Chapter 32

Chapter 32

“Please bear with it, Mary. After the coming-of-age ceremony is over, the Countess will return.”

“…To be honest, the Lady is having it the hardest. Why do you say that?”

Mary said so, despite her sullen face.

Seeing that, Iellie patted her on the shoulder and smiled. “Thanks. Now, shall we go to work for the day?”

She went out cheerfully. But, the feeling was quickly ruined as soon as she met the Countess.

The Countess was waiting for Iellie in the parlor. It’s disgusting that she deliberately hardened her cold expression.

“I was waiting, Lady Hessenweitz.”

“….”

Iellie tilted her head in lieu of an answer. Her fine brow furrowed in displeasure.

“What are you doing?”

“Yes?”

“It’s just the two of us. You have to get up and be polite to me.”

Iellie opened her mouth in a calm tone as if saying, ‘Why don’t we go for a walk today?’

“Didn’t the Countess just call me Lady Hessenweitz?”

Countess Laurent flinched her shoulders. Still, Iellie rolled her eyes softly and smiled. A cold smile was painted on her face.

“By the title of that, the Countess is well aware that I am the Heir Apparent’s wife.”

“…Lady Hessenweitz.”

“Why does the Countess welcome me, a member of the Duke family, in her seat?”

The Countess’s face turned bright red.

Iellie stared at the Countess with her eyes narrowed. Aside from thinking about the Imperial Family, the issue of courtesy is fundamental, isn’t it? Eventually, the Countess got up from her seat.

“…Sorry.”

“Yes, be careful in the future.”

Iellie answered arrogantly and sat down on the sofa first. She raises her eyes obliquely and stares at the Countess.

“Now, you can sit down.”

“….”

At that, Countess Laurent bit her lip and sat down. As they had been planning the event together for several days, the Countess tried to meddle in the Duke’s house as she deliberately forgot her own position.

Iellie swallowed her sigh.

‘I didn’t want to let people know that I was a superior in this way.’

However, if she doesn’t do this, the Countess may take advantage of her gap and do big tricks. If not, the dissatisfaction of the employees within the Duke’s castle would rise sky-high.

She calmly opened her mouth.

“Okay. Where are we going to start talking today?”

“I’m going to talk about the budget for the hunting party, and the organization of the hunting meeting and tea time.”

She was glad she didn’t forget that. Iellie nodded her head lightly.

She asked a question. “Have you thought of anything until now?”

“Yes, I have it.”

Apparently, when the Countess met Iellie, she seemed to have been a little impatient. The Countess opened her lips.

“This time, not only the Crown Prince, but also the Crown Princess will attend the Heir Apparent’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Yes.”

She was not very happy with it, and Zachary seemed to be feeling the same.

Iellie had a sullen face.

Nevertheless, on the other hand, the Countess was very much looking forward to the two royal family members attending this coming-of-age ceremony.

“So, by the way, don’t the ladies have tea time during the hunting party?”

“It is, but…”

‘What is she trying to say?’ Thinking about it, Iellie stared at the Countess.

“I want to host the event.”

The Countess eventually revealed her intentions, as if she were claiming Ielie’s own rights as she deserved. Of course, she was not amused.

‘Is she thinking that I don’t know how important that position is?’

It was the first tea time the princess attended after arriving in the northern part. Naturally, the place had to be taken by the mistress of Hessenweitz. But, does she have a concept when she was told she’s in charge of the organizing?

“Now, what—!”

Iellie, who reflexively opened her mouth, paused for a moment. She wanted to roll her head for a moment, then nodded her head.

“Good.”

“Really?”

As she had not expected Iellie to allow it so graciously, the Countess raised her head with a twinkle.

“Sure.”

She smiled brightly. It was the first step to build a face to the Royal Family until Zachary took over the title. Until then, it is better not to touch the pride of the Royal Family. Her gaze subsided.

‘And…’

Iellie and the Princess Annerose, who was betrothed with Zachary at one time, were of the same age. She knows she has to be polite and respectful, though she was a little uncomfortable. She wasn’t suspicious of Zachary. It was just that her heart was complicated.

‘If I were to host a tea time, I would have no choice but to keep talking with the Crown Princess.’

Rather, large-scale banquets could be done by only looking at each other’s faces and saying a greeting, although tea time is a little different. If you are the teatime organizer, you have an obligation to keep the conversation between the ladies attending the teatime smooth.

‘Well, Countess Laurent is so proud of herself. Let’s see how good her skills are… Let’s leave it to her.’

Iellie thought so with a slightly twisted mind. The Countess hastily spoke up, afraid she would change her words.

“Then, I will host the tea time. Right?”

“Yes, do as you please. But, do you have anything to say to me?”

The Countess, who was secretly trying to skip the gratitude, flinched. Iellie clenched her chin and stared at her quietly, waiting.

“…Thank, thank you for the favor.”

“Yes.”

Hearing the greeting with a reddish-purple face, Iellie nodded her head.

“Have you come up with a budget?”

“Yes, here.”

At her question, the Countess proudly presented the papers. Iellie took her papers and started looking at the budget.

‘Oh, my gosh.’

Seeing the state of the budget, Iellie frowned. She was busy with her hands fluttering through the papers.

