“Did you receive an invitation to the Royal Ball?”

She took a moment to sit on a bench to rest, and on the adjacent bench, two noblewomen were quietly conversing.

“Yes. I wonder who will meet their end this time.”

“I heard Luella Rominin joined a newly formed guild. Since that guild also received an invitation, do you think Her Highness’s attention might shift in that direction?”

Luella intentionally turned her body slightly away from the noblewomen, subtly showing them her disinterest.

“But if the person who founded that guild is from the Elrab nobility, shouldn’t we avoid making enemies with them? This famine is unusually severe.”

“Still, do you think Her Highness and Master Valder will just let Luella Rominin be? She openly mocked them.”

“But we can’t kill the First Duke of Elrab, can we? Didn’t you hear that he’s a cousin of the Elrab Emperor?”

“But does that even matter? If things go awry, they might release monsters and blockade the harbor again.”

“Shh! What if someone overhears us.”

Luella felt the two women looking in her direction, but she continued to hum as if she hadn’t heard anything. Just to be safe, she lowered her parasol a bit more to keep her hair from being visible.

Whether they thought she hadn’t heard or not, the two noblewomen continued their conversation.

“Anyway, if the food supply doesn’t improve this time, there might really be a rebellion.”

“With monsters around, is that even possible?”

“Do you know that the radical faction is trying to contact the Peroz Guild during this Royal Ball?”

“Well, if they do, it will likely end up like Kamun Village.”

‘Kamun Village? Why is Luella’s brother’s story coming up here?’

After calming her surprise, Luella once again listened to the noblewomen’s conversation.

“Didn’t Kamun Jak fight to the death because of his sister, Rominin?”

“There are rumors to the contrary. It’s said that he died in a clash with Master Valder.”

“Then, is it also a false rumor that Rominin seduced Cedest and caused trouble?”

To better hear the conversation of the noblewomen, Luella slightly shifted her body toward them.

“That one might be true. There were many who witnessed it.”

“Then, is it true that the two were found in Master Valder’s bedroom?”

“Ugh…”

A sigh escaped her unintentionally. Luella was startled by her own sigh, but the two women seemed too engrossed in their conversation to notice.

“With so many witnesses, it doesn’t seem like a baseless rumor.”

Luella couldn’t help but feel deeply disappointed in Luella Rominin. Perhaps she had hoped that her actions wouldn’t be so reckless.

“It’s unbelievable… So, will Master Valder’s declaration of hostility make sense?”

“Well, it might. Regardless of Master Valder’s character, Rominin has also failed to uphold the gods.”

“I have relatives in Kamun Village, and they say that even after her brother’s death, she attended parties without a care.”

Rumors spread remarkably fast. Just a week ago, this incident had occurred, and it had already reached the ears of the city’s noblewomen.

“It’s as if she has no shame. Will she come to this Royal Ball as well?”

“She can’t afford not to. If you’re not part of a guild here, you can’t engage in any economic or social activities.”

“So, what will happen with this declaration of hostility? Will it extend to the newly formed guild as well?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see whether Her Highness chooses to align with Elrab or uphold Master Valder’s reputation.”

One of the noblewomen let out a sigh filled with anticipation.

“In any case, I’m looking forward to it. The country’s situation is so bad that they hardly host any events, and even the hunting contest was canceled. Amidst all this, they’re holding the Royal Ball, and everyone’s buzzing with excitement.”

“Yes, rumors had it that they wouldn’t even hold a birthday celebration due to the king’s ailing health.”

One of the noblewomen’s voices grew softer.

“Is it really madness?”
Luella’s expression, which had been somewhat languid as she listened to the noblewomen’s gossip, once again filled with interest. The news of the king going mad had left her wondering what was happening.

“I don’t know. But it’s been more than a day since corpses started being carried out of the Royal Palace. They say everyone’s murmuring about it. It’s said to be the consequence of betraying the ‘line of the gods.'”

“This is a really big problem. They say the king has gone mad, and the man himself, Duke Balder, is becoming even more ruthless. And on top of that, there’s a food shortage in the country. They say meat and fruit will become scarce. It looks like we’ll be stuck with just bread and vegetables.”

“Did you go to the marketplace yesterday? They say you can’t buy freely anymore. There’s a limit to how much you can purchase per person. And as for the prices, who knows how expensive they are? Ironically, the luxury items imported from Elrab seem cheaper.”

Word has it that luxury items have arrived. It’s meant as a celebration of trade, they say.

“Food hasn’t arrived yet, right?”