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Chapter 8
“Hello, Your Highness.”
Celestine greeted him with a voice as gentle as honey and a smile as bright as the sun. Anyone who saw her would think she was breathtakingly beautiful.
‘In the original story, people only said she seemed a little crazy. Nobody ever criticized her appearance.’
Right. And if it was George, a man completely obsessed with women, then of course he would be even more interested.
Celestine looked at George with sparkling eyes, while George answered her with a disgusting little smile.
“…Were you speaking to me just now, my lady?”
“Yes, of course. It’s truly an honor to meet you!”
George seemed slightly surprised by Celestine’s sudden appearance, but he certainly did not look displeased.
No, if anything, it was the complete opposite.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Covering his mouth, he cleared his throat several times before lowering his voice in an absurdly pretentious way.
“Are you one of the young ladies invited to the Crown Prince’s banquet?”
“Yes. Thankfully, I received an invitation, so I came.”
“Hmm… I see.”
“To be honest, I was so excited that I arrived early. But to think I would even meet Your Highness… today is truly becoming a wonderful day.”
Celestine forced the happiest expression she could manage as she looked at George.
Seeing him up close…
He was seriously ugly.
And for some reason, the way he looked at her felt disgusting too. It was like he was examining a slab of meat hanging in a butcher shop.
“I am pleased as well. After all, I have met such a beautiful young lady. It seems today is my lucky day.”
Oh.
So he really is crazy about women.
For a brief moment, Celestine felt a tiny bit of hope and gave him an innocent smile, trying her hardest to look beautiful.
When she smiled at him like that, George froze for a moment.
The instant she saw a blush rise over his pockmarked cheeks, Celestine felt a powerful urge to punch him in the face.
“Which family do you belong to?”
Maybe she could avoid dying at this banquet tonight, but sooner or later, he was definitely going to die at Hela’s hands anyway.
Besides, there was no reason to reveal her real identity.
Especially considering what she was planning to do from this point onward.
“Ah, I was so excited that I forgot to introduce myself properly. My apologies. I am Grace, daughter of Baron Antiana.”
Celestine used the name of a family Greg had once mentioned to her, along with a hastily invented name.
…Wait, why did Greg tell me about the Antiana family in the first place?
“Grace…?”
Melsy, whose master had suddenly changed before her eyes, muttered in disbelief.
“You’re saying you’re the daughter of the Antiana family?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“But I heard the Antiana family’s only daughter died suddenly not long ago.”
Damn it. So that’s why he said he had to attend a funeral.
But Celestine remained calm and spoke in the saddest voice she could manage.
“That’s right. When I heard the news, I was heartbroken as well… Actually, I grew up in an orphanage supported by the Antiana family. They helped me for many years. And after losing their child, the baron and his wife adopted me.”
It was a scam smooth enough to flow like water.
“So it hasn’t been long since I became the daughter of the Antiana family. That’s probably why Your Highness hasn’t heard of me.”
“I see. So that’s what happened.”
George nodded as if he finally understood, his brain apparently too slow to question anything properly.
‘An adopted daughter.’
Still, his brain had not completely stopped functioning. Just as Melsy had said earlier, George was a man who deeply lusted after women.
Unfortunately for him, he was so hideously ugly that not a single noble lady had ever shown interest in him despite his status as a prince.
‘She’s showing a lot of interest in me…’
Looks like she fell in love at first sight.
If Celestine heard that thought, she would probably beat him to death with a club.
‘She’s attractive enough to show interest in me, she’s adopted, and the Antiana family isn’t particularly powerful either.’
A perfect woman to play around with for a while.
George smiled with satisfaction.
“What a tragic story, Grace. If today were not the birthday banquet, I would gladly make time to enjoy myself with you.”
“Ah… really?”
Celestine smiled shyly on the outside, but only one thought filled her mind.
‘There’s only one method left now.’
“Of course. Though I am an extremely busy man, I still have time to enjoy secret pleasures with a flower-like beauty.”
Wow. What kind of outdated line is that?
Suppressing her disgust with all her strength, Celestine quickly continued.
“Then how about we at least have some tea together?”
“Tea?”
“I was invited to the banquet too, after all. I suppose the Crown Prince appreciated how our family has managed orphanages for so many years.”
“Hmmm…”
“There’s still some time before the banquet begins, so if Your Highness doesn’t mind, it would be a tremendous honor for me.”
George hesitated for a moment before pulling out a pocket watch and checking the time.
What Celestine said was true. There was more than enough time for tea.
“Very well. Let us do that.”
After making his decision, George looked at her and spoke.
“Oh my, I’m so happy, Your Highness!”
“You have a rather bold side for a young lady your age. Personally, I quite like women like—”
“Yes, of course! But may I inform my father first? He might worry about me.”
“Ahem, yes. Go ahead.”
The moment he gave permission, Celestine tightly grabbed Melsy’s wrist and walked far enough away that George could no longer hear them.
“Melsy. Go to uncle— no, father— right now and tell him.”
After making sure nobody was nearby, Celestine whispered in the quietest voice possible.
“W-What should I tell him? What do you mean? That you abandoned the family, Miss…?”
Melsy panicked.
“Of course not.”
Celestine shook her head.
“Tell him the moment he has been waiting for has finally arrived.”
“…”
“The chance to properly catch Crown Prince Devaltin’s attention.”
“And from now on, listen carefully. You must not forget a single thing I’m about to tell you. The location, the preparations, everything.”
…As she spoke, Celestine’s eyes burned wildly with something close to madness.
