Isn't Being A Wicked Woman Much Better?

161

C161

"Nice to meet you, Marquise Debion."

"I am delighted to meet you as well, Princess."

As I approached, Marquise Debion responded with a puzzled expression and a delicate, trembling voice.

The Debion family was a new aristocratic family with a short history compared to Seymour and Baslein. People from ancient families tended to downplay those with shorter histories.

Regardless of my reputation, I am, first and foremost, the princess of one of the founding families of the empire. In a situation where many nobles had not yet been introduced, Marquise Debion did not expect it to be her turn to greet me.

Even those close to Marquise Debion looked at me in astonishment. It was the same everywhere; the people around were also new noble families that had gained much popularity recently. They seemed to wonder why I had approached Marquise Debion in the first place.

"Yes, because this is much more useful to me."

"Princess Deborah looks very well-dressed. Sooner or later, mermaid dresses with beautiful lines will be in fashion."

Marquise Debion kept her expression under control and spoke calmly.

"Thank you for the compliment. If you wish, I can connect you with the dressmaker I use."

"T-thank you."

Helen's dressing room has been one of the hottest in the capital lately, and it's fully booked, so the Marquise's face revealed indescribable joy.

"But, seeing that Marquis Debion couldn't attend today, he must have been very busy."

I said, looking around.

"Yes. At this time of year, when there are many events, the imperial administrative office is especially busy."

"I wanted to meet him in person and thank him, but it's a shame."

"Thank him?"

Marquis Debion was a high-ranking official in the imperial administration, and with his approval in the early days of the Armand project, the clock tower could be installed. He also helped deliver ionic drinks during the jousting contest. I have been indebted to him since then. Marquis Debion wouldn't have known that I was the owner.

"Thanks to Marquis Debion's hard work, we have been able to establish useful donation facilities in two squares in the Horun district."

"Oh, wow. I can't believe you donated public facilities! You took the initiative and did a good job. The Debion family assisted with the princess's charity work. That's really good."

Marquise Debion, while loudly announcing my donation, didn't forget to honor her family with it.

"Well, I did a good job choosing this person," I sighed inwardly, recalling Agath-nim's words.

"Marquise Debion has a lot of influence among the wives of imperial officials and is the most active in promoting the family."

It made a lot of noise, and perhaps the fact that I, who was notorious, had made a donation was shocking, so the nobles around her quickly began to show interest.

"That's wonderful. But what facilities did you donate, Princess?"

"I donated the Goddess Fountain in Horun and the great clock tower that chimes in front of the fountain."

"..."

There was silence at my words.

I knew just by looking at their expressions. They seemed incredulous.