While the issues related to the Barco family were still being discussed all around, Rihanna Dmitry went to a banquet after quite a long time.
“Oh, my! You are here!”
“I was waiting for you to come!”
At her arrival, all the wives of the North-East region, who had gathered in advance, stood up from their seats.
The organizer of this meeting was Helena of the Meloch family.
From the beginning, she was famous as a pro-Dmitry, but when Barco collapsed and Dmitry’s name rose, she quickly organized a banquet. It was a show-off. She wanted to show the fact that the North-East region would now be dominated by the Dmitry family. Naturally, the wives of nobles moved to attend the banquet. However, some new faces were also seen there. The wives, who earlier sided with Barco, now welcomed Rihanna with a fake smile on their faces.
“Somehow, I think you are getting prettier day by day.”
“Rihanna, I have prepared a special wine for you. Think of it as my gift, and please enjoy it comfortably.”
Their intention was obvious. Seeing the fall of Barco, the wives of the noble families who had fallen apart expressed their intention to attend the banquet and join hands with Dmitry. Their pride didn’t matter.
They visited Helena of the Meloch family every day to become friends with her, and after achieving that, they asked for even a single chance to meet with Rihanna Dmitry.
Obviously, Rihanna was informed about the current situation in advance. She wasn’t a fan of talking with strangers, but she knew what to do now.
“Thank you.”
She received their gifts and compliments as if it was natural to do that. There is something that people often misunderstand. They believe the Dmitry family has reached their current position due to the enormous wealth of Baron Romero. However, those who worked behind the scenes knew that it was only possible due to Rihanna’s devotion.
Rihanna created her own power by attracting wives in the North-East. It was a political thing that Baron Romero couldn’t do. And Rihanna was able to form the pro-Dmitry with the wives she hung out with. If she hadn’t assembled the board in advance, Dmitry might have collapsed long before they could even rival Barco as a powerhouse.
Dmitry’s wife, Rihanna, came into the banquet and naturally proved the status of Dmitry had changed.
“Thank you all for gathering here. The reason we came together isn’t because of some special reason but because we thought that as people living in the same region, we should at least get to know each other. Of course, not all of us have been looking in the same direction till now. However, as the situation has changed, we must also change with the changed reality.”
It could be believed those words were said sarcastically. However, Rihanna secretly touched those who were on the side of Barco, and at the same time, she told them she would accept them. As a result of that, after the meeting, the wives will return to their families and tell the others that they should act better with the Dmitry family.
It is a small thing, but this small thing will lead to a tremendous difference. Rihanna knew all too well from her experiences that letting the sides of Barco come here is to show them room for cooperation.
The Dmitry family became a powerful force in the North-East region, all thanks to Rihanna’s help. In the eyes of others, it may appear like a simple gathering of wives, but due to Rihanna’s actions, Dmitry’s power in the North-East would be solidified even further.
And like that, they chatted for a while and had refreshments.
The wives, who were sipping tea while talking to each other, now began to focus on one topic.
“Rihanna, what do you think of our Veronica? I think she would be a good match for Roman.”
Helena’s words made everyone stiff.
Arranged marriage—In the aristocratic world, it was a common thing. However, how does arranged marriage usually happen? Yes, it happens due to the discussions between wives at such banquets.
Ignoring others’ reactions, Helena, who was lucky to initiate the conversation, added, “Roman is already 25 years old. For a brighter future, I think it will be necessary for him to find a wise wife and begin a family, as well. Although it is a bit embarrassing to compliment my own daughter, I think Veronica would look good with Roman. Am I being too confident now? Hahaha.” Helena covered her lips and smiled, turning the air chilly.
6 years earlier, Roman Dmitry was a major topic of discussion in the aristocratic world. As he was from the Dmitry family, many wanted to form a connection; however, knowing that he wouldn’t be the successor of the family despite being the eldest, they halted.
At that time, apparently, Helena said, “Veronica is a bit too young to be with Roman. It will be better once she is a bit older, and maybe I will think about the marriage then.”
She was a pro-Dmitry. However, she was reluctant to let her daughter get married to Roman. No family wanted to give their child to Roman in the past to the point that they talked about marrying the second son. The other people also reacted similarly.
However, now, those people, who had similar attitudes as Helena in the past, were reacting with discomfort hearing her words.
“Hey, aren’t Veronica and Roman different, though? I heard that Veronica got arranged with another family heir not long ago. Helena, I understand your greed, but that is too much for Roman,” said one lady. She was someone who earlier had a character of calling Roman names right in front of Rihanna. She would even call him ‘trash’ in front of her, but now, she was appreciating Roman’s value.
“That’s right. The marriage of Roman has to be done carefully. Don’t limit the options, Rihanna. It is good to meet a variety of people. In that sense, please visit our family once in the future, as well. I didn’t tell you this earlier, but my child said she fell in love with Roman at first sight,” said another lady. She, too, would often curse Roman too much earlier. However, now, she had completely forgotten her past actions and was asking for Roman’s hand for marriage.
