After a month of recuperating in bed, Elisha slowly became genuinely bored. It seemed Lucerne, the knights, and even the butler were of one mind to tell her to return to her room quickly, even if she was tempted to take a long walk. But, then, an unexpected person came to visit her.
“Elisha. It’s been a while.”
“Princess, I’m glad you came.”
Elisha greeted her with a curtsy. Illione was upset she had gotten up and quickly sat her down.
“Please sit down. I heard you were injured. I’ve wanted to visit you since last month, but Lucerne wouldn’t let me call.”
“Really?”
Elisha vaguely wondered why he had blocked her visit but didn’t linger on the question for long.
“Thank you for coming, but I wasn’t seriously hurt.”
“I assumed so. But it’s nice to see your face.”
It seemed like Illione’s attitude toward her had changed a bit.
Before, Elisha got the impression that she hadn’t liked her much. But now, she seemed to be rather interested in her.
“How are you these days? It’s the social season, so I’m very bored and busy with all these gatherings.”
she grumbled begrudgingly. Illione was a bureaucrat and a soldier. However, since she was also a princess, she could not be completely free from social affairs.
“I’ve been spending my time at home. My husband says I need to rest so he won’t let me go out yet.”
“Ah, yes since you’re injured it can’t be helped. It’s a pity you won’t get to see the gold gilded party.”
“A golden gilded party?”
“You don’t know?”
Illione inquired in astonishment.
“Women are dressed in gold dresses and black shawls, so the ladies jest that it’s a gold gilded party.”
“I suppose gold is in trend.”
“You really don’t know… … . It’s what you made popular.”
“What?”
Illione’s subsequent words were even more preposterous:
“Reportedly, the scene of you walking out of the city hall in a gold, blood-stained dress with a black shawl caused a sensation. I wish I had seen it myself. Furthermore, you earned a triumph. You had no idea you were so impressive that ladies wanted to emulate you and began wearing gold dresses and black shawls?”
A black shawl? Elisha recalled that she pulled off the black tablecloth to hide and bond it around her wound to restrain her bleeding. She had draped it over her shoulders like a cape.
“Surprisingly it is in vogue.”
At the same time, Elisha thought that people were really shallow. It was evident why there was so much attention on the auction.
The ducal Cartier household had everything in the world. To see them compete in petty trifles gave those spectators with an inferiority complex a sense of superiority. That was it.
But now, the image of a victorious, bloody, and striking Elisha emerging from the auction was causing a phenomenon in high society?
“Besides, Lucerne— no, the general… … .”
“What about us?”
Illione coughed. In fact, the popularity of Lucerne and Elisha as a celebrity couple was soaring day by day.
… … In a rather strange way.
‘They are so wildly amorous that they have been entangled for several days at a time. After having sex once, the bed splits in half!’
‘Indeed. What a fearsome woman she is, even the other daughter-in-laws of the Cartier family have to give the general’s wife respect.’
‘She’s exactly like her husband! There are no normal people in that household! A viper’s mate is a viper.’
A writhing pair that was as vicious and sensual as a serpent. A duo obsessed with carnality and victory. The couple became a raving sex symbol with a ruthless, passionate image in the capital’s social circles. Even among the common people, their notoriety was widely spreading.
Besides, what about the Black Lion Knights? Even the bizarre behavior and actions of the knighthood, going crazy because their hostess was injured, further bolstered Elisha as an extraordinary and enigmatic figure.
“Well… … you two are becoming famous.”
“It’s because my husband is already such a well-known figure.”
“I … … suppose?”
Elisha tilted her head. She wanted to ask more, but then Illione changed the topic. She had an amusing story to share.
“Did you hear? I heard Carola broke into the famous dressing room she uses and grabbed one of her employees by the hair.”
Elisha’s eyebrow slightly twitched. There was something that came to mind.
That day, Carola grabbed her as she was leaving the auction. Since she had lost to Elisha, her glare was full of bitterness and hostility.
‘Fine. An auction is an auction. Why did you imitate Carola?’
‘What?’
‘Now we’ve seen it, Elisha has the same flower ornaments on her clothes as Carola’s. This is a flower decoration that she only wears in Carola’s dressing room! Right? It’s Carola’s wardrobe, right?’
Did she want to argue about such a thing and pursue it even in this situation? Elisha couldn’t help but ‘admire’ Carola.
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