“…If you came, you should have woken me up.”
“You could have slept for another hour, it’s not fair for me to do that.”
Jerald asked Pristin with a charming smile.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, I feel much better after sleeping.”
“Madame Korsol told me that you did really well today.”
“I did my best.”
Pristin blushed as if she was embarrassed.
“I didn’t embarrass myself. Don’t worry, Your Majesty.”
“I’m sure you didn’t. Don’t worry about it.”
Jerald smiled, radiating a sense of trust.
“More importantly, will you be able to attend the dinner tonight? If you’re not feeling well, you can take a rest.”
“I will attend. I can’t afford to show myself in a bad light.”
“There’s no need to push yourself. I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry.”
In fact, Jerald wanted Pristin to stay in bed, but he couldn’t stop her because her intention was so firm. After tidying up her tousled hair, Pristin went to the palace where the dinner was being held with Jerald.
The dinner table was lavishly decorated, befitting a reception for foreign dignitaries. The table was filled with traditional dishes from both countries.
As Pristin looked at the extravagant feast, the tension that she had suppressed deep inside her chest resurfaced. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes in a place like this.
‘Ah…’
Then, someone suddenly gently grabbed Pristin’s hand. Surprised by the sudden warmth, Pristin looked to her side.
Jerald was looking at Pristin with a smile as warm as the warmth of his hands. The eyes filled with affection and trust seemed to penetrate Pristin’s heart, making it flutter.
Unconsciously, Pristin bit her lower lip and stared at Jerald.
“Come and sit next to me, Countess Rosewell.”
His voice was formal, but his eyes couldn’t hide the affection. Unless Pristin was a fool, she couldn’t miss that emotion. Swallowing her dry saliva, Pristin nodded her head without refusing. It was customary, after all.
Soon after, the dinner hall was filled with a small number of Limburg nobles and Perk nobles who came as envoys.
At that moment, Pristin looked at the wives of Perk’s envoys, who recognized her and exchanged eye greetings just as they did.
Jerald, who noticed her actions, spoke with a strangely proud voice.
“You seem to have gotten a lot closer to each other in a short time.”
“Ah.”
Jerald could also speak Perkian. More precisely, he was quite fluent in it.
One of the wives of the envoys spoke with a surprised tone.
“Your Majesty, it seems you are also proficient in Perkian.”
“He’s very fluent indeed.”
One of the nobles of Perk, who came to the delegation, responded.
“From what I’ve heard, Countess Rosewell is also very good at Perkian.”
“My Perkian skills are nothing compared to Countess Rosewell.”
“You’re being too modest.”
Pristin bowed her head with an embarrassed expression, and a lady of the delegation, who looked at her with pleasure, opened her mouth.
“Not only in Perkian, but you’re generally very knowledgeable. Especially when it comes to herbs.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that you work in the imperial herb garden.”
“At first, I thought she was the empress because she was so elegant.”
Then a sensitive topic popped up. Pristin looked at the noblewoman who had spoken with a slightly flustered expression.
However, the lady kept on talking, nonchalantly.
“But His Majesty the Emperor of Limburg is still single. As soon as I heard that, I thought about it. Your Majesty and the countess would make a good couple.”
At that, a strange tension began to circulate among the nobles of Limburg.
Although the nobles of Perk began to agree as if they were right.
“Now that I think about it, you two look pretty good together.”
“Yes. Both of them are beautiful in appearance, and together, it’s like looking at a picture.”
“Countess, are you still unmarried?”
“What? Oh, yes…”
“If the countess were to become the empress of Limburg, the bond between our two countries could become even stronger, don’t you think? You said your mother is from Perk, right?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Such a connection we have. I wonder which family your mother comes from…”
“Madame, that’s quite an impolite question.”
At that time, the listening peer quietly rebuked his wife. It was as if he realized something and the woman who had asked the question quickly apologized with an embarrassed expression.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Countess Rosewell. I was rude just now.”
“No, ma’am. It’s all right.”
“Shall we talk about something else now?”
Fortunately, the atmosphere was able to flow well without becoming awkward because one wife of the other envoys turned the topic sensibly. Pristin maintained a faint smile on her face and listened attentively during the meal.
