Chapter 70

“I’ll pour out the tea now.”

“You’re the princess today.”

……I can’t just say that I was forced to join here.

So I pretended to be just sipping the tea with a clumsy smile.

“The garden is as beautiful as is rumored. The greenhouse in our mansion isn’t even worth living in. I guess the Duke thinks a lot about you.”

The lady, whose eyes twinkled, changed the subject, was the one who came out of the banquet just a while ago and had hugged her.

One of the women who was caught talking behind my back on the balcony.

I think I succeeded in making myself look rather insignificant, seeing that they were attending like this without any second thoughts.

Ellenia, who was sitting next to me and holding the teacup with a graceful posture, opened her mouth gently, “Even I didn’t know my brother had that side, Lady Victoria.”

“Oh, if the princess says so, I guess these two are really special.”

“It’s understandable because it’s painfully obvious. Don’t you think so?”

“I know, I’m worried that he’ll burn out if he changes so much.”

Freya, who answered jokingly, smiled as she looked around.

A distinctive refreshed smile.

She hadn’t seen much of us together.

Phew, I really appreciate Ellenia helping me out like this, but there’s the fact that Freya couldn’t be left out just because Ellenia stepped in.

She couldn’t help it because she was Ellen’s best friend, but I was nervous when she’s around.

It was more comfortable to be fooled by Lady Conolace, and to pick a fight like a child.

But I couldn’t see her today. That was upsetting.

The conversation quickly shifted to another topic.

The story of social culture in the North and the South, the radical weather, talks of fashion, and the forthcoming gladiatorial match were also naturally mentioned.

“By the way, is Lord Izek attending this gladiatorial match? Everyone says he’s going to be the winner.”

“I haven’t heard a definite answer yet, but I think he’ll attend.”

“You know he won the last time, right? And he was the youngest one.”

“Oh, I still can’t forget how he looked back then. I was jealous and excited about the scene where he gave the princess the flower of glory. Why does my brother not look like that?….”

“But I think this year will be particularly compet.i.tive. Apparently Dorias is sending out candidates too.….”

There are so many delicious desserts on pretty plates.

Although my vomiting had decreased quite a lot these days, the fact that I felt intimidated in front of food hadn’t changed.

Still, I was pretending to eat the chocolate pudding as deliciously as I could, but I almost choked because someone was asking me to do something about Dorias.

Dorias is the country that would propose the marriage of their prince and Ellenia in the near future.

Because of the marriage, Ellenia was driven to death…….

Well, it had been a while since I read the original book, but even if I thought about it again, Cesare’s random attempt to get rid of Ellenia didn’t fit his character.

He had a lot of enemies, but I couldn’t believe he, the thorough and smart man, threatened the North like that.

Rudbeckia had met up alone with Ellenia the day before returning to Romagna after the cancellation of the marriage, and Ellenia died of an unknown poison after 15 days.

All the circ.u.mstances surrounding the death were so obvious.

Anyway, things were very different now that I’d become Rudbeckia.

There would be no cancellation of the wedding this winter and no poison for Elenia.

However, I could not be completely relieved because the situation had changed, and the series of events that would follow would also be different from the original events I remember.

As my family knew by now that I had a fight with Izek, will Cesare, who would be angry enough, a.s.sign me the task of a.s.sa.s.sinating Ellenia?

The lunatic will probably smash this marriage in ways I wouldn’t have imagined and try to tarnish the Omertas’ reputation.

What was he thinking right now?

If he came this time, I’d have to work hard to figure out what he was up to.

I didn’t want to miss out on who the spies in Elendale are, what they were going to do in the future, or even a little clue.… Oh, this was already bothering me.

Contrary to my concerns, the tea party was uneventful and lively.

After chatting for a long time, a simple and fun time followed where I got up from the table and explained how to dance to a few young girls at the banquet, and looked around the huge greenhouse garden in groups.

That was all what had happened until an unexpected visitor appeared.

“Good afternoon, ladies, I’m so sorry to interrupt your fun.”

I know how busy you all are these days just by looking at my husband, but what are you doing here at this hour?

“Oh, isn’t that Sir Ivan?”

“What do you mean interrupting? We were just about to run out of topics.”

