Chapter Seven

Rion closed his mouth tight and returned to the portraits at my sharp tone. Still, it didn’t take him long to talk to me again.

“Sister…?”

If it were about Glen, who had been kneeling for about thirty minutes, I wouldn’t listen. As I gave him a don’t-talk-to-me-about-Glen look, Rion shoved a portrait in my face.

“Um, are you also a Crown Princess candidate?”

“My cute little Rion, you spout bullshit in such an adorable way.”

“But…”

I looked closer. The portrait Rion held was indeed of me. I looked at it from every angle, wondering if it was someone who just resembled me, but no. It really was me.

“Who sent this?”

“Marquis Louis.”

Ah, my dear uncle. The duke’s younger brother and Dylan’s father. I checked the accompanying profile and recommendation on the portrait, stood up, and hurled the portrait, frame and all, at Glen. There was a loud thwack, as if he had been struck hard.

“My uncle must be out of his mind.”

The corner of the frame had indeed struck Glen, and blood dripped down his face. He wiped his head but remained silent. I felt better after taking it out on Glen, so I resumed picking out gifts, resolving to get revenge on my uncle. It was time for dinner when I had just about finished my work. It looks like I may have a happy little dinner with family today.

“Rion, Aster, let’s go see the duke.”

He obviously won’t come down to eat on his own, so I’ll have to drag him out myself. At my words, Aster came immediately to my side, and Rion hesitantly stood up, his lips twitching as he looked at Glen, who had been kneeling for hours. I felt I knew what he would say, so I took his hands and looked into his eyes.

“If you sympathize with him, I’ll put you in the same state.”

Rion winced and shut his mouth. Such an adorable kid.

“Lily, take Glen to the guest room. Tell him I’ll call for him if I change my mind.”

I nodded to her as she bowed in response, then went out with the other two. Rion, looking bewildered, suddenly became all smiles and tightly held my hand as he understood my intentions.

“Can’t you just be nice and grant his wish from the start if you’re going to listen to him anyway?”

“Why? It’s cute when he’s so desperate.”

Aster complained for hours about how uncomfortable the atmosphere was, and I told her the truth. That it was hilariously cute when men deluded themselves into thinking that their kneeling amounts to some great worth. Aster shuddered at my words and told me I was a terrible lady to be associated with. I laughed. If I asked her how she could say that when she’d been keeping me company for years, she’d probably be so confused.

***

A week or so has passed since Glen became our resident guest. During that time, I assigned tutors to Rion. I wanted him to study hard now that he had adjusted to life as the Young Master of the House of Roxburg. I also sent Aster’s second oldest brother and three manservants to Uncle Louis’s house. This was in part to protect Glen’s mother and little brother, and partly to let people know that the duke of Roxburg, as well as the heiress, were keeping a close watch. It was also to send away Aster’s second oldest brother, who had a record of hitting on Rion.

Glen must have heard the news, because he sent word that he would like to see me in person to say thanks. I refused. I hadn’t set my heart on supporting Glen, but more importantly, I hadn’t found a good use for him just yet. I was wondering why the matter of the census for the entire dukedom of the west capital was given to me to work on when I suddenly heard a noise outside the window. I looked out and saw a royal carriage entering the grounds. A royal carriage coming over at this time of…

“Aster, run!” I gasped.

I dropped everything I was doing, kicked off my heels, and booked it. A royal carriage at this time of year meant it was carrying news about hosting a casual banquet for the Crown Prince to find a wife, and a royal banquet invitation was an official vacation day.

If I had that, I could also take off the day before the banquet for skincare and physical recovery, then spend the day of the banquet eating, drinking, and partying. That meant the person who didn’t snatch up the invitation would be left alone at the House, doing all the other people’s leftover work.

“What’s the matter, Little Miss?”

“The party invitation!”

Aster’s expression turned serious when she heard my response, running next to me as I sprinted, holding my skirt’s hem. She understood the gravity of the situation, lifted me into her arms, and descended three steps at a time. It was a terrible ride, but it was better than arriving after the duke… who had already arrived at the entrance despite his office being much further away! The duke, who noticed Aster jumping down the stairwell, turned and looked at me with his tired, sunken eyes.

“William, take them out!” he ordered his guard.

“Aster, put me down!”

I could not lose. I broke away from Aster and sprinted toward the doors. A ringing clang resounded as steel hit steel. Huh? Did those two just pull out their swords?

“How audacious of you to challenge me, Aster!”

“You should retire if you’re that old, Father!”

“I can see every swing due to your inexperience, you foul child!”

“And you’re so old there’s no strength in yours, you old geezer!”

What the hell? Does Aster hate her dad? I was a bit surprised, but was too focused on running. I caught up with the duke, and spoke to him delicately while Aster fought furiously.

“You look exhausted from running, Your Grace. Why don’t you stay home and rest while a much younger me goes in your stead?”

