‘Huff. The widow lady.’

I had tried my best to act composed in front of the duke’s family, but I wasn’t okay at all. Being alone in the carriage only made those feelings stronger.

I was someone with absolutely no experience in high society. But my opponent was a cunning, experienced viper, adept at social maneuvering.

The moment I let my guard down, I would surely be seized by the neck in one snap by that venomous serpent, its fangs bared and eyes flashing.

‘Still, if Marchioness Yekert continues provoking Marchioness Stemun beyond a certain point, the imperial family will step in. The period during which that lady dominates high society won’t last much longer.’

If even the maids were already gossiping about it, there was no way the imperial ears hadn’t caught wind. They were probably just waiting to see how long she would keep acting arrogantly, biding their time to cut her down at the right moment.

My goal today was simply to get through the tea time unscathed, without giving Marchioness Yekert any reason to criticize me.

Thanks to making the front page of the newspaper in such a dazzling manner, suspicions about hidden motives behind Yezar’s and my marriage might have subsided—but public interest would have risen sharply.

They would surely ask every tiny detail about our love story, starting from when we first met. I had coordinated my answers with him beforehand, but it seemed safer to keep my words to a minimum.

After all, any lady would naturally prefer to keep her private life with her husband out of the spotlight.

‘It’s troubling that I’m already getting used to thinking of myself as a wife. When this whole charade ends, I must end it cleanly without clinging on.’

Reminding myself to always guard my heart and hold tightly to reason, preventing emotions from deepening further, I felt the carriage arrive at the Yekert marquisate.

I braced myself firmly and carefully stepped out of the carriage. Immediately, a line of servants stood in perfect formation to greet me. When I had visited the Stemun marquisate, only the butler had come out to receive me.

Here, it seemed they had summoned every single servant—the atmosphere itself felt different. But upon closer look, all the servants’ expressions were lifeless.

‘How come not a single person is smiling? Everyone’s lips are tightly shut and their eyes cast downward.’

I had heard detailed accounts about Marchioness Yekert’s temperament from the maids, but I hadn’t expected the servants’ mood to be this grim.

Yet in stark contrast to their expressions, the Yekert marquisate itself was the epitome of extravagance—gardens and fountains that looked like money had been poured into them, marble floors, statues, everything.

It was completely different from the Stemun marquisate. I stood frozen in shock when a servant approached and bowed.

“Duchess Ferhaem has arrived. I will escort you to the tea gathering.”

Their manner was flawless, but their eyes were utterly dull. I couldn’t help but wonder—how exactly did Marchioness Yekert treat her servants?

‘No. Julietta. I need to worry about myself first. Right now, I’m practically walking into a lion’s mouth.’

I was clearly the easiest prey at this tea gathering. Rather than worrying about others, I needed to focus on the situation I was about to face.

Straightening my back firmly, I recalled the noble posture I had drilled into myself until it became second nature, and took one step after another.

‘It’s fine. The me of now has no flaws to be found. Etiquette? My body remembers it, and I’ve perfected it all over again.’

Relaxing my tense body, I entered the mansion. Following the servant’s lead, the dazzling interior of the marquisate unfolded before me. Rare, priceless objects drew my gaze instinctively—where had they even acquired such things?

‘This space seems designed to crush the spirit of anyone who enters.’

Lost in that thought, I arrived right before the tea room when warm, cheerful laughter drifted from beyond the door. Fortunately, the atmosphere didn’t seem bad.

I had braced myself for a cold battlefield where icy words replaced bullets, but it seemed it hadn’t come to that.

The servant opened the door and gestured for me to enter. I nodded my thanks and stepped inside—only for every pair of eyes in the room to fixate on me. I felt my body instinctively stiffen.

‘It’s okay. The eyes on me right now are nothing but lifeless dolls—Doll One, Doll Two, Doll Three. Yes. The dolls I’ve already shattered. Just dolls.’

Repeating that in my mind, the dizziness subsided. Soon, one lady recognized me and greeted me warmly.

“Oh my. Are you truly Duchess Ferhaem? I did hear you’d be attending today’s tea gathering.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I am Julietta Ferhaem of the Ferhaem dukedom. I’ve come in response to the kind invitation from Marchioness Yekert.”

