“She disappeared.”

“…Disappeared?”

Cheston opened his eyes while holding his throbbing head. He gave Aaron a look of incomprehension at his words.

“She shouldn’t have anywhere to go. It seems there’s something the informant is hiding.”

“I’ll go check.”

“There’s no need. The informant won’t give out information, and we can’t reveal our identities, so leave it be.”

Cheston took in the garden of the annex with his eyes. That woman had been on his mind since they first met, and now she’s disappeared when she rarely even left the house?

It was strange indeed. But if Aaron started to move, things would escalate, so he couldn’t act rashly.

‘She really is troublesome.’

He pressed his fingers firmly between his brows and shook his head.

“What about the whereabouts of the herb?”

“We’re looking into it. It might be possible to cultivate it.”

“Then we no longer need the tribute girl.”

All they needed was to obtain the Bellonia herb. Since Aaron was searching for the herb’s whereabouts, he no longer needed to maintain contact with her. But why was she still lingering in his mind?

“Oh, and the butler at the Orlean mansion has been fired. A new butler request came in, and a new person entered the mansion, hired by none other than Whitney Belle Orlean.”

“Interesting.”

Cheston became curious about Whitney’s future actions. But even that was no longer of concern to him. He would see her at the debutante ball, so it wouldn’t be too late to ask questions then.

Whitney felt the reality of going to the palace when she saw the splendid dress. The informant said they had hired and sent a butler to the duke’s mansion.

‘They agreed to inform me about the situation at the Orlean mansion on the same day every week, so it should be the day after tomorrow.’

The moment she goes to the palace, the story will spread through social circles. Perhaps rumors will circulate that the star of the debutante has been decided.

The possibility of her aunt’s influence couldn’t be ruled out either. Maybe the queen was trying to gain something through the Rubeness family.

Whitney wanted to go to the palace quickly. Only then could she meet His Highness Prince Cheston. Her sole reason for going to the palace was to meet Cheston.

Unable to ride in the Rubeness family’s carriage, she boarded a public one. Though she didn’t have many good memories of the palace, meeting the queen might reveal what she was thinking.

‘The incident with Karl occurred after the royal banquet, so they must have been planning something from before.’

To drive her own son to the edge of a cliff meant she was equally driven to desperation. What could have happened to make the queen so hasty?

Whitney gazed out the window during the journey to the palace. Perhaps she would even encounter Prince Karl.

Standing in front of the castle of the Kingdom of Leowen, Whitney carefully alighted from the carriage. She had thought about what expression to wear when meeting the queen throughout the journey, but she wasn’t confident she could maintain an unnatural expression.

‘Just act natural.’

Whitney carefully entered the castle, following the guide. Inside the castle of the Kingdom of Leowen, she headed towards the Diamond Palace, gifted by the king to the queen.

As she carefully entered, red roses were in full bloom in the garden. Despite the strong fragrance that made her furrow her brow, Whitney maintained her composure. As she went deeper inside, a magnificent garden unlike anything she had seen before came into view.

It was quite different from the courtyard of the main palace she had seen before her death.

But if there was one thing that remained the same, it was the lonely appearance of the palace.

The fountain made of jewels sparkled in the sunlight, and fish swam in the water that looked like a lake. Life overflowed everywhere, yet the palace remained merely splendid.

Whitney walked carefully towards where the queen was, looking ahead.

Behind the table, she saw the figure of a lady-in-waiting holding a large parasol. She was drinking tea with an elegant posture, watching Whitney.

“Welcome, Whitney Belle Orlean.”

“Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty.”

Whitney curtsied, lifting her dress. Thanks to her etiquette teacher, Whitney’s greeting was both elegant and captivating.

‘Oh my. It seems Lady Rubeness has been mentoring quite a decent child.’

Adelaide’s red eyes curved prettily as she welcomed Whitney. Carefully sitting across from the queen, Whitney clasped her hands and slightly lowered her eyes.

It was quite different from the vicious face of the queen she had seen beside the king. How could she forget the queen’s face when she was forced to confess?

The gaze that had stared at her intently and the chilling aura were still vivid, making her fingertips tremble.

