The Villainess Lives Twice

Chapter 246

Proofreader: somnium

Sophie held a flower and a butterfly in each of her hands and held it to Artizea’s head.

Ripples of laughter spread among the guests.

Someone said,

“Wouldn’t it be nice to decorate with butterflies? The delicate workmanship suits her very well.”

“The dress is blue-violet……. The silk flowers are the right set.”

“What do you mean? Who matches the same color from head to toe these days?”

Cadriol said the word as if indifferent. It was a word for Cedric to watch and listen.

“Yes, who is doing that these days, Grand Duke?”

“…….”

Cedric pursed his lips.

“Pft, ah.”

Hazel couldn’t contain her laughter and made a sound, then covered her mouth and ran outside. She seemed to know that she had sinned.

Even if it wasn’t, Hayley’s hard face convulsed. It was to hide her ridiculous expression.

In fact, Cadriol was right. It was normal for the husband to step down when a guest recommended things during the toilette.

Because the central nobles, who believed they were free and sophisticated, were ashamed of being monopolized by one’s spouse.

Also, it was not considered noble to show monopoly on one’s spouse.

The same was true of the latter, ironically, as did the Eastern nobles, whose wives tended to be subordinate to their husbands.

They had to generously tolerate the extravagant social activities of women and boast widely of their wife.

Cadriol’s demeanor was, to say the least, frivolous, but Cedric was equally unwise.

The toilette pleased the guests in a bad way.

After leaving the toilette room, there would be much to be said about Grand Duke Evron and Prince Eimmel.

‘Is it okay?’

Natalia knew such a sign and looked at Artizea’s expression with concern.

And she realized that she was the one who could salvage this situation.

“Excuse me.”

Natalia raised her voice without confidence. In fact, she didn’t know much about jewelry.

She just wore what the maid dressed her, remembering what was the most expensive thing in her jewelry box.

But with the exception of Artizea, Natalia, who was the highest-ranking lady in this room, had a little more say than Cadriol.

“Grand Duchess Evron.”

When Natalia spoke to her, all her guests became quiet.

Cedric lowered his head and pressed his forehead. Cadriol looked at Natalia with a curious face.

Bernat made a worried face.

Natalia said,

“I have a hair ornament that seems to suit Your Grace……, but not very valuable.”

The maid froze slightly as she saw Natalia pull her jewelry box with her own hand.

“Natalia, this is…….”

It wasn’t a properly polished gemstone. It was a decoration in which pieces of raw stones that could not be polished were collected and placed like flowers in a silver calyx.

When the blue gem appeared in a bright place, it shone softly. It looked like a bunch of geraniums or hydrangeas, and it looked like a lotus flower that just bloomed.

It was very pretty.

However, it can be a personal gift between friends, but it was not something the Crown Princess of Iantz would give to the future Empress.

Natalia said,

“There is a mine in the area where my mother lives. It is a place where jewels of the same color as the sea came……, it is actually too expensive a gem for the local people.”

She smiled awkwardly.

“I heard that when Mother left the area, my maternal grandmother collected the prettiest colors and handcrafted them.”

Emily, who accepted the trinkets, spoke words of praise.

“Oh my God, this is a Southwest Sea tourmaline. The color is really pretty.”

Sophie put it on Artizea’s head and said with a bright face.

“This is perfect.”

Artizea looked in the mirror. As Sophie said, it matched much better than a blue-purple silk flower or a yellow butterfly.

Emily said with a slightly excited look,

“Although not polished, such a fine color is not common.”

It wasn’t expensive, but if there was a meaningful past, that was fine in its own way.

Above all, it was beautiful. Isn’t that the most important thing?

Artizea said,

“Thank you. It seems very precious, can I take it…….”

Natalia blushed in embarrassment.

“It didn’t suit me very well, so I just had it, but I thought it would suit the Grand Duchess.”

Artizea looked at Natalia with a strange mood.

She couldn’t tell if Natalia’s shyness was because she brought out decorations made of stone ornaments that were not worthy of jewelry, or because she told the story of a poor mother who could not have jewelry or because she confided in her secret feelings.

Perhaps, she doesn’t know what kind of ripple she is making now.

Now that she is about to be crowned the Crown Princess, she knows what it means to wear the ornament, which was made in a marginalized area of the Iantz Kingdom on her head.

