A few days before Floria’s royal wedding, congratulatory envoys from various countries began to arrive one after another.

Thanks to this, not only the main palace but also the second prince’s palace were busy welcoming guests.

Among them, the guest that made both Floria and me most nervous was Princess Isola Blackbrick of Etra.

Arriving last among the envoys, she was a stunning beauty with black hair flowing down to her waist.

When the first prince came out to greet her upon arrival, their marriage became almost a fait accompli.

However, he still wore a mask and did not say a single word to the princess. It was a rude attitude, but the princess seemed not to mind.

Among the congratulatory envoys, only Princess Isola was invited to the royals’ dinner.

Floria was putting more effort into her appearance than usual, trying not to be overshadowed by Isola’s beauty.

“One moment, Your Highness. It would be best not to wear perfume today.”

I grabbed Shana’s hand just as she was about to spray perfume on Floria.

“Why is that, elder sister?”

Floria asked, looking at me through the mirror.

“I heard that the Etra Kingdom is currently in national mourning due to the passing of the former queen. Usually, it is customary not to participate in events of other countries during the mourning period. Nevertheless, Princess Isola has come to celebrate the royal wedding, so we must avoid creating any reason for criticism.”

“How is wearing perfume a fault?”

Shana retorted, displeased as she brushed off my hand.

“I’ve heard that the Etra Kingdom does not use anything with a noticeable scent during national mourning. So if you attend the dinner wearing perfume, it will surely be seen as an inconsiderate act.”

At my words, Floria glared at Shana. It was a reproachful look, asking how she could try to spray perfume without knowing such a thing. Shana bit her lip and bowed her head.

“I apologize, Your Highness. I almost made a grave mistake.”

“It’s alright, Shana. You couldn’t have known.”

Floria smiled as if she had never glared at her, then turned her gaze to me.

“Elder sister, how do you know such things?”

Of course, because I read it in the original work. Originally, Floria would have worn perfume alone, unaware of anything, and received stares from everyone. I smiled, feigning ignorance.

“I looked into the Etra Kingdom, thinking there might be something that could help you, Your Highness.”

Floria stared at me for a moment, then dismissed Shana. And she had me accompany her to the dining room. Of course, I wasn’t attending the meal, but doing chores. However, I was curious about the princess, so I readily followed.

Indeed, no one gathered in the dining room gave off any fragrance.

The same went for the queen, who usually wore so much perfume that it stung the nose. When Floria glanced over, I smiled brightly.

“Thank you for personally making the trip here during your national mourning, Princess.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. Of course I had to attend.”

“Is the king of Etra well?”

“Yes. My father asked me to convey his congratulations.”

Dinner proceeded in a peaceful atmosphere. The princess of Etra was not the reckless hothead portrayed in the original work.

I questioned the difference in personality from the original once again and listened attentively to their conversation.

“It’s nice to gather and dine together like this. When the princess marries our Cahirun, this will become a daily occurrence.”

“Your Majesty.”

The queen put down her cutlery and signaled to the king with her eyes.

“She has come to celebrate Eric’s royal wedding. It seems inappropriate to discuss marriage with the first prince at this occasion.”

“What does it matter? We’ll soon be family anyway.”

“Your Majesty.”

Regardless of the queen’s opinion, the king seemed to greatly favor Princess Isola.

Floria pretended not to notice as the king looked over Princess Isola with a pleased expression, while Prince Eric openly displayed his displeasure and tilted his wine glass.

Only Cahirun, the other protagonist of the marriage being discussed, indifferently swirled the water in his glass, as if bored.

Even in the dining room, he did not remove his mask. Naturally, he didn’t touch the food either. That water glass, too, was only being swirled without a single sip.

‘Why is he wearing a mask even here?’

I was disappointed, having been curious about the first prince’s face hidden behind the veil.

Just then, my eyes met the first prince’s. I couldn’t be certain because of the mask, but it seemed his eyes were directed at me. By the time I wondered, his face was already turned forward as before.

‘What was that?’

Blinking, I thought I might have seen wrong. After that, there were no more occasions where our gazes met.

