Emma looked back and forth between the father and daughter and spoke.
“I came to deliver Her Highness’ words.”
“Yes, what did Her Highness say…?”
Emma recited coldly.
“Her Highness said this incident was something you committed on your own, so you should take responsibility.”
“What do you mean…?”
Cecil protested.
“What do you mean on our own?! Her Highness personally gave me the medicine.”
At Cecil’s words, Emma glared at her sharply.
“Are you trying to shift the blame onto Her Highness, Young Lady?”
“That is not it, I only told the truth.”
“That’s right. My daughter and I only did as Her Highness instructed.”
Emma stepped closer and whispered.
“If you had handled the matter properly, this would not have happened. You brought this upon yourselves. Her Highness will bear no responsibility whatsoever, so accept your punishment.”
Count Valentier asked with a bitter expression.
“Her Highness truly said that?”
“Yes. It is Her Highness’ will.”
Count Valentier tightly shut his eyes.
“…I understand.”
“Father!”
Cecil grabbed his arm and shook it, asking what he meant.
“What are you doing!”
“Be quiet!”
“Ah!”
Pushed by Count Valentier, Cecil fell to the floor with a scream.
She looked at him with an expression of disbelief.
“Father, how can you do this to me?”
With tears welling up, she resented her father.
Count Valentier shouted angrily.
“Because of you alone, the House has been put in danger! You couldn’t even manage one mere assistant chef and caused this disaster?”
Cecil felt wronged.
Until just a few days ago, she had imagined herself standing in a shining position, looking down on everyone.
But the result was disastrous.
“This is all because of that woman, Claire. She should have just stayed quietly shut in and read books!”
Why did she have to take her place of all things?
She was resentful and bitter, but there was nothing she could do. And she recalled the cold gaze of Prince Mikael, whom she had admired so much.
She wanted to become the May Fairy, make a name for herself in high society, and confidently become Prince Mikael’s wife.
But all of that had turned into bubbles. It was unbearably sorrowful.
***
On the evening of the fifth day of the Founding Festival.
Estevan visited the detached Palace.
“Your Highness, that outfit…”
“We are going out on a date.”
“Dressed like that?”
“Since it’s the festival period, I thought it would be better not to stand out.”
Estevan was dressed in commoner clothes. He wore a white shirt with a leather vest, black pants, and ordinary brown boots.
But the problem was that even dressed so plainly, he still looked radiant.
“You should change as well.”
He held out a bundle.
When she slightly opened it, there were commoner clothes inside.
“Please wait a moment.”
Liliana changed into the clothes Estevan gave her and came out. It was a green one-piece dress. It suited her very well.
Looking at the clothes, she smiled as she looked at him.
“Did Your Highness choose this by any chance?”
“…”
“Really?”
Seeing the tips of Estevan’s ears redden, Liliana smiled in satisfaction for no reason.
“Your Highness, come here.”
“What is it?”
“Just a moment.”
When Estevan stepped closer, Liliana cast magic on him.
It was a spell that changed the color of hair and eyes.
“That is better.”
Estevan touched his hair, which had turned brown.
“What good is just changing clothes? Your hair and face stand out too much.”
“I think the same applies to you. It cannot be concealed with clothes alone.”
Liliana cast the spell on herself as well. Her hair turned chestnut, and her eyes changed to blue.
“Let us go.”
Liliana rode in a carriage with Estevan and left the Imperial Palace.
They stopped the carriage in a secluded place and walked through the streets together.
When they reached the bustling streets, it was crowded with people enjoying the festival.
“Let us try that.”
What Liliana pointed at was seasoned grilled skewers.
She grabbed Estevan’s arm and walked to the street vendor.
“One each, please.”
After buying two skewers, she handed one to Estevan.
“It is good, try it.”
“Have you ever eaten something like this?”
“Of course.”
In the past, when she wandered the streets, she had eaten it. At that time, she didn’t have money to eat proper meals, so she often filled her stomach with cheap food sold on the streets.
Liliana took a bite of the skewer and chewed.
The seasoning was salty and delicious.
Estevan looked at her for a moment, then put the skewer in his mouth.
It tasted better than expected.
“It’s not bad.”
“Right?”
They finished the skewers right there.
Besides skewers, the street was selling various kinds of food.
At that moment, cheers erupted from afar.
Liliana pulled Estevan toward where the cheers were coming from.
Pushing through the crowd, they saw a clown performing.
The clown, standing on a round ball, made comical expressions, rolled the ball with his feet, and juggled apples on top of it.
People watched while clapping with delighted expressions.
Liliana also laughed with tears hanging at the corners of her eyes.
“This is so funny.”
When she raised her head and glanced at Estevan’s expression, he seemed to be holding back his laughter.
“Why are you holding it in instead of laughing?”
“Because it’s not funny.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Saying that, Estevan turned around.
“Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Alright.”
Liliana followed right behind him. Then Estevan shortened his stride to match her pace.
“Let us go watch a play.”
“A play?”
“I heard people who were watching the clown performance saying there is an interesting play at the outdoor theater.”
She took his hand.
“There are a lot of people, so we should hold hands.”
“That would be better.”
Liliana headed toward the outdoor theater with Estevan.
When they arrived at the outdoor theater, a play poster caught her eye.
“It looks like it is the story of Founding Emperor Gilliam and the elf Lunaria.”
The tragic love story of Founding Emperor Gilliam and the elf Lunaria was very famous.
Liliana sat with Estevan in the very back seats.
After a moment, grand music spread, and the actors came up and began performing.
Since it was a tragic love story, the women watching the play wiped their eyes.
“Is this interesting?”
“It is moving.”
“Not really for me.”
“Really? I thought it was very touching.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Every woman dreams of passionate love at least once.”
Estevan looked at Liliana quietly.
“Do you as well?”
“Hmm, I am not sure.”
“Does that mean no?”
“If I had been born as an ordinary woman, I think I would have wanted to experience that kind of love.”
“Ordinary, so because you are a noble now you can’t?”
Liliana smiled bitterly.
‘I’ve suffered for too long for that.’
She couldn’t bring herself to say those words aloud.
Liliana spoke playfully.
“If it is Your Highness, it might be possible.”
“I asked a pointless question.”
“Let us stop talking about this and go to the riverside to make a wish.”
Liliana led Estevan to the riverside.
The Senri River flowed across the center of the Capital.
Whenever the Founding Festival was held, people gathered at the Senri River and floated paper boats with written wishes.
Liliana bought two paper boats and handed one to Estevan.
“If you write a wish here and float it, they say it comes true.”
She borrowed a pen from the paper boat vendor and wrote her wish. Then she handed the pen to Estevan.
“Here, write yours.”
Taking the pen, Estevan hesitated for a moment, then wrote his wish.
Liliana secretly peeked at his wish.
Estevan had written that he wished to become a powerful Emperor.
When Liliana burst into laughter, he narrowed his eyes.
“Did you see?”
“Just a little.”
“That’s cheating.”
Then he snatched Liliana’s paper boat.
“Ah!”
Liliana had wished for the safety and well-being of her precious people.
“How ordinary.”
Estevan returned the paper boat.
“Let us float them now.”
He floated his paper boat onto the river.
Liliana clasped her hands together and made her wish. Estevan watched her quietly.
Besides the two of them, many people were gathered by the riverside.
Liliana spotted a familiar face across the river. It was Cedric.
Cedric was floating a paper boat with his written wish.
The face of her younger brother, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, was bright.
‘I heard the Knight Academy was tough, but it seems he’s adapting well.’
Cedric’s once pale skin was slightly tanned.
He looked good.
