[TKOSINM] 9 – The Banquet (1)

Irene comfortably leaned her head against the back of the carriage and closed her eyes. The sound of the carriage’s rattle rocked to the rhythm of Irene’s heartbeat. Her heart thumped, palpitating in her chest.

         I was nervous before.

         Irene pretended to be indifferent, but that was the first time she had rejected Riel’s request. While doing that, her body stiffened like a piece of wood, and her heart had been pounding so hard, she felt like it could have burst at any moment. However, Irene was glad that she had managed to take courage and stand up for herself. The feeling of satisfaction washed over how.

         This is how I was supposed to act from the beginning.

         If Irene had been fighting for her rights ever since the moment she first felt an inkling of discrimination and injustice towards her, would not something have changed? Irene thought that perhaps, there would have been at least one person standing beside her.

But regret now was a futile waste of her energy.

         Irene realised that rather than regretting something that had already happened, it was better to make a foolproof plan for the future so as not to repeat the same mistake.

         However, how do I go about doing that…

         Irene pondered throughout the ride, but no matter how much she wracked her brain, she could not come up with a possible solution to leave the Chase family for good. Irene contemplated if she should sell her paintings to save money, but she did not have that many paintings to sell. Her privilege to freely go out of the house was also non-existent, so even if she wanted to sell them, she would need the aid of a broker. 

However, it was guaranteed that the count would be made aware if Irene were to use a broker because any of her movements would always be reported to him. 

         Moreover, Irene could not think of any talents she had besides painting, so nothing came to Irene’s mind other than that plan.

Is it really impossible to detach myself from my family?

Yesterday, Irene sent a letter to Viscount Gertin to break off their engagement. However, the viscount refused her demand. Because the engagement was made by mutual consent, it was impossible for one side to break off the engagement. In severe cases, should they wish to break off the engagement, they could proceed to court. However, the verdict of the trial would almost always be in the man’s favour. If it went like that, Irene would have to marry Boris.

I cannot possibly imagine marrying him. That would be the absolute worst-case scenario that could happen.

No matter how hard Irene tried to change her situation, in the end, nothing worked in her favour. Feelings of hope that she had quickly disappeared, replaced with a despondent gloom.

In the meantime, the carriage had already arrived at Duchess Jasmine’s mansion, where the banquet was to be held. The coachman opened the carriage door and carefully helped Irene to exit the carriage. Momentarily, she could not conceal her amazement at the luxurious sight in front of her.

When she looked around, the aristocrats that were entering the hall with their lovers or relatives were all in pairs. Irene glanced at her side; it was empty. She did not have an escort like other people.

It’s all right. I’m fine.

Feelings of inadequacy arose in Irene, but she managed to comfort herself. This is my first time. It’s perfectly fine to not have everything right from the start. With these thoughts in mind, she assured herself. Then mustering the courage to take a step forward, Irene walked towards the entrance to the ballroom.

“Please show me your invitation card.”

Irene was blocked by Duchess Jasmine’s guard, who was inspecting the oncoming visitors. Luckily, she knew that this was indeed an event she had been invited to and brought out the invitation card. After reading it, the guard nodded his head, ensuring that the insignia was not forged, and proceeded to notify the guard in command to announce her arrival. 

“Countess Irene Chase is entering the ball!”

The guard’s voice was so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire banquet hall. His voice, which boomed, rang in Irene’s ears. Immediately, her face heated up as soon as the attention turned towards her after the announcement. However, she schooled her face, maintaining her neutral composure and lightly walked to the hall as if nothing had happened.

“Oh my God, Countess Chase is here.”

“Why is she attending this banquet? Isn’t she rumoured to enjoy confining herself at home?”

“But her appearance here is nothing like in the rumours.”

“I agree about that. We may have misunderstood Count Chase because his second daughter is known to be more beautiful than his eldest daughter.”

Gossip about Irene and Riel sparked inside the banquet. She did not know that her reputation was not good. It was all because she rarely attended any social events. However, due to this, stories about her spread like wildfire. After all, people were more curious about the mysterious and hidden. Gossip and rumours concluding that she did not desire to attend any social events because of her hideous face or because she had gone insane, or was severely crippled, circled the aristocratic society.

However, with her arrival, the rumours subsided. Her appearance was a stark contrast to the crazed gossip about her. The real person, Count Chase’s eldest daughter, was neither ugly, nor crippled, nor insane.

However, Irene was completely oblivious to the defamation strained against her name. The attention of the aristocrats focused on her, making her flush brightly. As she stood alone inside the hall, a woman approached her.

“Miss Chase, what a lovely encounter. This must be our first meeting. I am Javan Jasmine, the host of this banquet.”

A woman with irises the shade of a bright lavender colour gracefully greeted Irene. Through her gestures, interactions with the other guests and her initial welcome, Irene could easily tell without her saying that the woman before her was indeed the banquet’s host.

They say that she is a party maniac.

Before attending this banquet, Irene had ordered a maid to divulge important information she would need to know about the event’s host – lest she embarrassed herself. It was well known that the Duchess was a party fanatic from the report Irene received. The Duchess had held six banquets in the past week.

However, from the elegant and graceful poise, the Duchess did not look like a party maniac at all.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Irene Chase.”

“The pleasure’s mine. I had arranged for the invitation to be sent out to you several times, but I did not expect you to come tonight. I’m sure that your appearance will elevate my banquet reputation.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? There are many people that are curious about you. You are the eldest daughter of the Chase family, who has rarely been seen in a social event. A person like you is attending my banquet. Doesn’t that show how much my banquet’s worth?”

Duchess Jasmine laughed while saying that as if it was funny. Irene did not understand what exactly was the part that was funny from her explanation, but she softly smiled to go with the mood. Then Duchess Jasmine offered Irene to go to her table.

“Miss, if you don’t mind, would you join me at my table? I would like to talk a little bit more with you.”

Irene’s eyes grew wide at Duchess Jasmine’s suggestion. Her initial plan was just to look at the trends in a social event and quietly recede back to her carriage and leave after. However, Duchess Jasmine was the banquet host, so certainly, Irene would hear a lot about the trends at her table. Thus, Irene accepted the request. Duchess Jasmine seemed pleased with Irene’s decision and contentedly hummed, leading Irene, who was following her footsteps, to the table.  

---