The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 41

She tried not to let it bother her, but it wasn’t as easy as she had hoped. She had put on a brave face, but the person she was going to meet was the Empress. And the Empress was someone who likely held nothing but resentment toward her.

Although she spoke with confidence, there was no guarantee that she would return without trouble.

The only person Sasha could truly rely on was Kyler Ignote. Just that one man. They shared the same family name, and she had one firm belief—that he would take her side over the Empress’s.

Kyler had told her so himself. He said she was free to do what she wanted, as long as it didn’t bring disgrace to the Ignote name.

Today, she felt, might be the first day she would try living according to his words.

“Rose, let’s go.”

With Connie’s help, Sasha changed into her dress and had her hair arranged neatly before going downstairs. But Rose, whom she expected to be waiting, was nowhere to be seen.

“I will be escorting you to the palace today, Lady Sasha.”

Standing in the spot where Rose should have been was Pavon. Surprised by his unexpected presence, Sasha blinked briefly, then simply nodded. Everyone had their own duties at times.

“Um, that dress… are you planning to wear that?”

Pavon looked uncertain as he glanced at her navy dress. Sasha noticed his gray eyebrows twitch slightly and looked down at her gown.

“Is it disgraceful enough to shame the name of the Duchess of Ignote?”

She smoothed her sleeve and lightly patted the skirt. The design was simple, but the fabric was of high quality, the color was elegant, and the whole piece looked beautiful and expensive. Why did everyone seem to dislike it?

“Well, no, that’s not what I meant.”

Pavon seemed flustered.

No matter how he looked at it, the dress was quite different from what noblewomen wore these days. It was plain in design, but the material was clearly fine. More importantly, it had belonged to the former Duchess. He couldn’t bring himself to say it looked strange.

“I only meant that it was a dress the late Duchess cherished. Of course, it doesn’t disgrace anything.”

At his explanation, Sasha smiled faintly. She had been a little curious about how people would react upon hearing it had belonged to the former Duchess. She didn’t expect him to take it so calmly.

“I just really like this dress. I keep wanting to wear it. I’m also curious to see how others will react to it. Shall we go?”

With a slight smile, Sasha began walking confidently. The swish of her skirt had something about it that made Pavon briefly lose track of time.

They arrived at the back gate of the Empress’s palace. It hadn’t been long since Sasha had come here for the social gathering, yet here she was again. That visit didn’t leave pleasant memories, and now she felt like she was about to add another unwelcome one.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Sasha stepped down from the carriage, gave Pavon a short farewell, and followed the maid from the Empress’s residence with steady steps.

Unlike last time, when a grand space was used, this time she was led to a drawing room filled with luxurious sofas. The gilded and curving furniture was arranged in a large circle, and the table in the center was set with elaborate tea ware.

As Sasha stepped inside, she froze, both physically and mentally.

She had expected a private audience with the Empress, and the sudden realization sent a chill down her spine.

“Lady Sasha…”

“You’re here. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Calling her name with awkward expressions were Lada, Rosehill, Aisy, and Picolla.

And the one who confidently greeted her with a fake smile was none other than Elina.

“Ah, you must be the young lady of Marquis Ivern.”

Sasha chose not to pretend ignorance. She returned the woman’s gaze and spoke her name. Elina proudly lifted her chin again, clearly satisfied with the attention.

It was obvious the seating had been arranged on purpose. Sasha had no choice but to sit near the Empress, diagonally across from Elina.

“Did everyone get home safely that night? I meant to ask earlier…”

“We all got home safely, Lady Sasha. No need to worry.”

Lada’s gentle reply helped Sasha relax a little. She briefly looked around the room, then turned her gaze forward again.

She glanced at the still-empty head seat and quietly scoffed to herself.

It felt like a well-prepared stage. Like something planned and carefully set up for a purpose.

“Ah, ladies. I’m glad you all came.”

Sasha looked up at the Empress, who entered with perfect timing, as if she were the main character arriving after Sasha’s entrance. Were the others expected to quietly step aside to give her the spotlight?

The Empress smiled calmly, her lips curving slightly.

It was clear. This was a game of pride. Sasha smiled back, soft and graceful, in direct contrast to the Empress’s sharp expression.

“After the last social gathering, I heard a delightful little get-together took place. Truly admirable. This is exactly why we’ve upheld these traditions over the generations. Well, what did you think, Duchess?”

Since the idea for the gathering had originally come from the Empress herself, Sasha couldn’t exactly deny it. She nodded politely.

