“I am truly honored to meet you, Your Highness the Princess Consort. Of course, it’s an honor to be invited like this first.”

Lady Regus’s first impression was…

Literally glamour itself.

Large jewels that would not be outshone by any noble, flaunting their presence every second. Necklace, earrings, rings, bracelets.

A shining dress that must have been custom-made by a famously renowned designer. Even each thread seemed to glow faintly, making it obvious how astronomical the price must have been.

And just right, a plump face with rosy cheeks. Sparkling black eyes. Openly radiating curiosity without even trying to hide it.

It had been a while since I’d seen someone who so completely failed to conceal who they were.

Elaina faced Lady Regus with a gentle smile, then answered with a bright laugh.

“My lady, please feel free to call me by name.”

“What…? But how could I dare…”

“The reason I requested to meet Lady Regus was actually because I wanted to become close with you. So I would be even more grateful if you didn’t use such formal titles.”

No sooner had Elaina finished speaking than a red flush spread across Lady Regus’s cheeks.

“Th-then, may I really… call you Lady Elaina…?”

“Of course. I was the one who asked you to.”

“Thank you, Lady Elaina. To tell the truth, when I first received your letter, I was a bit surprised. I even wondered if I had committed some crime. But now that you’re treating me so intimately, my heart is overjoyed.”

Elaina laughed softly.

“I was a bit worried too. After all, now that I’ve become the Princess Consort, I wanted to slowly start engaging in social activities. But since I’m someone who couldn’t even have a debutante ball when I was young, I had many thoughts about how to go about it.”

“Oh, I see…”

Lady Regus’s expression turned genuinely sympathetic.

“I thought that from someone like you, my lady, I could learn a great deal, which is why I requested to meet. Of course, if Lady Regus found it uncomfortable or unpleasant, I would have to look for someone else…”

“No, not at all!”

So surprised was she that Lady Regus waved her hands and cried out briefly.

“It may sound like I’m boasting, but it’s no exaggeration to say that everything that happens in Edenbell’s social circles passes by my ears! And I’m also the first to hear any rumors!”

“My, is that so?”

“Of course! You won’t find anyone quite like me anywhere in Edenbell. I can assure you of that with certainty.”

Lady Regus continued breathlessly, as if she were being chased.

“And if Lady Elaina wishes to engage in social activities, I can most certainly help! I can introduce you to people, and if there are gatherings you’d like to attend, we can go together! As I just mentioned, I’m extremely close with all the prominent figures in social circles.”

“That’s truly impressive, Lady Regus.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Anyway, I’m the one who’s honored! So if you need my help with anything, please feel free to ask. I’m always ready to assist you, Lady Elaina.”

Lady Regus was…

Exactly the person Elaina had expected.

Apart from her peculiarities of being loose-tongued, well-connected, and fond of spreading gossip, she was someone whose outside matched her inside, who couldn’t hide her emotions, and who greatly enjoyed and delighted in receiving special treatment.

Moreover, the fact that it was me asking for help must have played a big part too. After all, Sinclair and I are currently the biggest topic of conversation in Edenbell.

Well, it wasn’t bad.

“I tell this only to you, Lady Regus, but I’ve developed a bit of a worry.”

At the words ‘only to you’, Lady Regus’s face lit up.

“What kind of worry are you speaking of, if I may ask carefully? Why, it might be something I can help with. Please, speak freely, Lady Elaina.”

“It’s nothing special. It’s something everyone in Edenbell already knows about. I mean, Sinclair’s reputation.”

“Oh, I see…”

Lady Regus’s expression turned genuinely sympathetic.

Well, it wasn’t strange, since she would be the person who knew all the rumors about the scoundrel Sinclair Butler best.

“Actually, Sinclair has agreed to perform the temple ritual at the Founding Festival this time.”

“What?”

Elaina was now witnessing how many times a person could change their expression in a matter of seconds.

