“So, how was it? What’s your impression after keeping an eye on me?”
“Wow, as expected, our prince is amazing!”
Max, who was watching Anais with a cold gaze as she grinned and gave him a double thumbs-up, unbuttoned one of his shirt buttons. He was thirsty, so he gulped down the coffee in a cold cup and gave Anais a quick glance.
“Then, let’s please meet again later.”
“Wait a moment. Prince! You have to take this. It’s a gift from Lady Bastien…!”
As Anais hurriedly stood up with a dessert box in hand, Max frowned in disgust.
“You eat it.”
“What?”
“I hate sweets.”
Anais stared in bewilderment at Max’s retreating back and the crepe box in her hands.
It wasn’t just anyone, it was something from Lady Roxanne…
If it had been one of her other passionate followers, they would have probably cherished it as a treasure, thinking it too precious to eat.
‘Doesn’t he put much meaning into things like this?’
Considering how embarrassed he was at the thought of meeting Roxanne, it was surprising. Anais tilted her head in confusion as she watched Max leave.
***
When she returned to the salon, the butler was there to greet her.
“Did everything go well? A guest is waiting for you.”
There was a strangely cold atmosphere. His usual slow and polite tone was there, but Anais, who had known him for a long time, could sense it. There was hidden brusqueness in it.
It seemed he was still holding onto the fact that she had postponed their appointment.
“I support what you do, miss, but please don’t forget that the salon comes first.”
“Of course. The salon always comes first for me.”
“Yet you postponed today’s scheduled gallery visit?”
“…”
“The art dealer is only staying for a few days. There’s no guarantee you’ll be able to buy the painting you want, even if you visit every day for a week, and now you’ve already missed the first day.”
Here it comes. The nagging. Anais closed her eyes tightly, feeling the fatigue wash over her.
“Have you thought about how much you’ve lost because of this?”
“Butler. Didn’t you say we have a guest?”
“Who knows how many magnificent artworks have already passed into other hands today…”
“They must be waiting. Shouldn’t you go in quickly?”
“If you miss this chance, you won’t get another until midwinter…”
It was a one-sided conversation, with only the speaker talking and no one listening. It seemed like it would never end if they kept going like this. Ugh. As Anais pondered how to ease his mood, she noticed the crepe box in her hand.
“Butler, take this.”
“…!”
Hoping that the sweet dessert would lower his blood pressure and bring him some patience, Anais handed over the box. Seizing the moment while the butler was momentarily flustered with the dessert, she quickly headed to the reception room.
The reception room she hurried into was filled with the fragrant scent of black tea. The guest, who was savoring the aroma as she twirled the teacup, was none other than the Dowager Empress Elise, who had vanished like the wind.
“So, you’ve finally arrived.”
“Your Majesty, the Dowager Empress!”
Anais was slightly surprised to meet her again at the salon, as she had thought the Dowager Empress would have returned directly to the palace from Maison Planée.
“You left so quickly earlier that I didn’t get a chance to greet you. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“Earlier? Did we meet?”
“You watched everything at Maison Planée, didn’t you?”
“Ahem. What are you talking about? I just came by to check if everything was over. I happened to be out for a stroll.”
“…?”
The Dowager Empress cleared her throat and feigned ignorance. But the emerald ring, shining unmistakably on her finger, was the same one worn by the elderly lady Anais had seen at Maison Planée.
“Anyone could tell it was Your Majesty…”
“Impossible. Do I look like the kind of foolish old woman who would skulk around such a place?”
“According to the prince, even from a hundred meters away, it was clearly you…”
“Ahem!”
“And as for being foolish, that’s absolutely not true. If you had let me know you were going to Maison Planée, I could have helped you with a disguise…!”
“Hah! Help? You?”
The Dowager Empress let out a dry laugh as if she couldn’t believe it.
“How could you even think of just covering your eyes in a newspaper? It’s as if you’re advertising, ‘I am a suspicious person.’ What were you planning to do, run an ad or something?”
“…”
The Dowager Empress, now caught in the act, found herself reluctantly admitting to her disguise, and she spent quite a while criticizing Anais for her poor skills in disguise.
“In any case, it’s clear that you have no talent for surveillance, disguise, or anything of the sort.”
That’s exactly what I wanted to say…
But as the Dowager Empress continued to harshly critique Anais, she suddenly broke into a smile.
“That aside, well done. It was quite a convincing performance.”
The Dowager Empress’s mercurial shifts from cold to warm left Anais feeling a bit dizzy, but the unexpected compliment made her feel a little proud.
“Right? I told you it would work out. Of course, it’s all thanks to His Highness the Prince. He performed even better than during practice!”
Anais grinned and brushed her nose, beaming with satisfaction.
The Dowager Empress quietly sighed as she watched her. Even during the tea party report, it seemed the new aide still firmly believed that Max truly liked Lady Roxanne.
“So, how does it look now? Do you think there’s a chance Max will end up with Lady Bastien?”
“Honestly… When the prince first mentioned that he wanted Lady Bastien, I was quite unsure. But now…”
Anais reflected on what had happened at Maison Planée. Wasn’t it a pretty good start?
“Good. And how is he? Cooperative?”
“Yes. He was very eager, even practiced for this day. Well, he does get irritated sometimes, but that’s just because he’s shy.”
“Is that how it seems to you?”
Anais blinked in confusion, unsure of what the Dowager Empress meant, and the Dowager Empress waved her hand dismissively.
“Never mind.”
The Dowager Empress looked at Anais, who was thoroughly deceived, with a mix of pity before eventually changing the subject.
“Miss Anais, today I’d like to give you some advice.”
Quietly placing her hands on her knees, Elise began to fiddle with the emerald ring on her finger.
“Instead of arranging for Max to meet Roxanne alone, how about having him appear in gatherings with many people? If his reputation improves, won’t Roxanne’s affection naturally follow?”
Besides, it would give him the opportunity to connect with other ladies as well. The Dowager Empress swallowed the words she couldn’t quite bring herself to say out loud.
“Hmm.”
Anais pondered for a moment. She somewhat agreed with the suggestion.
Given that Max doesn’t have the best reputation, even if Roxanne temporarily becomes interested in him, she wouldn’t be immune to public opinion. Ultimately, it could hinder his love life.
“It’s a good idea. I’ve also been keeping that in mind, but…”
“Really? So, what’s your next plan?”
“However, Your Majesty, I still believe it’s crucial to first establish a connection with Lady Bastien.”
The Dowager Empress looked quite disappointed, as if Anais’s answer didn’t meet her expectations. Anais, in turn, was slightly surprised by her reaction.
Hadn’t Max been impressive at Maison Planée? She thought the Dowager Empress would be pleased, thinking, ‘Our Max has changed,’ but all she got was a lukewarm response, and the Dowager Empress even seemed a bit uneasy. Was it just her imagination?
‘It must be because she’s worried about the youngest prince.’
Concluding this, Anais spoke up confidently to reassure the Dowager Empress.
“Your Majesty, the Dowager Empress, you trust me, don’t you? I understand you have many concerns, but please believe in me and give me a little time.”
Who am I? I’m Amour! You know that 200 couples from Barbier were brought together by my hand, right?
“….”
The Dowager Empress moistened her dry lips with tea.
“I trust you. It’s him I don’t trust.”
Her deeply furrowed brow only grew more pronounced.
