For the Lady's Wise Regression - Chapter 73

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 73
Two days before the Eastern Kingdom’s Diplomatic Delegation arrived, Vanessa found herself consumed with preparations.
She was arranging to receive the Third Princess, who would be part of the delegation.
More precisely, the Third Princess who would arrive alongside the Crown Prince.
Rumors had already spread throughout the Empire.
That the Third Princess would soon become Empress.
Beneath the surface, the machinery of power was already in motion.
And the scales of that power were tipping steadily in one direction.
Toward House Ruscliffe.
Since the Empire’s founding, the delicate balance among the five great ducal houses had begun to crumble.
Until now, there had been no house that could claim uncontested second place.
House Gardelmore, House Chelliago, House Ruscliffe, House Sharoze, and House Parvian had all maintained a degree of equilibrium.
But when Jinjeong Hwan was unveiled at the Imperial banquet, it would reveal which house the Imperial family truly favored.
On the surface, it would appear to be House Sharoze and House Ruscliffe, but the reality was far more complex.
And to add to the intrigue, the Crown Prince had made his move.
He had chosen the Ruscliffe Duchy Residence for his first outing with the Third Princess.
Vanessa understood—the stone was being set before the mold was even poured.
“We’ve cleared one room entirely, and all the desserts and tableware are prepared?”
Vanessa moved swiftly through her duties as duchess.
There was nothing particularly difficult about it.
She had often handled such matters directly at House Sharoze.
While two days was scarcely enough time to discern a guest’s preferences, Vanessa possessed a previous life’s memories.
Though she had no personal acquaintance with the Third Princess, she had glimpsed her tastes at Imperial banquets.
“Ah, that’s far too bright. Make it a bit darker.”
Only after directing every last detail of the room’s furnishings did Vanessa finally allow herself to breathe.
Ian had departed for the Imperial Palace today to greet the Diplomatic Delegation.
His father would be with him.
Kirious Parvian was also coming to the Empire.
Ostensibly to meet the betrothed of his friend, but more likely following his father’s orders to consolidate his position.
If he subtly exposed his connection with House Ruscliffe, which already held the position of second only to the Crown Prince, he could secure even the third rank.
For House Parvian, merely appearing was profitable.
The rumor that three of the five ducal houses had already formed a faction would inevitably follow, though none of them seemed to care about such things.
The bonds between the Crown Prince, Ian, and Kirious were already known, and fortunately, all three houses dismissed such concerns.
If there was a problem, it lay with House Chelliago.
Thus far, among the five great houses, House Chelliago was the one whose influence—or rather, whose grip—was strongest.
Nearly half of the Empire’s mines were within House Chelliago’s reach.
But once word spread that Jinjeong Hwan had received the Imperial seal at the banquet, they would bare their claws.
Operating a single mine required personnel, time, and capital—but Jinjeong Hwan was not so demanding. If the formula became widely commercialized through the Registry…
They were not a house to idly watch such a gap widen.
So House Chelliago would likely be the one to join hands with House Leonard.
House Gardelmore had House Lyiben at its side; House Sharoze and House Ruscliffe were connected through marriage; House Parvian was closely tied to House Ruscliffe, House Decartes, and the Imperial family.
There was truly no other choice left.
In her previous life, House Chelliago had stood behind House Gideon, so House Leonard had barely spared them a glance—but in this life, House Gideon and House Leonard had never become enemies.
Vanessa moved briskly, her thoughts falling into order.
Four days after the Delegation’s arrival, the Imperial court would host a banquet—ostensibly to welcome the Delegation, but nothing within it would be simple. The Crown Prince’s betrothed would be announced, and Jinjeong Hwan would be introduced.
Beyond that, the Grand Duchess’s granddaughter would soon arrive in the Empire.
She had moved seeking only revenge, yet pieces across the Empire’s chessboard were shifting, one by one.
Even though she had not intended it, possessing the memories of a previous life made it inevitable.
Whether that would prove advantageous or detrimental to her, she could not yet say.
And there was another problem entirely.
What if the Grand Duchess’s granddaughter truly was with child?
Then might she not have died of illness after all?
If it was not illness, then how could such a thing be remedied?
It was mere speculation, but one could not be too careful.
What else could cause the Grand Duchess’s granddaughter to return from studying abroad?
And what event could be significant enough that even though Calail had chosen to remarry—to a merchant’s daughter instead of her—the bond between the Grand Duchess and the Marchioness of House Leonard would remain unchanged?
She needed to anticipate that.
Only then could she loosen the tie between the Marchioness of House Leonard and the Grand Duchess.
If Jinjeong Hwan was the signal flare of her Revenge, the Grand Duchess was the compass that would ensure that signal reached its destination.
Would it be a single poorly-aimed shot, or would that one shot bring down a bird?
It all came down to Vanessa’s hands.
A chill ran through her.
Goosebumps rose along her spine.
Not fear. Anticipation, perhaps even exhilaration.
From the question of whether she could truly do this bloomed a raw hunger to compete.
