So, today was a very important day for Tanya.
“I should put on heavier makeup. Only then will I catch the attention of His Majesty, right?”
In truth, every time she stood before Jerald, it was always important to her.
“I,I apologize, my lady.”
“Do me more splendidly. Make me more fancy!”
Under Tanya’s harsh reprimand, the maid, who was already cowering, moved her hands once again. As the makeup grew thicker, Tanya’s expression gradually became more relaxed.
Today, more than anyone else, she had to be beautiful. Enough to make people passing by stop and take a second look. Maybe then Jerald would notice her a little more.
Tanya was satisfied as she admired her increasingly dazzling reflection in the mirror.
“Tanya.”
At the familiar voice coming from behind, Tanya finally turned her gaze to the other side of the mirror. A middle-aged man with a familiar appearance was approaching her.
Tanya gave a deep smile.
“Father.”
“You look truly lovely today.”
“Naturally, I have to.”
Tanya replied with a shrug.
“It’s a ball. I have to dance with His Majesty, so I should be the most radiant among the ladies attending the ball, don’t you think?”
“Yes, yes. That’s a wonderful mindset indeed.”
Tanya’s father, the Duke of Gennant, nodded with a happy expression.
“You must maintain that mindset. Until you wear the crown of the empress, that is. You must not let your guard down. There are many other young ladies vying for that position besides you. Our family was not the only contributor to the rebellion.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Tanya said, fidgeting with her hair.
“Besides, there is one woman who annoys me. I will never lose to her.”
“Annoying woman?”
“Yes. You must know, Father.”
“Me?”
“Countess Pristin Rosewell.”
“Ah.”
Duke Gennant nodded as if he knew.
“Are you trying to control that woman?”
“Control? Father, I wouldn’t dare.”
Tanya muttered discontentedly, her nose in the air.
“What’s so scary about a fallen noble family like hers?”
“Then?”
“She just annoys me.”
Tanya furrowed her brow deeply. As if airing her long-held complaints.
“I didn’t like her staying at Camer Palace for saving the princess. Camer Palace is the closest palace to His Majesty’s central palace, isn’t it?”
“Is that so?”
“Why did it have to be Camer Palace? It’s not even close to the princess’s palace. Since then, I’ve had suspicions. But His Majesty, after the princess’s first gathering, he immediately granted her the title of countess!”
“I went through a lot of trouble opposing that. The title of viscountess is no simple matter.”
“But in the end, Father, you granted it.”
“I had no choice. It wouldn’t be appropriate to continue holding her rescue of the princess over us. If I had opposed it too strongly, I could have been misunderstood with impure intentions.”
“Ha…well, it doesn’t matter to me. The position of a viscountess isn’t that important to me.”
“Then?”
“What’s important is that the girl seems to have some kind of connection with His Majesty. Isn’t that suspicious? I’ve never seen His Majesty treat a woman in such a way, so preciously.”
Duke Gennant thought that his daughter had a point. While Pristin had indeed achieved some great accomplishments, it was rare for Jerald to show such favoritism towards someone, excluding his confidants. Especially when it came to women, he was even more reserved, so it was certainly an odd occurrence.
“From having her stay at the palace to granting her a title, none of it sits well with me. Especially during the last gathering, where she openly flaunted herself in front of all those ladies. It was a highly unusual occurrence.”
Tanya’s frustration from that time was still evident in her voice.
“This is not a good sign. Am I the only one perceiving it this way, Father?”
“No, now that I hear your words, I think you may be onto something.”
Duke Gennant pondered his daughter’s words with a serious expression.
“But don’t worry too much for now. Anyway, nothing has been decided about their relationship. His Majesty didn’t even declare her as a candidate for empress.”
“What if such a terrible thing happens, Father? Ahh, I don’t even want to think about it. She’s truly the most bothersome woman I’ve ever encountered. Always talking back to me and everything she does annoys me.”
“Tanya, my dear. Don’t stress yourself out. Why think of such unpleasant scenarios in advance?”
Duke Gennant gently patted his daughter’s shoulder, as if trying to calm her down.
“Don’t worry too much. Even if such a disaster were to occur, you will be the ultimate victor. At the end of the day.”
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
In the end, Aruvina’s intuition was not wrong at all.
“You look so beautiful, Countess.”
“Why don’t you dress like this all the time? You look so pretty.”
“Where did you get your dress? Can I ask?”
As soon as Pristin arrived at the ball, she attracted the attention of all the noblewomen. Her stunning beauty played a part, but the dress and accessories that Claret had given her were equally responsible.
