My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 29: Social Climbing

Chapter 29: Social Climbing

Summers on the Burien coast were the most beautiful in all of Castille. The winds became more mild and the rain was rare. The turquoise waters along the rocky coastline leading down to soft sand beaches became less intense.

These ideal temperatures made it so those from the hotter capital flocked towards the southern coast. A lot of Count Mikael’s wealth was due to his ownership of the resorts in this area.

Ranging from royals to commoners, anyone could summer there if they could afford it. However, only those with social standing could visit the Count’s Manor and attend the gatherings he hosted.

Tea parties were an unavoidable part of a noble society. While those who attended did so in their most beautiful clothing, their purposes were far less pretty. Gossip was shared and bred more gossip. Those who were trying to raise their standing had to be flawless as much as they had to be privy to everything.

It was a situation where one could only fail. The nobles would find something wrong with you eventually.

Leonor didn’t enjoy the parties at her father’s home. He would fuss over every detail and be in an even worse mood than normal. She would do everything she could to avoid him the week leading up to such an event.

It wasn’t that hard because he seemed to call upon her less. She remained entirely unaware that her sister had ratted her out to the Count.

For once, Leonor prepared a dress for the tea party. She had one she hadn’t worn yet and there was never a more perfect opportunity. At this point in her life, her father hadn’t yet stopped giving her nice clothing. It was a year down the line that he stopped completely unless she was to be placed in front of other nobles for any reason.

The real reason for her insistence was because Valerio had a surprise for her whenever she was able to slip away. Considering nobles had a habit of overstaying their welcome, she thought it would be quite difficult to escape. At the very least, it wouldn’t be until night when she could get away.

After Francia spent a long time in Leonor’s room, preening her and making her shine brighter than anyone else in attendance, the lady was ready to head out for an afternoon tea party.

Her arrival had been planned perfectly.

The inner area of her father’s manor was the most finely decorated. The carpeted stairs she went down that wound on either side of the large foyer were a piece of art in themselves.

The moment she stepped on the bottom stair, a guard was at her side, offering his elbow. He led her to one of the central gardens which had been further decorated with creamy white and pastel colors. A large gazebo that would block the sun from most of the fair-skinned people in attendance was decorated with sheer material weighted at the bottom so it only gently swayed in the breeze.

It was one of the few times in Leonor’s life where she could pretend to hold herself up on a pedestal as the other nobles did. She was quiet and didn’t interact with many people. It was up to her and her family to greet people as they came inside but she didn’t talk much more than that.

However, when the King and Crown Prince walked through the door of her family’s manor, Leonor’s facade dropped and her eyes widened in absolute shock. She knew they had been invited but her father purposefully kept their confirmation from her. He was constantly testing her reactions to see if she was worthy to consider herself a lady.

Before her father could see her untrained expression, Leonor gave a deep curtsy. Her lace-gloved hands pulled at the sides of her large pale green dress and her head bowed. It gave her a moment to pull herself together.

"The Sun and Moon of our Kingdom," Leonor greeted. "Welcome to Burien Manor. Please make yourselves comfortable."

Prince Stephano often held an expression of disinterest but a smirk spread across his lips. They both shared a secret that neither of them could indulge in while in front of the others.

"My lord, I would like to sit with Lady Leonor," the prince admitted casually.

The Crown Prince glanced at his father even though he was addressing the Count. His father would do anything he asked of him because his father thought that he would never do anything unexpected.

Considering King Stephano was a womanizer, he thought his son was going down the same path. A smirk spread across his thin lips.

Nothing needed to be said when the King set his eyes on the Count.

"Wouldn’t His Highness prefer the company of Lady Anna Maria?" the Count asked.

Even then he was pushing his youngest daughter to be the one he gave away. However, her bad attitude would certainly cause a scene. The Prince knew of the snooty type of Anna Maria von Burien and he was already familiar with Leonor. She also would have no interest in him considering her heart belonged to another.

"Leonor is closer to my age," the Prince said, his irritation growing based on his tone. "Is my request a difficult one?"

Before the Prince could even finish his sentence, the Count was gesturing for a maid to prepare a new spot for the Prince. He would take the Count’s spot next to Leonor. The Count would then sit next to his youngest daughter.

Stephano III smiled victoriously, looking so much like his father with a simple expression. He offered Leonor his elbow, not asking her to let him guide her, but demanding it.

Seeing that he was of higher standing than her father, Leonor had to listen to the request of the Prince. She didn’t even bother glancing at her father before she took the Crown Prince’s elbow.

"You’re so tense," Stephano muttered as he led Leonor to the table the maid had double-checked to be sure it was to his liking. "I don’t usually bite."

She felt like she was going to be sick. He had multiple secrets over her, though she supposed she had at least one over him as well.

When they arrived at the table, she was shocked when he pulled her chair out for her. There were certainly already eyes in their direction just because he was next to her. Despite her surprise, she managed a polite smile.

"Forgive me," Leonor said when he sat down behind her. "My sister is better trained than I am. You would have been happier next to her."

"I like it here because you have no interest in me," the prince muttered.

Leonor had been looking at the table but she cast him a glance and found his hazel eyes already looking at her. The arrogant smirk became more of a genuine smile and it made him look a bit younger and less serious.

After that comment, she found the party much more bearable since no one would approach her as long as she remained by the Prince. She felt like she was using him but neither one of them wanted to socialize with others so they remained in conversation until the King decided it was time to head back to his coastal property before they would return to the capital the next day.

With the sun setting and her father elsewhere in the manor, Leonor decided it was the perfect opportunity to escape. She would blame it on a walk in the garden, but the walk would head towards the stables. Even though she wore a nice dress she had someone else she wanted to see.

Once outside, she took a sharp right and lifted her skirts so she could move quickly over the manicured brick pathway. As she was about to round another corner, she felt a hand on her arm pull her towards a corner.