"Everyone will be looking at you."
"Everyone will be looking at you," Medea murmured, her voice honeyed persuasion.
"I'll explain everything to Aunt Catherine, so don't worry. Like you said, it would be such a waste to leave it packed away. Besides, I think this dress suits your hair color far better than mine."
Birna wavered, torn between duty and desire.
"Come now, Birna. I really think you should wear it."
"Medea suggested this herself. Mother can't possibly blame me for accepting."
Birna quietly reached for the hem of the dress.
Even the slightly rough texture of the diamond dust clinging to her fingers felt pleasant.
A Short While Later
"Oh my heavens, Birna. You're absolutely stunning."
The maids gasped.
Birna's appearance in the diamond dress was breathtakingly gorgeous.
Sparkling jewels nestled in her pink hair. A diamond-and-pearl tiara crowned her head.
"More! I need to be even more beautiful!"
"So stunning that Medea looks like nothing more than my attendant!"
Despite the maids' desperate attempts to stop her, Birna adorned herself with diamond necklaces, earrings, and layer upon layer of bracelets on her slender arms.
She gazed at her reflection, utterly satisfied.
Her mother's instructions had long since vanished from her mind.
"I look better wearing this dress."
"And I deserve this place more than she does."
"How do I look, Sister?"
Birna asked, chin raised triumphantly.
Medea gently gave her exactly what she wanted.
"You'll be the star of tonight's banquet. People won't be able to take their eyes off you."
Outside the Palace
After preparations were complete, the two girls stood before the carriage bound for the banquet hall.
"Wait, Your Highness. Please board this carriage. Tonight's banquet will be held at the palace."
Medea frowned slightly.
"The palace? I wasn't informed of any such change."
"Of course not—it's a surprise banquet! I heard Duchess Claudio worked tirelessly to prepare it without you knowing."
Birna offered the rehearsed excuse, sneaking a glance at Medea.
As Medea's gaze lingered on her, Birna grew nervous.
If her foolish cousin gets upset and refuses to attend, all her scheming will be for nothing.
"Oh, Your Highness, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
Birna quickly softened her expression.
She looped her arm through Medea's like an affectionate child, her face the picture of innocent concern.
"I really wanted to see you surprised and happy. Please, let's go. You won't let me get scolded by Mother, will you?"
Birna squeezed Medea's hand.
"Come on. The banquet has already started. Everyone's waiting for Your Highness."
Valdina Palace — The Royal Banquet Hall
The nobles invited to the banquet entered the hall one by one.
"Oh my goodness..."
Gasps echoed through the chamber.
The dazzling light of massive chandeliers greeted them.
Attendees' eyes darted everywhere, taking in the opulent decorations.
Gold-rimmed ice sculptures adorned every pillar.
A full orchestra filled the hall with symphonic splendor.
Golden candlesticks blazed, and the fragrance of hundreds of fresh flowers saturated the air.
Crystal champagne glasses were stacked in towering pyramids.
Even the pastries were dusted with gold leaf.
Most of those invited tonight were high-ranking nobles, but a number of guests from the third and fourth districts were also present.
"Thousands are freezing and starving on the streets... and here we have fresh flowers and gold dust. This is obscene."
Someone muttered darkly.
Even members of the royal family looked embarrassed by the excessive scale.
The Queen Mother frowned deeply.
"Medea requested this banquet?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. That's what the Minister of the Palace reported..."
Madame Pinatelli replied, her expression rarely troubled.
"Everything is proceeding exactly according to my plan."
Catherine secretly rejoiced at the audience's cold reaction.
"Darling, come here."
Regent Claudio called to his wife.
He stood beside a stocky, stern-looking middle-aged man.
"It's been too long, Margrave Montega. I trust your journey was safe?"
Catherine greeted him with elegant warmth.
The Margrave of Montega's expression remained severe.
"Indeed. But is there justification for such an extravagant banquet?"
