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Chapter 84 Part 7 – When the rose of winter bloom. Feelings of first love that transcend time ……

「…… Ugh, what a sad dance. It’s making me cry.」

Arnold rubbed his eyes with his fist and sniffled.

「Is there no way to help her!?」

It’s all right, Arnold.

After all, mother is over there. Why do you think mother took on the role of father for Countess Rosenthal’s secret feelings?

「Believe in your master. When it’s for the sake of others, my mother, Cornelia Malachite, can work miracles when she puts her heart into it.」

Countess Rosenthal’s dance was overwhelming and everyone’s attention was focused on her, but I noticed that mother’s dance perfectly traced father’s movements. ‘Divine’ is the perfect word to describe it.

「…… Wendell …… -sama ……?」

Countess Rosenthal murmured in a daze.

In her eyes, the image of my father overlapped with that of my mother.

「You’ve worked so hard all this time, Rona.」

Mother nodded with a smile and held out her hand.

「Ah ……!! Aaah ……!!」

Countess Rosenthal was at a loss for words and tears welled up in her eyes. Like the morning dew of a rose, the tears wet the countess’s cheeks. Mother gently wiped her eyes with her fingers.

「Now, let’s dance!!」

「…… Yes!!」

Countess Rosenthal returned to her childhood self as Rona and jumped into mother’s arms. It was no longer a dance of sadness, but of burning joy at being reunited. Rona’s long night is over. We saw a vision of a young girl who was as earnest as a puppy wagging her tail and a young noble who hugged her with a smile.

The sound of a lute can be heard mixed in with the musical accompaniment of the orchestra. From behind the crowd, she thought she saw the bearded three old warriors peering in with a smile.

「…… Marielle-san ……!! Brian-san ……!! Bill-san ……!! Bobby-san ……!!」

Countess Rosenthal’s tears floated in the air and sparkled like pearls as it trailed behind them as they danced.

「Have you been watching over me ……? Someone as dirty …… as me ……!」

Countess Rosenthal’s murmur became hoarse from tears.

The three old men smiled like a loving father.
Their gazes implied, ‘You are not dirty at all’.
Then, as if to encourage her, they raised their fists and struck a guts pose.

「Scarlet-san, that was ……!?」

Seraphy, who knows the faces of the three old warriors, lets out a surprised voice.

They disappeared in an instant like a heat haze, but the deeply moved emotions of the person who saw them remained exactly the same.

As if being pushed from the back, Countess Rosenthal’s dance became even more passionate.
The purity of the girl and the elegance of the adult woman go hand in hand and the past and present become one.

…… It was a flame of unchanging feelings, a love that truly burns life.

The audience even forgot the passage of time.

The musical accompaniment of the third stage slowly faded away.

At that moment, a strange sound resounded and the strings of the stringed instruments burst out one after another.

‘The strings are broken due to the high intensity play for ‘Thunderbolt’. Unfortunately, we didn’t bring any replacements.’

Said the orchestra members in apology and Countess Rosenthal sighed and nodded.

「Unfortunately, the ‘Thunderbolt Polka’ has to end here.」

The countess tried to make it look like an accident, but I didn’t miss the flash of a blade in the hands of the orchestra members. Countess Rosenthal made it happen on purpose. She realized that mother’s legs were already at their limit and that she would be disgraced if she continued to dance to the fourth stage.

After the dance, mother and Countess Rosenthal bowed to each other. They caught their breath and bowed to the audience. Then the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

Countess Rosenthal wiped her eyes and gave a wry smile.

「I’ve shown you a disgraceful sight. I never thought that I would be the one to have my heart saved today. I am ashamed of my conceited self for thinking that I want to guide you. Cornelia, you have far exceeded my imagination. You are the star of this ball tonight.」

Mother shook her head.

「No, Countess Rosenthal, it’s all because of your lead. I merely believed in the flow and danced without any hesitation. The real star of the show is you.」

「Fufufu, you are praising me too much. It seems that you are well aware of the aristocratic way of showing respect to the other party.」

Countess Rosenthal took mother’s hand and held it high.

「Ladies and gentlemen!! Please give a round of applause to my wonderful friend and our new companion, Duchess Wilhelm, Cornelia-sama!!」

It was the perfect time to say that.

At that moment, the red nobles who were bewildered by their heightened emotions decided their course of action.

Loud exclamations and applause of admiration poured down. That is surely the influence of the name ‘Thunderbolt’. It is not just to flatter the powerful Countess Rosenthal. In the eyes of the women who ran up to her while gasping for breath, there was admiration for mother. Taking both of mother’s hands, they exclaimed, 「Cornelia-sama!! That’s amazing!!」, as they excitedly bounced around like little girls. There was not the slightest hint of aristocratic calculation or authority.

…… I know how effective this technique is because I used it often as a diplomatic hospitality card when I was queen in the previous 「108 times」.

Whether it is dancing, cooking, theater, or singing, something truly outstanding breaks down the barriers and wariness of the heart, such as ill feelings and entanglements, with its emotional impact. At that moment, if you twist the atmosphere into a friendly one, people will be drawn to your side like a lie. I used to call it the empathy phenomenon caused by deeply-moved emotions.

Of course, my mother did not do it in a calculated way.
It would be rude to even think so.
Somehow, the unpleasant habits from my days as queen come out from time to time.

Mother stood in a place of glory that she could never have reached if she had gone for violent revenge.
She should honestly rejoice in that fact alone.
Instead of retaliating with violence, she turned ridicule into praise in a playing field that is recognized by the other side. I am truly proud of my mother for achieving 「true revenge」 that is many times more difficult.

「…… I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Those crooked red nobles …… What kind of magic did master use ……」

I smiled at Arnold, who mumbled so in a daze.

「I told you right. That mother can work miracles. Mother’s mineral name is Malachite …… Malachite has been said to be able to ward off evil spirits since ancient times. It can also blow away all sorrow.」

After saying so, I puffed out my chest proudly.

Bradd nodded.

「…… Malachite is also a good luck charm for children. Cornelia-san tried to save the feelings that Countess Rosenthal had cherished since childhood. It was that kindness that brought about this miracle.」

「…… But, you know. Isn’t this not good enough as revenge to those people who bullied and harmed my master. Wouldn’t it be better to make the red nobles go through a little more pain …… I’m not really satisfied if the situation settled like this.」

Seraphy violently slapped Arnold on the back as he grumbled.

「Arnold, don’t be rude. I think I’ve been shown something good. Merchants have the spirit of gaining a profit even at a loss. By abandoning revenge, the duchess earned herself a smile and the admiration of high society. As a noblewoman, that is extremely valuable. Looking at the result, it’s a big victory. As expected from the person you have chosen as your master.」

「Tch, if Seraphy says so, then it must be so ……」

Admonished by his best friend, Arnold reluctantly agreed.

「Well, that’s the end of the talk. Let’s all go congratulate Cornelia-san.」

Bradd clapped his hands together and urged us.
Just as everything was about to start moving towards the grand finale.