The dinner ended uneventfully. Even when the king urged him to speak with his eyes, the first prince did not utter a single word. Princess Isola also showed no sign of minding.

‘No, it seems she has no interest in the first prince at all?’

Did they marry without any interest in each other, simply because their political interests aligned? Well, it has nothing to do with me.

More than that, I expected a fierce battle of wills between Isola and Floria at the dinner, but surprisingly, there was nothing much.

It must be because it’s the first day. I swallowed the inexplicable disappointment, having thought I would directly witness the vivid energy I felt while reading the original work.

However, it seems a wordless exchange of glances occurred without my notice.

The next day, Isola visited Floria’s room. Instead of the calm demeanor she showed at dinner the previous night, she scanned Floria with a somewhat aggressive attitude.

“Do you have something to say?”

Floria smiled brightly. Isola openly scoffed at that innocent smile that had fooled everyone. Then she crossed her legs, rested her chin on her hand, and leaned forward.

“Lady Floria. I am a good judge of character.”

At Isola’s words, Floria’s face momentarily crumpled.

No matter her status as a princess, Floria was to become the crown princess of this kingdom. Moreover, for someone who had come to celebrate her, Isola’s attitude was quite rude.

“So I recognized it at a glance. The mask you are wearing now. I was curious what kind of person you were, given the considerable rumors, but you are tougher than I expected.”

Floria’s jaw tightened at the sudden confrontation.

“Princess, I ask that you mind your manners.”

Unable to watch any longer, Shana stepped forward, and Isola backed off, shrugging her shoulders.

“Well, regardless of who you are, it has nothing to do with me. But if I really do end up marrying the first prince and coming to this kingdom, I think we’ll have quite an interesting relationship. Don’t you agree?”

Isola laughed as if amused. After she left, having thrown a stone into the calm lake, Floria grabbed me and complained.

“Elder sister, I think Princess Isola dislikes me.”

“Surely not. How could anyone dislike you, Your Highness?”

“You just saw it. Actually, she glared at me throughout dinner last night. I was so scared I could barely swallow my food. We’ll be in close contact if she marries the first prince, so I’m already worried.”

Floria’s intention in bringing this up was clear as day.

Princess Isola was a guest who had come to celebrate the royal wedding, but strictly speaking, it was the second prince’s side that received her as a guest.

This applied not only to her but to all the envoys. Thus, it was also the second prince’s palace’s duty to entertain them.

In other words, Floria’s ulterior motive was for me to stay by Isola’s side and monitor her every move. As always, if she says to do it, I have to do it.

I inwardly sighed and agreed with Floria.

“Actually, I also think Princess Isola has a sinister side to her. I was bothered by how sharply she looked at you, but I didn’t mention it for fear of needlessly worrying you.”

I exclaimed as if a good idea had occurred to me.

“Ah, what if I go to the palace where the envoys are staying? That way, if she’s plotting something, I can immediately inform you, Your Highness.”

“But that’s like spying on her.”

“Your Highness, you need to be firm. How can you be so kind? If Princess Isola really does marry the first prince, she won’t leave you alone.”

Floria nodded at my words and clasped her hands.

“You’re right, elder sister. Then let’s do as you say.”

“Yes, just trust me, Your Highness. Now that it’s come to this, I’ll try my best to find Princess Isola’s weakness and ensure her marriage to the first prince falls through.”

−That’s what I said, but what can I actually do? Since I’m working in the outer palace anyway, I thought I should frequently visit the library to learn about magic.

That is, until Princess Isola sought me out.

“You’re the infamous, wicked stepsister.”

Having seen how she treated Floria, I thought her personality was far from ordinary, but directly facing her was startling.

Moreover, for some reason, unlike when she looked at Floria, her eyes held fondness and curiosity rather than hostility when directed at me.

“I think half of those rumors are nonsense. Won’t you tell me what really happened? I love these dramatic stories.”

What’s with this novel character? I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at Isola, who sparkled her eyes and demanded the truth.

“You dislike the second prince’s wife-to-be, don’t you? Am I right?”

Isola grinned. It seems her claim of being a good judge of character is true after all.