Was it because the image of that child who escaped his grasp through death remained deep in his heart that he couldn’t see how she would have grown? When looking at the princess who appeared as if Mel had grown up, the unfinished ends of emotion would occasionally raise their heads.

Perhaps that was why the princess’s freedom and the royal marriage with the Second Prince didn’t appeal to him.

‘Because it feels like I’m letting Mel go with my own hands.’

That dirty feeling of having lost her once, and now letting her go with his own hands a second time. Perhaps this uncomfortable feeling came from the sense of repeating the same mistake, Genoa thought.

“The princess is quite late.”

Having shaken off his complex thoughts, Genoa looked at the quiet bedroom door. He felt he might find the answer if he could see the princess’s clear face that transparently showed her inner thoughts.

* * *

Mel lay blankly on the bed, staring at the elaborate patterns on the ceiling. In her arms were the servant’s uniform the Second Prince had given her and the jacket Genoa had draped over her. She now had two pieces of clothing to return. While she could give Genoa’s jacket back when she went to his bedroom, she had no idea when she would be able to return the Second Prince’s servant uniform.

In truth, there was no reason to return this mere servant uniform to the Second Prince who surely had hundreds more, but she needed a pretext to speak with him again.

“Does Duke Ivanstein know about this scar?”

The Second Prince’s soft voice seemed to echo in Mel’s ears again. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shake it off.

She had been discovered—something that shouldn’t have been seen. Though it was better than being discovered by Genoa, that didn’t mean it was fine to be discovered by the Second Prince. It was a scar she had been careful to hide even from Lin, yet how had she been so careless then?

Elated by the sense of accomplishment from perfectly obtaining the First Prince’s hostility, she had done something unseemly. Perhaps she had been excited by the sight of nobles, who would have ordered her beaten just for looking at them, now carefully approaching her with words, not knowing she was a lowly slave.

Whatever the reason, this was her fault. With deep self-reproach, she kicked at the air aimlessly.

“Please get a grip, please……”

Just as Mel was gradually regaining her composure, there was a knock at the door that sounded particularly loud. Mel answered with a small groan in a shrinking voice.

“Lin, could I rest a bit longer before going?”

“Princess, it’s the head maid.”

“……Ah.”

Mel belatedly remembered something she had temporarily forgotten due to the shock and fully rose from the bed.

“I was hoping you would hold a tea party……”

“A tea party……”

“Tea party……”

She still had matters to attend to. And it was clearly going to be a troublesome affair with complex plots and schemes hidden within.

“Aaaaaaah.”

Mel buried her face in her hands with an agonized groan. It was truly a day that made her want to cry.

As Mel was writhing in distress, the head maid carefully opened the door and entered. She must have noticed that Mel was not in good condition, as she spoke with an uncharacteristically worried expression.

“Are you all right?”

“If even you can see I’m not all right, could I rest a little?”

“I’ll make this quick.”

“……Sigh.”

Mel rose from the bed with a deep sigh. The head maid had obviously chosen this time when Lin was away, knowing she would make a fuss if she saw. There couldn’t be a more appropriate time for the two of them to talk alone, so Mel couldn’t refuse.

As Mel went to sit on the sofa first, the head maid sat across from her. It was quite consistent how she sat down without being invited to do so.

“I assume you’ve prepared the guest list for the tea party?”

“Of course.”

“Let me see it.”

The guest list the head maid handed over was extremely sparse. Marchioness Mervissen, Viscountess Roland, Baroness Cezarn. Only three noblewomen had sent replies confirming their attendance.

“This is quite modest for something prepared with such gravity.”

“As I mentioned, what I need is the experience of having prepared a tea party at the mansion.”

“……”

The head maid was quite brazen. Mel tried to recall if she had greeted any of the people on this guest list today. Though her memory was hazy after using all her energy dealing with the First and Second Princes today, the names seemed very unfamiliar. From the look of it, they appeared to be families without much influence.

