“I’m sorry for causing confusion to everyone. I made a mistake because I still have many shortcomings.”
Camilla became even more flustered at the apology delivered in a loud voice so others could hear.
‘I didn’t expect her to come out like this……’
If Shailyn had gotten angry and argued before leaving, she could have been accused of being unreasonable, but when she honestly admitted and apologized like this, it became awkward to gossip behind her back.
But Shailyn, who wasn’t satisfied with just making things awkward, approached the table lined with wine glasses.
She untied the ribbon string from her wrist and dipped it fully into one of the glasses.
The pure white ribbon string was stained with wine and changed to a color similar to Linus’s bow tie.
“Now it’s no longer a white ribbon. Right?”
Shailyn, who had fished out the wet string, smiled brightly toward the crowd.
Since she had handled it this way, everyone could no longer say anything more and just nodded their heads.
“Please kindly understand my immature mistake, and I hope you’ll refrain from strange misunderstandings.”
Shailyn, who had made the polite request, turned around again and looked at Camilla.
“Lady Roden.”
“……!”
Camilla’s shoulders flinched at the gentle call. She didn’t know what to do since her opponent showed a different reaction than expected.
Shailyn placed her hand on her chest and drooped her eyebrows as she spoke.
“I don’t know what exactly I did wrong, but since you formed a group and only pointed things out frighteningly—”
After practicing crying several times, her skills seemed to have improved, as her sobbing voice sounded genuine.
“I’m also hurt and my heart really aches. If you had told me the mistake like His Highness did, I would have fixed it quickly……”
As she trailed off wistfully and turned her head away, the pitiful atmosphere that evoked people’s sympathy was further strengthened.
Since there was no evidence that Camilla had given her the ribbon anyway, she was trying to form public opinion this way.
“No, I—!”
“It would be better to stop.”
Linus firmly cut off Camilla’s voice as she tried to refute.
“Either way, it’s true that you two exchanged greetings beforehand, so you could have helped a bit when everyone was whispering while looking at Lady Sharofe. Adding words instead doesn’t look good.”
“……!”
At his point, Camilla lost her words and pressed her lips tightly together.
Shailyn maintained a dejected expression while praising Linus inwardly.
‘Well done, well done! I can feel the power of favorability 85!’
Since the crown prince openly took her side, the people watching also stirred and gradually moved on.
“Well, no matter what, Lady Sharofe wouldn’t deliberately wear a white ribbon to an official occasion.”
“Lady Roden is also too heartless. Anyone could see she made a mistake and asked for help, but to reject her like that.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t have done that. I would have shown kindness by telling Lady Sharofe about the parts she didn’t know well.”
Even those who had criticized Shailyn earlier shamelessly changed their attitude, but since no one had argued with her like Camilla, it wasn’t noticeable.
Camilla, who ended up taking all the blame alone, urgently looked back at Johanna.
‘Please help me, Lady!’
Johanna coldly ignored her request through eye contact.
She spread her fan wide and turned her back on Camilla as if she didn’t know her.
Just like Camilla had done to Shailyn.
“Tsk, useless.”
Raviel, who had been standing near Johanna and heard that small mutter, glanced at her.
His eyes narrowed as he alternately looked at Camilla, who showed a frustrated expression after being immediately abandoned, and Johanna’s back, which was clearly showing annoyance.
***
Thanks to the crown prince’s appropriate help, the ribbon incident came to an end.
Camilla, who had become the target of glares instead of me, left the deck as if fleeing.
Looking at her retreating figure, I sighed and said.
“As expected, there aren’t many people to trust in this world.”
“You’re just realizing that now. Still, it’s fortunate that things didn’t get bigger.”
The crown prince, who replied with a chuckle, gestured with his chin toward the ribbon in my hand.
“You’re not really going to tie it around your wrist, are you?”
“It’s the dress code anyway. I don’t know what might be said later, so if I can follow it, I should.”
Just as I was about to tie the wine-soaked ribbon around my wrist to avoid giving anyone a handle to grab onto….
“Give me your hand.”
The crown prince, who had sighed, untied his bow tie and wiggled his finger.
When I extended my hand in confusion, he tied the bow tie string around my wrist in a clumsy ribbon shape.
