It was her first time attending an official tea party.
Ethella lifted her lips from the cup of rose tea.
The strong scent of roses was burdensome. The conversations flowing around the table were equally suffocating.
Ethella recalled the invitation.
The tea party letter—where the Princess had written she would show Ethella pictures of her older sister at the victory banquet.
There had been no mention of Olivia at all today.
On the contrary, whenever Ethella tried to bring up her sister, the topic was cut off—accompanied by subtle glances.
I came here at the risk of being scolded by my family. Instead, I just feel tired...
Should I go now?
Just as Ethella hesitated—
"I didn’t know you were that pretty. What do you think, Princess Madeleine?"
"Yes. You are beautiful."
It was a simple answer.
The Princess lifted her cup to hide her momentary embarrassment.
The young ladies followed the Princess and laughed awkwardly.
The Princess glared at Ethella with venomous eyes.
Raised with the Duke’s love, Princess Reina had never liked Ethella Madeleine.
But Ethella hardly noticed.
Earlier, Ethella had defended Olivia’s dress—and shattered the atmosphere the Princess had so carefully crafted.
"You’re mistaken. My sister looks good in all colors, so she's beautiful no matter what she wears."
And that wasn’t all.
"Right now, my sister manages not only the Duke's household budget but also the estate accounts. On top of that, financial documents from the Crown Princess’s palace are sent to our house every day. If my sister were truly unqualified, would she be trusted with so much work?"
Ethella had taken Olivia’s side every time.
The "illegitimate child"—defended in every conversation. Any time talk turned negative, Ethella cut it off.
Now, she didn’t even feel like participating in their empty chatter.
Are all of Madeleine’s blood that stubborn?
"By the way, Your Highness..."
Suddenly, Ethella looked at Reina.
"Yes, Princess?"
"When can I see the banquet photos you mentioned in your invitation?"
"The banquet photos? Oh my, was that your main reason for coming?"
While Reina exchanged meaningful looks with the daughter of Marquis Libeorn, Ethella spoke lightly:
"Thankfully, Your Highness wrote that I could come see my sister’s photos first."
With that single line in the postscript, Ethella had left her mother’s house—the Marquis of Haelquin—and come to the imperial palace.
Even prepared to be scolded by her family.
She really, truly wanted to see her older sister’s photo.
The articles were all about her sister and the Grand Duke swearing his oath to Olivia—but there had been no illustrations she could find.
Ethella smiled softly, thinking of Olivia.
Did Sister wear the jewelry pin I gave her?
Ethella didn't understand what they were talking about.
That can't be true. How could Olivia not be my sister?
She might feel a bit distant now, but Ethella knew—Olivia had always been kind to her.
Singing songs for her. Reading stories to her by lamp-light. Teaching her dances in secret.
"How can you treat the daughter of the dancer who killed your mother like your own sister?"
Ethella remembered Olivia dancing in the moonlight—her green eyes so different from the family's amethyst.
Her breath caught.
Ethella, shaking her head in denial, lowered it, letting her hair fall to cover her face.
The face the others glimpsed was going blank.
The Princess smiled in satisfaction.
Then, as if truly sorry, Reina walked up to Ethella and put an arm around her shoulders.
"You didn't know, Princess? Everyone in the Empire knows this."
"..."
"The reason your mother died."
"..."
"It was because of that green-eyed girl."
The Princess’s whispering eyes sparkled with malice.
At the same time, one of the pillars of Ethella's world collapsed.
---
"Even if a chandelier falls in Chandler Theater today, it won’t hit you, Miss."
"...Well, maybe not that much."
"It's more than that! You’re the lady honored by the war hero!"
I laughed a little at Sally's heated words.
Of course, the social world would be noisy.
The Crown Prince’s fiancée had received the oath of the man everyone called the Empire’s strongest.
"You may not have seen it, but none of the delivery boys wanted to leave the back door earlier. Thanks to you, I became popular this morning too! Look—I even received business cards from gossip reporters. Stable Keeper Peter asked me to pass them on."
Sally held out a stack of cheap yellow cards with an excited face.
I joked:
"So, are you planning to contact them for me?"
"No way! I'd never! I trained very hard as a dedicated maid, you know."
I smiled softly as Sally shook her head.
The carriage turned onto the streets of Rahein.
I counted the things I needed to do.
Mail a letter to Ethella—and check that it’s delivered safely. Buy a gift for the Grand Duke to replace the jewel pin.
I shook my head, remembering the reply I hadn’t been able to write.
When I mentioned the jewelry pin, he’d been so nonchalant. When I mentioned the treasured sword, he looked ready to give me something enormous.
