Chapter 69
The Mass in Allstow was not particularly different from the one in the Kingdom of Harcourt.
Aside from the fact that there was no penitential rite at the beginning and that the Eucharistic host used during the Liturgy of the Eucharist was different, the order of the service was largely the same.
At last, the final greeting of the concluding rite echoed through the cathedral.
“Go in peace. May your journey home be peaceful.”
That meant it was now the time when worshippers could finally raise their voices.
“Thanks be to God.”
It was the trigger that announced the beginning of the social war.
“Turn around, turn around…! Oh my, see? I told you!”
A young noblewoman’s very faint voice could be heard from a short distance away.
The entrance was crowded with people preparing to leave, and the four people who had been seated at the very front began attracting even more attention.
But Tracy continued walking toward the doors as though she couldn’t hear a thing.
“That woman…”
“How shameless…”
“Look at what she’s wearing…”
Every step forward brought more whispers and stares filled with shock and disgust.
“That woman from the women’s sniper unit…?”
“Hah. She’s rather pretty. Now I understand why Duke Seymour keeps her at his side…”
There was nothing but curiosity and ridicule.
It’s similar to Sahiris.
Looking back on it now, it’s almost amusing. Why was I so frightened back then?
Being a noble didn’t make someone any different from a commoner.
Sahiris actively recruited commoner soldiers, and because Tracy was a noble, people had been jealous, believing that she received special treatment.
There were plenty of people here who looked at her for similar reasons.
Of course, it was better than it had been in Sahiris.
Their relationship hadn’t begun with them being outright enemies, so the atmosphere was certainly more restrained.
“…They’re mean.”
Even young Saidy seemed to have heard the whispers and muttered under her breath.
Tracy gently caught her arm to stop her.
When Saidy turned her face slightly and stopped, apparently understanding what Tracy meant, she obediently continued walking.
At the front, Marissa was moving gracefully and confidently, exchanging slight bows and nods with people she knew.
Thanks to Valentin’s height, Tracy could catch glimpses of her from time to time.
She had no idea how reassuring the sight was.
Which was why Tracy actually couldn’t tell what Marissa was thinking.
I never asked her to take me somewhere on the weekend… I only said I’d go if it happened to coincide with a holiday or a day when I wasn’t working.
The cathedral held great significance for the nobility.
It symbolized social authority and prestige, served as a place for political and social exchange of information, and provided an opportunity to display one’s moral virtue and religious devotion.
The most important thing, however, was practically their clothing.
And Marissa seemed to have deliberately dressed herself to match Tracy and Saidy, perhaps attracting even more attention in the process.
People might refrain from speaking openly inside the sacred building, but Tracy had no idea what would happen once they stepped outside.
Still, she was confident enough to face it because of what she had told Marissa.
She had very little reputation to protect in the first place.
“Duchess Seymour.”
“Oh, Countess Ford.”
The first people to greet them as soon as they stepped outside were a middle-aged woman Tracy had never met and a dignified-looking man she had only seen from afar at the military office.
Valentin, who had described the man as something of an ally, raised his hand in salute.
“It’s been a long time, Lieutenant General Ford. Ah—Count.”
“If you find my military rank easier to address, you may call me that, Duke.”
“Military ranks are taboo here, Count.”
“Hahaha. The duchess is right.”
The Count kissed Marissa’s hand, then shook Valentin’s hand after Valentin kissed his wife’s hand in greeting.
While they exchanged pleasantries, Tracy silently saluted Count Ford.
When the Count noticed her, he released Valentin’s hand and extended his own toward her.
“Oh, this is our first time meeting in person. Tracy, was it? I heard you’re an adviser.”
“Yes, Count.”
Tracy took his hand and gave it a firm shake.
Once they released hands, Saidy lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed to the Count.
“My name is Saidy, Count Ford.”
“Ah, so you’re the young lady. Would you permit me to greet you properly?”
The man, whose nose and chin were framed by an impressively groomed mustache and beard, lowered his upper body to match Saidy’s height.
When he asked permission to kiss her hand, Saidy looked toward her older sister.
Tracy smiled and gave her a small nod.
Saidy blushed and raised her gloved hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Saidy. I am Count Alden Ford.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too…”
It seemed that Saidy was both flustered and embarrassed by encountering such a gentleman after so long.
At the sight of her girlish reaction, Tracy couldn’t stop the corners of her lips from lifting.
“I’ve seen you from a distance before.”
At Alden’s words, Tracy turned her gaze toward him.
He was speaking to her with a warm, kindly expression.
