The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 94
“May I escort you to the carriage?”
“Please do.”
Despite the short distance, Benjamin escorted Grace carefully.
As Grace settled into the carriage, Benjamin smiled.
“Then, I’ll be waiting. I hope you have a pleasant time.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Feel free to stay longer if you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Really?”
“Haha, half-joking.”
With that light-hearted exchange, the carriage set off. Benjamin watched it disappear before turning to the butler managing the annex.
“Bring me the furniture management ledger for the annex.”
⋆★⋆
‘So lavish.’
Grace uttered her brief impression as the carriage pulled up to the building.
It was excessively ornate.
‘This isn’t even the Marquis Charle’s residence.’
It was a separate location arranged for the baby shower. Grace mused that this must be how nobility in this romantic fantasy world spend their money.
“Good day, Duchess Felton. Do you have your invitation?”
The greeter at the door welcomed Grace smoothly as she approached. Despite Grace’s minimal social activities, he greeted her with the expertise of someone who seemed to have known her for a long time.
“Here it is.”
As Grace presented her invitation, the greeter checked it and promptly led her inside the building. The security was tight, with knights positioned throughout the premises.
Even the knight carrying Grace’s gift and Sally were surprised by the scale of the escort.
‘The aroma is getting nicer.’
However, as they moved further inside, the atmosphere of the party became evident with its soft colors and fragrances, accompanied by the gentle murmur of conversations.
As Grace entered the room, the sound of chatter gradually subsided.
All the ladies turned their attention to her.
“Lady Grace Felton, the Duchess of Felton, has arrived,” announced the greeter.
“…….”
Though everyone wore a pleasant expression, it was hard to discern what they were truly thinking.
‘Let’s stay sharp.’
This was both a first and a last chance.
The quickest opportunity for Grace to establish her position in the social circle.
The host of the baby shower, Lady Charles, greeted Grace warmly.
“Welcome, Duchess Felton. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“I’m sorry for my many shortcomings; I was worried about imposing, yet here I am.”
Technically speaking, it might have been somewhat inappropriate for Grace, as a duchess, to address the Marchioness, Lady Charles with honorifics, considering their titles.
However, that was a matter of imperial rank, and in this setting, it was only beneficial for Grace to show courtesy.
‘She’s here, as expected.’
The Elder Marchioness Charles, still vigorous, was seated at the most prestigious spot.
Given that the Charles couple was active in both political and social circles, the Elder marchioness, Marquis’s mother Madam Charles was treated with respect as a major noblewoman.
Though Grace held a higher title, in terms of influence, Madam Charles was more prominent. There was nothing to gain for Grace in being disrespectful to her.
‘Besides, it’s not comfortable to use informal language with an elder who has seen her grandchildren, and if I remember correctly, the Charles family was known for their close relationships.’
In this context, it would have seemed more offensive if Grace spoke informally to the daughter-in-law, Lady Charles while using formal language with the elder Marchioness, Madam Charles.
‘This is just my speculation, though.’
Grace pondered if perhaps appearing a bit naive but kind-hearted might be better. It was a strategy to turn the negative reputation she had into an advantage.
In this world, society gossip frequently made the newspapers. Famous nobles were, in modern terms could be called celebrities.
The Charles family had undoubtedly faced media scrutiny. In front of them, a somewhat naive but kind and hardworking person could evoke feelings of frustration, but also a desire to help and support.
This was the so-called ‘She’s a bit slow, but not as bad as the rumors say’ strategy.
“Lady Duchess, welcome, we have been waiting for you.”
The Elder Marchioness, Madam Charles rose from her seat to greet Grace. Only then did everyone else stand up.
As Grace had suspected, her reception at the party wasn’t entirely warm. The fact that Lady Charles had personally come to welcome her alone was surprising.
‘It must be because of the good relations between the Marquis and Benjamin.’
Still, considering Grace’s status, her seat was placed near the Charles family, essentially the highest honor among the guests. There was no petty ostracization like in the novels she had read.
Grace presented her gift to Lady Charles.