It was exactly as Ian had said.
Unlike her father Duke Sharoze, she seemed to have been born with the temperament of a businesswoman.
Though that temperament bordered more on a gambler’s instinct.
Was it the will of the one who granted her return that she came to know, in this life, a nature she had never recognized even in her past one?
Vanessa glanced once more around the room arranged according to her design, then moved forward.
She felt as though she had taken a seat at the gambling table and placed her heart instead of chips, stakes called by another name.
From the moment she resolved on revenge and spirited Mareo away, she had already held her cards in hand.
And when those cards pressed her opponent down completely.
When she set fire to the abandoned cottage and delivered Mareo to House Sharoze.
Vanessa had laughed.
Concealing her exhilaration, with trembling fingertips, baring her teeth.
Did her father ever know that what was born from her calculating mind was a raw competitor?
Was that why, even in her past life, he forbade her from so much as touching business?
Vanessa moved forward, a faint smile at her lips.
Her feet, planted on calculation itself, moved as though they might take flight.
She moved and thought like her father, but the way she acted was closer to instinct.
Even as she read the game, her hand trembled with exhilaration as she played her cards.
More than the sensation of a puzzle clicking into place, the soft *click* of it sent chills racing down her spine.
It was then that Vanessa understood.
It was not a god who had given her the chance to live a second time—it was a devil.
Her past life, spent meekly calculating and playing the dutiful daughter, had been an ill-fitting garment all along.
Vanessa’s stride gained force.
*Click-click.* Her heels rang out briskly in succession.
Behind flawless propriety she concealed something wild and unrestrained.
“Denian. Check the coffee and desserts—go over all the food once more.”
It was calculated.
“Make sure there’s more than enough, just in case anything falls short.”
It was instinct.
“Now that we’re ready to receive our guests, bring me a cup of tea while we wait.”
Her tone brimmed with anticipation for what was to come.
“Yes, madam.”
And to all others, that tone was nothing more—and nothing less—than a duchess looking forward to receiving guests at her spacious residence.
Vanessa sipped the tea Denian brought.
She looked out the window. Far off, the sound of hoofbeats echoed from the estate entrance.
One, two, three, four…….
Her prediction had been correct.
Vanessa’s smile deepened.
She confirmed those descending from the carriage in turn.
The Crown Prince, the Third Princess, five Guard Knights, Kirious……and Ian.
The gold-eyed figure who descended last stirred.
Their eyes met across the window pane.
Already because of the agenda to be announced at the imperial banquet, House Ruscliffe had become an unlit wick in the center of the political arena.
But Tessa Decartes and Kirious Parvian were not yet part of Vanessa’s circle.
They were Ian’s dear friends, not hers.
Which meant that if Vanessa were separated from House Ruscliffe, these connections would fade.
‘All the more reason to move directly myself.’
Even without Tessa’s request, she intended to build a friendship with the Third Princess.
Based on memories of her past life, she already knew to some extent how the Princess would conduct herself as Empress.
The youngest daughter most beloved by the King of Antuella.
Their marriage was for Antuella Kingdom a precious gift given away, and for the Decartes Empire a knot drawn tight to strengthen their diplomacy.
To Vanessa it was like playing poker while seeing her opponent’s entire hand.
In her past life, the Third Princess had grown up beloved, yet she watched others carefully.
At the imperial banquet too, Tessa Decartes had been the one who mainly led the conversation.
The only ones the Princess truly spoke with were the handmaidens who had stayed by her side since before her betrothal.
In other words, even though she had been raised with love, there was someone whose eye she feared.
You had two older sisters, I take it.
Regardless of how timid she might be, no one would openly show discourtesy to the Third Princess.
Besides, the Antuella King’s affection for his youngest daughter had been constant. And yet if she’d developed such a wary temperament—
‘She must not have been close with her sisters.’
If their father favored only the youngest, unconscious favoritism would naturally follow in its wake.
‘First, make it weightless.’
Let her perceive the consideration before recognizing it as such.
The first button set the pattern for all the rest.
And the most effective place for it, surprisingly, was the bedchamber.
In a strange place, unable to sleep properly, a room decorated to suit the owner’s tastes becomes almost unbearable under even a single blanket.
But if that room didn’t perfectly match her preferences, yet showed deliberate care—
‘The Third Princess would find herself troubled.’
Should she offer thanks, or simply accept it in silence?
That was where it began.
Someone raised on scraps of notice grows restless the moment they perceive consideration from another.
And the Third Princess, before marrying the Crown Prince, would need someone to confide in.
In the Empire, among noble women of her own age, only one possessed both the standing and the knowledge to answer such questions—
‘A predecessor is a lifeline to those who follow.’
Vanessa rose from her seat.
Behind perfect etiquette, she concealed a sharper instinct.
“I have been expecting you, Crown Prince, and… Third Princess. It is an honor. I am Vanessa Ruscliffe.”
Vanessa gathered her skirt gracefully between her fingers, then curtsied with elegant poise at the threshold of the residence.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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