Chapter 13
“Isn’t This a Royal Invitation?”
The seal on the front of the envelope bore the emblem of the imperial family. Even when I turned it over, the emblem remained unmistakable. I quickly turned to look at my sister, who was smiling faintly.
“It’s from the Sixth Prince. He sent it to you.”
“The Sixth Prince…?”
“The prince we met at the Duke’s residence.”
I recalled his golden hair that shone like the summer sun and his green eyes reminiscent of the vast summer fields. I couldn’t remember his name, though the prince looked like a character straight out of a myth. His face, however, remained vivid in my mind.
“So he was the Sixth Prince.”
Though I was seeing his face for the first time in person, I had read his name in the newspapers before. It wasn’t good news—the obituary had reported that he had died a month before my own death. And that he had been poisoned. I remembered it clearly because the headline had been blunt: “Sixth Prince Poisoned!”
The thought that the prince who had died so tragically in the past was now alive and had even sent me an invitation felt strange.
“Why would the prince send me an invitation?” I asked.
“He wants to apologize for pushing you away as if you were a thief, even though he barely knows you.”
“Ah, I see.”
What a pointless gesture. I looked down at the invitation again. Judging by his height and build, he seemed a couple of years older than me. Since he was still a child, I supposed he could focus on trivial matters like this.
“Do you want to read it?” my sister asked.
“Yes!”
Following her suggestion, I tore open the envelope and took out the letter. Written in the prince’s own large, uneven handwriting typical of a child, it said he wished to apologize and invited me to the royal palace.
‘Impressive.’
Even knowing I was an illegitimate child, he had the audacity to invite me to the palace. Was it because he was still a child? Surely, everyone in society knew I was illegitimate, yet here he was, inviting me to the royal palace.
‘Didn’t his nanny oppose it?’
I remembered the nanny who had despised me for being a child born out of wedlock and tilted my head. What if I went there and was scolded like before?
“Hmm.”
I hesitated with the invitation in my hands. My sister immediately noticed my unease and tilted her head toward me.
“Why, Kati. You don’t really want to go?”
“I… I guess I feel a bit that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I might hear something unpleasant if I go to the palace.”
I tried to skirt around my words, but my sister understood perfectly. Her expression darkened in an instant.
“Catarina, if anyone says anything bad to you, I won’t let it slide. I’ll be there with you, so don’t worry.”
“Sis…”
“Since the prince invited you, why not go? You’ve never been to the palace, right?”
“Have you been?”
“No, I haven’t either, so I thought I’d take this chance.”
My sister winked playfully. Her supportive words gave me the courage to nod.
Yes, if anyone says anything, I can just respond. It’s better for me to be active in society as the daughter of a count than to hide as an illegitimate child. Legally, I was registered as a member of the Count’s family, so there was nothing to worry about.
‘Alright, let’s go!’
I wrote my reply, accepting the prince’s invitation to the royal palace. Surely he wouldn’t try to… roast me like a marshmallow. I also secretly sent a letter about the schedule to the Duke, in case he needed to know. Not everyone could enter the palace, but since the Duke was the emperor’s nephew, I thought it wouldn’t hurt.
I glanced at my sister’s handkerchief, which might come in handy for a romantic scene at the palace. After all, the royal palace, completed over decades, was famous for its beauty. If my sister gave the handkerchief to the Duke there, the atmosphere would surely be even more romantic.
The day I accepted the Sixth Prince’s invitation to the royal palace, Claire woke me early to begin preparations. She carefully combed and styled my hair. I watched in fascination as she rolled my hair into neat, round coils. Using a ribbon with bells, she skillfully secured it.
I wore a lavender dress—not overly ornate, with a frilled bodice and ruffled hem, giving it a cute charm. The deep violet of my eyes matched well with the color of the dress.
I spun in front of the mirror. The twin coil hairstyle with the bell ribbons looked surprisingly cute, and I thought: Good thing I’m six. Imagine doing this at eighteen!
Claire praised me, thumbs up:
“You’re so cute, like a tiny fairy popping out of a purple rose.”
Then my sister also complimented me, tugging at my cheeks playfully.
“What if someone kidnaps you because you’re so cute?”
“Me? That won’t happen.”
“You look like a little angel fallen from the sky.”
My cheeks flushed with shyness. My sister hugged me tightly. It was a little suffocating, but I didn’t mind. My sister wore a lavender dress too, but it suited her even better. Her delicate neck and shoulders were revealed, with layered frills at the skirt’s hem.
“You look really beautiful today,” I complimented sincerely.
“Thank you, Kati. Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
We held hands and walked to the waiting carriage. It departed past the clock tower toward the royal palace. Inside the palace, massive, harmonious buildings rose higher than the Duke’s residence. White exteriors were adorned with delicate carvings; the arched spires were painted in the imperial blue.
At the entrance, armored guards stopped our carriage. One tapped the window with a long spear.
“State your family and reason for visit.”
“We are from the Rils family, invited by the Sixth Prince,” my sister replied, showing the invitation.
After confirming the seal, the guard bowed: “Thank you for your cooperation. You may enter.”
The carriage passed the first gate and stopped before the second. Typically, outside carriages could only reach the first gate; beyond that, one had to walk.
“Misses of the Rils family?”
A maid approached as we stepped down. She was from the Sixth Prince’s southern palace.
“I will guide you. Please follow me.”
Holding my sister’s hand, I followed the polite, smiling maid along a corridor lined with white marble columns.
“It’s quite a walk, isn’t it, sis?” I whispered.
“The Sixth Prince resides in the southern palace, far from the main palace, since he is the son of the Third Princess Consort,” my sister whispered back.
I recalled reading that the Third Princess Consort was the Sixth Prince’s mother. The news article had been about her attending his funeral alone: “Unfortunate Sixth Prince, Only Third Princess Consort Attends Funeral”.
Feeling a strange sense of empathy, I realized the Sixth Prince was naturally marginalized by the emperor’s favoritism. The emperor adored the children of the first and second consorts, but the Sixth Prince was ignored, living in a remote palace.
‘It feels like I live alone on the third floor,’ I thought. From birth, I had lived alone on the third floor of our residence.
The southern palace wasn’t extravagant but had a cozy, homely feel.
“Please enter. The prince and princess consort are waiting inside,” the maid said.
Prince and… who?
I glanced at my sister, equally surprised. Having the mother present at a son’s apology seemed unusual. I feared it might not be for a good reason.
“Let’s go, sis.”
I held my sister’s slightly stiff hand. She relaxed and smiled. The maid knocked, announcing our arrival.
Inside, I saw a mother and son seated on light green sofas, looking at us intently.
I realized where the Sixth Prince inherited his stunning appearance. His mother, the Third Princess Consort, had golden hair and fresh green eyes, like him. She wore a deep green dress adorned with gold embroidery, elegant and refined, with bare shoulders and a delicate neckline.
I had never seen anyone as beautiful as my sister before.
“Greetings, Third Princess Consort and Sixth Prince. I am Lacy Rils of the Rils family,” my sister said, holding my hand briefly and curtsying.
“I am Catarina Rils. Thank you for inviting us.”
I followed my sister’s lead, bowing slightly. We nervously waited, prepared for any potential hostility. But soon, we heard a kind and gentle laugh.
