Chapter 66: 66 — Sold Off to Our Country

Amidst a delicate hum of murmured conversations, Cynthia sat gracefully, a serene smile on her lips. The gathered noblewomen formed a perfect circle around a large white table with their white-painted wooden chairs, each dressed elegantly. As Cynthia glanced around, she returned the smiles of the ladies, noting the familiar tension beneath the politeness of the gathering. She knew fully well that it was merely a facade for all.

They sure have a lot to discuss. It’s been a long time since I attended these...

She mused, their whispers seeming unending.

No. Rather, I only attended these in my past life.

As she pondered, her gaze fell on a familiar lady, although the memories concerning her were vague. She didn’t seem to have written about her in her diary. Yet, her unique shade of red hair and her blue irises fixed on Cynthia couldn’t be denied. Cynthia grinned at her, unsure of what she should do in this situation. She always had eyes stuck on her every movement, however, it was not a banquet where it would simply end if she decided to walk past her.

The lady hastily averted her gaze, clearly flushed. She was caught staring at the grand duchess!

"Thank you for coming to my tea party," Countess Gionhard clapped her hands excitedly. "I apologize for the young ladies who have to deal with us old women," she chuckled, grabbing the pot of kettle containing warm water to brew the tea.

"Please do not speak that way about yourself," Cynthia began, catching the attention of the crowd.

"You seem kind... However, please introduce yourself. I doubt anyone had the chance to meet you formally due to..." Countess Gionhard halted, smiling brightly, tempting to shift the ladies’ focus elsewhere. "We are eager to hear your sweet voice more."

Whispers were exchanged between the ladies. Some knew about the incident at the banquet whereas others were curious to hear about it.

"You are flattering me," Cynthia’s voice cut through the faint whispers. She coughed to clear her throat. "I am Grand Duchess Cynthia Von Gwyndor, it is a pleasure to meet you ladies," she spoke softly.

Upon hearing her name, the murmurs which seemed to have stopped began once more. Cynthia clenched her jaw, knowing perfectly well what they might be discussing.

They must be wondering how come I am so well-spoken when rumors say that I’m rude and have a strange accent. Or maybe, they are shocked that I know the language of Selvarys so well. After all, Eldoria and Selvarys don’t share the same language while I seem so fluent. Or perhaps, they are shocked that I seem nice and friendly... How can I be the renowned villainess of Eldoria?

"The pleasure is mine, Countess," she replied softly. "It’s been a while since I’ve attended such a lively gathering."

The countess’s eyes sparkled. "Ah, but you must miss your home, Your Highness. Eldoria is so far away, and I’m sure the customs here must seem... foreign?"

Murmurs of agreement rose, and Cynthia’s gaze briefly flickered to the woman with red hair—another stranger hiding behind false curiosity. She recognized the look: a mixture of intrigue and disdain.

"Not at all. Selvarys feels like home now that I have been here for almost half a year," Cynthia said calmly. "The people, the language... everything is quite familiar."

A few brows lifted at her fluent Selvaryan, but before they could respond, another voice cut through.

"Then you are the princess of Eldoria who was... sold off to our country," a lady with brown hair remarked, a cruel smile playing on her lips.

The room fell silent.

Cynthia’s fingers twitched against the porcelain of her cup, but she kept her composure.

"Sold off? Such a vivid imagination," she said, a light mocking tone lingering in her eyes. "I prefer to call it what it was: a political marriage. One like so many others. And... His Highness is so kind to me," she chuckled, avoiding eye contact with the ladies to demonstrate herself as timid before them.

The woman’s lips parted, but she faltered under Cynthia’s calm gaze. She exchanged glances with the other ladies who were baffled by her statement. They didn’t expect the grand duke to show affection towards his enemy so quickly. As far as they heard, he hated Eldorians more than anything and wouldn’t blink as he slaughtered them like wild animals in the battlefield.

"Not again," Cynthia thought, her mind flashing to a similar scene from her memories.

This time, I will not let them think I am weak.

