The day finally came, today is Dahlia's birthday celebration.
To prepare myself from this day, Ade gave me etiquette classes and tea lessons, though the training was kind of rough because of my upbringing in my past life. Nevertheless, she never failed to nag me every time I made a mistake.
At one point, her frustration reached its peak, and I thought she might actually throw hot tea on my head. It was so nerve-wracking that it almost made me pee my pants.
Since it was still morning, and the banquet wouldn't start until late noon, I decided to visit the horse stable to have some fun and relax for a while. I knew the upcoming banquet might bring stress, so I wanted to take some time to enjoy myself before that.
In the afternoon, we began making preparations. I had a fulfilling meal, took a luxurious bath with fragrant flowers, and some of the maids helped me pick out a dress that matched the color of my hair, with a touch of black for aesthetics. Ade expertly did my makeup and hairdo to complete the look.
And with that, it took three f*cking hours to complete.
The preparation for the party took an unexpectedly long time. To add to the nerves, it would be my first time attending such an extravagant event.
No sh*t, it still made me a bit nervous. Plus, Ade won't be tagging along because she wasn't given any invitations from Dahlia. Even her wife wouldn't attend the party; they decided to have a date together instead, as she found such events nauseating.
To be honest, I didn't really want to go either, but I felt obligated since I was invited, and after all, she was family – well, blood-related.
I rode in the carriage stationed in front of the palace and waved goodbye to Ade. For some reason, she had teary eyes as she waved back, holding a white handkerchief. It felt like I was being sent off to war with that gesture.
My destination was Princess Dahlia's mansion, which was just about thirty minutes away from the palace, but the ride would take around fifteen minutes on horseback.
Upon arriving in front of the mansion, I saw guards lined up on the steps of the stairs, ready to greet the arriving guests.
A guard opened the door of my carriage and bowed, extending his hand to help me get down.
"Greetings, Princess Zinnia," the guard in front of me said with a smile.
"Greetings," I replied politely.
Afterward, he guided me all the way to the main hall where the banquet was being held. Just before I could enter, they introduced me by shouting my name for everyone inside to hear.
At first, the aristocrats inside the hall were all smiles and appeared cheerful, but as soon as they heard my name, their expressions changed instantly, and they started glaring at me.
It seems they truly love my presence, how wonderful! (In case ya'll didn't notice, this is sarcasm. ~Author)
Truth be told, I was feeling kind of nervous as they stared daggers at me. However, I managed to maintain a 'not giving a f*ck' face with a cheerful smile.
Holding my head high, I walked towards the birthday celebrant, Princess Dahlia.
"Greetings, Princess Dahlia. It's lovely to see you healthy on your birthday. I wish you more happiness and prosperity in the days to come," I said, performing a curtsy.
Dahlia didn't utter a word and simply looked at me. I proceeded to extend my arm, offering her the gift I was carrying.
"This is my gift for you, Princess. Though it may be modest, I hope you will still use it with care," I said, smiling warmly.
She stared at the gift for a few seconds before a maid approached and took it from me.
"I never knew you'd actually come," Dahlia said, sounding disappointed.
Bruh, you gave me an invitation, and now you're asking me that? I don't even want to go to this stupid party myself!
"I received your invitation, Princess. I would not dare to miss celebrating this wonderful day," I said, trying my best to hide my anger.
"I see. Since you're here, enjoy the feast," she replied before walking away. My fiancée, Euphemia, followed her and gave me a side-eye.
For some reason, it feels like Dahlia was mocking me with what she said.
I sighed and took a seat nearby, minding my own business. However, a couple of young ladies approached me.
I hope they're not here to pick a fight, or else I'd slap them with all my power.
Now, they're standing in front of me, and I stood up, doing a curtsy. "Hello there," I greeted them with a smile.
"Greetings, Princess Zinnia! My, it comes as a surprise to us that you managed to come here. Might we ask if you have fully reflected on the mistake you made before?" The woman in the yellow dress scoffed, fanning herself.
Ah, I know this b*tch, Ade said she's the wife of Duke Aldo Barnabass. Duchess Palmer Barnabass, a lot of women follow her because of her juicy gossips, and she loves to go to parties. Fairly rich too, since they own a gold mining business.
"And might I ask, Duchess Palmer, what mistake have I made?" I replied.
"Don't play ignorant, Princess Zinnia. Everyone in this kingdom knows the things you did to Grand Duke Piers," she smirked.
The people who followed her grinned, seemingly hoping that I'd be panicking by now.
I'd like to punch everybody here in the room and flip them off, but that would just make everything chaotic.
I can play your ridiculous games too. I don't read novels for nothing!
With a strikingly cheerful smile, I responded, and they were all taken aback by my action.
"Oh my! I never knew you were worried for me on my behalf, Duchess Palmer! True, I did make a mistake before, but even I had long forgotten about that, as it has been a few weeks since it happened." I held her hand, and though she wanted to move away, I held her tightly.
"I had fully learned from my mistake and that incident will never happen again, I have become more mature now for your information." I said confidently, noticing Duchess Palmer sweating while glaring at me. It made me smirk.
"Oh, how I envy you, Duchess Palmer! I heard from the maids that the Duke got you a gift to bring to today's banquet! I'm dying to see the diamond bracelet!" I exclaimed with excitement.
"What are you talking about?!" She shouted.
I tilted my head playfully, "Did Duke Aldo not give you any gifts for today's event, Duchess? The maids were talking about it a few days ago."
"My maids did mention that as well."
"I thought so too."
"I did hear about it as well."
The ladies that followed her started whispering behind her back. The attention was now focused on her.
The gift part was all a lie. Since I recalled from the original novel that Duchess Palmer would harass Zinnia at Dahlia's birthday, I set up the rumor myself with the help of Ade.
Duchess Palmer and Duke Aldo didn't actually have a lovey-dovey relationship, but she always claimed they did. Later in the novel, it was revealed that Duke Aldo actually had an affair with a commoner. This information was mentioned in a newspaper and witnessed by the main characters, making this setup even more satisfying.
"O-oh, the gift! I had forgotten about that! I apologize; it's just that the Duke gives me gifts quite often, and I sometimes forget about them," she said and chuckled nervously. I could tell she was starting to panic.
"You had me worried there for a moment, Duchess! Would you mind showing us the gift the Duke gave you? I'm sure it would look dazzling!" I probed with a smile.
"I-I'm not wearing it right now, unfortunately. It was quite a splendid gift! But, s-sadly, it would not match the style of the attire I'm wearing," she stuttered.
"Oh, that's too bad. If that were me, I'd still wear it, even if it doesn't match my outfit. The very thought that I was gifted by my beloved would make me ecstatic. Don't you think so?" I replied, feigning disappointment.
"Anyone would flaunt the gift their spouse gave them, I agree."
"Duchess, I think diamonds would go well with any outfit,"
chimed in the ladies who followed her.