Chapter 87
It was the second day of the Harvest Festival.
Those who had drunk heavily the night before were starting to come to their senses one by one by the afternoon. I didn’t like alcohol, so I had woken up a bit earlier than them.
“Lady Sera, I will help you get dressed.”
Since I was staying at the Schweiden estate during the festival, I changed into my dress with the help of the duke’s maids. It was a good thing I had moved the dress Rebella had made for me here in advance.
“Sera, are you in there?”
I was feeling dazed as my makeup was being done when I heard Angela’s voice outside the door.
“I have to leave early, so I’ll head out first. Be careful coming later with Corbin.”
“Yes! Don’t worry and go on ahead!”
I answered in a spirited voice during a brief pause in the maids’ hands. Then Angela, whom I thought had already left, spoke again.
“Today’s Hanov lady’s banquet… it’ll definitely be splendid, right?”
“Huh? Um….”
While I hesitated, unsure what to say, Angela continued.
“She’s famous for her beauty. I’m sure she decorated her banquet just as beautifully.”
The current score was one to one. The winner of this round would be the true victor. That was why Angela’s voice was trembling with tension.
“…If I lose this contest, what should I do?”
“……”
Losing the contest meant stepping down from the position of crown princess. Regardless of any resentment toward the imperial family, for Angela—who had lived her whole life as the crown prince’s fiancée—it could only be confusing.
Losing her immediate goal, having the path she thought would continue forever suddenly cut off, left with nowhere to go.
She was surely terrified and anxious.
“…It’s okay.”
I knew that feeling well. Standing up from the vanity chair, I walked to the door. Imagining Angela standing on the other side, I placed my hand against the closed door.
“Even if you lose, Lady Angela, you can always start again.”
This contest wasn’t just about winning—it was an opportunity to show Angela’s abilities. The skills of the woman who had seemed like nothing more than a villainess were outstanding; she wouldn’t be lacking even if she were granted a title right now.
“You have me, you have the young duke… and you have business skills too. It’s okay to stumble for a bit. You can just soar again.”
“But… I’m already old, and….”
“What?”
I was momentarily flustered by Angela’s reply. She was only twenty-two. What did she mean she was old?!
“What are you talking about?! Lady Angela, you’re not old at all! You could start elementary school right now—ah, no. Anyway!”
I almost blurted out, “You could start elementary school now and still graduate from college before forty,” but hurriedly shut my mouth. Saying that would practically be confessing I was a transmigrator. Anyway, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Anyway… you’re still completely young and full of energy, so don’t worry about that. Got it?”
“……”
For some reason, Angela didn’t answer. For a moment I thought she’d already left. After a long pause, she finally replied in a small voice.
“…Okay.”
She didn’t sound fully convinced, but since she said okay, there wasn’t much more to say.
She’s not thinking I’m a transmigrator, is she?
Feeling oddly uneasy, I sat back down in front of the vanity. My reflection gradually turned into a look befitting a banquet. When I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again, the preparations were complete.
“It’s about time to get ready to depart.”
Not long after, Corbin came to say that.
On the way to the imperial palace with him, I sank briefly into thought. Who was more desperate to win this contest?
Angela had coated the entire banquet hall in gold for the third round. People admired it as befitting Schweiden’s wealth, but even for Angela it had been a bold decision.
She had used more than half of her personal fortune to prepare all that gold.
I suppose we’ll see Charlotte’s desperation at today’s banquet too.
Soon, the palace building came into view. But something was different from yesterday.
“That dome is….”
Charlotte’s banquet hall was behind the annex where Angela’s banquet had been held.
Up until yesterday, the entire building had been covered with tarps to prevent spoilers, but now the time had come and the coverings had been removed.
What was revealed, however, was startling. The roof of the perfectly fine palace had disappeared.
“…It’s been replaced with glass.”
Corbin muttered after confirming the change.
In place of the vanished roof was a dome made of glass. Inside it, shimmering light and white flowers could be glimpsed.
Corbin and I hurried into the palace to properly check Charlotte’s banquet hall.
“…Wow.”
The moment I stepped inside, a small exclamation slipped out of me.
The golden banquet hall had been another world, but Charlotte’s stage today was also another world in a different sense.
Faint starlight filtered through the glass dome. Chandeliers hung here and there, but they couldn’t compare to the stars of the night sky. Because of that, people entering the hall instinctively looked up at the ceiling, spellbound.
If the golden banquet hall had been a place to flaunt imperial splendor, this was like a secret garden for savoring the night and nature. A cozy retreat for guests, a playground where tree spirits secretly danced.
What snapped me out of my daze was a white butterfly. I couldn’t tell whether it was a real living butterfly or a creature made by magic, but the fluttering trail of its wings looked real.
The butterfly, flying freely among the white flowers decorating the hall, hid itself in an oak tree at the center of the ballroom.
“An oak tree…?”
I approached, puzzled when I noticed it. It wasn’t particularly beautiful, nor did it suit the place. It might create a greenhouse-like atmosphere, but it seemed like it would get in the way of dancing.
I couldn’t understand why they had transplanted an oak tree here.
That was, until I heard the crown prince’s exclamation.
“Oho…! So this is Charlotte’s banquet hall…!”
A man’s voice sounded behind me. Startled, I turned around and saw Deverick, who looked as though he had just arrived.
There was no way to hide like last time, so I quickly stepped back and bowed my head.
“Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Those in the hall said in unison.
Deverick seemed not to hear the greetings and walked straight toward the tree. I lifted my head slightly to observe him.
“The oak tree is my favorite tree.”
He said suddenly. He stroked a branch heavy with acorns with an affectionate, dreamlike expression.
“There’s a dense oak forest on the outskirts of the capital. When I’m weary from the affairs of the empire, I sometimes go there to rest. And this banquet hall… it’s as if that nature itself has been brought here.”
“……”
Everyone listened blankly to the crown prince’s words. Among them were even the judges of the contest.
Of course, pleasing the crown prince wouldn’t completely determine the judging. But was it really a coincidence that Charlotte’s stage perfectly matched his tastes?
There was no way. This was a game world governed by a system. A place where coincidence wasn’t allowed.
In other words, Charlotte had clearly used some kind of trick.
“…Is she playing around with the contest?”
Corbin muttered resentfully, his head lowered. Just as I was about to say something, the hall suddenly stirred.
Had something incredible happened? I reflexively lifted my head.
“……”
A woman appeared from behind the oak tree.
With laurel decorations in her hair and a light green dress that fluttered gently like a nymph’s, the woman faced the crown prince across the tree.
At first, I truly thought a forest fairy had appeared. But this was a being even more beautiful than a fairy—Charlotte Hanov.
“…Your Highness the Crown Prince…!”
Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected encounter, then soon curved into a gentle smile.
“Thank you so much for coming to my banquet…! Please relax and enjoy it with me today…!”
In that moment, everyone knew.
The winner of this contest would be Charlotte.