I widened my eyes at this and looked up at the crown prince.
“Is it okay for you to give this to me?”
“I brought plenty of spares.”
He answered nonchalantly and shrugged his shoulders.
I looked at the mismatched ribbon and gradually smiled, then beamed brightly at him.
“Thank you.”
“……Ahem.”
The crown prince, who had been staring at me blankly for a moment, cleared his throat and turned his head away.
Just as the atmosphere was about to turn pink, an unwelcome voice echoed from above.
“Good afternoon, everyone.”
Lady Celsior, who had climbed to the upper part of the ship, greeted the participants on the deck.
Naturally, everyone’s attention turned to her.
“Thank you for attending today’s party. Especially to His Highness the Crown Prince who honored us with his precious visit.”
The lady’s hand pointed exactly at the crown prince standing in front of me.
Just like introducing a partner.
The crown prince frowned slightly as if uncomfortable. But the lady didn’t care and even induced applause.
Her deep purple dress fluttered weakly in the sea breeze.
“I hope you all have a pleasant time, and I hope this party becomes an unforgettable memory.”
The lady finished her greeting with a somehow unsettling smile at the end.
While she briefly disappeared from view, the crown prince left to put on a spare bow tie.
As I was leisurely eating drinks and desserts alone, I felt the presence of someone approaching nearby.
When I turned my head, what I saw was not the crown prince—
“Lady Sharofe, thank you for coming.”
It was Lady Celsior.
She was wearing an unnaturally sweet smile.
“Hello, Lady Celsior.”
I also bowed politely, hiding my displeasure.
Then the lady suddenly linked arms with me and acted intimately.
“Let’s enjoy the party together.”
……This person, why is she really acting like this?
Sorry, but I saw you staring at my side when I was fighting with Camilla.
She had been a bystander then, but now she was acting friendly as if nothing had happened, which anyone could see was suspicious and scheming.
Just as I was struggling to untangle the lady’s arm.
“Lady Sharofe…… when did you become so close with Lady Celsior?”
The crown prince, who had returned wearing the same burgundy bow tie as before, threw a bewildered question at us.
I hurried to deny it.
“We’re not really—”
“Not long ago. We decided to resolve our grudges against each other and become friends.”
The lady, who had unilaterally crushed my words, put strong force into the arm she had linked with mine. Her grip was so strong that it was hard to shake off easily.
Clinging to me like a cicada on an old tree, she continued in a sickeningly sweet voice.
“Although we had a small quarrel at the imperial castle…… now that we’ve truly become friends, I hope Your Highness will support our friendship too.”
“Ah.”
The crown prince slightly frowned. He seemed to not welcome our friendship very much.
Strange, but is there a reason for him to hate it that much?
I might feel bad since the lady and I are enemies, but as the crown prince, it wouldn’t be bad for young ladies he knows to get along well.
I was tilting my head in slight puzzlement when—
“By the way, do you know that boat riding is scheduled soon? Two people will ride in one boat.”
The lady, who had let go of my arm as if her business was done, approached the crown prince and lightly placed her hand on him.
“Ride with me, Your Highness.”
I imagined the lady and crown prince going out to sea alone on a boat.
Hmm, that’s too romantic, so it won’t do?
I immediately removed the lady’s hand from the crown prince’s shoulder, placed my hand on it, and smiled as much as possible.
“How about riding with me?”
“……”
Considering favorability alone, it would be natural for the crown prince to choose me.
Somehow, he showed signs of hesitation without making a choice easily.
Ah, what! Does favorability 85 not mean we can ride a boat together alone?!
‘Or am I losing to the lady?’
Either way, I wasn’t in a very pleasant mood and was pursing my lips when—
“Shailyn will ride with me.”
A gentle voice came from behind and a slender, pretty hand landed on my shoulder.
Platinum hair tickled my cheek slightly as I looked back.
“Raviel?”
As expected, the head priest was standing there.
He gently embraced my shoulder and softly curved his eyes.
“You’ll ride with me, won’t you?”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Otomeaddict
Happy chapter 100!
My dear prince strawberry blonde… you don’t know that just 1 second hesitation in a situation like this means minus 500 male lead plausibility. So sad. Unfortunate. (Me acting like I can’t see the cover of this story)