On the day of the princess’s invitation.
Since there was still some time before Ester’s tea party, I decided to accept the princess’s invitation. Of course, even if the dates hadn’t overlapped, I wouldn’t have been able to decline her invitation.
At least it was lucky that the dates of the invitations were different.
“Everyone says the princess is truly beautiful… I wanted to see her for myself.”
Lily let out a slight sigh, looking a bit disappointed. I, too, would have liked to bring her along, but it wasn’t possible.
“It’s a private invitation, after all. There’s nothing we can do.”
It wasn’t a formal banquet or anything like that; it was really a personal invitation.
When you take into account that they even provided a disguised carriage to avoid drawing attention, it must be quite an important matter.
But did the princess have any reason to send such an important invitation to me?
The only thing I could think of was that she seemed to have some kind of acquaintance with Abel.
I remembered how they had a private conversation when Abel returned to the ball for the first time.
Though I noticed this incident, I never mentioned it aloud as Abel also didn’t seem to favor her.
“Alright! It’s done!”
Saying so, Lily, satisfied with her work, proudly showed me the mirror. The reflection of a beautiful noblewoman greeted me.
Even without makeup, Lily’s beauty was already something otherworldly, but now with the makeup, it was beyond words.
I already knew Lily was skilled, but every time I see her work, I can’t help but be amazed.
“You look gorgeous. Thank you, Lily.”
“Hehe, not at all. I simply brought out Lady Adelle’s natural beauty.”
Blushing at my gratitude, she scratched her head.
“Oh, we’re going to be late. The carriage is already here.”
Saying so, Lily guided me toward the carriage. Perhaps because it was the middle of the night, the street where the carriage waited was eerily quiet.
Why the princess would invite me at such an hour, I couldn’t understand, but…
I’d better go and check it out.
Deciding this, I stepped onto the carriage.
§
“Her Highness, Lady Ester has arrived.”
The maid bowed deeply as she announced.
“Hmm. I see? I suppose I should prepare.”
She tilted her head slightly, looking a bit uneasy, and that made me smile involuntarily.
Even at a glance, it was clear her face was full of discontent, so I didn’t need to read her thoughts to know what she was thinking.
[‘Why such a person…’]
As always, her thoughts slipped into my ears unnoticed. The only special ability bestowed on me as a royal was this one.
Though it might be called a power, the thoughts of people that constantly streamed into my ears whether I wanted them or not were more like a curse.
It was because of this ability that I deliberately chose to be a loner, even in the high society of the aristocracy.
I could vividly sense how their smiling faces and the thoughts in their hearts tore at each other like beasts.
Their human-like appearances and their inward beast-like greed and hatred filled me with disdain.
And so, I had, in fact, severed all human contacts. And now rumors such as “the undying flower” spread about me, which was laughable in its own right.
And if the rumors came from the beasts with human faces, they were inevitably foul and nasty. That’s why I found it much easier to deal with people whose thoughts were transparently acted out.
Yes, for instance, someone like her who stood right before my eyes.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
“Ahh… I apologize. I seem to have failed at managing my expressions again.”
Realizing her blunder, the maid bowed her head quickly.
Even though I didn’t like the palace maids, I wasn’t harsh enough to punish someone for such a minor mistake.
“It’s all right. You can leave now.”
Of all the maids who had served me, she was the only one whose thoughts did not appear in my mind.
That was why I liked how she always tried not to cross the line and maintained her propriety.
[‘Perhaps I should practice my facial expressions’]
While leaning on my thoughts, I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the maid leaving the room.
Even though she managed her expressions, I still read her thoughts, so…
Anyway, she was the fiancée of Abel, wasn’t she?
One of the few people whose thoughts I couldn’t read, and a duke who was plotting to betray the royal family.
Gossip about her being a wicked woman committing only evil acts didn’t concern me at all.
After all, how many rumors from the beasts in high society had any substance to them? The false rumors about me alone were beyond count.
Rather, I was curious as to why Abel considered her a key to his plans.
