Serena’s eyes quickly welled up. With her puffed cheeks and pouting, she looked like an angry pufferfish. Serena said tearfully.
“I wish my brother would read me fairy tales.”
……What could I possibly do for you? I’m barely managing to protect myself. Still, I wanted to comfort the child. I took out some glitter powder I use for makeup from my handbag. Then, while stroking Serena’s head, I secretly sprinkled the powder with my other hand.
“Alright. I’ll give you a fairy blessing. In the name of the fairy grandmother, I ask that this child’s brother and mother be able to find happiness together.”
“W-wow……!”
Serena quickly stopped crying and her eyes sparkled. I don’t know if Serena’s wish will come true, but I hope it does.
“Fairy powder!”
“That’s right. It’s powder that grants wishes. Now, could you let me off?”
“Yes!”
Serena answered bravely and let me off. With several adorable warnings about not letting my wings get torn off. She waved her hand vigorously at me and then had the carriage start moving again.
Ha.
I lifted my hat and veil and wiped the sweat from my forehead.
Fortunately, I was dropped off at the entrance to the city.
“……I thought I was going to be discovered.”
I walked heavily, fanning myself. I need to go home and hide right away. I’ll burn the clothes I wore today immediately.
Who knows if he’ll search for me like Cinderella, holding both shoes.
Ha, really. Making a living isn’t easy.
The Empress was going to personally introduce our dress shop today. That opportunity is gone now.
Tsk.
But I only have one life, and it’s not worth risking for regret. Nothing I can do about it.
※※※
Vairen also left the banquet hall.
In one hand, he held a pair of beautiful violet shoes. He stared at the shoes with his characteristically sharp eyes.
‘She definitely turned around.’
It was a familiar back view. The view he had seen countless times.
In the past, Ires had never once turned to look at him. He had always chased after that back view. So he thought he couldn’t possibly fail to recognize Ires’s back.
‘Was it really Ires?’
His heart pounded. He felt like he was back to that moment when he heard the news of Ires’s death and went to Liberk to confirm that she was alive.
It had been a maddening week.
Vairen had to live in hell until Rozenne, unable to endure his tyranny, revealed the truth.
〈She’s alive, I tell you, she’s alive!〉
At that moment, he had felt breathless. Like someone who had been drowning and was suddenly rescued.
Today, she definitely got into Serena’s carriage.
Vairen urged his carriage forward. Then he rushed to the child’s bedroom before Serena went to bed. Still holding the shoes in his hand.
“Wow.”
Serena smiled brightly.
“The fairy really granted my wish!”
Serena covered her mouth with her maple leaf-like hands and exclaimed.
“My brother came!”
“Fairy?”
“Yes! A fairy visited my carriage today! She promised to grant my wish in return for giving her a ride!”
The child jumped up and down excitedly on the bed.
“My wish came true!”
Seeing that innocent face, all tension drained away. A fairy, huh.
Vairen let out a small laugh. Just when he thought he’d found a lead. He realized he wouldn’t get any useful information from Serena.
He clutched the shoes.
It felt like hope was slipping away again.
※※※
Meanwhile, Rozenne was searching for Iris in the banquet hall she had already left.
“What?”
Iris had definitely been here until just before the debutantes began. There was no doubt about it since Iris had personally inspected her outfit.
And Iris had promised to stay until the end to watch the banquet. She had said she was looking forward to the moment when the Empress would introduce her dress shop.
“Is she making a fool of me?”
Rozenne’s eyes turned cold. The maids attending to her bowed their heads and stepped back. Rozenne gritted her teeth. All this time, she had been doing her best to return to her rightful position.
Born as a noble lady, she had lost everything in an instant, fallen from grace, and then returned.
The gazes directed at Rozenne upon her return weren’t entirely warm.
〈……Ires did it. So you must do it too, Rozenne. Surely you can accomplish this, my daughter. If you can’t even handle such lessons, what will people say? They’ll say you’re not even as good as that dead fake lady.〉
〈Oh my, she grew up on the streets. Look at that. She doesn’t know a single rule of etiquette. Tsk, a real lady worse than a fake one.〉
Not just society, but even her family. They endlessly compared Rozenne to Ires, judging and pointing fingers. Rozenne endured it all with gritted teeth.