Whatever the case, he would likely be happy if I approached him with a gift in hand.
What should I buy to replace Ethella’s jewelry pin?
While I was thinking, the carriage stopped.
I moved to step down, but Sally quickly opened the door first.
"Miss... Of course, the coachmen will be around, but there might really be a lot of people flocking to you today. I'll protect you!"
"Why are we being so cautious?"
"It’s true, Miss..."
I ignored Sally’s concerns and stepped out of the carriage.
By the time I had taken exactly five steps, I realized she’d been right.
Of the people who normally looked at me with hostility, about half were now glancing at me with unfamiliar expressions.
I swallowed my embarrassment at those strange gazes and walked forward, forcing myself to think of something else.
I unconsciously covered my face with my hands as the child shouted innocently.
A Princess as pretty as a fairy.
My face heated up at the name I’d never once heard in my life.
What had this child heard, to call me that?
Funnily enough, while I was flustered, the corners of my mouth kept turning upward.
It felt as if someone had poured honey over my heart.
I can't believe there's someone other than Ethella and Sally who looks at me kindly.
Before I knew how to react, the child held out the flower.
A single pink wildflower, probably plucked from the roadside.
I took it with slightly trembling hands.
"...Thank you."
I wanted to say more—but the words caught in my throat.
A part of my heart that had been stretched tight finally softened.
The child smiled brightly and ran off.
Other children followed, shouting:
"Wow!"
The spell broke, and the Rahein shopping district buzzed noisily again.
I quietly looked down at the flower.
Surprisingly, though it was just one plucked stem, my body no longer shrank under the gazes around me.
Sally grinned and nudged me:
"You must like that. 'A Princess as pretty as a fairy.' When will I ever hear something like that?"
"That’s just what a child said..."
Even airheaded Sally noticed the tips of my ears were turning red.
I squinted my eyes into crescents.
Somehow, my heart felt ticklish—as if a gentle spring breeze had brushed past.
The pink wildflower danced lightly in my hand.
"...If I'm asking for a jewel—it should match, shouldn’t it?"
"Pardon?"
I smiled brightly and walked ahead—toward Madame Deaton’s jewelry shop.
Meanwhile, the Grand Duke—who'd been leaning against the wall—slowly straightened up.
Smart kids. She found her even without knowing her hair color.
"You were looking for her without even knowing what she looks like," Winster muttered.
"Well, they say children have the best sense of beauty."
As soon as he said that, Winster felt a chill run down his spine.
Even as his body instinctively flinched, he cried out in protest:
"No, why are you glaring at me again?!"
They'd delivered letters in the morning, cleaned up the reporters around Madeleine, and now even recruited children to deliver flowers.
Winster had worked hard for his master—and it never came back as a bonus, only as more work.
The man—ignoring Winster's complaints—murmured:
"...It’s fine. With how high her standards are, she’ll only ever see me anyway."
No one asked the Princess to look at you, Your Highness...
They said people were struck speechless in the face of awe.
Instead of speaking, Winster clutched his chest.
Really—I'm the one suffering most here.
Everyone changes when Olivia Madeleine’s name comes up.
Winster vowed silently that he would never help again—
Then the Grand Duke, having gone that far, suddenly turned around.
A playful voice called out:
"Aren’t you going?"
He really doesn’t know. I need to go back to Vikander territory and vent all this frustration...
Thinking that, Winster ran again today.
"I'm going!"
---
Inside Madame Deaton’s jewelry shop—
"Um, could you show me that one as well?"
Blue-gray velvet boxes were piled on the low table in the salon.
I pointed, and Madame Deaton opened a new box.
Obsidian cufflinks sparkled inside.
"As expected, the Princess has an excellent eye. This is the last set—we imported it from the Kingdom of Welton."
Madame Deaton fussed over them, but I shook my head.
Rather than something simply expensive, I want something that reminds me a little more of him.
Suddenly, the Grand Duke’s eyes surfaced in my mind. Red, sparkling, kind—like jewels.
"How did you know that ring was yours?"
A drowsy whisper brushed my ear.
I looked up—the voice was familiar.
A tall man in a pitch-black robe stood beside me.
That robe... It's definitely the same...
"Your—"
"Shh."
The beautiful face beneath the hood cast a quick glance at Madame.
Startled, I widened my eyes and bit back his name.
Madame, looking at him, tilted her head slightly before speaking cautiously:
"Unfortunately, this ring is not for sale, Princess. Another guest entrusted it to me as a proposal ring. We’re only keeping it safe."