The day was just as hectic as the day before, which had passed by in a blur.

I let out a small yawn, bored by the hours-long grooming process I was in the middle of.

“Oh my, Your Highness. You mustn’t move,” Betty, who had been working on my hair, said with a start, waking me up.

Move or not move, whatever. I was just too sleepy right now.

Perhaps it was because I had unburdened myself of one secret I had been keeping from Leoprick.

The tension that shouldn’t have been released yet had dissipated, causing me to fall into a deep, restless sleep last night. And today, I barely managed to open my eyes in a half-awake state.

“You must be very tired, Your Highness,” Jen, who had been looking at me with pity, said in a small voice.

I nodded slightly at Jen’s words.

“Indeed. I’m rarely this sleepy, but today I’m especially so.”

“Did you perhaps do too much work yesterday? Betty was also sleeping restlessly.”

“Really? Then I guess yesterday was truly a busy day. Betty doesn’t usually sleep like that unless it’s quite extreme.”

I lightly responded to Jen’s words with a nod.

Betty, who was more meticulous and delicate than I expected and had good stamina to boot, was usually unfazed by most things.

She was a child who would go to bed later than me but wake up much earlier to start the day, so for her to sleep restlessly…

There was a reason for my fatigue after all.

I gently patted Betty’s shoulder as I yawned slightly.

“You’ve worked hard, Betty.”

“Thank you for noticing, Your Highness.”

Betty bowed her head slightly with a chuckle.

“So now will you please stop slouching and straighten your back?”

And as if sensing the timing was right, she grabbed my shoulders with a playful tone and straightened my back.

My dully hunched back stretched out, and it even felt a little refreshing.

“Alright, hurry up and finish. I’m really sleepy.”

“We’re almost done, Your Highness. Just bear with it a little longer.”

Jen said kindly as she trimmed my eyebrows a bit more.

And a moment later, the maids really did take their hands off me.

“All done, Your Highness! Would you like to take a look in the mirror?”

The maids said in an excited voice.

I opened my eyes at those words and got up from my seat.

“Her Majesty the Empress, who is today’s protagonist, will probably be nervous too.”

“Of course. This took so long after all.”

I could hear the maids sounding proud behind me as I stood in front of the mirror.

Seeing my appearance after the grooming was finished, I could understand why.

The diamond thread densely embedded in my silver hair sparkled in the light with every movement of my hair, and the heavily bejeweled dress added radiance to my face to match it.

The fact that bright makeup was applied to my face to go with the voluminous dress was a bonus.

I don’t know what magic they used, but my face looked twice as radiant as usual.

I admired myself in the mirror for a moment before turning around to look at the maids.

“Thank you. You worked really hard today.”

“Not at all, Your Highness! We’re happy when the one we serve shines.”

“Have a wonderful time today!”

The maids chatted excitedly, and they looked so adorable doing it.

I nodded with a smile.

“Yes. I’ll have a wonderful time. Thanks to you all, today will be very enjoyable.”

Leaving the shyly smiling maids behind, I went through the door that Betty opened for me and stepped outside.

Leoprick had said he would go ahead because of party preparations, so I was planning to go down a little early and stay by his side.

“Are you sure you don’t have anyone to escort you?”

“Leoprick will be there when I arrive.”

“Hm, yes. That may be so, but…”

“It’s fine, Betty. I’m only moving within the imperial palace anyway, so there won’t be many people seeing me.”

I smiled reassuringly at Betty, who had a worried look on her face, and carefully descended the stairs.

And just as I had finished coming down the stairs…

“Fortunately, it seems I’m not late.”

Along with the sound of him catching his breath slightly, I heard a familiar voice.

“Greetings to the little sun of the empire.”

And what appeared before my eyes was undoubtedly Leoprick, who had said he would go ahead.

“…”

“…”

Leoprick, who had appeared urgently as if he had run here, just stood there without saying a word.

As if seeing something shocking, he stood there with a stupid look on his face, simply staring at me without a word.

So naturally, I couldn’t say anything either.

I awkwardly averted my gaze and made eye contact with Betty, who had a strangely contented look on her face for some reason.

“What’s with your expression?”

“It’s nothing, Your Highness. I shall take my leave now.”

And with that same contented look, Betty bowed and quickly went back up the stairs.

I could only feel more puzzled by her departing figure that was filled with some inexplicable joy.

“Do I look strange?”

Even after Betty left, he quietly gazed at me for a long time, and I had to ask.

I was wondering what was so strange that he kept staring.

“Strange? Not at all, Amelia. Absolutely not.”

As if coming to his senses belatedly at my question, he blinked for a moment and then offered his hand, requesting to escort me.

A dreamy smile played on his face.

A very happy smile, as if he was truly walking in a dream.

Only then did I take his hand and step down the stairs.

“You weren’t saying anything, so I wondered.”

“I was just lost in thought for a moment. I apologize if I offended you.”

“No, it’s fine. That can happen. As long as I don’t look strange.”

More importantly, I thought you would be busy with party preparations.

I asked as I took a step closer to him.

