Chapter 199 Anne Appears
The smile on Kirenya's face instantly vanished, and even Lucida couldn't help but show a vicious expression toward the source of the voice. "What thing is barking over there? Get out here!"
Selyma, however, immediately recognized the owner of this voice. This, this, this...
How did Anne get here too!?
She clearly remembered the Virlets were on bad terms with Kirenya, so why send them an invitation? And even if they did, how could Anne be stupid enough to walk right into this and get bullied!
No way, such a stupid woman can't marry Friedel as his wife!
Selyma shook her head frantically in her mind. Being publicly humiliated by that little bitch Lucida just now was already embarrassing enough. If these people found out that Anne and Friedel were getting married, she might as well just go jump in the lake and end it all!
Hearing Lucida's words, Anne wasn't in a hurry. She slowly walked toward the crowd, speaking as she went, "Generally speaking, dogs do bark very loudly and rudely. With Miss Lucida's personal demonstration, I've learned a lot."
"You!"
Just as Lucida was about to lose control and lift her skirt to rush toward the voice, Princess Kirenya stopped her. Turning around, she saw the watching nobles making way, and Anne gracefully walked closer, giving her a simple curtsy.
"Receiving Princess Kirenya's invitation is a great honor."
Everyone, including Selyma, couldn't help but look at Anne.
Anne was wearing that fresh and elegant dress, with a pearl necklace around her neck that complemented the pearls adorning the dress. Her golden hair was neatly arranged, part of it flowing down, part braided and pinned up like a spring vine fixed at the back of her head. The hat was decorated with a few plain white flowers, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
Though not dressed flashily, she easily outshone everyone present.
Princess Kirenya's face darkened the moment she saw Anne, for no other reason than that this woman looked too much like that damned Sophia, but her eyes...
When Anne's eyes looked directly at her, Princess Kirenya had the feeling of seeing Duke Skoda again after a long time. Her heart beat violently until she noticed that Anne's face bore more of Sophia's features, and she immediately flew into a rage.
The daughter of those two people, the daughter born from the union of the person she loved most and hated most, was indeed just as hateful!
Lucida beside her didn't notice her mother's change in expression. From the moment Anne appeared, her heart was filled with hatred and unwillingness at being outshone.
Princess Kirenya had specially dressed Lucida up today, practically adorning her with the most luxurious and beautiful dresses and jewelry, just to show everyone that she was much better than those orphans without parents.
Lucida also believed she had inherited her mother's beauty, but when Anne stood there, everyone's eyes were on Anne, and no one looked at her anymore.
Even Lucida had to admit that compared to Anne, she paled in comparison.
"Which family's daughter are you! How dare you be so arrogant at the princess's party!"
Lucida pointed at Anne venomously, "Servants, come arrest this woman, slash her face, and throw her into a brothel in the slums!"
The people around looked at each other, especially the servants who had guided Anne in. They were trembling, not daring to offend Anne, the duke, but also not daring to disobey Lucida's order.
Anne wasn't afraid though. She glanced at Lucida coolly, "If you don't recognize me, it means your status isn't high enough - you don't even have the right to know who I am. As for Princess Kirenya."
Anne smiled, though there was no hint of amusement in her eyes, "Princess Kirenya certainly knows who I am."
Kirenya's eyes were cold, but the corners of her mouth curved up in what seemed like mockery, "Yes, the famous Duke Virlet - how could I not know you?"
"You're that lowly Duke Virlet?"
Lucida stared at Anne in disbelief. Why could any shameless, lowly woman be more beautiful than her? Looking at that face and hearing her challenging tone, Lucida wanted to rush up with a dagger herself and carve a few long gashes across Anne's face.
Without her face, how could she still be so arrogant?
Anne glanced at Lucida. She smiled gently, "Miss Lucida should think before she speaks. As a marquis's daughter insulting a duke, I can overlook it for the princess's sake, but you might want to consider - if dukes are lowly, then what does that make everyone present, including yourself?"
"And..." Anne looked Lucida up and down, "I think Miss Lucida should also consider finding a teacher to learn appropriate dress and grooming. When I was walking over just now, from a distance I thought there was a jewelry rack covered in jewels standing next to Princess Kirenya. I didn't expect it to actually be Miss Lucida herself."
"Although it's been popular lately to invite opera performers to parties, having a noble lady like Miss Lucida perform is a first."
Lucida's eyes widened, "How dare you insult me?"
Anne smiled innocently, "Did I?"
"You actually dared to call me an opera performer - that kind of lowly profession is only done by the lowest class of people!"
As soon as she said this, the opera master standing nearby drinking wine darkened his face.
This opera master was the leading figure of the Soth Empire's largest opera house. He had studied all his life and had superb skills. Ordinary nobles couldn't even get him to perform on stage, let alone invite him to parties.
Princess Kirenya, to show her image as someone who supported the arts and treated talented people well, invited important figures from various fields to every party. The opera master had received invitations over the years but had never come. If it weren't for the opera house director begging him to attend and saying that the princess demanded the opera master must be there or the opera house wouldn't need to exist anymore.
Although the opera master looked down on cruel women like Kirenya from the bottom of his heart, he also knew that she had the royal family behind her, and the king wouldn't punish the princess over such a small matter, so he reluctantly attended.
This time he came, Princess Kirenya had warmly received him with a group of people and pretended to discuss the latest operas.
The opera master's originally cold attitude had softened somewhat because of Princess Kirenya's enthusiasm, but he didn't expect to immediately hear her daughter Lucida say such things.