‘Still, I’m the victor. I remained here, and Ires disappeared.’
People tend to forget what’s gone. Rozenne held her breath and waited for Ires to be forgotten. But it wasn’t easy.
Because that insane Crown Prince Vairen had named the supposedly dead Ires as crown princess!
‘That crazy bastard.’
If it weren’t for Vairen, people would have easily forgotten Ires. And as planned, Rozenne would have become crown princess by now. But Vairen’s impulsive action made people start talking about Ires again.
〈They say the late Crown Princess Ires and Crown Prince Vairen were deeply in love with each other?〉
〈That makes sense. In truth, no one was more suited for that position than Crown Princess Ires. Beautiful, noble, elegant. Tsk, compared to her, Lady Rozenne seems somewhat lacking.〉
〈That’s why His Highness the Crown Prince can’t forget the deceased.〉
What was so special about that fake! For the past three years, Rozenne had to continuously prove she was better than Ires. And this occasion was another such proof.
A place to pass the Empress’s test.
“Where the hell is that d*mn woman?”
“Well…… I’m sorry, Lady Rozenne. It seems she has left the banquet hall.”
The maids reported the fact with trembling voices. Rozenne ground her teeth. She didn’t want to make any mistakes, and the thought of having to report this to the Empress was horrifying. Rozenne looked around once more.
And that damned Crown Prince Vairen was nowhere to be seen either.
He had upset Rozenne as soon as he appeared today.
That was what Vairen had said when rejecting Rozenne’s request to dance the first dance with her.
〈You hadn’t fulfilled any part of our contract. Where is Ires? Any clues?〉
Vairen had looked at the silent Rozenne with contempt and then turned and left.
It was only a matter of time before rumors of discord between Rozenne and Vairen would spread. They hadn’t even danced the first dance and had stayed apart the whole time.
It felt increasingly difficult to control Vairen as time passed.
“Where is my fiancé?”
“He returned to the imperial palace…… He should have arrived at the palace by now.”
“Argh!”
She let out a small scream and stomped her foot. It was possible because no one was watching. While Rozenne was biting her lip and trying to figure out how to resolve this situation.
An employee working in the hall came running with something in his arms.
Rozenne stared at the employee with sharp eyes.
“A gift has arrived for you, Lady Rozenne!”
The employee, gasping for breath, held out what he had been carrying.
“……Where is it from?”
“Iris’s Dress Shop!”
At those words, Rozenne’s brow slightly relaxed. She left the gift as it was and opened the letter first. She quickly read the letter written in neat handwriting.
[Lady Rozenne.
I apologize a hundred times for my rudeness despite your kindness in giving someone like me such a good opportunity. However, I had no choice but to leave due to an unavoidable problem.
My menstrual cycle is irregular, and suddenly at the banquet hall…….
It stained my dress beyond repair, so I had no choice but to leave. I also apologize for not informing you before departing.
I searched for you, but it wasn’t easy for a country woman like me to find you in the vast banquet hall.
Moreover, distinguished Lady Rozenne, you were surrounded by people, and in the end, I could only offer my apologies in writing.]
Rozenne’s expression gradually softened. Iris was someone who clearly knew her place. To acknowledge her fault so clearly and apologize while lowering herself.
Rozenne let out a small laugh.
“……Tsk. How careless.”
Thanks to Rozenne’s improved mood, the maids also breathed sighs of relief. Additionally, Iris was quite clever.
[The gift I’ve sent is modest, but it’s a brooch that should match your dress. One is for you, Lady Rozenne, and the other is a gift for Her Majesty the Empress. I apologize once again for causing you inconvenience.]
She folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and opened the box. As Iris had said, there was a pair of sophisticated and beautiful brooches inside. Rozenne gestured to a maid.
“I need to change my brooch to this one.”
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LouieLovesBlossoms
Rozenne’s horrible, but I do feel SLIGHTLY bad for her for the sole fact that even her own parents don’t really love her as much as everyone believes. I guess with parents like that, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.