The situation had turned into a total mess due to the flames ignited by Helena. The wives who attended this gathering showed greed for Roman. It wasn’t just about parents wanting Roman for their own daughters, but even for cousins. It was a fun sight. Due to the incident with Barco, Roman’s value had skyrocketed. Well, it couldn’t be helped. Honestly, Roman had shown his potential by going against the 4-Star Aura Swordsman, Homer. It proved the Dmitry family would be in his grasp in the future. And naturally, people’s thoughts changed. Not long ago, the annulling of engagement with Lawrence was considered a blemish; however, no one seemed to care about it now. Rather, they considered themselves lucky, thinking Lawrence didn’t snatch Roman.
Tap.
“It makes me happy that everyone thinks so good about my son.”
Rihanna put the teacup down.
The current atmosphere wasn’t bad. Nevertheless, she had no intention of using her son for any political gains.
“Roman had been through a lot of pain recently. He was promised the daughter of the Lawrence family, but for bad reasons, they had to break it down. And then, I had this thought—I shouldn’t allow Roman to go through the same pain again. Thus, talking about arranged marriage makes no sense to me. I hope he finds someone he truly loves and who loves him back the same way. That is all I want from Roman’s better half.”
Rihanna drew a clear line—There will be no arranged marriage.
Still, the problem is that her words ignited rivalry among the wives.
‘In other words, regardless of the status, the one who captures the heart of Roman wins?’
Then, he’s everyone’s man.
Because of the greed for Roman, the expressions of the noble wives changed instantly.
After the war was over, Flora locked herself in her room. Fortunately, Lawrence survived, but her experiences on the field had given her too much of a shock.
‘I need strength to live in the world.’
The war between Lawrence and Barco was one where it was natural for them to have lost. Lawrence couldn’t even afford a single Flare or someone like Homer.
She had advised the Viscount to stock the food and last all the way through the winter because she read it in the books, but that was nothing like the reality she saw. The helplessness she felt at that time was horrible. As she watched the troops of the enemy rush in like ants, Flora felt her mind shatter. However, Roman was different. Due to the strength of a single individual, Barco was defeated, and the war was won.
‘How in the world can one become that strong?’
It was amazing. It wasn’t just about the individual’s power. Roman showed the audacity to attack the rear of Barco with a small force, and even after hearing the name of Homer, he said he would fight. His courage was astounding. The confidence and strength somehow looked different on Roman. Still, what he was now was the ideal type she dreamed of. The imaginary being who was confident in everything began to overlap with Roman at one point.
She shook her head, “No!”
She didn’t like the person named Roman. She couldn’t believe that someone who was selfish and cared about their own interest could be her ideal type.
However, she wanted to know a bit more—How could Roman be so strong? What kind of person is Roman?
The problem is that her relationship with him was broken, and she had no way of seeing Roman again.
‘For now, let’s focus on reality.’
She turned her attention to the book. She wanted to be strong, like Roman. She hoped for the power to solve any problem in any situation. So, even after the war was over, she stayed in the room with piles of books. Obviously, books are never the perfect solution. However, she at least wanted to relive this feeling of being stuck in a maze, even if it was only for a while.
How many days passed?
One day, she came out to get some fresh air, and saw an unexpected visitor.
“Sister, it has been a while!’
“Sylvia…?”
It was a familiar face. She was a woman with typical beautiful features and had sky blue hair. She was her cousin, Sylvia.
‘What is she doing here?’
It was surprising. Sylvia’s father was the younger brother of Viscount Lawrence, who ceded the title of Viscount to his brother, and established himself as a merchant in the capital.
Was it because she spent all her time in the capital? Sylvia was known to hate coming down to Lawrence. Like Flora, she had inherited the bloodline of Lawrence and had a pretty form. However, she was called Lawrence’s Witch due to her picky side. And now this woman was in Lawrence? This all felt too abrupt for Flora to understand.
“Why come to Lawrence? And…” She glanced at the girl from top to bottom. She looked pretty. Looking at the dress she was wearing, it didn’t seem like this was a simple visit.
“What is with those clothes?”
“What do you mean? I was told that a grand banquet was being thrown for the eldest child of the Dmitry family. Uncle told me that I should brighten up the place, so I came running here. However, sister—Is Roman Dmitry really a great and handsome man? Everyone is speaking so many things about him that I am so curious,” said Sylvia.
When Sylvia showed off her appearance and talked about Roman, Flora felt uncomfortable.
“…A grand banquet for the eldest son of Dmitry?”
This wasn’t a piece of small news. She should have known this. As Sylvia had already come to Lawrence, it was obvious that Flora should be preparing for the banquet now.
Then…
‘Why am I hearing about it for the first time today?’
The banquet for Dmitry—Flora didn’t have an inkling of a clue about it.
