They thought there was a strange tension between Adel and April. But Adel took April’s side, and April called her a friend.

It seemed like nothing had happened between the two regarding Christine. In fact, they seemed so friendly that rumors began to circulate that the gossip was wrong.

The remaining Isabel’s ears turned red with embarrassment. She hadn’t expected to be caught off guard by naive April.

“You’ve grown up while I haven’t seen you, April.”

She then turned around, fanning herself elegantly as if nothing had happened.

The Emperor and Empress finally looked relieved.

(This is a time separator.)

April came into a private room attached to the banquet hall with Adel.

Thud!

As soon as she closed the door, she started glaring at Adel.

“Now, are you done?”

“Yes, you did well.”

“Shut up! Who said I wanted to hear your praise?”

“I’m sorry.”

“But it seems good to pretend to be friends for a while as you said.”

Before the banquet began, Adel had sought out April.

It would be good to appear friendly to quash the unpleasant rumors with Christine.

Of course, April disagreed and chased Adel away.

But no matter how she thought about it, there was no other way. To regain her honor, she had to foolishly join hands with Adel.

“You devilish woman. I believed you because you said you were like siblings….”

Adel smiled bitterly. Hearing the word “wicked” was nothing, but to April, it felt like she had really done something wrong.

How friendly was the Empress when she heard that they were like siblings?

And then she had practically stabbed her in the back.

But she thought the Empress was wrong too.

“Your Highness, you also tried to deceive the Vice Count and the people.”

“That is……!”

“Yes, I understand what that feeling is. When you’re too desperate, you don’t even know what you’re doing, and you rush in.”

Then Adel knelt in front of April.

“What are you doing! Get up right now!”

April shouted in astonishment.

Adel stubbornly bowed her head.

“I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths about the matter with the Count. I also thought that it was right for him and me to be like siblings. But I couldn’t stop this heart. Even if I die from the Emperor’s wrath…… So please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Adel’s eyes were moist. No matter how hard she tried, she could no longer control her heart rushing toward him. She just hoped that this heart would not become an obstacle in Christine’s path.

April hated Adel for that, but in some ways, she understood.

Hadn’t she felt it from the first moment she saw her? There was no place for her between her and Christine.

“There was nothing between the Vice Count and me. I just want to make that clear.”

“I know.”

April glared at Adel once more, as if she hated her to death. That expression, showing not an inch of doubt.
“But it’s true that the Count came into my bedroom that night.”

“I know that too.”

But a look of indifference. This was possible because Christine had absolute trust.

“Anyway… thank you for helping me.”

“Your Highness also helped me.”

April was displeased with Adel, who was consistently calm and mature. She felt like she knew why Christine chose her over herself.

Being beside the mature and elegant her, she still felt like a child.

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes, then.”

(This is a time separator.)

As Adel left the room, Christine was standing outside.

“Chris, why are you here…?”

“To protect my fiancée.”

“I only talked with Her Highness.”

“She’s the princess. If she wants to, she can harm you.”

Seeing Christine’s intense seriousness, Adel laughed.

“Thanks for worrying. But the women had a problem to solve. And we solved it well.”

With a gentle expression that reassured him, Adel naturally placed her hand on his arm.

Christine pulled her hand closer and held her arm tighter.

She felt the rocksolid muscles under his uniform. Furthermore, if she got any closer, her chest would touch his arm, and Adel was embarrassed.

“This is too close, Chris.”

“It’s our engagement, what’s wrong with that?”

She smiled at the people and whispered to Christine only.

“Even so, doing this in front of people is impolite.”

Christine also exchanged greetings with people with a blushing and gentlemanly face, whispering,

“With those pretty lips whispering all the time, I can’t resist wanting to kiss you.”

“Chris…!”

Their eyes met as he grinned mischievously, and Adel quickly turned her head.

‘Why are his eyes so hot!’

He looked like he would really kiss her here and there, his eyes burning. He was Christine, who didn’t care about other people’s eyes, so it looked like he could do it if he wanted to.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I received the rose.”

Pinch!

Adel stepped lightly on his foot, smiling with her face and whispering,

“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll step on you with my heel next time, Chris.”

She was now wearing the silver high heels, a gift from Madame Chanel.

“Tsk!”

Watching the backs of the two, April’s eyes were suddenly moist.

She knew she had to give up, but it seemed not as easy as she thought.

“Are you really going to give up like this?”

She turned to the voice coming from beside her.

“Ah, Lady Seira.”

“The one who should be laughing over there is you, Your Highness… Sorry. It’s just that I get angry watching it.”

“It’s over now. I must have been crazy back then. Listening only to Lady Seira’s words and doing such foolish things.”

April’s words contained resentment towards Seira. Even thinking about it now, her face was hot enough to kick off the blanket while sleeping.

But Seira instead scolded such April.

“No. You should have begged a little more and asked for help from His Majesty. Then the Count would have been yours, Your Highness. I thought you would have some skills since you grew up in the palace, but you easily…”

“Are you saying I messed up because I’m foolish now?”

When April got angry, Seira sighed softly.

“No. It’s my fault for not knowing that you are unusually naive, Your Highness.”

Seira turned away, fluttering her fan sarcastically.

April felt like crying from frustration. It was painful to see the Count and Adel together in front of her, and she was even treated as a fool by Seira.

Moreover, she knew what the people who were glancing and whispering at her were saying.

Unable to hide her sad expression any longer, she quickly left the banquet hall.