Chapter – 21
“Now that your maid has arrived, how about spending the night in my palace?”
She had slipped away with an innocent face when he tried to detain her, just in case.
And now she had supposedly infiltrated his bedchamber and hidden something there?
Climbed across a slippery rooftop, despite tripping over everything?
All to hide an utterly useless, empty pouch?
Calysion shook his head, thinking it was simply impossible to believe.
“We’ll keep this matter quiet for now. Make sure the servants keep their mouths shut, and continue investigating the pouch.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Then he added a final remark to Marin, who answered without protest.
“I think we’ll have to invite the princess again. Let’s give her plenty of time this time—and observe what exactly she’s trying to do in my palace.”
Around noon, Samuel—sitting across from me at the tea table in my room—asked,
“I believe this is the first time Your Highness has invited a guest to tea. Are you sure it’s all right that I’m the first?”
I widened my eyes and gave him a harmless smile.
“But didn’t you say it would be nice to share secrets together?”
“Huh?”
Samuel froze with his mouth slightly open, then burst out laughing.
He must have remembered what he’d said to me before we parted a few days ago.
“Well then, if we’re sharing secrets,” he continued, lowering his voice,
“next time, perhaps romantic advice would be appropriate.”
He paused before going on.
“I heard you were invited to the Crown Prince’s palace yesterday—and that you returned quite late.”
I was well aware that there were many eyes watching in this palace.
Instead of pretending to be surprised by such an obvious fact, I put on a gloomy expression.
“That’s because I made a terribly foolish mistake at dinner with His Highness.”
“What kind of mistake… did you spill wine or something?”
How did he know?
Samuel caught my flinch immediately and let out an amused sigh.
“Were you that nervous?”
“Y-Yes… a little…”
After all, I had been planning to climb up a flue and sneak into the Crown Prince’s bedchamber.
“May I ask what happened afterward?”
I confessed, pretending to be obedient.
I spilled wine all over myself, ended up shivering from the cold, and Calysion had generously offered me the use of his private bath.
“The problem is, I was so flustered that I burst into tears right in front of him. I’m completely ruined, aren’t I?”
“Y-You cried?”
Samuel echoed, his smile completely gone.
Yes… that part had been a bit excessive.
I’d followed Ratbell’s script because I had no better option, but still—it was over the top.
Yet Samuel soon began laughing again.
“Ha! His Highness must have been quite startled. You may very well be the first outsider ever to use his private bath.”
That big of an incident?
Then I must also have been the first person to climb up from that bath and enter his bedroom, too.
Feeling a headache coming on, I asked cautiously,
“So I really… messed everything up, didn’t I? Should I just give up and return to my homeland?”
Stop me, Samuel.
Please tell me it’s fine—after all, I’m the princess who’s danced with the Crown Prince twice.
Fortunately, Samuel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh my, what a disheartening thing to say. When I see His Highness, I’ll be sure to convey your earnest feelings to him.”
Samuel Hübner, giving me a playful wink, suddenly looked remarkably handsome.
I clasped my hands together and thanked him sincerely.
“Really? You’d do that for me? His Highness said he’d graciously give me another chance, but I don’t even know if that’s true…”
In truth, I believed Calysion.
I was simply using this incident as an excuse to earn the young lord Hübner’s sympathy and move on to the next step.
Kind-hearted Samuel, unaware of my dark intentions, continued comforting me.
“There’s no way His Highness would speak without sincerity. You’re already lovely as you are, Princess—so please don’t be so tense next time.”
Letting out a relieved sigh, I brought up my next worry.
“For my first trip abroad, the Empire might have been too much. And the hunting festival on the final day that everyone’s looking forward to—I’m terrified.”
“Ah, the hunt… yes, that’s understandable. You’ve never even been to a hunting ground, have you?”
“H-Hunting ground?!”
As if I’d ever stepped foot on land someone spent money maintaining.
Well, I’d been to plenty of wild mountains.
Nobles use a dozen hunting dogs to catch a single fox, right?
I could catch a couple of foxes without blinking. As for a bear… maybe two fingers would do?
But bears stink as much as they’re big…
Ugh. The cost-effectiveness is terrible.
To look frightened, I imagined the smell of a bear’s crown and gasped dramatically.
“I’ve truly never been there—not even in my dreams!”
Samuel nodded gravely.
“Actually, the men participating in the hunt are allowed to hold rehearsal sessions beforehand.”
I widened my eyes as if hearing this for the first time.
“Oh my, really?”
The corner of Samuel’s mouth curled upward.
“Then how about accompanying me to my rehearsal?”
Yes—that’s it.
If Nina is the light of my life in the imperial palace, then you, sir, are salt.
“My goodness, that would be such a tremendous help!”
I kept my eyes wide open for a long time, desperately trying to squeeze out tears of gratitude—but failed, as expected.
Still, the gentle friend of the Crown Prince merely smiled warmly.
“It would be my honor, Your Highness. Let us meet in four days.”
I waited eagerly, but the commission report still hadn’t arrived the next morning.
Using my craving for rose candy as an excuse, I decided to visit Princess Alexandra’s path with Nina.
It had almost been a week since I’d last sent word to Raphael, and I hoped he might have finished investigating the leather pouch by now.
I felt guilty for using Nina as a shield yet again, but if something went wrong, her innocence would make for a perfect alibi.
Seated across from me in the carriage, Nina—unaware of my scheming—whispered excitedly,
“Things are going well with His Highness, right? I was dying to hear the details when I heard you didn’t return to the main palace until the middle of the night!”
Seeing her cheeks flush as if it were her own romance, I swallowed a sigh.
Then I repeated the same story I’d told Samuel.
Nina’s reaction was explosive.
“What?! You b-bathed at His Highness’s palace? Oh my, oh my goodness!”
She was nearly loud enough for the coachman to hear, so I quickly raised a finger to my lips.
“Shh! This is serious. I behaved so thoughtlessly. His Highness didn’t even come near the bath. He must be disappointed in me.”
“Oh, come on.”
Nina’s emerald eyes sparkled as she asked,
“Did you show him your slightly wet hair? Or maybe your clothes clung to your body because of the wine?”
This girl—she’s barely out of diapers.
“My hair was wet, but that doesn’t mean I could stay the night at the Crown Prince’s palace just because he suggested it. That could cause a diplomatic incident…”
“W-Wait—he asked you to stay? Really?”
Nina burst into laughter.
“Is… is that really so funny?”
When I asked, confused, Nina waved her hands.
“No, not funny at all. But wow—His Highness really doesn’t miss an opportunity, just like the rumors say. If it were Vivian Hillaise, she’d have pretended to faint just to stay the night!”
“…Seriously?”
Maybe I should have.
Naive, prejudiced, and foolishly inexperienced, I ended up regretting it only after everything was long over.