I laughed contemptuously as the duke swung his whole arm to strike me. I managed to dodge him, but I would have gone down head over heels if I got hit by that. I swear, this old man…

“Don’t you want a stepmother, Rosalite? I’ll bring back a hardworking lady if I go.”

That piqued my interest a bit. However, I remembered my duchess mother chilling at her mother’s house, and I quickly retorted.

“Oh yeah, like you’d manage to bring back a new mom when you’re writing an apology letter to Mother every month!”

“How did you know about…”

Ha! Caught you off guard! I kicked the duke behind the knees, and his legs buckled. Watching him cry out in surprise as he toppled forward was so satisfying. That’s what you get for trying to slice me with your arm! Panting and sweating, I arrived at the front door and flung it open.

I greeted the attendant getting off the carriage with a pretty curtsey. He said he was from the Crown, and the moment the words left his mouth, I snatched the invitation out of his hands, giving another pretty curtsey and wishing for the Crown’s well-being.

“Rosalite Roxburg of the House of Roxburg humbly accepts your royal family’s request. May there be infinite glory and peace to the great Crown on high.”

The attendant of the Crown seemed to like my farewell, and he bowed as well. With a satisfied smile, he said he hoped I would have a wonderful time at the banquet. I waved after the royal carriage and returned indoors. I walked past the duke, who was pounding the ground at the unfairness of it all, and headed toward my office.

A vacation! I can sleep early! I had been painfully aware of my lack of sleep as of late, and I was so excited. I hugged the invitation to my chest lovingly. I am totally going to party and mess with the Crown Prince when I go.

***

I handed over my work to the duke the day before the royal banquet, then enjoyed a flower petal bath. After that, I got a facial, prettied up my nails, and ate when and what I wanted. I stopped by Rion’s sword training to cheer him up, then slept like a baby that night. The next morning, I was surrounded and dressed up by maids, who were professional embellishers. They adorned me with the latest fashionable dress, made with a pale blue silk, and accessorized me accordingly.

My hair was braided and pulled up into a flower-like bun, with small pearls pinned into it. I packed a fan, an absolute necessity at banquets, and covered my shoulders with a shawl. I was deeply moved by how beautiful Rosalite looked in the mirror. I picked up my skirts and twirled around with my nose in the air. The maids clapped and told me how gorgeous I was.

“So pretty! Like pearls on a pig’s neck, Little Miss!”

“What a lovely compliment,” said Aster. She would spend the day by my side.

“Yeah, that’s an insult, Aster,” I said.

“Is it really?”

Aster told me that her brothers would share the same expression whenever they saw her in her formal knight uniform. I asked her how calling a human being a pig could be a compliment, and her reply went against all common sense.

“Pigs are delicious,” she said, straight-faced. “I like them.”

“Right...”

Aster was gluttonous, probably because she grew up in a household with many children. Even if I end up going to the Magic Tower, I will never let you starve, Aster. I stood on my tip-toes and ruffled her hair.

Together, we headed toward the kingdom as though we were embarking on a great journey. Of course, once I got there, I was fully prepared to quibble over the Crown Prince’s marriage issue and demand that the Crown take responsibility and pay for the road construction due to land subsidence at the duchy.

***

The emblem of the House of Roxburg was basically a free pass, so our carriage arrived at the banquet entrance with no problem. I carefully climbed down, with Aster helping keep my hair in place. There was still time until the banquet began and the place was nearly empty, but as far as I was concerned I was right on time. I was planning to call over a few servants and give them a little bribe to see what the vibes were like at the royal palace, find out who came with the same objectives and left a strong impression, and then find the Crown Prince to chew him out.

I took a step forward with that in mind when I saw the blond Shitbag #3, Theodore the Smiling Face, walking over from across the flower garden. I bet he was upset the moment he laid eyes on me—he had previously told me that his mood turned to day-old shit whenever he saw me—but the smile didn’t fade from his face. Shitbag #3 came right up to my face, smiling the whole time, and I smiled right back, looking at him straight in the face.

“It has been a while, Lady of the House of Roxburg.”

“I hope you are healthy and at peace, Crown Prince. I feel as though it was just yesterday that I last saw you, but I suppose the minutes that passed by waiting for me must have felt like a lifetime for Your Royal Highness.”

“Based on the exact same letters I kept receiving, I thought you were already dead and someone else was writing in your place. But my, how tenaciously alive you are. You had me quite worried.”

“The protection of the House of Roxburg extends to embrace even the Crown, so how could it fail to keep me safe?”

Shitbag #3 laughed obnoxiously, and I gave a ladylike titter, covering my mouth with my fan. This guy really had a knack for getting on my nerves. Too bad I can’t smack him.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Then I shall take my leave as well.”

Yeah, let’s promptly go our separate ways without wasting any more time together and ruining our moods. I watched the Crown Prince enter the banquet hall and quickly deviated into a side path.