Chapter 133

"Prince Anton shows absolutely no sign of being willing to go to Koten."

A few days later, Marcella came to me with that lament. She said he would listen for a while, then go right back to drinking.

"I expected that. It's not easy for someone to resolve themselves to go. Time to move to the second strategy."

He apparently hasn't felt the urgency yet. We need to make him feel it standing right in front of him.

"Elsa—send out invitations to the nobles. Tell them I'm hosting a salon here at Solara Palace."

Elsa stared at me with an expression of mild bewilderment. Is this really so surprising?

Though admittedly Rene had never hosted anything of the sort before.

"I'm going to be Crown Princess now. I can't afford to neglect social engagement any further."

"Society will be in an uproar. Madame Drouais will be thrilled."

Marcella murmured quietly,…