In this Chaotic World, I Am Doing Fine - Chapter 15

It seemed the ladies had changed their method of provoking.

Did they think I would be displeased to hear that my fiancé was getting close to another woman?

As expected, there was a reason Ensia had brought them along. They worked well together.

‘But their approach is wrong.’

Acelia silently wiggled her crossed leg.

Her expression remained indifferent, as if she hadn’t heard anything special.

The ladies were taken aback.

‘This, this isn’t right?’

“Um, Your Highness?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you upset? Because we talked about Lord Felix.”

“Liam?”

“Well… that he’s dependable and chivalrous.”

“He is that way.”

On the surface.

Acelia sneered inwardly.

The ladies’ bewilderment seemed almost tangible.

‘This is what we call giving them the cold shoulder.’

For Acelia, who came from a nation of attention-seekers, this level of provocation was merely ticklish.

The old Acelia might have been different, but to the current her, Liam was less than a speck of dust.

Whatever was said about him had zero impact.

‘Keep talking all you want, I won’t even bat an eye.’

Acelia sipped her refreshing peppermint tea that cleared her mind.

‘The Princess reacts like that to a conversation about Liam?’

Ensia’s eyes narrowed.

She was someone who knew that Acelia liked Liam.

Unless she was acting, a reaction like that was impossible.

‘Is it because of the Third Prince that you’re so confident?’

That was the only reason that came to mind.

Once Gale started to bother her, he kept bothering her.

But he was just a rogue prince without even the right to succeed the throne.

How well could these nobodies get along to be so arrogant?

Ensia decided to instill a sense of crisis in the Princess.

She couldn’t help but want to warn her that what she had grabbed was a rotten lifeline, and she would end up alone in the end.

It seemed she wouldn’t be satisfied until she saw the Princess’s face contort.

Ensia began with a deliberately serious tone.

“By the way, I heard His Highness Gale almost got into big trouble recently. Has the misunderstanding been completely cleared up now?”

“It has. No matter how frivolous and unpredictable Gale is, unlike a typical member of the imperial family, how could anyone think of framing a royal? The discipline in the palace has become lax.”

…Are they really close?

Ensia almost failed to maintain her expression. Acelia was viewing Gale with a more objective eye than expected.

Those who felt pricked by the Princess’s last words cleared their throats or averted their gaze.

Ensia barely managed to lift the corners of her mouth.

“But if it was just a misunderstanding anyway, wasn’t there no need for Your Highness to step in? What if you fall out of favor with Prince Diego?”

“…Diego? The Second Prince?”

“Yes. It’s well known that Prince Diego is at odds with Prince Gale, isn’t it?”

Acelia’s expression, which had remained firm no matter what Ensia and the ladies said, cracked.

‘Oh?’

Ensia’s pink eyes sparkled at the greater reaction than expected.

“Lady Monium, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Oh my. It’s not an old story, so I thought Your Highness would have heard about it too.”

Acelia’s displeasure was evident in the changed form of address.

But having elicited the reaction she had so desired, Ensia didn’t miss this opportunity.

Even Acelia, who was cooped up in the palace, wouldn’t be unaware of ‘that incident’.

Ignoring Acelia’s signs of not wanting to discuss it further, Ensia finally brought up the topic.

“I mean that Prince Gale sexually harassed Prince Diego’s fiancée, so they can’t possibly be on good terms.”

‘Sexual harassment?’

Acelia’s eyes widened at the unexpected story.

Gale sexually harassed the Second Prince’s fiancée? That Gale?

It was inevitable that he suddenly looked like a different person. It was a sensitive issue.

As far as Acelia knew, the Second Prince currently had no fiancée. Could they have broken off the engagement because of that incident? What happened to that woman?

If Diego had abandoned his fiancée who had suffered such a terrible experience without protecting her, his character didn’t seem particularly admirable either.

No, how did Gale get involved in such a problem?

Acelia’s expression hardened to a frightening degree.

Naturally, the atmosphere of the tea party froze as well.

While everyone was watching Acelia’s reaction, the head maid approached and whispered.

“Your Highness, High Priest Joachim has arrived.”

“…Is that so? Show him in.”

She had called Joachim in preparation for this kind of situation, but it seemed she wouldn’t be able to see the scene she had expected.

Acelia’s mood had plummeted too far for that.

