As Erka tried to observe what Yeffa was doing, a woman with a cheerful demeanor approached, her round face smiling.
“You must be Countess Rivolain; I’m glad to meet you. He often talked about you.”
With her long, flowing green hair and slightly darker emerald eyes, she seemed unfamiliar yet strangely familiar.
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you, but excuse me for not recognizing…”
Erka couldn’t identify who she was, prompting the woman to widen her eyes in surprise and apologize.
“Oh my, my apologies. I’m sure you don’t know me, Countess; I’m Graham Thetman’s wife.”
The woman introduced herself and smiled softly.
It was then that Erka recalled the woman from the portrait Graham always looked at.
“Ah, you must be Marquis Thetman’s wife. You’re even more beautiful in person than in the portrait.”
“Oh, you’ve seen my portrait?”
“Marquis Thetman has talked a lot about you and shown me your portrait.
“Goodness, how embarrassing.”
As the Countess, Erka was required to attend meetings of the nobility, but she often found it difficult as she was still new to her role.
In such moments, Marquis Thetman, a neighboring lord, would visit and share the details of the discussions held during the meetings.
When her parents were still alive, they had been close friends with Marquis Thetman, so he had taken care of her out of that friendship.
Erka was grateful to him for that.
“It is a great pleasure to meet you, madam. Feel free to speak comfortably.”
“My pleasure, indeed. In fact, I wanted to greet you at the spring banquet.”
A small but affectionate conversation ensued.
For Erka, who always became rigid due to the heavy responsibilities of managing the estate, it had been a long time since she shared such a simple conversation.
“Oh, by the way, what were you looking at?”
As they continued the conversation, Laviette seemed to remember something.
Erka glanced sternly, remembering that she’d been trying to observe Yeffa.
‘She’s not there.’
It seems like she went somewhere else.
Looking around, Yeffa was sitting alone at a prepared table, sipping tea.
“No, I was just enjoying the view.”
As Erka tried to steer the conversation back, she heard the exclamations of the ladies one after another.
“Wow! What is that?”
“It’s so pretty!”
“It’s like a rain of flowers.”
Laviette, too, was surprised as she looked at the same place as the other young ladies.
“I’ve never seen such a sight!”
Yellow petals floated across the lake from the water lilies that bloomed in abundance nearby.
Whenever the wind blew, they fluttered and scattered in various directions. Some of them reached the boat and fell onto the young ladies.
“These are not petals, but seeds.”
Observing this, Rohiriel, who had been watching, spoke while removing the yellow seed that had fallen on her shoulder.
Then, the nearby young ladies started expressing their interest.
“Can seeds really float in the air like this?”
“What’s this fluffy thing here? What is it?”
“By any chance, do you know the name of these flowers, Your Highness?”
Rohiriel smiled gently and answered each question. Watching the cheerful scene, Erka felt a bitterness inside.
‘She’s wearing the mask quite firmly.’
It seemed like people didn’t really believe the rumors about Rohiriel, especially after the incident with Yeffa.
As the wind blew again, more yellow seeds floated through the air, and one landed on Erka’s nose.
“Achoo!”
Feeling the tickling sensation on her nose, Erka sneezed a few times, causing some embarrassment. Taking a sip of the warm tea seemed to soothe her.
“Countess, shall we go and take a look too?”
Laviette looked at Erka with sparkling eyes.
She seemed to want to go to the stern, where the water lilies were more visible. Erka wanted to rest quietly, but knowing that Laviette was showing consideration, she smiled and nodded.
“Sure.”
Some young ladies had already taken their seats at the stern, enjoying the view of the water lilies.
“They look like sunflowers!”
“They really look like sunflowers, gazing at the sky with their petals.”
“It has a strong scent, too. It reminds me of acasia.”
“I think it’s more like lilacs.”
As Rohiriel and the Empress were engaged in discussions about the water lilies nearby, Erka and Laviette had to move to a quieter spot.
“The yellow color is truly vibrant.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like this before.”
Just as the wind blew again, the water lilies swayed, and the yellow petals that were tightly closed opened up wide.
Simultaneously, the yellow seeds inside floated in the air.
