“Do you feel like you’re being pushed aside because I’m here?”
“What? No, that’s not it.”
Serdin couldn’t even manage a proper explanation.
“I just came because I wanted to give Her Highness a gift…”
From the change in her expression, which looked upset, to the way she glanced at me before turning her head—everything was calculated.
Lianne was definitely skilled.
She made it seem like she was worried about Serdin, but in reality, she was making him look like the intruder.
“It was my mistake to come unannounced, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave now.”
With a sorrowful smile, she began to leave, as if Serdin had driven her away.
And she made it impossible for me not to stop her.
It was better to send Serdin away for now.
“Ah, no. Serdin, it’s time to say goodbye.”
After saying farewell to Serdin, I turned back to Lianne.
“Shall we go?”
Lianne extended her hand to me, suggesting we go look at the gifts.
Should I take her hand or not?
The moment I take her hand, she’d become even more confident.
She’s clearly provoking me on purpose…
But still, I didn’t feel like holding her hand just yet.
So, I pretended not to notice her outstretched hand and started walking.
Lianne’s face momentarily twisted, but she quickly resumed her smiling demeanor and spoke to me sweetly.
“Your Highness, your dress is dirty. You should always maintain cleanliness.”
“It’s fine. I can just change.”
“It’s important to always maintain a dignified appearance, no matter where or with whom you meet.”
“I see. I didn’t pay much attention since no one said anything. But you’re right, I should always maintain the dignity of a princess in front of Lady Shanen.”
I wonder if she understood what I meant?
What I meant was that I’d behave like a princess in front of her.
Implying that I wouldn’t get any closer to her.
Did she catch on to that?
“…So, do you often spend time with Prince Serdin?”
“Yes. Serdin is someone I trust. It’s fun being with him!”
At my words, Lianne’s face seemed to momentarily harden before returning to a composed, slightly smiling expression as she spoke again.
“Oh, by the way, I brought a gift. I can’t wait to see if you like it.”
I’ve been thinking about it, but her facial expressions are a bit… unrefined.
Nevertheless, she was putting a lot of effort into me.
She started spending more time with me, even outside of lessons, coming up with all sorts of excuses to visit.
Today’s excuse was the gift.
“Please open it.”
Inside the box Lianne handed me was a hairpin with diamond-encrusted petals.
The finely crafted petal-shaped pin wasn’t overly extravagant, yet it looked like a work of art.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes! It’s beautiful!”
In truth, no matter how dazzling the jewels on accessories were, they didn’t hold much significance for me.
In the past, I could have gotten something like this easily with my powers, and now Delight was showering me with them.
But this one… it seemed somewhat special.
Lianne had brought something quite interesting.
In this hairpin, the diamond was a distraction.
It was meant to draw attention with its shine, while concealing its true purpose.
Not the diamond, but the small gemstones meticulously embedded in the shape of the petals caught my eye.
This was an enchanted item, a magic tool that invoked a bewitching effect, like a love potion.
But it was only a half-success, a failure in some ways.
When worn, it made the person feel a vague sense of affection and fondness toward someone else.
However, it couldn’t create genuine feelings of love.
Thus, it became a tool used to manipulate people, exploiting blind affection or loyalty toward someone.
To think I’d see something like this here.
‘She really does go to great lengths.’
I stared at the enchanted hairpin, deep in thought.
Though her intentions were rather shady… there was no reason for me to refuse.
As soon as it came into my hands, it would become evidence.
I gladly accepted the gift.
I flashed a bright crescent-shaped smile at Lianne.
“It’s really, really beautiful!”
“Hehe, I had it specially made. Would you like to try it on now?”
Lianne smiled contentedly as she placed the pin directly in my hair.
For it to work properly, there was a condition.
You had to make eye contact when handing over the enchanted item.
And just like now, if the person personally places it on the other, the effect would be doubled.
“If you follow your lessons well, I’ll give you something even prettier next time. How does that sound?”
“Great!”
With a bright smile, I jumped up and hugged Lianne.
“If you wear it during tomorrow’s lesson, I’ll feel so rewarded.”
“I’ll wear it every day!”
“Really? Then it’s a promise?”
“Yes! It’s a promise!”
