Margaret had signed up to attend the tea party organized by the Mesellanas duchy. The main hostess was Lady Monica, the third daughter of the Dukes Mesellanas and a young woman of great influence among the ladies, as well as being a faithful admirer of Margaret.
Upon arriving, Margaret motioned to those who noticed her presence not to speak, as she did not want to interrupt the conversation.
"Did you hear what they are saying? That Archduke Chevalier is preparing everything for his future wedding. The maids of the archduchy said that the dowry prepared was fifty carriages. Who will be the lucky one of such a token of love?" said Lady Sophia, who was the crown princess. She was the daughter of Duke Cale Rutland. Although he was not one of the main pillars of the empire, he was a very influential duke within it, although he used to be very communicative with the ladies.
"Or rather the unfortunate one," said an earl's daughter maliciously, causing Sophia and Margaret to purse their lips slightly.
"I understand that the Emperor the Empress have their eye on Lady Margaret for a marriage to a member of royalty," said the hostess of the party, glancing sideways at Margaret.
"That fool is in love with Earl Derby; it was no use to her thinking like a man when she chose the most insignificant thing. Lady Margaret is not up to such a great honor as being part of royalty," said the daughter of a Marquis smugly. She believed herself to be the right one to be Second Princess, as the Archduke was about to marry and the woman's name was unknown, so she thought that he would marry a noblewoman from another empire due to some political agreement.
"Repeat what you said." Margaret was at the woman's side with a stern expression; her elegant posture made more than one person break out in a cold sweat.
"Oh, I didn't know you had arrived. It's rude to eavesdrop."
"Repeat what you said. I don't think the Garcia house has so little honor as not to acknowledge their mistakes out loud in front of the offended party."
The woman was cornered; the other ladies looked at her disapprovingly, and none dared to insult the flower of society.
"I apologize, Lady Margaret," Sonia Garcia said under her breath; her voice almost cracked as she spoke.
"I can't hear you." Margaret said with her elegant and haughty posture.
The young woman clenched her fists tightly; she was being humiliated and no one was defending her. It was more than clear that she was alone in this.
"I apologize for my insolence, Lady Margaret!" The woman had shouted, but still Margaret would not back down and would not let her off so easily.
"Your apologies are not accepted. I will send a letter to Marquis Garcia for his insolence. Do not forget that I am the daughter of a Duke, one of the pillars of this empire, while you are the daughter of a Marquis, who only has two generations in this empire. I hope you will be more careful with your words in the future." As harsh as Margaret's words were, the punishment for insulting a high-ranking nobleman was flogging, but Margaret didn't want to go to that extreme to prove that she was superior to that spoiled girl.
The young woman ran out in such humiliation; she knew that letter would get her into serious trouble with her father, and even more so with her mother, who rigorously watched what she said before the society ladies.
"I apologize to you all, but this kind of behavior cannot be allowed," Margaret said calmly.
"I understand, and even more so if they expose our private lives," said a marquis's daughter, covering her smile with her fan.
"Not at all, the reprimand was so that they would not speak so carelessly. If he had offended another high-ranking nobleman, the punishment would have been atrocious. Lady Sonia would be receiving twenty lashes; that is a humiliation for any young woman of marriageable age. No man would want to marry her," Margaret said, taking a seat. The other young women agreed that the punishment had been very weak, but they understood that Lady Margaret did not want to tarnish Lady Sonia's reputation, which they thought was a nice gesture.
The ones who truly knew Lady Margaret were the Crown Princess and the hostess. They were satisfied with her actions; although it did not seem so, Lady Sonia's reputation would begin to plummet from now on.
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