CHAPTER 32: DUCHESS WEINSTEIN

Roger publicly took my side. This came as a surprise not only to me, but to everyone present. The lady whose arm the young man had grabbed turned pale with fear.

"That’s enough."

Roger let her go as soon as I said those words.

"As you wish, Lady Weinstein."

The lady who had publicly humiliated me just a minute ago quickly disappeared from view. Her friends followed her.

I sighed. Duke Dickens approached us.

"It seems everyone is already gathered. Let’s not stand in the doorway."

The guests were stunned when Duke Dickens suddenly took my arm and we headed for the banquet hall together. Taking advantage of his position, the man bypassed the queue at the entrance, and the guards immediately let him through.

All this time, we were accompanied by surprised glances.

This would probably be the most talked-about news of the month, if not the whole year. No one could have imagined such a strange pairing — the emperor’s right-hand man, the famous Duke of Dickens, and a girl whose position in society was comparable to that of a prostitute.

Until today, no one had taken me seriously. But now... I smiled to myself.

When we entered, the hall was already full of guests. The general merriment and small talk ceased when the servant announced our visit. There were as many shocked looks as there had been at the entrance.

"It can’t be...! His Highness came with a woman?!"

"Wait... Isn’t that her? The youngest daughter of the Weinstein family?"

"They say the whole capital has slept with her... What is this cheap woman doing with the duke?"

The men’s glances expressed interest and contempt. Many of them had heard of me or knew me "personally." The women, on the other hand, were incensed. Given the Duke’s wealth and influence, many gold diggers had been pursuing him for years. But William Dickens had always remained indifferent to women.

And then suddenly, I... A woman whose status was lower than all of them. It seemed more like a joke.

As soon as we entered, the duke remembered one important thing. After all, it was a banquet in honor of the emperor’s birthday.

"Lady Weinstein, please wait here," he asked. "I must greet His Majesty."

"Of course," I nodded understandingly.

William Dickens stepped away to congratulate the emperor on his anniversary. Roger also couldn’t stay with us for long, having his own duties at the party. It was a common tradition — half the evening was spent shaking hands and exchanging greetings. As the heir to the family, the guy couldn’t appear rude.

In the end, Rubiella and I were left alone. But I was more than happy with such company.

It was the girl’s first time at such a luxurious event. She was interested in everything. I accompanied her with a smile, saying that in the future she would also take part in all this.

"Auntie, so in the future I’ll be just like these aunts and uncles?"

"Of course! You are the future Duchess of Weinstein."

As we were walking, I happened to see the person I had come here to meet — my older sister, Magrit Weinstein. She had come here with her husband.

I don’t have many memories of our childhood together. Only that we were very different from birth. Magrit was serious, studied hard, and tried to win our father’s favor.

Meanwhile, Grace... was just lucky. Magrit always considered her superficial and shallow, with her only merit being her pretty face. The younger daughter was Harris Weinstein’s favorite, and the main cause of Magrit’s envy.

Even in his will, the previous head of the Weinstein family left his younger daughter, contrary to established traditions, an impressive part of his fortune. The older daughter received the title of duchess and the main estate, which was hers by law.

In the end, this animosity carried over into adulthood. The sisters hardly communicated with each other. Only recently did Magrit remember the existence of her relative in order to get rid of her unwanted daughter.

And now we met here. As it turned out, Magrit had noticed me even earlier. I saw her disapproving, contemptuous gaze.

Like it or not, we couldn’t just ignore each other. The duchess was the first to head in our direction, while her husband, an unremarkable count, remained behind.

After all, it was a social event. As was customary, we curtsied to each other in greeting.

Magrit was dressed in a modest gown, her hair pulled back in a bun. She looked older than her age. In fact, despite being direct relatives, we didn’t have much in common. The duchess’s features were more severe, and her gaze was hawk-like.

Compared to her, Grace was prettier.

"How interesting," Magrit smiled icily at me without even saying hello. "It seems that your skills have improved since we last met."

I smiled back.

"Sister, I’m glad to see you in good health."

"Ha!"

The woman snorted contemptuously.

"Now they let someone like you into the imperial banquet. This event is losing its prestige."

"Why? Don’t I deserve to be here?"

The duchess gave me a cursory glance.

"Of course you do," she remarked sarcastically. "Not everyone is lucky enough to snag a duke."

I still remained calm.

"Sister, perhaps you shouldn’t interfere in my affairs."

"Of course I should. My daughter is still with you."

Magrit looked at Ruby, who was standing next to me.

"I know your lifestyle very well. You’re always hanging out in brothels, and I suppose you take her with you everywhere? Do you want to raise someone like you?"

I exhaled deeply.

"It seems you didn’t think about that when you sent Ruby to me."

"True. But this girl mustn’t forget who she really belongs to."

I smirked to myself. Of course, she could only remember her only daughter at a moment like this. Manipulating a child like a toy that can be picked up and thrown away at any moment.

"Hey, come here right now," Magrit called her over like a dog.

"No."

Ruby suddenly said this and hid behind my back.

"What?" the duchess was surprised.

"I said I want to stay with my aunt."