Chapter Seventeen: Lady Emilia
Estelle
"Estelle, why are you here? I thought... Wait, I didn't even see you walking in the hall. I was there all the time to wait for you in case. Just how did you get here?" Adela whispered to me as soon as we saw each other. I avoided her gaze.
Now, I can't even look at her, huh?
"I jumped from the window," I replied while getting myself some dessert. I'm getting hungry from all the thinking.
"You jumped from where?!" Her violet eyes rounded when she heard what I said. "Are you so shocked to see Mr. Mercenary that you decided to jump out the window to clear your head? What if someone saw you?"
"Are there any problems?" Prince Lorcan asked as soon as he approached us. He looked at me while I was stuffing my face with food, "You could've told Lady Yuwen if you are hungry, Princess. In your state, you should have your food delivered to your room.
"Thank you for the concern, Your Highness. I prefer to eat my food here so I can enjoy the banquet as well."
I continued to pick some desserts on the table.
"I am glad you're enjoying," he added. I just nodded at him at gave my practiced smile. I cannot look him straight in the face as he resembles Azval.
Now, where are those nobles who seek an audience from him? Why are they not surrounding him anymore?
Prince Lorcan later joined me by picking some desserts on the table while Adela went away to give us some privacy.
Privacy, my foot. Come back here!
I was left with no choice but to just silently eat my food with this Crown Prince while watching the nobles mingle with each other.
This is awkward. I don't have anything to say to him since I'm not really Princess Sina.
Ah, I could ask him about the dragon in the Grafgue Forest as Azval mentioned earlier.
"I heard that an ancient dragon from the Grafgue Forest has woken up," I started. I saw a smile on his face and put down his drink first before answering me.
"I didn't know you take interest in this matter, Princess. I guess, after all, you're the Holy Saintess' descendant."
I don't! I just said that so the awkward atmosphere between us will go away. The silence earlier is killing me.
"I just heard from the other nobles about it," I lied and drank my wine.
He walked in front of me and rubbed his chin with his two fingers as if he were thinking. He did that for a couple of seconds and when he stopped, he looked at me.
There he goes again with his fiery look as if he's sucking my soul. Scary!
"I know what you are worried about now, Princess," he said in a voice that was deeper than usual.
"Y-You do?"
Of course, you're not. I'm not even the Princess! I just stayed silent until he responded again.
"The matter regarding Erend, I am still taking care of it. I can't believe that they turned down my offer regarding the slaying of that dragon and won't even state the reason why," his eyebrows furrowed and I saw him clench his jaw.
I don't know if it's just me but I felt like the atmosphere between us suddenly became heavy.
I was about to ask him if he's alright but I got my tongue tied and my body froze to the next thing he said.
"I won't let you choose to sacrifice yourself for the empire just like what happened to the Holy Saintess. I just can't believe that after years, an ancient dragon would wake up. If it's just an ordinary dragon, my brother could've handled it."
S-Sacrifice? Me? Wait... Princess Sina?!
Just how powerful is that ancient dragon that Princess Sina is in need of sacrifice herself?
I kind of think, did the waking up of that ancient dragon have something to do with the exchange between me and Amalia? After all, I think Amalia is a witch.
I was so deep in thought that I didn't realize that some lady approached Prince Lorcan and not when she greeted me that I noticed her presence.
"Princess Sina, we met again!" she exclaimed and gave me a bow. My eyes twitched when I saw one of her hands clinging to Prince Lorcan's arm.
This may be Lady Emilia.
Princess Sina would regard her as a leech because even though she's in front of the Crown Prince's fiancee, she would still cling to him. I wonder how Princess Sina handles this because if that was me, I would smack someone who clings to my fiancee like that.
Good thing, I am not the real Princess Sina.
"You don't need to bow that long," I remarked because she was still bowing her head. I can also see how annoyed Prince Lorcan looked while he forced his arm away from her.
"I will excuse myself," he said and walked away.
Ack! Did he leave me with her?
Seems like her presence doesn't only annoy Princess Sina but also Prince Lorcan. Serves her right. What's worse when I hear this being told to me by Princess Sina is that she's engaged to the Emperor.
What's wrong really with the people in this world? It's the Emperor that she's already engaged to, why is she still hooked up with the Crown Prince?
I decided to just drink my wine again but I almost choked when Lady Emilia already raised her head. She...
"Princess Sina, are you alright?" she asked when I put my hand on my mouth and gave the empty wine glass to the waiter who just passed by.
I can't even dare to look at Lady Emilia's face. I feel like I'm about to burst out laughing.
"Y-You are?" I asked while still looking down at the floor and covering my mouth. I'm about to die! I can't be with this world anymore.
"I am saddened that you have forgotten my name," she said with a hint of irritation in her voice. "It is I, Emilia Zenonis."
When I already gathered my sanity and calmed down myself, I looked at her and replied, "I am just confirming, Lady Emilia."
Yes, I am just confirming that the real Lady Emilia is the one in front of me and not Sophie!
I cannot believe that our counterparts in this world are not best of friends but rivals in love. There is also a trait that is common between the two of them, they are tangled with guys.
Oh, Sophie, the men lover that you are.
"Confirming? The Princess must confirm about what?" she said in a mean voice that almost made me tear.
This reminded me of the time when Sophie and I were still not close with each other and she would use that mean tone to talk to me. I can't believe I would hear that again.
"Nothing," I said and moved away from the table. Enough just for the desserts to be seen by her, "care for any desserts, Lady Emilia?"
