Audrey’s coming-of-age party was used as a cover-up to divert attention from the Great Smog of Backlund, and the worst part is that she most likely knew it.
When high society and royalty commit negligence or are questioned for their poor handling of things, the best way to distract the public is "bread and circuses"; but the high-society version.
How do you get the newspapers to stop talking about corpses, the sick, and the despair seen in the slums? You fill the front pages with the social event of the year: the dazzling debut of Audrey Hall, daughter of Count Hall himself.
For the royal family and high-ranking nobles, hosting a party of that magnitude was a way of telling the kingdom: "Everything is fine, the crisis has passed, we are back to our usual majesty." They bury the collective trauma under layers of silk, champagne, and waltzes.
The irony for Audrey is that she is no longer the naive noblewoman from the beginning (well, maybe just a little bit). By that time, as a Spectator and a member of the Tarot Club, she knows the absolute truth behind the smog (the 'involvement' of Prince Edessak Augustus, the Demoness Sect, and the Aurora Order).
Having to smile, dance, and be the center of attention at a presumptuous party, knowing that the streets still smell of death and that the royalty is rotten to the core, is one of the most bittersweet moments of growth for her character.
Although to the general public it was "just a coincidence and the natural flow of the social season," for the government and higher-ups, it was the perfect lifeline to make people look toward the glittering ballrooms and forget the toxic fog.
"On the final night of 1349, Audrey officially came of age and was presented to society."
Curiously, this scene barely covers a quarter of the chapter, maybe even less. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing if we will get more of this in the Donghua.
Art by: Osot-酒保
I must say that I like the new birthday format better compared to last year's.