Episode 116

A few days later, I took a carriage alone to the imperial palace to meet the imperial princess.

Originally, I was supposed to go with my mother, but she injured her leg, so I had to go alone.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a serious injury, but the attending physician suggested that she should rest and avoid moving around too much for a while.

In fact, since I don’t know much about social gatherings either, my mother needed to be there for this meeting.

Therefore, there wasn’t much point in me meeting the princess alone, and I didn’t necessarily have to go.

However, I decided it would be better to convey the message in person rather than through a letter, so I stuck to the original plan.

Moreover, I had no reason not to go since it was an opportunity to speak with the princess alone.

I thought I might even get a chance to ask about Brother Jade, so after receiving the message from my mother, I carefully organized the topics I wanted to discuss with the princess in my head.

Soon, the carriage sped past the main gate of the imperial palace, and we arrived at the princess’s residence.

As I stepped out of the carriage, the princess was already there to greet me.

“Greetings to Her Highness the Princess.”

I approached the princess and greeted her.

“Welcome, Duchess Blighton.”

As before, she greeted me with a bright smile.

But soon, she realized that I had come alone and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Where is the Duchess of Anaïs?”

“My mother injured her leg and couldn’t make it.”

“Oh no. Was it serious?”

The princess asked with concern in her voice.

“It wasn’t too serious, but I was worried it might worsen if she traveled, so I insisted she stay home.”

“You did the right thing. I would have felt uncomfortable if she had come with an injury.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“No problem. Let’s go inside and talk.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I followed Princess Daina into the reception room inside her residence.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

After taking a seat opposite the princess, I observed her for a moment before speaking.

“Since my mother couldn’t attend, I think we should postpone this gathering. I came today to inform you of that.”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Pardon?”

I looked at the princess in confusion, startled by her unexpected question.

“Well, I thought it might be nice to spend time alone with Duchess Blighton. That is, if you don’t find me uncomfortable.”

“Oh, not at all.”

“Really? Then how about we meet like this until the Duchess of Anaïs recovers?”

“But I don’t know much about the social circles you’re interested in, Your Highness.”

“That’s alright. I just want you to come and talk with me regularly.”

I was thrilled at her words.

I had come thinking this would be my only chance, but now I had several opportunities until my mother’s leg healed.

“Yes, I’ll do that. I also wanted to talk more with Your Highness.”

“Great. First, let’s have some tea.”

“Thank you.”

After taking a sip of tea, I engaged in casual conversation with the princess.

“Duchess Blighton, it’s been quite a while since you got married, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, about half a year.”

“How did you two meet?”

“Ah, well… I happened to see the Duke by chance and fell in love at first sight.”

I was a bit flustered, not expecting to tell this story, but the words came out naturally.

“Really?”

The princess looked at me with sparkling eyes, full of interest.

I had seen a similar expression before.

It was on Daliah’s face when she listened to the story of Lloydin and me.

“As soon as I saw him, I thought there couldn’t possibly be someone with such looks in this world.”

Thinking that such stories would help strengthen my relationship with the princess, I continued the conversation with a bit of anticipation.

“Indeed, Duke Blighton does have an exceptionally handsome appearance.”

“Yes, that’s right. But honestly, at first, I was attracted to his looks, but as I spent more time with him, I realized that his appearance is just one of his many great qualities.”

Feeling a bit shy about boasting about Lloydin to the princess, I gave her a bashful smile.

“It seems you really like him.”

“Pardon? Yes… I do.”

It was the first time I had ever told someone outside of my family that I liked Lloydin.

I nodded, feeling both embarrassed and proud.

“But the three princes of the Anaïs family also possess commendable looks, don’t they?”

“Oh, my brothers? Yes, they do.”

As the princess mentioned, my brothers were also not lacking in appearance.

“Growing up among such handsome men, I would have thought you’d be less impressed by good looks.”

“Well, the Duke is far more outstanding than my brothers…”

I felt a bit embarrassed as if I was continuously boasting about Lloydin, but I wasn’t lying.

My brothers were handsome, but Lloydin was even more exceptional.

“From my perspective… ah, never mind.”

The princess started to say something but then stopped abruptly.

I looked at her with a meaningful gaze, waiting for the right moment.

As if reading my thoughts, the princess brought up Jade first.

“So… what’s going on with Jade Anaïs’s marriage?”

“Jade?”

“Yes, I suddenly remembered you mentioned that you were personally involved because his marriage was delayed.”

“Ah, we haven’t decided anything yet. We’re still considering it.”

“Is there anyone in particular you’re thinking of?”

“I don’t know many noble ladies, so it might take some more time. And the most important thing is my brother’s feelings.”

“That’s true. His feelings are the most important…”

The princess nodded slowly, looking somewhat relieved.

‘She really does have feelings for him.’

Watching her, I became more convinced that the princess had feelings for Jade.

‘How can I bring them together?’

To be honest, Jade and Princess Daina made a perfect match.

No one would oppose the union between the imperial family and the prestigious Anaïs family.

What had been hindering them was the temple.

If the princess had remained in the temple, she wouldn’t have been able to marry.

But now that she had left the temple, there was nothing standing in their way.

And since they still had feelings for each other, there was no reason to hesitate.

‘Alright, let’s get to the point.’

I had made up my mind to speak when I was interrupted.

“Your Highness…”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince has arrived.”

The voice of a maid calling the princess from outside overlapped with mine.

“The Crown Prince? Just a moment.”

“Yes.”

The princess excused herself and called in the maid from outside.

“The Crown Prince is here?”

“Yes, he wishes to see you now.”

“Ah, I see. Please escort him in.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Soon after the maid left, the princess spoke to me with an apologetic expression.

“What should we do? The Crown Prince doesn’t usually visit without notice, so it must be something urgent.”

“It’s alright. Since His Highness the Crown Prince is here, I should naturally step aside.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.”

I smiled to show that I understood and stood up.

“Then, I’ll take my leave. I’ll come back next week.”

“Let’s talk longer then.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Although I was disappointed that I couldn’t say more today, I had no choice.

As I said my farewells to the princess and walked toward the door, it opened, and the Crown Prince entered.

“Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

I quickly greeted the Crown Prince.

“Oh, Duchess Blighton, you were here as well. Are you leaving because of me?”

“No, I was just about to leave.”

As I raised my head to respond, I saw the Crown Prince looking at me with a peculiar smile.

‘What is that about?’

He had given me the same look when I left the banquet hall last time.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I hurriedly finished my farewell.

“Then I’ll be going. I hope you both have a pleasant time.”

With that, I left the reception room, leaving the two of them behind.

Even as the door closed, I felt the Crown Prince’s gaze following me.

The inexplicable uneasiness lingered even after I closed the door. I quickly left the palace, got into the carriage, and hurried back to the Blighton mansion.