That evening, Princess Sylvia arrived at the ducal estate of the Ambrose family.

Ariadne was still confused about Kieron and how strangely he had begun to change.

Her thoughts kept circling back, searching for an explanation for his sudden change in behavior.

The princess had requested the visit only a few hours earlier, leaving little opportunity to decline.

In her polite note, she said that she would only stop by briefly and that Ariadne was free to refuse if it was inconvenient. But who could possibly refuse such a message?

Reluctantly accepting the request only served to muddle Ariadne’s thoughts further, as she knew exactly what Sylvia had come to say.

“You said you were going to decline, didn’t you?”

Jay tilted her head at her mistress’ troubled expression.

Ariadne had said without hesitation that she would refuse. This was right after they had returned from their meeting with Princess Sylvia. So why was the matter causing her distress again?

Ariadne shook her head at Jay’s question.

Yes, she had made up her mind, but saying it face-to-face was an entirely different matter.

“I was planning to refuse in writing. It’s uncomfortable to decline in person.”

“You should have sent it earlier. Then you wouldn’t have to meet her like this.”

Jay looked genuinely concerned as she styled her mistress’s hair.

Ever since the afternoon tea with the Duke, Ariadne had seemed somber.

When the princess’s message arrived, her face was completely shadowed, as if she were standing alone in the middle of the night.

Could someone with an expression like that possibly receive visitors?

Jay glanced at her mistress, whose face still showed no sign of brightening, and let out a small sigh.

“My lady, try not to worry so much. You’ve already made up your mind.”

“That’s true, but…”

‘How am I supposed to say it?’

Ariadne looked in the mirror and sighed.

She looked as if she were carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, which was enough to make anyone anxious just by looking at her.

Jay watched her for a moment before cautiously offering.

“Should I say you’re feeling unwell? If you tell her to return—”

“She’s the princess. How could I do that?”

With a sigh, Ariadne rose from her seat.

“Did you tell His Grace?”

“I informed the head butler. He said His Grace was in his study.”

‘I shouldn’t disturb him, after all.’

Jay added the last part with an awkward expression.

A master like Kieron was not the easiest person to be around.

Ariadne gave her a small, understanding smile and patted her on the shoulder.

“Then His Grace must already know. I can’t not go.”

‘What if he says he’ll meet her together with me…?’

It would certainly be an odd sight: a princess visiting the lady of the house only to sit with the master, with the lady herself nowhere to be found.

Unable to delay any longer, Ariadne forced her heavy steps out of the room.

“I asked for the tea and refreshments to be prepared in my drawing room, right?”

“Yes, of course. The head butler said he would ensure the other staff didn’t neglect any part of the reception.”

“If Derrick is handling it, then I can relax.”

She let out a faint murmur.

Ever since Kieron stripped her of all authority over the estate’s internal management, there had been little left for her to do except give the occasional instruction.

Had that not been the case, she would have been the busiest person in the mansion — and perhaps, if she had been buried in work, she wouldn’t have had time for such pointless thoughts.

It was absurd, then, that the person most occupied with preparing for the guest was the head butler, not the hostess herself.

The guest had come specifically to see the lady of the house, yet she remained upstairs, taking her time, only coming down when it was time to take her seat.

Would things have been better if Kieron hadn’t taken her authority away all those years ago?

Chasing a thought that would never become reality, Ariadne descended the stairs slowly.

“She should be arriving any moment, right?”

“Yes. She’ll be here soon. Her Highness said she would arrive exactly on time, so she’s probably at the front gate by now.”

Sylvia had written down exactly how long the journey would take and when Ariadne was expected to arrive.

Thanks to Sylvia’s clear list, Ariadne was able to prepare without rushing or panicking.

Remembering Lorelei’s previous visit, Ariadne felt grateful to Sylvia.

‘This is how things are supposed to be.’

‘The two princesses are really so different.’

She had thought about it many times before: Lorelei, who suppressed people with a smile, and Sylvia, who spoke her mind with the same smile.

How could two sisters be so completely different?

As Ariadne pondered this in the lobby, she realized that she was no different from her brothers.

After all, children born of the same mother could still have drastically different talents, so why wouldn’t the same apply to personality?

With this realization, the differences between Lorelei and Sylvia no longer seemed confusing.

Hadn’t she spent her whole life wishing to be seen as separate from them?

Her brilliant, gifted, exceptional brothers — and then there was her: the worthless, hollow shell.

