The news quickly spread within the palace that Pristin would be entertaining the Perk Empire envoys’ wives next month.
She was able to take on this important task more easily than expected because it was extremely rare to find someone who could speak Perkian. Therefore, the nobles did not have much opposition to allowing Pristin, who could speak Perkian, to take on this responsibility, which would primarily fall on the empress.
Meanwhile, Pristin’s ability to speak Perkian became known among the empress candidates, and they also did not harbor much dissatisfaction with Pristin being assigned this task.
On top of that, the reason Pristin gained quite a friendly image among the empress candidates was due to the last tea meeting.
“Ha, you’re just leaving.”
Of course, there were exceptions everywhere.
“To think that she would be in charge of entertaining the envoys’ wives. That is a heavy task that only the empress of the empire can handle. And they’re entrusting it to a woman who just received a noble title? Just because she speaks Perkian?”
“Take it easy, my dear. After all, it’s true that there are very few noble ladies in the empire who are fluent in Perkian.”
“Hah, if I had known, I would have learned Perkian as well. Who would have thought that I would need that difficult language?”
“In any case, she’s doing her best this time.”
At that, Tanya asked, narrowing her eyebrows as if something was bothering her.
“Father, why are you saying that?”
“Did you forget what you did last time?”
Duke Gennant scolded his daughter in a rare stern voice.
“Do you think His Majesty really doesn’t know about what happened last time because nothing happened? Don’t be ridiculous! It was just overlooked by His Majesty. Especially at times like this, we should try our best to restrain ourselves from taking action. We are in a vulnerable state right now.”
“But if it were to be revealed, if I denied it, we can cover up as much as we want!”
“Why don’t you understand that we shouldn’t publicize that incident! If the incident becomes public among the other nine candidate families, whose side do you think they will take? Pull yourself together! Do you want to turn everyone against us and create chaos?”
“…”
“Tanya.”
After a while, Duke Gennant opened his mouth again in a calmer tone, as if he thought he had raised his voice too much.
“Tanya, why wouldn’t I want you to become the empress? But there has never been a properly executed task when it is rushed. This task is particularly delicate due to the diplomatic issues involved. We must be even more cautious. Our family could be wiped out if things go wrong.”
“But father, once this entertainment is successfully completed, the reputation regarding that girl will surely improve. You want me to watch that?”
“But not now. Hold your breath and wait for the right time, Tanya. That’s what we must do for now.”
“Ha…”
Tanya pressed her chest in frustration. She was on the verge of tears due to her disappointment and sadness. However, after realizing that there was no other choice for now, she silently nodded her head. She had no choice but to endure silently for the time being.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
And time flew by.
“How’s your preparation going, Pristin?”
As usual, she was having lunch at the princess’s palace when Claret asked with a twinkle in her eye. Pristin thought for a moment and nodded.
“Well, but I’m not very involved.”
It was only natural that Pristin would not take on the full burden of the preparations, as she already had her responsibilities in the herbal garden, which would have been too overwhelming.
Moreover, Pristin was largely unfamiliar with the administrative tasks within the palace. That particular issue was skillfully handled by Aruvina and other experienced noble ladies.
“All I do is re-study the Perkian language, in case I might have forgotten, and learn the etiquette of both the palace and the Perk Empire.”
“Even that is remarkable and challenging, Pristin. It’s impressive watching from the outside. It’s a significant task.”
“I’m aware. I need to do my best since His Majesty has entrusted me with it, so as not to disappoint them*.”
*[TN & EN: “Them” here refers to the wives of the envoys.]
“Pristin will do well!”
Smiling brightly, Claret turned the subject naturally.
“By the way, I heard that there will be a masquerade ball during the stay of the Perk Empire envoys.”
“Ah… I haven’t heard that news yet.”
“I heard about it before you arrived, Pristin. Masquerade balls are quite common in the Perk Empire, I heard?”
“Yes.”
“It sounds fun! I’ve never attended a masquerade ball before. It seems intriguing! Dancing with people whose faces you don’t even know? It feels like something fateful and romantic!”
“…”
Pristin couldn’t help but agree with Claret’s statement. She smiled and replied to Claret.
“You truly are a romantic and sentimental person, Your Highness.”
“If it goes well this time, it would be great if they could regularly hold masquerade balls in the Limburg Empire too, right?”
“I hope you grow up quickly and become a debutante.”
