With mountains of entrusted work piled up, Reyna dressed herself beautifully, looking forward to the last day of the victory banquet.

And on the last day of the victory banquet, on her way to the banquet hall, she heard a strange rumor.

“……What? The Duke proposed to the princess?”

It was unbelievable. The Emperor, my father, reassured me that the Duke would eventually kneel before me.

“The princess has a precious treasure, so do not worry.”

The wise emperor’s words had never been wrong.

Reyna believed the emperor’s words completely. He always called me a treasure that was unmatched in the world. So how could any man dare to reject me?

But the rumor was true. Before even entering the banquet hall, the spreading story made the princess tremble with shame. Her beautifully dressed appearance, as if going to receive a proposal, was ridiculous.

How much did that wretched thing look down on me?

Grinding her teeth, the princess immediately called for Olivia, but she did not come. She finally arrived with the formal excuse that she was sick.

The princess sharply stared at Olivia, who stood before her. She tried to calm her anger, but it did not subside as she looked at that innocent face.

To calm her anger, the princess hastily drank the rose tea. The taste of the cold tea was a mess.

About to get angry at the maid, Olivia answered with a serene face.

“It’s alright, Your Highness. I have something to tell you in the palace anyway.”

“Inside? The princess speaks quite interestingly.”

The princess spoke lowly as if annoyed. Her voice grew louder as she fully exposed her discomfort.

“Do you think I want to sit here and dare to tell me to move?”

“I’m fine, but I worry about who will become you, Your Highness. That’s what I meant.”

“What? Who will become me?”

Ha. How ridiculous.

The princess scoffed. Anger surged over her bright blue eyes. The princess shouted sharply.

“Princess, will you keep playing with words?”

“Tristan crop field.”

The place Olivia quietly mentioned was the second most prosperous and fertile territory among the properties of Princess Reyna Frantz. At the same time, it was one of the territories that she had entrusted to Olivia.

The princess’s eyes widened for a moment.

Not missing the opportunity, Olivia continued to speak in a calm voice.

“Retail territory.”

It was the princess’s territory that had fallen during the spring famine. Also, the place Olivia had secretly restored.

“The necklace of Lercalle.”

It was a necklace handed down as a legend from a kingdom that had perished centuries ago. The princess almost lost the fifth wealthiest Minere territory in order to obtain this necklace, which was said to have been blessed with luck by an elf’s descendant.

Naturally, the person who cleaned up that mess was Olivia.

“White crystal mine,”

“Prin, Princess!!”

The princess slammed the table and rose from her seat. At the princess’s loud shout, the attendants, far away, exchanged glances.

The princess’s face turned deathly pale. Looking at her trembling lips, Olivia shook her head slightly.

“May I not speak any further?”

“What is this! What is this madness? Do you think I’ll even blink at that? I wanted to marry my brother so much. What has the duke done to threaten me so brazenly now?”

Grinding her teeth and threatening, Olivia faintly smiled at the princess’s ravings.

When she entrusted the task, the princess must never have thought of such a thing.

I didn’t expect this day to come either.

I’ve always been intimidated by the princess.

I was afraid of the princess who entrusted the task to test my qualifications as a crown princess, and I was sad to see the princess invite Leopold to dance with another young lady.

When I realized that the promise of inviting me to dance if I tried was a joke, my vision even blurred.

The princess controlled me as much as the empress.

But when I gave up the position of crown princess, everything became clear.

So easily flustered, easily angry, and awkwardly threatening.

The princess was chattering in front of me with a red face.

Olivia looked the princess squarely in the eye and grinned.

“Will you please move now?”

…

…

…

The reception room of the princess’s palace.

Sitting in her seat, the princess ordered her maids with a forcibly calm face.

“I have confidential matters to discuss with the royal daughter, so everyone please step back.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Even the nursemaid, Baroness Luhas, who was scrutinizing the princess’s face till the last moment, left the reception room.

Only then did the princess glare at Olivia with venomous eyes.

“Ha. After quietly accepting such an unmatched girl as my brother’s fiancée, you turn over my goodwill like this?”

“……”

“I don’t know what the duke has whispered to you, but even now, kneel down, hit your head on the floor, and beg for my mercy. How dare you bring up something without evidence to me?”

Yes. There will be no evidence. The princess felt a little relieved.

From the moment she entrusted the task to Olivia, her mother, the empress, emphasized repeatedly.

“Foolish people try to leave evidence, Princess. Always be careful not to be caught, or use a tail that can be cut off without any problems.”

I always followed my mother’s advice. I sent away the maids who assisted Olivia to the rural outskirts once every few years. Since I always had the reports delivered directly, no one else would have seen them.

It was easy to make the excuse that I had brought Olivia in as a playmaid to help.

Being of low birth, she did her job cleanly, so there was no trace left.

Even a threeyearold could tell whose words were more credible between the illegitimate royal daughter and me, the wise princess.

The princess raised her chin arrogantly.

Smiling confidently and thinking that her face somehow resembled Leopold, Olivia held out a piece of paper.

“My expenditure statement.”

As expected, the princess didn’t even look at it.

“What’s that?”

“When Your Majesty was looking for Leucar’s necklace, attending underground auctions, or when you needed to restore the ruined Leitail estate during the spring, this is a record of the expenses I paid out of my own pocket.”

“What?”

The princess hastily snatched the paper as if to grab it. On one page of the neatly organized ledger were the clear records of the amounts used.

“Don’t lie! You made a double book against my orders? The maids who were watching didn’t say anything?”

“It’s not a double book but a copy of my expenditure book. When Your Majesty was about to blow up the Miner territory, you ordered me to deal with it first from my own money, and the record remains from when I did so.”

“You can manipulate that kind of thing as much as you want!”

The princess shouted sharply, but Olivia smiled broadly and pointed to one part of the copy of the ledger. There were the date and seal of the empire’s bank director at that time.

Deciding to abandon her usually elegant and pure appearance, the princess glared roughly at Olivia. Her bright blue eyes shook aimlessly.

Certainly, here is the translated passage:

Rather than hiding her true feelings with dignity, perhaps this appearance suited her better. Olivia said as she quietly looked at the princess.

“I have no intention of revealing this fact. I came here only to make a request to Your Highness the princess.”

“A request? You speak as if you’re threatening me, and now you say it’s a request? What’s the sudden reason for this?”

The princess glared at Olivia. Olivia momentarily looked down at the back of her hand in those hatefilled eyes and then smiled brightly.

“I need a forbearance money.”