That night, I couldn’t sleep properly. There was a lot on my mind, but above all, it was the emptiness that came after properly defining my emotions that weighed heavily on me.
I realized I had been lonely. And so, tied to the slightly happy memories of the past, I hadn’t been able to live in the present.
The late realization had a significant impact. The shock of not having understood my own state until now was also great.
After spending almost the entire night with my eyes wide open, I spent the morning and well into the afternoon staring blankly out the window, killing time.
Isabella, who had been anxiously watching me, seemingly unable to stand it any longer, disappeared for a while and then reappeared with a pile of letters.
“Um? What are all these?”
“These are all letters sent to you, my lady!”
“So, why are you giving them to me all of a sudden?”
“When my lady is busy, you shine brightly, but when you have leisure time, you seem like a withered flower. So, my lady needs to be busy!”
What is she talking about?
I tried for a moment to understand Isabella’s contextually disjointed words but eventually gave up.
After all, Isabella often did this. She had a knack for rambling on about things that didn’t fit the context but somehow made sense.
Although it was annoying at times, in situations like now, it was a welcome distraction. Thanks to it, I could escape the persistent thoughts that bound me.
And there’s nothing like mundane tasks to chase away idle thoughts, such as reading letters, just as Isabella had suggested. So, I felt inclined to go along with her clumsy rhythm.
I extended my hand with a faint smile.
“I’ll get busy as you wish, so hand them over.”
“Do you want me to sort them like last time?”
“No. Today, I just want to check them all.”
“Yes!”
Seeing Isabella beam and raise her voice in excitement, happy that I was acting as she wanted, my mood lifted as well.
I shook off the endless stream of thoughts and began to read through the letters Isabella handed me, one by one.
Most of the letters contained trite matters, expressing how enjoyable our conversations at the ball were, or how it would be nice if I could help with their business.
There were a few invitations to tea parties or banquets, but since I had declined all but Helen’s the last time, the number had noticeably decreased.
Probably, having been rejected by me, who was merely the fiancée of the emperor, bruised their egos somewhat.
Moreover, being a lady who had only been reinstated for a year, my foundation was weak.
I dismissed the facts as trivial and gathered all the letters I had read into one place.
As I repeated the same task for a while, the mountain of letters that had piled up eventually revealed the bottom.
“This is the end…”
I murmured softly, about to organize the letters I had read when one unopened letter caught my eye.
A faint vanilla scent wafted from the elegant ivory-colored envelope.
Where did it come from? I picked up the letter curiously and checked the symbol of the house that sent it.
A yellow emblem featuring two swords crossed against a shield — the mark of House Dright.
“Goodness!”
I swallowed my exclamation. I had never imagined receiving contact from House Dright first.
What could it be? With a much more trembling excitement than when reading the other letters, I carefully opened the envelope, and the vanilla scent became stronger.
I took a shallow breath and slowly scanned the content of the letter.
It turned out to be an invitation from House Dright, for the twenty-first birthday celebration of the second son of Dright.
Come to think of it, besides the minor duke, there also existed a second son in the Dright family.
He works as the commander of the paladins at the Temple, a neutral institution.
I’ve heard that the Order of Paladins consists of knights blessed by the gods and only those with exceptional martial skills can join. This means the Dright family’s second son must also be an exceptional talent.
Reminded of a fact I had momentarily forgotten, I couldn’t help but inwardly admire before bringing a hand to my mouth. A sudden thought had powerfully crossed my mind.
Wait a minute. If the minor Duke Dright who committed illegal acts wasn’t an only child, and the Dright family’s second son possessed considerable skills…
“…We could depose the minor Duke Dright.”
“What? What did you just say?”
“Ah. Nothing. I was just talking to myself.”
Isabella, who happened to overhear my muttering, tilted her head in confusion.
I considered it fortunate that she didn’t understand my words and brushed it off as if it were nothing.
Isabella, taking my cue, dropped her questioning and closed her mouth.
With her quiet, I returned to my thoughts.
Ruth and I had agreed to only uncover the clues about the casino and the full story of the Harvest family’s second son’s murder case. In other words, what we’d do with this information hadn’t been decided yet.
