Chapter 51. Bollonico and Regina

2023.11.20.

After having the pages remove his protective gear, Bollonico immediately sent a letter to the Pelliese Count’s residence.

The recipient was Regina Pelliese.

She was the cousin of the deposed crown princess.

***

Meeting with the First Prince Bollonico was always thrilling.

Bollonico, next in line for the imperial throne and a handsome, unmarried prince, was the most sought-after bachelor in the empire.

If such a Bollonico regularly checked on her well-being and attended informal events alongside her, what would people whisper about?

“The Count’s daughter and the First Prince are seen together unusually often.”

“It seems Pelliese has now fully entered Prince Bollonico’s inner circle.”

“These are times when staying neutral is difficult.”

“Another marriage alliance? I heard the late Count Pelliese’s daughter, though deposed, still managed to tie a bond with the imperial family.”

“They must be becoming loyal supporters of the Emperor’s faction.”

“Would Grand Duke Drietter stay silent? With Grand Duchess Ariesta right there, what exactly is Prince Bollonico thinking?”

“They claim to be close friends, so we should wait and see for now.”

“Still, one can never be too sure. It wouldn’t hurt to get closer early.”

Countless gazes poured onto Regina, who ascended the stairs to the second floor clinging to Bollonico’s arm.

Beside Bollonico, who lightly waved his hand like a stage actor, Regina pondered deeply about what story she should tell today to capture his interest.

The plays Bollonico hosted were special.

Those invited were invariably the closest nobles and their retainers who firmly supported Bollonico as the next emperor.

His secret opera theater was filled with astonishing spectacles—famous actors, lions, bears, and sometimes even a young giraffe brought in through a hole in the ceiling to participate in the performance.

The number of people invited to the private box seats for these plays was extremely limited.

Only someone as close as Marquis Companni regularly attended alongside Bollonico, which made it clear how exclusive it was.

Recently, the person occupying that spot was Regina Pelliese.

“There’s still some time before the play begins. I’ll step out to the ladies’ lounge for a moment.”

Regina walked down the corridor toward the lounge, savoring the whispers and glances of the people around her.

Bollonico was a curious man; the more gossip she brought him, the more interested he became.

The ladies’ lounge was the perfect place to overhear the most intimate and private secrets of the nobility.

Moreover, the attitude of noblewomen who once treated Regina as invisible had subtly changed, now showing signs of welcome—making it far more enjoyable to enter than before.

“What can you do? About her mother being a merchant’s daughter, I mean.”

“Think about the late Count and Countess Pelliese. Even their predecessors. Judging by how different she is from the current Count Pelliese, they must have outsourced everything. That vulgar red hair. That light-footed gait. From behind, she looks no different from a commoner.”

“Still, she is a striking beauty, isn’t she?”

“Have you ever seen Grand Duchess Ariesta? She’s the true paragon of beauty. Regina Pelliese? Until now, I’ve never even heard the name.”

“Have you heard the rumor? That Pelliese’s coffers are overflowing with gold thanks to the new deposed crown princess?”

“Of course. Those who know, know. The Marquis Rev was the first to pay a bride price for her, wasn’t he? Are you jealous?”

Loud laughter leaked from inside the room.

It was the laughter of elderly noblewomen, seasoned society matrons, and the young noble ladies they had brought along.

“What a joke. Jealous? She was sold off. Compared to wasting one’s life living with such a monster, that amount is pitifully small.”

“Still better than Regina Pelliese. How far can the First Prince really go with her? In the end, he’ll have to marry Grand Duchess Ariesta. If she keeps creating scandals with the prince without marrying him, Regina’s reputation will plummet completely.”

“Then who would want to marry the Count’s daughter of Pelliese, who owns no territory? Her value would drop to nothing. She wouldn’t even dream of a bride price like the deposed crown princess received.”

“Oh my. What a pity. How sad for the Pelliese family.”

Regina stood frozen, absorbing the mockery and backbiting seeping through the crack in the door.

Just because tea party invitations flooded in didn’t mean everyone saw Regina’s future as rosy.

‘It’s because of Bollonico.’

Ten years ago, Bollonico had strange rumors surrounding him and Ariesta, the former fiancée of the deposed crown prince.

Much like Regina now, he had paraded her around everywhere like an ornament.

Despite the Grand Duchess being hailed as a beauty who appears once in a hundred years, he remained utterly unfazed by rumors of discord with the deposed crown prince.

When the engagement was finally broken, all the bad rumors fell squarely on Grand Duchess Ariesta.

That she abandoned the crown prince for Bollonico, driven by ambition to become empress one day.

If the strange outcome had been Ariesta becoming the prince’s consort, the rumors might have faded—

‘But Bollonico didn’t do that.’

Unfortunately, Bollonico, despite his age, had no fiancée.

Because of the scandal, Ariesta, the daughter of Grand Duke Drietter, closest ally of the Emperor, had no marriage prospects.

Unlike other women her age, who typically began seeking fiancés around twenty, Ariesta remained secluded in her estate like a flower on a cliff’s edge.

‘I won’t end up like that.’

Ariesta, raised like a greenhouse flower, could never have fully satisfied the endlessly curious Bollonico. But I am different.