The road from the border to the royal capital had been harsh. Having witnessed firsthand the people's suffering, he couldn't help but feel antipathy.
Catherine sighed in response to the Margrave's question.
"Today's banquet was not my intention."
She dabbed at her eyes, lamenting how difficult it had been to fulfill the Princess's every whim.
"You understand, Margrave. How can we possibly refuse the wishes of noble blood?"
Catherine blinked innocently.
"Besides, the Queen Mother dotes on the Princess so. I have no choice but to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."
"Montega, you understand. Medea is young. She still has much growing to do."
The Regent patted the Margrave's shoulder, supporting his wife's words.
"With the King's seal and my mother's protection, what does Medea have to fear? But if we indulge her like this, things will remain peaceful for a while."
The Margrave made no reply, as though preoccupied with deeper thoughts.
The Regent and his wife exchanged satisfied smiles.
"What can we do? I accepted this burden when I decided to care for Her Highness. I expected a day like this would come eventually."
The Regent joked lightly.
But the Claudios didn't realize something crucial.
The Montega they remembered was not the same man who stood before them now.
What Claudio said seemed plausible on the surface.
But the Margrave had protected the demon-infested borderlands for over ten years.
In the process of crossing repeatedly between life and death, his intuition had sharpened considerably.
"I'll have to see it with my own eyes before I make any judgments."
He sipped his champagne, thinking of the late King.
It was then—
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Medea Casey de Valdina, and Lady Birna Robin Claudio!"
The gatekeeper's loud announcement made everyone freeze mid-conversation.
Two girls walked in beneath the chandelier's brilliant light.
Birna was the first to catch attention.
Her steps were lively, her wavy pink hair fresh and bouncing. The diamond-dusted dress sparkled ceaselessly under the chandelier's glow.
"Why is Birna wearing that?!"
Catherine nearly dropped her fan.
Birna, unaware of her mother's shock, raised her chin to meet the crowd's gaze.
"Everyone is looking at me."
"They can't take their eyes off me."
Birna subtly quickened her pace to display her presence more prominently.
She walked one step ahead of Medea.
The lights shining on her, people's surprised expressions, their gaping mouths—she was so satisfied she would have laughed aloud if not for her etiquette training.
"I belong here more than at the Duke's estate."
"This is the royal palace of Valdina—and it suits me perfectly."
Margrave Montega narrowed his eyes when he saw Birna walking so majestically.
He assumed the girl's identity based on the dress that sparkled so brilliantly it hurt to look at.
"Your Royal Highness, Princess Medea. Montega has returned from the frontier to greet you."
He bowed stiffly.
"...Yes?"
Birna looked puzzled.
Who on earth is this man?
"Birna!"
Catherine's voice cracked through the hall, pale with shock.
The Margrave turned to see the flustered girl.
He soon noticed that she bore a striking resemblance to his sister-in-law, Catherine.
"If this young lady is not Her Royal Highness, then who exactly is the Duchess referring to?"
Catherine was mortified.
Everything she'd just said moments ago—what did any of it mean now?
She answered with a deathly pale complexion.
"This is my daughter, Birna. She's the Princess's cousin, so their appearances are... quite similar."
"Ha. Similar in appearance alone?"
The Margrave raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with bitter sarcasm.
"Though I've been away from the capital for some time, I understand perfectly well how much my niece Birna wishes to emulate Her Royal Highness."
Catherine's face turned ashen at his cutting remark.
"It's actually Her Highness's dress, but Birna is wearing it because... my dear uncle simply misunderstood—"
Her voice barely escaped through clenched teeth.
Catherine wanted nothing more than to slap her foolish daughter for ruining everything.
"I just..."
Birna stammered.
Even she could tell that something had gone terribly wrong.
"Please don't blame her too harshly, Aunt."
At that moment, Medea stepped forward as if to shield her cousin.
The trap had sprung.
The prey stood exposed.
And the hunter stepped into the light.
To Be Continued
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