C161
"Nice to meet you, Marquise Debion."
"I am delighted to meet you as well, Princess."
As I approached, Marquise Debion responded with a puzzled expression and a delicate, trembling voice.
The Debion family was a new aristocratic family with a short history compared to Seymour and Baslein. People from ancient families tended to downplay those with shorter histories.
Regardless of my reputation, I am, first and foremost, the princess of one of the founding families of the empire. In a situation where many nobles had not yet been introduced, Marquise Debion did not expect it to be her turn to greet me.
Even those close to Marquise Debion looked at me in astonishment. It was the same everywhere; the people around were also new noble families that had gained much popularity recently. They seemed to wonder why I had approached Marquise Debion in the first place.
"Yes, because this is much more useful to me."
"Princess Deborah looks very well-dressed. Sooner or later, mermaid dresses with beautiful lines will be in fashion."
Marquise Debion kept her expression under control and spoke calmly.
"Thank you for the compliment. If you wish, I can connect you with the dressmaker I use."
"T-thank you."
Helen's dressing room has been one of the hottest in the capital lately, and it's fully booked, so the Marquise's face revealed indescribable joy.
"But, seeing that Marquis Debion couldn't attend today, he must have been very busy."
I said, looking around.
"Yes. At this time of year, when there are many events, the imperial administrative office is especially busy."
"I wanted to meet him in person and thank him, but it's a shame."
"Thank him?"
Marquis Debion was a high-ranking official in the imperial administration, and with his approval in the early days of the Armand project, the clock tower could be installed. He also helped deliver ionic drinks during the jousting contest. I have been indebted to him since then. Marquis Debion wouldn't have known that I was the owner.
"Thanks to Marquis Debion's hard work, we have been able to establish useful donation facilities in two squares in the Horun district."
"Oh, wow. I can't believe you donated public facilities! You took the initiative and did a good job. The Debion family assisted with the princess's charity work. That's really good."
Marquise Debion, while loudly announcing my donation, didn't forget to honor her family with it.
"Well, I did a good job choosing this person," I sighed inwardly, recalling Agath-nim's words.
"Marquise Debion has a lot of influence among the wives of imperial officials and is the most active in promoting the family."
It made a lot of noise, and perhaps the fact that I, who was notorious, had made a donation was shocking, so the nobles around her quickly began to show interest.
"That's wonderful. But what facilities did you donate, Princess?"
"I donated the Goddess Fountain in Horun and the great clock tower that chimes in front of the fountain."
"..."
There was silence at my words.
I knew just by looking at their expressions. They seemed incredulous.
"Princess. There is only one clock tower in front of the fountain, and I know that the facility was donated by Armand."
As soon as a certain young lady immediately refuted my words, I said as if it were not a big deal.
"I am the owner of that Armand."
* * *
At first, even when the debutante started, nobles showed the greatest interest in Mia Binoche.
"That young lady is the heroine of the incense celebration..."
"Yes. The dress is beautiful too. Instead of jewelry, it looks more noble with the layers of white lace."
Ignoring the saying that she came from a fallen family, Mia Binoche displayed impeccable manners.
But that was it.
The social world is not a place to showcase divine power, and there were many youths who displayed the level of management skills of Mia Binoche.
The image of the second queen, who was the most sarcastic of all, talking to Princess Deborah for a long time surprised the nobles.
"Surprisingly, does Princess Deborah seem to have good speaking skills?"
"I kept saying things without realizing. She constantly brings up interesting topics. Not only that, she knew the fact that my son was promoted to Vice-Commander of the Knights."
Marquis of Mislow, who had spoken with Princess Deborah, said.
"Marquise of Baslein is not a member of high society for nothing. It seems that the princess has been properly educated under a wonderful chaperone."
The narration was unexpected too, but it was also quite unexpected that Marquise of Baslein and Princess Deborah got along.
"No matter how good a chaperone is, agility, wit, and a variety of backgrounds are needed to maintain a conversation for a long time with an older person with a generational gap."
"Yes, that's right.
Even after that, Princess Deborah showed a completely unexpected appearance.