“Pristin, it would be faster for my brother to welcome the empress than for me to become a debutante.”
In saying so, Claret muttered under her breath, glancing at Pristin to gauge her reaction.
“It would be better if someone mixed with Perk blood became the empress…”
“Hahaha.”
Pristin lightly chuckled, without saying much in response. The days of freezing up in such situations were long gone, and she had become adept at smoothly transitioning the atmosphere with her laughter.
Frustrated by Pristin’s lack of a special response, Claret spoke with a dejected tone.
“You don’t understand my heart at all, Pristin.”
“That story is long over, Your Highness.”
When Pristin spoke casually, rolling the pasta with a fork, it prompted Claret to pout and utter words with a hint of annoyance.
“I hate you!”
“But I like you, Your Highness.”
When Pristin responded playfully, Claret’s face quickly turned red like a tomato.
“Pristin, really… Ugh, seriously.”
“But Your Highness, you love me too, don’t you?”
“Huh…”
Claret mumbled, looking at Pristin with a soft gaze.
“But I think I hate you a little bit.”
“Hahaha.”
Pristin chuckled lightly, then looked at Claret with a gentle smile and asked.
“After we finish eating, would you like to play with dolls with me? It seems like we need to spend more time together to cheer you up, Your Highness.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, of course.”
When Pristin nodded, Claret’s expression quickly brightened as if she had never been upset.
“I like that! Nice, good, great!”
Seeing how Claret truly liked it, a smile naturally formed on Pristin’s mouth.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
And time had passed again and finally.
“It’s finally today.”
It was the day when the envoys came from the Perk Empire. Pristin, who was all ready, asked Aruvina in a trembling voice.
“Will I be able to do well, Madame Korsol?”
“Of course.”
Aruvina nodded confidently as if it was obvious.
“I believe you will do better than anyone else. Trust yourself.”
“Phew… Thank you.”
But as it was her first time and the task was so significant, it was inevitable for Pristin to feel nervous. Pristin asked carefully.
“You confirmed that there were no problems with the reception, right?”
“Yes, of course. And just to make sure, I checked the situation at Shrun Palace as well, and it’s still quiet. The countess was right.”
“That’s a relief.”
Pristin said with a sigh of relief.
“Shall we go now?”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Pristin looked nervous and moved toward the Veron Palace, where the state banquet was taking place. Aruvina noticed Pristin’s condition and constantly tried to relax her.
“Don’t be nervous, Your Excellency.”
“…Do you think I can do it?”
It was the same question as before, but without any sign of annoyance, Aruvina answered.
“Yes, you can. You are the best among the people from Limburg whom I know in terms of Perkian language proficiency. So just go there, have a good conversation, and come back. Think of it as talking and getting to know other noble ladies.”
“Okay.”
Pristin seemed to release some of her burden. In the meantime, they had arrived in front of Veron Palace. Pristin waited with a trembling expression for the arrival of the envoys’ wives.
And soon after.
“Oh, there they are.”
A group of women were walking towards Veron Palace. Pristin took a few deep breaths and then smiled at the envoys’ wives, who were getting closer.
One of the first ladies spoke to Pristin in an elegant Perkian accent.
“I understand that His Majesty the Emperor of Limburg is still unmarried, but I didn’t know such a beautiful person would come to meet us.”
The lady naturally expected the translator next to her to deliver her words to Pristin, but what followed was quite unexpected.
“I am not the empress of Limburg, but for today, I’ll do my best to serve you all with utmost sincerity.”
“Oh, you can speak Perkian?”
Surprised to hear their mother tongue in a foreign land, the envoys’ wives murmured in astonishment. It made sense because Perkian was known to be difficult to learn, and the citizens knew it best. Therefore, they showed a very surprised reaction to Pristin’s fluent Perkian.
“I can speak a little.”
“It seems more than just ‘a little.’ Are you by any chance Perkian?”
“My mother is Perkian, so I can speak a bit.”
“His Majesty, the Emperor of Limburg, must have paid a lot of attention to our arrival.”
The atmosphere seemed pleasant. Indeed, there was nothing better than breaking down the initial barriers with language.
“Oh my, we’ve kept the guests waiting for too long. Shall we go inside?”
Just as Pristin was about to lead the envoys’ wives inside with a faint smile, someone familiar entered her line of sight by chance.
“…Ah.”
A little embarrassment panned across Pristin’s face.
And the same was true for the person she discovered.
