Chapter 05
I’m New to Being a Lady, So I’ll Cause a Little Trouble
“To fire a gun during a duel? How cowardly…!”
The marquis glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
Judging by the sweat pouring down his face and the groans escaping through his clenched teeth, he seemed to be in considerable pain.
“Oh, come now. Let’s get our facts straight. We agreed that each of us could choose the weapon we were most confident using, didn’t we?”
“Even so—”
“I told you, didn’t I? Since you know how to wield a sword, using the same weapon as you would put me at a disadvantage. Shouldn’t you have considered the possibility that I might choose a gun?”
“Grrk…!”
He glared at me in frustration.
So what if you glare at me? What are you going to do about it?
Even if the marquis had used a gun himself, the outcome would have been practically the same.
After all, there was no one who could beat me—the Lightning Hand of the Gale, the Bloody Hurricane!
“Anyway, I won the duel. Isn’t that right, Grandfather?”
Count Rosetti nodded solemnly, then called for a servant and instructed him to take his injured master away.
“Damn it! Damn it…!”
Marquis Penri cursed in frustration, but there was nothing he could do.
As I watched the man disappear with the servant supporting him, Count Rosetti approached me.
“I had no idea you possessed such a talent. When did you learn to use a gun?”
“You flatter me. I only started learning recently.”
That wasn’t a lie. I had only been holding a gun in this young lady’s body for about two days.
“Putting that aside, this incident will make it somewhat awkward for us to meet His Majesty. Even though the duel was justified, you did injure his son.”
“Pardon?”
Meet His Majesty? Why would I need to meet the emperor?
I stared at him in confusion, and he looked back at me as though I were the strange one.
“You received an invitation, didn’t you?”
“What invitation?”
“The invitation to the Imperial Ball.”
“I… received an invitation?”
I stammered as I turned toward the viscount and his wife. They looked embarrassed, wearing expressions that practically said, We forgot to tell you.
“W-when is the ball?”
“Tonight.”
Yeah, I’m not going.
“Not going? And where do you think you’re going to avoid going?! Get changed into your dress this instant!”
“AAAAAH! I’m not going! How am I supposed to go?!”
I threw myself onto the floor and screamed at the top of my lungs.
I didn’t care how old I was or how much they scolded me for throwing a tantrum. As long as I could avoid going to the imperial palace, I was willing to put up with anything.
No matter how bold I was, I wasn’t crazy enough to walk willingly into the home of someone I’d just shot.
And apparently, that guy’s father is the emperor.
I’d known that for a while, but for some reason, I’d always assumed I wouldn’t have anything to do with the emperor himself.
Because I used to be a maid!
Besides, what kind of lunatic would send an invitation saying, Hey, come visit my house! to someone who had fought his son?
If you’d received the invitation from the imperial palace two weeks ago, you should have told me!
I understood that things had been hectic because the young lady and I had somehow switched places, but still! You remembered Count Rosetti’s banquet perfectly well while completely forgetting about the Imperial Ball?
And even if I did go…
What if I arrived at the imperial palace only for the emperor to shout, “Seize that wicked, cunning little hussy who injured my precious petite angel! I’ll make her pay for what she did to my son!” before throwing me into a dungeon and torturing me?
People said children took after their parents. What if His Majesty had the exact same personality as that marquis bastard?!
“You two go without me! I’ll stay at the mansion and clean! I’ll do the laundry! I’ll even polish the chandelier on the first floor!”
“Ulpina!”
But I won! I won the duel and protected our family’s honor! So why won’t you protect me, Master and Madam?
“Just tell them I’m sick! Say I collapsed from the aftereffects of the duel and am recovering in bed—”
“The person who got injured was someone else! Why would you be recovering?!”
“How many people saw you walking around perfectly fine? Do you really think you can get away with saying that?”
Damn it. If I’d known this would happen, maybe I should’ve let that bastard’s sword graze me once instead of winning so decisively!
“Enough with the tantrum. Hurry up, change your clothes, and get ready. His Majesty tacitly approved of the duel, so surely he won’t be petty enough to hold a grudge.”
