“The tea has such a wonderful aroma. As expected of Drnaos, renowned for its tea ceremonies.”
“The desserts Prince Delure brought are also excellent. Truly fitting for Orma, famous for its gourmet cuisine.”
Listening to the conversation, I inhaled the aroma of tea brewed from Drnaos tea leaves and tasted the traditional Orma dessert. Indeed, when international exchanges are active, you get to enjoy such benefits.
You get to enjoy the best of what each country has to offer.
“Princess Blanche, which macaron do you like the most?”
Without a word, I chose the green one. Unless necessary, I didn’t want to reveal my childish lisp.
“Have you tried the strawberry one? It might change your mind—”
“What do you think of the pistachio flavor? I also like pistachio the most.”
Another benefit of having many people around is that I only have to participate in the conversation minimally.
Leaving those debating the best macaron behind, I retreated into my own world.
To make the people of Emerald Palace obedient means I lead them. This forms a kind of faction, but I didn’t want to be deeply entangled with them. So, contrary to the emperor’s initial request, I expanded my influence to prove my capabilities.
I brought all the hostages….no, peace envoys and created a social circle.
It wasn’t difficult. Everyone was eager to meet me.
I just noted their hobbies and interests, then grouped those who seemed like a good match, and arranged for them to meet. And I connected the groups that were created in this way.
In this way, each person would start bringing their own personal acquaintances, and a social circle would be formed in no time.
It’s really easy if you have an eye for people. And I’m most confident in my ability to read people.
And so, in just a month, I had successfully built a new ecosystem within the imperial palace. It was an ecosystem with a very high level of satisfaction among its members, as it was a social circle formed by groups of people who shared similar hobbies and conversation topics.
Originally, I intended to be ruthless and gain only for myself, but after setting things up, everyone seemed so happy, which was somewhat surprising.
Perhaps my old habit of caring for the welfare and happiness of the people persisted.
“Princess Blanche? What are you thinking about so intently?”
While I was lost in thought, a woman next to me spoke. Had I been daydreaming too obviously? Or maybe it was just that my facial muscles weren’t developed enough to hide it well.
I couldn’t let them know that I was no longer interested in how the social circle was progressing, so I swallowed my pride to cover up quickly.
“Eferyting is so delishios, but Im full, so Im wontering wat to eet neks. (Everything is so delicious, but I’m full, so I’m wondering what to eat next.)”
Blinking excessively and raising the corners of my mouth, I abandoned the effort to pronounce correctly.
The reaction was immediate. Praise came from all directions, calling me cute, lovely, and even marveling at how clearly I spoke. They seemed to be pulling out all the compliments usually reserved for a child.
Having a young body comes with the advantage of being excused from certain expectations, something that wouldn’t happen if I were fifteen.
“Then would you like to share it with me?”
“No, with me!”
“Here, try this one. Say ‘ah—’.”
I wondered if having multiple bites of different flavors of macarons pushed on me was also an advantage of being perceived as adorable.
I was so startled I nearly shouted, “What kind of manners are these, passing food around at the table? Everyone should handle their own food!” But fortunately, I was too shocked to speak, so it passed without incident.
“She seems shy. It’s okay, Princess Blanche. It’s my fault for having them make the macarons too large. Next time, I’ll bring them in smaller sizes.”
I hoped someone would point out the lack of manners, but no one did.
Is this behavior acceptable here? Or is it allowed because I’m a child?
Is it really okay to coddle a three-year-old like this?
Anyway, kids these days!
However, contemplating modern children’s manners didn’t make the macarons in front of me disappear. Refusing them would only dampen the atmosphere.
So, I closed my eyes and ate the macarons offered to me.
“T-Tank you…(Th-thank you…)”
Gasps of admiration filled the room once more.
Although they saw it as an act of kindness, for me, it solidified the need to reconnect with the emperor as soon as possible.
* * *
Thankfully, that moment came quickly. The Empress had sent another invitation. This time, she even said that I could attend the imperial family’s meal.
A meal with the imperial family, not just the Empress. While the Empress pretends to dote on me outwardly, I have no reason to meet other members of the imperial family.
So, this must be an arrangement to facilitate a meeting between me and the Grand Duke. If the Emperor had something to say, he would have come to the palace himself. Who else would I meet other than Her Majesty the Empress?
In that case, it would be right to think of the Emperor and Empress as a unit. I turned my suspicion into certainty.
“What did she say?”
Tula, who was brushing my hair, asked kindly.
“She thed dey ill shoe me dhe kreenhouse. (She said they’ll show me the greenhouse.)”
At least this time, I had a week to spare. I had at least some time to prepare. Tula, who had been silent for a moment while tying a ribbon, finally opened her mouth again after finishing my hair.
“Ah, that beautiful place?”
“Yeah.”
It certainly was beautiful. I recalled the flower I had asked Tula to make into a bookmark, the one I received back then.
Maybe I could get another flower this time. Although the situation is different from when I had to flaunt favor in front of others… still, it was lovely.
“Dwess?(Dress?)”
“They say it’s being prepared as you instructed.”
“Well it bee done by tomorrow?(Will it be done by tomorrow?)”
You never know what will happen with people, so it’s better to set a short deadline.
“I’ll go and check.”
“Alwights.(Alright.)”
After sending Tula away, I was lost in thought, holding the invitation to my mouth.
What kind of child would the Emperor’s brother be, who was so clever that the Emperor worried he’d become a thorn in his side?
In my mind, I pictured a boy with a calm demeanor, eyes lowered.
Quiet, with a gentle voice, smiling harmlessly. Never showing arrogance outwardly, speaking respectfully even to a younger girl, and remaining composed even in the midst of hostility.
However, if turned into an enemy, he would be more troublesome than anyone. That kind of child.
For some reason, Melkizedek George Pendleton. Randolph Grand Duke. I had a feeling that the boy I needed to win over was that kind of boy.
And my intuition rarely missed the mark.
I chose a few strategies to deal with a five-year-old who was cautious and didn’t show any weaknesses.
“Dat shoot be eezy. (That should be easy.)”
I might not know how to handle a child, but I certainly knew how to deal with someone who thinks they’re smart and mature.
I looked at the situation optimistically.
* * *
The timing was so perfect that it was inevitable that Blanche would misunderstand, but the Empress was not waiting for Blanche to produce any results.
It was just that the Emperor and Empress’s schedules were always planned about a month in advance, so they made a lunch appointment as soon as possible, but it was just a month later.
“Oh, we’re having lunch with Princess Blanche next week.”
Berken, who received the notice on the same day as Blanche, widened his eyes.
“Huh?”
“Princess Blanche. From the Kingdom of Lamore. I asked her to have a meal together. Did you forget?”
Of course he didn’t forget. Berken had a separate space in his head to remember important things.
However, Berken wished that Riana didn’t know this. That he was trying to match Blanche with Melchizedek.
So he pretended to be innocent, and Riana was completely fooled. It wasn’t that Riana was naive, but rather that she trusted Berken too much.
“Was it just an empty promise? Shall I change the appointment now?”
Berken quickly shook his head, not wanting to deceive Riana or break the promise.
“No, no, I meant it. I just forgot because it’s been a while. Next week? Okay, I’ll let Melchi know too.”
“Oh, right. Come to think of it, Melchi must have forgotten too.”
“Probably so.”
Judging by his reaction, it didn’t seem like something he would easily forget, but Berken went along with it for now. It didn’t matter whether Melchizedek remembered Blanche or not.
* * * *
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