Chapter 14

“Oh, by the way, Marquise. Did you hear that?”

As if she had suddenly remembered the news she had forgotten, her friend made a fuss out of the blue. Marquise Lamott, who was enjoying tea and chatting with her, tilted her head curiously. A gossip? What sort of gossip? The context was unfamiliar and even the subject was missing, so she didn’t even know the intent of the question. 

“What are you talking about? Did something new happen?”

She put down the teacup in her hand and asked curiously. The talkative Viscountess Despan, who was a source of the current waves in a good way but also overly scandalous in a bad way, answered meaningfully while lowering her upper body as if telling a secret story.

“It’s not particularly interesting, but it’s something you should be concerned about. It’s about Baron Amieux.”

Baron Amieux? Upon hearing that name, the beautiful eyebrows of the Marquise were raised. The Marquise was also familiar with the name of the nobleman, which had become a buzzword in the court these days. She knew him, to say the least. She also had a history of hosting a ball to win his favor. 

“What happened? Did His Majesty grant him something else again?”

It was the same everywhere now that the name was the center of the topic these days. Since the Emperor was giving him unprecedented favor and preferential treatment, his every move was of interest to the court nobles who were sensitive to the Emperor’s intentions.

The Countess of Shirell, who was listening next to her, fluttered the fan she was holding and interrupted the conversation. She liked to gossip, too, and as she questioned Viscountess Despan, a gleam of curiosity was seen in her eyes.

“It’s not about His Majesty, but about Marquise Merlin. I’m acquainted with someone who is close to Marquise Merlin’s friend. I heard from her a while ago that Marquise Merlin had sent him an invitation this morning.”

“Who doesn’t send an invitation to Baron Amieux these days? Rather, it’s more of a big deal if you don’t send one.”

The Countess of Shirell asked back sarcastically as if her excitement had died down after much anticipation. However, Viscountess Despan had not yet brought up the topic and whispered dramatically without giving up on her exaggerated attitude.

“If it were an ordinary invitation, I wouldn’t have even said it. It’s no ordinary invitation. It’s an invitation to Toilette Officielle. It will be held tomorrow morning.”

Oh my goodness. Toilette Officielle?! 

Marquise Lamott’s eyes widened. The Countess of Shirell stopped fanning herself, which she was previously doing quite frantically so. The two ladies looked at Viscountess Despan in disbelief. As if true, Viscountess Despan nodded enthusiastically.

“It is certain that an acquaintance of mine heard it directly from the person who delivered the invitation. She really sent him an invitation to Toilette Officielle.”

“It’s unbelievable. Even if you ignore the customs of the court, how could she dare to invite Baron Amieux to the Toilette Officielle? Baron Amieux isn’t a close relative of the Marquise, nor is he an old friend of the family. How could she be brazen enough to invite an outsider who’s nothing more than a stranger?”

The Countess of Shirell said indignantly. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Toilette. It referred to the grooming time of the noblewomen. The ladies usually dressed up twice a day. The first was a toilette that was done when they got just out of bed, and it was uncommon for even her husband to participate, but the second one, aka ‘Toilette Officielle’, was an informal social gathering where best friends and relatives were invited.

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Therefore, invitations to the toilette time were generally used in the same sense as invitations to bed. It was no exaggeration to say that most of them were not real blood relatives.

“How strange. Marquise Merlin is not a frivolous person, so why did she do such a thing?” 

The same was true of Marquise Lamott, but her judgment was much more level-headed than that of the Countess of Shirell. This is because, if one were to think about it, there was absolutely no reason for Marquise Merlin to act that way.

Although the Toilette Officielle was one of the publicly recognized events within the social circle, it was not allowed for all noblewomen. This enchanting play was secretly forbidden to unmarried women, or to married women who had not yet given birth to their firstborn, or to the concubines of the Emperor who had received a title.

Even if it was a custom that was merely an excuse, if the Emperor’s concubine did not follow it, it would cause a huge stir. Why would Marquise Merlin, who knew about the secret rule, try to do something so reckless? Marquise Lamott, well aware that her rival’s behavior was as smooth as a fox, could not easily shake off her suspicions.

There must have been some reason. 