“Are you really not going to tell Duke Ivanstein about this?”

“I’ll handle that, so Princess, you just need to welcome the guests attending the tea party.”

The head maid showed considerable confidence, but to Mel’s eyes, it seemed like an elaborate scheme was hidden within.

A princess of an enemy country hosting a party unknown to the master of the Ivanstein mansion, and the head maid encouraging it. If Duke Ivanstein found out, Mel couldn’t help but worry what he might think.

“Fine. It’s not a difficult task anyway.”

So Mel smiled brightly and placed the guest list beside her. The head maid extended her hand, seemingly asking for it back, but Mel shook her head and said,

“To properly entertain guests, I need to know about their families first. I’ll keep this here. I’ll look into it myself.”

“……Since I already know about them, there’s no need for you to go to the trouble, princess.”

The head maid seemed quite flustered when Mel refused to return the guest list. Her eagerness to get it back made her even more suspicious.

“What use is it for you, head maid, who isn’t even the hostess of the tea party, to know these things?”

“But……”

“Is this why you said you wanted to gain experience? You don’t even know these basics properly.”

“……”

As Mel deliberately lowered her eyes dismissively and curled up one corner of her mouth, the head maid clenched her fist and seemed to be thinking about something. Eventually, she sighed and took a step back.

“I hope this opportunity becomes a good experience for me.”

“……Good. I’ll cooperate. But in return, I need a promise from you.”

“Please tell me.”

“Whatever it is, you must fulfill one request from me.”

“Must, you say?”

The head maid briefly furrowed her brow. Between fulfilling a request and absolutely fulfilling it—though only the word ‘must’ had been added, the head maid recognized the difference in weight.

“Yes.”

“Can’t you tell me what it is now?”

“Not yet. But I’ll definitely make the request before the tea party begins.”

It was truly an exquisite timing. The head maid narrowed her eyes, examining Mel’s face as she spoke.

“If I am inadequate and cannot fulfill your request……”

“Then I won’t do it either.”

“Sigh, princess.”

The head maid groaned at Mel’s words, which flowed lightly as if she were finishing an amusing prank. The head maid’s fists rested on her knees, tightly clenched.

Mel knew it. In this deal with the head maid, she held the initiative.

“A head maid who can hold a tea party in the Ivanstein mansion without the duke knowing should find nothing impossible.”

“But since you’re not telling me anything, it’s difficult for me to absolutely promise that I’ll fulfill your request.”

“Why is it difficult? I’m the one who has to hold a tea party I don’t even know the purpose of, without the duke knowing.”

“……”

A perceptive head maid would quickly realize that Mel wouldn’t back down. Whatever the head maid had planned, it was so flimsy that a simple refusal from Mel’s lips to not hold the tea party could easily disrupt her plans. That’s why she was easily swayed by Mel’s playful words and conflicted despite not knowing what she might have to give up.

“If it’s a request that doesn’t interfere with the tea party……”

“Great!”

At the head maid’s decision, Mel clapped her hands lightly in delight. It was also quite amusing to see the head maid quietly swallowing a sigh at the sight.

“Now could you leave? I need to go to the duke’s room soon.”

“Just in case, regarding the tea party, please don’t tell the duke……”

“I know I shouldn’t tell the duke about it. And I also know what it means to hold a tea party in a ducal family without a duchess.”

“That’s a relief.”

The head maid showed relief, gave Mel a slight bow, and left the room. Watching her departing figure intently, Mel tucked the guest list the head maid had left into her pocket.

Not long after the head maid left, Lin entered the room with another knock.

“Princess! I just saw the head maid leaving here. What happened? Did she scold you because the dress was ruined?”

Fortunately, Lin seemed unaware of the small deal between Mel and the head maid. Mel briefly considered telling Lin the truth about the tea party but abandoned the thought when she saw Lin burning with wariness toward the head maid.