chapter 63….
“Why was the repair work on the First Princess’s palace postponed?”
“What?”
The emperor stared at me with a strange look as I abruptly came in and got straight to the point. Ignoring his expression, I continued.
“I heard from Lord Renald. The repairs should have been done quite some time ago, but Your Majesty delayed them, so they haven’t even started yet.”
“That is…”
“No wonder no one tried to stop me when I went to the princess’s palace. Why did you postpone the repairs?”
“…”
Unlike usual, the emperor rolled his eyes around and cleared his throat awkwardly.
Tapping the tip of his fountain pen on an innocent document, he said,
“The court magicians are busier than you think, Princess. Due to a shortage of manpower, the work must wait for a while.”
“But if that’s the case, then just don’t do the repairs. I have Sir Chesil, the reliable commander of the demonic horse knights, and other knights to protect me.”
“I dismiss that.”
“Still, even without the repairs, I have lived well so far. My maternal grandfather also allowed his people to visit my palace.”
“That’s still not acceptable. I will have the court magicians start the work soon, so wait.”
“…Yes.”
I had no choice but to back down at the emperor’s words.
‘Why is he so obsessed with the repairs on the princess’s palace?’
Pouting, I was about to sulk when suddenly he spoke.
“Did you meet Lord Epsilard well?”
“Are you talking about my maternal grandfather?”
“Didn’t you look forward to meeting him?”
A subtle but kind expression crossed the emperor’s face. I flinched slightly and nodded.
“He seemed very worried about me. He apologized for not being able to visit often.”
“Lord Epsilard had suffered many unfair things lately. I promise such things won’t happen anymore.”
“About having your grandfather’s people enter the Second Empress’s palace?”
“That procedure is progressing properly as well. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“…I see.”
Fidgeting with my fingers, I finished speaking.
As I stepped back, the emperor, who must have been concentrating on the documents, turned his gaze toward me.
His brilliant golden eyes and silvery hair that shimmered like angel wings in the sunlight sparkled dazzlingly.
‘I wonder if my eyes give off the same feeling.’
Before reincarnation, at least my eyes were said to be beautiful, resembling the emperor’s. Maybe they said that because they also felt that kind of aura from him.
‘…Enough of these useless thoughts.’
“I’ll be going now.”
Bowing slightly, I turned around. Just as I was about to take a step, the emperor grabbed my ankle.
“If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to come to me right away.”
“Huh?”
“Right now, the only thing I can do for you is to fulfill your wishes.”
“….”
“So if you have any complaints or desires, come find me.”
“I—I’ll be going then.”
“Good.”
Unable to say thank you, I hurriedly opened the door and left the office.
Outside, Renald and Chesil were watching me with worried expressions.
“Are you alright, Princess?”
“What did His Majesty say?”
Renald and Chesil each bent one knee, asking me in turn. I glanced back toward the office door and said casually,
“He just said he’ll have the court magicians start as soon as possible.”
“So, until the repairs are complete, you’ll have to stay in the same palace as His Majesty, right? Have you spoken to him about the tea party?”
“He said he’ll take care of it, so I think I’ll just wait.”
Renald groaned and nodded reluctantly.
“Since I’m in charge of reviewing the guest list you selected, I prepared the invitations early. But I think it would be better to schedule the party about a week later. Do you have a preferred date?”
Tilting my head as if considering, I thought,
‘It’s uncomfortable to stay in the same palace as His Majesty, but if I hold my first tea party at his palace, the public opinion will improve greatly.’
So instead of postponing, it might be better to take extra care in inviting young ladies, which could raise my status.
After a few moments of hesitation, I spoke.
“After the twelfth.”
“Ah, so more time to prepare. You want a perfect tea party, huh?”
“Yes. So that both the hosts and the guests will have a pleasant time.”
“If that’s what the First Princess wants, I’ll report it to His Majesty immediately.”
“Yes.”
“It was an honor to meet you. May the blessings of the goddess Aeridium be with you.”
Renald smiled warmly and disappeared back into the emperor’s office, which I had just left.
I turned to Chesil and gestured with a wave, signaling that it was time to go.
Chesil followed as we arrived at the room opposite the one assigned to him by the emperor.
And that was how the day ended.
…Or so I thought.
“If our Abel can be of great help to the First Princess, how about bringing him to the party as someone who entered society earlier than you, Princess?”
“….”
If not for the Empress’s intervention, it would have been a perfect day.
Outwardly, I tried to look calm, but inwardly I looked at the Empress in front of me like a bizarre creature.
‘What is she saying?’
She knows exactly what I think of Abel — a walking time bomb — and yet she wants me to bring him to my first tea party?
‘She’s clearly trying to ruin my tea party.’
And with her son at the forefront, no less.
Her thirst for power made me shudder.
When a person is so desperate it shows on the outside, Abel’s standing had dropped considerably during his period of house arrest by the emperor’s order, and it seemed the Empress was getting anxious.
Trying to restore her son’s position, she seemed to be using my tea party as an opportunity to spoil it and bring Abel back.
“…Thank you for your suggestion, but I can handle this alone, Your Majesty Empress.”
I responded reluctantly, and the Empress smiled sweetly, narrowing her eyes.