"Why did she skip introductions with other families and talk to Marquise Debion?
"I heard that the arrogant princess publicly ignores families with short histories...
Thanks to Princess Deborah, who constantly stimulated their curiosity, more and more people paid attention to her.
And at the moment it was revealed that the princess had been doing charity work, the reaction exploded as if the water, which had been heating up, suddenly overflowed and boiled.
"Why is the group around Princess Deborah so chaotic?"
"The princess donated public facilities for the public good."
"Donated?!"
The words Princess Deborah and good deeds.
It felt uncomfortable, as if they had said she was a fast turtle.
"It's strange. There is a sign with the donor's name written in front of the donated facility. Does it make sense that this fact is still unknown?"
"It seems that the donation was made under the peak that Princess Deborah leads."
"Leads a peak?"
This part made her doubt her ears.
"Yes. It is said that Princess Deborah is the owner of Armand, who donated the clock tower...
"Does it make sense to manage such a large store at such a young age without having graduated from the academy?"
"It's hard to believe."
"I was surprised too. My daughter is really a genius the more you get to know her."
"D-Duke Seymour?!"
"What's happening? Act as if you've seen a ghost."
"N-No, not a ghost! She really is an amazing princess."
The nobles were nervous about the intrusion of Duke Seymour, who always blew cold winds with a reluctant face, but they began to respond to his indifferent boasting.
"Princess Deborah has finally played her hidden card."
Marquise of Baslein said with a renewed expression.
The timing was perfect.
Now, she can tell the other ladies what Princess Deborah has done in the Southern Territories.
They don't know how much her mouth itched because she wanted to let them know the true value of the princess.
"Did Marquise of Baslein already know that the princess leads Armand?"
"Did I invite the princess to the estate for nothing? The princess and I are closer than it seems."
"Not only Seymour and Visconti but also Baslein appreciates the princess."
"How can her status change in a day?"
The heads of families and the ladies who attended that day looked in the direction of the princess during the debutante event. It was to find a moment to speak with her.
"Again, again, Deborah Seymour!"
Mia's complexion turned pale as the atmosphere revolved around Princess Deborah again, even without the use of Duke Visconti.
The second queen, who is said to be very loyal, spoke to her for less than 5 minutes but invited the princess to a tea party.
"Why doesn't she pay attention to me being Santa?"
In the first place, she hated those red eyes that reminded her of blood, but when combined with the inferiority complex that rose to her head, her stomach churned.
Mia bit her lips all the time, squeezing her palms so hard it hurt.
* * *
As soon as I finished the debutante and returned from the imperial palace, I immediately lay down on the bed.
"I am tired."
The back of my neck stiffened after being on high alert throughout the event.
As a princess of a family that uses magic as a family business, I was very nervous about revealing that I lead the peak.
However, it is impossible to hide that I operated the peak after digging the southern trade route.
"It would be worse if others spread rumors that I am the main owner."
Rumors have different nuances depending on who starts the rumor.
"So it would be better if it came out of my own mouth."
Moreover, I made it known to Marquise Debion because I trusted that she would glorify my charitable work.
"She publicly thanked Seymour, I introduced her to my dressing room, and above all, she magnified the achievements of her husband."
I slipped under the sheets, thinking it would be good for the emerging aristocrats close to Marquis Debion to have a good public opinion of me in the future.
"By the way, there is a hunting competition tomorrow, and I am very tired."
During the hunting competition, it seems that foxes will be hunted because their population has grown enough to disturb the ecosystem.
Of course, it was not an event I would participate in.
Most of the participants in the hunting competition were young nobles presenting their spoils to the ladies they were enamored with.
The fact that one had many prey as a gift meant that they had built good connections and virtues.
"It's an event that has absolutely nothing to do with me."
There were rumors that the man who confessed to her had become a eunuch, and she did not remember being kind to young nobles in the past, so she had no expectations.
"Ah. Isidor will give me his."
I gently closed my eyes, remembering the kind face of Isidor, who dedicated a friendly smile to me throughout the debut.