The girls were shocked.
‘Is he smiling?’
‘Did he just laugh at me?’
It was a smile that somehow reminded them of the cheeky kid they’d met at the Lannister mansion before. But that was a child then, while Damian was an adult man.
He’s acting a bit mean and they didn’t know that a grown man would seriously treat little girls like them and try to win. The sense of defeat was greater because it was sudden. The ladies had to hold onto the hem of their skirts with trembling hands.
“…huh?”
As the fight was in full swing, Lily looked back, but Damian quickly kissed his wife on the cheek and pretended that nothing happened.
The gentlemen who were watching let out exclamations.
“Hey…”
“His Highness completely won.”
Respect naturally arose but they didn’t dare imitate it. The gentlemen humbly acknowledged Damian’s beauty and heartlessness in not treating his opponents as young ladies. And they began to soothe their partners, who were trembling with resentment.
***
After her first dance with Damian, Lilian had to join in a group dance with a group of young girls who had gathered in a strangely militant manner.
Damian didn’t feel sorry and let Lilian go with a generous attitude. The ladies trembled at the winner’s generosity but Lilian didn’t know.
After the group dance, Lilian was following the girls who asked her to drink lemonade. At that time, a maid she had never seen before approached Lilian.
“Good evening, Your Highness the Grand Duchess.”
The maid said as she slightly bent her knee.
“My master wants to see Her Highness for a while.”
“…”
Lilian looked at the lady in waiting for a moment before asking.
“Where is your master?”
“She’s sitting in Peladna’s seat.”
The girls tilted their heads at the enigmatic answer, but Lilian nodded. If it was Peladna, it was the last name of Earl Rockwell. The ladies didn’t know, but Lilian remembered most of the names of these imperial nobles, their titles, and the names of the castles and lands they ruled over.
“Take the lead.”
“Thank you for your generous permission. This way please…”
Lilian silently followed the maid’s guidance. The maid escorted Lilian to a balcony, not far from her.
Since the venue was decorated like a forest, the balcony was quiet as if it were a secret place deliberately hidden.
A ripe beauty in a red dress was waiting for Lilian there.
“Imperatrix Leyengrad, Greetings to Her Highness the Grand Duchess of the Empire. When this lowly one sees Your Highness’ face, your glory is boundless. May you be happy and enjoy the glory forever and ever.”
It was Madam Rachel.
“Get up.”
“Yes.”
Madam Rachel, in an impeccable manner and extremely polite, stood up.
Lilian sat down in the prepared chair in a natural manner. Madam Rachel also sat down in the opposite chair.
“I didn’t know Madam would want to see me.”
“It’s natural to think so. In the public eye, this Rachel is supposed to pretend to be quiet under Her Highness.”
Lilian suddenly felt uncomfortable. It’s because Madam Rachel’s tone was different.
‘Before, it’s a little more…it’s an awkward way of speaking.’
It was an unfamiliar neat tone, completely different from the feeling of fawning with nasal sounds from before. Apparently, this was Rachel’s original way of speaking, not as a mistress.
‘I don’t know why she revealed her true self to me, but…’
Lilian measured the time for a moment. It seemed like she wouldn’t have much time left. Now that her dance was over, Damian would find her soon, and the girls with her would tell him which direction Lilian had followed the mysterious lady in waiting who talked about Peladna.
‘At most 10 minutes.’
However, the fact that Rachel insisted on meeting her alone meant that she only had something to say only when they were alone.
She had to get to the point as quickly as possible.
“…does that mean you’re not my political opponent?”
Rachel smiled with her red painted lips. It seems she’s correct.
“Your Highness is wise.”
Lilian’s blue eyes watched her, rarely without a smile. She didn’t have an easygoing gaze, but Rachel burst out laughing.
“I thought so from the first moment I saw you, but you also resembled His Majesty.”
Why are those words coming out of this woman’s mouth?
“The late Majesty was also kind, but he wasn’t like that. Seeing His Majesty’s face today, us meeting here was like seeing him come to life.”
Lilian quietly looked into Rachel’s eyes.
She had clear and deep brown eyes. However, there was no flair or crazy magic that would take away the soul of the person who met her.
There were wrinkles in the shadows under her eyes. Lilian suddenly thought that the woman in front of her was smiling but she looked very tired.
Although she was significantly older than her, she showed signs of fatigue beyond her age.
At that moment, she felt that the puzzle of her baseless intuition was fitting together as she drew a picture.
But she couldn’t be too sure. Rachel whispered to the unmoving Lilian.
“It’s often said that the enemy of my enemy is on my side.”
“Isn’t this an argumentative fallacy common to ignorant people?”
The enemy of the enemy was just the enemy of the enemy. Even though it was a cold answer, Rachel’s eyes looking at Lilian were filled with a more heartwarming light.
“You’re also very intelligent.”
“I bow my head in apology for trying to obscure Your Highness with just a few words. However, if you give me a chance, I would like to inform Your Highness that I have something to prove my position.”
Lily nodded her head in silence. Rachel calmly said.
“Her Majesty Empress Aratine is pregnant.”
“…!”
“I don’t know the gender of the royal child yet, but it would be a sufficient threat to the Crown Prince. Because Claude will try to end this without procrastinating anymore for the sake of the unborn child.”
The authenticity cannot be ascertained.
But what if it’s true?
Looking at Lilian’s shaking blue eyes, Rachel whispered affectionately.
“Right now, it must be hard to believe. But if my words turned out to be true, please spare a moment for me. For that time, I need to know where your ears are.”
“Talk to the owner of the first bar on Sandria Street and this Rachel will listen right away.”
Rachel stood up slowly. And from the flower vines covering the balcony, she plucked a single red flower that stood out the most.
The colorful double petals were open like peonies. Thanks to the full bloom, almost all of the golden stamens hidden deep were exposed.
The full bloom was the most beautiful until today but it seemed that it would start to wither from tomorrow.
“…if you permit me, I would like to offer you one of these flowers as proof of our meeting today.”
It was a flower resembling Rachel.
***
On her way back, Lilian openly told Damian about her meeting with Rachel.
Damian nodded and rubbed his forehead. He wanted to joke about being jealous, but unexpectedly, his face was serious.
He had to be.
“You should have taken me to a place like that first.”
Oops.
“I asked you not to be negligent about your own safety…”
A rare expression of sincere concern flashed across Damian’s mischievous face. Lilian was quick to apologize.
“I made a mistake, Your Highness. I’m sorry…”
“You’re sorry but an apology is not the answer.”
“I will never do that again.”
Lilian replied in a nice and calm manner. Damian knew she’s cool and capable, but her body was like glass.
He looked disapprovingly at his wife, who often forgets that.
Lilian added when she noticed.
“Still, I didn’t receive the flowers that Madam Rachel tried to give me.”
Damian was dumbfounded.
“Are you saying you did well with that?”
Uh. Lilian was a little surprised.
“Somehow, those words sound very similar to my usual way of speaking.”
“It looks like I got it from you, just as you got it from me.”
“Aha…”
Seeing his wife’s docile face as she nodded knowingly in spite of her nervous reply, he let out a sigh of relief.
“Your Highness?”
“I can’t. I can’t forgive this easily.”
Saying that, Damian hugged Lilian from behind.
“You will be sentenced to overprotectiveness in the future, you should know that.”
“But…if you have at least a conscience, you shouldn’t say the same thing, right?”
Although he gently melted away at Lily’s words, Damian did not yield at all.
“Since you have sinned, I believe you will not have any complaints.”
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