Pristin hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should tell the truth.
“The dress was a gift from me.”
An impish voice interjected amidst the mature voices. All the noblewomen’s gazes turned towards Claret. Dressed elegantly, Claret approached Pristin with a proud expression on her face.
“Congratulations on your first ball, Pristin.”
Claret was wearing a dress with the same color as Pristin’s.
Finally, Pristin realized that Claret had deliberately coordinated their dress colors and chuckled to herself. That princess, really.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“I see you’re wearing the dress I gave you. It’s our matching couple dress. I love it!”
“Yes, Your Highness. It’s an honor.”
Pristin replied shyly.
“Thank you for the gift.”
“You’re welcome. Don’t worry about it.”
Claret, as if suddenly realizing something, approached Pristin and tightly wrapped her arm around her. The onlooking noblewomen couldn’t help but widen their eyes. Claret, with her haughty and reserved nature, was known for not paying much attention to other noblewomen.
It was certainly a surprising sight to see such a princess showering someone with affection. Of course, one had to consider the sense of camaraderie that had developed in exile, but it was still undeniably remarkable.
“You must care a lot about Countess Rosewell, Your Highness.”
“You’re right. To the extent of giving dresses as gifts.”
“Is it just cherishing, though?”
Claret retorted, shrugging her shoulders.
“I think of Pristin as family. It would be great if she could truly become a part of our family…”
Her words held some potential misunderstandings. A flustered Pristin hurriedly tried to clarify.
“Countess Rosewell.”
Someone called for Pristin from behind. Pristin knew who it was. She turned around, looking a little embarrassed. Akkad Bachell stood before her eyes with a smile.
“You were here.”
He appeared in a very fashionable manner, fluttering his coveted blond hair. With his tall height and white skin, the white tailoring he wore looked very good on him. The young ladies around her blushed when they saw Akkad.
“Lord Bachell.”
“Your Royal Highness was also here.”
Akkad’s smile deepened as he belatedly noticed Claret.
“I see the star of the empire.”
However, Claret’s face didn’t appear as bright. With a slightly wary tone, she asked.
“Why is Lord Bachell looking for Pristin?”
“Oh, you must have not heard from the countess yet.”
Claret stared at Pristin. Pristin looked awkward.
“The countess has decided to be my partner today.”
“…Pristin?”
“Yes.”
After finishing his reply, Akkad approached Pristin smoothly. Pristin awkwardly met his gaze, while Akkad, in contrast, offered his hand to Pristin with a natural smile.
“Shall we go, then?”
Instead of answering, Pristin took his hand. Akkad then turned his gaze towards Claret and greeted her.
“Then, Your Highness, I will see you again.”
“…”
However, Claret received Akkad’s greeting without properly returning it, her expression stiffening. It seemed like she was quite shocked by the current situation.
As Pristin moved with Akkad to the dancing area, she subtly glanced back, her face filled with concern for Claret.
Then Akkad’s voice came.
“Are you worried about Her Highness?”
“What?”
Only after hearing the question did Pristin turn to Akkad again. Instead of asking why, she saw a faint smile on his face.
“She doesn’t seem to have a pleasant expression.”
“Oh, that…”
“It seems Her Highness cherishes the countess quite a lot.”
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be worrying. Pristin replied with a sigh of relief to herself.
“I am receiving more affection than I deserve.”
“It’s not more than you deserve. If I think back on what the countess had done during Her Highness’s exile…”
Akkad smiled slyly and whispered to Pristin.
“In any case, thank you for accepting my offer to be your partner. To be honest, I was prepared to be rejected.”
“Why is that?”
“I lacked confidence.”
“That’s surprising. You are the youngest chief herbalist of the Imperial Herbal Gardens, and you’re Duke Bachell’s eldest son. Not to mention, you’re so smart and handsome. I know that many women admire you, Your Grace.”
“All those conditions don’t seem very important to you, Countess. Seeing you speak so casually.”
“…”
“Isn’t that the case?”
“To me, you are a respected colleague and a cherished member of the herbal gardens.”
Pristin spoke calmly.
“For me, those reasons were more important.”
“There’s no need to make such assumptions. Lord, you will continue to be in the Imperial Herbal Gardens, and I’ll be there until I leave the palace.”
“Then…”
“The emperor has arrived!”
A voice suddenly shouted loudly from a distance, interrupting what Akkad was about to say.
Reflexively, Pristin turned her head towards the source of the sound.
