When the rumor that had been circulating became a fact, the social world was once again stirred up.

Those who witnessed Rose and Peiron coming out of the villa were busy rushing to attend tea parties or small gatherings.

“They really came out of the villa side by side, I tell you!”

“The Count was calling so desperately.”

“How could they have deceived us so perfectly!”

Originally, rumors would take days to spread to every corner, but this time the speed of spread was strangely fast.

As if someone was deliberately spreading the news around.

The story of Peiron and Rose could be heard wherever the nobles stayed.

Among them, the place where the most talk was exchanged was undoubtedly the dressmaker’s shop.

Erina deliberately made time to visit the dressmaker’s shop for the dress she would wear at the coronation ceremony of the Smale Kingdom.

Originally, the Ramaton dressmaker’s shop said they would come directly to the Count’s residence, but Erina came out to the city in person to check.

She was curious about how quickly the rumors were spreading.

“Thank you for coming, Countess Medelia.”

As Erina entered the Ramaton dressmaker’s shop, the main designer of the shop came out personally to greet her.

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

As she followed the designer to the fitting room in the back of the Ramaton dressmaker’s shop, she felt people’s gazes focusing on her.

At the same time, the sound of whispering struck her ears.

“The mistress who stayed at the Iolls Count’s residence before the Count’s marriage annulment is Lady Asila, right?”

“They say she said it herself at the tea party!”

“I heard that several people saw the two of them in a secret meeting a few days ago.”

Erina tried hard to stop the corners of her mouth from rising at the sound of people whispering.

Heila, who was following behind, approached Erina closely and whispered.

“I hear that Countess Jabel and Rose are meeting at the Samuela dressmaker’s shop.”

At those words, Erina nodded slightly, putting strength into her lips.

Heila, seeming to understand Erina’s feelings, quietly smiled and finished speaking.

In fact, the reason Erina came out under the pretext of getting her dress fitted was to check if the rumors she had spread in all directions had properly circulated.

Although Erina had revealed at the tea party that Rose was Peiron’s mistress, the number of people at the tea party was small.

Although they had invited those who had some recognition or were quick with rumors, it would take quite some time for rumors to spread with just a small number.

So Erina moved, hoping the rumors would spread as quickly as possible.

But it was as if Peiron and Rose were helping her, they confirmed it themselves in a situation where suspicion was going back and forth.

According to the stories heard, nobles who found Peiron rushing to the villa, which was the center of rumors, moved without exception to confirm the facts.

The nobles who waited in front until Peiron, who moved urgently to the lit villa, came out, were surprised to see him come out with Rose.

The rumor moved far and wide in an instant.

It was resolved as smoothly as if solving a problem without touching it.

Unlike Erina, who was happily fitting at the dressmaker’s shop as things were going smoothly, Rose, who visited the Samuela dressmaker’s shop, felt like she was going crazy.

Wherever Rose went, all eyes followed her.

It wasn’t the kind of gaze that was enjoyable to receive, like when she was actively participating in social circles.

It was a gaze full of contempt that made her teeth chatter just by receiving it.

Not just gazes, the conversations that were whispered loud enough for her to hear were shameful enough to make her hands and feet tremble.

“I heard they met openly with Count Iolls.”

“It was even more outrageous before the Count’s marriage annulment.”

“They say she lived openly in the mansion.”

“There’s a limit to shamelessness!”

Rose tried to ignore the words she heard and hurried her steps.

But the following whispers continued without stopping.

Rose ran into the fitting room of the Samuela dressmaker’s shop where she was supposed to meet Connie, to escape the endless whispers.

Rose, who entered and quickly closed the door of the designated fitting room, leaned against the door and sighed.

“Hah…, damn it.”

She had to say even the vulgar words as if dropping them, worried that they might be heard through the door.

Rose looked at her reflection in the large mirror attached to the wall.

Disheveled hair, an unkempt dress in a gloomy color.

Rose didn’t want to come out, staying cooped up in the mansion.

But she had to meet Connie to get in touch with the Small Kingdom Alliance.

Rose felt as if the woman reflected in the mirror wasn’t herself.

The appearance of herself, dressed as inconspicuously as possible, felt unfamiliar.

It had always been natural for her to dress beautifully and lovably enough for others to admire.

As Rose, angry at her appearance, turned away from the mirror, Connie, who had entered unnoticed, approached and greeted her.

“It’s been a while, my Queen.”

Rose felt her mood lift a little at Connie’s consistent attitude from the beginning.

“Connie.”

“Are you alright?”

Connie’s worried eyes pierced Rose’s weakened heart.