I touched the hairpin and giggled.
“Well done.”
Lianne praised me as she patted my head.
I gave her exactly the reaction she wanted.
***
Meanwhile, Serdin carefully selected a few books.
They were all for Violyana. She had always hated studying, but now she couldn’t avoid it any longer, and it was probably torture for her.
Serdin looked over the books he had picked out.
They were mostly basic theory books, related to language and mathematics.
“Maybe these are too rigid.”
If he gave her these, she’d probably tear them up and claim it was some kind of puzzle game. And he’d be the one who’d have to piece the torn pages back together.
There was no helping it. He decided to pick something Violyana might actually enjoy… She had already grown tired of picture books.
After much consideration, Serdin picked out a storybook.
It was time for him to visit Violyana after her lessons had ended.
“Prince Serdin. Are you on your way to see the princess?”
“…Yes, I am.”
Lianne, who was in charge of Violyana’s education, approached him in the hallway, as if she had been waiting.
“I have something I need to discuss with you, so please follow me.”
Serdin could sense the arrogance behind her perfect manners, looking down on him, the hostage prince.
His steps felt heavy as he followed her.
***
Before going to sleep, I lay down on the bed and then sat up again.
I removed the hairpin that was still in my hair and examined it closely.
‘Just as I thought.’
It was an item designed to enchant people.
Of course, Lianne gave this to me with the intention of…
‘Making me follow her blindly.’
But how on earth did she get her hands on such a rare and little-known item?
“What is that?”
At that moment, Hiel appeared beside my bed and asked,
“So, what’s that? I heard Lady Shanen has been bothering you a lot lately?”
“She gave me this as a gift. Can you figure out what it is?”
“Hm. This isn’t just any ordinary hairpin. Could it be…?”
Hiel widened his eyes as he looked at me, then his gaze curved into an amused smile.
“Haha. Lady Lianne Shanen, was it? She’s really trying hard to seduce you. So, what’s your plan?”
“I’m going to pretend to go along with it, at least for now. I’m curious to see what she’ll do next.”
“In that case, I’ll leave a hairpin identical to this one by your window by tomorrow morning. Use that one instead.”
“No need. This hairpin won’t affect me anyway.”
My mana serves as an antibody against other types of magic, so the enchanted item was completely useless against me.
“But it might not be good for a child. I’ll prepare a copy just in case.”
“…….”
Even though Hiel knew I retained the power of a great mage, he still treated me like a child from time to time.
“Master?”
“Alright, fine. I won’t wear it.”
Still, it wasn’t so bad that he was worried about me.
“You’ve become so considerate.”
Hiel suddenly covered his mouth with both hands, as if he was deeply touched.
What does he even think of me?
I glared at him before speaking again.
“By the way, I want to find out where she got this from.”
The manufacturing method for the enchanted items of seduction is no longer available, so there should only be a few left in the world.
“Hm. There’s no need to investigate this further.”
Surprisingly, Hiel answered simply.
“There are currently ten of these enchanted items left, and they’re all owned by one place.”
“And that place is…?”
“It’s the place you’re thinking of, Master. In fact, for items that aren’t publicly known, ten out of ten times they are distributed from there.”
“As I thought.”
From the moment I saw the hairpin, I had a feeling.
My bad premonitions are never wrong.
Hiel examined the hairpin closely and remarked,
“But this rare item couldn’t have been bought with just money. It’s quite unexpected. Should we look into how she acquired it?”
“Can you do that?”
“Of course. I’ll personally go there and check it out.”
With that, Hiel stood up, as if ready to depart immediately, and headed toward the window.
Just as he was about to jump out, he hesitated and turned back.
“Oh, by the way, I’ll be passing by where Delight is. If you’re worried, I can check on him for you.”
“Well, I’m sure he’s doing fine. No need to worry.”
“Really?”
“Obviously. But, Hiel, if you really, really insist on checking, I won’t stop you. Not that I’m worried or anything!”
“Haha, no choice then! I’m just too curious about how Delight is doing, so I’ll make sure to check in!”
Hiel waved his hand enthusiastically before jumping out the window and disappearing.
“…Thank you.”
I was always a little late in saying what I was too embarrassed to express.