“But listen to what’s even more amusing. Do you know what Marquise Merlin said in the invitation to the Baron? She said, ‘It’s upsetting that we’re not acquainted with one another despite being blood relatives’! She even called herself his ‘little sister’.”

“No, what sort of nonsense is that again? Is Marquise Merlin related to Baron Amieux?”

The Countess of Shirell asked excitedly after hearing the whispered words. The Countess of Shirell became the third wife of the Count of Shirell, who was over sixty, at a young age, and would easily get excited about gossip, perhaps because that was the only pleasure in her life.

“You know Viscountess Gagnon, who is the aunt of Marquise Merlin? Turns out that she’s the second cousin of the late Baroness Amieux. So, if one were to argue, there is a blood connection in the family. Like one drop for his younger maternal cousin.” 

Viscountess Despan was right. It was quite literally a ‘if one were to argue’ situation. In that case, how many nobles were not related to each other? The Countess of Shirell clicked her tongue in astonishment and muttered, “That’s a good excuse”. Even Marquise Lamott shook her head without saying a word.

“It seems that Marquise Merlin was really in a hurry. However, no matter how urgent it is, there is no reason to use such an absurd excuse. My face is burning with embarrassment.”

As she gently shook her head, her classy curly hair hanging below her ears shook as well. While her friendly demeanor was the same as usual, in Marquise Lamott’s scorching eyes, a pale flame flared and disappeared.

“She’s always been like that. She has a lot of greed and tries to get a hold of anything. It’s quite unsightly for someone of high standing to go that far, so I wonder what compels her to do so. It doesn’t seem like she thinks about her reputation at all.” 

Viscountess Despan said with a worried look as she raised her teacup. However, to go along with this level of gossip was the norm in aristocratic society. The same was true of the Countess of Shirell. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for them to be companions of Marquise Lamott.

“But there’s no other way to do this if she wants to save face. What can one possibly do about it if they’re blood-related? At this point, I should take a look at my relatives who have connections with the eastern nobility. Who knows, maybe I might be a closer ‘sister’ than Marquise Merlin?”

“Will you, now? Then I’ll go through the nobility almanac. I’m curious as to how many more ‘relatives’ there are of Baron Amieux. I have it at home, but I simply forgot about it, though now I’ll be able to find it out. There are probably not many people like me, right?”

Hohohoho. In the conversation of high-pitched laughter and light jokes, there was a venom that was sharper than a poisoned dagger. For the two of them who lined up with Marquise Lamott, Marquise Merlin was an irritating thorn and a powerful opponent. 

Countess Patrí had a low stature and was not worth mentioning, but Marquise Merlin, who had the same peerage title of ‘Marquise’ and even had a powerful father behind her, was not an easy target to ignore.

“The weather’s nice, so let’s stop talking about other people’s blunders. Let’s have our tea. At this rate, the pleasant scent will disappear.”

Marquise Lamott spoke gracefully and asked her lady-in-waiting for newly made black tea. The lady-in-waiting, bowed politely, replaced the pot that had cooled down with the new one, and stepped back while they were chatting.

The two ladies, reluctant to deny Marquise Lamott’s disapproval, stopped gossiping about Marquise Merlin. Though their mouths were itching to say more, it was impossible to go against Marquise Lamott. Reluctantly, they turned the topic to other gossips. Fortunately, the social season had just started, so there was plenty to talk about. 

The friendly tea time continued after that. What the ladies sitting around really enjoyed was not the exquisite black tea and confectionaries, but rumors of the nobles involved in political affairs and money issues. They lost track of time as they continued on with their gossip.

As the warm sunlight waned and a cold wind began to blow in the twilight sky, the ladies got up and moved to a warm boudoir. Marquis Lamott, lifted the hem of the flowing shawl as she moved from her place, and looked back at Viscountess Despan as if she had suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot. When you leave the palace, please give my regards to my elder brother. I have been worried since I have not seen him around lately.”

The Marquise’s companion and sister-in-law, Viscountess Despan, smiled with a nod. 

“I’ll make sure to tell him. No, I’ll request him to visit the palace instead. It’s been a while since you’ve seen each other, so he’ll be extremely happy to do so.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Marquise Lamott answered quietly with a soft smile. Then, as if nothing had ever happened, she turned around and started walking again.