“Achoo!”
Erka’s sneezing, which had just subsided, started again, making her feel embarrassed.
Concerned, Laviette handed over the shawl she brought.
“The lake makes it a bit chilly, right? Would you like to wear this?”
“Oh, thank you. My nose has been itching since earlier.”
With that, Erka put on the shawl and moved closer to the edge of the boat, mindful not to disturb others with her sneezing.
“……?”
But there was something off about the sensation under her feet. Instead of solid wood, she thought she was stepping on a piece of paper that was wet and soggy.
And then, with a splash sound, Erka’s body suddenly sank down.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
“Your Highness, it is reported that Her Majesty the Empress and her highness the crown princess boarded the boat.”
Julion, taken aback by Freck’s report, stood up irritably. Freck, who was nearby, took a few steps back in surprise.
Julion glared at Freck and spoke with an annoyed tone. “Why do you keep reporting about the princess without me asking?”
“What? I… I thought…”
“I was just trying to listen, but you don’t seem to understand the concept of moderation. Is it normal to report three times a day?”
Freck felt unfairly treated by Julion’s harsh scolding. So, he cautiously tried a defense that he wouldn’t normally attempt.
“Didn’t Your Highness instruct me to report three times a day without fail?”
Just a month ago, he used to insist that he must report in the morning, at lunch, and at dinner. Perhaps he was upset because he hadn’t been dining with Rohiriel lately.
So, he had been diligently gathering information about the Garnet Palace’s schedule.
Upon Freck’s timid outcry, Julion tightly sealed his lips. Instead, he sighed and abruptly left the office.
“Your Highness! Where are you going?”
Freck hurriedly followed, but Julion, radiating coldness, ignored him.
If he didn’t want reports, he should have said so earlier. Why stay silent and get angry now?
Muttering all sorts of harsh words under his breath, they arrived at the training grounds for the imperial knights.
“Your Highness, the crown prince.”
“Your Highness, you’re here!”
“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”
The knights approached with cheers, but Julion, without responding, just glanced at them, then picked up a wooden sword hanging on the wall.
“Why has the atmosphere become so lax?”
It was as if he were saying, “I have come to vent my anger. The knights looked into each other’s faces, dejected.
‘We’re screwed.’
‘What’s the matter?’
‘Oh no, I should’ve done that errand earlier.’
With various thoughts in their minds, the knights awkwardly raised the corners of their mouths.
Julion, although a just and noble Crown Prince, sometimes came to this training ground to swing his sword when things weren’t going well.
At times, if things went particularly awry, he would even throw insults at the knights on the training ground.
“Let’s have a sparring session. Who’s going to go first?”
It was called a duel, but it was more like a one-sided, violent outburst of frustration. Julion was unbeatable in sparring, making it almost an act of violence. Because there was no one who could beat Julion in a duel.
As everyone stealthily took steps backward, one brave knight tried to defuse the situation.
“Haha… Your Highness, it’s almost dinnertime. Perhaps you should go have a meal with her highness… cough!”
However, he couldn’t finish his sentence as he desperately had to dodge a sudden attack.
Julion’s demeanor, even more ominous than before, was evident as he swung his sword decisively.
The rest of his companions glared at the knight as he flew off into the distance.
‘That insensitive guy.’
‘He only made things worse for no reason!’
It was clear that he had fought with the Crown Princess.
The knights were sweating profusely, trying to be the last to go.
While they were exchanging glances, Freck, who was standing near the entrance of the training ground, received some news.
“Her highness has fallen into the lake!”
Freck was about to lose his temper, thinking it was another story about the princess. But this time, it seemed to be something more serious.
Watching the disappearing messenger, Freck was engulfed in turmoil.
‘Should I tell him or not?’
He had just been told not to report a short while ago. But if he didn’t report it, he is worried about how furious he will be when he finds out.
“Freck, what’s going on?”
However, Freck’s inner turmoil was futile.
Julion had a special alert for the term ‘Her Highness.’
Before Freck could explain, Julion was already right in front of him, exhaling cold air.
“What about the crown princess…?”
❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀
Happy Holidays!
