Chapter 67
***
As the races ended and the crowd began to disperse, an older gentleman approached and bowed briefly to Caius.
His gaze flicked from Louise's necklace to the light blond, and only then did he speak.
"May I ask to be introduced to the Madame?"
The words were directed at Louise. It was obvious he and Caius were acquaintances.
Louise tugged at the hem of her dress and bowed slightly, but Caius spoke first.
"Louise Henriette Ermoli."
The old gentleman stood still, breathing heavily.
"This is my beloved Pearl, my wife."
Then he respectfully dropped to one knee in front of Louise and asked to kiss the back of her hand. When Louise awkwardly offered her hand, he kissed it briefly, tears welling in his eyes.
Speaking once again, Caius introduced the old man.
"This is the Marquis of Tirpitz."
"Ah................... I have been informed that you are not in good health, Your Excellency, I hope you are well."
Louise said, recalling what she'd seen in her research. The Marquis forced a smile.
"It is no boast for an old man to send the young before him. May I ask where the Marquis's mausoleum is?"
Louise glanced at Caius, who nodded, so she answered matter-of-factly.
"In the parish of Gotha, .................. where he sleeps in plain sight. My father will be pleased that you remember."
The Marquis said no more, but his grip on Louise's hand tightened.
"Mmm."
He released her hand only after she coughed ruefully, and then turned to Caius.
"The friendship of Tirpitz will accompany you both on your way."
"Thank you, Marquis."
Louise bowed once more as Caius replied.
Next came Lady Hessen, whose face she recognized from her last visit to the Imperiale Celle.
"It is a pleasure to see you again, my lady."
Louise was a little relieved to see Lady Hessen, for there was finally a woman on this racetrack who was as colorfully dressed as she was.
"It's good to see you, too, Lady Hessen. This is my husband, the Margrave of Burg.”
"Lady Hessen."
Instead of offering her a kiss on the back of the hand, Caius offered her a handshake, as he did with other nobles.
House Hessen had no sons, and Lady Hessen, the eldest daughter, was expected to carry on the family name, so these days she's looking for a companion, not a marriage.
So Caius' handshake must have seemed to recognize her as the heir apparent.
Lady Hessen smiled and clasped his hand.
"It is an honor to meet you, Charlotte Hessen."
Her blue-violet eyes sparkled brilliantly in the afternoon sun.
"I am glad to see that the beauty of the late Countess still lives on in Hyreth."
Caius complimented her beauty, but Charlotte did not blush at all. She was dignified, as if she had heard the words as a matter of course.
"I'm glad you're well, Your Excellency. My father would be so pleased."
Caius returned her smile, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Thank you, my lady. Give my regards to the Count for me."
He released their clasped hands and asked,
"I understand you are establishing a technical school in Hessen, how far along is it?"
"Oh, my goodness, I'm so glad you know, because I think a technical school is exactly what Hyreth needs right now."
For a woman who sounded so pleased, Charlotte's demeanor was as dignified as ever. Her white neck stretched gracefully, her shoulders slender but strong.
The flush that spread across her face only revealed her pride in her family's business. Her flushed cheeks looked dozens of times more pleased than when she'd been complimented on her appearance earlier.
She fluttered her dark golden lashes once, and then began to explain willingly.
"We're almost finished with the construction now, so we're looking for a teacher, and my father has been working with.................."
Charlotte had just met Caius for the first time, but they were able to keep up a steady stream of common topics as if they had always known each other.
As Louise watched them with a bit of envy, someone came up to her and threw her arms around her.
"Louise!"
It was Caroline.
"How are you, Madame?"
Louise greeted her, but Caroline only called her by name once, and then she was too busy examining her necklace with the eyes of a firelight.
In fact, she wasn't the only noblewoman.
Louise grew bitter at the thought that her usefulness was really just what the man could wish for.
She couldn’t talk business like Charlotte, or dazzle with her manners, and all she had was a tattered name and a pearl that didn’t even belong to her.
If the man was right, he had concealed her parents' treachery, and not even that name was worthy of honor.
"May I touch it, just a little?"
Caroline asked, finally finishing her observation.
Louise nodded slightly, barely able to pull herself out of her thoughts.
"But be careful, you know it's not mine."
"Of course!"
Caroline bent her second finger awkwardly and brushed the tiny pearl with the top of her finger, not even the tip.
It shouldn't have made much of a difference, but she couldn't help but gush.
"I'm so, so glad you're back, Louise."
The unexpected greeting was directed at Ermoli, not herself.
Ermoli had returned with the pearl.
The name that had been born from Caius's script.
"Thank you for saying that."
Louise said, hiding her bitterness.
Afterward, several nobles came to meet her, but only the Marquis of Tirpitz ever mentioned the Ermoli directly.
It was impossible to know who was whose acquaintance and who was related.
Most of the nobility, after exchanging pleasantries with Caius or Louise, casually bought tickets and cheered on the horses.
Seeing them in such a natural way made Louise's shoulders, which had been shaking the whole time, feel unnecessarily narrow. Somehow, she couldn’t forget Charlotte's confidence in front of Caius.
When they finally left the racetrack, they saw a tattered wallpaper on the wall by the stairs.
Prove Prince Leopold’s lineage!
Beneath it was a pile of "Only One Love" from Caroline.
Considering Krefeld's proximity to the capital, the imperial authority seemed to be at an all-time low.
***
"We're just supposed to go back?"
Clop, clop, the sound of horse hooves rang out.
The man sitting across from her in the carriage had cooled, as if he had forgotten his passion at the racetrack. Of course, it was a false passion that never existed.
"Well, I suppose there's nothing to talk about in broad daylight, but I've seen enough."
Louise nodded to Caius, then spoke cautiously.
"By the way, the Countess of Nas says she'd like to see me in May. Is there some pre-arrangement I'm not aware of?"
"Oh, that."
He replied nonchalantly.
"Social events in Hyreth always begin at the castle-the masquerade ball in early May."
A masquerade ball, she had heard of it from her mother. It was also one of the most interesting things young Louise had ever heard of.
"Are we.................. going to attend?"
"I think so."
Caius continued.
"The tailor will be here soon to take measurements, I have a special design I ordered."
"If it's a masquerade ball, will you be wearing a mask?"
"I will be the only one wearing a mask. Your face is still unknown, so a veil is sufficient, and frankly, your beauty is too beautiful to hide."
It had been a long time since she'd heard a compliment from him, but Louise didn't blush.
Charlotte's bold demeanor from earlier was still fresh in her mind.
"I apologize for not telling you beforehand, but I would like you to wear a black dress."
"Like a formal dress..................?"
"Better than formal wear, of course, but don't worry, you'll stand out no matter what color the dress is, and no one will be able to take their eyes off you."
This time it was definitely not a compliment.
He was just trying to hang a pearl on her and display it in plain sight, as he had done today.
Louise turned to face him and forced a smile.
"Maybe you could shorten the string on the necklace a little? I'm not used to being the center of attention..................."
"Oh, sure."
Caius nodded.
"I regretted it a bit today, too. Don't ever wear a dress this fine again. Tirpitz. It was disgusting to watch that old man fiddle with your hands."
***
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