‘Could she be really worthy of his consideration?’
I sipped my coffee as I sat by the window looking outside.
A monotonous garden where countless white flowers were arranged in perfect military precision came into view.
Not long after, the maid reappeared, causing me to turn my head. She seemed surprised that my clothes hadn’t changed, opening her eyes wide.
“Your Highness, you need to change into your sleeping gown!”
“It doesn’t matter. Please leave me with the young lady.”
“But…”
“Irina von Sarthe.”
Hearing her full name, the maid stiffened on the spot. When I motioned toward the door, Irina quickly bowed and hurried outside.
With trembling hands, she entered again shortly thereafter, leading the young noblewoman.
The woman who entered had raven-black hair and ruby-like crimson eyes, her beauty rivalling my own. A strikingly sharp face met my eyes.
Is this person Adelle von Ester?
“Her Highness, I have brought Lady Ester.”
“Thank you for your hard work. You can leave now.”
“…Yes.”
Irina bowed deeply and promptly left the room. Adelle, who still seemed a bit at a loss regarding the situation, was staring at me vacantly.
As I looked at her, I noticed something strange.
‘I can’t hear any thoughts?’
Indeed, there might be a reason why Abel has taken a liking to her. She appears to be some special kind of human too.
“The little star of the empire greets you.”
Adelle greeted me with an effort to suppress her nerves. Though a bit slow to react, her judgment wasn’t bad.
Still, staying in that posture may cause blisters on her feet.
“Seems uncomfortable. How about sitting on the bed?”
“Ah, no. I couldn’t trouble Your Highness like this…”
“You’ve already troubled me by coming, so it’s fine.”
Saying that, I fiddled with my negligee, causing her to reluctantly take a step forward.
Seated on the large bed at one corner of the spacious room, Adelle seemed intrigued as she glanced around.
“Is the room a bit too large?”
“Yes, it certainly is…”
A room as large as a modest banquet hall—it was the room the emperor gave me to match my royal status, though I wasn’t exactly fond of it.
“How is the contractual marriage life?”
“Not bad… right?”
Adelle, seemingly about to answer reflexively, hesitated, causing me to chuckle a bit at her slightly vacant expression.
“Ah, so it really is a contractual marriage?”
To think you’d answer such an exploratory question so easily. Shocked by my words, she was now sweating cold sweat.
“That’s…”
“Hehe. It was just a joke, a joke! Abel had already told me everything.”
Which wasn’t exactly a joke.
In fact, it was more like a test for Adelle—to see if she truly was the key to the plan as Abel had claimed.
“Is that so?”
“Why do you think I summoned you?”
“I don’t know.”
Shaking her head, Adelle responded. Unlike the relaxed atmosphere just moments ago, she now clearly guarded herself.
“You don’t know much about Abel, do you?”
“No. I’ve already heard enough from him.”
Not willing to delve deeper, I see. Though it wasn’t a perfect score, it wasn’t bad enough for failure either. Of course, all these tests were just supplementary issues.
There was something else I wanted to test her on the most.
“Hmm… What do you think of Abel?”
“Must I really say?”
“Oh? Did I offend you?”
Saying this and laughing, Adelle’s guardedness didn’t ease.
“How about I tell you something about Abel?”
My expression hardened slightly as I spoke. Adelle brushed her arm lightly. She was trying to hide it, but she was definitely shaken by my question just now.
Apparently, Abel hadn’t told her anything, as I suspected.
“Abel plans to overthrow the royal family.”
“…What? What do you mean?”
Doubting if she had heard right, Adelle echoed my words. Given how she only knew his public activities, it was something she would never have dreamed of.
Because Abel’s planned betrayal was as discreet and silent as anything could be.
“I’m serious. And I, too, am on Abel’s side.”
Surprisingly confronted with such shocking information, Adelle frowned. She looked quite confused, unable to easily accept my words.
Of course, her reaction to this kind of information wasn’t important. What mattered was her answer to the question I was about to ask.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Are you truly on Abel’s side?”