“Thanks to you, I had a lovely time with some very charming young ladies. They kindly included me in the conversation even though I was quietly listening, and I truly enjoyed myself. Didn’t all of you?”

Her warm voice, paired with a gentle smile, began to ease the tension that had settled over the other young ladies.

“It was such a meaningful experience to see the duchy, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, the gardens were beautiful. The tea was delicious. And it had been a while since I felt so relaxed just chatting with everyone.”

Lada answered with a light smile. She spoke as if she had enjoyed it, though her serious expression made Sasha wonder why she looked so solemn about it.

“A party, really? You invited people and all? You must have wanted to copy what I did at the marquisate, didn’t you, sister?”

Elina’s mocking tone was jarring, and Sasha noticed some of the other ladies flinch at her disrespectful way of speaking. As Sasha furrowed her brow slightly, Elina stared at her with a smug, triumphant expression.

Sasha shook her head slightly. How could she act like this in a place like this?

“Lady Elina of House Ivern, you certainly speak very freely. Perhaps you should consider holding back a little.”

Sasha’s words were very different from what a typical count’s daughter might say. She wasn’t just telling Elina to stop; she was giving her a dignified piece of advice.

The only married women present were the Empress and Sasha. Sasha had no intention of playing Elina’s “sister.” She spoke to her purely as the Duchess of Ignote.

“What, are you giving me orders now?”

“If that’s how you took it, I suppose there’s nothing I can do. I wouldn’t call it an order. Let’s just say it was a suggestion.”

Even as Elina bristled, Sasha responded without the slightest trace of anxiety. Her tone was as calm as if she were soothing a child, and Elina was left speechless, her lips trembling in frustration.

“In any case, thank you for inviting us to such a lovely gathering, Your Majesty.”

Sasha offered her thanks and wrapped up the topic gracefully. But as expected, the moment Elina saw Sasha, she seemed to lose all sense and sparkle with mad glee. Sasha clicked her tongue internally.

What kind of twisted personality did she have to act this way? Sasha tilted her head slightly but decided she wasn’t interested enough to want to understand her any further.

“If I recall, the Ignote estate hasn’t hosted a party or gathering in quite some time.”

“Yes, that’s what I heard. Which is why I made an effort to attend the one where Your Majesty would be present, and why we held a small gathering at our estate as well.”

“It really was lovely, wasn’t it?”

Rosehill added in support of Sasha’s words.

“After visiting places where noble ladies gather, I realized how nice those experiences are. Sharing warm conversations with good people in a peaceful setting… I found myself wanting more of that. I’m sure things weren’t perfect, but I’m glad everyone enjoyed themselves.”

It was much smaller than the Empress’s social event, but it was just the beginning.

Sasha might still be seen as insignificant, but in terms of status, she was the Duchess of Ignote, with enough potential influence to become a threat to Midienna someday.

And just as Sasha had intended, she could feel the Empress starting to regard her with caution.

“Still, you wore that same dress I pointed out last time. Did you not take my words seriously?”

The Empress suddenly glanced over Sasha’s outfit, and her eyes turned cold. The shift in her mood caught Sasha and the others off guard, and the atmosphere quickly became tense.

“Are you referring to my dress, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. That dress.”

The Empress, no longer pretending to be gentle or gracious, dropped her polite tone and spoke sharply.

When Sasha had first worn that dress to the palace, she was mistaken for a servant. But then it was revealed that she was Kyler’s wife. And worse, he had personally appeared and made the Empress look like a fool who couldn’t even recognize fine fabric.

It was something Midienna couldn’t forget. At first, she hadn’t noticed it. But when she did, and realized it was the same dress, fury rose inside her.

“This dress was cherished by the former Duchess. It was crafted by a master tailor using the finest materials. It’s rather impressive that it made its way here, isn’t it? I remember what the Duke told me at the time.”

Sasha didn’t flinch for a moment. She calmly replied with one confident response after another. The Empress bit her red lips in frustration.

“Lady Aisy, does this dress really look like something a servant would wear?”

“Well… no. If you look closely, you can see all the detailed pintuck work. Do you understand what that means? This dress is made of expensive fabric and was sewn with great care. I imagine the former Duchess, who had no daughter of her own, wanted to pass it down to her daughter-in-law.”

Aisy’s sentimental answer brought soft murmurs of approval as the ladies placed their hands gently over their hearts. Sasha smiled, clearly pleased with that interpretation.

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