Confused she just picked one that I told her was the tastiest. It was a tart as the waiter told me when I asked what it was called. It's kind of different from how it was served in my world.
While the both of us are eating, I can't help but look at Lady Emilia. It feels like I saw Sophie once again. It somehow made me relieved.
Since Nana looks like Cecil and I look like Princess Sina, I once wondered also if there's someone who looks like Sophie here. I just wouldn't have guessed that of all people, it was Lady Emilia.
I even promised myself that when I saw Sophie's counterpart in this world, I would befriend her. But how can I befriend her if she's Lady Emilia? THE Lady Emilia.
She and I chatted for a while but it didn't last long since I excused myself out of the conversation with Adela's help. She may have thanked me and said that the dessert was as tasty as she had imagined but later on, she just kept on yapping about her being a childhood friend with Prince Lorcan and being mean to me as soon as she saw the opportunity.
I cannot bear hearing Sophie's mean voice and appearance in her that's why before I exploded, I already ended it. I just know that it would take hours and it would be nonstop because I already experienced the same thing with Sophie.
That girl also kept yapping about her boyfriends so I stopped listening to her and knowing nor remembering their names.
However in the end, what triggered me the most was her farewell sentence to me.
"Such a shame. It also seems like my father is looking for me so I should also get going. Maybe we could talk about your night stroll in the garden over a cup of tea next time."
"It seems like you handle Lady Emilia well compared to the Princess," Adela said while she was accompanying me when I told her that I would love to take a stroll in the garden. In the part where there are torches all around and where other nobles go for some fresh air.
Almost... I almost choked her in annoyance. She's the one who saw me and Azval together in the garden earlier.
"Why? What happens if it's between them?" I asked and sat on a bench. Adela just stood up in front of me.
"After a conversation with her, Princess Sina's face is unrecognizable. It seems someone took away all the holiness in her body," Adela said and we both laughed. But while laughing, that certain thought came back again to my mind making me wear a poker face.
"I want to be alone," I said to Adela, and her face became worried, "don't worry, Mr. Brown is just around. No one would dare touch me. I just want to process some things on my mind."
Adela respected my decision and went back into the hall. The banquet is nearing its end. I can really now rest and put aside my 'Princess Sina façade'.
I closed my eyes and rested my body on the chair.
Adela and Azval, huh?
I just can't put aside that thought even though a lot happened to me this day. I should stop thinking about it already and just enjoy my stay here in this world.
"After all, I'm leaving in about six months," I sighed.
My eyes immediately opened when I heard a branch crack and some leaves rustle from my back. I am sure that it was not Mr. Brown because if he wanted to talk to me, he would show himself.
"Who's there?" I asked as I walked to a big bush where the sound was coming from. My heart started pounding so much that I could almost hear it.
Is it an assassin? Impossible.
Certainly, this is someone who cannot threaten me because Mr. Brown hasn't taken any action yet. So I gathered all my courage until I just saw myself in front of the bush. I took a deep breath and parted it sideways to see who was on the other side of it.
My mind went blank when what I saw was a grown man sitting on the ground holding a fluffy and round creature. Same as the expression that I was wearing, he also looked so shocked.
He immediately stood up and presented the creature in front of me.
"T-This divine creature has been following you around since earlier in the garden while you're still talking to Prince Larnaaz," he said still not gazing into my eyes.
I blinked a lot of times before I realized that he also saw me with Azval. More importantly, the divine creature... it seems like I have seen it already from the book Master Hagas gave me.
"Please don't tell anyone about seeing us in the garden. I was just asking where he was going because I happened to see him," I reasoned.
It seems like he's not someone to blabber his mouth compared to Lady Emilia.
"I understand! In return, can you keep this a secret between us? It is embarrassing for a Prince to be seen on the ground after all," he said and scratched his head while the other hand was still holding the divine creature. I noticed that it has small horns. Cute!
But before I also pet the divine creature, I realized something... "A prince?"
"Prince Reigen of the Kroubet Kingdom, Your Highness. I am here with my father to discuss the affair regarding the ancient dragon," he introduced and bowed his head.
We exchanged some formal greetings before we got back to him begging for my forgiveness again as it was already the second time that he happened to accidentally spy on me without having the intention to. For countless times also, I would tell him that it's alright. It seems like he means no harm after all.
"This divine creature's eyes look like yours, Prince Reigen," I said while petting this fluffy creature who's now in my lap. Their eyes are golden, though it is much darker compared to Princess Sina's eyes. I cannot say that it is my eye color too because my natural eye color is dark brown.
"Though his fur is a lighter brown than my hair's," Prince Reigen joked and we both laughed.
"Right, this creature looked just like you!" I exclaimed and raised the creature whose now rubbing his body on me. Or his head? I don't know since he's just round with eyes.
"That's why I got this Yang as my pet and I think he's taken quite a liking to you, Your Highness." I gasped at what he said.
You can make divine creatures a pet? I want one too!
The divine creature suddenly jumped in my head and Prince Reigen motioned that I should stay still because the Yang was just resting. He's now tired.
I was about to ask a lot more questions about this creature when a gentleman, who I think is Prince Reigen's servant, approached him and whispered something in his ear.
"Seems like my father is looking for me already. It was nice having a chat with you, Your Highness," he said as he gazed at someone inside the hall. There, I saw a man in his 50s watching the both of us.
We both exchanged courteously again and the Yang jumped back on his shoulder.
"A divine creature is the one who picks their master and since you want one Princess, I am sure that a divine creature would approach you," he said as he waved me goodbye.
While they are walking away from me, I kind of regret not asking his divine creature's name.
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