“…Confession?”
The blood drained from my face.
“Well, it’s not for sure.”
Yes, please say it’s not true.
Vivi hesitated for a moment, watching my reaction, then cleared her throat and shouted, imitating what I must have said yesterday.
“I’m lonely, so please be kind to me!”
“……”
“Something like that….”
Oh my God.
I clapped my hands over my mouth.
‘No wonder he kept talking about spending time together!’
I should have just bit my tongue and passed out back in the dining hall.
Of course, I instinctively knew that all of these statements were made by my drunken self yesterday, with Diana and Ian in mind.
But at the same time, I somehow had a gut feeling that a huge misunderstanding had occurred.
How did the subject change from Diana to me?
This must be the fault of my drunk self.
“Alcohol is the enemy….”
Seeing me half out of my wits, Vivi waved her hands frantically.
“St-still, I heard the mood didn’t seem that bad! After that, the master carried you to your bedroom!”
No, I should have just drowned myself in the first course of soup instead of biting my tongue.
The more Vivi spoke, the more my soul seemed to leave my body and wander around aimlessly.
“You’ve been through a lot lately. All the servants understand how you feel.”
“So….”
“Yes! They say the master didn’t have breakfast and waited until you came down to the dining hall today?”
Vivi clenched her fists, full of energy.
Regardless of that, I was halfway to losing my mind, unable to deny the reality.
‘Am I going crazy…?’
Not to mention anyone else, but to Ian? No way, I couldn’t have.
Could it be that Eloise really had a crush on Ian?
Is that why I spouted things I shouldn’t have said?
The fact that my memory was wiped clean and I couldn’t recall anything was starting to feel like a curse.
I quietly held my head in my hands.
‘I’m sorry, Diana…!’
My little fairy, goddess of beauty, my sweet, adorable, and lovely Diana, I couldn’t even help you…!
I wanted to go back to yesterday and give myself a good smack, but it was already too late.
Feeling utterly disheartened, I waved my hand towards Vivi.
“…Just go for now.”
I think I need to pray for forgiveness now.
“Understood. If you need anything, please call me anytime, my lady.”
Vivi bowed and was about to leave, but she hesitated and turned back.
“Um, my lady.”
“Yes?”
“I believe that couples grow closer through lover’s quarrels. Stay strong!”
That’s not it….
I truly felt like crying.
❖ ❖ ❖
The next day, Madame Zed, who had received my letter, arrived at the ducal residence early in the morning.
She looked even paler than usual.
“D-Duchess.”
“Oh, Madame Zed. You’ve arrived?”
I waved my hand lazily while sipping the tea Vivi had served, and Madame Zed’s face turned even more ashen.
She weakly shook the letter she was holding.
“I-I received this letter….”
“Yes, I sent it.”
“Ahhhh!”
Madame Zed let out a cry and trembled, dropping the letter.
“Oh dear.”
I took my eyes off her and took another sip of tea.
Madame Zed, as if looking at something terrifying, nervously picked up the letter from the floor.
“So, so, the Imperial Palace…”
“Yes, I said we’re going to the Imperial Palace.”
“Uh, uh, uh…”
“Yes, today.”
“Ahhhh.”
I looked at Madame Zed, who seemed about to faint, with pity.
After all, Madame Zed had been stuck in a back-alley salon with no customers until just a few weeks ago.
Just becoming the duchess’s exclusive dressmaker was already a big enough shock for her, and now she was even going to meet a princess. How could she possibly keep her sanity?
Ordinary commoners typically never even see a shadow of royalty from birth to death.
Even Veronica Salon, the largest salon in the capital, had never had its head designer meet any royalty.
After emptying my teacup, I stood up and patted Madame Zed on the back.
“You have a lot of work ahead of you.”
“…D-Duchess?”
Originally, I was supposed to offer some comforting words, telling her to relax since it was no big deal.
But even if it was just an empty statement, I couldn’t bring myself to say it wasn’t a big deal.
If it weren’t for the fact that the person in question was the princess, I might have said some comforting words.
“Y-Your Grace….”
Madame Zed was on the verge of tears at my serious encouragement.
“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think I can do this. I might as well jump out of here and break my leg….”
“Try that, if you think you can handle the princess’s wrath.”
I gestured towards the balcony and smiled gently at Madame Zed.
My indifferent attitude caused Madame Zed to lose her balance and stagger in place.
“Huh, huhuh.”
I could fully understand her feelings.
The notorious reputation of the unruly princess was well known, even among commoners.
I looked at Madame Zed, whose soul seemed almost detached, and patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry too much.”
“Your Grace….”
“It’s not like you’ll die, right?”
Despair spread across Madame Zed’s face.
❖ ❖ ❖
Eventually, in the carriage headed for the Imperial Palace, Madame Zed, who had been anxiously chattering her teeth, carefully asked,
“U-Um, Your Grace.”
“Speak.”
“So, why does the princess want to see me…? Did I do something wrong?”
“Ah, hmm.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t explained that yet.
Perhaps I’d been too swept up by the princess’s insistence myself, as I had skipped the detailed explanation to Madame Zed.
I looked at Madame Zed, who still looked pale, and instead of answering, I gave her a gentle smile.
‘If I said we were going to make a dress for the princess, she might just jump out of the carriage.’
“Y-Your Grace…?”
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
Madame Zed took a deep breath.
Meanwhile, the carriage steadily rolled on, passing through the main gate of the palace.
When we got off the carriage with the trembling Madame Zed, a figure could be seen in the distance, running towards us, her dress trailing behind her.
“Duchess!!!”
It was the princess, waving her hand eagerly, unable to hide her excitement.
Behind her, maids who seemed to have lost all color were trying to keep up with her.
‘If the Duchess of Brilluze had seen this, she would’ve given her a severe scolding.’
While I was thinking that, the princess, who had quickly reached my side, grinned broadly.
“You’ve come?”
“Princess, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Indeed. How have you been?”
“If you’re asking about my well-being in the past day, I’ve been very well.”
In all honesty, who summons someone to the Imperial Palace after just a day of meeting them?
When I responded with a slightly pointed answer, the princess blinked her eyes wide before bursting into laughter.
“Oh, that’s right, we met yesterday too, didn’t we? Waiting for you felt like a year!”
“I am honored.”
While the princess and I exchanged pleasantries that were not really pleasantries, Madame Zed, trembling a step behind us, held up her skirt and respectfully bowed.
“I-I am humbled to meet Your Highness, Louisa Evgenia Celis Levant, the second sun of the Levant Empire.”
The princess’s eyes sparkled.
“You must be Jeremy!”
“…Pardon?”
Watching her confidently get the name wrong, I cleared my throat and whispered,
“It’s Madame Zed, Your Highness.”
“Aha.”
The princess cheerfully winked and grabbed Madame Zed’s hand, shaking it vigorously up and down.
“My mistake! So you’re Madame Zed?”
“Yes, yes, that’s right.”
“Hmmm, you’re more ordinary than I thought.”
The princess muttered as if curious, then smiled brightly again and started walking.
“Well, let’s not stand here. Come inside!”
♧♧♧
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