ITIF Chapter 18

An Excuse for Everyone

 

“Look over there…”

 

In the midst of their conversation, one of the noble ladies pointed toward the entrance of the salon.

 

The gazes of all the noble ladies seated around the table, centered around Countess Tarel, turned toward the entrance in unison.

 

A young lady holding an intricately embroidered lace parasol was walking inside.

 

“Who might that elegant young lady be? It seems all of today’s invited guests are already seated…”

 

The salon’s nobles gazed at her figure, curious about what face might be hidden beneath the lace parasol.

 

With each step she took, her red dress fluttered like butterfly wings.

 

The waist revealed above the dress, the arm holding the parasol – her body was slender to the point of being somewhat gaunt.

 

Currently, in the capital’s social circles, voluptuous figures with wide hips and large busts were popular. However, the young lady’s thin frame wasn’t unpleasant to look at either.

 

There had been a time when slender figures were fashionable among young ladies, but after Duchess Amaterasu passed away, it was merely considered behind the times.

 

Even so, there was definitely something about this young lady that caught people’s attention.

 

“Which family’s daughter might she be?”

 

At that moment, a hand wearing gloves made of the same lace as the parasol gently folded the parasol, revealing the young lady’s face that had been hidden beneath.

 

“…!”

 

The noble ladies who recognized the face of Duke Amaterasu’s daughter exchanged surprised glances with each other.

 

And soon began whispering quietly among themselves.

 

“That’s Duke Amaterasu’s daughter. The one from the rumors…”

 

“Why would she come here?”

 

While the noble ladies looked at each other with puzzled expressions, Countess Tarel, the salon’s hostess, spoke up.

 

“I invited her. I thought such entertainment might be nice once in a while.”

 

The noble ladies quietly exchanged glances.

 

The dignity of a salon certainly came from its hostess, but the invited guests were also important.

 

So they couldn’t be pleased with the appearance of Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, whose reputation was somewhat lacking in dignity.

 

However, it wouldn’t be proper to complain about an invited guest in front of Countess Tarel, so the noble ladies were busy hiding their troubled expressions.

 

“…As Countess Tarel says, it would be nice to mingle with new people occasionally.”

 

The noble lady seated to Countess Tarel’s left spoke. Then the other noble ladies nodded and added their own comments.

 

“It’s about time for new topics to emerge anyway.”

 

Indeed, the topic regarding Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter was growing stale. There was no new information beyond what everyone already knew.

 

In this situation, the appearance of the fool from the House of Amaterasu secretly delighted the noble ladies.

 

They hoped Duke Amaterasu’s daughter would commit some ridiculous blunder.

 

Then they could go to other social gatherings and attract attention by claiming they had witnessed the situation firsthand.

 

“Thank you for coming. Lady Amaterasu. This is your first time at our salon, isn’t it?”

 

Countess Tarel greeted Duke Amaterasu’s daughter with just a slight nod of her head.

 

“Thank you for inviting me. I quite like the salon’s atmosphere.”

 

Giselle Grante curtsied slightly in greeting, then gazed briefly through the window before continuing.

 

“The weather has warmed up quite a bit lately. I wonder if all the ladies here have been horseback riding together to some distant lakeside?”

 

Giselle Grante’s voice was gentle and soft, and her face, graced with a light smile, was youthful yet beautiful.

 

However, as her words continued, the corners of the noble ladies’ mouths began to twitch.

 

While the weather talk was acceptable, the mention of lakeside horseback riding was rather out of place.

 

The sight of her trying to make elegant remarks befitting a high noble was both pitiful and amusing to the noble ladies.

 

Just as they were reaching their limit in suppressing their desire to laugh out loud and controlling their expressions…

 

One noble lady seated at the edge of the table stood up and greeted Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.

 

“The weather has certainly become much warmer. I too had been cooped up in the mansion all winter, so I recently went out on horseback for some fresh air to get my body moving.”

 

The noble lady who spoke smiled brightly and slightly bent her waist, patting her thigh.

 

“…?”

 

The other noble ladies exchanged puzzled glances at her words and actions.

 

The noble lady who had stood up and spoken familiarly to Duke Amaterasu’s daughter wasn’t a core member of Countess Tarel’s salon.

 

In other words, she was a drifter who attended only occasionally.

 

‘Why is she acting like that?’

 

As the noble ladies thought this and smirked, another noble lady also seated at the table’s edge stood up and joined the conversation between the two.

 

“Still, the air is quite cold in the mornings and evenings. I even wore a fur coat when I went out with my husband…”

 

The other noble ladies watched blankly as the three continued their conversation.

