Episode 108

After a while, as we took our seats at the table prepared in the reception room, the maids brought out tea and desserts.

“Please have a taste.”

“Thank you.”

I took a sip of the tea, which had a subtle floral scent, and then cut a bite-sized piece of the cake covered in sweet chocolate.

“It’s delicious.”

“Is it? What do you think, Duchess Anais?”

“It’s very tasty. The aroma of the tea is wonderful.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste. It’s the tea I used to drink often at the temple.”

With that, the princess waved her hand toward the maids.

Then, all the attendants in the reception room, except for us, left at once.

“It’s easier to talk without others around.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

I was impressed by her thoughtfulness and made sure to express my gratitude.

“Not at all. By the way, you two look very much alike.”

The princess said, looking back and forth between my mother and me.

“People say I look more like His Majesty the Emperor than my mother. Do you think that’s true?”

I wasn’t sure what the princess’s mother looked like, but I knew the emperor’s appearance.

And indeed, when I saw the princess and the emperor standing together at the last banquet, I thought they looked quite similar.

Although their hair color was different, their eye color and facial features were very similar.

‘Perhaps that’s why the emperor is particularly fond of the princess.’

It might be human nature to favor the child who resembles oneself the most out of all their children.

“I think you do resemble His Majesty the Emperor a lot.”

“Everyone says so. But I still can’t see it myself.”

“Actually, like you, I don’t think I resemble my mother that much.”

“Really?”

“Yes. There’s someone who looks more like her than I do. My eldest brother resembles her more, both in appearance and character.”

“Oh, you mean Jade Anais?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Now that you mention it, the young lord does resemble the duchess a lot.”

I didn’t miss the sparkle in the princess’s eyes as she said that.

“So, among us siblings, the one with the most outstanding appearance is my eldest brother.”

My mother was considered one of the most beautiful women in the empire.

It was only natural that my brother Jade, who resembled her, would be handsome.

The princess nodded slightly, seemingly in agreement with my words.

“I’m well aware of Duchess Anais’s beauty. She still shines just as brightly, if not more, even now.”

“You flatter me.”

My mother responded with a modest smile, clearly flustered by the princess’s praise.

“I agree with the princess.”

Proudly looking at my mother, I echoed the princess’s compliment.

“The children Jade will have when he marries will be very beautiful. But since he hasn’t shown any intention of marrying yet, our parents are quite worried.”

I deliberately kept bringing up my brother Jade in the conversation.

“How old is the young lord now?”

“He’s twenty-seven.”

“Twenty-seven is quite late compared to other nobles.”

“Exactly. Mother, does he still have no thoughts of marriage?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. He doesn’t discuss such things.”

My mother replied with a slightly worried expression.

“It seems I have to take matters into my own hands.”

The princess looked curious and intrigued as I continued.

“Are you referring to the Duchess?”

“Yes. After getting married, I’ve found it to be wonderful. I wish my brothers could meet someone just as lovely and live happily too. But Jade is quite shy and has trouble approaching young ladies.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“That’s… Oh, never mind.”

The princess quickly cut off her words and fumbled to cover her reaction.

‘Hmm, there’s definitely something there,’ I thought, sensing once again that there was something between Jade and Princess Daina.

“By the way, the Duchess of Blighton seems to have a good relationship with her brothers.”

“Since I was often ill when I was young, my brothers took great care of me.”

“They were more devoted to her than I was as their mother.”

“I’m envious. I have many half-siblings, but we are not as close as you and your brothers.”

The princess shrugged as if she was talking about something trivial.

However, my mother and I didn’t know how to respond to her remark about the royal family’s lack of closeness.

Royalty often behaved ruthlessly to secure the highest position. Historically, royal family members who didn’t become emperor often met tragic ends—either killed during power struggles or quietly disposed of later. To them, siblings were often seen as threats to their own lives.

“Oh dear, I’ve said something unnecessary. Shall we talk about something else?”

Fortunately, the princess quickly noticed the awkward atmosphere and changed the subject.

“Do you know why I invited you here?”

She brought up the topic that had piqued my curiosity since receiving the invitation.

“Actually, I was a bit curious.”

“So was I. When I heard that you invited my mother and also said I could come along, I was thankful but also curious about the reason.”

“I need your help.”

“Our help, Your Highness?”

“Yes. As you know, I don’t have a mother.”

As the princess said, I had heard that her mother died shortly after she was born.

“Since I spent much of my childhood in the temple, I am not well-versed in social etiquette or the ways of the nobility. I don’t have close siblings to turn to for guidance either. But now that I have debuted in society, I realize I can’t remain ignorant. So, I hoped you could teach me what I need to know.”

“Oh, in that case…”

I glanced at my mother, who seemed to share my thoughts.

We both wondered why she chose us out of so many others.

“Am I asking something too difficult?”

“No! It’s not that. I was just curious why you chose us when there are many others you could have asked…”

The princess looked at us for a moment, then smiled and spoke.

“Those with divine power can vaguely sense others’ energy.”

“Energy?”

I looked puzzled at her unexpected words.

“Yes. At the banquet, I greeted all the nobles, but your energies felt the clearest to me.”

“Oh…”

“It might be hard to understand, but it’s very important to me.”

“No, I understand.”

I strongly agreed with her.

“I also felt very good meeting you, Princess. Although I don’t have divine power like you, I could feel it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to say, but I wanted to know more about you.”

“About me?”

“Yes. If we had known each other from childhood, I think we would have been good friends.”

“Friends? I thought the same. I’m glad to hear that.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Hearing you say that makes me very happy.”

“Me too.”

“Thank you, Princess, for thinking so highly of my daughter.”

My mother, who had been watching our exchange, smiled warmly.

“Good people are naturally seen in a good light. The Anais family has always given me positive energy.”

‘Always?’

The word “always” caught my attention.

It wasn’t a word to be used for a first-time meeting, implying something happened before. I suspected it had something to do with my brother Jade.

However, I decided not to ask about it today. There would be plenty of time to talk in the future, so there was no need to rush.

“So, can I count on your help?”

“Yes, we will be happy to help. Mother, is that alright with you?”

“Yes, of course.”

My mother nodded slightly at me and then turned to the princess.

“Then let’s end this conversation here. Ah, the tea is getting cold. Please, have some.”

“Yes.”

After talking a bit more with the princess, my mother and I stood up to leave.

“Thank you for inviting us today.”

“See you next time.”

“Take care.”

We got into the carriage and left the palace, with the princess seeing us off.