Chapter 17
Truth or Not
Mary Grace of the tea party greeted me with great enthusiasm.
Luxuriously decorated finger foods were served as refreshments. Mary said she had put in special effort, and indeed, most of them were snacks from the Kingdom of Rundra.
“Your Highness the Princess— thank you soooo— much— for coming—!”
Mary looked even more extravagantly dressed than when I first met her.
She introduced the three young ladies attending her tea party. They seemed to enjoy glamorous things as much as Mary did, and their eyes sparkled brightly as they greeted me.
“Your Highness, as the rumors say, your hair shines like snow. It’s so sparkly and beautiful!”
A young lady with brown hair spoke.
“Oh my, my, my! And it’s not just snow. It’s like freshly— fallen snow— on a winter— meadow! Or the noonday spring sunlight— the summer sea’s white— foam— the early dawn’s autumn— cloud? I’ve never seen hair this pure— and white—!”
Mary spoke rapidly. The others eagerly chimed in. Although there weren’t many people, their collective chatter sounded like a crowd.
I appreciated the compliments, but for some reason, my energy seemed to drain. I smiled brightly, not showing my true feelings.
“Your Highness must be a powerful mage, correct?”
“No. I barely have any mana.”
“Oh! I naturally assumed you were a mage!”
I nodded once and picked up a small egg-mayo sandwich. Oh—it was delicious! My energy came back a little.
“Oh my! And that outfit— it’s Mia’s design, isn’t it? It suits you so well!”
“Yes, Designer Mia is very talented.”
“Mia is one of the top designers in the Empire. Isn’t she, Mary?”
As Mary’s friends praised Mia, Mary smiled proudly. They seemed like close sisters.
“But we honestly were surprised to hear you visited the atelier with the Duke of Dayerton.”
The brown-haired young lady leaned in slightly and spoke in a serious tone. The others lowered their voices as well.
“I heard Mary sent the tea party invitation to the Dayerton ducal household. We were surprised that you were staying there, but it is a prestigious house. It’s fitting for hosting Your Highness.”
“Yes, yes.”
“But then the Duke himself appeared at the atelier with you!”
The brown-haired lady said dramatically, and the others exclaimed, ooooh.
“I also visited that atelier for the first time. Perhaps His Grace doesn’t usually go there either?”
I remembered Cedric telling me he was also going for the first time, but I played ignorant to match the mood.
“Of course—! Even we rarely— go to ateliers— ourselves.”
“Shop Memetir is just a place we drop by to see Mia. Right?”
“Right. But what shocked us was that! The Duke! Cedric Dayerton! Actually left his residence to go outside with Your Highness!”
“Yes, yes, Your Highness!”
I knew the rumor—Cedric rarely went out. But to keep the lively atmosphere going, I pretended not to know.
“Does the Duke truly avoid going out?”
“Oh, absolutely. We don’t even know what he looks like.”
For a moment, I thought Cedric had a face that could never be forgotten after a single glance. Hearing they didn’t know it made it clear—they truly didn’t know.
“You’re telling me! His Grace has even declined banquets personally hosted by His Imperial Majesty. He doesn’t dine out, shop, or enjoy any cultural activities!”
“He usually stays in his territory. He hasn’t been in the capital long.”
I tilted my head. When I’d heard the rumor, I thought he simply went out less often than typical nobles.
“Really?”
“Yes! So when we heard he spent a long time at Shop Memetir with Your Highness, we were stunned.”
“Yes!”
Everyone agreed. I continued.
“His Grace was simply being considerate. I don’t know much about Owen’s customs or culture.”
“I’ve never met the Duke, so I don’t know his personality. But seeing how thoughtful he is toward Your Highness, he must be very kind.”
The lady with many accessories spoke softly.
“I’m grateful, truly.”
I thought I should thank Cedric later.
“Come to think of it, Mary, you said you met him, didn’t you?”
“That’s right—. At the café— the Princess was with the Duke and Her Highness the Imperial Princess. That’s when I realized she must be the Princess of Rundra— and I wanted to greet her.”
“With the Imperial Princess?”
Everyone’s eyes widened.
“I heard a rumor that Her Highness returned from her trip accompanied by the Princess of Rundra. Did you two become acquainted in the Kingdom of Rundra?”
One asked.
People of Owen probably didn’t know that Rachel studied at Rundra’s academy—it was part of the agreement. Still, I didn’t want to lie, so I answered vaguely.
“I had met Her Highness a few times before. This time, she suggested I stay in Owen to experience its culture.”
“That makes sense. Royals often meet through diplomatic exchanges.”
“I know a few foreign students who come to experience imperial culture.”
The brown-haired lady nodded knowingly. I didn’t reply and took a sip of cooled fruit tea. It suited the warm spring afternoon perfectly.
Rachel’s name reminded me of how Mary had said she sent an invitation to Rachel as well.
“It seems Her Highness couldn’t attend due to her schedule.”
“Ah—.”
I expected a simple “of course,” but Mary hesitated. The others exchanged glances.
“Actually— we already knew— Her Highness the Princess— wouldn’t be coming. Because…”
“If it’s uncomfortable to say, you don’t need to, Miss Grace.”
“N-no… it’s just that… in Owen, it isn’t exactly a secret. Her Highness… doesn’t get along well with the nobles.”
I thought of Rachel’s cheerful personality. I assumed she liked social interaction.
“Actually— Her Highness is not— His Majesty’s biological daughter.”
I couldn’t help but be shocked. Daimond had once mentioned Rachel didn’t seem fond of the imperial family, but I had never imagined this.
“One day— His Majesty suddenly declared an unfamiliar young lady to be an Imperial Princess. We nobles assumed— she was His Majesty’s illegitimate child.”
Owen, with its pragmatism and direct speech, even discussed scandals bluntly. Feeling the unfamiliar culture seep into me, I held my breath. Was it right to hear this story when Rachel wasn’t here? This was nothing like Cedric’s harmless rumors. My stomach tightened.
“So— the nobles were very rude to Her Highness. In Owen, illegitimate children are treated coldly. Someone even said loudly at a banquet— that regardless of being royalty, an illegitimate child has no claim to the throne.”
The air around the table grew heavy.
“I was there. People stopped him, but everyone secretly thought the same. Her Highness must have sensed the whole atmosphere.”
The brown-haired lady continued with a bitter expression.
“But later, it came out that Her Highness was actually the legitimate daughter of His Majesty’s late younger sister, the former Imperial Princess.”
“His Majesty’s sister?”
“Yes. She left society early and passed away in a private residence, so no one knew of her child. His Majesty adopted his orphaned niece and gave her a rightful title.”
“I see. He must be a kind man.”
“Mm. In any case, Her Highness was younger than both Imperial Princes, so there was no issue with succession rights.”
Another added.
“We didn’t see her for a long time after that. A few years ago, after coming of age, she began appearing again—but only at imperial banquets. She never interacts closely with nobles. And honestly, the noble society feels guilty toward the rightful princess.”
Ah, so that was the story. My head felt cold.
“I think the important part isn’t that.”
My mind recalled Rachel Rich—no, Rachel Withnis—laughing brightly and waving to her friends. I didn’t know much about the real Rachel Withnis, but…
I slowly blinked.
One thing was still clear.
“You should apologize. Whether she is an illegitimate child, a true imperial heir, or simply a child from any household—whether those rumors were true or not—that isn’t what matters. Many adults pushed away a little girl and said cruel things. What matters is that you sincerely apologize for that.”
In the end, I made them feel embarrassed. With that thought, I quietly drank my tea in the suddenly cold, silent tea party.
