn’t he?”

Ian might be a bit prickly usually, but when he smiles, he’s as warm as the spring sun. They really don’t know anything.

While I was grumbling inwardly, the young lady who had blushed earlier, now seemingly more curious than embarrassed, asked a question.

“Actually, I’ve never seen His Highness Prince Daniel, and he’s not visible at this banquet either. I thought he would surely attend this time…”

In fact, I wanted to ask too. The whole award ceremony itself was held because of saving that second prince, so it was strange that he, who was practically the person of interest, wasn’t visible.

However, I didn’t want to fuel the gossip about my supposed unrequited love for him by asking, so I kept my mouth shut. It seemed I had made the right decision to wait instead of asking directly. If I had asked myself, it would have only increased the misunderstanding.

At her question, everyone’s eyes turned to me. As if I had the answer. For a moment, I almost shook my head saying, “I don’t know either!”

“Thanks to Countess Hydrangea, His Highness Prince Daniel wasn’t physically injured that day, but it seems he fell quite ill from the shock. So he’s gone to recuperate at a castle in the Lisen region.”

“I see.”

“It was such a big incident, and he’s a delicate person.”

“He must have been deeply affected.”

“Although Countess Hydrangea is here at the banquet looking healthy now, there have been such ominous rumors circulating. He must have been emotionally scarred.”

“Knowing that someone was hurt because of you, and to the point of having their life threatened, is mentally taxing.”

“But now that he’s heard the news that Lady McCain… I mean, Countess Hydrangea has recovered her health and risen from her sickbed, he’ll probably regain his spirits soon.”

“She really did something incredible.”

“That’s right. After that incident, the imperial palace felt as cold as if it had frozen over.”

“Her Majesty the Empress is often unwell, so she rarely attends banquets, and His Highness Daniel hasn’t shown his face at banquets since that incident…”

“Come to think of it, His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t attend banquets either. The imperial banquets didn’t feel like imperial banquets at all.”

“His Majesty the Emperor, who usually doesn’t attend banquets often, would appear at the banquet hall with a fierce expression, and you couldn’t tell if he came for the banquet or to receive punishment.”

They shook their heads and exaggerated as if recalling that time gave them goosebumps.

“Still, it’s fortunate that at least His Highness Crown Prince Ian is present at the banquet hall today. But why hasn’t the Crown Prince been attending banquets all this time?”

“It wasn’t just banquets, was it? He barely attended official meetings, saying he was unwell. It’s been a really long time since he’s appeared at an official event like this, hasn’t it?”

“What could have been so wrong with him?”

“For him to have been unwell… Have you heard that story?”

Lady Viscountess Monica lowered her voice as she spoke.