“It’s been a while. What are you doing at the Omerta’s?”

The knight in the dark armour who stepped up, flowers springing at his steps, into this beautiful landscape, was Sir Ivan.

I didn’t know why he was here.

Was he here to pick up Leah?

That was the job of the nanny and the escort. It was not a good enough reason for him to step in person.

“What are you doing here?”

Sure enough. With shy and fussy greetings pouring in, the door of the dollhouse rattled open, and Leah popped out, wrinkling her cute nose.

Sir Ivan responded with a very similar expression.

“You’re always causing trouble, so I came to pick you up before sunset. Oh, h.e.l.lo, Princess. You were here, too.”

“h.e.l.lo.”

Arien, who was gently sticking out her head behind Leah, quickly went inside.

Leah pouted her lips.

“I’m not making trouble. And I decided to play with the princess. Brother doesn’t have any authority over the princess.”

Instead of answering back, Sir Ivan looked at us with a puzzled smile.

To be exact, he looked towards Ellenia.

Ellenia, as usual, remained expressionless, but still spoke tactfully.

“You always have a good relationship.”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

Why did this suddenly feel strange?

Sir Ivan, wasn’t picking up your sister just an excuse? Did you actually skip work and sneak in because you wanted to see Ellenia?

“Well, I guess I’ll have to go back now.”

“What? Why all of a sudden?”

“It’s late and… I… came to pick her up.”

“I am not done playing yet.”

“You don’t have any authority when the princess says she’s going back, brother.”

Even Arien was poking at Ivan, so Leah had a very treacherous look on her face, but she was unexpectedly not stubborn.

“Next time, I will come alone and play with my lady. Then, no one will be able to interrupt.”

“If you bother my lady like that every day, my filthy friend will disturb you.”

“Your mouth is filthy.”

“What?”

“My lady, I’ll visit you again next time.”

I was about to say goodbye to the little girls who jumped out of the doll’s house and greeted me.

Ellenia held my shoulder with one hand and said this, “Sit down, Ruby. I’ll see them off.”

Eh, Ellen, even you?

I am the host of today’s party, so it’s not worth leaving, but Arien and Leah are definitely my guests, so if they go out, why would she have to go out?….

“I’ll leave now……”

“Me too…….”

“Sir Ivan, are you attending this gladiatorial match?”

“I’ve always wanted to ask you something, do you…….”

Hey, why are you all acting like teenage girl fans?

It seemed like everyone was going to leave.

There was no other way around.

This was it. Everyone chased after him.

Sir Ivan was also very popular.

Indeed, I would have been excited if I were an ordinary northern girl, since he was the eldest son of a prestigious family and a talented Paladin.

But if there was such a spark between Sir Ivan and Ellenia, I’d cheer for them with all my heart and body.

Come on, Sir Ivan!

The garden, which had been noisy a while ago, quickly became silent as they took their leave.

I went back to the tea table and started looking inside the dollhouse.

When Arien or Leah came here to play, one of them always dropped something, so today was just another check.

Sure enough, there was a hairpin there today.

It was the emerald hairpin Leah was wearing earlier.

Just as I thought I’d go after her and tell…

“That’s so cute.”

I-I thought my heart would fall out.

Why didn’t you leave?

“I remember playing in a similar dollhouse when I was a child. It wasn’t as great as this.”

“Oh…….”

“This garden is great, too. I didn’t expect to see this in Omerta Castle.”

Freya, who came close to me with a teacup in her hand, gently directed her gaze at me.

On the contrary, I naturally became stiff.

I couldn’t hear anything for a moment.

Behind the dollhouse, Freya, sitting gracefully on a small rock beside a maze bush, finally opened her mouth again.

“Are you satisfied with this?”

A buzzing sound filled my ears. What was wrong with everyone today?

“What do you mean by this?”

“As I said, are you happy now?”

“Yes, of course.….”

“You mean there’s nothing you lack.”

“Ahaha, what would I lack?”

“Yes, I’m sure there’s nothing. Wherever you are, whoever you are with, you will be satisfied. I’m sure it’s been like that until now.”

I was starting to wonder if my father-in-law and Freya planned this together today.