Leoprick, still with a dazed look but for some reason a slightly flushed face, tightly grasped my hand.

“I left it to Arnold. Most of it is ready, and now all that’s left is greeting the guests.”

“Ah, the head butler can handle greeting the guests with you after all.”

“Yes. That’s why I came to escort you, but…”

He trailed off and looked at me again.

Then, shifting his gaze forward again, he spoke in a small voice.

“You were so beautiful that I forgot what I was going to say.”

“…Pardon?”

What did this person just say?

This time, I felt heat rising to my face.

Beautiful enough to forget what he was going to say.

It was hard to believe those words coming from him, who had seen countless women more beautiful than me in his life.

I asked again, doubting my ears.

“I said you’re beautiful, Amelia.”

More so than any beauty I have seen thus far.

They say the first time is hard but the second time is easy.

Leoprick said it much more naturally than the first time, and in an even softer and quieter voice.

That out of all the beautiful things he had seen so far, I was the most beautiful.

And that no beauty could compare to me.

I was the one who ended up flustered by him casually saying embarrassing things in his right mind.

I couldn’t even look at his face and just stared straight ahead as I walked.

It felt like my entire face was turning red, so I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

“You will be the most beautiful out of everyone attending today.”

“…Please stop, will you? And today is Her Majesty the Empress’s birthday. There’s a separate protagonist, so you should refrain from such words.”

So I made a random remark.

Truly, it felt unfamiliar, awkward, and uncomfortable.

I slightly turned my head to the other side and exhaled, trying my best not to look at him.

“The preparations went well, I hope? Everything seemed flawless when I saw it yesterday.”

And I quickly changed the subject.

I felt like my face would melt off if we continued this conversation.

“There are many shortcomings. Perhaps because I haven’t prepared many banquets before, there were many things to check until the very end.”

And thankfully, he followed my lead and changed the topic.

Only then did I turn my head to look at him and continue the conversation.

“A banquet is something that inherently has things to check until the very last moment. That’s the case even for the mistresses of noble houses who have been preparing banquets for over a decade.”

Although I brought it up to change the subject, it wasn’t an empty compliment.

The banquet hall I saw yesterday was truly splendid after all.

I spoke with sincerity and smiled faintly.

“When I saw it yesterday, it was really magnificent. I’m sure everyone will be amazed today.”

“Is that so? Hearing you say that gives me some strength.”

He flashed a smile at my words and met my gaze.

That faint smile seemed to lack confidence unlike him, so I lightly tapped the arm I was holding.

“Don’t worry. I’m certain everyone will be in awe.”

“I really hope so. More than anything, I hope Mother will be pleased.”

“I think Her Majesty the Empress will be delighted by the mere fact that Your Majesty personally prepared it.”

Truly, what son in the world would work so hard to prepare a birthday celebration for his mother like this?

I felt anew that he was remarkable and smiled softly.

And as he smiled back at me as if responding to it…

Suddenly, I thought this scene somehow resembled that of an ordinary married couple.

…The appearance of an ordinary married couple.

And the moment I realized that, the fact that I was smiling at him and comforting him suddenly became unbearable.

I turned my head again, hoping it wouldn’t be noticeable, and looked straight ahead.

Praying he wouldn’t notice my heart growing awkward.

The banquet hall was truly splendid beyond words.

Leoprick had prepared everything to perfection and beyond, and all those invited to the banquet could do nothing but marvel.

“Oh my, His Highness the Crown Prince prepared all this?”

“I heard he stayed up for days and nights to prepare it. Even though he must be busy with work…”

“What about Her Highness then?”

“Her Highness was going to do it, but he said he wanted to take care of it himself since it’s for his own mother. Isn’t it amazing?”

Yes. There was truly nothing one could do but be amazed.

From the chandeliers decorating the ceiling to the live flower vines entwining the walls, to the colorful decorations matching Her Majesty the Empress’s eye and hair color placed throughout…

Even the flower bouquets with the meaning of celebration on each table.

From the concept of the banquet to the color scheme, there was not a single flaw to be found.

I sipped my wine while glancing at Leoprick, who was standing beside me a little tensely.

“Your Majesty. There’s no need to be nervous. It’s splendid.”

And I whispered to him in a small voice.

It wasn’t an empty compliment; truly, all the preparations were perfect.

“Is that so? Hearing you say that puts me a bit at ease.”

“Take pride in it. I’m sure Her Majesty the Empress will be incredibly pleased today.”

It had become even more splendid and lavish than when the Empress and I came to see it yesterday.

I encouraged him and quickly swept my gaze around again before asking him in an even quieter voice.

“Did you read the book I gave you yesterday?”

“Ah, that book you mean?”

And he also lowered his voice and leaned in towards me.

“I read it well. It was such a beneficial book that I told Mother to read it as well.”

“That’s good. I thought it would be helpful.”

I let out a small sigh of relief at his words.

It seemed The Tears of Isolde had fortunately been well-received by Her Majesty the Empress.

I sipped my wine again with a relieved heart.

And seeing me like that, Leoprick gently took my hand with a tender touch.