The Return of the Female Knight

CHAPTER 56

It was Prince Carlisle who caught the attention after the ball so far. That was natural, as this was his first formal appearance in high-class society. Previously, Prince Redfield had been treated as if he was the crown prince, but there was a new wind blowing among the nobles. It also helped that Carlisle was also very handsome, and there was a lot of talk among the women. And…

There was also an interest in the relationship between a prince and the daughter of a noble. Attention to Lady Blaise is burning hot as well, as her beauty and fashion are so overwhelming for her to be chosen as the Madonna of the ball. Elena, who had previously paid little attention to the social circle of the capital, appeared as the talk in the city. He could feel a lot of change in the air from the day after the ball.

“This is another invitation for you. ”

Michael has sent hundreds of letters to her, including invitations to tea parties, charity events and social gatherings. They all requested Elena's presence.

“... I have many invitations. ”

He had been to the battlefield many times in his last life, but this was the first time he had received this kind of attention. His daily routine was unknown. He could not imagine how many more invitations he would receive if this was the loot from one day.

When Mirabelle walked into Elena's room to welcome good morning, she was shocked by the sight.

"Oh! Are all these invitations for you? "

"Yes . ”

"Wow . Being the Madonna of the ball is amazing. ”

Elena smiled as Mirabelle leaped happily into the room and looked at the towering pile of letters. Elena was still trying to sort out what to do. He could not accept every invitation, but he knew it was important to attend this meeting. Carlisle had warned her about the Empress, and Elena knew this would be the best time to establish herself in society as much as possible before she became the crown princess. However, he could not say which invitation was the most important.

'… There are a lot of things I don't know. '

She can have Kuhn provide more information about the high society in the capital, but she also wishes she had some kind of maid to give her advice. But since she did not have such a maid, she was worried at her own invitation.

Eventually he managed to narrow it down to a few and expressed his desire to attend.

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A few days have passed since then. Invitations flowed every day until his mailbox fit to explode.

'Is something wrong?'

She is told that Margaret came to the mansion to see Elena. He's got a hunch.

"Excuse me, Madam. Miss Lawrence is waiting for you in the living room. ”

"Is he? I'll be down soon. ”

Elena came out to greet Margaret despite her sudden visit. She already knew that Helen was the mastermind of the scheme at the tea party, and now Margaret had apologized to Elena no longer having bad intentions. Margaret gets closer to Mirabelle, and Elena is interested in maintaining a good relationship with other young women.

Elena opened the door to the living room and saw Margaret sitting in front of an elegant table.

"Miss Lawrence, what brings you here without an appointment?"

He put on a friendly face, but when he looked closely he saw that his expression darkened. Margaret hurried over to him and spoke in an urgent tone.

"There's a problem, Lady Blaise. ”

"What?"

“There are a lot of bad rumors about you in social circles right now. ”

"Bad rumor?"

Elena's surprised. It had not been long since they had arrived from the south, and he had done nothing wrong to stir up such gossip. Margaret continued panting as if she was rushing here.

“I came running to you as soon as I heard it from someone else. There are rumors that … "

"…?"

"A-it's so rotten that I don't even know where to start …"

Margaret's doubts further fueled Elena's suspicions.

"Please tell me slowly. What kind of gossip do you hear about me? ”

"Other nobles say Lady Blaise is a whore who has a different man every night …"

"What?"

“Y-yah, I don't believe that rumor either. But now everyone is full of rumors about it. ”

Elena was stunned beyond belief. He did not mean that as a booze, but he had never even had a relationship with a man before. The spread of such gossip made him feel extremely embarrassed.

“What is the source of the rumor? There was no way these words could be spread without evidence. Who said all this shit? "

“Yah .. The evidence and witnesses to the rumor are very clear. ”

Evidence and .. witnesses? Elena had an unpleasant feeling since the dance, and now she knew why. The same rumors had spread about Elena before.

Sophie.

In addition, Elena knows that Sophie is connected to the sabotage of her dress.

"Could ... witness be my family's servant?"

"Yes that's right! How do you know? A waiter named Sophie went to all the meetings and harassed you. ”

Elena pressed her fingers against her temple. There had been a thorn in her mind since the day the dress was torn, but now the situation seemed to have exploded.

"Then who invited Sophie to this meeting?"

"A-that's Lady Selby. ”

Helen Selby's. He had been trailing Elena with his men since the tea party, but thanks to Carlisle, Elena slipped away without revealing her identity. However, it was unclear how much he had followed since then. He came out unscathed, so he thought a little about it and left him alone. Deep sighs came out from his mouth.

She calmed her pounding heart, then gestured for Margaret to sit back down.

"Mrs Lawrence, please sit down and tell me the rest. ”

"Ah yes . ”

The two stood up ever since Elena entered the living room. The two of them sat in their respective seats and Elena rang the bell. There was a clear clanking sound, and Mary rushed into the room.

"Did you call me, Madam?"

“Bring me two cups of green tea. Lady Lawrence, is green tea okay? "

"Y-yeah!"

