“What is it now?”

Although it was unavoidable because he was a patient, she felt like he was trying to use her for this and that. She suppressed the rising feeling of annoyance as she asked.

“Are there chrysanthemums here too?”

“Chrysanthemums?”

“White ones, if possible.”

He replied in a light tone and smiled enigmatically.

“Ah, what about the clothes for the banquet? Do I wear existing clothes? Or do I get new ones made?”

As if he had thought of something else, Aidan continued his questions.

“It’s fine to wear your existing formal wear, but I think it would be better to have new ones made this time. Everyone will be focusing their attention on Your Highness.”

There was no need to make new clothes every time, but this being the first banquet after the wedding was important. If he was going to appear in front of others, there shouldn’t be even the slightest imperfection.

“Then please take care of that too. But can I specify the color of the formal wear?”

She answered that it was up to him what to wear, and his lips curled up into a smile. It was a smile that seemed full of some hidden intention.

“Make it black. As simple as possible, without any decorations if possible.”

Black? She was a bit puzzled. There was nothing wrong with it, but with no decorations, wouldn’t it look too plain for a banquet? She was about to suggest using a brighter color or at least adding some decorations when Aidan spoke first.

“It’s a banquet hosted by someone who wants Aidan dead, so we should comply with that.”

Karina’s eyes narrowed, wondering what he meant. In contrast, Aidan smiled even more brightly than before.

“We’re going to hold a funeral. A funeral for the ‘Aidan’ they knew.”

*

The imperial dressmaker entered Karina’s palace. It was to create her dress for the upcoming banquet. Saying that they already had her measurements from the wedding, they laid out several pre-made dresses and asked her to choose a design.

Karina’s eyes scanned over the dresses. They were all in bright colors with even more brilliant and sparkling decorations. None of them caught her eye. Rather, Karina seemed to be lost in thought, barely looking at the dresses.

“A funeral…”

“Pardon?”

What she had been thinking accidentally slipped out. The imperial dressmaker, not having heard clearly, asked her to repeat. They seemed to think Karina had some preferences regarding the dresses.

While it was true that she had been thinking about the dress, it was about what Aidan had said, so she didn’t have anything particular to answer.

Calling the Empress’s banquet his own, Aidan’s, funeral…

She wondered what kind of nonsense he was trying to do. But the more she thought about it, the more she found herself laughing. It was both absurd and unique. For the current Aidan, it wasn’t entirely wrong. Due to the attack, the original Aidan’s personality had disappeared, and now that ridiculous man had taken over his body, so it did seem fitting to hold a funeral.

“Clear everything away and bring something else.”

The dressmaker was flustered at Karina’s order. They had selected what they thought were the most splendid and finest dresses, but the princess consort had ordered them all cleared away, leaving them at a loss as to how to prepare something even more magnificent.

“If possible, I’d like something calm and simple prepared.”

The dressmaker’s eyes widened at these completely unexpected words.

“D-did you say simple, Your Highness?”

The dressmaker doubted their own ears and asked again. While the preference for something calm could be dismissed as a matter of taste, to ask for something simple for a banquet in honor of the princess consort herself seemed unbelievable.

“There’s no need for elaborate decorations, so don’t try to add anything unnecessarily.”

When she explicitly said not to add decorations, the dressmaker’s face was colored with bewilderment.

“Ah, I’ll be choosing His Highness the Prince’s formal wear as well, so bring those here too.”

Since they would already know his measurements, there was no need to take them again. When she asked for Aidan’s clothes to be brought as well, the dressmaker hesitated, wondering if that was appropriate.

“His Highness asked me to. If you’re unsure, feel free to check.”

Only then did the dressmaker nod, saying they understood, and withdrew.

“Are you really going to wear something so simple? This is your first banquet since entering the imperial palace, is that okay?”

After the dressmaker left, Bernice, who had been watching from behind, asked with a puzzled expression. Although it might seem trivial, the dresses worn by noble ladies often represented their status and influence. The higher the rank, the more splendid the dress, and they were careful not to wear dresses more elaborate than the Empress’s. Karina was the first princess consort of the imperial palace. This meant that among all the noble women in the Griffith Empire, she held the highest position after the Empress, and no one could criticize her even if her dress was as splendid as the Empress’s.

It was natural for both the dressmaker and Bernice to be puzzled when someone in her position asked for the simplest dress possible, rather than something more elaborate.

Because while it’s a banquet for the Empress, for Aidan it’s a funeral.

She swallowed the answer in her throat. It wasn’t just a metaphorical meaning, but a real funeral. If Aidan’s original soul never returned, the real Aidan was dead, and the current Aidan would live on.

For Karina, this held a special meaning as well. It would be completely different from the past life she remembered. Because the person making choices and taking actions had changed. Whether this would turn out to be good or bad was uncertain, but it was a perfect farewell to her previous life. So in a sense, it was indeed a funeral for Karina herself too. Particularly, it was a consolation for her past self who had lived and died in the previous life.

“His Highness said he would be wearing simple black attire, so it would look ridiculous if I alone stood out too much.”

She tried to brush it off using Aidan as an excuse. At this, Bernice made an expression full of regret.

“Why?”

Wondering what the problem was, she asked, and Bernice picked up the wooden box she had left on the table and opened the lid to show her. Inside was a necklace studded with large, clear jewels, along with a pair of earrings that seemed to be part of the set.

“The Duke prepared this for Your Highness. He said it would be good to display Your Highness’s dignity at this banquet.”

“Ah…”

A groan escaped at her father’s unexpected consideration. Come to think of it, every time Karina attended a banquet, Duke Hewitt would send jewels as gifts like this. Although she had been married into the imperial palace where nothing was lacking, the Hewitt duchy was no less wealthy than the imperial family, so to others, it just seemed that her father cherished his daughter immensely. However, there was also a hidden wish that Karina would never be overshadowed by the Empress.

Duke Hewitt had a particularly strong aversion to the Empress. This was because he believed that his cousin, the former Empress, had been murdered by the current Empress. As such, he always hoped that Karina would not yield even an inch to the Empress.

“Next time.”

Karina closed the lid of the box in Bernice’s hand. It was regrettable, but it seemed she couldn’t meet her father’s expectations this time. Until now, as much as Aidan had been intimidated in front of the Empress, Karina had created a dynamic of standing strong and splendid against her. She had thought that she needed to fill in for all of Aidan’s shortcomings.

But the end of that path had not been good.

Immediately after regressing three years, she had only thought about how to escape this imperial palace. But now that she had decided to live here for another half year, she needed to prepare more thoroughly for the recurring confrontation with the Empress than before.

Fortunately, her past life that had led to death wasn’t completely useless. To others’ eyes, Karina Hewitt had just begun her life in the imperial palace, but the current Karina had lived in the palace for three years and already knew well who was the Empress’s people, and who would approach her with a smiling face to deceive her.

*

Late at night, Marquis Belmont came to see Lloyd.

“Welcome, Marquis Belmont.”