There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 71

* * *

Another day, another gift arrived at Baron Manon’s estate. Numerous families were sending presents to establish ties with Manon, hoping he might produce the next empress.

In the past, Rosanne would have been wide-eyed at the sight of such expensive goods, but now she didn’t even spare them a glance.

Baron Manon spent money like water to please his daughter.

Her brothers playfully asked Rosanne what positions she would grant them once she became empress. Within the family, Rosanne was now referred to as ‘Our Empress’.

Rosanne now held her head high even in front of Sasha Muriel.

Her father, who had always been subservient to Duke Muriel, now spoke loudly and proudly.

Everything was delightful. They were experiencing the height of happiness.

That day, Rosanne received an invitation to a gathering hosted by the heir of Marquis Odelli and headed to the Odelli estate.

The luxurious carriage, purchased just yesterday, sped proudly down the road.

Rosanne smiled contentedly. Even the marquis’s heir was now eager to invite her.

The gathering, hosted by the well-known social butterfly Kenny Odelli, was attended by many young nobles.

Since they were all from good families, it was the perfect place to build connections.

When Rosanne arrived at the gathering, the other attendees whispered among themselves.

“That’s the lady in question.”

“Does she possess such great charm as to captivate His Majesty?”

“She’s draped in very expensive items.”

“I heard His Majesty bestowed them upon her.”

“Anyway, a country noble has hit the jackpot.”

Rosanne ostentatiously fluttered her silk fan.

The delicate butterfly pattern, embroidered stitch by stitch by a master craftsman, was incredibly lifelike. As a result, even though it was just a fan, it was exorbitantly priced.

Kenny Odelli greeted her.

“Welcome, Lady Manon. This is your first time attending. Are you enjoying the atmosphere here?”

“Yes. I’ve finally found a gathering that suits my standards.”

Kenny, who momentarily wore a strange smile, beamed as he saw someone entering through the door.

“Nasar, you rascal, it’s been a while!”

As always, Nasar Averide drew gasps of admiration as he appeared.

He resembled a beautiful angel statue. A masterpiece that a sculptor would sacrifice his life to create.

Rosanne momentarily struggled to regain her composure.

‘I already have someone. What’s the point of being distracted?’

Still, he was a desirable man.

The empire’s most eligible bachelor. Wasn’t he the man Rosanne had originally aimed for?

Seeing him, Rosanne suddenly felt regretful.

The Emperor was attractive enough and the most supreme being, but the flaw was that he had a daughter about Rosanne’s age. He was also nearly twice her age.

If Rosanne had met Nasar before the Emperor, would things have been different?

Kenny playfully patted Nasar’s shoulder.

“You’ve been frequenting Angelium lately, but you’re here today.”

“Yes. I’ve finished my business there.”

Rosanne flinched at the mention of Angelium. [Likely a place of entertainment or a district known for something specific in their society.]

The memory of slapping Philomell’s cheek automatically surfaced. For a moment, she worried about what Nasar might know.

‘It’s okay. How would he know just because I went to Angelium!’

Rosanne calmed down and waited for Kenny to introduce her to Nasar.

“You know her, right? This is the famous Lady Rosanne Manon.”

“Ah, yes. I know her well.”

Nasar’s crimson eyes gleamed coldly as he looked at Rosanne.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young Duke Averide.”

Rosanne extended her hand, implying that he should kiss it.

Nasar accepted her hand with a smile and looked at the fan she was holding.

“A Terbeia fan, I see.”

“Oh my! You know about it?”

“Yes. It was once a trend in high society.”

Rosanne excitedly chattered on.

“It’s a new piece from Terbeia, a step further from the trendy style. Originally, they don’t sell it to just anyone, but when I visited, they said the fan had found its owner.”

“I seem to have been confusing in my words. I meant it’s similar to a Terbeia fan.”

“Pardon?”

“Terbeia never embroiders the same subject twice. My mother already owns a Terbeia fan with a butterfly embroidered on it.”

Which meant…

Nasar, still smiling, drove the nail in.

“This is a fake, imitating Terbeia.”

Suppressed laughter erupted from all around.

Rosanne’s face turned as red as a tomato.

Nasar scanned Rosanne from head to toe. It was a blatant act of looking down on her.

“The fan certainly found its owner.”

Rosanne hastily left the Odelli estate before the party even began.

“Aaaargh!”

As soon as she got into the carriage, she screamed and threw the fan onto the floor. Angel? Nasar Averide was a snake.

A vile and cunning man!

“How dare you ignore me, the future empress? I will definitely tell His Majesty and not let you get away with this!”

Rosanne gritted her teeth and shouted at the coachman, who was hesitating at the door.

“Head to Boutique Street immediately! This time, only go to places that sell genuine articles!”

Arriving at the capital’s premier boutique street, Rosanne swept through the stores one by one. She bought everything that looked luxurious. Anything that would suit an empress!

Even stores that originally didn’t allow credit recognized Rosanne and promised to send the goods to her mansion first.

