The commotion draws everyone's attention to the ballroom. As a result, everyone's attention is drawn to them. Marquess enters the banquet hall after taking a breather somewhere else. He longs to be by Medea's side once more. However, it appears strange that the banquet is silent, as Marquess Alwyn notices everyone looking in the same direction.
"There must be some commotion," he reasoned as the Marquess followed their attention, only to find someone on the floor.
Flashback
It's Lady Esmeralda, the daughter of Viscount Alexander. She has a long history of being a power-hungry figurehead. Formerly, the woman would constantly follow Medea and lavish praise on her. Medea and Ares were still engaged at the time. Esmeralda saw this as a great chance to improve relations with the Valimos. In contrast, Medea ignores her completely. The oblivious girl was dissatisfied with her ineffective actions.
She was the most relieved person in the Empire when news of Medea's annulment spread. It follows Ares, naturally. Having accomplished this, she can do whatever she wants to the haughty woman who once dreamed of becoming the next ruler of the Angelos Empire. After that, news of the Crown Princess contest is released. She participated but ultimately lost to Medea by an overwhelming margin. By definition, everyone else is defeated by Medea's overwhelming performance.
Knowing that Medea would ultimately be selected as Crown Princess, the woman decided to lavish her with more praise. When the Pope made his shocking decision to crown Hera the winner, everyone could see where the story was going. Ares and Hera got engaged after he made a proposal. Following that, things started to deteriorate rapidly. Without any remorse, the woman abandons Medea because she thinks the Duchess is useless at the moment.
Marquess Hector lets out a silent sigh as he reaches the scene. He is now at ease. The silver-haired man notices Medea standing next to Esmeralda. The Duchess puts her hand to her mouth, a wicked expression on her face. Meanwhile, Esmeralda is lying on the floor, her gaze fixed on Medea's side. The red stains and broken wine glass pieces are all over the floor.
Esmeralda most likely tried but failed to knock over Medea. In the end, she fell by herself.
"Can you stand up?" Medea mocks the woman.
Before the woman comes with her remark, "Oh silly me! Let me help you," Medea offers her hand to Esmeralda, helping the poor woman to stand up.
Still puffed up with pride, Esmeralda pushes Medea a little before falling again. Medea's smirk is distinctly malevolent. Esmeralda's movement is clumsy as she attempts to spill wine on Medea's dress again. Duchess Medea's quick reflexes allow her to avoid Esmeralda, and the woman ends up falling on her own for another time.
"Oh my, how could the lady trip again?" Esmeralda gets back up on her feet.
Her once-tidy hair has become tangled, and her dress has become wrinkled due to the fall. Again, the left side of her face is red from landing on her face. She tidies up her gown, her hands trembling with heavy breathing to control a lot of rages. This is being watched by all of the nobles, including the Crassore; how humiliating!
"I appreciate your concern, Your Grace. As you can see, I am excellent. To begin with, I apologise for slightly ruining your dress. However, I am concerned that purchasing this will cost Her Grace a fortune," Esmeralda holds her hands together, giving a fake sympathy look.
There is a stain on Medea's dress, but it is not visible until someone approaches her close enough to speak with her.
Flashback
Not long ago, when Medea was still the daughter of former Duke Valimos, she brought her father and his accomplices to trial for exploiting children and embezzling the war funds. Usually, all of the members of the family would be punished for this great crime. Nonetheless, since Medea is the one who reported all the crimes, she gets a pardon from the Imperial Family, succeeding the Duchess's title. Moreover, as a result of the trial, the Duchess promised to give most of Valimos' fortunes to the public, the Temple to be exact.
YOU ARE READING
The Duchesses
FantasyAurora opens her eyes only to feel the agonising pain in her body. That is to be expected when there has been an accident. It's excruciatingly painful. Aurora groans in pain and pulls off the blanket, taking in her surroundings. It is more appropria...