When I replied with a smile, the noble ladies began praising Marchioness Yekert.

“Of course. Only someone like Marchioness Yekert would invite such a rare guest.”

“Oh, this is only natural for the Marchioness. Who could possibly decline an invitation from her? It’s such an honor to meet such distinguished guests.”

“Indeed. I never imagined I’d get to see not only the famed Duchess Ferhaem, but Her Majesty the Empress as well in person. Truly, it’s an honor to have been invited here today.”

I let the flattery flow in one ear and out the other, but the mention of “Her Majesty the Empress” struck me sharply.

‘Her Majesty the Empress? What does that mean?’

Her name wasn’t on the guest list for the tea gathering. There had been no word about her attending, not even this morning.

Naturally, my gaze turned to one spot. Finding her wasn’t difficult. Her silver hair, shimmering like scattered stars, and her mysterious violet eyes exuded an untouchable aura.

‘Ah, so that’s her.’

The graceful way she lifted her teacup was delicate and pure, like a single blossom. Just as described in novels, the heroine—Bertisha Hermine—captured everyone’s attention amidst the crowd. The moment her gaze met mine, I quickly bowed in greeting.

“Long live the glory of the Empire. I greet Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Please raise your head, Duchess Ferhaem.”

Her voice was soft and beautiful too—just as described in the novel, like jade beads rolling gently. She smiled faintly as she looked at me, and that smile was so breathtaking I couldn’t find words.

‘Goodness. Yezar, you loved someone like this?’

Now I understood why the psychopathic crown prince had disregarded her modest family background and insisted on marrying Bertisha. Her beauty carried that kind of persuasive power.

“I should thank Marchioness Yekert. I had to urgently request to attend today—just to meet the Duchess.”

Huh? Wait a moment—what did Bertisha just say?

“You mean… Her Majesty the Empress attended today’s gathering specifically to meet me?”

“Yes. I wanted to meet Duchess Ferhaem.”

The noble ladies around us instantly fell silent. It seemed they were deliberately avoiding interrupting our conversation. Clearly, they were all curious about why the Empress herself would want to meet me.

But even I couldn’t fathom the reason. What possible reason could she have to want to meet me? I began wondering if I had unknowingly built some sort of connection with her before.

But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t recall anything. Even my business affairs were delegated to others, so I rarely met new people personally.

‘I don’t understand why the heroine would come here today, even amid her busy schedule, just to see me.’

The only possible connection might be Yezar. But Yezar was currently in a state where he wouldn’t even face her directly.

He had said receiving letters from her was distressing and unpleasant, which was why he deliberately avoided replying.

And yet, in this situation, she came all the way here just to see me? Why?

“Is there a reason?”

To my cautious question, she smiled brightly and replied.

“Why, you’re the wife of my dearest friend. Don’t you all know? The three of us—myself, Camileo, and Duke Ferhaem—used to spend so much time together when we were young.”

At that, the noble ladies, who had been quietly holding their breath, finally spoke up.

“Yes, the three of you were extremely close.”

“It was lovely to see—how you always looked out for each other.”

Back then, the three of us were always together, until rumors spread that Duke Ferhaem and Camileo were secretly involved, turning them into targets of scandal among young ladies.

Recalling that absurd rumor now gave me a sudden headache. I made a mental note to ask Weaslet about it the next time I saw him. It wasn’t something suitable to write about in a letter.

“Those were good times. We relied on each other purely, without caring about family status or anything else. I thought that bond would never change……”

Her eyes locked directly onto mine. In that moment, I suddenly felt like an unwelcome intruder. True, Bertisha was smiling at me—but something about it felt off.

“As we grew older, secrets seem to have formed. I was so surprised to hear that Duke Ferhaem had married someone he never once mentioned to me.”

He hadn’t mentioned her because there was no one to mention. Our marriage was a contract marriage, after all.

“And then he kept his wife completely hidden, never showing her to me. So I grew curious—and came to meet you. Seeing you in person, I’m truly delighted. You must feel the same, don’t you?”