~Chapter 61~
“Shh. Lower your voice. What if someone hears you?”
Well, I’m already listening. I held my breath to stay unnoticed.
“Since the princess is here, she probably didn’t want to stand out.”
I casually looked around the cruise ballroom.
‘Sure enough, all the important figures from the capital are here, but the queen is missing.’
It might be more accurate to say she couldn’t come rather than didn’t come.
It was widely known that the relationship between Crown Prince Reyester, the new queen, and his half-sister, Princess Dalen, was complicated.
Even someone like me, who isn’t much of a socialite, knew about it.
Reyester’s position had been slowly slipping since Princess Dalen entered the social scene in the capital.
The new queen, instead of trying to win over the old nobility, had been cultivating new factions for a long time. And when Dalen came of age, her influence started to shine.
Plus, the king had subtly started supporting Dalen, which must’ve caused Reyester a lot of stress.
‘Hmm, now I understand where Reyester’s bad attitude comes from.’
He must have been fighting invisible battles his whole life, which is probably why his temper is so bad.
‘By the way, the princess is here? That’s unexpected.’
Today’s cruise banquet was mainly attended by old nobility, Reyester’s supporters.
There were some people who were on Dalen’s side, but they were few and far between.
‘Hmm, maybe the princess boarded the ship to stop her people from leaving?’
Or maybe she had another reason?
Either way, it wasn’t my problem.
Although I had worked in the royal palace for quite a while, I didn’t really know much about Princess Dalen.
She hadn’t been very prominent until now, and with all the projects and Reyester’s harassment, I hadn’t had the energy to pay attention.
‘If it becomes known that I’m siding with Reyester, Dalen’s side might try to block me…’
I felt a little uneasy and took a sip of water from my glass.
“Are you feeling seasick?”
A clear voice came from behind me.
I turned around without thinking and almost spat out my water. The person we had been talking about was standing right there.
“Cough, oh, hello, Princess…!”
“Nice to meet you, Lady Relshiz.”
Princess Dalen Rom Edelheim.
The beautiful princess, who was the half-sister of Reyester, greeted me with a formal smile.
She had light blonde hair, almost the color of gold, and pale pink eyes, making her strikingly beautiful.
I was nervous, since this was the first time I had seen her up close. Her smile, which hid her inner thoughts, seemed to say that she was planning to continue the conversation and stepped closer to me.
“I’ve never run into you while at the palace, but here we are.”
“I… I’m honored to meet you.”
“You contributed to the creation of this ship, right? That’s amazing. Did you have a talent for magic since you were young?”
“Yes…”
The princess, despite just having come of age, was far more mature than others her age—maybe even more than me.
“What’s it like working in the palace? Is it difficult?”
“I haven’t had any problems, really.”
I couldn’t tell what her intentions were, so I answered carefully.
Meanwhile, it seemed that people around us were starting to notice the princess. The room became noticeably quieter, and the eyes of many began to turn toward us.
Whether she was naive or doing this on purpose, the princess didn’t move from her spot.
“I heard that you were the one who solved the rift in the capital. Is that true?”
“Oh, yes. That’s correct.”
“Hmm.”
Dalen gave me a long look, as if she was waiting for me to continue.
“The rift in the capital was caused by the clock tower…”
The conversation went on longer than I had hoped. The more I talked, the more I could feel sweat building up on my body. I realized that I shouldn’t let Reyester see me in this situation.
‘If he thinks I’m going to side with the princess…’
At that moment, the door to the banquet hall opened, and Reyester appeared.
‘Wow.’
Reyester was always fashionable, but today he looked even more impressive. His golden hair was braided low, and the jewelry adorning his body sparkled under the light, making him look unbelievably elegant.
As expected, the crowd immediately gathered around him, just as if it had been planned.
“Ah, my older brother is here.”
Next to me, Princess Dalen watched this scene with the eyes of an audience member. Her gaze didn’t show any particular emotion.
It was eerie how she could hide her feelings while staring at the silence. It gave me a chill.
Soon enough, Reyester noticed us and began walking over. As he approached, everyone in the room turned their attention to us.
‘No, why is he coming over? Don’t come!’
But despite my inner protests, Reyester had already reached us, and the scent of his high-class perfume hit me.
“Lady Relshiz, are you enjoying the party?”
“Yes, well…”
Reyester smiled and took a wine glass from a passing waiter. As he swirled it, the red liquid spun in the glass.
“I heard you’ve been cooped up in your room for the past three days.”
“…I had seasickness.”
“I see. Did you take any medicine?”
“I did.”
“Ah, I see. Looks like it didn’t work.”
Reyester ignored Dalen for a moment, acting as though she wasn’t there, and then finally looked at her.
Princess Dalen greeted him with a late, polite smile.
“Good evening, brother.”
“Yeah, Dalen. Are you enjoying the banquet?”
“Of course. I didn’t realize I’d enjoy it this much on a ship.”
“It’s all thanks to Lady Relshiz.”
I looked from Dalen to Reyester. Their conversation seemed so normal that it was almost unsettling.
Then Reyester turned back to me.
“So, how does it feel to be on board? This is the result of a project you were involved in.”
I glanced around briefly, checking the situation.
The glasses on the table wobbled slightly, and while the nobles were dancing, they didn’t seem uncomfortable.
“It’s… not bad. It would be nice if the ship’s swaying could be reduced, but with the current technology, I don’t think we can manage that.”
“Ah, I see. People like you who get seasick must find it difficult.”
He took a sip of his wine.
He seemed to be in a good mood, or perhaps pretending to be.
“As you know, I’ll be announcing at this event that you contributed to the ship’s design. If there’s any project you’d like to introduce, feel free to mention it.”
It seemed like he was genuinely trying to flatter me. If that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to praise me like this.
Princess Dalen, in a quiet voice, spoke while glancing between us.
“I thought you and Lord Relshiz weren’t that close?”
“Well, I guess not.”
Reyester interrupted Dalen and responded.
“But that’s changed. As we kept talking, I realized we have a lot in common. Right?”
“Yes…”
It wasn’t really a conversation. He probably just threatened me.
Trying to hide my discomfort, I forced a smile, but Dalen’s expression grew cold.
“You should be careful, brother.”
It was a warning. Suddenly, the smile disappeared from Reyester’s face.
“What do you mean?”
“The people who don’t like this gathering.”
Reyester’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“Then what do you think, Dalen?”
His piercing blue eyes locked on her.
“I’m most curious about your opinion. Do you like it?”
I felt my breath catch as I overheard their conversation.
At that moment, the music changed to a livelier rhythm, a sharp contrast to the tense atmosphere.
“…The music has changed. I think my partner is waiting, so I’ll leave now.”
Princess Dalen didn’t answer Reyester. Instead, she smiled and gracefully walked away.
Her warning, surprisingly, turned into reality that night.
