TFLMLD 52

Chapter 52

The Gift Sent by Schufen

The nobles’ reactions were favorable, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. Their goodwill extended to me as well—at least on the surface. But of course, that never meant it reached their true hearts.

The name Evelyn kept surfacing, pricking at my ears over and over. Troubled, I slipped out to the terrace to find a bit of space for myself. Sitting there, idly staring at a macaron, I soon sensed him looking for me. Breaking away from the crowd of nobles, he found me and approached with a smile.

I chatted with Macaron for a while, until word came that all the invited nobles had arrived. It was time for the event to begin in earnest. At Macaron’s signal, the host delivered a lengthy introduction and invited me, the star of today, to the platform.

Holding onto Macaron’s arm, I stepped up. The music stopped, and all eyes turned toward me.

Though I had just greeted some nobles earlier, most faces in the crowd were unfamiliar. Naturally, the gazes directed at me, standing there on Macaron’s arm, brimmed with curiosity.

While the majority of nobles were friendly toward Macaron, many others were hostile. The problem was that, regardless of which side they were on, the looks they gave me were never kind. The friendly ones regarded me as a hindrance to Macaron’s future, and the hostile ones had… other reasons.

So I knew all the more that I couldn’t afford a single mistake. Fortunately, Macaron supported me at my side. Forcing a gentle smile, I stood tall, and Macaron began the ceremony.

“Thank you sincerely for coming to celebrate Calypse Crayd’s birthday.”

The fact that Macaron used the surname Crayd officially was a powerful declaration on my behalf. By imperial custom, no one outside the direct royal family was permitted to bear the royal surname.

A silence hung heavy in the hall. I knew all too well what that silence meant: they all saw me as his mistress. It was common enough for nobles, especially royalty or high-ranking aristocrats, to keep mistresses. Everyone had assumed his consort would be the daughter of some prestigious noble house.

I hadn’t been unprepared for this chilly reaction. I had steeled myself for it. Yet when I took the knife for the cake-cutting ceremony, my hand trembled slightly.

Just then, Macaron’s large hand covered mine gently. As he lifted our hands together, the applause finally burst forth.

Thus the ceremony ended, the music resumed, and the party atmosphere ripened again. Conversations flowed ceaselessly. Clearly, the nobles were drawing their own conclusions about me and Macaron. Not all of it would be flattering—that much was obvious.

But it was also true that the mood shifted drastically after Macaron’s declaration. At the very least, the nobles now offered me polite smiles and formal greetings, delivering their gifts in turn.

Though Macaron insisted I would be fine, he stayed beside me the whole time, while the pile of gifts steadily grew.

Then, a man I had never seen before approached with a bouquet.

It was strikingly beautiful, impossible to miss—pink lisianthus in full bloom, framed delicately by baby’s breath, like a shy springtime confession. Around us, nobles’ gazes all turned toward him.

The man extended the bouquet along with a gift box. But Macaron stepped in front of him, blocking his way. The man’s voice carried a nervous tremor as he spoke.

“Happy birthday.”

He glanced at me briefly but, caught by Macaron’s sharp eyes, quickly looked away and continued.

“I was told to deliver this.”

Deliver? By whom?

What noble would send me a separate gift?

In that instant, only one name came to mind—someone absent tonight.

Could it be Evelyn?

All day I’d been hounded by talk of her, so she was the only name that sprang forth now. If it was truly from her, then surely it carried nothing but malice—knowing full well she would become the topic of conversation, perhaps she wanted to fan the flames further.

But if Evelyn had wanted to send something, wouldn’t she have done it through Rael? It made no sense for the Rippler household to dispatch another servant.

As I was about to ask who had sent it, Macaron spoke first.

“Who sent this?”

The man finally introduced himself.

“I am Nabyru, butler of the Knight household.”

“The Knight household?”

The unexpected answer left me momentarily dazed. Macaron, however, betrayed little reaction, as if he had anticipated it. His expression merely hardened further.

“This was sent by His Excellency Schufen.”

The name Schufen sent ripples through the hall. Even those who treated it as just another noble’s gift reacted visibly at that name.

Since the Battle of Stace, he had not shown himself once. This was the first time he had made any public gesture.

And hadn’t he said he wouldn’t come for another three months? He hadn’t been on the guest list either…

Of course, sending a gift on someone’s birthday wasn’t strange. But sending one without receiving an invitation was rare. And recalling the last words he’d left behind made me uneasy.

