Cerulean Waves | Duke Ergi

Chapter 16

The harmonious melody of the orchestra filled her sense of hearing once again as she was surrounded by many noble ladies and man alike. Ever since Duchess Tuania's departure, the high society has focused their attention to the Lady Valea and crowned her with the title of the most famous and well-respected noble lady in the Empire, excluding the female members of the Imperial Family. The overwhelming change of spotlight had admittedly caught her by surprise but fortunately, it was something she can easily deal with.

She internally sighed, letting a polite smile grace her lips as she continued to listen to the endless chattering of her fellow nobles. It was something she had been expecting since other than the former Duchess of Tuania, her popularity is very well known across the Eastern Empire among both nobles and commoners alike.

Although with earning a much higher position in the hierarchy of society, there were few things that she must be cautious about.

One of them was the countless piles of rumors that may spread around her, whether it be bad or good. She was now in the center of the spotlight where the former Duchess of Tuania had once resided, where the prying eyes of aristocrats and dignitaries observe her actions much more closely than before. Given this, she concluded that she must choose her moves much more carefully from now on, for one single mistake or flaw may cause the downfall of her entire reputation. Much more so, her family's as well.

So unlike the past years where she can easily hide from public eyes whenever she wanted to, the Lady Valea must maintain a pristine appearance starting today onwards.

"Oh my goodness! It's him, he looks so stunning tonight. I wonder which woman he'll be entangled with this time." Lady Portia exclaimed, as other noble ladies quickly agreed with her in hushed whispers and giggles. Aria raised an eyebrow at their odd reaction.

Turning to look where the other noble ladies were pointing at, she soon figured out the cause of their sudden behavior. There, shining brilliantly among other noblemen, stood the Duke of Bluvohan who seemed to have just arrived. His attire was composed of a dark violet vest with a plain white shirt underneath. A beige scarf was neatly tucked in around his neck as a captivating smile appeared on his face while he socialized with the nobles around him.

The foreign duke had his hair down as always, its long wavy locks fell down on his forehead like ocean waves. His forest green eyes shone under the chandelier lights and for a moment, she swore it looked like sparkling jewels mined from one of the most popular caves of the Western Kingdom. To complete his entire look, a long navy blue coat peacefully rested on his broad shoulders.

She guessed that he wanted to choose a fresh color palette from the ones that he usually wore. From all the times she have met him, his clothes were either the same shade of his eye color or other earthy tones. This was the first time she saw him wear something a bit more colorful. The Lady Valea must admit, he looked quite good in every one of them.

Catching her eyes which were staring at him much longer than she realized, he sent a playful wink in her direction which made the noble ladies that surrounded her erupt in fits of giggles, murmuring and excitedly whispering to each other behind opened fans.

Aria immediately turned away from him and acted as if the small interaction never happened, completely ignorant of the lightest dust of pink that covered her cheeks.

"I adore the hairpins decorated on you hair, Lady Aria." Another lady complimented, closing her blue-coloured fan as she greeted the Lady Valea with a sweet smile.

Aria returned her nice gestures with a smile. "As do the beautiful necklace you are wearing, Lady Clementine."

The young lady in a sky blue dress beamed at her in delight. She was a dear friend of the Lady Valea ever since she attended the ball where the young Clementine had officially debuted into high society. Aria welcomed her with open arms and guided her through the ways of the strict environment like the former Duchess of Tuania once did.