“You seem to be interested in dressing up today.”
Stella asked, squinting her eyes as if she was suspicious of something. Today was the day Theo was supposed to stop by the Empress’ palace with news concerning the Delua shipwright.
I did not pay much attention to my appearance at the banquet, where I would received attention from many people, but for some reason I found myself looking in the mirror a lot today. I started to wonder if the color of my dress was too dull, or if my makeup was unnecessarily heavy.
Then my uncharacteristic excitement caught Stella’s radar.
“No, it’s just……. Well, sometimes I want to change my style a little.”
My ears turned a little red as I rambled on under Stella’s watchful eye. I hadn’t even gotten everything ready yet when Theo entered the Empress’s palace.
I told Theo to wait for me at the fountain where the lion statue was. In the past, I would have chosen Vanessa Palace, but now it was difficult to easily bring in outsiders because it was where Casey lived.
Except for Vanessa Palace, it was the only place that was deserted. It was one of the places Ian visited most frequently in the vast palace gardens, so entry and exit by courtiers were strictly controlled.
Of course, Ian has been so occupied with difficult affairs of state lately that he rarely visited the fountain. But that wasn’t the point. I had wasted too much time on pointless worries.
I headed for my destination with a quick step. As I arrived at the garden where the fountain was located, a familiar scent spread through my nose.
I usually avoided places where the protagonist was present, so I didn’t know before today that this place was also filled with favia like the Vanessa Palace.
Although it was not abundant like the Vanessa Palace, which has been called the favia garden, small clusters of them were scattered around the area near the fountain like little cotton balls.
“……Throw them away.”
I stopped the moment I heard Rosetin’s voice not far away. Theo and Rosetin were together.
I felt a slight ripple in my chest, like a small pebble thrown into a calm lake. At the same time, I felt even more uncomfortable when I remembered her shoving me a pamphlet of lover candidates and using Colin Berrid to provoke me.
Theo was looking at Rosetin with a coldness I’d never seen before, and the unnatural tension between them was palpable.
Because of the angle, I couldn’t see what kind of face Rosetin was making. I could only see her pink hair, which smelled like flowers, fluttering in the breeze.
Her small, slender body seemed even smaller in front of Theo. I wonder if she’d come to the fountain because she couldn’t enter Vanessa palace because of Casey.
Although it was a place where the emperor restricted access, it seemed to be an exception for his beloved mistress. I just thought of a quiet place to talk while taking a light walk with Theo, but I wonder why I chose this place.
From what I’d heard, there were no favia in Kaelin Palace. All the existing plants were removed to plant the flowers the Empress dowager especially loved.
Only the Kasselian variety, the most precious of all peonies, was used to create the ultimate splendor. The dazzling peony palace was originally intended to be a gift from the Empress Dowager to her long-awaited daughter.
Unfortunately, the first child, the great joy of the imperial family, died of a fever less than a hundred days later. In her grief, the Empress tended to Kaelin Palace’s peony as carefully as if it were her own child.
A little later, with the birth of the long-awaited Crown Prince Ian, the attention shifted, but the place where the Emperor’s late mother had cherished remained untouchable even by the current owner, Rosetin.
I saw them in the distance. As far as I know, this is the first time they’ve ever spoken. It wouldn’t matter if I just approached naturally and pretended not to notice, but for some reason, I couldn’t take my feet off.
It was then that Rosetin turned to leave. She was as stunning as ever, even today. Enough to make any man swoon.
I don’t know why, but there was something in her eyes that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Our gazes met precisely.
She paused for a moment, then stepped closer. Her face was as perfect as a well-crafted doll.
“I greet your Majesty the Empress. I was out for a stroll and happened to run into the Marquis, and we exchanged pleasantries for a few moments. I will now return to my quarters.”
She spoke politely with a light smile, but there was a strong coldness in her lovely tangerine-colored eyes. Then she wandered off down the path toward Kaelin Palace.
With Rosetin gone, we were left alone in an awkward atmosphere. I was the first to speak to him.
“I’m very late. Have you been waiting for long?”
“No, shall we walk for a while?”
Theo had a friendly smile as usual. He seemed to have already put his conversation with Rosetin behind him.