The murmurs spread and showed no sign of stopping. All the more reason to act unbothered. Calmly, I had the gift placed atop the others, as though it were nothing special. The nobles’ whispering soon faded.

Perhaps Duke Schufen’s name would stir some gossip, but nothing more. In fact, if this were taken as him publicly standing at Macaron’s side, it could turn out quite favorable.

At that moment, Rael approached with a sly smile, as though she had stumbled upon some amusement.

“Sister, what’s the gift?”

“None of your business.”

I warned quietly, but she slipped among the noble ladies and raised her voice instead.

“Looks like you’re close with Duke Schufen. He even sent you a birthday present!”

“……”

“A gift from Duke Schufen, who’s been living in seclusion for ten years…”

“……”

“What could the two of you be to each other?”

She deliberately picked the most scandalous words, fanning the flames of gossip. With Rael feeding the nobles’ curiosity, the attention turned sharply back to me.

I wanted to tell her to shut up—but reacting rashly here would only worsen appearances. Every move required caution.

“Hiding it makes it look even more suspicious, don’t you think? Hoho.”

Already intrigued by the mysterious gift, the nobles quickly joined in. Among them was Lady Michelle, still smarting from her earlier humiliation at my hands.

“Hoho, perhaps it’s something as romantic as the bouquet?”

“As if Duke Schufen would ever… That’s absurd.”

Several voices urged me to reveal the gift, feigning curiosity but clearly fishing for scandal.

If Rael hadn’t said anything, hiding the gift might have passed without comment. But now, to conceal it would only feed worse rumors.

As I pondered how to handle this, I sensed Macaron about to intervene, exasperation written on his face. If he stepped in, the matter would be resolved quickly—but at the cost of scratches to his name.

Since he had resolved to become Emperor, he had to be more cautious than anyone. I couldn’t allow him to be dragged into something so trivial.

I tugged his arm and shook my head, signaling I would handle it.

And truthfully, since Rael had dragged my reputation so low, I needed to crush her at least once. This might be that moment, even if the timing was poor.

Just then, a tall woman in a wide-brimmed hat approached with imperious grace, drawing all eyes from me to herself.

“Who was it demanding the gift be revealed? Of course—it’s you, Rael.”

“……”

“If you don’t want to stain the Rippler name, perhaps you should learn the basic courtesies of a noble gathering.”

She was right. Such behavior was not permitted. Even the most basic etiquette guides condemned it. In essence, she had just called out Rael’s vulgarity.

The ladies who had joined in the prodding quickly fell silent, retreating. In the rigid world of imperial nobility, no one wanted to be seen supporting the petty maid of a lesser branch family.

Abandoned, Rael stood trembling with rage, her face red.

Meanwhile, the woman in the hat turned to me and winked. It was none other than Madame Marie. But in the next instant, her face was once again solemn.

“The Rippler house is in mourning, so I had refrained from speaking… but it seems the future head of the family, Duke Evelyn, should devote herself first to training her underlings.”

Her words cut down both Rael and Evelyn in one stroke. Yet no one dared contradict her.

Evelyn might inspire fear, but her reputation was poor. Madame Marie, on the other hand, commanded deep respect, supported by the many whose interests were tied to her trading company.

In an instant, the tide of opinion turned to her side—and mine.

“Miss Rael was careless.”

“Indeed. Asking the crown princess-to-be to publicly open her gift was rude.”

Marie knew the currents of society better than anyone, and she struck with precision. Thanks to her backing, the situation ended far more smoothly than expected.

It was laughable, really—Rael shaking as though she were the victim, when in truth I was the one who had always borne the brunt of her actions.

Calypse had been branded a villainess, but that reputation was born of Rael’s misdeeds. Between the two of us, I had always been the true victim, carrying the weight of her cruelty.

Now was the perfect chance to shed those false accusations once and for all. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

“Rael must simply be in the habit. Since childhood, she’s always treated my things as her own, using them at will…”

I paused, then continued with a sorrowful expression.

“I told her not to, but perhaps I raised her badly, and she never broke the habit.”

The nobles murmured in shock.

“Even between sisters, that’s too much…”

“Then all those times Rael wailed that her sister was tormenting her—they were lies?”

“So the real villainess was someone else all along.”