“This is a very rare and delicious tea. Looks like you're in a hurry because of me, but let's drink first. ”

"… Lady B-Blaise. ”

Margaret moved. Few people could handle this matter as calmly as Elena. Not long ago Margaret herself was buried by rumors in southern society, and she did not even dare to step out of her home. There was a bit of rumor about it in the capital area, so he started going out. Meeting Blaise's brother at the party and being pardoned also played a big role in regaining her confidence, and Margaret now deeply respects Elena's rational attitude.

Soon after, Mary brought green tea along with some fancy snacks at Elena's request. Elena poured a glass for Margaret, then took a sip of herself. His series of calm and graceful movements seemed completely out of tune with the situation. Margaret looked at him, before Elena spoke again calmly.

“Now please speak slowly. How exactly did the rumor spread? "

After listening to Margaret's story, Elena was enraged. The rumors were extremely detailed, as if someone was trying hard to do so. Perhaps Elena had been followed for quite some time, as the story was perfectly crafted for her moves. Even in Elena's ears the rumors sounded reasonable.

In reality she only went once in the middle of the night to visit Carlisle, but now she is branded as a woman who goes to meet a different man every night. She had done her best to quickly turn off the rumors at Blaise Castle, but Helen had gotten a few more witnesses — not only Sophie, but Helen had, but a few other servants who had heard the rumor as well.

That's not all.

"And Mrs Blaise .. there was a man who claimed to have fucked you. ”

"…"

Elena clenched her jaws to hold back her anger.

'… I don't believe this. '

This rumor was more violent and horrifying than the one that first spread in Blaise Castle. Soon this will be a major scandal, with Carlisle painted as a victim of Elena's seduction. Rumors will be hard to deal with when they plan to get married as soon as possible.

'What should I do?'

He wants to prove that he has honestly met Carlisle, but if something goes wrong, he may be found as his bodyguard, Len. Helen may not have intended that, but she also caught Len in a trap. For example, it could not be disclosed that Elena and Carlisle were on Flower Bridge together. There were many witnesses at the scene, and the only new face in the guard was Len. If Elena carelessly insisted on the story, Helen might notice a strange inconsistency. Elena had to resolve this in a way unrelated to Carlisle.

The hot flames on Elena's chest seemed to soar, but she tried to temper it with a cold head. For now, it was more important to deal with this matter than to give in to his anger. If it is not possible to collect spilled water, then it should be cleaned without a trace.

However, a solution did not come to my mind. As is the case with gossip in society, sick words spread faster than words of praise. No matter how much Elena claimed the rumors were false, how much could she really control people's tongues? It is not easy to restore a bad reputation.

'… No matter how much I think about it, it's impossible to resolve. '

He's afraid of the worst. Margaret noticed Elena's stern expression and carefully approached her.

"Miss, are you okay?"

"…Him . I just don't know how to handle this. ”

“I understand that feeling. At first I didn't want to say this, but I had a hard time after I was accused by Lady Selby. Don't despair. It will slowly be forgotten over time. ”

Margaret's words might have comforted others, but not Elena's. Elena should marry Carlisle as soon as possible. Emperor Sullivan will die in a few months, and traitor Paveluc will seek to ascend the throne about a year from now. There was little time to get caught up in such gossip. Although Elena could not hide her grief, she was grateful for Margaret's concern.

"Thank you so much for coming out on your own to tell me about this, Mrs Lawrence. ”

"Of course . I'm afraid Lady Selby will do something, but I don't know what. If I don't remember what I suffered under him, I might be fooled by those rumors as well. ”

While there were people who might be fooled by the rumors, Margaret judged it was just a lie in one blow. Elena recalled back on the day of the tea party.

"I should have said back then that you weren't the one who put salt in the tea. ”

At the time it didn't matter to him who did it. Helen, Sarah, and Margaret all plan to give Elena salted tea, which Mirabelle nearly drinks. Elena couldn't stand that fact. He was even less forgiving because in his previous life it was Elena who actually ended up drinking it.

Margaret waved her hand in protest.

"No! Although Lady Selby was the leader, I followed her as an accomplice. If I were you, I would never forgive me, but you have a generous heart and for that I thank You. ”

The word "friend" suddenly appeared in Elena's mind. In his last life, he had never given this word even to the comrades he was fighting against. He had no room left in his heart for it after he lost his family, and before that he never left the castle, so his relationship never went deeper than his perfunctory greetings. He had never been friends with a woman his age before. Elena's current situation was not the worst she had experienced, but this connection that appeared in her life brought new warmth.

"Mrs Lawrence. ”

Elena smiled rarely which she did not often show to others. Margaret's eyes widened at the sight. Elena continued in a soft voice.

"…Thank you . ”

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Elena saw Margaret leave when she finished talking. Elena did not want to spend too long with him when the current situation was still difficult. However, no matter how hard Elena tried, she could not think of a way to rest the rumors. There's only one way.

'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth. '

The way to fight the rumor .. is with another rumor. Elena's red eyes shone like blood.

"Don't blame me for this, Lady Selby. ”

It was he who touched the nose of the sleeping lioness.