The rest of the day was uneventful and quiet.
Tanya spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying her time in Gennant’s mansion, feeling at peace with the things she had been worrying about.
“Lady.”
And the next day, unexpected news came.
“There’s a letter for you.”
“A letter? From where?”
Tanya’s eyes lit up at the mention of a letter.
“An invitation to tea?”
“Um, well, I don’t think so.”
Brelin said in a voice that seemed a little flustered.
“It’s a letter from the imperial palace.”
“From the imperial palace?”
“Yes. It says Countess Rosewell is the sender.”
Tanya’s expression crumpled at Brelin’s words.
“What? Why her?”
“I didn’t get that far, so… you might want to check it out.”
“What, after everything.”
Tanya took the letter with a grim expression. She tore the envelope open with a paper knife, and her face widened in surprise as she read the contents.
Seeing this, Brelin asked cautiously.
“What does it say?”
“She wants to see me… once?”
“What? Why?”
“She has something for me. A gift.”
“After what happened?”
Brelin looked suspicious.
“Something’s fishy. What is she going to give you?”
“Well, that’s all, I don’t know.”
“So, are you going?”
“Well,”
Tanya said, sounding unsure.
“Wouldn’t it be bad if you didn’t, after what happened two days ago?”
“I know. If I don’t go, they’ll think I’ve got something to hide.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
In addition, a ball was scheduled to be held at the court in a few days.
Tanya made up her mind as she shook her head.
“All right, I’ll see her, I guess. Tell her I’ll be there.”
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Pristin invited Tanya two days later.
Tanya visited the imperial palace dressed more splendidly than ever. The road to Camer Palace was not very pleasant. The fact that Pristin would soon become empress made her feel very unpleasant.
She was a lady of the palace, and she felt like she was here as a guest, a foreigner. It was true, but she felt dirty.
“Welcome, Princess Gennant.”
The first person to greet her was Aruvina. Aruvina guided Tanya to the drawing room in a very polite manner.
Pristin had not yet arrived, and Tanya was once again displeased that she was a guest and had to wait for her to arrive.
In fact, just stepping in here was already upsetting enough. But while drinking tea patiently, Tanya waited for Pristin.
“Countess Rosewell is entering.”
How long had it been? The voice was heard, and the door opened. Tanya only slightly raised her gaze and looked at Pristin entering the drawing room.
Since she was not yet empress, Tanya did not bother to rise from her seat. It was clear, however, that it was not the most polite thing to do.
“Hello, Princess Gennant. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen you.”
“Oh, yes.”
Tanya returned the greeting grimly,
“I don’t know what you had to bring me here for. Whatever it was, you could have just sent someone.”
“Ah.”
Pristin smiled thinly at Tanya’s comment.
“I really wanted to give it to you face to face.”
“Really? Just hearing that makes me curious. What is it?”
“Is there something urgent?”
Pristin was still smiling.
“Come to think of it, it seems like it’s the first time that the princess has visited Camer Palace in person. Right?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“That’s why I hope we can chat slowly. I’ve also prepared some sweet treats.”
As soon as the words were finished, the door opened and the maids came in. On the table, along with a pot of tea that looked richly flavored at first glance, were French toast with strawberry compote, apricot tarts, and plates of colorful macaroons.
Tanya glanced at the table and then turned to Pristin. A still-smiling face brought Tanya anxiety rather than peace of mind.
‘Why, is she being kind.’
There was no reason to be kind. It is obvious that she pushed Pristin, who was pregnant, from the stairs. Pristin knew, and Tanya knew. Still, she was not punished because Pristin had no physical evidence.
So she should have greeted herself with a stern face rather than a smile.
‘Gifts, refreshments, something’s fishy.’
In fact, even before accepting the invitation, she thought there would be something wrong. Thinking that she should be cautious with her words and probably leave as soon as possible, she smiled slyly for the first time.
