The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 101
“I-I haven’t submitted mine yet.”
Aria was holding a small piece of fabric in her hand. Normally, it would have been appropriate for someone else to submit it on her behalf, but Aria hadn’t received proper guidance on this.
However, no one dared to openly frown upon the actions of the empire’s only saintess.
‘I didn’t realize it while reading the novel, but being here, I can hear everything clearly.’
Grace could hear the whispers of other young ladies worried about whether the saintess would receive preferential treatment.
‘No need to worry.’
Grace watched as Aria carefully unfolded her work, relieved to see that it was as she had planned.
Aria had prepared an embroidery that significantly deviated from the standard.
“Oh my…”
“It’s beautiful, but can that be called embroidery?”
The handkerchief, decorated with a bit of embroidery, dried flowers, and small jewels, captivated everyone’s attention. It was designed to disguise Aria’s poor embroidery skills while deviating from the pre-notified format, making it ineligible for an award.
Through Marchioness Charles, Grace had sent pre-processed gemstones, mined from ‘that’ mine, hidden within a bouquet of dried flowers, and informed Aria about the embroidery contest’s intricacies.
‘Aria probably wouldn’t like it much.’
Having someone win first place due to their status, thereby depriving others of their chance? Naturally, a righteous protagonist would dislike such an outcome.
“…Perhaps the saintess is taking this event lightly…”
Given the long history of the event, the importance of adhering to the traditional format of the embroidery contest was held in high regard. Therefore, Grace had prepared supporting materials to justify her actions.
However, the problem was that other crucial materials meant to support this plan were yet to arrive.
‘I urged them to hurry, but I didn’t expect it to take this long…’
Grace looked around, took a deep breath, and slowly stepped forward. Her hands and feet trembled, but she couldn’t miss this opportunity.
“…I greet the Supreme Sun.”
“And you are?”
“I am Grace Felton, Duchess of Felton.”
As Grace, who had remained largely in the background until now, spoke up, the surreptitious glances turned overtly scrutinizing.
‘Di-Did I make a mistake stepping forward?’
As soon as she felt the piercing stares, Grace regretted her action. But what was done was done, and she had to manage the situation.
Everyone was intrigued as to why someone of her repute, known only through rumors, had stepped forward here.
In fact, very few people could boldly confront the Emperor, and one of those was held by someone bearing the name of the Felton ducal family.
Although the name of the Felton family was formidable, Grace had not known how to leverage it until now.
‘I can’t use it if I’m dead, better use it now. What choice do I have?’
Throughout, her legs hidden under her dress shook, and cold sweat ran down her back.
Before she spoke, Grace was nervous that her voice might sound weak and that she might accidentally bite her tongue.
‘Is my expression weird right now?’
Lost in her thoughts, Grace noticed the Emperor was waiting for her to speak.
“…I see, so you are the Duchess of Felton. What brings you to speak?”
“It was because of me that the saintess prepared that handkerchief, so I wish to say a few words before a winner is chosen.”
As she carefully enunciated each word, Grace’s mind raced to ensure she wasn’t being disrespectful.
Fortunately, the emperor seemed to think she hadn’t made any major mistakes, as he nodded for her to continue.
“You are aware that I also participated in the western expedition. However, there was an incident there that hasn’t been officially disclosed.”
“…”
“A priest there stole the saintess’s belongings and tried to frame me for it.”
The hall started to murmur at Grace’s revelation.
This ‘fact’, which hadn’t surfaced in rumors, shocked the gathered nobility. Regardless of how trivial Grace might have been considered, she was still a member of a major noble family.
To the nobility, this was a matter of great significance.
‘…I didn’t intend to reveal it like this.’
Grace had intended to resolve this quietly at the temple, not air it in front of a crowd fond of gossip.
‘Why can’t things ever go according to plan…’
Despite her intentions, Grace began to explain everything methodically.
“Fortunately, the misunderstanding with the temple was resolved, but the saintess felt regret that her belongings had led to such a situation and wished to discuss it with me. During our conversation, we realized the gravity of the situation in Ardel County.”
Aria looked momentarily flustered, her eyes questioning, ‘When did we ever…?’ but Grace ignored her gaze.
She didn’t have the luxury to worry about that.
Instead, Grace quickly looked for Sylvester. He was already nearby, observing Aria.
“The Crown Prince was also present at the time, so he knows what we discussed.”
“…The Crown Prince?”
As Grace referred to him, Sylvester’s gaze shifted to her.
“Yes, because of the incident involving the false charges, it was difficult for the saintess and me to meet without attracting a lot of attention, so we were assisted by His Highness. At that time, we speculated that there would be an opportunity to showcase embroidery here.”
Of course, this was all fabricated. There was not a drop of truth in it, but only three people at the venue knew this fact, and none of them would disclose it.
“Therefore, we wanted to use this opportunity. Isn’t the embroidery competition the opening event of this banquet? Before we begin, it is crucial to discuss the severity of the situation in Ardel County and to inform everyone about the potential of that land…”
The potential of Ardel, located at the starting point of the Rondell Canal in the West. Even if Grace hadn’t mentioned it, everyone could have guessed.
The gems used by Aria in her handkerchief bore an unseen brilliance.
Their strange yet enchanting luster was enough to captivate everyone.
“Is what the Duchess of Felton said all true, Prince?”
The Emperor asked Sylvester. Sylvester, not one to be caught off-guard, nodded calmly and replied.
“Yes, it is as the Duchess has said. I could have informed you separately, but such opportunities to capture everyone’s attention are rare, and I requested the saintess to take this role, knowing it was presumptuous.”
“Why did you ask the saintess to undertake it, when the Duchess herself could have done so?”
“…That, that was to avoid any political implications.”
Grace almost stuttered but regained her composure.
“I believe Your Majesty is aware that the House of Felton, though not as prominent as the Imperial family, has been receiving much attention recently. If I were to take direct action, it could be perceived in a different light.”
Some of the nobles present wondered if the Felton Family was truly the tree destined to swallow the sun. Grace’s actions demonstrated that she wasn’t as foolish as rumors suggested. She managed to elevate Felton’s reputation without entangling it in political scandals.
‘The temple remains uninvolved in politics, after all.’
There was a problem with this approach, however.
“That’s strange then. Why is the Duchess explaining this?”
“…”
According to her explanation, to avoid political implications, this should have been conveyed by Aria, not Grace.
“…Hmm.”
Grace looked towards the still-closed doors.
‘Still not here?’
Really? My throat is dry. How could I smoothly talk my way out of this? A clever person might come up with a good excuse, but Grace couldn’t think of one.
As her mind began to swirl with panic, a voice announced an arrival.
“His Grace, Duke Benjamin Felton, has arrived!”
“…!!”
As the silence ensued, Benjamin appeared in the hall, clutching an ornate jewelry box, capturing everyone’s attention.
“Here comes the Duke.”
“The Duchess has just returned to social circles, and he didn’t accompany her… Could the gossip magazines be right?”
“Look at what’s in his hands. That might be why he was delayed.”
“What is that?”
The murmuring voices of the crowd prickled Grace’s ears unpleasantly.
“…It appears I am quite late.”
Benjamin, either not hearing their comments or choosing to ignore them, stepped forward slowly and spoke in a calm tone.
“I departed late with my wife’s understanding, but I have been uneasy the entire time. Thank you for your patience.”
“N-No, not at all.”
Benjamin then kissed Grace’s hand before turning to give a bow to the Emperor, signaling his prioritization of his wife over the Emperor.