The fact that the fight between Prince Eimmel and Grand Duke Evron was not made lightly by Crown Princess Iantz.

Artizea looked through the mirror and saw Crown Prince Bernat’s happy and perplexed expression with a cryptic face.

Emily put the ornament on Artizea’s head instead of Sophie. She then took a pure white pearl necklace and finished it off with a touch of splendor it lacked.

As Natalia said, the color matched Artizea’s hair very well.

The dangling pearls graced her face.

Finally, Emily held a fan made of peacock feathers to Artizea’s hands.

Artizea turned around and Cedric jumped up from his seat.

Cadriol sighed.

But instead of holding Cedric’s hand, Artizea smiled and said,

“I think today is the welcome banquet, so I’d like to escort the guests.”

At those words, this time Cadriol jumped to his feet.

However, Artizea didn’t mind the two men and walked towards Natalia.

“What do you think? Shall we go in together?”

“Yes?”

Natalia was startled.

Artizea beckoned to bring one of the shawls on display.

Sophie ran quickly and brought an elongated decorative shawl made of red wolf fur.

Artizea smiled and held it to Natalia with her hands.

“How about this? I also thought that this was a good fit for the Crown Princess.”

Artizea asked not Natalia, but the guests.

“It suits her.”

Cedric, who understood Artizea’s meaning, answered.

However, now Cedric’s influence was zero. It was the same for Cadriol.

Artizea stared at one of the guests.

The lady, who had been desperately trying to accuse Natalia, flinched when she caught Artizea’s gaze.

Isn’t she just a princess from a small country who was taken hostage? There was no prey this easy.

But if Artizea compared herself to her and gave her stuff like this, she couldn’t.

Besides, Artizea said as she looked at her,

“Lord Cedric caught it in the spring of last year.”

“The Crown Princess’ majesty is unusual, and the wolf fur suits her perfectly.”

The lady tried to say it sarcastically, but in the end she couldn’t.

In fact, the fur suited Natalia very well.

Her powerful body was not overshadowed by the fact that she was wearing a ruffled dress and her voluminous hair was loose.

Natalia looked hesitantly in the mirror.

In the vicinity of the South Sea, fur was not used much. It was only used for decoration little by little.

Natalia didn’t know it would suit her so well.

“Thank you, Grand Duchess. But if it’s the animal that the Grand Duke has slaughtered for the Grand Duchess…….”

“The Crown Princess gave me a precious jewel that your maternal grandmother made for your mother. Besides, it increases every year.”

Artizea smiled that most of the fur on display was Cedric’s catch.

“I’ve never worn this before.”

Natalia also thanked Cedric.

“No. If you like it, I am honored.”

Cedric lowered his head lightly. It was because he had already realized the meaning of the gift exchanged.

Bernat stood up and he approached Natalia.

But he never had a chance to hold Natalia’s hand. Because Artizea took her hand.

“The Crown Princess will go with me. Lord Cedric, please escort the two men.”

Artizea said.

As the two noble ladies took the lead side by side, women from among the guests in the toilette room surrounded them like halos.

“The Grand Duchess’ headdress is really beautiful.”

“Wolf fur is really hard to match, and it’s amazing that she dressed it so nicely.”

“They both exchanged something meaningful, so everyone would be envious.”

Praise and welcome poured in.

The heirs to the thrones of the three countries remained far away and looked at them from behind.

Cedric looked at Cadriol with a subtle expression. Cadriol said with a distasteful face,

“Why? Shall we hold hands too?”

“…….”

Bernat said with a smile,

“Let’s go, too. We can’t keep the ladies waiting too long.”

Cadriol and Cedric trudged, turning away from each other.

Bernat took the lead with a smile on his face.

Natalia wouldn’t have thought that far. However, it seemed to show off her acquaintance with the Grand Duchess.

In a situation where the position of the Iantz Kingdom was very weak, she did a favor.

Not only did it have political significance, it was sure to be of great help to the couple’s life in the Empire.

Furthermore,

‘Natalia’s trinkets and wolf fur are going to be fashionable, even for a brief moment. Did the Grand Duchess even think about that, so she gave Natalia fur?’

The only place where wolf fur was produced was Grand Duchy Evron’s dominion, as far as Bernat knew.

If the two of them walk in holding hands side by side, that alone was effective .

Artizea was showing her willingness to cooperate. If it was really intentional.