Chapter 75
Black hair with a reddish tint, an elegant yet painfully thin, twig-like figure, and sky-blue eyes resembling Layla’s.
“Layla? How did you get here? Ah, the little sun of the empire….”
“No need for formalities.”
Anasis, the Crown Prince, smiled as if behind a mask and gestured.
“Did Your Highness bring Layla here?”
“No, I brought her. Lady Sibeer Abier.”
The Princess of Weimar spoke coldly to Sibeer, who hadn’t greeted her. It was understandable—no matter how close to the Crown Prince she was, ignoring a princess without a greeting was rude.
“Princess Weimar! Oh my! The two of you really…!”
But the princess’s anger softened slightly as Sibeer acted like a well-behaved dog trying not to fuss.
“My goodness! You two suit each other so well!”
“R-Really?”
The Princess of Weimar smiled unconsciously with delight. Anasis, meanwhile, was looking elsewhere.
“Yes! By the way, thank you for coming with Layla. Our Layla may be a little… lacking, but she’s a kind girl.”
When Sibeer spoke as if entrusting a younger sibling who was somewhat lacking, the princess’s expression turned sour again.
“Layla isn’t lacking. Though our time was short, we became close friends. I think it’s because we are similar in many ways.”
“Ah! What I mean by lacking is in social experience! Layla was sick from childhood and couldn’t often go outside.”
Sibeer tried to smooth things over and glanced at Crown Prince Anasis. Layla thought Sibeer was checking if she wanted the Crown Prince for herself.
But the engagement was already with Sonnet, and the rumors were well known. So when Layla figured this was really just an attempt to link Anasis with Princess Weimar, Sibeer’s eyes returned to their usual coldness.
“I told Layla about things that happen in high society every day. Right, Layla?”
Layla didn’t want to answer, so she just smiled. The Crown Prince raised one corner of his mouth, as if bored with this conversation, and said,
“Your mother is probably waiting, so let’s leave it at that.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Before Sibeer could continue, they moved on.
The tea party was truly extravagant.
Unmarried young ladies and gentlemen were very rare. Most were ministers already holding posts in the royal court, mostly from the noble faction, and a neutral faction friendly to the Empress.
Layla began to observe them carefully. If Rainier were to become Emperor someday, these people would be useless to her as clients, so it would be better to remember and filter them out.
Some things would never change, even if the original story did. One of those was the fact that Rainier would become Emperor.
In the original story, by this time, Rainier’s restoration was already well underway.
It was obvious they had the leisure to come to the Abier Count’s residence. So Rainier’s restoration was not far off.
When Layla thought of Rainier, her face unknowingly flushed. She recalled the face of his, smiling innocently as he revealed his bare skin to her.
She didn’t understand why, but he kept acting seductively toward her. Before, she could easily resist, but since the kiss, it had become difficult.
He said she was his first, but he kissed very well. Every time, it felt as if he was reading her mind, and it was a good feeling.
“Haa…”
Even while apart, she was frustrated that she kept thinking about Rainier, so she deliberately spoke up.
“I wish Sonnet had come too.”
Layla knew Sibeer was lingering around her. She also understood why Sibeer could come here.
Baron Jeren was the aide to Count Abier—Layla’s father. Although an aide, he was striving hard to enter the central nobility, not just perform his aide duties.
Layla’s father was no different.
But to become part of the central nobility, one had to have the right connections. If one sided with the noble faction and the Crown Prince Anasis didn’t become Emperor, all would be swept away.
On the other hand, the Emperor faction had no promoted prince. A few years ago, there was one externally, but none remained now. The current Empress Ramiela had assassinated them all.
The only heirs left were Crown Prince Anasis and Rainier—rumored to be alive but no one had confirmed Rainier’s survival.
So, naturally, more power gathered into the noble faction over time.
Layla understood why her father hadn’t come himself but sent Baron Jeren. If Jeren gained favor with the noble faction first, the Count as his superior could be more easily invited.
