The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path - Chapter 197
Chapter 197
Translator: Yonnee
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“What are they talking about that’s so amusing?”
Once things reached this point, the gossip just never seemed to end.
Radis put on an awkward smile, listening to their conversations, occasionally laughing, and nodding her head to show that she was paying attention.
In her mind, however, she thought,
‘Oh, I’m going to die… When will this end?’
At that moment, there was commotion in the banquet hall.
But as Radis was half-distraught, she didn’t even notice it.
“Radis.”
Blinking her eyes two or three times, Radis realized that she had been called by Olivier.
“Your Highness the Third Prince.”
“Can I talk to you for a second?”
“O-Of course!”
Radis was so disoriented that she didn’t even realize when Olivier placed his arm around her.
With that affectionate gesture, Olivier pulled Radis closer as if she were his beloved lover, and he nodded towards the noble ladies.
It was only natural that the conversation of the noble ladies shifted to the third prince of the empire and the young lady of the Tilrod family.
Madam Enz, whose eyes had widened like plates, sighed in amazement.
“Goodness, is what I’m seeing real?”
“It seems that the rumors about the Third Prince falling for a southern young lady are true!”
Trying to calm her excitement, Madam Port fanned herself, but then her gaze shifted to Madam Hamel, who was standing in a corner of the banquet hall.
As Madam Port was holding a glass of champagne, she approached Madam Hamel.
“Oh, Madam Hamel, why are you so quiet? You seemed to have so much to say before the party started.”
What Madam Port said made Madam Hamel’s face contort as if she had just tasted something bitter.
Madam Hamel had been one of the people who had sat with Margaret at Prince Olivier’s birthday celebration held at the Marquis’s estate last winter.
She had overheard Margaret gossiping about Radis, and before the party started, she had wandered among the ladies that chatted like this.
“You don’t need to make an effort to impress that young lady from House Tilrod. I’ve heard something. She was expelled from the family because of her bad temper after causing various disturbances, particularly out of jealousy for her younger brother.”
Madam Hamel explained apologetically.
“I guess I was too excited and made a slip of the tongue. But what I said wasn’t entirely baseless.”
Madam Abbott, the lady of a family of knightly lineage, spoke up.
“I’ve heard something too. Miss Tilrod was acknowledged for her talent not long ago and received a knight’s appointment from the Marquis.”
“Oh my, is that really true? Such a delicate and lovely lady as a knight…!”
“The future looks bright for Southern women!”
Madam Abbott continued with narrowed eyes.
“By the way, didn’t we hear rumors last year about the Tilrod family’s son being involved in an illicit entrance examination? I heard that the young lady was jealous of her younger brother, and that’s why such a case was made.”
Then Viscountess Anton, who stood beside Madam Hamel at the time, chimed in.
“I found that a bit strange even then. If the son of House Tilrod had been righteous from the start, wouldn’t he have confidently retaken the examination? They say it was because he was worried about his sister being kicked out of the house, but in the end, Miss Tilrod entrusted herself to the Marquis’s household, not the Tilrod family.”
“Oh my, so where did Tilrod’s son go? Did he enroll in another academy?”
Madam Abbott replied to that question.
“As for David Tilrod, I heard he became a squire of House Roschilde’s subjugation squad… but he later defected.”
Her words elicited laughter among the ladies.
“Ohohoho! He defected?”
“My goodness! At this rare time when the movements of monsters are decreasing, he still couldn’t endure it and ran away?”
They didn’t seem to hide their contemptuous expressions.
Just as the northern nobles revered the knights, the southern nobles valued the military might of their subjugation squads.
Most of the noble families here in attendance ran subjugation squads, and even the noble ladies were well-informed about the situation with the armies.
Desertion was a grave offense to them.
After a long laugh, Madam Port spoke.
“It’s becoming clear who lied. You might be able to temporarily deceive people with lies, but the truth eventually comes out. I’m curious to see how Madam Tilrod will handle the aftermath of this.”
Madam Enz picked up on her words.
“That delightful madam may not have had luck with her son, but she had luck with her daughter. Of course, she seems to have kicked that luck away herself.”
* * *
Walking through the darkened garden with Olivier, Radis asked,
“It seems like the conversation ended early tonight.”
The post-dinner gatherings among the men often went on until dawn. She was referring to that.
“We’ve had enough conversation.”
Although shadows darkened Olivier’s face, a faint smile played on his lips, indicating his contentment.
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