Chapter 159: The Weight of Whispers

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: The Weight of Whispers

Elysia said nothing.

Melissa was probably going to drag her name through the mud; she could feel it.

No.

Not probably.

Melissa was absolutely going to do it and had likely even started already.

The thought had barely settled in her mind when the carriage came to a stop outside the Crown Prince’s Wing.

Bran helped Cassiel down into his wheelchair first, and Cassiel turned to offer her his hand.

Elysia placed her fingers in his.

As she descended, she glanced towards the imposing palace entrance.

The banquet had not yet begun, but the courtyard was already filled with carriages belonging to noble families who had arrived early.

She had attended countless gatherings like this in her previous life.

She knew how quickly a gathering of noblewomen could turn into a battlefield.

A smile could conceal jealousy.

A compliment could carry an insult.

And a seemingly harmless rumour could become accepted truth before the evening had even started.

Still, she had not expected her own name to become the subject of one so quickly.

She wondered how far Melissa had already managed to spread it.

Cassiel glanced at her.

"Are you all right?"

Elysia looked at him.

"I am."

She did not tell him what she suspected.

Not yet.

Cassiel studied her for another moment but did not press.

"You needn’t concern yourself with anyone’s idle remarks."

Elysia gave a faint smile.

"I know."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before they entered the palace.

As they passed through the main hall, the men and women were directed towards separate areas of the banquet.

Cassiel’s gaze lingered on Elysia for a moment before the attendants guided them in different directions.

"I shall find you later."

Elysia nodded.

"All right."

She watched him leave before turning towards the women’s hall.

The moment she stepped inside, she felt it.

Something was wrong.

The room was filled with quiet conversation, yet several voices seemed to falter the instant they noticed her.

Then came the glances.

One after another.

Curious.

Amused.

Some openly disdainful.

Elysia’s steps slowed for only a moment.

She understood immediately.

The rumours had already reached here.

---

Earlier that afternoon, the women who had arrived at the Crown Prince’s Wing had gathered in small circles.

Their voices remained low, but the subject was the same.

The Crown Prince’s public punishment.

Everyone had heard that Vaelen had been forced to kneel at the Imperial Zenith Gate.

What most people did not know was why.

Melissa knew that ignorance was useful.

She stopped beside one of the groups and asked,

"What are you all discussing?"

The women turned towards her.

One of them answered carefully.

"We were speaking about what happened a few days ago."

Melissa’s expression changed.

"Oh, that."

She sighed.

"That was quite a misunderstanding."

The women leaned closer.

Melissa lowered her voice.

"That day, the Duchess of Draevenor merely stumbled in the training yard and scraped her palm. His Highness happened to be nearby."

She paused deliberately.

"She turned around and blamed him for her fall."

A few brows lifted.

Melissa continued.

"She then insisted that Duke Cassiel take her to the palace to complain to His Majesty."

One of the women looked doubtful.

"That doesn’t sound right."

Melissa lifted her chin.

"I am related to the Duke through marriage, and I reside at Draevenor Manor. Why would I lie about something that happened within the household?"

The women exchanged glances.

"I have met the Duchess," another woman said cautiously. "She did not seem like that."

Melissa gave a faint smile.

"You never truly know what someone is like behind closed doors."

Another woman frowned.

"But what would she gain from doing that?"

Melissa let out a short laugh.

"Jealousy. What else?"

The women’s expressions changed.

Melissa glanced around before continuing.

"Did you not know? She and His Highness grew up together."

She allowed the implication to settle.

"Now she is the Duchess of Draevenor, while His Highness is about to marry a daughter of the Corvis Family. Do you truly believe she is completely at peace with that?"

The women looked at one another.

Someone leaned closer.

"Does Duke Cassiel know about all this?"

Melissa sighed dramatically.

"What can he do even if he does?"

She shook her head.

"The Duchess has him completely wrapped around her finger. She took control of the entire household the moment she married into it."

A woman nearby smiled faintly.

"Is that not how it should be? If the Duchess does not manage her own household, who should? An outsider?"