However, her mind was filled with various thoughts.
‘I wonder if this whole situation was arranged because of hidden intentions…’
By placing her as the representative of the diplomatic wives before the potential empress candidates, she could showcase her presence to the foreign countries.
It seemed that the Perk Empire secretly hoped for her to become the empress, given her mixed Perkian heritage, in order to further strengthen the relationship between the two nations.
In any case, if Jerald had entrusted the wives of the envoys to entertain her with the purpose of really making her the empress, she would have found herself unsuspectingly aligning her reluctant desires with his intentions.
During the meal, as Pristin tried her best not to reveal her complicated thoughts, a small voice reached her ears from the side.
“What are you thinking?”
As she instinctively looked up, she saw Jerald looking at her with a charming smile. At that moment, Pristin felt her heart skip a beat. But without revealing her inner turmoil, she calmly opened her lips.
“…I’m not thinking of anything.”
“Are you feeling tired, perhaps?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
As she gave her reply, a thought suddenly crossed her mind. What if this man never gave up on her? What if his persistence, which she had regarded as insignificant until now, showed no signs of ending no matter what happened?
In such a case, would she be able to refuse him? Would she be able to freely leave the palace?
Her mind became entangled in complicated thoughts. Whether he was aware of it or not, Jerald continued to worry about the wrong things.
“If you’re tired, let me know. You are always my top priority.”
As she heard his whisper, which conveyed that nothing was more important to him than her, Pristin felt a headache coming on. But still, without revealing her inner turmoil, she turned her head and refocused on the meal.
Jerald’s gaze, which seemed to never leave her side, could be felt, but Pristin steadfastly refused to look in his direction.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
The dinner ended successfully, and Pristin was relieved that she could finally relax.
Returning to Camer Palace that night, Pristin went to bed immediately and had a very leisurely time for the next two days. It was because the ladies of the delegation were going to spend the remaining two days sightseeing in the capital.
And time flew by, and it was finally the day before the delegation returned to the Perk Empire.
“Would you like to wear this mask? Or this?”
“This butterfly-shaped mask is so pretty!”
“Wouldn’t a darker color look better than this?”
On the last day of the envoys’ stay, a grand masquerade ball was scheduled to take place at the palace. It was only natural that all the nobles’ attention would be focused on this secret party, where they would participate without knowing each other’s identities. Even though their true identities might not be revealed, they spared no effort in their costumes in order not to be overshadowed by others.
And the Camer Palace maids had the same thoughts. Personally, Pristin thought it would be enjoyable to dance with an unknown man, not knowing his true identity, but she also found it intriguing to quietly observe other couples dancing while dressed simply.
However, the maids of Camer Palace would not tolerate such thoughts. They dressed Pristin up in a way that was not too different from when her face was revealed.
“You look so beautiful today, Countess!”
“Yes. Even if you go to the party without a mask, you would still shine too brightly.”
“Should I add one more jewel here?”
“It will make it too cluttered. Just leave it.”
Pristin awkwardly smiled and resisted the maids. Then she stood in front of a full-length mirror and observed her lavishly adorned appearance. When she put on the mask, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to recognize herself. It was a strange moment for Pristin when she felt both awkwardness and fascination with her own reflection.
“Countess!”
At the sound of her name being called from behind, Pristin turned around. And when she faced an unexpected sight, her eyes widened.
“Oh my, what a surprise.”
“Is it awkward?”
Although her face was covered by a mask, Pristin could easily guess that it was Aruvina from her voice. Moreover, because they had seen each other so often, Pristin thought she could recognize Aruvina even without her voice. After all, if they frequently met, wearing a mask didn’t hold much meaning in a masquerade ball.
“No, it’s lovely. I’ve never seen you dressed so splendidly before.”
“I tried to get into the spirit of the masquerade.”
After shrugging and smiling, Aruvina checked the clock on the wall and quickly approached Pristin’s side.
“Well, it’s getting late. Let’s go, Your Excellency. I’ll accompany you.”
“Thank you, Madame Korsol.”
Pristin nodded her head with a faint smile.
It was the beginning of the masquerade ball, where she could expect enjoyable things to come.
