After finishing the piled-up work at the salon, Anaïs stretched with a sense of relief.
Though she had posted a notice of a temporary leave for “Lady Amour” and wasn’t taking any consultation reservations, she was pleased to see that requests for venue bookings had noticeably increased as interest in the salon grew.
The butler, who had been observing from the side, carefully stacked and organized the documents scattered on her desk. He then served a dessert, which Anaïs hadn’t requested, placing it in front of her.
Whether it was just her imagination or not, she couldn’t tell, but ever since she learned that she would be receiving a steady income of 500 pounds per month, the service had noticeably improved.
Not long ago, when she had been debating whether or not to mention unpaid leave to him, he would occasionally serve her a madeleine; today, there were two.
Anaïs bit into the soft pastry with satisfaction.
‘It’s about time I approached Roxanne.’
She had felt a bit uneasy during the Armand tea party, but Anaïs saw hope in Max. She concluded that his condition wasn’t as dire as she had initially feared.
‘Good looks, a pleasant voice. Ah. Maybe he should speak a bit less?’
If he could just soften his sharp tone a little, he might pass as a brooding, cold-hearted beauty. A sudden surge of inexplicable motivation filled her. Most importantly, it seemed that Prince Max himself was quite desperate!
‘I need information about her.’
Not the widely known facts, but something that would help in building rapport with her.
She had discreetly inquired about Roxanne with the ladies she befriended at the Armand tea party. However, since most of their relationships with her were superficial, there wasn’t much useful information to be gained.
“Is there someone who knows Roxanne well enough but isn’t too close, someone like that?”
Someone who would be willing to provide her with information without hesitation…
“…!”
Anaïs snapped her fingers.
“I’ve got it.”
A man who not only has great interest in all women but also invests his time generously. He’s famous for his sociability and charm, so much so that any negative rumors about him tend to be overshadowed.
And a man who trusts Lady Amur without question.
Anais pulled out a piece of paper from the drawer and neatly laid it out, quickly beginning to write a letter.
****
“Lady Amur. What a surprise. You asked to see me first? Would you believe me if I said I was a bit thrilled?”
“……”
Camille Descente, whose face was even more radiant now that his wedding was approaching, seemed to be undergoing some kind of care day and night.
With his usual cheerful smile, he settled into the velvet chair in the consultation room. Judging by his gestures, it was clear that if not for the divider, he would have enthusiastically asked for a hug.
From the highest ranks of the kingdom to the lowest.
Camille had a wide range of tastes, showing interest not only in noble ladies but also in maids and commoners. There was even a joke that he liked anything in a skirt.
So, it was only natural that he would know more about Roxanne de Bastian, the most famous woman in the kingdom, than most others.
That was why Anais had called him today.
“I’m sorry to trouble you when you’re so busy. As you know, I can’t freely go out and about.”
Anais, pretending to limp as she fiddled with her half-mask, sat down in front of him.
“Amur. Why are you acting so distant? We’re not like that with each other.”
“As expected, I knew Count Descente would understand.”
“But if you fall for me now, it would be a problem. Please don’t fall for me carelessly because now…”
Anais, currently wearing the mask of ‘Lady Amur,’ was sitting across from him. She had never been more grateful for the Count’s familiarity with the veiled counselor.
“…I can’t accept your heart. If you had confessed a little earlier, it might have been different, but…”
“How are the wedding preparations going?”
Anais cut off Camille’s endless delusions with a question. He gazed intently through the veil, then smirked.
“You didn’t call me here just to ask about my wedding preparations, did you? So, let’s get to the point.”
“There’s someone I want to know more about.”
“Someone you want to know about?”
Camille frowned, clearly wondering why she was asking him about a person.
“Roxanne de Bastian. I’d like to know more about her.”
“Hmm? Lady Bastian?”
“I heard that you were her classmate at Chase Royal Academy, Count Descente.”
“That’s true.”
Camille leaned forward from where he had been slouched against the backrest, bringing himself closer to the veil.
He gestured for Anais to come closer, and she perched herself on the edge of her chair, leaning in to listen.
His voice turned conspiratorial.
“I know one important fact about her.”
“What is it?”
“She’s the only woman who didn’t fall for my advances.”
“…….”
Anais fought hard to suppress a sigh, nearly snapping the fan she was holding.
Of course. Just when she thought he might be useful.
“Hah—hah—hah. Count Descente, really.”
Anais forced a smile, pressing her finger against the corner of her twitching lips, barely managing to keep her true voice in check.
“But I suppose this isn’t the kind of information you were looking for.”
Camille, seeming to understand, asked in a more suggestive tone.
“Is it because of that?”
“…?”
“That.”
A sudden jolt.
Because of that? Does he know something about my arrangement with the Grand Queen Dowager? Does he even know that I’m Anais?
“Love counseling!”
“…”
“Ahem. You must be exhausted, Amour. Now that Lady Roxanne is back, there will be hordes of fools begging you to help them get together with her.”
He nodded, satisfied with the conclusion he had come to on his own.
“To assist these poor lambs, you’ll need to know about Roxanne. She’s so shrouded in mystery that even you would have had a hard time gathering information on her. Lady Amour, you’re truly an exceptional counselor. Do you know why?”
“…?”
“Because in a moment like this, you thought of me!”
“…”
Anais shrank back as Camille Descent’s sudden wink hit her. Truly, he had a knack for catching people off guard.
Still, he seemed confident that he was the right person for the job. Anais cleared her throat and asked, “What was Lady Bastian like when you observed her? What did she like? Could you share some of that with me?”
“Of course. Who could say no to you?”
Camille wiped the playful grin off his face and adjusted his posture. He seemed to be retrieving old memories as he fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“Roxanne, in a word, is a ‘noble.’ The epitome of nobility.”
Setting aside her well-known beauty, during her time at Chase Royal Academy, she was an exceptionally dedicated student with excellent grades. As the only daughter of the Marquis of Bastian, one of the most influential families in Barbier, she was untouchable from a young age.
“Most men found it difficult to approach her, trapped by the preconception that she was haughty. But those fools who happened to speak with her would often say this.”
Camille cleared his throat and raised his hand theatrically.
“‘Oh, she is as soft as the cream in a pâté choux!'”
“…”
“Because Lady Bastian was more approachable than they expected, the boys at that time would often fantasize that she had a particular interest in them.”
Anais quietly listened to his account.
“These fools didn’t understand what kind of woman Lady Bastian truly was. Their stories usually ended in one of two ways: they’d either confess their feelings and be rejected, or they’d be turned down before they even got the chance to confess.”
“I see…”
So she possesses the zero-confession, one-rejection skill…!
Camille chuckled and popped a caramel into his mouth from the table.
“Lady Bastian has always been a woman with clear boundaries. The people who could cross those boundaries were, and still are, few and far between. Even the fact that she never dances with the same partner more than once is part of that. And not even Crown Prince Quentin was an exception.”
