Chapter 159
Undercover Infiltration Duchess
I donât have any culture? You have no common sense! (1)
When the man, who had filled the expansive tea room with his presence alone, left, the ladies each exhaled their breath they had been holding out and fanned.
âThe Duke of Jaxen must love his wife.â
The first to speak was Countess Gray. No matter how beautiful a couple loves like a fairy tale, if they keep ignoring the rules of the aristocracy, they will be criticized.
In that sense, Countess Garyâsâ¦
âThe Duke must love his wife very much.â
It was not pure admiration; it was more of sarcasm to cover the time and place.
âYes, he loves me very much.â
âWhat?â
âIsnât it natural that your husband loves you?â
Countess Gray, who spoke first to Ezetâs bold answer, grew her eyes. The most appropriate response to sarcasm just now is, âHe doesnât usually do that, but I donât know whatâs wrong with him today.â This means that she is embarrassed because she failed to prevent her husband from acting unexpectedly.
In the most appropriate and polite response, Ezet did not choose this answer. If she chooses this answer, both Ezet and Edmond will admit that they are wrong for not being polite.
The second-best answer is, âSo Iâm in trouble too.â This means that she is embarrassed. After all, she does not know what to do because her husband keeps showing affection in front of others even if she is told not to.
Itâs the most realistic answer, but Ezet didnât choose it either. This is because he is innocent, and that is a speech that turns all arrows to her husband.
Ezet had trouble kissing Edmond in front of others, but she didnât hate it. It was rather pleasant, so she didnât want to say anything to blame Edmond.
âYou love each other, but if you hide it and donât express it, you may hurt the person you love. I donât want to.â
Ezet did not choose the best or the second-best.
Edmondâs kiss of Ezet in front of Davonâs ladies must have ignored social etiquette, but thatâs no reason Ezet should apologize to Devonâs ladies.
She thinks Edmond said that. âYou can do that.â
No one can blame the Duke and Duchess of Jaxen for ignoring a social courtesy or two. There is no reason to hide or err in shame.
She can be confident. She can be brazen. It was necessary to express that such power was on this side.
âDid the Empress do the same? Itâs a good thing that couples are harmonious.â
âWhoops, that was the case back then. The Duke of Jaxen is a man who turns crisis into opportunity.â
Unlike the elegant language, the Empressâ smile was strong. It wasnât a look of goodwill. It was like a mask to hide oneâs innermost thoughts.
Ezet, who at heart thought the Empress was on her side, was a little taken aback by her reaction.
âYour Majesty?â
âEveryone, donât you feel like moving after sitting and drinking tea all this time?â
As the Empress rose from her seat, Countess Devon followed her. Then the ladies sitting at the same table as her stood up side by side.
âYour Majesty, why donât we go outside and ride a horse to digest it?â
âThatâs nice. Iâve emptied three plates of dessert, and itâs painful to sit down.â
Horse? Suddenly, the mood for a horse ride made Ezet flustered. Viscount Harriet did not have a single horse. There was no carriage. So Ezet didnât know how to ride a horse. She doesnât even remember riding a horse at all.
âSince you are here, Duchess of Jaxen, I would like to see your riding skills.â
âOh, Iâ¦.â
âIâm curious, too. If you were a duke of Jaxen, youâd have all the Junmaran Junmar. Iâd also like to hear about the Duchess of Jaxenâs mother.â
Countess Devon and Marchioness of Barth openly set out to shoot at Ezet.
Horseback riding is a high-end hobby. In particular, unlike ordinary horseback riding, the noblemanâs horseback riding was standardized in everything from attire to the way horses were driven, the way courses were hosted, and the rules of the race. No matter how athletic one was, it was impossible to imitate others when they saw what they were doing.
âI donât know how to ride a horse.â
âWhat? Oh, my God!â
Countess Devon exaggeratedly raised her voice.
âDuchess of Jaxen, you really donât know how to ride a horse?â
âHow could the Duchess of Jaxenâ¦.â
Unlike Countess Devon, who pretended to be surprised even though she looked as if she knew it, other ladies seemed genuinely shocked that Ezet did not know how to ride a horse, a noble culture.
The inability of a lady to ride a horse is a shock similar to the inability to dance. It was because it meant that there was a lack of culture.
It was Count Ritten who defended her when she saw the ladies staring at Ezet strangely sharpened.
âWell, thatâs possible! The Duchess of Jaxen is weak, isnât she? If you ride a horse in the sun, youâll soon be exhausted.â
Countess Ritten deliberately raised her voice as she crossed Ezetâs arms. Now that sheâs decided to side with the Jaxen family, Ezetâs pride represented the pride of the other noble families on her side.
âEveryone, please be considerate of the frail Duchess of Jaxen. She would prefer to sit gracefully in the theatre and watch the opera rather than ride a horse in the sun.â
Countess Ritten blinked one eye as if it was a more elegant hobby to sit gracefully and listen to music than to exercise in the scorching sun.