Smiling with satisfaction as she looked over the empty chairs, her eye caught an elaborate floral arrangement.

A centerpiece of bluebells and primroses woven together made the table look all the more lush. The sight of it — so fresh it looked like a butterfly might flutter out at any moment — made Blair’s eyes light up.

If I move that just a little closer to me, it would perfectly block my face from view.

Blair moved back and forth between her seat and the head of the table, adjusting the centerpiece little by little.

At last, she found the perfect angle — one that would hide her face completely.

“My goodness, it’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

Blair murmured with a deeply satisfied smile. At that very moment…

“I’d have to agree.”

A low, smooth voice came from behind her. Blair nearly cried out in shock, barely swallowing the sound as she slowly turned around.

“Y-Your Highness the Queen, I greet you.”

Flustered, she stumbled over her words and offered an awkward bow, her spine going rigid. Queen Rhea, appearing out of nowhere, looked back and forth between the centerpiece Blair had been adjusting and Blair’s face.

Blair racked her brain desperately for an explanation and opened her mouth.

“Your Highness, that is to say, this—”

“Attending to the very seat where His Majesty will sit. What dedication, Miss Mervish.”

“Yes, that is to say…… pardon?”

What on earth does that mean. Attending to what, exactly. Dedication? What dedication.

“The centerpiece looks far better where you’ve placed it, in my view as well. To come this early and take such care before the luncheon hour — how diligent of you.”

A look of quiet approval passed over Queen Rhea’s face. It seemed she had arrived at a very particular — and entirely wrong — conclusion.

“I’ve heard you always arrive first. I already knew that much, but I never imagined this was the reason.”

No, that was not the reason at all. She had simply been coming early every time to claim a corner seat where no one would notice her — but there was no conceivable way to say that.

“Oh…… it’s nothing so remarkable. I apologize if I’ve overstepped, Your Highness.”

Blair stretched her awkward smile into something presentable. The queen studied her face for a moment, then asked.

“Your name is Blair, wasn’t it?”

“…… Yes. Blair of Viscount Mervish’s household, Your Highness.”

The queen gave a nod.

“Then I’ll see you at luncheon, Blair. I need to look in on the head chef.”

The queen left quickly, to Blair’s relief.

But an alarm went off in her head. The queen, who had never once called her by name, had just said it aloud.

This kind of attention was the last thing she wanted.

❀❀❀

As luncheon drew near, the other frons arrived one by one.

“You’re here already, Blair?”

Olivia greeted her with a mildly surprised look. Her golden hair, somehow even more voluminous than usual today, shimmered brilliantly.

“Oh, I had a little time to spare.”

Blair returned the greeting with a light smile. Just then, a sharp voice cut in.

“Blair’s always early, isn’t she?”

Selina swept into the dining room, her cat-like eyes tilted upward. She had always enjoyed dressing in lavish gowns and jewels, but today she had clearly put in extra effort.

Tilda arrived shortly after, and all the frons were assembled.

Blair had already claimed a seat at the far end of the table. The other three engaged in a subtle, wordless standoff before each settling into a chair. This time, Selina took the seat closest to where the king and queen would sit.

Blair was quietly relieved to have stayed out of that little power struggle, when the chief chamberlain’s solemn voice rang out.

“His Majesty the King will arrive shortly.”

The words had barely left his mouth before the king entered. Queen Rhea, whom Blair had spoken with earlier, followed close behind.

So it’s true that the Duke of Brienne has the royal family in a stranglehold over this poisoning.

Blair studied the dark circles under King Rubens’s eyes and thought to herself.

Once the king and queen were seated, the head chef rang a handbell to signal the start of luncheon. Attendants began bringing out dishes in succession, and the table was soon laden with fine food.

“It must have been unexpected, being pulled into a luncheon like this. Thank you all for coming.”

King Rubens spoke after wetting his throat with an aperitif.