"What can be expected from you, Your Highness? Your tone... Ah! Your parents passed away when you were young, if I recall."

Cynthia’s body stiffened upon hearing the middle-aged woman’s harsh remark— she was indirectly questioning her upbringing. She believed she could tolerate it as she did in her past life, however, it seemed like she could not. She had changed, and she was not the weak grand duchess without power to stand up for herself.

"That is right however, I believe everyone here is the same. Just so you know, we, nobles, are raised mostly by our nannies. Anything wrong with that?" Cynthia tilted her head to the side, shifting her eyes from one lady to another who each fell short of words before her.

"It is not," the lady insisted.

Cynthia merely curled her lips, giving a cold grin at the lady.

Sensing the atmosphere growing tense, Countess Gionhard let out an awkward smile, clapping her hands to catch everyone’s attention.

"Now that we have introduced the grand duchess, shall we also introduce ourselves?" she suggested. The ladies exchanged hesitant nods, and gradually everyone began to introduce themselves.

"I am Countess Baryin. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Grand Duchess."

Cynthia responded with a slight smile and a nod.

"And I am Baroness Hiltmil. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well."

As time went on, all the introductions were made, and the conversation began to turn toward lighter topics... or so it seemed.

"Have you heard about Baron Levian?" One of the ladies started.

"I did..."

"Apparently he is having an affair! He isn’t even trying to hide it."

"Poor Baroness Levian..." a dark-haired lady clicked her tongue, placing her hand on her mouth.

Cynthia couldn’t help but mask her irritation behind a thin layer of a smile. They did the same in her past life when Lucian had brought a mistress to the grand duke’s estate, making it seem as if they felt bad for her, only to use her problems for their own entertainment. They told her to make that woman’s life hell in the mansion so that she would leave on her own, however, she never dared to listen to them and do those evil deeds. Whenever she didn’t, they would merely laugh at her and say that she was a coward, a woman who couldn’t even keep her husband to herself and not worthy of being a grand duchess.

"Perhaps, you should just give your status as wife to that mistress, Your Highness."

Cynthia clenched her teeth, the flashbacks of her past once again emerging before her eyes. The few times she attended tea parties, they would humiliate her in every means possible; they would put insects in her teacup only to say it was a mistake made by the servants. Then, they would punish the servant harshly—by whipping them, hitting them, or throwing hot tea on their skin, burning it, only to put the blame on Cynthia.

"It is because of you that this servant is in this state, Your Highness. You shouldn’t be like this..."

A high-pitched female voice echoed in Cynthia’s mind—the voice of one of the ladies who sat in front of her.

Countess Gionhard...

Cynthia clenched her jaw, forcing a bright smile once her gaze met with the Countess.

The gathering continued for another few hours. Looking up at the sky, seeing the sun had set and she needed to return, Cynthia set her teacup down on the small saucer, which was adorned with the same floral patterns as the cup.

"It is getting late. I shall take my leave," she said, catching the attention of the ladies around her.

As Cynthia began to step away from the table, a voice called out.

"Your Highness, please wait!"

The silver-haired young lady turned to face the middle-aged lady who kept trying to downgrade Cynthia a few hours ago due to her origins.

"Yes, Baroness Darmon?" Cynthia asked, waiting for the middle aged lady who seemed hesitant to speak.

"Well, why don’t you stay behind? It seems like it will rain soon. You haven’t bought any bodyguards with you, have you? You are new here so you might not know but here, in rainy seasons, thieves are common on rainy days."

Cynthia chuckled.

Although it might seem like advice coming from someone who was concerned about her, it was wrong. The absence of a flicker of frown on her face was evidence of it.

"How kind of you. I appreciate it, however Luci—" Cynthia coughed, as if she didn’t mean to call Lucian that way in public before continuing. "I mean, His Highness will get worried if I don’t hurry. I have spent a long time here today already."

"Then, please take an umbrella with you," Countess Gionhard, who had reached out to the two ladies, suggested.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read