 

In the Phasis Empire’s salons, they typically invited nobles of matching rank to the hostess, or those of slightly lower status.

 

So most of the noble ladies gathered here were from viscount or baron families, lower in status than Countess Tarel.

 

Even Countess Tarel herself was rumored to have been a lower noble from the borderlands before becoming the Emperor’s mistress and marrying Count Tarel, or even a commoner pretending to be nobility.

 

Imperial law recognized the Emperor’s mistresses, but that didn’t make it honorable.

 

Everyone treated Countess Tarel well because of her high status as a countess and her advantage of being close to the Emperor, but they secretly mocked her.

 

The fact that she was nothing more than an adulteress.

 

Of course, even if one commits adultery, if the partner is the Emperor, there are more flies swarming for profit than criticism.

 

But Giselle Grante was the legitimate daughter of the House of Amaterasu.

 

Normally, not only Countess Tarel but all the noble ladies in the salon should have stood up immediately and shown proper respect to Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.

 

Any ordinary duke’s daughter, having always received such treatment, would be aware of this fact and would have scolded the salon’s noble ladies for their disrespectful behavior.

 

But Duke Amaterasu’s daughter was not ordinary, and there was a strong possibility she didn’t even realize she was being disrespected.

 

Even if she did realize it, she would accept it if they offered some good excuses. Even if she didn’t understand, it would be fine.

 

That Lady Amaterasu would choose to throw a tantrum like an angry monkey right there rather than harbor resentment and seek long-term revenge.

 

While a brief outburst might make her feel somewhat better, this would actually work as a weakness in noble society.

 

Nobles were taught to hide or control their emotions, not to express themselves by immediately bursting into anger.

 

“…Lady Amaterasu seems to enjoy horseback riding very much. Our viscounty has walking paths perfect for horseback riding. Please visit us sometime. I’ll take good care of you.”

 

“…..”

 

Suddenly, one of the noble ladies who had been just listening to the three’s conversation stood up in surprise.

 

“I’m the same way. Sometimes moving your body is good for both beauty and health, right?”

 

Then another noble lady beside her also quickly stood up and added to the conversation.

 

“I had no idea we shared such a common hobby. I’m the same way. I’ve been suffering quite a bit from the muscle pain I got because of it…”

 

She rubbed her shoulders and arms, then patted her thighs.

 

‘Oh no!’

 

Only then did the faces of the noble ladies still seated rapidly darken.

 

They realized that Duke Amaterasu’s daughter had very elegantly and nobly criticized their wrong behavior in a roundabout way.

 

Was the reason they hadn’t quickly stood up and kept their heads held high because their legs were shaky from muscle pain?

 

The noble ladies, trapped in their preconceptions, hadn’t quickly noticed the change in her words and actions.

 

Realizing their obvious blunder, the noble ladies began standing up one by one.

 

Even if Duke Amaterasu’s daughter had only average intelligence, the noble ladies should have prostrated themselves before her and tried to win her favor.

 

Not maintain an arrogant or dismissive attitude.

 

“I’ve been suffering from muscle pain these past few days. Do you know any good methods to relieve the stiffness, Lady Amaterasu?”

 

“I think the best method is to soak your body in a hot bath and rest, or to apply plenty of fragrant oil for a massage and then sleep well afterward.”

 

“Ah…”

 

The noble ladies all let out meaningless exclamations and nodded their heads.

 

As if the reason they couldn’t immediately show proper respect to Giselle Grante, who held such a high status they couldn’t even dare to look at her, was indeed muscle pain from the increased outdoor activities as cold winter retreated and warm spring arrived, just as she had suggested.

 

“…..”

 

Countess Tarel, reading the strangely shifting atmosphere, reluctantly stood up.

 

“Please continue your conversations for a moment.”

 

“Countess Tarel, where are you going?”

 

“Just to the powder room for a moment.”

 

“Then I’ll come with you.”

 

The noble ladies seated on either side of Countess Tarel also soon stood up.

 

Leaving behind the noble ladies who had begun to bloom in conversation centered around Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, the three women headed to the powder room prepared for guests.

 

‘This is ridiculous.’

 

Countess Tarel was aware that she looked perfectly fine and had no real need to visit the powder room.

 

But if rumors spread that she had stood up to welcome Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, she herself would be the one mocked.

 

While she had been swept up in the other noble ladies’ atmosphere earlier, she needed to make it clear to everyone that she hadn’t stood up to welcome Duke Amaterasu’s daughter, but had been planning to get up anyway.