Around that time, Flora was passing near the flower garden with the glass garden, accompanied by two of the Countess's ladies-in-waiting. The servants at the garden entrance stopped their work and bowed their heads respectfully toward her. Then they waited in that very posture for Flora to pass.
It was a level of extravagant treatment she could never have imagined when she was merely a young lady.
On top of receiving Richmond's treasure from the Countess, word of her being the Duke's lover had spread, and the rumor that Flora Reuwen would become the next Duchess had been accepted as fact among the servants. The Countess assigning two ladies-in-waiting to her had also played its part.
Flora felt as if heaven and earth had been overturned. In truth, it was little different from heaven and earth being overturned.
That morning, for the first time, she had grown tired of dresses with lovely designs. So she chose and wore the red dress that looked the most authoritative among her clothes. She had pinned up her hair like the Countess as well, and wore a large jeweled ring on her finger.
The woman in the mirror looked beautiful, yet authoritative.
Flora Richmond. It was an appearance perfectly befitting that name.
It was just as Flora was walking past the bowing servants with her shoulders held back proudly. As she passed a large garden tree, cheerful laughter rang out. Following the sound with her eyes, she saw young ladies and young lords gathered there, each adorned in their own way, conversing.
A faint sneer, barely perceptible, touched Flora's lips before disappearing.
Once, she too had smiled and competed within that crowd. Back then, she had believed the competition among that crowd was the entirety of the world. This was why experience was important, and why one could only see as much of the world as one knew.
That crowd was a kind of byproduct. They were byproducts who could not enter the Hall of the Blue Eagle where the Grand Council was held—in other words, who could not even approach the vicinity of power.
Flora clicked her tongue softly and was just turning her gaze toward the direction she needed to go.
"Flora!"
The moment the clear, ringing voice reached her, Flora's expression turned ice-cold in an instant. A scoff seemed about to escape her lips, but mindful of watching eyes, she pressed them tightly together. Then, as if nothing had happened, she smiled and turned toward the person running over.
Flora scanned the attire of the woman who had run up in the blink of an eye.
To think she would wear a chiffon dress to look as lovely as possible, and family treasure earrings to look as wealthy as possible... The problem was that those so-called treasures were merely centuries-old pieces of craftsmanship that looked countrified, not at all particularly valuable.
"Flora!"
No matter how or where one looked, she was unfit to be a friend of the Duchess.
"I was just about to look for you! Since you can't enter the Hall anyway. Are you busy? Everyone's gathered..."
"My lady."
The woman who had been chattering away excitedly trailed off at the formal address coming from Flora's mouth.
Flora took a step closer to her with a smiling face, then whispered softly into her ear.
"I haven't the time to converse with a young lady right now."