🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 82
“Since Roa told me to trust him, I’ll relax for now.”
Poni must have been anxious, yet she smiled brightly. But only for a moment—she soon let out a sigh.
“Sigh, Father’s special training session is soon. I’d better go if I don’t want him to notice my impure thoughts.”
As Poni stood up, Reese approached her and wagged his tail as if to bid her farewell.
Poni gently patted Reese’s head and smiled like she had a piece of chocolate in her mouth.
“Kyaa, Reese’s fur feels the best!”
She then left after saying that if she were eliminated in the fourth stage of the crown princess selection, she’d bring a pretty necklace.
Silence filled the reception room, where only Reese and I remained.
When my family was accused of treason, Poni did not avoid me—she helped me, even enabling my family to escape.
At the beginning of my regression, when we fled penniless because I hadn’t thought to hide our wealth ahead of time, she gave us a huge sum of money.
It was such a massive amount that it couldn’t be considered her personal assets.
I only learned a few loops later that the enormous funds came from Count Pink’s treasury.
Poni must have paid dearly for that. Unable to disobey her father, she likely ended up in a marriage she didn’t want.
Count Pink had been looking for a chance to send Poni to become the desert king’s fifteenth wife for trade benefits.
Knowing Poni, she might have run away before that ever happened, but regardless, helping a traitor couldn’t have been easy for her.
“I can’t let someone like you die…….”
“Kyu?”
Reese, who had climbed onto my lap, tilted his head at me.
“It means I have to work hard, Reese.”
“Kyu-uu.”
Though he was now fairly heavy, Reese still felt small in my arms.
“Reese, we won’t be able to get a present from Poni.”
Poni was the only one capable of checking Merina, so the emperor would never let her fail.
Especially the fourth stage—it’s held somewhere within the emperor’s influence, where people close to him observe the candidates.
In the final stage, the judges can vote however they want regardless of the emperor’s wishes, but there’s no guarantee they won’t choose Poni.
“No, I’ll make sure I get it.”
Just in case, I told Poni to prepare as though she’d pass the fourth stage.
But passing the fourth stage doesn’t guarantee she’ll move on to the fifth.
“Reese, get ready to receive a pretty necklace soon.”
“Kyu-uuuu.”
The little fox rubbed his cheek against mine as if he understood. Just as I set him down on the edge of the desk, Cassie came in holding a tray piled with letters.
“My lady, you’ve received a lot of letters. Not as many as during the social season, but invitations keep coming in.”
“That’s because most people stayed in the capital to watch the crown princess selection.”
“That unpleasant…… ahem.”
Pretending not to notice why Cassie loudly cleared her throat, I gave her an errand.
“Cassie, please bring some cold juice. Preferably not too sweet.”
“Yes, my lady!”
I looked through the letters. Most were worthless invitations, so I placed them back on the tray for Ted to handle the replies.
There was one unexpected sender, however.
We weren’t strangers, but I couldn’t guess their reason for wanting to meet me.
If I didn’t know, I simply had to confront it head-on.
I picked up my pen and wrote a reply, saying it’d be best to meet as soon as possible.
The one who set a meeting for the very day I sent a reply was none other than Marquis Nova, Lexian’s close friend.
“It has been a while, Lady Levian.”
He came holding an ordinary rose, greeting me with a cheerful demeanor.
“Yes, Marquis. It is an honor to see you again.”
Because the Marquis was not someone I was close to, I guided him to the common reception room. Cassie did not forget to leave the door half-open.
He started off lightly, saying the weather was nice today, but once tea was served, his face darkened.
“I… came because I have something to ask.”
Marquis Nova wanted to ask me something?
When I was dating Lexian, I spent time with Marquis Nova often since he was Lexian’s close friend, but I had never seen him look so serious.
He had inherited his title young, having lost his father early—a shadow he always carried. Yet he normally appeared bright and cheerful.
His light brown hair and gentle green eyes made him seem warm, so seeing him speak so gravely was surprising.
“I could’ve asked Lady Meritni, but I thought it best to speak to Lady Levian, since you are close to Lexian. It’s a rather sensitive matter.”
So to others, Lexian and I still looked close, huh?
Well, Lexian had been overly attentive to me.
Suppressing a wry smile, I focused on the man sitting across from me.
“I see. And what is it you wish to ask?”
After hesitating and opening his mouth several times, he finally took a deep breath and met my eyes head-on.
“Does Lady Pink have interest in the position of crown princess?”
“…What exactly do you mean?”
“Oh, I suppose that was a silly question. Of course one would desire such a glorious position.”
“It concerns my friend, so I shall ask you plainly. Marquis Nova, what is your intention in asking whether Poni desires the crown princess position?”
“Th-that is…”
Unable to hide his embarrassment, he hurriedly lifted his teacup.
Only after drinking several sips did he calm down and clear his throat.
“Lexian said Lady Levian is of excellent character. That is why I came to you. It relates to that.”
What on earth was he trying to say with all this dithering?
“I… I feared I might bring harm to Lady Pink, so I came to you.”
Had it been anything unrelated to Poni, I would’ve stood up long ago, but I held my patience and waited for him to finish.
“I am… fond of Lady Pink.”
“…What?”
Luckily, I had just put down my teacup. Had I been holding it, I might’ve spilled it.
“Sh-she’s cute, isn’t she!”
Thinking my shock meant something else, the Marquis clenched his fists like he was protesting injustice.
“Her cheeks puff up adorably when she eats macarons, and her twin tails—”
“……”
“And when she puckers her little pink lips, or folds her eyes as she smiles—she’s incredibly charming. Even her laughter is cute.”
He imitated Poni’s smile before meeting my eyes again, then awkwardly cleared his throat and drank his tea like water.
So the Marquis liked Poni. I had no idea.
He never mentioned her—not once—during all the days I’d been with Lexian.
And judging from the way he talked, his feelings didn’t seem new. He’d been hiding them well.
“Why didn’t you speak to Poni earlier?”
If you had shown her interest, you might already be engaged—or at least stopped her from entering the crown princess selection in the first place!
Marquis Nova’s family was a historic line known for producing high officials.
He himself was said to be capable enough to lead a department at his young age.
Their status in the Empire was firm, and they would provide the high-ranking noble lineage the Pink family lacked.
Count Pink could value trade with the desert kingdom more—but even so, he wouldn’t be able to reject Marquis Nova’s approach easily, given their stature.
“As far as I know, you’ve never shown Poni any interest. You haven’t even asked her for a single dance, have you?”
“I couldn’t—my heart races too fast when I stand before her!”
“You could have written letters.”
“I thought it rude to send letters without first establishing acquaintance.”
He muttered that he had a stack of unsent letters piled up at his estate.
“So then, why have you come to me? Not simply to confess your feelings, I assume.”
“The truth is… I thought she’d fail in the first stage. She made a noticeable mistake, after all. When she passed, I thought it was because it was only stage one, but then she passed the third.”
Once he started talking, he spoke freely.
“I truly thought she’d fail the third. But she passed!”
“Did you watch?”
“Yes.”
Though false, Poni’s rumored eighteen romances and her knowledge of men’s physiques did not sway him.
“If you think I find her impure, I don’t. I’ll take her however she is. I love her as she is.”
“You like her. And what do you intend to do?”
“I know it sounds absurd to even ask this, but if she does not desire the crown princess position…”
His fists trembled on his knees.
“I want her to withdraw from the selection.”
“At this point, whether she wants the position or not is irrelevant. Do you really think they’d let her quit even if she wished to?”
“I know. That’s why I came to you.”
