“Lady Ariadne de Mare!”

With the long announcement of the royal palace’s servant, Ariadne, who had entered the queen’s banquet hall, exchanged a glance with the Duchess of Chibo who had arrived earlier and was keeping her seat.

The host of the banquet and the highestranking person, Queen Marguerite, had not yet entered, and guests were still coming in according to their ranks.

“Lady Marchesa Marquise!”

The Marchesa Marquise, dressed in a fabulous red dress, entered the banquet hall and sat next to Ariadne.

Ariadne’s seat today was just to the left of Queen Marguerite, a seat where only close aides could sit. It was usually the seat where the Marchesa Marquise sat, thus pushing her down one notch.

The Marchesa Marquise looked at Ariadne with an unpleased expression.

“It seems you’ve gained the queen’s favor, Lady de Mare.”

Ariadne responded with the most modest expression she could muster. She didn’t have the energy to respond to such trivial arguments.

“How could I know her true intentions.”

The time to start the banquet was approaching. As soon as the clock struck noon and announced, the sound of a trumpet echoed.

Buuu!

Everyone sitting in the banquet hall stood up at once. There were about thirty people in total, all of whom were noblewomen of high and low ranks who held sway in San Carlo’s social circles.

The servant’s shout echoed in the banquet hall.

“Her Majesty Queen Marguerite!”

The invited guests bowed their knees to show respect to the royal family.

“Long live the full moon of San Carlo!”

Receiving the greeting of the bright noblewomen that filled the room, Queen Marguerite looked around the audience with dignity. The queen had no hobby of keeping the audience standing for long.

“Everyone, please sit.”

“Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!”

The noblewomen were all about to sit down in unison.

“Oh my, are you already sitting?”

A voluptuous beauty with red hair entered the banquet hall belatedly. She even carried a pet dog in her arms. The royal palace servant belatedly called out the latecomer.

“Lady Rubina Countess is entering!”

It was a huge mistake for a guest to enter after the royal family had entered. At the official entrance, it was a principle that all the guests who had already entered stand up and greet the new guest, because it was rude to the royal family who was already present.

Even the pet dog was inappropriate. It was common for pets to roam around during meal times, but it was not customary for a guest to bring their own dog to someone else’s restaurant.

Despite Lady Rubina Countess’s rude entrance, there was not a single flicker in Queen Marguerite’s expression, but the other noblewomen of the queen’s faction could not manage their expressions.

The Duchess of Chibo, who was of a higher rank than Lady Rubina Countess and therefore had no need to stand up when she entered, reflexively stood up to greet Lady Rubina Countess due to her weak energy.

The Marchesa Marquise, who was of the same rank as Lady Rubina Countess and would have been courteous to stand up, stayed seated without even a twitch, revealing an annoyed expression.

Having no choice, Ariadne got up from her seat and joined the line to greet Lady Rubina Countess.

“Nice to meet you, Countess!”

“You’re more beautiful than ever, Countess Rubina.”

“Oh my, your puppy is so cute. Its name is ‘Roco’, isn’t it?”

The noblewomen close to the queen kept their seats with unpleasant expressions or skipped the greetings, but the neutral noblewomen did stand up, and those closer to Lady Rubina Countess greeted her one after the other.

Since Ariadne was far from the countess and not within hearing distance, she just stood up and quietly sat back down.

‘It should be the last time they make a fuss.’

After this banquet, Lady Rubina Countess will be immediately imprisoned in the underground dungeon. Ariadne felt a slight sense of discomfort.

‘Does the person who planned the assassination of the queen behave so conspicuously?’

If it were her, she would live quietly like a dead mouse right before committing such an act.

Ariadne shook her head to dispel the thought. Either way, the assassination attempt was going to happen today. It would be sufficient to consider the perpetrator’s mental state and motive after catching them.

As the turbulent atmosphere in the room subsided, Queen Marguerite extended her greetings.

“Welcome, faithful people of Etruscan who have come from afar today. I should arrange such meetings more often, but I’m not in good health, so it’s been a while.”

She continued her story after a dry cough, perhaps due to a dry throat.

“I know that the atmosphere is disturbed due to various things these days. Don’t be shaken, I hope you will always protect San Carlo and the Etruscan Kingdom as always.”

As Queen Marguerite finished her simple first greeting, about thirty guests applauded like thunder. Some of the noble ladies, including Lady Rubina, seemed displeased, but they had no choice but to applaud.