The word "outsider" clearly struck a nerve.

Melissa’s expression hardened.

"You do not understand."

Her voice dropped.

"She did not marry into Draevenor Manor with good intentions."

Several women fell silent.

"She only chose the Duke because she could not marry His Highness. And even after the wedding, she still refuses to behave as a proper Duchess."

Melissa’s eyes flashed.

"She pushes me around, interferes with her cousin’s marriage, and creates trouble wherever she goes."

She shook her head.

"At this rate, Draevenor Manor will fall apart in her hands."

The women exchanged uneasy looks.

Some were doubtful.

Others were beginning to listen.

And that was all Melissa needed.

Not far away, Queen Ilara sat with a round silk fan in her hand.

A faint smile curved her lips.

The matron beside her leaned closer.

"Your Majesty, Lady Melissa has truly begun spreading rumours about the Duchess of Draevenor. The things she is saying are rather harsh."

Ilara gave her fan a slow, graceful wave.

"She is His Majesty’s and the Duke’s aunt by marriage. It is rare for her to attend gatherings such as this."

The matron understood immediately.

She bowed her head.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Ilara lifted her gaze.

More and more women were drifting towards Melissa, drawn in by the story.

Her smile deepened almost imperceptibly.

The matter of Vaelen’s punishment had already spread throughout the palace.

Yet very few people knew the full story.

Melissa’s account was false.

But it was exactly the version Ilara preferred people to believe.

She had no intention of protecting Elysia’s reputation.

Nor was she particularly concerned that the rumours might harm Vaelen.

Society was far less forgiving towards women.

When a man and woman grew up together and later married different people, any lingering rumours surrounding their relationship were rarely judged equally.

The woman was almost always the one who bore the greater shame.

That was precisely where Elysia stood now.

Ilara understood that better than most.

Which was why she had no intention of stopping Melissa.

Let the woman continue.

Let the rumours spread.

In the end, the disgrace would fall upon Elysia.

Ilara’s fan moved slowly through the air.

Then, suddenly, her gaze caught sight of someone approaching.

Her fan stilled.

She rose gracefully.

A warm smile appeared on her face at exactly the right moment.

"There you are."

A dignified woman approached from the opposite side of the hall.

She was the Marchioness of Gildemont, Cassiel’s and the King’s aunt.

The Marchioness inclined her head slightly.

"Your Majesty."

Ilara immediately reached for her hand.

"There is no need for such formalities. We are family."

The two women began walking inward together, speaking quietly.

They arrived just in time to hear Melissa’s voice rise again.

"She barely scraped her hand and began crying, insisting that the Duke take her to the palace to accuse His Highness of pushing her."

A few women exchanged glances.

"With the Duke standing beside her, how could His Majesty refuse?"

Melissa sighed.

"Of course, His Highness had to be disciplined."

She lowered her voice dramatically.

"He remained there for more than two hours. The entire palace saw him."

Then she added, "And Her Majesty, kind as she is, never argued with His Majesty. She simply swallowed the insult."

The Marchioness’s brows drew together.

She glanced towards Ilara.

Ilara merely smiled.

There was no need for her to say anything.

The damage was already being done.

---

By the time Elysia arrived at the Crown Prince’s Wing, her name had become the most discussed subject in the hall.

The moment she stepped inside, she felt it.

Waves of eyes fixed upon her.

No one needed to say anything.

She could read everything from their expressions.

The whispers were quiet enough that she could not make out every word, but she did not need to.

She knew exactly what people were thinking.

Elysia kept her expression calm.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the folds of her skirt before relaxing again.

She had endured far worse than whispers in her two lifetimes.

Still, there was something unsettling about hearing her own reputation being dismantled before she had even entered the banquet hall.

She glanced towards the other side of the room.

The men and women were seated separately.

Cassiel was somewhere beyond the partition with the other male guests.

She could not simply turn around and go find him.

So Elysia took a slow breath.

Straightened her shoulders.

And walked into the hall as though she had heard nothing at all.