The bills were put under Baron Manon’s name. Her father would grab her by the collar, but she didn’t care. Baron Manon would go to great lengths to make his daughter happy.

She wanted to have the bills sent to the Imperial Palace, but she didn’t have the authority to do so yet, as she wasn’t the empress.

As Rosanne exited the last store, the coachman asked.

“Where to next, miss?”

Rosanne answered without hesitation.

“Let’s go to the Imperial Palace.”

The carriage departed. She had intended to wait quietly until they called for her, but Rosanne’s patience had run out.

And in the Imperial Palace, there was that woman. Philomell, the woman who dared to slap her cheek.

The sight of her freeloading in the Imperial Palace that would become Rosanne’s was truly infuriating.

‘I’ll kick her out.’

Arriving at the Imperial Palace, Rosanne stopped, noticing something. It was a group of young ladies entering the palace one after another.

A fact she had forgotten came to mind.

Today was the day Princess Elencia was hosting her first tea party.

She remembered being furious that she hadn’t received an invitation while all the influential families’ daughters were invited.

“Oh ho.”

Rosanne’s eyes gleamed.

It must be a divine sign that she came to the Imperial Palace today of all days.

‘I can’t let a tea party that ignores me go unpunished.’

She clearly remembered the princess who had looked down on her with a cold gaze on the first day of the ball.

She couldn’t say anything back then, but the situation was different now. After all, Rosanne would become her stepmother once she became empress.

‘It would be best to break her spirit now.’

Rosanne changed her destination from the Emperor’s Palace to the West Palace, where the princess resided.

* * *

The West Palace Garden.

The princess’s outdoor tea party had just begun.

The tea and food were excellent, and the weather was lovely. The floral decorations adorning the tables were even luxurious. The other young ladies were happily chatting with the princess.

Melinda, the daughter of Count Lushan, felt bloated with discomfort.

Princess Elencia, who was sitting to her immediate left, asked kindly.

“Is the tea not to your liking?”

“Ah, no! The taste and aroma are both wonderful!”

“I’m glad. I was worried that I might be inconveniencing you all since I’m not used to such luxurious things.”

Several young ladies rushed to deny it.

“No, Your Highness. It’s a wonderful tea party.”

“That’s right. It’s the most wonderful tea party I’ve ever been to.”

That was why Melinda felt uncomfortable with this atmosphere.

Just a while ago, they had said similar things at Princess Philomell’s tea party. But now, they were subtly gossiping about her.

“Actually, Lady Philomell was too frugal. She said flowers from the garden were enough.”

“I agree. And she didn’t hold tea parties very often.”

While skillful social maneuvering was a basic requirement for nobles, it felt too disloyal to Melinda.

Even though she wasn’t a princess, Melinda still liked Philomell.

But Princess Elencia…

“Please don’t say too much. Philomell is a good person.”

She pretended to dissuade them, but she didn’t seem displeased at all.

In fact, the princess’s attitude further fueled the young ladies’ subtle backstabbing.

When she first saw Princess Elencia, she thought she was a simple and kind person…

Now, she wasn’t so sure.

Whether others felt the same way, the expressions of the young ladies, except for a few, looked awkward.

But they couldn’t show their discomfort in front of the princess, so they just smiled diligently.

The precarious atmosphere was soon shattered.

“Hello, everyone!”

An uninvited guest had intruded.

A woman who had become more of a hot topic than the newly appeared princess these days, Rosanne Manon.

“Young lady! You can’t enter without an invitation!”

“Please leave immediately!”

The maids tried to drag Rosanne out, but they couldn’t dare to touch her and were at a loss. It was because they didn’t have a strong-willed lady-in-waiting to guide them yet.

“Ro, Rosanne!”

Sasha Muriel’s face turned white upon seeing Rosanne.

“Are you crazy! Why are you here?”

Rosanne raised her chin.

“Why? Is there somewhere I can’t come? More importantly, did you just call me crazy?”

“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant…”

“You’d better watch your mouth if you’re thinking about the future. There’s a limit to how much I can overlook just because you’re a relative.”

The young ladies frowned.

“How can someone be so rude…!”

“Lady Manon, you’re in front of Her Highness the Princess. Please show some respect!”

But they couldn’t utter anything harsher than that. They were all somewhat afraid of Rosanne, who might become the empress.

Princess Elencia remained unfazed and lifted her teacup.

“Lady Manon. I may still be inexperienced, but I believe attending a gathering without an invitation is rude. Or am I wrong?”

Rosanne slammed her arm heavily on the table.

“We’ll be seeing each other often in the future, so please consider this level of rudeness as a mere act of affection, Your Highness.”

The two women’s gazes met in the air.

“I’m not sure what you mean. I have no desire to see you often.”

“Oh dear! I would love to see Your Highness often. I’m disappointed.”

Rosanne spoke, enunciating each syllable.

“Like family.”

The princess’s smile wavered.

Melinda, who was sitting right next to the princess, could see it. The ripples in the tea in Elencia’s teacup.

To be precise, Elencia’s hand holding the teacup was trembling.