– Squeak!
With the sound of the door opening, everyone’s eyes were focused on the doorway.
However, she managed to walk inside nonchalantly, despite the pressure.
“My apologies for being late, Your Highness.”
She apologized to Claret before taking her seat. Claret, seemingly unaware that Pristin would return, had an initial look of surprise on her face. However, she quickly accepted Pristin’s apology as if it meant nothing.
“No, Pristin. You must have a lot to talk about with my brother. I understand.”
Claret deliberately spoke in that way, as if she were provoking all those who were not friendly towards Pristin in the room.
Pristin didn’t respond to Claret’s words, and it silently conveyed a message to everyone that silence was equivalent to affirmation. Their imaginations began to run wild about the conversations that Pristin and the emperor had in private.
“…”
One of them was Tanya.
After what happened earlier, Tanya became remarkably silent compared to before. It was clear that she was deeply wounded by her bruised pride and had closed herself off in anger. Most of the people in the room noticed this and refrained from provoking Tanya in any way.
However, unexpectedly, Pristin had become a provocation in herself. Intense gazes shot towards Pristin as she sat down once again on the right side of the princess.
But Pristin was now calm, as if she weren’t surprised. It was impossible for Jerald to leave Tanya alone given his personality. He must have said something provocative, no matter how offensive.
‘The problem is that I’m bearing all the consequences.’
It couldn’t be helped. It was human nature for the strong to overpower the weak. Even if she was made a countess, Tanya would likely not blink an eye.
After all, she was a noblewoman. Unless Pristin became the empress, she had no reason to bow down.
‘Well, ignoring her is easier on the mind.’
It was around the time that Pristin thought so and was about to drink the new tea in front of her.
“What were you discussing with His Majesty?”
Unable to overcome the curiosity, someone asked Pristin. The sound of everyone’s ears perking up echoed through the room. Pristin blinked quickly in a moment of embarrassment. And sensing her behavior, Tanya bit her lips without realizing it.
‘What could they have been talking about?’
She got nervous. In fact, her initial confrontation with Pristin was also driven by unease. A strange woman who entered the palace without precedent, solely because she saved the princess. Furthermore, the emperor even granted her access to a palace.
There had been almost no precedent in history of a woman who wasn’t the emperor’s consort being given access to a palace.
‘So I’m not going to be anxious and endure it.’
So, she decided to provoke Pristin a bit. In truth, she had been curious from the start. Was that woman really a noble? Was she impersonating nobility and deceiving the royal family? Tanya thought the princess might throw a tantrum, considering her young age and the fact that she had brought Pristin herself.
But the emperor’s reaction was really unexpected. Even if it was an action that questioned his judgment, did he really need to react to that extent of a decision? Especially right after implying insult and reproach in front of everyone.
In any case, it was a situation that could be reasonably doubted. That in fact, that woman had entered the palace not as the princess’s friend, but as the emperor’s concubine.
‘Am I right?’
Tanya had already given about eighty percent certainty to her thoughts. So, it was only natural for Pristin to be extremely irritating to Tanya’s eyes, who dreamed of becoming the empress. Tanya glared at Pristin with a disapproving look.
“It was nothing.”
And Pristin spoke to everyone in a composed voice.
“‘Just don’t be hurt by what happened earlier.’ It was just a way to comfort me.”
Pristin thought that if she said this, everyone would move on to the next story in a casual way.
“His Majesty said that?”
But no, that was not the case.
“Oh my, it’s the first time I’ve heard His Majesty comforting someone.”
“Exactly. Did His Majesty know how to do that?”
The reaction was odd. Pristin raised an eyebrow with a puzzled expression.
Another lady asked her.
“Is it true that His Majesty consoled you?”
“If so, does Lady Lamont really have a special relationship with His Majesty?”
“Why would you say that…”
“His Majesty has been known to be cold and rational since his time as the crown prince. He’s very out of touch with emotional things like consolation.”
“For someone like that to offer comfort…”
All the young ladies gathered in the drawing room exchanged shocked expressions, each uttering their own words. And it wasn’t just them who was shocked at that moment.
‘…His Majesty has that kind of personality?’
Pristin was also shocked. The Jerald she knew was never that cold or distant.
At least, based on his actions towards her from their first meeting until now, she couldn’t imagine him being like that.
Of course, he had lowered his voice for a moment due to the incident with Tanya, but she thought it was simply a matter of the situation. Moreover, he immediately showed a gentle side to her again.
‘Then the sides you showed me…’
Whether it was fake or real, it was enough to leave Pristin feeling uncertain and confused.
It means that he showed another side of himself only to her.
Pristin reached a point where she couldn’t come up with any excuses for herself, feeling tangled in complicated emotions.
“Well, everyone, let’s stop talking about that.”
Claret quickly spoke up, trying to change the topic. If Pristin remained silent, the strange suspicions surrounding her would amplify in an instant.
Claret did her best to prevent the focus from shifting back to Pristin, fearing that she might be in a difficult situation.
“I hope there won’t be any more unpleasant incidents by bringing up what happened earlier for no reason.”
The topic was eventually forced to end due to the young princess’s warning. The young ladies began to resume the tea meeting in search of other topics. Only after the topic was completely forgotten could Pristin breathe a sigh of relief. She silently gave Claret a grateful look, expressing her gratitude.
‘Thank you, Your Highness.’
‘It’s not a big deal.’
As comrades who had spent months together in exile, this level of communication was not difficult for them. After Pristin let out a sigh of relief internally, she quietly went along with the conversation of the other ladies during the tea gathering.
Fortunately, no one asked her anything related to Jerald after that.
.
.
.
The tea gathering continued for about two more hours before it came to an end. Pristin had faced a crisis in the middle, but she managed to get through it somehow and felt relieved when the gathering came to a close.
She was about to bid farewell to Claret and head back, feeling slightly tired.
“Lady Lamont.”
It was at that moment she heard a voice that she couldn’t ignore, even if she tried to pretend not to hear.
Pristin soon turned to a face that did not seem at all passive. Tanya, with an arrogant expression, stood there. Pristin quietly uttered her name, almost as if whispering.
“Lady Gennant.”
“I’m glad I caught you before you left.”
There was a hint of bluntness in her voice as she spoke.
Pristin stared at Tanya in silence. Tanya continued speaking.
“I have something to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Can you promise to answer me honestly?”
“Unless it’s a rude or difficult question.”
But Tanya seemed determined to completely ignore Pristin’s words.
“What’s your relationship with His Majesty?”
