Reincarnated as the mother of an otome game's villainess?!

Chapter 11. Keep yourself alive.

Once we entered the palace's great hall, everyone's eyes focused on us. On me, specifically. That was not completely unexpected; my presence alone was enough to make other nobles furrow their brows. But on that day, I have given them another reason to badmouth me. My election of clothing was a bit... controversial. I was wearing a black dress with a dark veil. The attendants that had come with me, Sophie, Carmila, and Iridia, were dressed in similar fashion.

Dressing in black to a celebration was normally in bad taste, and I could already see some murmuring and gossiping among the multitude. But it would have been worse if I had worn anything else, even if they didn't realize it. It hasn't been a year yet since my husband died, so I was expected to still be mourning him. It didn't really mattered on my day to day, or even in casual reunions, but to ignore such tradition while attending a formal celebration such as that would have been a dishonor not only for me, and my husband's memory, but to the host as well. Erzi herself probably wouldn't care, but others might use it against her.

—But still... everyone is going to be so focused on the color of the dress that nobody is going to notice how beautiful it is —Sophie said, once she had helped me choose my attire.

—What if we try to turn that negative attention into positive? —Carmila said, after thinking it for a moment.

—What do you mean? —I asked.

—Well, we can put something they can't get mad to right in the spotlight —she answered, pointing to Violett, who was sleeping in my arms—, and kids aren't expected to wear black after a family member dies.

—Oh! —both Sophie and I exclaimed, slightly clapping our hands at Carmila's brilliant plan.

So we dressed my baby with a gorgeous white dress, with a few emeralds here and there. I was carrying her as we crossed the great hall, right where everyone could see her. I felt a little bad for using her as a distraction, but I also kind of wanted to show of how cute my baby was. I... think I was even smiling.

That strategy apparently worked, as I could only hear a few murmurs belittling me, among the rest of the crowd. We reached the other side of the hall, where the queen and the king were welcoming the guest on a slightly elevated platform. Erzi was sitting, as she was still a bit weak, and Gaius was at her side. But to my surprise, Erzi was holding baby Julius on her arms.

—I recognize your soul, Rosanne Dragonroot —she said, welcoming me in a very formal and a bit archaic way. Her smile was still as warm as ever.

—I am humbled to be on your presence, your Majesty —I replied in similar manner, bowing my head a bit more than usual. It was a bit hard to keep my balance while carrying Violet, but I managed it somehow.

My attendants had taken a knee to pay respect to the royal family, but as soon as I raised my head, they approached them with the presents we had brought. I... might have brought too many. It was not unusual to bring present to this sort of celebrations, and it was almost expected when the host was from a higher standing, not to even mention from the royal family. But those gifts tended to be jewelry, accessories, paintings, etc.

I had brought some of those as well, but most of the bulk was comprised of baby clothes, diapers, and a few feeding bottles. I also had written a few notes and recommendations to help in the child's raising, but those were hidden below the clothes. In hindsight, it was a tacky gift to give to the royal family, but I got a bit too excited when I noticed the part of the invitation that asked me to be Julius' godmother. And now I could understood the glare Carmila had thrown at me when we were buying everything. But Erzi looked happy, and almost forgot her role as a queen to give me a hug.

—I would also like to present a few gifts for the rest of the family —I said, as I presented to them a sheathed rapier—. This sword's blade has been covered in my blood, and I present it as a symbol of my loyalty towards your Majesties.