Whitney immediately stood up at the princess’s words that she had come to fetch her. The princess who had suddenly arrived while she was reading did not look very pleased either.

“Lady. Her Majesty the Queen arranged this meeting, so I came in person. She was worried that if she sent a maid, those invited might not come.”

“……I’ll get ready right away. I didn’t know Your Highness would come personally.”

“It will probably be like this often. It seems the two of you are uncomfortable with me, isn’t that why?”

Violet asked Whitney as she stroked her lovely pink hair. She raised her hand to stop the maid from dressing her and sat down on the sofa.

“No need to dress up. Just go as you are. The lady doesn’t need to impress Her Majesty the Queen anymore, right?”

“I was taught to be respectful when meeting royal elders. It won’t take long, so please wait a moment.”

“Well, do as you wish.”

The princess asked the maid for tea and stared intently at Whitney’s preparations. Her gaze was so intense that Whitney finally spoke up.

“Does Your Highness have something to say to me?”

“Many things. I’m pondering whether they’re worth saying, so don’t ask me first before I bring it up.”

Whitney nodded and silently accepted the maids’ attentions. At the request to keep it simple, the maids quickly finished dressing her and left the room.

Whitney swallowed hard in the uncomfortable silence filled with uneasy emotions. Then she stood up straight facing the princess who was drinking tea.

‘She must feel betrayed since I expressed interest in Cheston.’

It was understandable. However, royal engagements were not something anyone could control at will, as was the case for everyone. Moreover, Whitney and Cheston’s engagement was merely……

She looked at Violet’s figure before standing in front of her. Whitney could only follow once she moved to speak.

“I didn’t tell you to sit, your legs must not hurt. Then again, living with an elder sister who’s always scheming to drive out her new stepmother, you probably weren’t used to sitting on such sofas.”

“……My legs don’t hurt that much.”

“Right. Isn’t it funny that a noble is used to standing? Come to think of it, you’re quite patient. You must have been through a lot. It’s strange how you seem like you’d endure anything.”

If it was about enduring, she was well-versed. Whitney had endured and endured until now. Above all, she held no grudge against Princess Violet.

“You don’t seem angry either. Well, seeing how you stay quiet without showing any dislike even when someone is openly rude, I guess you are a noble after all.”

As if even more irritated by this, Violet wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up. The lady approached Whitney and, as if nothing had happened, smiled brightly as she took her hand and whispered softly.

“You must know how much trouble your sister has caused me. You might have known but didn’t tell me. Hmm, you probably knew about the engagement to Prince Cheston too…… Look forward to it. I don’t like subordinates acting impudently, but I hate those who pretend to be noble while doing things behind my back even more. Just like you, lady.”

Violet let go of her hand and left the room first.

“What are you doing? We’ll be late because of you, and Her Majesty the Queen is waiting.”

Whitney turned around and followed behind Violet. With each step, her glossy pink hair swayed lovingly. The distance between them made Whitney acutely aware of their differences. Perhaps Violet could be the one to give him wings.

Cheston, standing in front of the detached palace, spotted Violet and Whitney following behind her. Though there wasn’t much time for preparation, Whitney’s dress was neat and tidy. His gaze moved to her ring finger.

‘She’s still wearing it.’

Cheston was about to go straight to Whitney, but he stopped in front of Violet. After paying his respects, he tried to pass by her.

“Prince Cheston. Even if you have a fiancée, you don’t intend to leave me like this again, do you?”

At Violet’s words, Cheston turned his head. He took Violet’s outstretched hand and pretended to kiss it. Whitney saw her body trembling. Imagining her trying hard to smile, Whitney turned her head away.

“My lady. Allow me to escort you.”

Whitney grabbed Cheston’s hand. He smiled faintly and said to Princess Violet:

“Please lead the way, we’ll follow.”

“……Very well.”

The smile that had bloomed on Violet’s face suddenly vanished. With a chilly expression, she walked ahead.

“You didn’t have to go that far.”

“I think it’s better than giving unnecessary room for misunderstanding. Do you want me to be involved with my elder brother’s future fiancée?”

“That’s not it, but… She must have been hurt.”

“Hurt……”

He turned his head and stared at her intently. Whitney’s emotions stirred at his peculiar gaze. Her mouth went dry at the look that seemed to be reproaching her.

“You seem quite sensitive to others’ feelings. Of course, excluding mine.”