“It all looks so sweet and delicious. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“You’re welcome. I was always sorry we never got to see you here alone when you were at Shrun Palace.”
“I know, but as you know, I never had the chance.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you think I didn’t know that the empress candidates often had tea gatherings without me?”
Tanya asked Pristin in a slightly heavy voice.
“You can’t say you didn’t know, Your Excellency was there.”
“You’re right, and I’m not going to pretend I don’t know.”
Pristin nodded and glared back.
“But, Princess, don’t feel too bad about that part.”
“About what?”
“Us. We all got along at first,”
Pristin said matter-of-factly, locking eyes with Tanya.
“It was you, Princess, who put a wedge between us.”
“Me?”
“You’ve forgotten already?”
Pristin pointed out things in the past with a voice that was a little embarrassed.
“Not long after the princess became the empress candidate, you gave all the empress candidates soap with sterols.”
“…”
“I seem to recall that I barely covered it up for you.”
“Barely covered!”
Tanya’s voice rose for the first time.
“I told you then, it was a mistake.”
“That’s why I wanted to ask you then,”
Pristin said, staring at Tanya in a slightly deeper voice,
“I was so curious if the princess also used that soap.”
“I’ve used it, so I gave it as a gift. It was a mistake, as I say repeatedly.”
“Oh, no. You must not have used it for long.”
“Did you invite me here to talk about the past, Countess?”
“The past is important, after all, it’s the only way to prepare for the future.”
“There’s also a saying about letting the past stay in the past. I repeat, it was a mistake.”
“Yes. I didn’t call you for that,”
Pristin murmured with a slight nod.
“But the past and the present and the future are inherently connected, and you can’t just gloss over any of them.”
“…”
“Bury the past and focus on the future. That’s just a cowardly excuse for those who have done wrong in the past.”
“I think it would be better if we talked about something other than this,”
Tanya took a sip of tea with an unpleasant expression and said. She seemed like someone trying to calm a burning fire.
“If you want to keep me seated here.”
“…Sure. That wasn’t the main point of inviting you here anyway.”
After saying so, Pristin made a sudden confession.
“I like the princess.”
Tanya looked at Pristin with an expression of bewilderment. Such a blatant lie.
“I like the countess, too.”
…A lie must be answered with a lie.
“Really?”
Pristin asked, sounding amused.
“You really like me?”
“Yes,”
Tanya replied, nodding nonchalantly.
“As much as you like me.”
“I see… But then why?”
“What do you mean?”
“A few days ago, at the Jenkins Mansion,”
Pristin said, staring down at Tanya,
“I’m so curious why you pushed me down the stairs.”
“…”
As expected, that’s what she was going to talk about.
Tanya was speechless for a moment, staring at Pristin. Pristin was expressionless.
Tanya was silent for a moment, and soon smiled.
“Then.”
At this moment, it was obvious that she had to choose.
“I’ve never pushed the countess.”
“…Princess.”
“That’s how it’s concluded, hasn’t it?”
“…Really?”
Pristin nodded slightly as she muttered,
“If the princess says so, then I suppose that’s it. Will there be no change in your stance?”
“There won’t be any change. That’s the truth.”
“…The truth.”
Pristin nodded after a brief moment of thought.
“All right. Then you shouldn’t say anything further afterward. That would mean the princess lied.”
“I don’t know what you’re worried about, but it won’t happen. It’s obvious that I didn’t push the countess.”
“Well, fine. Let’s not talk about that. I invited you because I had something to give you today.”
Pristin, who finished speaking, clapped her hands. After a while, a maid came into the drawing room with a box. She guessed that was the gift.
Tanya’s gaze fell on the rather large box in the maid’s hand.
“It seems like you wanted it, Princess.”
“Me?”
Tanya accepted the box with a puzzled expression. But when she hesitated to open it, Pristin urged her,
“Open it. Isn’t that courtesy?”
At the words, Tanya hesitated for a moment before opening the box. Inside, there was something she hadn’t expected at all.
