Chapter 83
“I also have the dress I brought from the imperial palace before…….”
As Reina persistently insisted, Lily sighed and said.
“But if I may be so bold, the dress that madam brought is out of fashion and too worn out. I heard that in the social season, you don’t wear the same dress multiple times.”
Lily, who had been studying the capital’s social circles, personally felt that Reina had been an inconspicuous princess.
There were many signs of use on the luxury items she brought.
This meant that even though she was a princess, her dignity maintenance expenses weren’t that much.
With a low rank in the imperial family and no strong maternal relatives, she couldn’t have spent much money on luxury items.
Moreover, there was no way Lily, as her close maid, didn’t know that the gazes toward Reina in the capital were extremely stinging.
She hated that her excellent madam was spoken ill of by others.
Lily said with a determined expression.
“I’ll dress you up properly so that no one can ever look down on madam! In fact, I’ll say that it’s not madam, but the duke who’s desperately clinging to madam!”
“Lily, you’re putting too much force into it, and besides, the latter part is too exaggerated…….”
As Reina, flustered by the overly excited Lily, hesitated, Kaiden chimed in.
“Do as Lily says. It’s not particularly false, anyway.”
It’s not particularly false, he says.
Reina stared at Kaiden with her mouth agape.
Lily also covered her mouth with both hands and squealed.
To make such a bombshell declaration with a nonchalant face.
Come to think of it, his attitude had been a bit different since coming to the capital.
After arriving in the capital, he followed her around closely. To the point where Rose even told him to go away.
Actions that would make anyone think he’s a doting fool.
‘Is he immersing himself more in the act because it’s the capital?’
But for that, he seemed too enjoying himself.
As Reina sent a suspicious glance, Kaiden tilted his head.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No.”
Reina, caught staring too obviously, quickly turned her head away. Then Kaiden said.
“We might as well show them properly, right? What kind of person you are.”
“That’s right! I absolutely can’t stand seeing our madam attending social events looking shabby!”
Following that, Lily’s eyes seemed to blaze fiercely as she declared solemnly.
Somehow, it seemed like only Reina had different thoughts in this place.
“Okay.”
With Reina’s permission granted, there was no one who could stop Lily.
“Our madam is pretty no matter what she wears, so she has to wear everything she can!”
* * *
The emerging social gathering of young ladies, Lavender.
The news of the Crencia couple had also reached this place where only the children of nobles who would lead the next capital gathered.
“Did you hear the news? Princess Reina came up to the capital with Duke Crencia.”
As someone threw out the opener, words flowed as if they had been waiting.
“I heard she went to Gabriel’s clothing store last time, and apparently she practically cleared out the shop. Well, with the duke’s wealth, buying one clothing store would still leave plenty.”
“Gabriel is a women’s specialty clothing store, right? The rumor that the duke cherishes the princess must be true.”
“I heard that His Majesty the Emperor personally issued an imperial decree ordering attendance at the grand nobles’ meeting. On the day they entered the capital, he even sent a congratulatory message to the mansion himself.”
Everyone spoke in tones subtly laced with envy. It was natural, since the inconspicuous princess had taken on the name Crencia and was now even catching the Emperor’s eye.
Meanwhile, Isabbel, the leader of the Lavender gathering, was extremely uncomfortable.
The triumphant return of her half-sister, whom she had forgotten about, was like a thorn in her eye.
The humiliation from a year ago was still vivid. The dress that burned fiercely, the insulting words, and even the cold response from Duke Crencia.
Even up to that point, it was humiliating enough.
After Reina left, her half-brother and the crown prince of this country, Siegfried, personally came to find her
She didn’t know where he had heard the story from. The imperial palace was overflowing with his eyes and ears.
Still, since they were blood relatives, she thought he would take her side.
Honestly, that level of prank was light compared to what she had done before.
If Reina hadn’t unnecessarily resisted, Isabbel wouldn’t have suffered such a harsh treatment.
While thinking that and whining.
Siegfried, who had been listening silently, coldly rebuked.
“So in the end, all your cards were seen through by Reina?”
“Huh?”
“Isabel, do you know what I’m most angry about right now?”
“…I, I don’t know…….”
Isabel shrank back at the suddenly murderous atmosphere.
Even seeing her scared, Siegfried’s words were unhesitant.
“The fact that you don’t even know what you did wrong yourself. If your head is bad, shouldn’t you be careful with your actions?”
“B, Brother…….”
“As long as His Majesty is showing interest in Reina, that child is not your opponent. I didn’t know you were such an ignorant fool who couldn’t even judge that much.”
“…….”
“Stay in self-reflection until I call for you. It seems I’ve spoiled you too much.”
Contrary to his soft tone, his eyes were filled with contempt. Isabel was scared of Siegfried for the first time.
It was also the moment she realized that he wouldn’t protect her just because they were half-siblings.
As Siegfried said, Reina was becoming more and more an existence that Isabel couldn’t touch.
Now, Reina was truly a duchess in name and reality.
Moreover, with the northern momentum rising at this time, it was even more impossible for Isabel to mess with her recklessly.
‘I don’t like any of it.’
It was when Isabel clenched her fist and caught her breath.
Wendy, who had been watching Isabel’s mood, changed the topic.
“Princess Isabel, how was the last banquet? You’ve already been invited by His Majesty the Emperor three times. That’s really amazing!”
It was an attempt to subtly boost Isabel, but instead, it backfired.
“Ah! Come to think of it, Princess Isabel must know Princess Reina well. You stayed in the same imperial palace.”
“We weren’t particularly close.”
Isabel openly showed discomfort, but she couldn’t cut off the attention of the gossips.
“Oh come on, there are quite a few people who saw you two hanging out together before? Don’t you know something, Princess Isabel?”
“Not at all.”
“Then how about inviting her to this Lavender regular gathering? Who knows? Maybe the duke will come with her?”
So that was the goal.
Isabel swallowed a scoff at the obvious intentions.
Just as they had built connections with the Julid duchy through Isabel, they were thinking of connecting with the Crencia duchy through Reina.
Since the purpose of the social gathering itself was networking, it wasn’t an opinion she could completely ignore.
“I’ll try inviting her, but don’t expect too much. She’s the type who really doesn’t like these kinds of gatherings.”
She barely escaped the uncomfortable topic with a perfunctory answer.
Anyway, there was no way Reina would respond to her invitation.
Once the intended purpose was achieved, the topics naturally shifted quickly.
Most were about eligible noble bachelors of marriageable age.
“I heard that this spring, the second son of Count Hook formally inherited the Hook trading company? Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the eldest son at the grand nobles’ meeting.”
“While the count attends the meetings, the eldest son guards the seas.”
“The second son of that family is very handsome. The eldest must be good-looking too, right?”
“The eldest is completely different from the second son. They say he resembles the count, tall and strong as an ox, making pirates tremble in fear?”
“Come to think of it, the second son is still single, right? Will he come to this grand nobles’ meeting too?”
“He probably will? I happened to meet him at a banquet before, and he was prettier than a woman…….”
Isabel half-listened to their conversation. It looked unseemly, like hyenas searching for a husband.