*** 

Ten O’Clock in the morning. At this hour, when it was never too early to start the day, Eugène was standing at the door of Marquise Merlin’s toilette. I can’t believe I’ve been invited to Marquise’s toilette. Eugène had never been popular with a lady in his entire life and smiled to assure himself as he thought of such a thing.

Frankly speaking, this was the first time he had been invited to a noblewoman’s Toilette Officielle.

But Eugène was not happy with the invitation at all. Far from feeling pleasant, it was rather troublesome. Not only Eugène, but other noblemen would also react the same way to such an invitation. To openly receive the interest of the Emperor’s woman. What could be more frightening than that?

Thanks to Louise, I’m getting to experience all sorts of things. Would I rather be a love rival with the Emperor’s kin or have the Emperor’s woman be interested in me? 

Eugène thought for a moment in a gloomy mood. Though the interest may not carry a sexual implication, it still meant that he had her attention. It was an outright gesture of trying to bring Eugène under her power, so how could this not be called a nuanced move toward him?

“Baron Amieux has arrived.”

Although his complicated feelings had not cleared up, the lady-in-waiting announced Eugène’s arrival. A woman’s voice greeted him with a soft simple from inside the door. She had an impressive voice with a perfect almost model-like court accent.

“Welcome, Baron Amieux. I was waiting.” 

With Marquise’s consent, the lady-in-waiting bent and opened the door. A small but beautifully decorated toilette room was revealed. An unparalleled beauty was standing under the golden sunlight. Eugène recognized at first sight that she was none other than Marquise Merlin.

She was a very beautiful woman. Her black hair, as fine as ebony, hung over her white shoulders, and her bright eyes like black pearls reminded him of a bewitching smile. Her mature body, shaped like a peach, was extremely seductive. Indeed, she was a feminine beauty who was praised as the most beautiful woman in the empire until Countess Patrí appeared like a comet.

“Thank you for inviting me, Marquise Merlin. It is an honor to meet you.”

Eugène politely thanked her. She was wearing an extremely personal outfit of semi-transparent chemise made of thin linen, and a colorfully decorated corset on top of it tightened at the waist, which he couldn’t dare be conscious of. 

The Grands loved to be naked anyway. Eugène had unintentionally admired the bare body of the Emperor a few days ago and unwittingly harbored prejudice against the Grands.

Marquise Merlin smiled endearingly and held out her small white hand. Although not as legendary as Countess Patrí, she had pretty arms. Eugène lightly kissed the back of her hand and took a step back to maintain a gentlemanly distance.

“Say hello to my friends. This is Countess Orte, my companion as well as my lady-in-waiting.”

Marquise Merlin first introduced the lady, who was wrapping a lace-layered pannier around her waist. The lady, introduced as Countess Orte, greeted him gracefully after entrusting her work to another lady-in-waiting. Eugène also bowed to her. 

“This is my niece, Miele. She is the daughter of Viscount Carbo, my elder brother.”

A young girl who had not yet debuted in the social world bowed with flushed cheeks. Fifteen or sixteen? She looked shy and young like a flower bud that had not bloomed yet and resembled her aunt, showing the potential to become an outstanding beauty in the future.

“And lastly, Count d’Estuaire. I’m quite delighted to introduce you to this person. He is the most precious guest of the day. He stands at the very intersection of where my blood meets yours.”

Eugène turned in the direction she was pointing. A man leaning on a long chair and watching the situation got up and approached this way. 

“I finally get to meet the person who’s been making a lot of noise in the entire court these days. It is an honor to meet you, Baron Amieux. I am Count d’Estuaire. My mother is the second cousin of yours.”

The man said softly and smiled. I guess I have become quite successful. I’m getting to meet all my relatives who were hard to find when I actually needed them. Eugène, thinking the same thing for the second time today, politely greeted him.

“Nice to meet you, Count d’Estuaire.”

Count d’Estuaire was a handsome man with a gentle smile. His very sociable attitude adorned with a friendly smile, gave him the feel of a typical court noble. He was the first person Eugène had ever seen who well-matched the justaucorps made of green silk, and his entire outfit was extremely sleek. Just like the ladies, the color of the clothes matched the unique color of his eyes.