C67
The good news was that the results of all that hard work were good.
Even when I saw it with my own eyes, my appearance shone more than ever.
"I didn't even put that much effort into my wedding with Leandro."
My beautiful pink hair, which was criticized for being out of place compared to his appearance, harmonized well with my beautiful outfit.
"Oh my god! Ethel-nim is the first person who has worn the dress so well!"
"Ethel, you're so beautiful! You look incredible!"
Miranda and Diana showered me with compliments. The ambassador's wife and the employees also assisted each other. Perhaps it was to make me feel better, but that didn't mean I wasn't happy.
Well, let's enjoy it as much as we can. I took a glance at the banquet hall.
"This is your daughter. Congratulations once again for this miraculous event."
They greeted nobles who seemed close to Ambassador Leok.
"Thank you. Let me formally introduce you. This is my daughter, Diana."
"I'm very glad to meet her."
"She resembles the ambassador a lot."
"I hear that a lot. And as you already know, this is Miss Ethel Wallace. She's the benefactor who found my daughter."
"Ah... yes."
Unlike when the ambassador introduced Diana, the reaction was tepid. They looked behind them, towards the Cassius family.
"They're worried that being intimate with me might offend the ducal family."
However, ignoring it meant ignoring Ambassador Leok. That would have been difficult for them.
Subsequently, several people who had met the ambassador and his wife showed a similar attitude to those who arrived for the first time. I wasn't warmly received or treated and mainly only spoke with the ambassador's family.
Well, I more or less knew it would end up like this. In the Cassius Territory, sometimes I attend meetings and have some acquaintances, but I hardly know anyone in the capital.
"It's enough to see Terence."
All I have to do is wait a little longer, and when Terence appears, applaud and congratulate him, then return to the ambassador's residence.
The secondary goal of "showing a secure appearance in front of people" has already been achieved. At least among these people, though some looked at me with a close-to-hostile gaze, there was no one who belittled me.
It was a moment when I thought I was satisfied with this. Someone spoke to me for the first time. Not to Ambassador Leok, but directly to me.
"I almost didn't recognize you for a moment."
If it was unexpected, it was unexpected, and if it was as expected, it was as expected.
"I didn't know you'd be attending this banquet."
The duke, dressed smartly in a uniform as usual, spoke to me.
Since it was a formal event, I could set an example of what I had omitted before.
"I meet the Duke Cassius, the iron wall of the empire."
The duke made a grim expression.
"Act as usual."
"Yes."
"As for the debt, we are handling it as you ordered."
He spoke about recovering the money the Wallace family had borrowed. In fact, I heard the news that they couldn't return to their hometown because even their rights to their lands had been provisionally confiscated.
"They probably won't receive money from them until they convert and start working on their own."
The Wallace family was heavily in debt even before I got married. They barely survived on money borrowed from Cassius.
"Yes, I don't expect it either."
"For your information, I have no intention or obligation to pay him."
"I know that."
...
...
After exchanging a few words, silence fell. Yes. The conflict between the duke and me only eased for a moment with the letter from the deceased duchess, but we couldn't have a friendly conversation.
"Above all, I didn't even receive a proper apology for treating me coldly for the last two years."
The duke only left a vague comment about the incident: "I think I regret it." Perhaps that's the limit of Edman Cassius.
People don't change easily. The mere fact that the duke decided to admit the wrong he did to Joshua and apologize was a big step forward.
"It might have been possible because the steward was an important person to the duke, along with the contents of the letter left by his beloved wife."
On the other hand, as I didn't fit into either category, it was better not to have desperate expectations. I had no intention of necessarily accepting an apology from the Cassius family.
I will leave soon anyway. I only stayed to fulfill Terence's wish and keep a promise I made to someone else in the past.
The duke seemed to have suddenly remembered something and pointed to his family.
"Now that I think about it, my son also has something to tell you."
Will it be Leandro? However, the one who approached hesitantly was Leandro's younger brother, Leheim.
"Hello, ex-sister-in-law."
"... Just call me by my name."
"Yes, Lady Ethel. Actually, I couldn't tell you earlier because I was in a hurry, but I want to thank you for finding my mother's letter. Thanks to you, I remembered the old times, and it was really nice."
Why are you unusually polite?
Honestly, it's unpleasant.
"I just need you to know that I'm grateful."
If possible, I wish you genuinely felt that.
"Then, even after leaving the family, I hope you live a long life and prosper in everything you do."