“However, the First Princess doesn’t hold tea parties as often as the Second Princess does, and this is your first time, isn’t it? I would love to help, but unfortunately, I am too busy. Since it’s come to this, why not strengthen the bond between the siblings you’ve been estranged from?”
The “estranged siblings,” huh.
One side wants to kill the other with all their might, and the Empress tries to sugarcoat it as sibling affection — I was a bit stunned.
‘So that’s why she invited me to her palace?’
I had no supporters nearby.
The emperor seemed unaware of this, so I couldn’t even ask for his help.
I felt like standing up and throwing a tantrum immediately.
“Your Majesty Empress, I know this may be rude, but could you give me some time to think?”
“It’s just that you include my son, your half-brother. Why would you need to think?”
“This is my first tea party, so I want to be very cautious. More importantly, it’s a tea party that doesn’t consider the style of the Second Prince at all.”
“Oh my, I didn’t expect the princess to be so considerate at such a young age.”
“You flatter me.”
The Empress also smiled and raised her teacup.
“If the First Princess says so, then as the mother of the empire, I shall wait. I hope you will give me a positive answer.”
“…Of course.”
I smiled faintly but was furious inside.
‘Unless there’s a special reason, I can’t refuse the Empress’s request.’
Then I’ll fight back.
I won’t let the Empress mess with me anymore by using my tea party.
I’ll turn the tables and use Abel.
A few days later, I sent the Empress a reply permitting Abel’s attendance at the tea party. Naturally, I never received a reply.
She must have hated humbling herself to ask me to help her son return.
When Mullin and Ilia heard, they were horrified and tried to stop me.
“The Second Prince Abel attending the princess’s tea party? What do you mean?”
Ilia grabbed my shoulder and asked what was going on.
“Please reconsider. It’s your first tea party, and you should be the center of attention, not the Second Prince. If he attends… will the party even go well?”
Mullin hinted delicately but her view of Abel was worse than a dog’s.
They shook their heads anxiously, so I patted their shoulders a few times.
“Don’t worry. Abel won’t do anything. No matter how wild or undignified he is, there’s no way he’d make a scene at a tea party hosted for me by His Majesty.”
“Hmm…”
“Yeah…”
Apparently, they didn’t believe that at all.
‘Honestly, neither do I.’
Given the circumstances, it was pitiful that I had to bring Abel along.
Ilia let go of my shoulder and spoke again.
“But Princess, why not tell His Majesty about this? You share the same palace and even meals, right?”
“I won’t tell His Majesty.”
“Why not?”
Because if the emperor got involved, I couldn’t use Abel and the Empress against each other.
‘Besides, he looks busy enough.’
Living in the same palace, I had come to know that the emperor often couldn’t sleep on time due to important state affairs.
Sometimes, he worked on documents until dawn and trained, or only took short naps.
That made it even harder to tell him about my troubles.
It felt like I was burdening him even more.
“His Majesty is trying to send my grandfather’s people to my mother’s palace, so I’ll handle this matter myself.”
“If you say so, Princess, we won’t argue anymore.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“If it gets really tough, please tell us! Even if we can’t help much, we can definitely cheer you up!”
Ilia boomed loudly, puffing out her chest.
That cheered me up and I smiled faintly. Ilia giggled and blushed.
Then Mullin said,
“How about bringing a magic artifact?”
Mullin’s words caught both Ilia’s and my attention.
“I know it’s rude to say this to royalty, but Prince Abel is more like a bandit than anyone. Didn’t you receive magic tools from Prince Dmitri?”
“Yes. They were all high-grade magic tools and artifacts. When I was wondering what to bring, my older brother said I could take them all since he didn’t need them.”
“Then using those might be a good way.”
Using them?
I urged Mullin to continue, and she scanned the room before coming closer to whisper,
“Since these are from Prince Dmitri, no one will object, not even the Empress. She might even keep quiet out of fear of being blamed for giving you a dangerous artifact.”
“I see…”
“So controlling Prince Abel with a useful artifact might work, right?”
That would minimize the risk of Abel ruining the party or drawing attention away from me.
I looked at Mullin admiringly and patted her head.
“Well done, Mullin. I’m glad you’re mine.”
“Did I help?”
“Very much.”
Hearing that, Mullin puffed out her chest proudly. Ilia scowled and puffed her cheeks.
“Let’s have a contest, Mullin. Who finds more suitable artifacts for the princess’s tea party!”
She jumped up, and Mullin stood up quickly, excusing herself to leave with Ilia.
Watching them disappear, I chuckled quietly.
‘I hope they keep this up.’
Things I never dreamed of before kept happening. My heart felt happy, but anxiety also stirred, so I forced a smile and looked away.
Time passed.
The day of my first tea party arrived.
Carriages engraved with family emblems passed the palace. Watching them, I stood in front of the mirror to check my appearance again.
Mullin quietly
entered the room and said,
“The Empress’s invitation has arrived, Princess. She said she will attend.”
I was a little surprised.
“Oh, please invite her to sit next to me.”
Mullin bowed and left the room.
‘It’s the first time she’s been so kind.’
The thought crossed my mind as I smiled faintly.
