I replied with a sad expression, “I feel sorry that Yenna thought that way.”
“It’s alright. We can get closer from now on. Once His Highness Prince Patrick returns, I’ll be sure to share this happy news with him first.”
Yenna spoke generously as if she were the kindest person on this earth.
I showed a smile as well.
“No matter how many times we tried to reach out, neither Prince Patrick nor you responded, so we thought you didn’t want to see us. That’s why we didn’t push further…”
For a moment, Yenna’s face stiffened, and the expressions of the other noblewomen turned awkward.
“That’s…”
“As you said, let’s get closer from now on!” I grasped Yenna’s hand while she was speaking and smiled brightly.
A cold glint appeared in Yenna’s dark eyes. I hadn’t felt such a gaze even from others with clear hostility.
Sensing the tension, one of the noblewomen chimed in, “It’s wonderful to see you two getting along. Let’s go look at the dresses, shall we?”
“Yes, I’m really looking forward to it. I heard His Highness Prince Patrick brought in the best designers of Berg!”
Their words forced me back to reality.
In the mansion’s hall, designers were waiting with wedding dresses, each one luxurious and expensive.
Yenna examined the dresses with delight and finally picked one that caught her eye.
“I want to try this one.”
It was a dress adorned with large floral decorations, with small jewels attached to the flowers.
After glancing at the admiring noblewoman, Yenna suddenly turned her gaze to me.
“Princess, would you help me change into the dress?”
Of all the people present, she chose only me to assist.
“Oh my! You two are really becoming close!”
“It seems we should step aside, hohoho.”
In the end, only the designer and an assistant followed us to the dressing room with the dress.
However, there wasn’t much for me to do.
The dress was too heavy and complicated to put on without expert help, so I ended up only assisting with minor tasks like holding up the hem.
“You’ve been a great help. Since I’m already wearing the dress, I would like to try on a headpiece as well.”
“We have brought some headpieces too,” the designer said, offering a box filled with extravagant accessories.
Yenna smiled gleefully.
“I would like to do this part with just the Lady. Is that alright?”
“Of course, we’ll leave you two to it.”
With that, the designers left, leaving just the two of us in the room.
Yenna hummed a tune as she admired herself in the full-length mirror. Dressed in an elegant and dazzling outfit, she looked like a Princess straight out of a fairy tale.
Seemingly pleased with her reflection, Yenna continued humming and then spoke to me,
“Could you help me re-tie the ribbon on the back? It feels a bit loose.”
But the ribbon was perfectly fine. Pretending not to notice, I retied the ribbon and asked casually, “I wanted to see Prince Patrick before I leave. When will he return?”
“Oh- His Highness?”
Yenna’s expression turned distorted.
“Dad is very worried about Prince Patrick. He was hopeful when I mentioned I would be visiting his mansion, thinking I would be able to check on him.”
“Actually His Highness is quite busy.”
“But didn’t Prince Patrick himself send me a letter, asking me to be a bridesmaid? Didn’t he want to reconcile with the family?”
“That- ?”
In the mirror behind Yenna, I caught a glimpse of her face— she couldn’t hide the smirk that flashed across it. She chuckled softly and nodded.
“Yes, of course. He did send the letter. He also asked me to keep an eye on how you’re doing.”
I could sense it immediately.
‘She’s lying.’
But I pretended not to notice, instead reacting with surprise and joy.
“Really? Is His Highness doing well? Can I meet him soon?”
“That would be difficult. His Highness isn’t feeling well.”
“Not feeling well? But didn’t he go out today?”
“Oh, that… he went to see a physician. None of the treatments he’s tried so far have been effective.”
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked, feigning shock.
Yenna put on a sorrowful expression.
“He’s stressed because his family opposes the marriage. It’s weighing on him emotionally, and it’s affecting his health.”
“Could I visit His Highness?”
“That wouldn’t be appropriate… He needs rest so he can make a grand entrance at the wedding. You wouldn’t want to make him feel worse.”
In other words, she wasn’t going to let me see him.
‘So why did she invite me here? Just to show off in front of the noblewomen and boast about making me her bridesmaid?’
As I was pondering, a sense of déjà vu hit me.
I felt like I had experienced this exact situation before. When? And Where?
“Oh! There’s something I would like to ask of the Princess,” Yenna said, interrupting my thoughts.
“Anything. Please feel free to ask.”
“If it’s not much…” Yenna hesitated before speaking, “I would like to have the wedding at the Grand Temple.”
At the Grand Temple?
Currently, the administrator of the Grand Temple is none other than Duke Eisen. And everyone in the capital knew that Brantley and I were close.
