Britney fabricated a love story between the nonexistent Alford and Iris.

Mary, who had been listening with a serious expression, sighed.
“I didn’t know that and invited Huchis’s masterpiece to the party this time. I invited him to inquire about the upper-level issues, and later, I learned about the past story between Huchis’s masterpiece and the Countess.”

“Huchis’s masterpiece is coming to the party too?”

“Yes. What should I do? If Lady Whitelow dislikes me again…”

“Oh, come on. You’ve met the man you used to like, so even if you act embarrassed on the surface, you must be happy inside.”

“Well, that’s fortunate, but…”

Mary decided to play her trump card here.

From the conversations with Britney so far, Britney seemed to hate Rishi to the point of wanting to die.

Yet, there was still a bit of affection left.

‘If I poke a little, the last strand of affection will break.’

As Mary shed fake tears, Britney hastily pulled out a handkerchief.

“Why, why are you crying, Princess?”

“Well, Britney, it’s not something I should say in front of you, but… I really hate Lady Whitelow.”

“Oh…”

“Kay is like my older brother, but just because she got married, Lady Whitelow won’t let me say a word, and since she can’t drive me away, she sends Kay away…”

“Oh, so that’s why Lady Whitelow isn’t at the mansion right now.”

“I’m really scared. Just a while ago, she tried to push me down the stairs.”

“Oh my, how could she…”

“I want to kill her…”

Britney added quietly.

“I feel the same way, Princess.”

“What?”

“I also want to kill Iris.”

Mary had been waiting for those exact words.

Internally, Mary smiled with satisfaction, but externally, wiping away tears, she continued.

“But how could I do that? Even if you receive hatred and unfair treatment, you have to endure. After all, she’s the mistress of the Green family, and we can’t casually meddle with her.”

“Of course, but… What if Iris is driven away from the position of the mistress of the Green family?”

“Is that possible? Lady Whitelow seemed unusual.”

“We just need to create a situation where she could be driven away.”

Britney bent over and whispered the plan.

Having heard this much, Mary knew that to get Britney to take action, she needed to throw one more thing.

“In fact, Britney, I’ve thought of a way too.”

Mary also whispered her plan to Britney.

“If these two things happen simultaneously, Iris will never be able to remain as the mistress of the Whitelow family.”

“That’s right.”

The two women locked eyes and exchanged a secretive smile.

Mary didn’t stop there. She opened the jewelry box and handed a ring with the seal of the Minas Aric Kingdom engraved on it to Britney.

“It’s a token of the promise. A proof that Britney is my person.”

Britney accepted the ring with a bright smile.

“Britney is now my friend. Britney, your marriage hasn’t been decided yet, has it?”

“What? Uh… No.”
Actually, Britney was aiming for the position of the Crown Princess, but for some reason, with a good feeling, Britney quickly lied.

“My brother’s marriage hasn’t been decided yet.”

Mary’s brother was the Crown Prince of the Minas Aric Kingdom.

Britney’s heart pounded.

Even if she missed the opportunity to become the Crown Princess, there seemed to be a quite good chance.

Mary stared at Britney with a determined look and said, “Once this is over, I’ll arrange a meeting between you and my brother. If my brother says so, it’s a done deal.”

+++

Alford received Mary’s invitation to the welcoming party and felt puzzled, but since he couldn’t miss the chance to connect with the Princess of Minas Aric, he came to stay at a luxurious inn in the city of Dakot.

The memory of visiting the Whitelow mansion last time and being mistreated by Kay had become vague.

‘Come to think of it, he was just threatening me. I was so surprised that…’

He had been terrified to the point of wetting himself, but now, thinking back, he seemed to have been overly frightened by the atmosphere.

This time, it wouldn’t be a problem since he wasn’t confronting Kay directly. It would be even better if he could apologize for that day.

While eagerly waiting for the party date, there was a late-night visitor with a hood flipped up.

It was Britney.

There were many things to blame Britney for.

But before pointing out those things, Britney showed a ring engraved with the seal of the Minas Aric Kingdom and said, “Huchis’s masterpiece. There’s something we need you to do for us. It will be a good thing for the masterpiece too. Don’t worry about what happens behind, just join us. There’s the Minas Aric Kingdom behind Huchis, so don’t worry about the aftermath.”

The next day, Alford confidently visited the Whitelow mansion and was guided to the reception hall.

+++

Two days before the party.

Kay was staying at an inn in a city far from the Whitelow mansion.

Even though he changed horses while riding at the fastest speed, the way back to the mansion felt slow.

“You know, Walas? In the old days, magicians could do things like teleportation.”

Kay said, looking up at the night sky through the open window.

Walas, who was sharpening a sword, responded matter-of-factly.

“That’s true.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if that technology still existed? Then we could use it to go straight to Rishi right now.”

“That’s true.”

“Just being a few days away feels like a million years. If you were Rishi, it would have been nice.”

“That’s true.”

“Walas.”

“That’s true… Oh, yes.”

“You’re not listening to me, are you?”

“I am. I’m just sending it out the other ear.”

“You, I’m suffering from love for the first time in my life, and you don’t even empathize. Rather than not empathizing, you don’t even listen to my story.”

“Captain, usually people just keep their thoughts about falling in love to themselves. Captain, you’re too whiny.”

“Is that something you say to the captain?”

When he said that much, it happened.
A large eagle flew in through the open window.

Recognizing the eagle, Kay quickly closed the window, and Walas abruptly stood up and brought a robe.

Jamie, who had transformed into a human, put on the robe and said, “Captain, Princess Mary Kettven’s welcome party will be held at the mansion two days later.”

Kay’s face twisted.

“So Mary decided to hold it.”

“Yes. I checked the guest list, and it’s clear that something is being prepared. Lady Whitelow, Huchis Masterpiece, and even the Second Prince are coming to Whitelow.”

“They invited LaCozanne? Ha, this is unexpected.”

Kay’s head throbbed.

LaCozanne was a flamboyant figure in the women’s quarters. He didn’t hesitate to approach married or unmarried women, and if the other party refused, he would jump around without any shame. The chief of staff had to be on edge to prevent this matter from reaching the Emperor’s ears.

“What does Rishi say?”

“He didn’t say anything. He just told me to do as I pleased. And he changed all the ink and letterhead in the reception hall.”

“Ink and letterhead? He didn’t give a reason?”

“No. He said to change everything before the guests for the party arrived.”

“Well, if Rishi is up to something, there shouldn’t be a problem, but…”

More than anything, LaCozanne was the problem.

“Keep an eye on LaCozanne. That crazy guy sometimes sneaks into the lady’s room without permission.”