“…I had no choice but to let go of Igraine.”

In terms of personal preferences, it was impossible for Igraine to surpass Aris or for Aris to give up her power over water.

Leaving the detestable Lady Emern aside, letting Aris’ guardian go was also a repayment for guiding her here.

“But now, there won’t be such a thing.”

It seemed that the tumultuous marriage issue was also about to be quietly abandoned.
On the same level as Aris, I would choose Aris, but it was not an option to simply discard Igraine. She was precious. It was genuine.

“The king’s interest in Igraine is temporary. Once the imperial prince returns to the empire, all the issues will be resolved.”

Until then, it was necessary to soothe Igraine’s heart.

With that thought in mind, Hubert securely locked the warehouse door with a padlock.

To prevent anyone from casually peeking into the secrets.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Princess Laratu’s tea party was held. Since Aris also received an invitation, this time, it seemed to be quite a large event.

Honestly, Hubert didn’t want to attend because he was tired, but he decided to participate because he was worried about how Aris would fare in his absence.

While entrusting Jenny with the adornment, he yawned long to chase away the approaching sleep.

For the past few days, searching for clues about Leo, taking care of household chores, preparing for the festival, and not being able to sleep properly had taken a toll on his body, which was now complaining of fatigue.

“You’ve been visiting the temple a lot lately, miss.”

Jenny said as she arranged her hair with a comb.

“Is there something troubling you?”

With closed eyes, he lowered his head. Although he had been visiting every temple he knew to find Leo, there had still been no progress.

“It’s nothing. Just taking a break and getting some fresh air.”

“Phew, that’s a relief! I was worried something had happened again.”

His troubled mind eased a bit at her words. Opening his eyes, he saw Jenny chattering away with a bright face through the mirror.

“Miss, I’ve been feeling incredibly at ease lately.”

“…….”

“When I thought you were going to marry the imperial prince instead of Lady Aris, it felt like the sky was falling. But now, seeing the imperial prince, he doesn’t seem like a monster as I heard. Of course, he’s unusually huge, not at all human-sized.”

“He is quite large.”

Compared to the petite men of the kingdom, Giovanni’s shoulders were about half as wide again. Most men looked like boys when standing next to him.

“Anyway, he seems kind and, thanks to him, the king seems to cherish you even more, miss.”

The king cherishing me? A bitter laugh escaped him.

To Jenny, who had seen me being oppressed in the family, it must have seemed like a heartwarming situation.

“Moreover, Princess Laratu personally sent an invitation. Twice! These days, even Lady Emern can’t mistreat you recklessly.”

“Well, the family’s prestige has increased, so I guess they’re enjoying it.”

The scale of her parties grew day by day, almost reaching the level of high nobility. Since the money spent on hosting the party was coming from the funds he received from the royal family, it spoke volumes.

Of course, it was not a simple matter of handing over money. It was natural. There was no reason to spend his hard-earned money on a noble party full of vanity.

‘If it’s just Lady Emern’s jewelry, well, fine, it’s okay.’

Thinking of the treasures she had collected in my jewelry box, his heart became as generous as the sea.
In Lady Emern’s vault, I filled it with imitation gems obtained from the pawnbroker.

Even to my eyes, they looked quite elaborate, making it difficult to notice they were fake.

“Above all, it’s good that Miss doesn’t get married. Every time the housebound one pretends to be busy and says nasty things, you don’t know how upset I was. Lady Aris doesn’t say unpleasant things either. That’s why Georgia’s nose is now drooping. Her nose, which was this high, has come down like this.”

Jenny laughed heartily, pressing her own nose.

‘Looks like Georgia is the happiest when she’s struggling.’

Jenny, who had been ignored by Georgia after gathering the weak subordinates, was now laughing joyfully. It had been a long time since she had seen her enjoy like this.

‘Cute.’

In the mirror, Hubert met eyes with Jenny and smiled. Jenny also grinned along with me.

I wanted to protect that smile.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Princess Laratu’s tea party was as grand as a formal party, with a large number of attendees.

‘Noble parties are still unfamiliar.’

“That woman… ”

“Oh, my, doesn’t she look better than you heard? She’s tall and quite a beauty.”

“I guess she’s getting support from the palace. She looked even uglier when I saw her before.”

The content they murmured, thinking I couldn’t hear, was quite explicit.

Should I pretend not to hear? Or should I pretend not to know while smiling, saying I haven’t received any such favors?

“I heard she got a personal invitation from the princess, but look, she’s still alone.”

“She’s still a moonflower servant. Nothing to worry about.”

That was true to their words. Since there was no one trying to approach me for a conversation, I was just watching the sponsorship from one corner.

Strictly speaking, my status here was no worse than that of a high noble. However, since there were no nobles who knew what kind of princess I was, I didn’t feel the need to make friends with them.

Unlike me, Arist finally invited to the tea party seemed like a fish in water.