Chapter 22
“Would that really be alright?”
Reina asked, her face lighting up with delight. Kaiden, who had been watching her intently, replied.
“There’s no one here who knows the empire’s etiquette as well as you do. Aiden will like it too.”
“Still, just in case, please ask him. He might have another tutor in mind already.”
“I will.”
He didn’t bother adding that he was sure Aiden would be thrilled anyway.
Kaiden quietly observed Reina as she pondered their future plans with a noticeably lively expression on her face.
Her enthusiastic demeanor was so pleasing to see that it brought a smile to his lips without him even realizing it.
“I’ll make sure to tell Mrs. Mernie in advance to come see you.”
* * *
The next day, Mrs. Mernie, having received a summons from Kaiden, waited in the drawing room.
She sipped her tea familiarly, wearing a satisfied smile.
This was the first time the duke had called for her personally.
For her, who had always longed for recognition from the duke, even a minute of waiting felt like an eternity.
At that moment, an unfamiliar woman entered the drawing room.
“Ah, you’re already here.”
“Who might you be…?”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Reina Crencia.”
Reina introduced herself politely and took a seat at the head of the table.
For a while, Mrs. Mernie couldn’t figure out her identity, but then her expression belatedly hardened into something cold.
The news that Duke Crencia had returned to the capital, received the emperor’s permission, and married the princess had already spread like wildfire through the north.
Because of that, many northern nobles who had hoped to marry their daughters into the Crencia household were more than a little displeased.
Mrs. Mernie was one of them, so she couldn’t help but cast an unkind glance at the princess before her.
“Could it be that you’re the one who called for me specifically, Your Highness?”
“Yes, that’s right. I appreciate you making time on such short notice.”
Reina offered a perfectly courteous smile as she grasped the freshly served teacup in her hand.
Mrs. Mernie, momentarily flinching at the picture-perfect etiquette, straightened her back rigidly and said,
“I came in the midst of my busy schedule, assuming it was the duke who summoned me.”
“Is that so?”
Even in the face of Mrs. Mernie’s rude remark, Reina simply smiled.
Unable to quite pin down that enigmatic expression, Mrs. Mernie continued.
“So, what is it you wish to say to me?”
Her haughty attitude seemed to demand that Reina get to the point quickly, but Reina maintained her composure.
In fact, she was glad to dive straight into the heart of the matter.
“I heard you forbade Dalia from speaking about her mother. May I ask why you made such a request?”
The mention of Dalia caused Mrs. Mernie’s expression to turn fierce in an instant.
“I did. But is there a reason I need to explain that to you, Your Highness? It doesn’t seem like something a princess who’s just arrived in the north would concern herself with.”
Though the words sounded polite on the surface, they carried a clear rebuke.
She was essentially saying, in a roundabout way, that it was none of Reina’s business since she wasn’t even a northerner.
Reina wasn’t greatly shaken by Mrs. Mernie’s sharp response.
From the moment Dalia had hesitated, glancing nervously at her nursemaid, Reina had already guessed at Mrs. Mernie’s personality.
Of course, she couldn’t judge based on fragments alone, so she had summoned her directly.
It was possible she had been overly concerned.
And as the conversation with Mrs. Mernie went on, Reina’s thoughts solidified.
When Reina said nothing, Mrs. Mernie, emboldened, pressed on.
“Moreover, Miss Dalia is like a child I’ve raised in my arms since she was a babe. At the very least, I know her better than a princess who’s suddenly appeared.”
In other words, it was a warning not to interfere with her methods of education.
She seemed to misunderstand it as an invasion of her territory.
Reina gently admonished Mrs. Mernie in a soft tone.
“It’s just a precaution, but my question earlier wasn’t meant to disregard your contributions, Mrs. Mernie. I simply thought it was too harsh a demand for a child who lost her mother not so long ago, and I wanted to hear your true intentions behind it.”
But unfortunately, Mrs. Mernie had no intention whatsoever of heeding Reina’s words.
If she hadn’t been royalty in the first place, she would have stormed out of the room right then and there.
Mrs. Mernie was a native of the north, a woman with immense pride in her homeland.
It meant she wasn’t the spineless type to blindly pledge loyalty to Reina, who had suddenly appeared claiming to be the lady of the house.
Especially not to a royal with absolutely no presence.
Pushing up her silver glasses, Mrs. Mernie spoke sharply.
“Well, I don’t see why that would be a harsh measure. Even before Your Highness arrived, Miss Dalia was being raised as the future heir to lead the Crencia family. For the next head of a household, excessive emotions are nothing but a luxury.”
As she subtly emphasized the word “heir,” Lily grumbled from behind.
It was a provocation laced with clear intent.
Externally, Aiden Crencia held the position of young lord, but everyone in the north knew that the duke had Dalia in mind as the next head of Crencia.
Fortunately, Reina didn’t fall for her provocation. Instead, she calmly voiced her opinion.
“But Dalia is only six years old now.”
“So what?”
Mrs. Mernie retorted in a stubborn tone, then followed it with a low, mocking chuckle.
Unable to endure that arrogant attitude any longer, Lily was just about to snap at her.
That’s when Mrs. Mernie scanned Reina up and down before speaking.
“Honestly, in my eyes, it looks like Your Highness deliberately wants to make Miss Dalia weak. Instead of beating around the bush, how about being a little more honest?”
“What do you mean?”
“Strictly speaking, isn’t Miss Dalia a thorn in Your Highness’s side? If Miss Dalia weren’t around, the child Your Highness will have in the future would lead Crencia.”
In other words, she was accusing her of trying to ruin Dalia on purpose.
Reina’s expression hardened at Mrs. Mernie’s outrageous remark.
She had merely tried to initiate a conversation, yet the response was far too pointed.
Her excessive wariness made it seem as though she was trying to hide something.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Lily interjected.
“Mrs. Mernie, your words are going too far! This is the wife of the man you serve, and a member of the Mernie imperial family…!”
“Lily, stay quiet.”
Reina lightly restrained her, and Lily let out a deep sigh, murmuring “I’m sorry” as she stepped back.
Seeing this, Mrs. Mernie snorted derisively and rose from her seat.
“Then, if you’re finished speaking, I’ll take my leave. A new etiquette teacher is scheduled for Miss Dalia today.”
Watching Mrs. Mernie attempt to leave without permission, Reina set her teacup down with a loud clatter.
“Stop right there.”
At the forcefully uttered command, Mrs. Mernie turned around with a bewildered expression.
“You can’t possibly be addressing me?”
“Then is there anyone else here trying to leave besides you?”
Her subtly overbearing attitude, different from before, made Mrs. Mernie twitch her eyebrows.
A moment later, as she reluctantly moved to sit back down, Reina continued.
“I clearly told you to stand.”
“What?”
“It means there’s no longer a seat for you here.”
At Reina’s cutting words, Mrs. Mernie flushed red, as if she had been deeply insulted.
Telling someone to stand because there was no seat was the kind of order given to a maid.
Furious at being treated like a servant, Mrs. Mernie grumbled lowly through gritted teeth.
“What exactly are you trying to do with me now?”
“And you—did you ever intend to have a proper conversation with me?”
“What?”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“….”
“And I think I’ve found the answer in your attitude.”