‘But why the Grand Temple, of all places?’
Judging by Yenna’s taste in dresses, she would likely prefer a more extravagant venue than the now-declined Grand Temple.
She wasn’t particularly devout, either.
I gazed at her with a gentle expression. “I don’t have the authority to approve the use of the Grand Temple.”
“B- But aren’t you close with Duke Eisen? And if you plead with His Majesty, it could be possible, right?” Yenna smiled sweetly, pretending to be friendly.
“So then…”
As I pretended to agree, Yenna’s face filled with anticipation.
“I’ll have to think about it and get back to you. It’s not a decision I can make on my own.”
“What?”
“I think I’ll need to consult Dad”
Her face contorted at my response, which dashed her hopes.
Dad was hostile toward Yenna. If I sought his advice, it was obvious he would tell me not to lend the Grand Temple.
‘I can’t agree so easily.’
This was my chance to test her. Suddenly, she thrust a hairpin toward me.
“Could you pin this in the back of my hair?”
It was a sharp pin. I carefully took the pin from her, and at that moment, Yenna suddenly leaned backward toward me.
As she did, the sharp part of the pin got tangled in the fabric of her dress.
“Oh my! Your Highness! What are you doing…!”
Riiip!
The sound of fabric tearing echoed sharply.
“Kyaaa!” Yenna screamed.
“What’s wrong, Lady Yenna?”
“Are you alright?”
The noblewomen and designers rushed into the room, alarmed by her scream.
Their faces froze in shock as they took in the scene before them.
“Oh no! The skirt…”
“Why are you..?”
Yenna clutched the hem of her dress.
“T- The dress…! H- How could you ruin my wedding d…!”
As Yenna whirled around, the noblewomen hurried over to me with a shawl in hand.
Yenna was confused. When Yenna followed their gaze, her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Your Highness, let me cover you with this shawl.”
“How did your skirt end up torn?”
It wasn’t Yenna’s wedding dress that had been damaged. But my skirt.
Yenna’s face turned ashen. Her plan to ruin her dress by intentionally bumping into me with the sharp hairpin had backfired.
I had figured out Yenna’s intent and deliberately used the pin to tear only my own skirt.
‘I’ve dealt with enough people staging scenes like this.’
It was thanks to my experiences in my previous life.
“Jiyu hit me saying I’m stupid and embarrassing her. And told me to pretend to not know her at school. Boohoo…”
‘I was always caught in Seo Da-jong’s staged schemes.’
Back then, I had been powerless, but not anymore.
I leaned on the noblewoman who was covering me with the shawl, as if my legs had gone weak.
Then I looked over at Yenna, who was staring at me in disbelief.
“I- It’s my fault. Lady Yenna wanted to hold the wedding at the Grand Temple, but I told her I didn’t have the authority, and then…”
A sharp look flashed in Yenna’s eyes.
I grabbed the noblewoman’s arm, “N-no. I was holding Lady Yenna’s hairpin and accidentally tore my skirt when she fell toward me…”
I tried to appear flustered and confused, and the noblewomen exchanged meaningful glances.
They had gathered to curry favor with Prince Patrick and Yenna, but they weren’t blind to the strange situation.
As they exchanged silent looks, Yenna quickly shouted,
“W- What! My wedding dress was to be ruined because of her! Look here, look!”
“Fortunately, Lady Yenna’s dress is unharmed…”
“Yes, that’s truly fortunate. Don’t worry, Lady Yenna.”
The noblewomen replied in a peculiar tone.
Yenna, breathing heavily in frustration, seemed unable to accept what had happened.
I, on the other hand, leaned into the noblewoman who was comforting me, speaking in a trembling voice.
“I- I’ll ask Duke Eisen and His Majesty to allow the wedding at the Grand Temple, just as Lady Yenna wishes… Please, calm down.”
“Oh my! How sweet of Her Highness. The Lady says she’ll make it happen for you, Lady Yenna. Please don’t be upset.”
The noblewoman soothingly said as she patted me. It was as if they were gently scolding Yenna for trying to stir up trouble.
Yenna’s frustration was obvious, but her lips only quivered in silence.
‘She never saw this coming.’
Yenna bit her lip and glared at me. Her eyes, filled with anger and her expression full of malice, didn’t feel unfamiliar to me.
‘Why does this all feel so familiar?’
As I struggled with the sense of déjà vu, a terrible voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
“Did mom send you here?”
“Mom?”
The mocking laughter of Seo Da-jong blended with Yenna’s voice.
“Didn’t His Highness want to reconcile with his family?”
“His Highness?”
