To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

When Liv arrived at the office, Emmett, who had been buried in paperwork, looked up with a bright face.

“Liv, you’ve come.”

“Yes, I came to see you, Emmett.”

“Don’t worry about that letter from before. I’ve handled it well.”

“Thank you.”

Liv perched on the sofa opposite Emmett and slowly swung her legs as she spoke.

“But, I’m curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“Do you think I should reveal the truth too?”

“The truth being…”

“That I can hear the voices of the gods, and that they protect me.”

If so, everything might work out well. The vassals of the Lartman Duchy would welcome Liv, and the nobles in high society who had been hostile to Liv would grovel before her. The stigma that Duke Lartman would fall by marrying a ‘fake Saintess’ could also be cleared.

At Liv’s words, Emmett’s expression became serious as well.

“Since the Holy Hilysid Empire is a Holy Church state, it would be good to just reveal that you receive the love of the Supreme God. If it’s revealed that multiple gods exist, it will cause confusion in the empire.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“I’ve always wanted Liv to reveal that fact. There must be a way to make people believe your words.”

“There is a way.”

Liv said in a small voice.

“To borrow the power of the gods in the sacred grounds.”

“Ah, that could work. For example, there’s a sea even in the outskirts of the capital. There’s a sacred grounds here too.”

“Yes, but I’m scared to go to the sacred grounds…”

Saying that made her feel so small and insignificant. It was an easy problem that could be solved just by going to the sacred grounds, but she was avoiding it because she was afraid. As her head lowered more and more at the thought that Emmett might think of her as a coward, Emmett was silent for a moment before continuing.

“…Still, I’d like Liv to overcome her fear.”

“Why?”

“Of course, I’d like Liv to reclaim the place where she rightfully belongs, but…”

Both Liv and Emmett knew that place was the position of Emperor.

“Even if you don’t reclaim that place, I hope that at least Liv won’t be despised by people.”

“Hmm.”

“Because Liv doesn’t deserve such treatment.”

Liv nodded slowly. She still didn’t have the courage to go to the sacred grounds, but it would be better to heed Emmett’s words.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I only wish for Liv to enjoy good things.”

There was somehow a sorrowful energy in Emmett’s voice that moved people’s hearts, so Liv could only remain silent, unable to respond to those words.

* * *

“You’ve been invited to the Hertz family’s tea party?”

“Yes.”

In Liv’s hand was an invitation that, while not extremely luxurious, was clearly made with care. Hannah Hertz, the protagonist of this invitation, was a young lady who had built up a friendship with Liv, frequently encountering her in the social circles of Edelburg. Rummaging through Liv’s wardrobe, Laga continued speaking.

“But it seems that Malea Tschermak didn’t spread bad rumors after all? Seeing as invitations keep coming. The Duke must have handled it well!”

“Well, I don’t know.”

Liv said in a monotone voice.

“They might have just invited me to bully me.”

“What?”

The last time she saw Hannah Hertz, her face had shown goodwill towards Liv, but who knows when that feeling might have changed. Especially if Malea had really spread rumors. At Liv’s words, Laga dropped the dress she was holding onto the floor.

“No, then why are you going?”

“Meeting people is enjoyable anyway.”

“Oh my, this is not the time! We need to arm you!”

Laga, who suddenly had a solemn look on her face, brought a dress from the wardrobe. It was a white dress with pearls densely set along the hem and silver embroidery on the sleeves. Although it clearly had all sorts of ornate decorations, it didn’t feel overwhelming, perhaps because of the color unity. 

This dress was definitely something Liv had never seen before, so it didn’t seem to have been brought from the Hamelsvoort house.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the most beautiful dress among those the Duke bought! He originally intended to give it to you before your birthday banquet, but since it arrived later than the banquet, we just put it in the wardrobe.”

“It looks expensive.”

“Of course, it’s something you couldn’t even see in the social circles of Edelburg. Whew, it really suits your hair color well. No one knows better than me what clothes go well with white hair.”

Laga smiled proudly as she held the dress up against Liv here and there.

“All I can do is make sure the young lady isn’t criticized for her attire. Let’s really crush them!”

* * *

After that, Laga continued to fuss over Liv, dressing her up in various ways. Even Hildegard, who received the most attention in the capital’s social circles, didn’t seem to have dresses like this… As soon as Liv arrived at the Hertz mansion, feeling uncomfortable about her attire, the eyes of the noble young ladies already seated grew wide.

“My goodness, what is that dress?”

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!”

“I’ve never seen anything like it even in the capital…”

The last comment was, of course, made by Maria.

