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Chapter – 13
“And! Father really ought to see just how many ladies the Shooting Star of Eustini makes smile! Hah!”
Nina rattled on without giving me a chance to retort, then suddenly seemed to come to her senses and clapped both hands over her mouth.
She added quickly, her voice small,
“I—I’m sorry! Your Highness, could you please forget that irreverent remark just now…? I’m actually very weak to alcohol….”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“My goodness, Miss Green. I’m terrible at the imperial language, and my memory is awful, so don’t worry. I’m weak to alcohol too.”
Nina let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for saying that, Your Highness. Um… would it be all right if I just called you Nina—no, if you called me Nina? We’re the same age anyway.”
In truth, I’m four years older than you.
“Shall we? Then, when it’s just the two of us, should we act like friends?”
“A princess and me? Is that… really okay?”
Judging by the emerald-green eyes rolling about, Nina seemed to be worrying whether she’d get scolded by her father.
So I winked and delivered the final blow.
“We can make it our little secret.”
Sure enough, Nina jumped up so suddenly the tableware rattled and cried out,
“Really? I love it! April!”
Only after we agreed to be friends did Nina honestly pour out the hardships she’d endured over the past few days.
“It’s not your fault. You went out of your way to stand up for me on the first day.”
I felt sorry for Nina.
To think she’d earned the displeasure of a powerful figure in high society for siding with a fake princess.
It was clearly because of me, yet Nina kindly shook her head.
“It’s not just that. People say that Marquis Hilais has been gathering influence for a long time as prime minister, and his attitude has changed. Lately, he’s been subtly looking down on my father, even though my father is a duke, just using his age as an excuse.”
I’d seen related information in Mousebell’s files.
Marquis Hilais had once been so hard-pressed he’d had to sell off part of his territory, and at that time he’d become prime minister thanks to the recommendation of Archduke Artsen, the emperor’s younger brother.
After demonstrating his competence as prime minister and rising smoothly, he was now dreaming of climbing even higher in status by using his only daughter.
However, according to the files, Vivian was older than the crown prince and therefore not perfectly to his taste. That was precisely why my age had been set to match Nina’s.
“Still, that’s no reason to ostracize you. They must be wary of you as a potential crown princess….”
Since I couldn’t tell Nina the truth outright, I chose my words carefully. She lowered her voice even more and whispered,
“You wouldn’t know, since you came from abroad, but lately there’s been something strange among the capital nobility. While His Highness the Crown Prince was ill for so long, everyone missed him and waited for him. But now that he’s returned to his rightful place, it’s like…”
Nina let out a small sigh and hurriedly added,
“I mean, during that time it was Archduke Artsen who worked in place of His Majesty and His Highness, right? That was clearly to help them, but now people are starting to sympathize with the archduke, as if it’s unfair that His Highness has returned and reclaimed his position.”
The nobles weren’t on the Shooting Star’s side?
This was clearly a different perspective from Mousebell’s information, and it meant this issue warranted investigation.
If the client and Mousebell had known this and deliberately concealed it, it could become a clue to identifying the client.
I deliberately let out a deep sigh.
“Goodness, this is complicated. Bristol is such a small country—things never get this tangled there.”
Nina shrugged.
“In short, as long as the archduke supports her, Vivian Hilais’s position is solid. It might be different for you since you’re a princess, but there’s no way the crown princess position would ever come to me. Honestly, someone like His Highness the Crown Prince would be too much pressure for me anyway.”
Right. Even as a joke, it’d be hard to say that womanizer of a crown prince suited this innocent young lady.
I shrugged along with Nina.
“If I’m just going back to Bristol in a month, then while I’m here, I’m going to enjoy being an imperial princess to the fullest. That place—wow, it’s really fun.”
“You too? I love it there as well! Then shall we go together tomorrow?”
“Really? I’d love that!”
Good. It felt natural.
Then, as if generously indulging her, I added,
“Still, I’ll start going to the ballroom again from today. You said you were bored.”
Nina looked at me with her large eyes shimmering with tears.
“Really? Wow, thank you so much! Thank you, April!”
If you’re that happy, it just makes me feel even guiltier….
My conscience kept pricking at me, growing red-hot inside, but I calmly squeezed Nina’s hand to reassure her.
“No need to thank me. Then, see you later.”
The ballroom again, after three days.
Since Calysion hadn’t arrived yet, Lady Hilais had taken the center as if she were the hostess, and perhaps because of that, Nina was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh my, Your Highness.”
Vivian Hilais spotted me and approached with feigned delight.
“I was so disappointed not to see you at today’s tea party. Of course, I can understand not being good at games, and your difficulty with the imperial language as well.”
She wasn’t even trying to hide the jab.
Even if the language excuse could pass from the first day, it seemed she’d also heard about what happened during yesterday’s domino game.
But showing off her connections like that was pointless. I didn’t need her.
Since I felt no reason to respond, I simply stood there smiling brightly. Perhaps that made me look particularly naive.
Vivian added, with a look of deep sympathy,
“No matter how clearly charitable the purpose of a gala may be, my mother always says that friendships among ladies of high society last a lifetime. Oh, right.”
I could guess what would come next.
Since the Bristol princess was said to have lost her mother early.
Sure enough, Vivian continued,
“You don’t have a mother to give you such advice, do you? Poor princess, how pitiful.”
Pitiful? Compared to my real life, a princess’s life was nothing but blessed. Her father was alive, and he was even a king.
In any case, Vivian seemed firmly intent on making me her enemy.
As long as I didn’t steal the crown princess position, she probably thought a mere princess of a small duchy was nothing.
Well, fine. In a month, I’d never see her again anyway.
When I continued to ignore her, Vivian flushed and turned away. Judging by how she sought out other ladies her age, rumors about me would likely swell once more.
Just then, thankfully, Calysion appeared.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Vivian, who had been watching the entrance, was the first to gather her skirts and bow deeply, but Calysion merely gave her a slight nod and then looked toward me.
“We meet again, April. How was your day?”
It was because, by setting, I was an honored foreign princess.
Or perhaps, as Nina said, it was because the crown prince walked a different path from the archduke.
In any case, his amethyst-like eyes sparkled beautifully, and his gentle tone was sweet beyond measure.
Feeling the heat of Vivian’s gaze at my back, I smiled happily.
Hoping she’d understand perfectly, I replied,
“Today I had lunch with Lady Green. And you, Your Highness?”
“Oh dear. I had no idea you two were having such an intimate gathering. I was stuck attending a terribly dull state meeting instead.”
At that moment, Nina appeared, blushing innocently as she approached.
“Next time, I’ll be sure to invite you, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
According to the files, she was much closer to Calysion’s type than Vivian… and yet, shamelessly, I felt relieved by Nina’s lack of ambition.
Even if I’d come to the ballroom under the pretext of helping Nina, the crown prince was still my one and only top priority.
As a servant approached with a tray of champagne glasses, Calysion handed one first to Nina and me, then even raised his own glass to toast with us. The women behind us had to fend for themselves.
Soon, the strains of a waltz filled the hall.
Holding his champagne glass in his left hand, Calysion extended his right hand to me.
“Shall we dance one song today?”
