Marianne sat before a dressing table adorned with lavish gold and silver decorations while her maid carefully combed her honey-colored hair.
"I don't need you, leave," Marianne dismissed the maid, her displeasure evident. The servant quickly exited the room.
Her long, spilled honey-colored locks flowed over her shoulders as Marianne gazed into the mirror, nibbling at her finely manicured nails.
Her deep blue eyes sparkled like precious jewels, her lips painted in a shade of red, and her skin possessed a clarity that rivaled pearls. Even in the dimly lit room, her honey-colored blonde hair gleamed like gold.
Marianne was undeniably beautiful, counted among the finest beauties in the capital city. However, the emperor showed no interest in her. He didn't seem to care whether she attended events or not, and he never initiated conversations with her.
Despite this, Marianne found her own satisfaction in the situation. The emperor's attention was entirely absorbed by other noble, and that pleased her in its own way.
It had taken at least a week for Marianne to even have a conversation with the emperor, a situation that would have been unimaginable for any other noble lady.
"But why is he so interested in her?" Marianne wondered.
The emperor had shown a peculiar level of interest in the former empress, who had been banished. He had invited her to dinners, sent her dresses and jewelry, and even insisted on dining with her when she initially declined.
Marianne's father, Marquis Croychen, had sent her on this journey with the goal of winning the emperor's favor during their little tour. That had been her father's request.
However, it wasn't some unfamiliar rural woman who had captured the emperor's attention; it was the former empress, whose whereabouts had been unknown.
Initially, Marianne had felt relieved when it was explained that this was due to the empress dowager's will. She had been brought by the emperor himself for that reason.
But it was unlike the emperor to send lavish gifts and forcibly summon someone to the dinner table, even if he needed to win their favor according to the empress dowager's wishes.
Furthermore, the way the emperor looked at the woman during dinner... it was truly remarkable. Marianne had witnessed countless glances exchanged between lovers in the social world she had grown up in.
After pondering this for a while, Marianne pulled a cord to summon her maid. "Fetch the head maid for me."
• 🍁 •
As the afternoon progressed, the once-blue sky began to pale, its azure hue transformed into a watery gray. A refreshing breeze rustled through the green leaves of the garden.
Astelle paused from her tasks and gazed at the sky through a nearby window. Beyond the stone wall, adorned with thick ivy, the misty sky seemed to brush against the distant mountaintop.
The atmosphere was ripe for a sudden downpour.
Astelle moved to her dressing table and retrieved a small box she had placed in one of the drawers. The box was adorned with intricate golden flower patterns.
Upon opening it, she found a collection of various-sized medicine bottles inside. At first glance, nothing appeared to have changed, but there was one subtle alteration.
A thin thread she had affixed to the box's hinge had come loose.
"..."
Upon her arrival here, Astelle had discreetly attached a nearly transparent thread to the hinge of the medicine box. It was a classic method of monitoring whether anyone else had opened it.
