Chapter 3
1457words
As the carriage drove past the garden outside the castle, I saw Selina wearing an elaborate riding outfit, practicing horseback riding with Hector's assistance, her laughter as piercing as silver bells.
Seeing my carriage, she even raised her hand from afar, sending a provocative smile.
I lowered the carriage curtain, blocking out that unsightly scene.
The Queen Dowager's palace was filled as always with the calming scent of incense, the air permeated with a solemn tranquility.
She wasn't seated in the main chair, but was by the window pruning an expensive potted flower.
Seeing me enter, she merely lifted her eyelids slightly, the golden scissors in her hand never pausing.
"You've returned."
"Yes, Mother."
I curtsied, my posture impeccable.
She cut off a yellowed leaf and dropped it into the silver tray beside her.
"I heard the Duke's mansion was quite lively last night."
Her tone was flat, revealing neither pleasure nor anger.
I lowered my gaze, my voice calm and unwavering.
"Just a small family matter, pardon my embarrassment. I was negligent in managing my household, allowing something unclean to enter our doors, tarnishing the Celeste family name."
The Queen Dowager finally put down her scissors.
She turned her head, those eyes that had weathered many storms examining me, sharp as if they could pierce through to my heart.
"The Celeste family's reputation has always been maintained by their own efforts."
She picked up the teacup and gently blew on the steam.
"Some flowers, when they bloom on the wrong branch, should be pruned. Keeping them only wastes nutrients and offends the viewer's eye."
I understood her meaning.
When I walked out of the Queen Dowager's palace, the sunlight was just right.
I straightened my back, feeling as if the weight of my formal attire had become much lighter.
Upon returning to the Duke's mansion, the butler handed me a letter.
It was from the Chief Lady-in-Waiting—Winterborne.
The wording in the letter was elegant yet arrogant, essentially advising me to be more generous, to understand Duke Hector's "difficulties," and not to damage the cordial relations between nobles over a small matter.
At the end of the letter, there was an additional sentence.
"It's just an inexpensive necklace after all. My sister was being mischievous. If madam minds, I have some jewelry here that I can send to the Duke's mansion."
Five
Three days later, the Celeste family received an invitation to attend a banquet at the royal palace.
Inside the carriage, even the expensive velvet cushions couldn't ward off the chill.
Hector cleared his throat, attempting to break the suffocating silence.
"Filwin, when we married, we made vows before the gods," his voice carried a trace of deliberately crafted tenderness.
Clumsy to the point of being laughable.
"To jointly revitalize the Celeste family, do you still remember?" I didn't look at him, my gaze falling on the unchanging gray wasteland outside the window.
"Of course I remember." My voice was flat, like a lake surface frozen by ice and snow.
"I also remember every piece of jewelry my mother left behind, the revenue from every acre of land." I paused, each word like an icicle.
"Why do you allow Selina Clifford to steal them one by one?" Hector's expression stiffened for a moment.
"Those things… I will make her return them, just need some time." He avoided my gaze, this excuse sounding pale and weak.
I let out an almost inaudible cold laugh.
Time?
Time is the one thing I don't lack, while what he lacks most is the qualification to make amends.
The carriage finally stopped at the side entrance of the palace.
The Rongyue lady-in-waiting, dressed in formal court attire, had been waiting here for some time. She was the Queen Dowager's most trusted confidant.
"Duchess, Her Highness the Queen Dowager has been waiting for you for quite some time." The Rongyue lady-in-waiting gave me an impeccable curtsy, yet directly passed by my side, treating Duke Hector beside me as if he were invisible.
Hector's outstretched hand awkwardly hung in midair, his face instantly turning ashen.
This silent slight was more insulting than any cutting remark.
At the banquet
His Majesty the King began by saying:
"Today is a family feast, no need to adhere strictly to formalities." An empty phrase.
As soon as he finished speaking, the nobles still took their seats according to the most rigorous hierarchical order; in their intersecting gazes were silent clashes of swords and daggers.
I was led to a seat in the first few rows.
An extremely delicate position.
As the music began, I cast my gaze toward the dance floor, where a woman in brilliant scarlet dance attire whirled into the hall like a burning flame.
Her dance was passionate and uninhibited, instantly capturing everyone's attention.
Even more eye-catching was the pigeon-blood ruby bracelet on her wrist.
The bracelet swayed gracefully with her dance steps, shimmering with radiant colors.
It was actually Lady Winterborne!
The distinguished lady official, brazenly exchanging glances with the King above while in full view of everyone.
My fingertips gently traced the edge of the silver cup filled with clear water, the cool sensation making me increasingly alert.
That bracelet was personally bestowed upon the Celeste family by the Queen last year.
I glanced at the Queen seated above; her face still wore an elegant smile, not showing the slightest trace of discourtesy.
What she personally bestowed upon us now appeared on the mistress, used to curry favor with her own husband.
I glanced at Hector, as Selina leaned against him vulnerably, peeling grapes one by one and feeding them to him.
His eyes showed only infatuated smiles, completely unaware of the hidden danger within.
This absolute fool.
After the dance ended, Hector finally remembered my existence.
He considerately replaced the wine glass in front of me with water.
"You can't handle alcohol well, better drink water." I lowered my eyelids, concealing the mockery in my eyes.
He didn't know that I had already developed the ability to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk through countless diplomatic banquets.
Moments later, the queen's maid approached gracefully with a tray, placing a glass of wine before me.
"A gift from the Queen to the Duchess." Yet before Hector, there was nothing.
I was somewhat surprised.
In the carriage returning to Castle Celeste, the atmosphere was even heavier than when we had departed.
"Filwin, I'll have Selina return the jewelry to you," Hector spoke first, his tone stiff.
He finally felt embarrassed.
"However, you must abandon your plan to request royal confirmation of Arthur's inheritance rights," he began to negotiate terms with me.
Using what was already mine to bargain for my son's future.
I finally turned my head and looked him straight in the eye.
"If by next month, before Arthur's birthday, I don't see those items returned to their rightful owner," my voice was calm yet firm.
"I will make all your dirty deeds public."
"You dare!" Hector instantly flew into a rage, flames igniting in his eyes.
I spoke no more, simply closing my eyes slowly, shutting out everything about him.
Saying even one more word made me feel tainted.
The carriage stopped at the castle gate.
Hector got out first, with Selina following behind him like a leech.
As soon as she got off the carriage, she immediately clung to him like a vine, shamelessly kissing Hector as if no one else was present.
The provocative posture, and whom she was performing for, was obvious without words.
After what seemed like half a century, Hector finally released Selina and said in a declarative tone:
"From today on, in this Celeste mansion, Selina is your equal!" He thought he had won.
I smiled without a trace of warmth. "You think too highly of yourself." My words were soft, yet they struck like a heavy hammer on Hector's heart, instantly freezing the smug look on his face.
Back in my own room, I removed my formal attire and changed into a light, casual dress.
I walked to my desk, spread out a sheet of letter paper, and personally wrote a letter to the Queen.
In the letter, I mentioned nothing about my grievances, nor did I mention that ridiculous banquet.
I merely implied that Duke Hector, in order to win the favor of his new darling Winterborne, went so far as to indulge his lover Selina in stealing items bestowed by the Queen.
His conduct bordered on contempt for both divine and royal authority.
After finishing the letter, I sealed it with wax.
I walked to the window, gazing at the deep darkness outside.
The game had only just begun.