Rose choked up at her pitch-black eyes.

“I heard your situation is not good.”

Connie’s words were correct.

Rose’s situation was not good, both internally and externally.

Her father was busy trying to back out or make a comeback, and Peiron was busy pressing her to tell the truth.

Since the Small Kingdom Alliance was the only thing Rose could trust now, she came out forcibly to meet Connie.

At this time when all eyes were on her, there was considerable burden in revealing Connie, who acted as a channel for the Small Kingdom Alliance.

That’s why she deliberately set the place as a dressmaker’s shop where they could overlap at any time, but the attention was more considerable than expected.

“How are the Small Kingdom Alliance, no, Trumto and Tula?”

Smale had already broken away and was wagging its tail to the Emperor and Erina.

Rose didn’t even want to include them under the name of the Small Kingdom Alliance.

“As a matter of fact, the internal situations in both the Trumto and Tula Kingdoms are not good.”

“What?”

“The forced magic stone smuggling attempts all failed, causing a big blow. Moreover, some nobles in both kingdoms are insisting on friendly exchanges with the Empire.”

“These stupid fools!”

Rose couldn’t hold back and burst out in anger.

But seeing Connie apologizing with an even more miserable face, she had to calm down.

“I’m sorry, my Queen.”

“Damn it.”

Rose bit her lips and racked her brain.

She had to get the magic stone mine before her position in the social world completely disappeared.

To do that, she had to take action against Erina right away.

But the situation was not favorable.

Erina was under iron-clad protection from the Imperial Knights and received attention from many people, making it difficult even to approach her.

If she recklessly started something now, she would undoubtedly waste the deadly poison she had worked hard to create.

So she had planned to shake up the Empire using Trumto and Tula and then take action in the gap.

“Shall we try conveying the message to the two kingdoms again?”

Rose looked at Connie, who was still speaking politely beside her.

Connie had a strange talent for picking up on what she wanted and gently scratching where it itched.

As if she had been trained for it all her life.

“First, ask if it’s possible.”

“Understood.”

Rose stroked the bracelet dangling from her wrist.

It was a relic similar in shape to her necklace.

The advisor of the Trumto Kingdom had clearly said that the bracelet could be used anytime if awakened.

But strangely, it hadn’t worked since the first time she used the bracelet.

Upon closer inspection, she found that the bracelet, which was said to be usable as a communication network at any time, only activated once a week.

That’s why Rose had no choice but to meet Connie.

“Next time, find somewhere other than the dressmaker’s shop.”

“I’m sorry, it was arranged in a hurry.”

“It’s fine.”

Rose turned her back on Connie, stood in front of the door, took a deep breath, and left the fitting room.

Then Connie’s ears caught the sound of whispering outside the fitting room.

Connie’s eyes flashed sharply as she watched the fitting room door slowly close.

The sound of whispering outside the fitting room continued to be heard loudly.

It seemed that Baroness Samuela, who had been waiting, was greeting Rose as she tried to leave.

When Rose said she wanted to meet, Connie deliberately asked Erina for help.

She used the dressmaker’s shop at the busiest time for Rose, who wanted a place with few people.

She moved using the perfect excuse that it couldn’t be helped because it was arranged too quickly.

In addition, Baroness Samuela, who had connections with Erina, volunteered to help.

As she ran the dressmaker’s shop, she was well-informed.

It seemed that she had conveyed to Erina the fact that she was an illegitimate child of the Trumto Kingdom.

So she seemed surprised at the request to empty one fitting room for her.

As an illegitimate child of the Trumto Kingdom and a liaison, she had to be related to the Small Kingdom Alliance.

So Connie deliberately attempted to contact the Small Kingdom Alliance here, where Baroness Samuela had dozens of ears.

Then she intentionally didn’t tell Rose about the contact that had just come from meeting her, blocking the information.

In fact, Trumto had informed that they would send someone to cause trouble in the Empire first if Rose wanted.

Connie told Trumto she would ask directly when they met, but didn’t inform Rose.

She just had to tell Trumto that the Queen said to wait.

This should have satisfied Baroness Samuela’s curiosity to some extent.

It would be troublesome if the Empire became noisy right when Erina had to prepare to leave for the Smale Kingdom.

Connie pushed up her dress that had fallen to her wrist and firmly pressed the bracelet.

“Contact complete. Small Kingdom Alliance information blocked.”

Connie quietly finished speaking and let her dress fall again, covering the bracelet.

As the dressmaker’s shop had become quiet, Connie went out, suppressing any signs of her presence.