“But…”
“Besides, wouldn’t it look even stranger if the person who won the duel started avoiding everyone? Don’t you think?”
Now that I thought about it, he had a point.
Why should I avoid anyone? I have nothing to be ashamed of.
Once I looked at it that way, I somehow began to feel solemnly resolute.
“Grr…! Very well. I’ll go. Even if it means I’m walking straight to the executioner’s block…!”
“You’re not going to your execution.”
“Please, bury my body in a sunny spot back in my hometown, not in the Nezer family cemetery.”
“I said you’re not going to your execution…”
The viscount and his wife tried to reassure me, but I wasn’t particularly convinced.
As expected, the imperial palace was far more magnificent and beautiful than Count Rosetti’s mansion.
Everything gleamed from the moment we entered the front hall. It was clear that the palace had been maintained with even greater care and attention to detail.
Amid the lively atmosphere, the extravagantly dressed guests looked as though they were having the time of their lives.
“The imperial palace really is magnificent. It’s a feast for the eyes every time I visit.”
“Indeed. It’s truly splendid.”
“I wonder whose work this is. Constance’s? Or perhaps Marquet’s?”
“Could it belong to someone else? For example, someone who recently entered the palace…”
Good. It seems everyone has already forgotten about what happened this morning.
Or perhaps they were deliberately avoiding the subject. It was an unusual incident, after all, but hardly something people would want to discuss openly inside the imperial palace.
If things stay this way, maybe the emperor will let it slide without saying much. Honestly, considering what started the duel, doesn’t this just prove that His Majesty hasn’t raised his son properly?
Your Majesty’s son was the one who made the disrespectful remarks first, after all!
As we crossed the lobby and stopped before the doors leading into the ballroom, an imperial servant extended his hand.
“May I see your invitation, please?”
The viscount took the invitation from his pocket and handed it over. After checking the guest list, the servant opened the doors.
“Viscount and Viscountess Nezer, accompanied by Lady Ulpina Nezer!”
Oh, no.
I’d been wrong. I’d been spectacularly, completely wrong.
The moment we stepped inside following the servant’s announcement, every gaze in the room turned toward us.
The social circles of high society were practically obsessed with gossip, even going so far as to publish and circulate newsletters about it. Why on earth had I assumed everyone would pretend not to know what happened?
A sudden silence fell over the ballroom. Even the music seemed to grow quieter.
Unlike me, who was completely flustered, the viscount and his wife showed no sign of agitation.
They’d spent the entire journey telling me not to worry, and it turned out they really did have some impressive nerves.
Still, this is a little upsetting, isn’t it?
Even so, this blatant attempt to intimidate us was a bit much. Was this how ostracism began?
Just then, several young noblewomen who had been watching me from a distance began approaching one by one.
“Um… Lady Ulpina. How have you been?”
Having encountered troublesome nobles countless times, my mind immediately conjured up the worst possible scenario.
Have these so-called villainesses, the kind who could give Rosemay a run for her money, come to shun me?
I’d heard stories from maids and servants who had worked for other noble families.
Apparently, young ladies in high society would humiliate and ostracize people they disliked, spread malicious rumors about them, or secretly sabotage them behind their backs.
Were they planning to say something like, “Ho ho ho! Lady Ulpina, you simply don’t belong in our high society. Now, off you go!” right in front of everyone?
Would they put thumbtacks in my shoes or dump water all over me?
I should’ve brought an extra pair of gloves, just in case.
So this was why the young lady had chosen to remain an outsider in high society.
Damn it… I had no idea. I’ll carry on your will, my lady.
All right, ladies. Come at me with those delicate little bodies of yours. Whether it’s words, fists, or a good old-fashioned dousing with water, I’ll pay you back twice as hard.
“What can I do for you?”
I asked in a gentler voice than usual, trying to conceal my irritation.
The ladies exchanged glances and silently sized one another up. It seemed they were deciding who would make the first move—
“Lady Ulpina, would you tell us a little about the duel?”
“…Huh?”