Though the Emperor faction was weakening and it was uncertain when they might overturn the situation, her father wanted to keep a foothold with the noble faction and sent his subordinate.
And the Empress intended to use their vanity to lure them to the noble faction under the guise of helping them secure places in the central nobility.
Though the Abier Counts were ordinary among counts, they were still nobles. Rumor had it that Layla’s Mont Salon, which partnered with Crown Prince Lutenberg, was doing very well.
Interest in Layla and her status as a sister combined to let Sibeer come here.
“Sonnet’s been feeling a bit hurt lately, Layla.”
Sibeer came close to Layla again and spoke.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. You’ve been so busy lately that you haven’t met her.”
“I see.”
“She meets me often because of that. We talk a lot about you and spend time together.”
“Really? Actually, we met yesterday.”
Layla’s reply made Sibeer frown. But then she resumed her role as a kind older sister.
“Yes, I know. She saw your little brother, right?”
At that moment, Layla thought of two possibilities. Either Sonnet told Sibeer directly, or Hugo Ronald did.
If the latter, Hugo knew but lied to her. If the former, their relationship was suspicious—telling her older sister before Layla.
“How did you know?”
Layla asked.
“Sonnet had been worrying about this for a very, very long time. I advised her to tell the truth, and after that, she probably told you.”
“I see.”
Layla felt her heart chill strangely.
It was common for people around her to fall for Sibeer. So Layla knew not to get attached to anyone.
Seeing Sonnet swayed by Sibeer didn’t really hurt her much. Though unpleasant.
Why be angry when things were going according to plan?
“Good. If Sonnet gets close to her sister, that’s good for me. We’ll be family anyway.”
Layla’s words made Sibeer smile coldly and glare.
William, sensing the odd tension between them, stayed silent.
Baron Jeren, with his partner Sibeer, was lurking about and didn’t notice.
Princess Weimar, wanting to enjoy Crown Prince Anasis’s company, deliberately took him to a distant place.
Soon, it was time.
“Sorry I’m late, everyone.”
Empress Ramiela arrived at the tea party.
“My work was tough, so I’m late. But I gave it my all because I wanted to see all of you.”
The Empress spoke casually, and the noble and neutral factions around her smiled warmly.
“Thank you all for coming today. I hope my son, Anasis, who is as capable as I am, will take the most rightful place.”
In other words, serve Crown Prince Anasis well until he becomes Emperor. A narcissistic compliment, of course.
“You will help, won’t you?”
Then the head of the zealous noble faction started clapping.
Other nobles joined, the sounds of gloved and bare hands clapping mixing everywhere.
Thus, the tea party began in full swing.
Layla, sitting down, suddenly felt a gaze and turned. Crown Prince Anasis was glaring at her.
She smiled when their eyes met. He frowned more and turned his body toward the princess.
Layla wondered why he acted like that, but now she was overwhelmed enough just dealing with Sibeer beside her.
“Count Bruce, please take good care of our Layla.”
Count Bruce, also a noble faction supporter, was there too. But next to him was not Sonnet, but his wife.
And Count Bruce’s wife hated Layla very much.
“Earlier, Layla said she was so disappointed that Sonnet didn’t come?”
“Ha ha. I see.”
It almost sounded like Count Bruce was telling Layla to leave quickly and hand over her title to Sonnet. After all, this gathering was for the noble faction’s supporters.
Layla quickly responded.
“I get so frustrated if I’m even a little apart from Sonnet lately. I really like her a lot.”
When she said that, Count Bruce’s stiff forced smile softened smoothly.
“Do you like our Sonnet that much?”
“Yes, very much. I’d do anything for Sonnet.”
Layla smiled teasingly, as if provoking Sibeer.
That day, Sibeer had no idea what was about to happen to her.
And that Layla was no longer the foolish, fragile half-sister she once knew.