If those things are handed over and the position of successor of the Dright family is passed to the second son, and if he is made to be loyal to the royal family, then the Dright family will certainly become a house that supports Ruth.
Besides, there’s also the sword that Ian promised to come by.
The contract negotiated with Ruth stated that it was enough just to gain the assurances of the ducal families, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring back a result that goes beyond that.
For now, I must attend this banquet and first understand the intentions of the Dright family’s second son.
I decided on what to do next and set aside the invitation from the Dright family.
So now, my tasks are to meet the Dright family’s second son to talk, to find out Helene’s intentions, and…
“Hmm.”
I sighed at the thought of Helene, whom I had forgotten until now.
Helene was definitely a good person.
It was just that her intentions were elusive.
What does she want? No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t come up with a suitable answer.
As a result, I found myself continuing an awkward friendship that I had not intended to prolong.
What if I end up truly opening my heart to Helene?
I remembered how comfortable I felt with her at the ball and chewed on my lower lip.
It would have been a grave mistake to trust Helen, given the need to be cautious around her.
With things having reached this point, it was better to quickly find out what she wanted and distance myself.
Muttering as if making a vow to myself, I searched for the banquet date specified in the invitation from House Dright.
“In two weeks.”
The banquet at House Dright was bound to be a significant event, significant enough that Helen would surely attend, whether willingly or not.
I determined to finish both meeting the second son of House Dright and uncovering Helen’s intentions at this banquet.
Having made this resolve, I got up.
“Isabella. I will be attending the banquet at House Dright in two weeks. So, please contact the dressmaker as soon as possible.”
“Shall I contact Elleana’s dress shop again this time?”
“Yes. And since we need to respond to the invitation, could you bring me some stationery?”
“Yes!”
Isabella, who was about to leave the room immediately following my instructions, eventually heaved a sigh and came back to me.
“But on second thought, isn’t it dinner time now?”
“Hm?”
It was only then that I remembered the dinner I had forgotten.
“Dinner time already?”
I frowned and took a quick glance at the clock.
Contrary to my expectation that only an hour or two had passed, it really was dinner time.
“That’s right.”
“What do you mean ‘that’s right’? Aren’t you hungry?”
Isabella exclaimed as I muttered with little enthusiasm.
I covertly glanced down at my slim stomach in response to her question.
I have a habit of becoming so focused on something that all other sensations fade into the background. This included hunger as well.
So, I didn’t particularly feel hungry, but my empty stomach did seem to suggest otherwise.
“I guess I might be hungry.”
“Really. Had I not remembered, you certainly would have missed dinner, my lady.”
“But you forgot too, didn’t you, Isabella?”
“But I remembered eventually.”
“That’s true.”
Isabella’s lips softened as I agreeably acknowledged.
“Let’s go to the dining hall. I’ll bring you the stationery after you’ve eaten.”
“Got it.”
I wanted to reply immediately, but seeing how things were, I didn’t feel the need to insist on my point of view.
As I was about to follow Isabella, who was waiting outside the door, my steps halted due to the belated realization of another task that needed attention.
One last thing to do, to find the source of the rumors about me and Ruth.
“What are you doing there?”
“……”
And there was Isabella, the most likely candidate for being the source, looking at me with innocent eyes.
A chill ran down my spine. I almost forgot. That this place is the royal palace.
“Lady?”
“Hmm?”
I forced away the chill running up my spine and smiled.
“It’s just… my body felt a bit stiff. Let’s go now.”
“Yes.”
Focusing on the matters concerning the second son of the Dright family and Helen was enough for now. Therefore, dealing with the matter regarding Isabella could wait.
I organized my thoughts, which were beginning to grow chaotic, and moved forward.
The shadow at my feet grew a bit longer.
***
Preparations to attend the banquet hosted by House Dright went smoothly.
As time flowed like water while I was getting a dress fitted by Elleana and investigating the second son of House Dright,
And on the day of the banquet, I stepped out of the carriage, clutching my dress fiercely. In my hand was a dagger, prepared as a gift from the royal family to the second son of House Dright, on behalf of Ruth, who couldn’t attend due to lack of time.
“Sigh…”
I watched the banquet hall of the Dright Ducal residence, where brilliant light leaked out, and let out a thin breath that had risen to my throat.
It was finally the day of the showdown.