Regina bit the inside of her cheek and eventually turned back from the entrance of the lounge to her seat.

The First Prince Bollonico, lounging lazily, gently stroked the parrot beside him and smiled warmly at her return.

“Have you rested enough, Lady Regina?”

The moment Regina sat down, she began recounting amusing stories she had heard at the tea parties she had attended.

Bollonico listened silently, occasionally responding with light interest.

“Haaam—.”

“!”

Regina stiffened completely at that instant—when Bollonico, who had never once shown boredom at her stories before, openly yawned.

The gesture of wiping away non-existent tears made him seem unlike the polite, flawless gentleman who had always treated her with respect.

“Your Highness?”

Bollonico smiled gently at the anxious woman’s eyes.

He savored the look of mingled relief and unease as he whispered:

“Bollonico has no interest in the people around him, Lady Regina. Bollonico is interested in you.”

Regina’s pale cheeks flushed with sudden color.

She didn’t even notice that Bollonico, once so formal, had begun addressing her more casually.

And that look in her eyes—covetous, desiring what belonged to others—flashed at him, unfiltered, for just a brief moment.

Regina Pelliese was brimming with pride, not in the Pelliese name itself, but in her status as the “Count’s” daughter.

A court noble with no territory, with a father too ineffectual to properly engage in politics.

At the corner of Bollonico’s lips, which slid upward smoothly, a touch of mischief began to gather.

“We can stop talking about others now. I think we need more time getting to know each other. What do you think, Lady Regina?”

It was only natural that Regina grew more eager and impatient under Bollonico’s snake-like tongue.

“I want to know more about you and your family, Lady Regina.”

The elegant, slender fingers of the beautiful prince touched the back of Regina’s hand, which tightly gripped the balcony rail of the private box.

As she straightened her back in tension, a smooth voice coiled around Regina’s eardrums like a serpent.

“Do you understand what this means?”

***

Every noble house has its legendary stories passed down through generations.

After that day, Bollonico openly displayed his respect and curiosity regarding the legends and uniqueness of the Pelliese family.

Regina held onto hope at this side of Bollonico, yet repeatedly found herself confronted with the fact that she knew far too little about Pelliese.

Regina interrogated her father, mother, the useless Frederic, and even the senile butler, scraping together every scrap of information she could find.

“That’s common knowledge, Lady Regina.”

“But the fact that the painkillers produced by our house are especially effective—ordinary people naturally assume that’s just how it is, Your Highness. The reason lies in the special experiments I mentioned earlier.”

When Regina ran out of stories, she even began speaking about the laboratory where they conducted experiments on stray dogs, alley cats, or sheep and goats separated from their herds—but it was futile.

Compared to the rare animals in Bollonico’s palace and the bizarre training they underwent, her anecdotes were merely ticklish.

Even after bringing such minor information to Bollonico’s palace, Regina was painfully reminded of how insignificant her contributions were when she saw, for the first time in her life, a yellow elephant writing numbers with its trunk.

In short, Bollonico wanted stories that were highly stimulating—things no one else could imagine.

Whenever Bollonico’s bright blue eyes dulled or filled with boredom, Regina became anxious and restless.

It felt as though she was receiving less attention than the parrot that constantly hovered around or perched on his shoulder.

Yet whenever she grew gloomy, Bollonico would ghost-like feed her sweet words.

“Though our family is renowned as physicians, how many truly extraordinary and fascinating events could we possibly have, Your Highness?”

“Don’t underestimate Pelliese, Lady Regina.”

White gloves richly embroidered with gold thread. Bollonico, hiding his elegant hands within them, gently caressed Regina’s beautiful face as he whispered:

“You’re special, aren’t you? A noble who actually works. Where else could such a noble be found?”

These were the exact words she longed to hear.

Especially for Regina, who was looked down upon by some nobles for being a “working noble,” and constantly labeled as having “merchant blood” due to her mother Priscilla.

“Wouldn’t Pelliese, who researched for the sick and contributed to medicine, be the greatest among all meritorious nobles—compared to those powerless nobles who whine about having too little while failing to collect taxes properly?”

This was exactly what Regina wanted to say to the noblewomen who looked down on her!

But there was another reason why Regina felt uneasy about Bollonico’s interest.

“But even if Your Highness is curious about it… what would really change?”

Could she truly have a place by this beautiful prince’s side?

The secrets or legends of Pelliese—what difference would it make if she scraped them all together, reported them to Bollonico, and he came to know them?

Bollonico seemed momentarily surprised that she would ask such a question. Then, as always, he responded with that slippery smile.

“In Upris, where the sick overflow everywhere, isn’t it only natural for this Bollonico, a member of the imperial family, to be curious about the noble house of Pelliese?”

Bollonico whispered softly.

“And a noble lady of the meritorious Pelliese house—surely she has more than enough qualification to be the center of attention at the upcoming Imperial Debutante Ball. Don’t you think?”

The Imperial Debutante Ball.

An official event where all eyes would be focused.

“Aren’t you tired of only attending plays and salons? Don’t you want everyone to know just how close we are? Lady Regina.”

Regina’s emerald-green eyes began to tremble violently.