“……”

Whitney was confused as to why he was saying this. It seemed he was equally confused about having said it.

“Don’t worry about Princess Violet. What we need to focus on now is the Queen who arranged this meeting.”

“……I will.”

“Becoming insensitive to others’ emotions is how you survive here. Lady Orlean.”

Whitney’s heart ached again at his forced smile.

“I’m sorry. I just……”

“You seem to have a lot to be sorry and apologetic about to me.”

It felt as if what she had said had hurt him. She had no intention whatsoever of hurting him. But strangely, no matter what she said, it wasn’t conveyed as she intended.

So this time too, Whitney chose silence.

Four places were set at the table. However, the Queen who had arranged this meeting was nowhere to be seen. Karl stood up as if he had been waiting and pulled out a chair for Violet to sit.

“……Thank you.”

“It’s only natural for you. The chef made this cake referring to the Petrontra cake you like, so I hope it suits your taste.”

His red eyes curved prettily. His combed hair was neat, and there was no trace of the dishonorable man who had shamed her the other day. The beastly eyes that had looked her up and down lustfully and the lips that had bluntly spoken dirty thoughts were now whispering love to Violet.

‘Even if Your Highness is showing displeasure, you can’t ignore it.’

It would have been better if Melissa and Karl had worked out. Princess Violet was too precious a person for Karl. Perhaps she would end up experiencing things she didn’t need to by getting involved between the two of them.

Whitney turned her gaze away from Karl, who was looking at Violet with loving eyes. Knowing his false love all too well, all his actions came across as pretense.

“It’s excellent. I can see that the chefs of the Leowen Kingdom are skilled, but I miss the food of my country. It’s a bit disappointing that the flavor doesn’t quite match up.”

Violet took a bite of the cake and put down her fork. Karl seemed to ponder for a moment before calling a servant and ordering him to bring a famous chef from Petrontra. Violet’s eyes widened slightly but soon returned to their original size.

“There’s no need for that. I just meant I was homesick, we can’t trouble someone unnecessarily. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Please let me know if you need anything at any time.”

Karl didn’t take his eyes off her. Violet’s gaze kept alternating between her teacup and the cake.

“Elder brother, I feel bad for interrupting your intimate time together.”

“No need to think that way. Mother arranged this meeting. We’ll have to see each other often anyway, right? It would be good if we become comfortable with each other in others’ eyes.”

“I wonder. Can someone who’s going to be in a bad marriage get along well with the sister of the woman he had a scandal with? No matter how broad-minded one should be, I’m worried people might look down on me if I’m this open-minded. Ah, is it because I’m a foreigner that I’m being disrespected?”

“Violet. It was just a simple incident. There’s no way I would have given my heart to a woman who only has a name and won’t even become the head of the Orlean duchy. Moreover, Lady Orlean probably doesn’t get along well with her sister, so you don’t need to worry about her.”

Oh my.

Whitney wanted to shut that loose mouth. If he wanted to make a good impression, it would be better to keep his mouth shut and only whisper words that would melt a woman’s heart. But Karl kept on babbling without stopping.

‘I hope the princess figures out what kind of person Karl is and returns to her home country.’

Whitney lowered her gaze as she sipped her tea. It seemed better not to look at the two of them at all.

“It’s the social season, so she probably tried to seduce me dreaming of social advancement. With all these proposals coming from insignificant families, she must have been desperate, and when she found me drunk after talking about investments, that seductress must have lured me in.”

Karl seemed completely unaware of what he was saying. While it might be fine to speak ill of Melissa, Violet’s face didn’t relax at his words that clearly showed how he thought about women.

With her face crumpled like a sheet of paper, Whitney felt this meeting was like sitting on pins and needles. The Queen must have arranged this meeting to make Violet build hostility towards her. If that happens, even if the Rubeness family and their supporters, along with the Orlean family, lend their strength to Cheston, Violet would obstruct them at every turn, thus dispersing their power.

“Then, Your Highness, are you saying you have no feelings whatsoever for Lady Melissa?”

“Of course not. I have no interest in other women besides you. And the same should apply to you, Violet.”

Karl smiled as he deeply kissed Violet’s hand. Despite his words, Violet couldn’t smile at all. Her sharpened gaze soon turned to Whitney.

“But I heard a strange story. They were whispering that the prince visited Lady Orlean last night… What was that about?”