WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Malfoid

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◈ Fragments of Thorns and a Cradle ◈

Chapter 34

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"The appetizers they are serving are dreadful too."

A complaint broke out. The woman's deeply furrowed face showed her dissatisfaction. Her round face still held baby fat, making her seem like a young wife only recently married. Henrietta's cold gaze turned toward her. Yet the woman only blinked, then furrowed her brow again.

"The marchioness must be uncomfortable. She entrusted the preparations to someone, only for her mother-in-law's birthday banquet to become this shabby..."

"This is why one should not borrow a concubine's hands. Until last year, the banquets were dignified and elegant, with a young, refined taste. But what is this banquet? I heard that because the marchioness had only recently married into the house, the marquess's concubine arranged this banquet. But seeing it in such disorder, could she have planned it to shame the marchioness and stain the family's honor? It cannot be this poor unless she intended it..."

"I do not think it is so terrible."

A quiet voice entered the noblewomen's complaints. It was Henrietta's younger sister. The women turned toward her.

Like Henrietta, she had black hair and black eyes. She wore a bright yellow dress, with a ruby necklace and earrings that were family jewels. She was reasonably pretty and behaved more quietly and demurely than Henrietta.

"Well, tastes differ. It may suit Lady Amelia's taste. But those who attended the previous banquets are saying they are disappointed."

"Oh, Countess Breslin, forgive me, but I attended the marquess's family banquets until last year as well. As you know, House Nestro has served as the marquess's loyal vassal and friend since before our kingdom began, so we were the first invited whenever a banquet was held. Everyone here knows how close Nestro and House Gwendel are, but if I may add one thing, the marquess cherishes Nestro enough to insist on taking my sister Henrietta as his wife. So whenever a banquet was held, he personally..."

"You received invitations to every banquet?"

The woman who had earlier made a direct complaint asked. Her gentle, round face and large vacant eyes were somewhat cute, but it was impossible to know whether she lacked tact or was deliberately obstructive. Henrietta, standing beside Amelia, ground her teeth.

"Selena, stop."

The woman called Selena rapidly blinked her large eyes and asked the Countess Breslin, who was trying to stop her.

"What? Why? Lady Amelia said she was invited to every banquet, but I have never seen either Lady Amelia or the marchioness before."

Amelia and Henrietta's faces flushed red. Countess Breslin cleared her throat and turned away as though she had not heard Selena.

Lady Doljea, who had been listening quietly, laughed softly. At the faint sound, Henrietta glared fiercely at her. Only then did Lady Doljea cover her mouth with her fan.

Henrietta had been a woman who left all her work to others because she did not wish to prepare the banquet herself, then came complaining that she had been excluded once she felt left out. Yet she wanted to receive every bit of praise.

Then should she not have done the work well? Four days before an important banquet, she had stripped away and discarded every graceful thing that had touched the predecessor's hand, then hurriedly prepared replacements one by one.

If she had been talented enough to prepare something splendid despite the short time, no one would have said anything. But what sort of superior ordered something thrown away, then became angry at being told it had truly been discarded?

When the goods did not arrive in time, she tried to use what the predecessor had chosen, only to rage while looking for objects already disposed of on her own orders. Who could like such a superior?

The noblewomen who followed Henrietta, including Lady Doljea, were nobles too. Whether low-ranking or newly raised to nobility, they were noble. They had all been raised cherished in their homes, with people beneath them to command. They were not insignificant enough to be treated that way by Henrietta.

However much Henrietta commanded them, Lady Doljea had her pride as a noblewoman. And before marriage, Henrietta had been the daughter of a family exactly like hers, or worse.

Henrietta constantly exhausted them by saying Marie did not know her place, enjoyed luxuries beyond her station, and disrespected and trampled those above her. Did she never consider herself?

If Marie enjoyed luxury beyond her station, Henrietta did as well. What did she mean, becoming the wife of a great nobleman when she was only what she was? She truly was a woman who made one say, "How dare she dream beyond her station."

"In any case, this banquet is somewhat disappointing. Whoever prepared it, it is the first banquet held after the marchioness married into House Gwendel, and that girl who is only the marquess's concubine has forgotten her station and worn the same dress as the marchioness..."

"That is right. She must be trying to humiliate the marchioness thoroughly. The poor marchioness cannot say a word even after suffering this."

The subject had changed. Lady Doljea looked at the woman who had forcibly changed it. She seemed to be a relative not far removed from Henrietta. The woman agreeing with her also seemed to be Amelia's friend.

Lady Doljea lightly furrowed her brow as they echoed each other in support of Henrietta. Strictly speaking, Henrietta's dress had also been ordered months ago. It was laughable that she wore something that did not suit her, apparently imitating Marie's dress.

Marie's dress had been commissioned by the marquess himself years ago. He had chosen its color and silk himself, and inspected the design while preparing it solely for Marie.

She had heard it was unimaginably expensive. The jewels decorating the décolletage cost more than summer villas purchased by ordinary nobles, and the finest silk in the kingdom had been used without restraint.

The décolletage was so lavish that it made one's mouth fall open, intricately twisting gold and silver thread around diamonds in the center. Above all, when Marie wore it, the dress gave her an unusual, overwhelming aura. Lady Doljea remembered Marie in it.

It was a lie that would be exposed with a little thought. Henrietta seemed to intend to isolate Marie through her young relatives and claim that Marie had copied her dress.

But Marie had worn this dress for years. It was not as though no one had attended the banquets where she wore it. What if someone testified that Marie's dress came first?

Even if Marie had carelessly worn a color and design similar to the mistress's, what if someone revealed that it was because this was the only dress left in Marie's room?

And the marquess was not foolish enough to fail to see through such petty tricks. In short, Henrietta was only making herself look ridiculous.

'She is this incompetent, and foolish too.'

Lady Doljea could only swallow a sigh as the women of House Nestro passed insults about Marie back and forth. She was neither in Marie's position nor particularly close to Marie, but watching the scene irritated her.

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