“Isn’t it amazing?”
It was a sunny afternoon, just right for a tea party. The countess had organized a tea party with only a few noble women, and said this carefully.
The other noble ladies didn’t understand what she was saying, and asked with a strange look.
“What’s amazing?”
“It rained first on Lord Achilles territory.”
Strangely, it rained a few days later as the other nobles followed the duke’s example, and toured their respective territories.
It may just be an exquisite coincidence, but there has been constant good news from the Achilles family this year.
“Only good things have happened to them this year.”
“Are you talking about how he finally became a knight to the Imperial family?”
“Miss Achilles’ new business selling to young ladies did well too.”
“Young master Achilles’ even became an Imperial official.”
“Come to think of it, it’s really fascinating.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
A baroness, who was quietly drinking her tea, said with a slightly uncomfortable look.
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“But there were nobles who collapsed at their party last time…”
“Oh, that’s right. That did happen.”
All the nobles knew that Duke Achilles was banned from entering the palace for a while because of this.
“There’s gossip around that too…”
“Oh, my. What’s that?”
“In fact, all of the aristocrats that collapsed…”
They all owned Rose Velvet diamonds.
Surprised by the words the countess whispered quietly, the ladies gasped and looked around in shock.
“Really?”
“It’s true, there are rumors that the miners who worked at the mine collapsed in a similar way.”
“Oh, my. Oh, my goodness. If that’s true, weren’t they falsely accused?”
“I’m not sure, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
On the surface, the Leroy family was still in good shape, so everyone decided to be cautious about what they said.
At that time, one of the ladies said something that she suddenly remembered.
“In that sense, the Leroy family is amazing too.”
“What’s going on with the Leroy family?”
“I don’t think I’ve heard any good news lately.”
“The children of that family are all talented, what could be going on?”
Knowledge, swordsmanship, and magic, it was a family that had three geniuses that they could be proud of. There was even a joke that Marquis Leroy was loved by God because all of the businesses he touched were successful.
“Wasn’t the young master famous for being a genius?”
“He was very famous, since before he was ten years old. I was eager to see him pass the Imperial exam.”
“But he failed to become an Imperial official…”
“I thought he would pass, but I was really surprised to hear that he failed.”
“Did he really fail?”
“Really? I didn’t know, but something must have happened.”
Everyone thought that Emil Leroy would’ve passed the Imperial Civil Service exam.
However, when he fell short of expectations, the nobles wondered what was going on.
“Didn’t the young master, who was talented in swordsmanship, come in second place during the tournament?
“It’s a pity that he didn’t get first place, but he did win second place.”
“That’s right. The youngest daughter, who was attending the Academy of Magic, left the house.”
“Oh my, I hadn’t heard that. She left the house?”
“She dropped out of the academy and moved into her uncle’s house.”
“There must be something going on for her to drop out of the magic academy.”
“Are they having a lot of bad luck this year? I don’t think I’ve heard of anything good happening.”
Everyone was gossiping about the unexpected news.
“I think it’s punishment.”
“Punishment?”
“It doesn’t make sense that you can abandon your biological child and then do well.”
Among the constantly flowing conversations, the main issue by far was the news that Marquis Leroy had excommunicated his eldest daughter, Leticia Leroy.
Some people understood how much of a failure a daughter would have to be for her to be expelled, but many people still thought that abandoning a child was out of the question.
“I heard this from my husband.”
During the conversation, a viscountess read the atmosphere, and said.
“This is what I heard Count Aster had said ‘Everytime I’m with the young miss, who was expelled from the Leroy family, good things happened.’”
“Oh, I heard that too.”
There was once a rumor that Leticia’s ability was to cause misfortune. However, Count Aster quickly stomped out that rumor and erased them from memory.
“It seems that Countess Aster is in good health thanks to that girl. And this is a bit strange…”
“What is it? Hurry up and tell us.”
The viscountess wondered aloud if she should continue. The other ladies, who were listening intently, urged her to quickly speak.
Eventually, she pretended that she couldn’t win and told them everything that she’d heard from her husband.
“They’re saying that the pink diamonds, which haven’t been seen in decades, came out thanks to her.”
“What? Does that even make sense?”
“I don’t think that’s right.”
“But I can’t confirm that it’s not true. Hasn’t only good things happened since she became a member of the Achilles family?”
“….?”
At the end, everyone looked at the Countess with questioning expressions. In response, the countess couldn’t hide her embarrassment and spoke as if she was making excuses.
“Come to think of it, whenever something good happened to the Achilles family, I think she was there.”
“That’s what I heard.”
“These days, more and more aristocrats are willing to invest in the pink diamond mine.”
“My parents also tried to invest, but Duke Achilles refused.”
“But isn’t Count Aster investing?”
“Maybe it’s because Duke Achilles and Count Aster have a special relationship.”
Before they knew it, the conversation shifted to the banquet at the Imperial Palace that was held around this time of year. It was always dazzling, colorful and luxurious, making it the most anticipated party for the nobles.
However, the ladies were distracted by something else.
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‘Good things happen when you’re around her? No way.’
