“I heard you had left the capital for a while. Is it true, as the rumors say, that you went for recuperation?”

The woman’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she asked. It seemed like she was fishing for a specific response. I contemplated for a moment before answering her question while looking at her.

“Yes.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. It was clear from her expression that she didn’t like me much, but without knowing exactly what her relationship with Celeste was, I had nothing to say in response.

Ignoring her question wasn’t an option, so a brief answer was all I could manage.

The woman’s face reddened more with each terse reply. What could I do? I had nothing else to say.

“Did you have a particular health issue? It must have been quite serious if you needed recuperation.”

“Just general issues.”

Why so many questions? I hoped she would take the hint and leave, but she seemed intent on staying.

“Are you still not feeling well? You never used to talk so rudely. You seem quite different today.”

“Did my tone come off as rude? If so, I apologize.”

“Oh my, you’re not usually one to apologize so easily. You really are acting strangely today.”

“Yes. My condition is really… not good.”

I couldn’t understand why she kept provoking me.

“Hmm. Why might your condition be poor? The lady I remember… Oh, I mean, the Countess, was always in perfect health.”

“Who knows?”

What did she want to hear? Just as I was growing annoyed with her roundabout way of speaking,

“Your face looks so tired, almost like a woman who has recently given birth.”

There it was. She had been circling around just to say this.

I responded by simply looking up at her face. Although I was sitting and she was standing, our eye levels weren’t that different.

The rather short woman, thinking I was finally perturbed by her comment, barely concealed a smirk.

If you’re going to hide it, do it properly. I can see it all, even behind the fan.

“What are you trying to say, Lady Tekla?”

“Just asking after you, that’s all.”

“Then, having asked, you may go now.”

“What? How rude…”

Her face turned beet red at my direct dismissal.

Is her skin that thin? She’s getting worked up over this? If the original Celeste were here, this woman would probably be trembling in her boots.

Hastily, I shooed her away with my hand. What I really meant was, get out of my face.

Reading my unspoken thoughts, the woman bit her lip in frustration.

“I just wanted to see if you were alright, hearing rumors about you bringing home a child of unknown paternity.”

She delivered one final blow. A child of unknown paternity? Asking if I’m okay? My already taut nerves were stretched thin.

“Lady Tekla, that seems a bit excessive.”

Hannah stepped in before I could respond.

“Please step back, assistant. Know where to insert yourself and where not to.”

The woman then gave Hannah a contemptuous once-over.

At this point, it seemed clear that ignoring Lady Tekla wasn’t an option.

Just as I was about to rise and confront her,

“Lady Pulcheria is arriving!”

A booming voice from the Royal Guard announced. Who on earth is Lady Pulcheria?
As people seated in their designated spots simultaneously rose to their feet, straightening their postures, they turned towards the source of the commotion. I, too, reflexively stood up and turned around, following their lead.

Under the escort of guards, a middle-aged woman in a black dress entered the funeral hall. Even from a distance, her stature was as tall as many men, striding confidently into the room. Her appearance somehow reminded me of someone.

Where have I seen her? Her face seemed familiar.

With black hair, dressed in black, her pale skin and red lips, and slightly intimidating appearance due to her upturned eyes, she was someone I couldn’t quite place, though she felt oddly familiar.

“Who is that, Hannah?”

Not wanting to attract undue attention, I whispered quietly enough for only Hannah next to me to hear. Unintentionally, I had learned the art of ventriloquism during my confined stay at the mansion, never expecting it to be useful in such a situation.

“That’s Lady Pulcheria, the eminent daughter of the former Emperor, or rather the previous previous Emperor. She’s the aunt of the recently deceased Emperor,” Hannah whispered back.

So, the lady was the aunt of the late Emperor.

If the late Emperor was Carl’s cousin, then this Lady Pulcheria was also Carl’s aunt.

Given the current vacancy of the Imperial throne, did that make Lady Pulcheria the highest-ranking member of the royal family? It was a name I needed to remember. Lady Pulcheria, Lady Pulcheria.

As I repeated Lady Pulcheria’s name to myself, Hannah quickly adjusted my skirt and made sure my veil was properly draped over my hat, covering my face suitably. She also picked up the fan I had laid on the table and handed it back to me.

Lady Pulcheria took her seat at what appeared to be the most prominent place in the hall. Once she was seated, others followed suit and sat down again.

“Still here? You must really crave my attention. Don’t waste your energy picking fights in a place of mourning and focus on paying your respects.”

With Lady Pulcheria’s arrival, the attention momentarily drawn to Tekla, the woman standing idly by my seat, dissipated. Even though the ceremony was about to commence, she remained standing there.

After my rebuke, she finally left with a flushed face, stomping away.

“That’s no way to speak in such a setting, Countess,” Hannah admonished me, her face pale with worry.

I don’t know much about the order of this world or the etiquette that nobility should uphold. But in this case, why should I be the one to maintain decorum when the other party blatantly disregarded it?

They say stooping to the same level makes you no better, but if that’s the case, so be it. I’d rather be on the same level and retort sharply than suffer in silence like a fool.

Hannah, realizing her words were falling on deaf ears, sighed deeply.

What followed was a series of tedious but predictable procedures. Not knowing much about funerals in this world, I initially found it intriguing to observe the surroundings. However, my interest quickly waned as someone’s eulogy stretched beyond thirty minutes.

“Countess, cover your face more with the fan.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Unable to resist the wave of drowsiness, especially after a sleepless night attending to feverish Valerie, I yawned. Hannah promptly opened the fan and covered my face with it. Despite being at the Emperor’s memorial service, I couldn’t let my exhaustion show and so completely hid my face behind the fan.
Struggling to keep my sleepy eyes open, I watched an elderly gentleman deliver the eulogy. My gaze then shifted to Lady Pulcheria, seated with dignity at the main table.

Despite merely sitting there, she exuded an aura of authority and grace. Perhaps it was knowing she was the Emperor’s aunt that made her appear so imposing.

As I observed her, a busy lady moving around Lady Pulcheria caught my attention. She seemed to be attending to Lady Pulcheria’s needs, indicating that she might be her direct maid.

It’s said that royalty employs maids, often noble ladies themselves, and this seemed to be a classic example. The maid’s bright blonde hair shimmered strikingly against her black attire, clearly indicating her noble origins.

“She looks like a squirrel…”

I murmured unwittingly while observing Lady Pulcheria’s maid. The small-statured woman was constantly on the move, bustling around, reminiscent of a busy squirrel searching for acorns.

“What? What did you say?” Hannah tilted her head, thinking I was addressing her.

“Oh, nothing, just talking to myself.”

“Oh, Miss Tupper?”

“Tupper?”

“Yes, Laila Tupper. Lady Pulcheria’s grandniece.”

Grandniece? The daughter of her husband’s brother? It was a familiar name.

“Ah…!”

It’s true what they say about speaking things into existence. I had been lamenting not meeting the main heroine despite encountering the main hero and the villain, and here she was, right before me.