“I will miss you a lot.”
“Me too, Countess.”
“See you at the bazaar. You must be healthy until then.”
After ten days of preparation, all the empress candidates left the palace where they had been for months. Pristin saw off all the empress candidates with regret. Although they did not break up forever, it was regrettable to think that they could not see each other as often as they used to in the same space.
It was when Pristin was about to return to her palace after seeing off the last candidate.
“…Ah.”
One more person remained. Pristin faced Tanya, who was staring down at her.
“You’re going now, Princess Gennant?”
“Yes.”
“Take care.”
Without adding any further words, Pristin left it at that. There was no need to say more in this situation. It would only unnecessarily stir up emotions.
As she was about to walk past Tanya without another word…
“Are you happy?”
To Pristin’s surprise, a unexpected question came from beside her. Tanya was looking at Pristin with a peculiar smile. For some reason, Pristin felt a twinge of discomfort in her gaze, so she involuntarily twisted her lips. After a short silence, a brief response escaped Pristin’s lips.
“Yes.”
“I’m glad. Be happy to your heart’s content.”
“I didn’t expect to hear such words from you, Lady.”
Pristin didn’t hide her surprise.
“I was worried you’d leave cursing me.”
“Cursing? Why would I do that?”
Tanya replied with a shrug.
“I have given up on His Majesty, although I still don’t like you, apart from that of course.”
“…”
“I’ll endure it. How long your happiness will last, who knows?”
“You’re still as critical as ever.”
“I just wanted to remind you that reality isn’t always rosy,”
Tanya replied, pulling up the corners of her mouth gracefully.
“If this were a storybook, Countess Rosewell’s story would have a happy ending like this. But unfortunately, this isn’t a storybook.”
“…”
“I hope that happiness lasts for a long time.”
But the voice sounded as if it wished that happiness wouldn’t last long. Pristin exhaled once and walked past Tanya without a word.
‘His Majesty’s speculation was correct.’
The Gennant family must have joined hands with the dethroned emperor. So, Tanya, who had been so lofty, must have yielded, and throwing such meaningful words was probably her way of acknowledging it.
‘I hope nothing happens…’
There was hardly anything she could do about the power struggle. All she could do was pray for Jerald’s safety and for nothing to happen.
She knew it was inevitable, but still, the feeling of helplessness crept in. Pristin felt melancholic for a moment.
‘No, such thoughts aren’t good.’
All she had to do was help Jerald in his position. She should focus on managing the affairs of her own palace, like preparing for marriage, so Jerald wouldn’t have to worry about anything else besides politics. That was something someone had to do. Pristin lifted the corners of her mouth again and headed back to Camer Palace.
“Never mind what Princess Gennant said, Countess,”
Christine, who was following at the time, said.
“The princess must have said it out of jealousy.”
Seeing Christine trying to reassure her in case her feelings were hurt, Pristin couldn’t help but smile. Pristin replied as if she knew,
“I don’t care. Thank you for your concern, Christine.”
“No problem. Countess, you’re strong. I just thought I’d mention it just in case.”
“More than that, the bazaar next week is a problem.”
“Why?”
“I haven’t decided yet what charity items to donate. Of course, it’s not mandatory, but still, if I don’t, it won’t be good for my reputation as the prospective empress. It would be nice to donate something special though…”
“Oh, don’t bother with anything special. After all, it’s just a charity bazaar. It seems best to donate accessories you don’t use.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Something special should be kept by the Countess. How about donating the brooch made of turquoise? You don’t seem to use it often.”
“That’s a good idea. How did you know about that?”
“I just… by observing you continuously, I naturally come to know these things. Probably everyone else knows besides me.”
“You’ve always had a keen sense of observation. People may lose their memory, but they don’t change.”
“By the way, I had a dream yesterday. I dreamed about when we used to have snowball fights when we were kids. But I don’t know if it’s a true memory or just my imagination.”
“No, you remember right! We used to have snowball fights in the garden when it snowed when we were young.”
“Were you wearing the red hat that our mother gave you?”
“Yes, the red hat! I threw it away a long time ago because it was too worn out.”
Pristin clapped her hands with a visibly bright face.
“Oh, what to do. You might really remember everything soon.”
“Lately, whenever I dream, old memories keep coming back.”
