Chapter 21.2

Chapter 2 The Crown Princess Who Broke the Code

Episode 21: The Fearsome Crown Princess Consort When She Loses Her Temper (2)

Of course, Her Imperial Highness the Empress is at the top of these women’s social circles, but since I became Crown Princess, Her Imperial Highness has reduced the frequency of her social appearances. Inevitably, as Crown Princess, I am regarded as the highest in rank.

I like being the number one. Back in the territory, I defeated all the gang leaders and proved that I am the strongest. That was the pinnacle for me, the position of being the number one. I desired the status of being the most important. I am the boss. Everyone, follows me! It feels great to be able to say that.

But this number one position only came about because I became the Crown Princess, not because I proved myself by my ability, as I did when I became the head of the boss of the gang leaders. It’s merely a formality. I haven’t been recognized by everyone based on years of hard work like the Empress has.

Among the high-ranking noble ladies, there are some who didn’t want to acknowledge me as the highest-ranking. Especially Lady Marrolde, the Duchess of Marrolde, had a particular dislike for me.

In the Empire, there are currently two ducal houses as collateral branches of the imperial family: the Ebertshigh House and the Marlörd House. These two houses were established by the brothers of the previous Emperor.

In the imperial family, as long as you are in the same generation as the current Emperor, you are treated as a member of the imperial family. But when you go down one generation, it is customary to establish a ducal house as a collateral branch of the imperial family. And if you go down two generations, you completely descend from the imperial family and become a Marquis. My parents’ family, the Marqués de Caliente, were also a duke and then a marquise, some seven generations before me.

As long as you are a ducal house, you are granted a treatment equivalent to the imperial family, with a mansion within the inner walls of the imperial palace. In ceremonies and such, you are treated differently from a Marquis in all aspects. After all, if the imperial lineage were to be interrupted, someone from the ducal houses would succeed the position of Emperor. If it weren’t for Cermaine, that would have happened when the former Crown Prince passed away.

Of the two ducal families, the current Duke and Duchess of Ebertshigh have been favorable to me. That’s not surprising: the Duchess is my eldest sister. She married into the Duke’s family the year I was born, so she’s quite a bit older than me, but she’s a good sister who takes good care of me.

The problem is the Duchess of Marlörd. She is so young and beautiful that I cannot believe she will be 45 this year. She was older than my sister, the Duchess of Ebertshigh, which means that she was slightly above my sister in the ranking order of noblewomen.

The former Crown Prince had lost his wife. The Crown Princess was dead for a long time. Therefore, the Duchess of Marlörd had been the de facto head of the aristocratic women’s for some time.

But here, all of a sudden, I became Crown Princess and kicked her off the top spot. At the same time, the Duchess of Ebertshigh moved up to No. 2 as my sister. In other words, the Duchess of Marlörd dropped all the way to No. 3.

That was not good for her. It’s not like she has done anything wrong, but she’s dropped down the rankings. To begin with, it seems that the two duchesses do not get along. It is said that they are always quarreling over who is the superior.

The Duke of Ebertshigh had suddenly gained the upper hand because they were now close relatives of the Crown Princess. The Marquise de Caliente is a house that, until recently, had been kept out of politics by the current Emperor’s Majesty. When the current Duke of Ebertshigh fell in love with my sister and proposed marriage, there was even opposition from many people. Forcing the marriage would have put the two dukes at a disadvantage in the power struggle between the two families. Now the tables have turned. Fate is a mystery.

That’s why the Duchess of Marlörd hated me. She is, of course, a high-ranking aristocratic woman. She didn’t show it. Although she is tactful in greeting and conversing. The malice that sometimes leaks out from her is amazing.

“Her Royal Highness may not be aware, but…”

When someone starts their conversation with such a preface, it is a sign to be cautious. They would begin talking about events that occurred in the social circles slightly before my time, engaging the Duchess and her entourage while leaving me out of the discussion. It was their usual tactic. They would also subtly bring up how the Marquis of Caliente’s family was not doing well in the social scene until recently, or they would make veiled remarks about the Cermaine’s mother being born into a Viscount’s family. Moreover, they would praise me in a mocking manner, saying things like, “It must have been wonderful. It must have been quite a challenge for you to be your mother’s daughter in her 40s. Normally, at that age, the relationship with one’s husband becomes more tranquil. Normally, one does not have children at that age.”

They were aware of my rural upbringing and would often tease me about it.

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