Chapter 63

The Crown Prince’s Fiancée – Chapter 63

Marie nodded vigorously, looking wronged.

“Mother and Father both gave their permission, so who is he to object!”

“I never thought His Highness would object…”

Perhaps because I remembered nearly being swept away by a shady group in the festival crowds, it weighed on me to hear that Adrian had objected.

‘Did he think I wouldn’t make a good sister-in-law for Princess Marie?’

But Marie didn’t seem to care about Adrian at all.

“Let’s ignore Brother and be close, just the two of us. I like you so much, sister-in-law.”

“If you feel that way, Your Highness, then of course I’m grateful.”

“Why ‘Your Highness’? Call me by my name. Marie.”

Marie’s eyes sparkled. I considered declining out of politeness, but in the end I simply nodded.

“All right, Marie.”

“Yes!”

Marie happily grabbed my arm.

“The truth is, I’m a real scatterbrain. A tomboy, too! So when I see an elegant person like you, I can’t help liking her. Maybe you’re just my type?”

“Am I elegant?”

“Yes. Very much so! Didn’t you know?”

“No…”

I had thought I was timid rather than elegant, so it was news to me that it could look elegant.

I was glad, as if all the effort I’d put into polishing myself in private was finally paying off.

“Anyway, I really want to get close to you. I think we’re already close, but even more, more, more.”

“Why?”

I knew I shouldn’t ask something like that, but I was so curious that the question slipped out before I could stop it.

Luckily, Princess Marie didn’t take offense.

“Hmm. The imperial palace is big, after all, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“So there aren’t many ladies who understand life in the palace, is what I mean.”

Ah, was that it? She had no friends who understood a princess’s troubles?

I quietly looked at Princess Marie as I ate a biscuit.

I couldn’t understand it either, so what was it about me that Marie liked?

“And I really don’t share tastes with the ladies who keep me company. Honestly, that makes it even more boring.”

“I see.”

I had known that since my days as her maid, so it wasn’t surprising. I only thought that Marie must truly have been very bored.

“What do you like about my brother, anyway?”

“…His face?”

“Ew, that face? Really?”

Marie, who had grown up looking at Adrian’s face since the day she was born, reacted as if she couldn’t understand it at all. I smiled softly.

“I’m joking.”

“You sounded serious.”

“Because His Highness is kind.”

“My brother, kind?!”

Marie scrunched up her face as if she couldn’t believe it.

Even I wondered, having said it so candidly, whether that was right, but thinking it over again, the Crown Prince had definitely been kind lately.

Things had been oddly awkward since we came back from watching the fireworks…

Still, he treated me as if nothing had happened, so even that awkwardness was bearable.

“I suppose it’s because you’re lovers. You’re so generous in your assessment…”

I laughed at Marie’s weary remark.

“Well, I’m relieved there’s no chance of my brother being dumped.”

“Who’s being dumped?”

“Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Marie and I chatted away about Adrian for a good while.

Just when I thought the tea party was going to end peacefully without incident,

I suddenly noticed how quiet it was around us and looked up to find Gabriel standing right beside us, having come over in person.

“Eek! You scared me.”

Marie cried out in surprise at her appearance, and Gabriel smiled sweetly.

“Is my beauty really so startling? Ho ho ho.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“I’m well aware that I’m so beautiful, Princess Marie, that you want to deny it.”

“No, I’m saying that’s not it.”

It was too late for Marie to deny it now.

“I had no idea you thought so highly of me, Princess Marie.”

“She’s completely twisting everything to suit herself.”

Marie, with a weary expression, was reluctant to deal with Gabriel.

When Marie fell silent, Gabriel’s violet-colored eyes, like pansies, turned toward me.

“It feels like such a long time since I last saw you, Lady Artienne.”

“Yes, it does. Lady Gabriel.”

What did she intend to say, coming all the way over here? In truth, the reason was obvious.

“I’ve heard some rather unpleasant rumors about you, Lady Artienne.”

“Have you?”

She surely hadn’t merely heard them. A cold reply slipped out of me, but I kept smiling faintly, just as Madam Lucy had advised.

“Gabriel.”

Marie tried to stop Gabriel, but it was no use. Gabriel smiled gleefully and asked me,

“Have you also heard about the rumors in the palace, Lady Artienne?”

At Gabriel’s blatant question, I looked toward Empress Ludmila.

The Empress had said something today, and yet she was ignoring it and asking me so openly.

I wondered whether she was defying Empress Ludmila’s will, but another noblewoman had gone over to the Empress and was talking with her.

‘She planned this.’

Still unaware of the situation here, Empress Ludmila was happily chatting with the noblewoman.

Meanwhile, we had somehow been surrounded by ladies Gabriel seemed to have mobilized, so the Empress wouldn’t notice us right away.

I had thought something like this might happen from the moment I decided to attend the tea party, but I hadn’t expected her to make her move so blatantly.

My gaze toward Gabriel grew even colder.

“What answer do you want to hear from me?”

At my unhurried question, Gabriel twisted the corners of her mouth into a smile.

“Goodness. I don’t know what you mean.”

“Didn’t you ask because there was something you wanted to hear from me?”

“Whatever do you mean, Lady Artienne? I merely asked whether you’d heard anything about the rumors.”

Marie frowned as if to say, what kind of nonsense is this? I stopped Marie, who was about to say something, and looked at Gabriel.

“What rumors?”

