‘I didn’t expect her to appear like this.’
I was momentarily flustered but quickly composed myself and greeted her with proper decorum.
Though I had only read about the etiquette in novels, it came naturally to me as if it had been ingrained in my body.
“I greet the noble second sun of the Levant Empire, Princess Louisa Evgenia Celis Levant.”
“Ah, sure. That’s enough with the greetings, Grand Duchess.”
Still smiling with amusement, the princess waved her hand dismissively.
The nobles who had been watching the tense exchange between Isabella and me with great interest now hastily averted their gazes when they saw my new conversation partner was the princess.
‘Of course, a walking time bomb.’
The reason why this 14-year-old princess, who constantly picked fights and stirred up trouble for Diana, hadn’t officially earned the title of “villainess” was simple.
She treated anyone who displeased her with equal disdain and mischief.
Her victims ranged from elderly dukes to noble ladies, young lords, and even servants.
‘Diana was just one of them…’
In short, she was an equal-opportunity troublemaker.
As proof, the crowd that had been gathering around like moths to a flame scattered like the tide as soon as the princess opened her mouth.
Meanwhile, Princess Louisa, who had finally stopped laughing, approached me with a smile.
Her violet eyes sparkled with interest as she looked up at me.
“It’s been a while, Grand Duchess. The last time we met was at the Empress’s birthday celebration, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s correct. How have you been, Your Highness?”
“Well, as always, boring. At least until the Grand Duchess decided to drop a bomb just now.”
The princess burst into laughter again.
‘What a loud laugh.’
Unlike with Isabella, I could feel a subtle tension rising.
It was only natural. The princess was a person of interest, unlike those insignificant ones.
‘After all, she’s the reason I came here today.’
After a while, the princess finally stopped laughing.
“I came because of the commotion, but I didn’t expect to run into the Grand Duchess here. What brings you out today?”
“Is there anything unusual about attending a social event?”
“Usually no, but for you, it’s unusual. You haven’t shown your face at anything outside of official imperial events. People even joke that your face is more valuable than a royals’.”
She waved her hand dismissively. It was the same comment Isabella had made earlier, but the princess lacked any intent to mock me.
‘It’s quite the talent to be able to say things like that without any malice.’
I shrugged and responded lightly.
“I can’t stay hidden in the Grand Duchy forever. I thought it would be good to attend social gatherings as part of my duty as the Grand Duchess.”
“Ah~ is that so?”
The princess hummed thoughtfully, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
“You seem different today, Grand Duchess.”
Her playful tone made me pause for a moment.
‘…Isn’t she a little too sharp for her own good?’
I had felt this way when reading the original novel, but the princess was definitely someone you couldn’t let your guard down around.
She often appeared out of nowhere and would jab Diana with sharp, inconvenient truths just like this.
I quickly plastered a friendly smile on my face and shook my head.
“Different? That can’t be right.”
“It’s just a figure of speech. After all, there’s no one else quite like the Grand Duchess, is there?”
The princess laughed heartily, waving her hands around.
She was as carefree as ever.
“Someone like me…?”
“You’re the most boring and uptight person in the entire Levant Empire. Ah, well, I guess I should correct myself—the Grand Duke is just as bad. I’d say the two of you share the title of being the most uptight.”
The princess giggled, winking playfully.
It was hard to tell if she was insulting or complimenting me.
“But I have to say, I’m impressed. I never thought the Grand Duchess could publicly humiliate someone like that!”
Her tone suggested she found the entire situation amusing.
I had a feeling my actions had made a positive impression on this little troublemaker.
‘…Not a bad start.’
The princess, though troublesome, was also simple in some ways.
She would cause all sorts of mischief for those she disliked, but if something piqued her interest or entertained her, she could be incredibly forgiving.
And hadn’t I, unintentionally, caught her interest just now?
Realizing this, I felt a bit more relaxed.
I smiled warmly at her.
“I didn’t intend to humiliate anyone, but I’m glad it amused you, Your Highness.”
“Oh, please.”
Princess Louisa rolled her eyes at me and shrugged her shoulders lightly, as if the notion was absurd.
‘At times like this, she doesn’t seem like she’s only fourteen.’
Of course, with such a strong personality, it made sense that she was constantly finding fault with Diana and interfering in her life.
“In any case, I had a different impression of you today. I thought you were a boring person, but you’re not entirely that way, huh?”
She jabbed me lightly in the ribs with her elbow.
“That was refreshing! I like you, Grand Duchess.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
As far as I knew, Isabella’s family, the Howard Marquisate, had maintained a fairly close relationship with the royal family.
This was why Isabella Howard, despite only being a marquis’s daughter, had the nerve to raise her head high and pick a fight with me, the Grand Duchess.
But seeing the princess finding it so amusing, as if none of that mattered in front of her, I could clearly feel her reckless nature.
‘This works in my favor.’
Whatever the reason, it was fortunate that the princess had taken an interest in me.
If I could get on her good side, it would reduce at least half of the obstacles that could be thrown in Diana’s way.
I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.
I flashed a pleasant smile at the princess.
There was a topic that would allow me to naturally continue the conversation with her.
“By the way, Your Highness, you look dazzlingly beautiful today as well. Did you personally direct the tailor to create that dress?”
“Hm? Grand Duchess, you have quite the sharp eye, don’t you?”
As I expected, the princess’s eyes lit up with excitement, and she lifted the hem of her dress.
The dress was made of thin layers of fabric, with the uppermost layer starting in white and gradually darkening to a deep blue as it reached the bottom.
“I recently brought in a new tailor to the capital. Doesn’t this skirt remind you of anything?”
The princess twirled around in place and asked the question, her eyes narrowing as if gauging my response.
Following the flutter of her skirt as she spun, I clapped my hands together.
“It’s truly beautiful. It looks just like the waves of the ocean.”
“What? How did you guess?”
Her violet eyes sparkled as if they were filled with stars.
‘How could I not know? She harassed Diana so much just because she couldn’t guess it correctly.’
In the original story, the princess, who was the first to recognize Madame Zed’s talent, had a deep passion for fashion above all else.
The dress she was wearing now was one of her favorites before she met Madame Zed, and she had pestered the royal tailor relentlessly to create a dress inspired by the ocean waves.
In the original story, the princess lashed out at anyone who failed to recognize the inspiration behind this dress.
Poor, unfortunate, and pitiable Diana had been one of the victims of that fury.
‘Just thinking about it still makes my fists clench…’
Suppressing the rising anger, I calmly smiled at the princess.
“Yes, the way the dress flows really resembles rolling waves. It reminds me of the ocean I saw from the cliffs in the southern territory.”
“Oh my, Grand Duchess! How did you know? This dress was inspired by my trip to the cliffs in the southern Etienne estate!”
The princess’s eyes widened in surprise, as if they might pop out at any moment.
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