“Considering the esteemed status of your house, I worried that anything I brought might seem inadequate. I hope this finds favor with you.”
“Oh, my.”
Lady Charles smiled gently as she received the gift box. While it was customary to bring gifts to a baby shower, Lady Charle’s delighted smile revealed her social adeptness.
“We were just discussing opening the gifts we received earlier.”
It wasn’t customary to open gifts immediately upon receiving them. Instead, a time was set to open them in the presence of all guests, discussing the meaning behind each present and sharing the significance.
After the gift-opening ceremony, they would have tea and engage in socializing.
‘Hopefully, she likes it.’
Grace’s heart raced as she waited for the other gifts to be opened. Customarily, the first gift to be opened was from the person who gifted first.
Naturally, that was from the Marquis Charles.
“Oh my!”
“Look at this. It’s a deed to a villa.”
Grace nearly choked upon seeing the first item revealed. These outrageously wealthy nobles had a different level of expressing their love.
“It seems the Marquis truly adores his wife.”
“There’s a letter too, please read it!”
“Let’s see…”
Lady Charles, with her soft voice, read the letter: ‘After our child is born, I hope you can relax in a warm and peaceful place with our baby…’ While she read, Grace’s pupils trembled.
‘Is this normal for nobility?’
She had been in this body for quite some time and had inherited its memories and emotions, but even Grace’s own lifestyle had been modest.
So much so that her allotted funds for maintaining her status remained largely untouched, and her most extravagant spending had been the recent tea plantation purchase.
‘Did I make the wrong choice?’
Of course, the value of what Grace had prepared was more than what met the eye. But that premise only held true if the reaction was positive.
In other words, if it received a lukewarm response, her gift would just seem insincere.
Madam Charles then presented a gift of a new carriage to Lady Charles, fitted with the latest magic technology for a smooth and comfortable ride.
Just from these two gifts alone, Grace couldn’t fathom the amount of money spent.
So, she just forced a smile and listened attentively as each gift was unveiled.
Fortunately, as the gifts continued, they were all equally lavish but often repetitive in nature.
Most guests had brought items related to the baby, in keeping with the theme of the baby shower. Among them was a golden rattle embedded with jewels, just as Grace had anticipated. While Lady Charles found it cute, Grace noticed Madam Charles’s eyebrows twitching slightly.
The high-ranking noblewomen who had raised children also smiled, but it looked forced. They knew such an item wasn’t practical for a baby.
As the unveiling of gifts progressed and items started to overlap, explaining their meanings became redundant. Some ladies even stumbled over their words awkwardly when citing the same reasons others had.
Arriving last and therefore opening her gift at the end, Grace presented a clear wine bottle containing a bright red beverage.
“Wine?”
The label-less wine, impossible to evaluate the value, drew puzzled looks from everyone. The unique aspect was that it contained several types of fruit bits.
“Is it some kind of fruit wine?”
“While the Lady likes fruit, gifting alcohol is a bit…”
Moreover, Lady Charles had decided to personally raise her child this time, planning to breastfeed, which meant she couldn’t drink alcohol for a while.
Grace spoke calmly.
“It’s a non-alcoholic beverage, so it’s safe. There’s no alcohol in it.”
“Oh, then it’s more like a juice?”
“It tastes like wine, though, made to mimic its flavor. I put in various ingredients.”
It was sangria.
Not just any sangria, but one made with grape juice, omija berries, various spices to imitate the flavor of wine, and then mixed with the carbonated water from the Barony of Dandelion.
Grace recalled the days she spent meticulously combining pregnancy-safe spices to mimic the flavor of wine, shivering at the memory of her efforts.
“Would you like to try some? The fruit inside is best enjoyed fresh.”
“Ah…”
It was well-known that the Lady Charles loved wine. The story of how she met the Marquis involved a famous wine house in the city, where he accidentally spilled wine on her dress, sparking their relationship.
Naturally, having abstained from alcohol since her pregnancy, it was understandable that Lady Charles might be craving it.