“Then I must have become much more familiar to you now.”
Pristin asked Christine with a deep smile on her lips,
“Can you call me Sister now?”
“Oh, that’s…”
Christine’s face quickly turned red.
“Not yet…”
“Are you still unfamiliar with me?”
“Rather than that…”
Christine said shyly.
“After I remember everything, then I’ll definitely call you Sister.”
“Okay, Christine. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Pristin’s heart was fluttering because it seemed like it wouldn’t be long before that day. How nice would it be to marry a man you love and for your sister to find the memories she lost?
‘Then there’s really nothing more to ask for.’
But as always, life did not come with only joy.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
A week later, Lady Jenkins’s bazaar was held.
“I think I should change the dress hem to be embroidered with diamonds. What do you think?”
“Still, considering it’s a charity ball, wouldn’t it be better to avoid overly flashy attire?”
“But this is the first social gathering after the formal announcement of the engagement. I believe being extravagant wouldn’t hurt.”
“It would be great if it leaves a simple impression. Since today’s event is just a gathering, it’s better to go simple and neat. I can dress up splendidly for next month’s ball. How about that?”
“Hmm… The Countess makes a valid point.”
Eventually, Aruvina and the maids of Camer Palace agreed with Pristin. Pristin wore a beige dress, pearl accessories, and light pink shoes. It wasn’t a particularly eye-catching outfit, but the elegant aura emanating from Pristin was enough to make her presence known.
Observing her elegantly dressed appearance, Aruvina looked at Pristin with a satisfied expression.
“You look truly beautiful, Your Excellency, far beyond my worries.”
“To be honest, I was a bit worried too, but thanks to everyone’s efforts, I don’t look too flashy.”
“Flashy? No way! No one could think that looking at Your Excellency.”
Aruvina reached out to Pristin and spoke fondly.
“Shall we go then? If you leave now, you’ll arrive right on time.”
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Pristin’s carriage arrived at Jenkins Manor as the evening twilight gracefully enveloped the estate. Besides the carriage Pristin arrived in, there were many others parked in front of the mansion, as the invited guests had already started to arrive.
Stepping out of the carriage with dignified steps, Pristin made her way into Jenkins Manor. A butler, after verifying the invitation handed over by Christine, extended a courteous greeting to her.
“It’s an honor to have you here, Countess Rosewell. Please, come inside.”
Pristin’s steps led her straight to the hall where the charity ball was being held. Everything, from the splendid chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to the finger foods arranged throughout the hall, was impeccably prepared. Pristin was amazed by the grandeur reminiscent of palace banquets as she glanced around.
“Welcome, Countess Rosewell!”
At one point, she heard a familiar voice. Turning her head, Pristin saw the former empress candidates with whom she had exchanged farewells just a week ago. Of course, they were no longer empress candidates now. Smiling warmly, Pristin exchanged greetings with the familiar faces.
“Hello, Lady Eusten. It’s nice to see you right after arriving.”
“Oh, did you just get here? We arrived just a moment ago!”
“Let’s sit together. The auction will start soon.”
“Already?”
“We didn’t come early. Oh, there’s Lady Jenkins.”
Following Lady Eusten’s gaze, Pristin turned her head in the same manner. Lady Jenkins had gray hair and a wrinkled face, but her eyes were sparkling, making her look very young. She looked around at the guests in the hall with a gracious smile and opened her mouth.
“Thank you all for coming to this year’s bazaar. So many people came this year.”
It was a very gentle and soothing voice.
“If any of you among today’s guests have not yet donated an item, please place it in the baskets as our maids pass by with them.”
Pristin and the other ladies beside her blinked in surprise, then took out the donated items they had brought and placed them in the baskets as the maids approached. Glancing into the baskets, it seemed they were already filled with donated items brought by other nobles.
“I wonder what will be auctioned off today?”
“Who knows? Probably something beyond our imagination.”
“Indeed. Lady Jenkins wouldn’t offer anything of low quality for auction.”
The auction items consisted of precious belongings owned by Lady Jenkins herself and items generously donated by other nobles, all of which were of considerable value.
Starting with moderately priced items, the auction gradually escalated to items of higher value.
“Well then, let’s begin the auction.”
And finally, the auction officially commenced.