The ladies were in a frenzy at the unexpected guest’s appearance, and Joachim looked perplexed.

Surrounded by the ladies, he spoke to Acelia in a reproachful tone.

“…If I had known you were in a meeting, I would have waited elsewhere.”

“No. You came at just the right time. Now that a guest has arrived, let’s end this gathering. It doesn’t seem like we’re the kind of company that benefits from prolonged association. You don’t need to visit again in the future.”

Leaving behind a farewell that was hardly a farewell to the ladies, Acelia left first.

Joachim quietly followed behind her.

The ladies were indignant.

“How could she say such things?! Anyone who heard would think we came because we wanted to.”

“I thought we could act as usual, but Her Highness is not to be underestimated. Wasn’t she not this kind of personality originally?”

“She’s been a bit strange since the First Prince’s banquet.”

At that moment, a lady who couldn’t contain her curiosity asked a question.

“Um… But why is High Priest Joachim at the Princess’s Palace? What kind of relationship does he have with Her Highness?”

“I wonder. I’m curious too. What reason would someone who’s certain to be the next Pope have to be acquainted with Her Highness? Miss Ensia, do you perhaps know?”

“……”

Despite the ladies looking at her, Ensia just stared at the spot where Acelia and Joachim had disappeared, her brows furrowed.

The two people who had moved to the reception room remained silent for a while.

Acelia was preoccupied with thinking about what she had just heard, and Joachim was observing the Princess, whose atmosphere was different from usual.

Considering their master’s mood, the maids quietly set down the tea and withdrew. Joachim broke the silence.

“Did something happen?”

“I heard some troubling news. …Why are you looking at me like that?”

Only then noticing his gaze, Acelia brushed her cheek. Picking up a teacup, Joachim spoke in a casual tone.

“I’m curious why you use formal speech with me when you spoke casually to the ladies.”

“You’re curious about the strangest things. I’m keeping my distance. Satisfied?”

“It doesn’t seem that way, given how poorly you got along with the ladies.”

“You’re touching a sore spot. Is it okay for a priest to do that?”

“Speaking the truth is a virtue of priests.”

“You know you have a really annoying personality, right, High Priest?”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that. So, what happened?”

“……”

Realizing belatedly that she had been caught up in Joachim’s way of speaking, Acelia held her forehead.

Normally, she wouldn’t have revealed her inner thoughts to this extent while being wary of him, but it seemed Gale’s incident had been quite shocking.

Staring blankly at his neat and beautiful face, Acelia unconsciously opened her mouth.

“Gale… the Third Prince.”

But the words that followed didn’t come. No matter how she phrased the question, it would sound strange.

Is it true that Gale sexually harassed the Second Prince’s fiancée?

What happened to Gale after that incident?

Does the Second Prince hate Gale?

These were questions that ‘Acelia’ couldn’t ask.

Belatedly realizing the situation, Acelia tensed up.

With so much to hide, she found Joachim uncomfortable.

That’s why she had deliberately called him on the day the ladies were visiting, to avoid meeting him alone.

But now. Acelia’s complexion turned slightly pale, left only with being interrogated.

“…Never mind that, please tell me why you came.”

“I came to invite you to visit the temple.”

“What? The temple?”

But Joachim made an unexpected proposal.

“Yes. As someone touched by the hand of God, I would like to extend an invitation.”

While looking at the sky-blue eyes that had widened in surprise, Joachim swallowed the questions he had originally intended to ask.

He still found Acelia suspicious, but the stiff expression he had seen when she was with the noble ladies bothered him.

Even now, facing Joachim, her complexion wasn’t very good.

Normally, his personality would have ignored such things completely and obtained the answers he wanted, but this was a puzzling aspect even to himself.

‘…There will be another opportunity if she comes to the temple.’

Meanwhile, Acelia was considering Joachim’s proposal.

‘To the temple? Me?’

She didn’t know about being touched by the hand of God or whatever, but it was a good idea that made her wonder why she hadn’t thought of it sooner.

‘If I go to the temple, I might find a way to solve the poisoning.’

Moreover, the pretext was excellent. Since the High Priest had requested it first, it could divert people’s attention.

Although it seemed unlikely that going to the temple would lead to a clear solution, if there was even a glimmer of hope, it was right to go.

“What will you do?”

“Alright. I’ll go.”

The two looked at each other, each with different thoughts in mind.