She had always longed for people to see her not as Peyton’s treasured daughter, but simply as Ariadne. Yet this simple wish had always been the hardest to achieve, gnawing at her constantly.

Perhaps in relationships like this, Sylvia’s straightforward attitude — ‘What’s the problem?’ — was more helpful.

As this thought crossed her mind, Ariadne saw a carriage approaching through the open doors.

“Oh my. Everyone’s already out here.”

The door opened and Sylvia stepped down from the carriage unaided.

Seeing the servants lined up at the entrance, she looked surprised.

She approached Ariadne immediately, speaking in an apologetic tone.

“I sent word not to do all this. You don’t need to gather like this. Please, go inside—I’m sure you’re all busy.”

Looking at the servants filling the entranceway, she told them that they could return to their duties and did not need to remain standing there.

Ariadne greeted her and nodded at Derrick subtly.

“We’ll do that, Your Highness. Please come inside first.”

“Shall I? Thank you. And thank you all for coming out to greet me.”

She was a princess who used honorifics when addressing servants.

She even made eye contact with everyone standing nearby, one by one.

What an unusual person!

Ariadné decided that this was simply the kind of person Sylvia was. Although Ariadne was always kind to the servants and genuinely grateful for their work, she had never used honorifics with them or made a point of meeting their gaze as Sylvia did.

During her short time managing the household, she had told the servants that they could come to her at any time, but this was different.

As Ariadne walked with Sylvia towards the drawing room, she watched the princess make eye contact with every servant they passed and found it admirable.

“Do you do this in the palace as well?”

So she asked—wondering if Sylvia behaved this way because of her position, or because it genuinely came from the heart.

Sylvia smiled brightly.

“If I can, I do. But there aren’t many chances in the palace. Servants rarely come into view there.”

Meaning: if she saw them, she treated them like this; if not, then she simply couldn’t. But the important part was that when she did see them, she greeted them with sincere eye contact—always.

Ariadne found that remarkable.

“You’re amazing, Your Highness.”

“They’re people, just like we are. The only difference is that they’re employed, and I’m the one who employs them.”

Sylvia emphasized again that aside from that, there was no real difference.

“I don’t think being the employer makes me more special or more important than they are. If they had been given the same opportunities we were, they’d be living lives like ours.”

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. Someone with a different worldview might call such remarks dangerous. But Ariadne liked her way of thinking. She also liked the brightness in her eyes.

“I think Your Highness is an extraordinary person.”

“When we first met, Del said the exact same thing.”

Sylvia remarked that her fiancé, who was also Ariadne’s brother, had said the same, muttering that siblings truly did resemble one another.

It sounded a little teasing, but she looked affectionate.

Ariadne smiled at her.

“People used to say I resembled Heidel the most when I was young.”

“I knew it. The three of you insisted it wasn’t true.”

“You’ve met my other brothers as well?”

As they talked about her brothers, the two of them entered the drawing room. Sylvia continued chatting until they were seated, recounting how the three Peyton brothers could talk endlessly about their little sister, Ariadne — and do so with their eyes closed, no less.

“If anyone overheard them, they’d think you had four fathers instead of one.”

Even the usually reserved Peyton men, who only spoke when necessary, couldn’t help themselves when talking about their sister.

Sylvia said that she was even more surprised by Marquis Peyton himself, and by the fact that such a stern, dignified man would occasionally boast about his daughter.

“In the palace, they call Marquis Peyton the ‘Iron-Blooded Minister.’ He’s so cold and meticulous at work that there isn’t a single person there who doesn’t fear him.”

Sylvia truly had a gift with words. Even without exaggerated gestures or comedic expressions, she spoke in a delightful way.

Watching her, Ariadne realized that she couldn’t stop smiling.

Suddenly, she understood why Heidel, who usually disliked members of the imperial family, had chosen Sylvia.

“Father may be strict, but he’s a very warm person. I’m sure he’ll take good care of you as well, Your Highness.”

When Ariadne’s two older brothers got married, their wives were initially terrified of the Marquis of Peyton.

However, as time passed, they discovered that he favored his daughter and daughters-in-law far more than his sons.

They soon came to enjoy spending time with their father-in-law more than with their husbands.

Thinking of her gentle sisters-in-law, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, Ariadne smiled softly.

The two of them were still enjoying their warm and pleasant conversation when they were interrupted.