“As expected, only someone from a family like the Hamelsvoorts could wear such a dress.”

When one young lady said that, Liv shyly lowered her eyes and explained.

“The Duke bought it for me…”

“Oh my.”

At those words, the young ladies all exchanged glances. They seemed to have a strange conversation through their eyes, and then soon looked at Liv with brightly smiling faces. As if nothing had happened.

“Come, sit here.”

Hannah, the host of today’s party, pulled out the chair right next to her, so Liv sat there. Originally, the seat next to the host was the best seat. It was unclear whether this was simply consideration for a guest from out of town, or if they really viewed Liv favorably.

“Now then, what have you all been up to lately?”

“Well, I’ve decided to get engaged.”

When one young lady answered like that, the topic of conversation for today flowed to her engagement. Everyone looked excited to hear about romance after a long time. They all started fussing and attaching various stories to her, and Liv joined in the conversation as well.

‘It seems Malea didn’t spread rumors after all.’

The young ladies were all treating Liv normally as if they knew nothing about the rumors. Liv could feel a little relieved at their attitude. She had thought she wouldn’t mind if people hated her again, but perhaps somewhere in her heart, she too had a desire to get along well with her peers.

“Indeed, I’ve always thought that he had feelings for Miss Matilda.”

“You always said that wasn’t the case!”

“Then, the engagement ring… Oh.”

At that moment, Hannah, who had been raising her voice excitedly, stopped speaking and looked somewhere. Her face clearly showed dismay. Everyone turned their heads to where Hannah was looking, and there stood a familiar face.

It was Malea, wearing a pitch-black dress and exuding a dark aura as if she had just risen from hell.

“How did you…”

Seeing Hannah’s surprise, it seemed she hadn’t invited Malea to this gathering. The other noble young ladies threw reproachful glances at Malea, but Malea ignored them lightly and strode over to stand opposite Liv. Liv’s white dress and Malea’s black dress contrasted starkly.

“You’ve brazenly attended this gathering, I see.”

“What?”

“Even Duke Lartman warned me recently. Not to reveal the truth about you. But why should I follow his words? I acted as I wanted.”

As Liv just blinked quietly, Malea exclaimed as if frustrated.

“The people here know the truth about you!”

At those words, Liv’s face became a little flustered. They had clearly treated her as usual, hadn’t they?

However, it seemed Liv wasn’t the only one confused. Malea looked at the other young ladies with disbelieving eyes.

“I clearly told you all the truth about this woman, how can you treat her so casually? I knew you were all stupid, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.”

There was a moment of silence at her cold tone, then Hannah glared at Malea and spoke in a trembling voice.

“Do, do you think we’re doing this because we’re fools?”

“What did you say?”

“Anyway, the Duke has decided to marry Miss Liv! No matter how much of a Duke he is, he can’t marry for love alone. If Miss Liv had really done something wrong, the Duke wouldn’t have proposed. We believe in the Duke’s choice.”

The other young ladies chimed in to support Hannah’s words.

“That’s right! We don’t want to be rude to the person who will become the Duchess.”

“In this small social circle where we’ll be living together, is there any reason we should fight? We want to continue getting along well with Miss Liv.”

They hadn’t simply decided to keep treating Liv well because she seemed kind. They had decided to get along with Liv, who would become the Duchess, according to their own interests. Trusting in Duke Lartman’s judgment was a bonus.

“And all sorts of rumors circulate in the capital anyway! I know someone who was rumored to have no sense because she wore brownish-yellow when the theme of the party was yellow!”

When Maria said that, the sharp atmosphere eased a bit. Liv was just looking around at people with a bewildered expression. As the young ladies all seemed to be defending Liv, Malea opened her mouth as if frustrated.

“No, I’m telling you that Liv Hamelsvoort was adopted by deceiving them that she was a Saintess! She’s not a noble like us, but originally had lowly blood from the slums!”

However, the young ladies still didn’t fall for Malea’s words.

“How could we know the details of the adoption process? There must be some reason.”

“And discriminating against people based on lineage is an old-fashioned idea. Even Saintess Hildegard was originally from the slums, wasn’t she?”

“No, but she’s a Saintess! This woman was adopted without even being a Saintess. Should we treat her like a noble?”

At those words, the young ladies hesitated, unable to respond. They didn’t know the truth of the rumors, so they couldn’t defend Liv. And some of the young ladies who had just learned new facts in this place were now looking at Liv with skeptical eyes. After all, to them, someone from the slums was not an equal.