Chapter 50
* * *
At the imperial banquet, Asil first met Eokaste, the star of the event.
‘The human princess famous for her ferocity—I finally get to meet her!’
Filled with excitement, Asil greeted her cheerfully.
“Hello, Princess huma—mmph.”
“Asil, you need to greet her properly.”
Arcian, who had narrowly covered Asil’s mouth, broke out in a cold sweat.
Only then did Asil realize her mistake.
Oh, right. Asil is in human form right now, isn’t she?
Her dad had told her that when in human form, she must show proper respect to royalty and high-ranking nobles.
Asil clumsily lifted the hem of her skirt as she had been taught.
“Asilian Erjébet.”
“You should say, ‘Erzébet.’”
“Erzébet.”
“So this is the count’s daughter.”
EOkaste raised one eyebrow.
Eokaste didn’t particularly like the Grand Temple.
This was because her rival, the crown prince, maintained close ties with the Grand Temple for his research on summoning divine beasts.
Since the research itself offended the Grand Temple, he had been bribing them heavily to stay in their good graces.
As a result, Wokaste didn’t view Arsian, an inquisitor of the temple, favorably either.
Naturally, she couldn’t help but feel displeased by Asil’s clumsy etiquette.
Curious about what kind of girl the daughter of ArCian was, especially since there were rumors of a marriage proposal with Duke MOnlepe, Eokaste had invited her, only to find…
“You’ve only recently arrived from the countryside, yet you still need to learn proper manners. So unrefined.”
“Yes. Asili is unrefined. That’s why I want to learn from the Princess huma—no, Princess .”
“…What, from me?”
“Yes.”
“You want to learn etiquette?”
“Yes.”
Eokaste’s eyes narrowed sharply.
Was this girl mocking her? But Asil’s gaze was nothing if not earnest.
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
“Not afraid. Asili really, really likes the Princess.”
“Flattery won’t get you anything.”
Wokaste unfolded her fan, covering her face.
It was a gesture to signify she was done engaging, but Asil, unaware of the meaning, widened her eyes in awe.
‘The Princess human is so cool.’
As expected of a human famous for her ferocity—every action exuded dignity.
‘Asil wants to be a majestic black dragon like her.’
Asil quickly pulled out the fan she had hanging at her waist.
With awkward movements, she clumsily unfolded it and mimicked Eokaste, covering half her face.
Seeing this, Eokaste was momentarily at a loss for words.
Normally, people would blush with embarrassment and scurry away, but what was this reaction?
Even more, Asil was peeking at her, slightly lowering the fan as if copying her actions.
Judging by the flustered look on Count Erzébet ’s face, this didn’t seem rehearsed…
“…If you don’t even understand what this means, it seems you really do want to learn etiquette.”
“Yes. Asili wants to learn etikett.”
“Hmm.”
As if unsure of her intentions, Eokaste let out a light sigh and took a non-alcoholic cocktail from a passing servant.
Asil quickly grabbed a cocktail as well.
She brought it to her lips lightly, just as Eokaste did, then set it down.
‘It’s delicious.’
She wanted to drink it all, but to mimic the Princess human, she had to hold back.
Feeling reluctant, she licked her lips, and noticed Eokaste watching her closely.
‘Aren’t you going to drink more?’
It’s so delicious! How can she only drink this much of something so tasty? Hurry and drink more so Asil can drink more too.
As Eokaste stared into Asil’s sparkling eyes, she muttered,
“Your antics are just like that lizard.”
“Ah, Asili isn’t a lizard! I’m a human!”
“I know.”
Eokaste gazed steadily at Asil, who looked startled, as if caught off guard, before casually tossing out a remark.
“Fine, I’ll take you as my companion.”
The nobles watching the exchange widened their eyes in surprise.
Being the princess’s companion meant becoming quite close to her.
Even if the third princess was ostracized in the imperial family for her eye and hair color, she was still royalty.
Moreover, she was the crown prince’s only full sibling. Naturally, her favor was highly valuable.
Meanwhile, Asil, thrilled, gave a deep bow.
“Thank you!”
The Princess human is awesome! I finally get to observe and mimic the ferocious Princess human up close!
Eokaste tilted her head, eyeing Asil sharply.
“But the more I look at you, the more familiar you seem. Have we met somewhere before?”
She scanned Asil up and down as if searching for something, then narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
“Asilian, Asil. Even the names are similar.”
Then, she suddenly directed a question at someone nearby who had been watching.
“What does the duke think?”
Huh? Duke?
Asil turned to look and widened her eyes.
Gasp, it’s my husband! When did he get here?!
Edenber, singled out, responded reluctantly.
“…Are you addressing me?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what you’re asking about.”
“I’m saying your divine beast and Count Erzébet’s daughter look alike. Doesn’t it seem like the divine beast has taken human form?”
Asil’s jaw dropped in shock.
Wow, not only is the Princess human dignified, but she’s also incredibly perceptive!
‘Will my husband realize that Asilian is Asil too?’
As she looked at him with that thought, she saw Edenber’s face, which somehow felt cold.
He examined Asil carefully, as if confirming something, then turned his gaze away.
His response was curt.
“They don’t look alike at all.”
Asil felt her heart sink with a thud.
‘What was that just now?’
Asil is always a strong black dragon, so did she catch some bad disease?
Asil pressed down on her chest near her heart.
Meanwhile, Eokaste grumbled with an irritated expression.
“The duke is always so dull.”
“I don’t know what kind of response you were expecting.”
“Enough. Stop pretending you don’t understand.”
Eokaste waved her hand dismissively, signaling him to leave.
Bowing politely, Edenber disappeared into the crowd.
* * *
Thanks to the third princess’s interest, the number of nobles wanting to be introduced to Asil grew exponentially.
Soon, nobles began flocking around her, almost as much as they did around the third princess, the star of the event.
“How did you come to have such a lovely and adorable daughter?”
“If you have the time, how about having tea with our children?”
Praise for one’s child is akin to praise for oneself.
At first, Arsian found the nobles’ overwhelming attention bothersome, but it didn’t take long for him to start enjoying it.
“My daughter takes after me, so she’s cute and charming. She’s even smart. Just the other day, something happened—”
“Uncle.”
Asil whispered softly, tugging at Arcian’s sleeve.
“Asil wants to go over there.”
“—If you teach her one thing, she learns ten, no, more than that. She’s so bright and clever, it’s like seeing myself when I was young.”
But Arcian, engrossed in boasting about his daughter to the nobles, didn’t hear her.
Pouting, Asil puffed up her cheeks.
‘I want to eat strawberries.’
She was hungry, as it had been a while since she ate strawberries in the carriage.
She wanted to go to the table full of delicious food, but Arsian wouldn’t budge.
‘Hmph, Asil will go by herself.’
I can walk well on my own now. I can even run!
Pouting, Asil let go of Arcian’s sleeve and moved.
Or rather, she tried to move.
“Just a moment, Lady Erzébet.”
“I’m Baron Illuise. I was deeply impressed by how you were with Her Highness earlier. Could we have a brief conversation?”
If only the nobles hadn’t swarmed her the moment she stepped away from him.
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By Anna 💓
