Chapter 268 - Motioning
Scarlett returned to her seat in the galleries, where Lady Withersworth and Duchess Valentino awaited her. The former greeted her with a knowing smile as she settled down.
“For a moment there,” Lady Withersworth remarked, her voice low and tinged with amusement, “I half-expected Count Hayden to spontaneously combust before the entire conclave. But it seems my concerns were unfounded. Though it seems you did not have to do much yourself, you handled the situation with admirable grace, considering things, dear.”
Scarlett cast a sidelong glance at the older woman, noting the widening of the duchess’ eyes at the first comment. Her own attention drifted to the central table below. “You have been listening to too many of Miss Hale’s fanciful tales, Lady Withersworth,” she replied simply. “I am not so reckless as to publicly disfigure a high-ranking noble of the empire, regardless of the provocation.”
She just entertained the idea of doing so.
Lady Withersworth let out a light chuckle. “No, of course not. Yet you still silenced him quite effectively, despite your restraint. That was a rather curious statement you made to Count Hayden earlier. I daresay the count will be occupied with some rather urgent ‘housekeeping’ in the coming weeks.”
“He is welcome to try.” Scarlett’s sharp gaze fixed on the man, still seated with a deep frown etched across his face.
Lady Withersworth wasn’t the only one who had picked up on Scarlett’s veiled threat, nor Count Hayden’s reaction. Whispers would undoubtedly spread, and quiet inquiries would probably follow, no matter what happened next. The count probably hoped Scarlett either lacked concrete evidence to back her insinuations or chose not to disclose it if she did, buying him time to cover his tracks where necessary. But for Scarlett, a favor from Beldon would be enough to set the wheels in motion, and the man owed her plenty.
She doubted Count Hayden would lose his title or anything, but it would at least send a message. In that way, she was lucky. The count was pretty easy for her to target, compared to some others.
Her eyes briefly shifted to Duke Valentino, then to Lord Withersworth and his associates, who had remained unusually subdued throughout most of the evening. Scarlett supposed that she had inadvertently removed one enemy player from their political chessboard. While she wasn’t necessarily allied with either the duke or Lord Withersworth—she still wasn’t sure of the latter’s full agenda—it might not even make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. At the very least, they were unlikely to become her enemies in the near future.
Imperial Advisor Blackwood’s harmonious voice cut through the murmur of conversation around the chamber, pulling the assembly back to order. The emperor redirected the focus of the proceedings to the matters at hand, encouraging open discussion on how best to allocate and position the combined forces and resources to combat the growing monster incursions and Tribe threat.
Most of the logistical groundwork had already been done, with both imperial forces and independent groups like the Followers and Shields Guild handling much of the coordination. Now, though, the emperor sought to foster dialogue about how the factions could further collaborate and the like. Scarlett only half-listened, to be honest, massaging the bridge of her nose occasionally in vain attempts to alleviate her dull headache.
Though these talks were technically relevant to her barony and its ongoing relief efforts, she wasn’t well-versed enough in the details to keep up with all that was being said. Despite her recent efforts to educate herself and keep on top of reports, she was still far from an expert in these kinds of operations. Fortunately, with Lady Withersworth overseeing matters while Evelyne was recuperating, the barony already had things covered.