“Wow, that’s really great news! Ever since that… unfortunate incident, after his status was lowered to prince… until now, Prince Hister has been performing the ritual continuously, hasn’t he?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Elaina answered with a gentle smile.

“But it seems His Majesty’s thoughts have changed a bit on the occasion of this marriage. He said that Sinclair has now become a proper adult of the royal family, and that we should forget the unpleasant things that happened in the past, strengthen our relationships, and move forward.”

“My goodness.”

“So he hopes to use the Founding Festival as an opportunity to soften the rumors that Sinclair has fallen out of favor with the royal family. Isn’t it surprising?”

Well, it wasn’t a complete lie.

It was just that Hister had said it, not the Emperor.

“But I’m worried that unfavorable rumors might spread about this. I thought some people might view it even more negatively.”

“Don’t say such things! I think I can help with that much.”

“Pardon?”

Elaina, having heard the answer she had been waiting for, opened her eyes wide as if to ask what she meant.

“Righteous rumors quietly disappear or spread very slowly, while malicious rumors spread in the blink of an eye. But there’s something far more important than the content of the rumor.”

Lady Regus continued quickly.

“It’s who the subject of the rumor is.”

“…”

“And if that subject was someone who had been receiving everyone’s attention. Or someone with a bad reputation. And even more so if they were both combined.”

As expected, she’s beyond my expectations. Elaina thought to herself, smiling slightly as if to show she understood the meaning.

“But, Lady Elaina…”

However, Lady Regus seemed to hesitate for a moment, then very carefully opened her mouth again.

“Is it alright if I tell others about what happened today?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, um, things like how Lady Elaina said I could call you by name, or how you said you wanted to become close with me…”

“Oh my, of course.”

Elaina answered with a bright smile.

“Lady Regus and I have become friends starting today, haven’t we? There’s not a single made-up word among what I’ve told you now, so there’s no need to hide it deliberately.”

“Just trust me, Lady Elaina. I promise you won’t have anything to worry about.”

Lady Regus said in a confident voice.

Her round eyes shining like stars.

[This is the timeline separator]

Elaina realized that using Lady Regus had been an excellent choice on exactly the third morning.

It would be no exaggeration to say that rumors had spread to every corner of Edenbell. Even the mice in the streets might be chattering about the same story.

‘That scoundrel Sinclair has finally reconciled with the royal family!’

Well, something like that.

‘…Only princes can perform the ritual at the Founding Festival, could it be that the Emperor has changed his mind about the succession to the throne?’

Or it could be something like this.

In any case, from Sinclair and Elaina’s perspective, there was nothing bad about it. If anything, it was all gain.

And the couple became extremely busy.

The Founding Festival was a celebration that required much more work than expected, and the most important event was the ritual that Sinclair had agreed to perform.

Elaina was preoccupied with memorizing and reviewing the overall order of the Founding Festival countless times.

In the midst of all this, she wanted to tell Sinclair about the incident with Lady Regus, but strangely, it had become extremely difficult to see his face since the day they had met the Emperor together.

[He has a lot more to worry about now. Moreover, it’s been a very long time since he last attended the Founding Festival.]

Schuler said so, but for some reason, she felt uneasy.

Come to think of it, he seemed to be in a bad mood until the very end.

Could it be that he’s deliberately avoiding me?

Because I tried to comfort him and said unnecessary things back then.

As Sinclair had once said, because I, ‘the most gutter-like woman in Edenbell’, did something beyond my station…

‘No. I’m not someone meaningful enough to Sinclair for him to avoid me. There’s no reason for him to avoid me.’

Even though she tried to think that way, it kept coming back to her mind.

Sinclair’s expression as he let go of her hand.

His back as he left without looking back.

And his low voice that seemed a little colder than usual…

So even though Elaina spent such busy days, she couldn’t sleep comfortably. She just found herself endlessly waiting for Sinclair without even realizing it.

And Sinclair returned to the Prince’s Palace, or more precisely, to the bedroom, on the very eve of the Founding Festival.

It was very late at night.