“I’ve only seen you from a distance as well. I’m sorry my greeting is so late.”
“No, I’ve been busy too, so I never even got the chance to ask the duke about you.”
“I never had the opportunity to tell you either. My apologies.”
“No need to apologize for that.”
Valentin finished his conversation with the Countess and approached them.
The two had laughed together several times and looked remarkably friendly.
There seemed to be a reason Valentin had confidently described the man as an ally.
“…But the atmosphere feels strange. It’s different from all the people staring and gossiping because the sisters have appeared together…”
Alden said something rather chilling while maintaining a smile.
Wondering if he was referring to Brigadier General Peyton Weaver, Tracy carefully searched for him.
He was standing a little farther away, talking to someone.
Then their eyes met.
For a brief moment, he looked startled and shifted his gaze somewhere else.
But Tracy couldn’t find what he had been looking at.
That was because she noticed Alden staring directly at her.
“I suppose that’s right.”
“Ah.”
“I’ll explain.”
Valentin, who had noticed what was happening beside them, stepped closer to Alden.
Tracy and Saidy gestured for Marissa to come over, and the two girls moved toward her.
“Oh my… I had no idea the duchess was so devout. You never once turned around during the entire Mass.”
Someone approached with another person, drawing everyone’s attention.
The elaborately dressed middle-aged woman stood before Marissa with her face hidden behind a fan.
Behind her stood the Viscountess of Martin and another woman, both peeking at the sisters over their fans.
Marissa looked at the woman as though nothing were wrong, then smiled beautifully.
“I wonder if the Marchioness of Allen, who has so much to repent for, is as devout as I am?”
Her tone was elegant, but her words were brutally direct.
The Marchioness’s eyebrow twitched.
Beside her, the Countess of Ford watched the exchange with keen interest, her fan raised before her face.
“What on earth are you talking about? Doesn’t everyone have things they need to repent for?”
“Ah. I thought you would deeply repent for your mistake last time. You know, the mistake of having a rat’s… droppings served to me as tea.”
Marissa deliberately raised her voice and emphasized the words.
Heads turned from all around them.
The women standing behind the Marchioness giggled among themselves.
Only the Marchioness’s face turned bright red.
“I told you that was the butler’s mistake! Didn’t I tell you that the servant responsible had been dismissed?”
“And your apology?”
Marissa tilted her head as she asked.
The Marchioness avoided her gaze and gently waved her fan.
“I apologized.”
“I don’t remember hearing one.”
“Considering your age, I suppose that isn’t surprising.”
“……”
The Marchioness’s words caused murmurs to spread through the surrounding crowd.
Marissa merely gave her an insinuating smile.
At the sight of her, Tracy couldn’t help speaking.
“How vulgar.”
It was only a small mutter, but it was loud enough to draw the startled attention of the women nearby.
Even Tracy herself was surprised that she had said it.
But when she saw the Marchioness looking down on her with humiliation in her eyes, Tracy’s chest went cold.
“What did you just say?”
There was a fine crease between the Marchioness’s brows, but Tracy didn’t even blink.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“What? Everyone here knows what you just said. Are you going to lie about it?”
The women behind the flushed Marchioness chimed in agreement.
But Tracy looked at the women, who were all shorter than her, and spoke with what sounded like genuine regret.
“You should probably have your hearing checked. I suppose the passage of time can be cruel.”
“W-What…?”
“Pfft…”
The Marchioness and her companions flushed red with embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Marissa and the Countess of Ford were struggling to suppress their laughter.
Saidy, who was standing beside them, stared at Tracy in astonishment for a long moment.
But when she saw Tracy standing there as naturally as ever, she quickly straightened her posture.
The Marchioness stepped closer to Marissa.
“Duchess, you heard what she said just now. That’s why you’re laughing, isn’t it?”
“What are you talking about? I’m laughing because of what I was discussing with the Countess.”
“How can you bring in some woman whose origins no one even knows and allow her to tarnish Allstow’s reputation?”
“…What?”
The Marchioness had become so agitated that she could no longer distinguish between what she should and shouldn’t say.
Marissa’s expression hardened.
Tracy could no longer hold herself back.
She stepped forward and stood directly in front of the Marchioness.
“Count Hemond. Marquess Richardson. Viscount West—”
“W-What are you suddenly doing? You lowly—!”
The startled Marchioness tried to step backward.
Tracy followed her one more step.
“I am the one who saved those families, Marchioness.”
Her voice was calm and firm.
“So I believe you should correct what you just said.”
Her gaze did not waver.
“Your claim that I have tarnished the reputation of Allstow.”
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