“Not at all, Your Majesty. We are grateful to be invited.”

The sharp look in Selina’s eyes from earlier was nowhere to be found. She smiled sweetly and spoke in a soft, honeyed voice. One by one, the others followed with their own pleasantries.

“As you all know, recent events have been most unfortunate, which is why I wanted to gather like this.”

The king continued with a troubled expression.

“To think someone would dare commit such an act within the palace walls. I hear that Miss Olivia’s bird also fell victim to the same poison yesterday.”

“Yes, Your Majesty…… the same robetaine that was used on Miss Anais, regrettably.”

Olivia answered with a small sniffle. The king replied in a grave tone.

“The royal household is conducting a thorough investigation into this matter, so there is no need for excessive worry. And should you hear any idle talk, do not let it sway you.”

The idle talk he referred to was almost certainly the rumor that the royal family had poisoned Anais.

King Rubens and the Duke of Brienne had been at odds for quite some time, so it was no surprise that such rumors were circulating. There had always been forces working to check royal authority, but the Duke of Brienne’s power had grown to a point that went well beyond mere opposition.

The fact that Anais Brienne had been marked as the future princess consort despite the king’s objections said everything about how far the duke’s influence reached.

“We trust that Your Majesty will bring the truth to light.”

Selina responded to the king’s words with the same flattery she always offered. But today, she didn’t stop there.

“I also feel so terrible about what happened to Anais…… hic, forgive me.”

She put on the most pitiful expression imaginable and wrung out tears with practiced ease. No, at this point, a crocodile would have nothing on her.

“Hm. Were the two of you quite close?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. She had such a kind heart…… it has been so painful, honestly, even now.”

Tilda could no longer keep her expression neutral at Selina’s shameless lies and kept stealing uneasy glances around the table. Olivia stared at Selina with a face carved from stone.

But what shocked everyone far more was a single remark from King Rubens.

“How curious. You don’t look particularly pained to me.”

A chill swept over the table in an instant.

Selina’s face turned as red as the gaudy rubies dangling all over her. She was so flustered that even she, who was never at a loss for words, clamped her mouth shut and stared down at her plate.

The king, for his part, calmly sipped his wine and complimented the queen on the head chef’s cooking.

Blair shook her head inwardly and waited for this uncomfortable gathering to be over.

She was nodding along to the conversation with a blank expression, cutting her meat, when Queen Rhea called her name.

“By the way, Miss Blair, why are you sitting so far away? You arrived before anyone else, so I rather expected you to sit beside me.”

The queen’s familiar, first-name address made the other frons turn to look at Blair with surprise. Blair herself was no less startled.

“Oh, that’s……”

Her mind went blank. She couldn’t say she wanted to avoid being noticed, so she needed a plausible excuse.

“I thought it proper to take a seat befitting my rank today, and so I did.”

It wasn’t untrue. She was, at most, a viscount’s daughter, well below the daughters of marquises and counts. While all frons were treated as equals during their stay at the palace regardless of title, today the king himself was present, so deferring to rank wasn’t unreasonable.

“Oh my. There was no need to go that far on my account. Well, I can’t say I’m displeased.”

The king smiled with quiet satisfaction. Blair sensed unease in that smile and covered it with an awkward laugh, reaching for her wine.

But it didn’t end there.

“Miss Mervish seems quite thoughtful. In truth, I deliberately arranged a luncheon rather than a banquet, concerned that too grand a gathering at a time like this might draw criticism.”

The king paused and swept his gaze around the table before continuing.

“I was inwardly troubled to see everyone dressed so elaborately, but seeing Miss Mervish puts me somewhat at ease.”

Every eye in the room turned to Blair.

The dress she wore was a muted dark green, embroidered in subdued tones, plain and unremarkable. She had chosen it precisely because it was the most nondescript and forgettable thing she owned, but in an instant it had been recast as a gesture of mourning for a peer who had died so tragically.