“I called you because I was lonely drinking tea alone, so don’t feel too burdened. It’s difficult to have a relaxed cup of tea with someone.”

“Not at all. I’m delighted to have the honor of drinking tea with Your Majesty at the palace.”

Whitney sat at the table. Adelaide’s eyes slowly examined Whitney. She smiled as calmly as possible while conversing with the queen.

“I heard you’re having your debutante soon. I’m looking forward to it. I believe you had an elder sister… Perhaps because she’s not the legitimate heir of the Orleans, there are some noticeable shortcomings. She seems to have some peculiar habits, perhaps from living in the countryside.”

“Is that so? I’ve grown up with her since childhood, so it’s hard for me to distinguish.”

She hadn’t expected there to be someone who would negatively evaluate Melissa. Since everyone liked Melissa, she thought the queen would have taken a liking to her as well.

‘Well, from the queen’s perspective, Melissa wouldn’t be very appealing.’

Whitney, too, had essentially had her rightful position taken by Melissa. Looking at the current queen, it seemed unlikely that Melissa would obtain the position of princess that she desired.

“This is why bloodline is important. I hear you’re the only daughter of the Orlean ducal family? The cake we’ve made this time is delicious, so do try it.”

She nodded. The queen took a sip of tea with a satisfied smile. Whitney lightly scooped up some of the Victorian cake with her fork and put it in her mouth.

‘Wow! It’s so delicious.’

The flavor of the soft buttercream and the fluffy yet dense sponge delighted her palate. Whitney wiped her mouth with a napkin and smiled brightly.

“Thank you for your kind regard. I will strive not to disappoint Your Majesty’s expectations.”

“Yes, I have high hopes for you.”

The queen smiled contentedly as she gazed at Whitney. Just as she seemed about to say something, a lady-in-waiting approached the queen.

“Your Majesty.”

Whitney inwardly sighed with relief. It seemed the uncomfortable time was finally coming to an end.

“Oh dear, what a shame. I had an important engagement afterward and wanted to introduce you to someone, but it seems we’ll have to do it next time.”

“That’s quite alright. I would be happy to respond if you summon me again next time.”

Whitney stood up, lifting the hem of her dress as she curtsied. She carefully left her seat.

Even on her way back, she looked around. Of course, the chances of accidentally meeting Cheston in the queen’s palace were slim. Still, she diligently scanned her surroundings, just in case.

“The garden is quite beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Ah, yes. It seems Her Majesty the Queen indeed has excellent taste. I’ve never seen such a beautiful garden before.”

“It’s a garden that Her Majesty cherishes.”

Whitney nodded and looked around. Although she had thought she might encounter him by chance, she still didn’t meet him.

Suddenly, a woman who resembled Prince Cheston passed by her. The queen’s lady-in-waiting bowed her head slightly in greeting.

‘Could that be Prince Cheston’s mother?’

Whitney turned her head to take in the sight of her. Blue eyes flickered in her vision.

“Don’t be curious. Her Majesty the Queen won’t like it much.”

At the lady-in-waiting’s words, Whitney was certain. Elenia, Prince Cheston’s mother. It seems the queen’s mentioned appointment was time with her.

‘But… this scent.’

Whitney’s head turned once again towards Elenia.

At that moment, her eyes widened. She thought she knew who had taken the Libenia scent.

Only then did she realize how she could turn Prince Cheston’s heart. He wouldn’t want to lose his only mother.

‘I need to go back and cultivate the herb quickly.’

Bellonia was difficult to cultivate and grew slowly. Whitney felt a sense of urgency. It seemed she should always carry the antidote in preparation for the next time she met Prince Cheston.

Surely not. If the queen was feeding Libenia to Elenia?

Whitney clenched her fist. How must Cheston be feeling as he waited for the debutante ball?

She couldn’t even dare to imagine. Whitney hoped that Cheston might appear, even up to the moment she boarded the carriage.

If so, she would at least say something to him first.

“May I take a look around the garden? If I go straight down this path, the carriage should be there, so please don’t worry about me and go ahead.”

“Then I’ll see you next time, Lady Orlean.”

With the lady-in-waiting’s farewell, Whitney nodded lightly and walked out, surveying the garden. As she was walking towards the carriage, someone suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her.