At my question, Gabriel’s eyes lit up like a fish greedily snapping at bait.

“The rumors about you, Lady Artienne, of course.”

Gabriel’s backdrop of followers murmured and chattered.

It was rather laughable, the way she pretended it was new when they all already knew.

“Gabriel, blindly believing rumors that float around is not a good attitude.”

Despite my attempt to hold her back, Marie, unable to bear it any longer, said something sharp to Gabriel.

“Oh my, Princess Marie. You’re worried about me? Well, if not you, Princess Marie, who else would worry about me? We’re childhood friends, after all, the closest of friends!”

“Haaah. What on earth are you saying.”

Marie let out a long sigh and pressed her forehead. Her stomach seemed to be churning.

Seeing me remain silent, Gabriel grew triumphant and spoke haughtily.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but everyone doubts your qualifications as Crown Princess. Everyone thinks you’ve lied.”

“What did I lie about?”

“Hmph. Surely you know that better than anyone.”

Gabriel spoke as if teasing me.

“Why on earth are you hiding that face? Is it as ugly as the rumors say? Or do you have some scar on your face? A truly hideous one, so you can’t show your bare face to others?”

As if she had struck a vulnerable spot, Gabriel asserted it with conviction.

“At this point, shouldn’t you at least show your face here and restore everyone’s trust? As the future Crown Princess, rumors like this only bring shame on the Imperial family!”

“Yes. You’re right.”

If there were only one scandal like this, it might be different, but if several piled up, it would certainly be smearing the face of the Imperial family.

Gabriel seemed to be slightly flustered, not having expected me to agree.

“Ah… I didn’t realize you knew. Yes, it only brings shame! So do you have a solution?”

A solution, hm…

I was about to answer Gabriel’s question when,

“Kyaaa!”

“Who is that?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Suddenly the garden grew noisy, and someone appeared. The moment he saw me, Crown Prince Adrian approached with his brow openly furrowed.

“Arti, why are you here?”

It was plain that what he really wanted to say was “Why are you here?!” but he was suppressing it and speaking politely.

“And why are you here, Your Highness…?”

“Oh my, Your Highness. Have you come to see me, Gabriel?”

Gabriel cut in between us, but Adrian glared at her coldly and brushed her aside.

I had never seen the Crown Prince so resolute.

“Honestly, Your Highness! You’re so shy…”

Despite Gabriel’s delusion, Adrian took my hand and said,

“Let’s go back. You’re still not well enough to be out and about.”

I quietly looked up at Crown Prince Adrian.

His attempt to pull me out of here, whatever the cost, strangely felt like consideration, and it amused me.

I’m fine, though.

“I’m all right, Your Highness.”

I patted the hand of Crown Prince Adrian, whose face looked ready to rampage at any moment, and smiled.

“Besides, I haven’t finished my conversation with Lady Gabriel yet.”

My gaze turned to Gabriel. Gabriel lifted her face arrogantly, as if asking what I planned to do.

I looked one by one at Gabriel and the ladies behind her.

“I had no idea all of you were so interested in my appearance.”

I saw the ladies other than Gabriel flinch.

“If you were so curious that you’d make such a commotion, you should have simply asked me.”

In other words, it was a sarcastic jab asking whether they were so curious about my looks that they’d create such an uproar.

Fortunately, no one failed to understand. Except for one person.

“Who would ask something like that?”

Gabriel carried on raging as usual.

“So what is it you want to know, Lady Gabriel?”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“You gain nothing by saying such things to me, yet you seem unusually eager.”

Gabriel frowned. She seemed never to have been called out like this before.

Simply put, what I meant was, “The reason you’re so determined to tear me down is that you ultimately stand to profit from it.”

The other ladies understood the meaning of my words and were glancing around nervously.

“You know better than anyone who I am, Lady Gabriel, don’t you?”

However much Gabriel was Gabriel, and however mighty the Nevel family was said to be, I was a member of the Imperial family.

Setting aside that I belonged to the Obiedo family, the fact that I was already to become Crown Princess made me more precious than anyone present.

And possibly a future Empress.

Having her status brought up, Gabriel seemed to feel a sense of crisis and reacted differently than usual.

“I was only chatting about rumors for fun, and you’re not very magnanimous, Lady Artienne.”

“Lady Gabriel, I believe being magnanimous and being angry when insulted are two different things.”

“Insulted?”

“Of course.”

I smiled sweetly.

“Whether I’m beautiful or not, why does it matter so much? Crown Prince Adrian, why do you love me?”

“What?”

With the arrow suddenly flying toward Adrian, he frowned in confusion.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Adrian.

I was nervous. I hadn’t known he was coming, so even I hadn’t expected to throw out such a question.

My heart pounded.

In a moment so quiet that not even breathing could be heard, Adrian looked at me and said,

“What are you talking about? Why would I need a reason? I love you because you’re you.”

This is the difference between you and me, Gabriel.

He was probably only saying it because the Crown Prince was on my side, and I’d have to firmly suppress the fluttering in my chest because of it, but in this moment, I was the most loved woman of all.

Gabriel frowned. There was no longer any need to deal with Gabriel. I turned to look at the assembly.

“Since so many of you are present here, you can all be my witnesses.”

This was what I’d spent yesterday and today carefully preparing for. I removed the veil covering my face.

Everyone’s eyes went wide at the face revealed in an instant.

“Now go and tell everyone what the truth is.”