Chapter 53
To be honest, if I really thought about it, these young ladies were here in the palace representing their families. They were probably instinctively honing their political sensibilities. There was no real reason for them to hate Anna, the daughter of the Fourth Consort, who was favored by the Emperor. In fact, it would’ve been in their best interest to be on good terms with her. They might be young, but nobles are nobles after all.
—That’s right. It’s better not to stand out. Maintaining neutrality and balance is the true virtue of nobility.
That’s what Komet said with a giggle when—
“I remember! Yes, I do!”
Suddenly, someone cut in with an excited voice.
Huh? Someone actually responded to that comment? A noble lady joining in when someone was criticizing a princess?
Who the heck would dare talk down about a princess? I couldn’t believe it and turned my head—only to see that girl from earlier, Tara, clapping her hands.
“It was such a simple word, and since I’m the same age as Princess Anna, I remember thinking it felt off because I knew that word very well. I think it was something like, ‘to anoint with palm oil.’ Right? Hehe.”
“As expected of Lady Tara! Your memory is exceptional!”
Then suddenly, Risel, Pindellia, and Tara burst into laughter.
Really now. I tilted my head as I watched Tara laugh heartily with Risel and Pindellia. She was someone training in etiquette and martial arts, yet she so easily joined in mocking someone weaker. It didn’t sit right with me.
She kept acting like Risel and Pindellia’s mouthpiece, giggling after every word they said. Anna’s small eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she quietly lifted her teacup and drank all of it.
She looked calm and mature, but she was still just a child. It broke my heart.
But now, I kind of understood. I had wondered why Anna seemed so twisted when she first met me. If she’d been bullied like this repeatedly, it was no wonder her personality turned bitter… and that she clung to the Emperor, who was probably her only source of support.
As time passed, Anna pressed her lips tightly together and bowed her head. I saw Myra next to her, nervously offering a handkerchief. But Anna didn’t take it. She seemed to instinctively understand that she shouldn’t cry, that she couldn’t cry.
I frowned. No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t make sense.
And so, I suddenly spoke up.
“She might have a great memory, but her character? Seriously lacking.”
The moment I opened my mouth, the atmosphere turned ice cold. Even the quiet conversations happening at nearby tables stopped dead.
“Lady Salkar!”
Rena Passan, sitting across from me, went pale and looked around in a panic. She seemed to be trying to warn me, but I ignored her. I raised an eyebrow at her, then turned to face the princesses in the center and Tara Limbe.
“I mean, come on—how can a count’s daughter openly mock a princess? Miss Limbe.”
The moment I called her “Miss Limbe,” gasps escaped from all around the table. It was shocking to them that I didn’t even bother calling her “sister” or using any honorifics. I was blatantly confronting her, and that clearly surprised them.
“What did you say?”
“Well, am I wrong?”
Tara asked with a straight face, but I didn’t back down.
“……”
“Li-Lady Limbe is just a playmate of ours. She only supported our point of view.”
Risel tried to explain, clearly flustered. But I didn’t even try to hide the smile curling at my lips.
“How is that ‘supporting your point of view’? I actually thought Miss Limbe was a princess. Does the Limbe family have royal blood? She just called Princess Anna ignorant, didn’t she? So how does she view royal authority, I wonder? Princess Risel, Princess Pindellia—you two are far too merciful.”
The moment I said “merciful,” both Risel and Pindellia’s faces changed. Of course. I had twisted it just a little—just enough to turn Tara Limbe, who had supported their words, into someone who was insulting and disgracing royal authority.
“Wh-what are you saying?”
A beat later, Tara Limbe’s expression finally changed. Her face twisted with anger. She finally seemed to understand what I meant.
“Are you saying I insulted—insulted royalty?”
“Ah. I wondered just how smart someone must be to call Anna ignorant. But all you managed to do was insult royalty? That’s basically treason.”
I snorted, and murmurs spread around us. Tara Limbe, flustered, quickly responded.
“Tr-treason?”
“Yes. You’re defying the royal family. That’s as good as treason. Who do you think you are, insulting a princess?”
I noticed Risel and Pindellia’s faces turn ghostly pale. They seemed to realize the gravity of what they had just done. Of course. Even a child like me, newly admitted to the palace, had been repeatedly warned about what would happen if I ever defied royalty—what kinds of punishments awaited. Honestly, even now, I could still picture Horné’s stern face drilling that into me.
If it was like that for me, how much more must actual royalty know the weight of it? Honestly, if Anna went to the Emperor and reported this, it could be dealt with on the spot.
“What did I even do that was so wrong? Right, Your Highnesses?”
Tara Limbe scoffed and looked back at Risel and Pindellia. But both of them silently avoided her gaze.
“I was just siding with the princesses here! Princess Risel, Princess Pindellia—Your Highnesses?”
Tara’s expression began to crumble. She clearly thought they’d back her up and protect her. But the table remained cold and silent.
Tara’s face twisted more and more. Eventually, she scowled and stood up abruptly.
“I deeply apologize to the princesses here, but I can no longer endure the insults hurled at me. Lady Salkar! You’re truly cunning! How dare you? Do you even know whose daughter I am?!”
Seeing her suddenly stand, I noticed she was indeed tall. She even took a few threatening steps toward me.
“How could I not? You’re the daughter of Count Limbe, the captain of the royal guard.”
“That’s right. I heard you were seven, and though you speak quite well, you clearly lack proper judgment. I never insulted the royal family! How could you say such cruel things about the Limbe family, who’ve always been loyal to the crown?”
“When did I insult the entire Limbe family? Let’s speak clearly, shall we? I’m pointing out your offense in harshly criticizing a princess. …By the way, do you know whose daughter I am?”
I lashed out, then looked her straight in the eyes and returned the very question she’d thrown at me. Tara froze. I clearly saw hesitation cross her face. My surname was Salkar, after all. And the sudden hush in the room made it obvious—my family, the Salkars, clearly carried weight.
“You bring up your family name so easily… You really are cunning and sly, aren’t you? At such a young age, too.”
Tara Limbe muttered bitterly, twisting her expression.
How ridiculous.