What did they talk about? We moved away from the fountain and began walking slowly down a path lined with garden stepping stones.
I felt a little uneasy, as if the ferry had hit a rough patch, but I tried not to show it.
* * * * *
“You must be the Lord Claflin.”
Rosetin approached Theo, who was waiting for Lethenia in front of the fountain, and feigned ignorance. The familiar scent of favia wafted from somewhere, a little stronger.
Ianhart’s mistress, Rosetin Bedos. Theo had heard rumors that the Emperor was quite fond of his beautiful mistress, but Theo had a different opinion.
In the banquet hall, the Emperor always stared at Lethenia instead of his beloved mistress.
It was at this moment that he realized exactly how Iannhart felt about Lethenia. The woman before him was nothing more than a political sacrifice.
The daughter of Count Bedos, who had come along at just the right time. He doubted if she was their real child, because everything was playing out like a script.
Theo had no doubt that the Emperor’s forces would eventually get rid of Lethenia so they could make Rosetin the empress. Ian Hart’s intentions didn’t matter.
If the Emperor could not make up his mind, those who secretly sharpened their swords on his side would do it. Whether it was Count Bedos, who had a bad blood relationship with Bledel, or his daughter, who would be the next Empress?
Theo didn’t really want to deal with Rosetin, but he responded with a modest smile and a modest tone.
“It is an honor to meet you, Miss Bedos.”
“Are you here to see the Empress again today?”
“Yes.”
“The Lord is an old friend of Her Majesty’s, and I have often heard that your friendship is extraordinary.”
Rosetin turned to Theo, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.
“As you know, I’ve been away from home for a long time and have no friends in the capital with whom I feel comfortable discussing things. If you don’t mind me asking, would you mind paying me a visit to Kaelin Palace?”
Rosetin stood still and waited for Theo’s response. It did not appear to be just a simple greeting. Finally, he answered her in a soft but firm voice.
“I thank you for your offer, but I must decline. I am afraid I am not eloquent enough to carry on an interesting conversation with Miss Bedos, and I hope you will excuse me for not exposing my deficiencies to the beautiful lady.”
“That will not be the case; there are many eloquent men, but few who can understand each other’s plight, and in that respect I think Lord Claflin and I will get on very well.”
The words were spoken with a certain amount of reticence, a clear refusal to accept a private invitation, but Rosetin seemed unwilling to back down, even though her pride might have been bruised.
There seemed to be a deep determination in her voice. He gave Rosetin, who was surprisingly persistent, a slightly wary look.
One corner of her mouth lifted and her eyebrows quirked slightly. Then she continued, unperturbed.
“You see, Lord Claflin and I have quite a bit in common.”
“Is that so?”
Theo asked, and Rosetin closed and opened her eyes slowly, her words meaningful.
“Being the lover of someone is unattainable.”
Is that really the case? Rosequin’s provocative attitude caused a trace of hostility to flash across Theo’s countenance.
“I would never be so arrogant as to refer to myself as ‘Her Majesty’s lover’; perhaps you disagree with me, Miss Bedos?”
“Very well, then, let us use the word paramour; you are publicly lumped in with the Empress by that word, and you are constantly on the lips of the people; do you mean to say otherwise?”
“While I’m not usually concerned with such excessive attention, I’m honored that everyone calls me Her Majesty’s paramour.”
“Well, I don’t think official approval matters. What’s clear is that everyone knows that you’re the empress’ lover…… No, I mean paramour.”
Theo watched her attitude with a gaze that seemed to be exploring something.
“The reason I asked you to come to Kaelin Palace was actually for a purpose. From the looks of things today, Lord Claflin won’t even give me a chance to speak with you privately.”
“What do you want to say?”
“Actually, we have one more thing in common: the Claflin family and the Bedos family, both of whom are in the Emperor’s service.”
Only then did Theo realize what Rosetin was doing. She continued with a cliché that didn’t surprise Theo.
“I can only wonder why the promising heir to House Claflin would choose such a dangerous path.”
“…….”
“The current Bledel family…….”
“That seems a very unseemly thing to say to the Empress’ paramour.”
The crooked smile that had been at the corners of his mouth disappeared.