Knowing what rumors were being spread about Leticia, the ladies scoffed and continued to gracefully drink their tea.
However, as soon as they returned to their respective homes, they were busy asking around if Leticia was planning on attending the Imperial banquet.
***
A few days later, the meeting that Leticia had wanted to avoid the most had arrived. It was the day she’s supposed to have an audience with the Emperor.
On the day of the Imperial banquet, Leticia stood in front of the audience chamber’s doors. She bit her lip because she couldn’t refuse the golden invitation she’d received.
She was already nervous, but when she thought of an unexpected problem, a sigh escaped her.
‘What do they mean…’
Since she’d toured the territory with Enoch, she thought it was only natural that they would enter the room together. However, she was told she needed to enter alone, and she had a strong feeling that this was unusual.
“Leticia!”
Enoch grabbed Leticia’s trembling hand and looked her in the eyes.
“It’ll be okay.”
“But…”
Leticia squeezed Enoch’s hand, and lowered her eyes. She didn’t want to let go, but she had no choice and had to put his hand down.
“Will you wait for me?”
“Of course.”
Leticia felt more relaxed after Enoch nodded, then she exhaled and entered the audience chamber.
After taking just a step or two inside, she felt strangely stuffy and suffocated. As she walked impatiently, she saw the Emperor sitting comfortably on his throne, silently watching her.
As soon as she made eye contact with him, Leticia slightly lifted the hem of her dress and bowed.
“I see the Great Sun of the Empire. I’m Leticia…”
She hesitated, but soon she calmly continued her greeting.
“…Aster. It’s an honor to meet you.”
Fortunately, her voice didn’t tremble, but her mouth felt dry from his intense gaze.
“Please sit comfortably.”
“Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty”
The Emperor looked curiously at Leticia and pointed to the chair in front of him. Leticia hesitated, then calmly sat down.
The Emperor spoke, as if he’d been waiting.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. You even made it rain?”
“That…”
“Seios has been worried about you lately.”
After hearing that, Leticia recognized what he meant.
‘Already…’
She knew it wasn’t a coincidence.
Leticia barely held back a sigh and lowered her eyes. Even though she’d already expected it, she felt her heart sink.
She kept thinking about it last night.
Should she hide the secret that couldn’t be hidden forever, or should she just tell him? No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t find the right answer.
‘At any rate.’
Leticia knew quite well that she couldn’t hide it forever. Even if she was lucky enough to escape this moment, it was clear that from now on the Emperor’s eyes would be on her, and he would be watching her for a long time.
Leticia forced herself to remain calm and composed, then she answered him.
“I’m sorry, but it was Duke Achilles’ idea to tour around his territory.”
“But it was the young lady’s ability that made it rain.”
“Your Imperial Majesty…”
“So, you do admit that it was your ability?”
He already knew, so there was no point in hiding it anymore. In the end, Leticia was forced to nod and agree.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Can you tell us what you’re capable of?”
He seemed to know everything, but wanted to make sure. Although he seemed to be smoothly asking for permission, she knew that she had no choice but to answer.
“You don’t have to be so nervous. I didn’t call the young lady to punish her.”
“Your Imperial Majesty…”
“I can’t believe that a person, who will become a noble of the empire, thinks they will be punished instead of rewarded. Of course, I will highly evaluate Duke Achilles’ actions and give him an award separately.”
She was proud that Enoch’s good deeds would be recognized in his eyes.
For a while, Leticia thought about how it would affect her if she confessed honestly about her ability.
The Emperor seemed to already know what she was capable of, but her saying it was meaningful because she’d be admitting it to herself as well.
“I make good things happen around me, so I might be able to help in the future.”
It was better for the both of them to stay on good terms.
She didn’t know exactly how to use her ability yet, but it was clear that the Emperor would need her.
“From what I’ve heard from Seios, my ability is ‘Luck’.”
She answered him honestly, without hiding any of it.
“Luck?”
“Yes, I was told I bring good luck to the people around me.”
“That’s an amazing skill. I can’t believe you have an ability that brings luck.”
The Emperor laughed out loud with an amused expression, as he gently stroked his chin.
“What reward would you like to receive?”
He was willing to listen to anything.
Leticia had been waiting for those words. She thought it would be okay, but when she tried to say it, she hesitated and fell silent.
No matter how much she thought about it, the reward she wanted to receive didn’t change.
“Then, I…”
***
“Did you wait for a long time?”
As soon as the meeting with the Emperor was over, Leticia exited the audience chambers, and found Enoch leaning against a pillar. As she approached him, a bright smile spread across her face.
Enoch was worried about Leticia until she walked out. He tilted his head in confusion at Leticia’s unexpectedly cheerful appearance.
“Are you okay?”
When she’d entered the room, her face looked like she was going to die. It was strange how she laughed so pleasantly now.
However, Leticia tugged on Enoch’s hand without answering.
“Probably.”
She was so happy that she couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across her face. She knew that Enoch was looking at her suspiciously, but Leticia couldn’t answer until afterwards.
All she could do was wait for the Imperial banquet to be held soon.
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