‘Is this serious?’

The amount recorded in the budget was different from the amount actually allocated. What Iellie wanted from the Countess in the first place was to “distribute a certain amount designated by her” in an efficient and rational way.

‘This budget is ignoring the amount that I originally specified…’

The basis of all events, such as banquets and hunting parties, was to plan a budget. She didn’t know that she would raise her voice from this basic problem.

Iellie waved to the Countess with the papers in her hand.

“More than that, Countess. Didn’t you say you once hosted a banquet as a mistress?”

“Of course, County Laurent is a family with a long history, even with the Imperial Family.”

Not talking about Hessenweitz is probably intentional. It must have been something that was quite harsh this time around.

Nevertheless, bringing the Imperial Family like that, Iellie was not afraid.

“A family with a long history that even has ties with the Imperial Family, can’t they properly plan a budget?”

As she shot it in a cold voice, the Countess’ face turned dark red. She pleaded, “This is ridiculous! This is the budget I worked hard on!”

“Effort is not important. It’s a matter of money coming and going, but it’s difficult to do it this way.”

She rubbed her forehead and sighed. Iellie explained while pointing her finger at the papers.

“Look. The amount that I initially specified and the total budget the Countess wrote down are different.”

“That degree of error is acceptable when conducting a large-scale event!”

“…Do you really think so?”

At that, she asked cynically. Iellie, who was glancing at the pen in her hand, spoke in a cold voice.

“Countess. If there was an accountant who made this kind of error, that accountant would be gone right away.”

“….!”

The Countess bit her lips, but she dared not refute her words because it was absolutely correct.

Iellie took her pen and slashed out one of the budgets the Countess had written down.

“Besides, why are there so many flower decorations? Do you want to die buried in a flower?”

When she uttered sullenly, the Countess blushed, but her pleading voice shriveled.

“But, isn’t it a tea time with the Royal Family?”

“Anyway, you’re only going to put it in a vase in the tea-time tent, though do you need this amount?”

In an amazed voice, Iellie asked. The Countess hesitated and she avoided Iellie’s gaze.

Feeling her head throbbing with pain. She sighed and opened her mouth again. “The flower decoration will come from the greenhouse in Hessenweitz, so take this amount away.”

Her pale green eyes stared carefully at the documents.

Moments later, she folds the papers away.

“Countess Laurent.”

“Yes, yes?”

The surprised Countess turned to her, and Iellie put the title ‘duchess’ in her eyes with a cold face.

“The Countess doesn’t seem to be aware that this budget is for the ‘hunting party’ at all.”

“That… I didn’t mean to.”

“You better think about it.”

When she tilted her head and gave strength to her words, the Countess bit her lip. She would rather not have Iellie caught the empty hole in the budget, but she had already revealed countless holes to the world.

“I hope you don’t disappoint me anymore.”

The pale green eyes folded nicely, and Iellie smiled brightly.

But, Countess Laurent had already seen how far Iellie could go with that dazzling smile.

She clenched her teeth.

‘Leave it. If I just have tea time with Her Majesty the Princess… Then, I’ll flatten this damn southern girl’s nose.’

The Countess was so determined.

“Answer, won’t you?”

Then, Iellie tilted her head. Overwhelmed by frustration, the Countess bowed her head.

“…I will keep that in mind.”

“Good.”

In response, she waved her hand to indicate that she should go away.

The Countess turned around after greeting her.

Well, she could greet her now? She had cold eyes.

“The Imperial Family of Lippenberg, and the Duchy of Hessenweitz…”

Iellie muttered lowly. The Imperial Family and the Hessenweitz had a bad relationship from the founding myth. Although the Imperial Family is unwilling to admit it, the Hessenweitz was a powerful family that once held the throne.

“It is not that Hessenweitz cannot regain the throne, they wouldn’t.”

She muttered in a low voice.

Deliberately not regaining the throne… What an arrogant statement this is.

‘How can such a family endure the troublesome interference of the Imperial Family to some extent.’

She swallowed her breath. As a story to prove their strength, there was a story related to the Asha flower crest.

The high self-esteem Imperial Family openly checked the Duke family, but nevertheless, failed to prevent the Duke family from using the Asha flower, one of the imperial family crests. Her mind gets messed up.

Iellie wrinkled her brow.

‘Maybe Zachary would say that he accepts imperial interference because of the succession issues, but…’

But, the reason he accepts the interference, can she not say that it was not her at all?

At that point, Iellie was skeptical. She sighed deeply and leaned back on the sofa. Her temple was throbbing.

‘Anyway, the Imperial Family directly visit Hessenweitz.’

Suddenly, a warm hand covered her eyes, and at the same time, a fluffy voice caressed her ear.

“Who is it?”

“Who do you think it is? It’s Zachary.”

“This is not fun.”

Zachary grunted a little and lowered her hand.

Looking at him, Iellie burst out laughing.

Leaning his body against the back of the sofa, Zachary grabbed her by the shoulders. He then put his lips to her ear and whispered.

“You worked hard today too, Len.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled brightly. Even though she had been wrestling with Countess Laurent all day, the look on her handsome husband’s face seemed to relieve some of the fatigue.

Zachary asked, who was fiddling with her hair.

“Is the job difficult?”