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Published at 4th of December 2022 08:18:06 PM


Chapter 42

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Chapter 42

Everyone was happy with the soft tea time atmosphere.

‘What the hell is this atmosphere?’

But there are always people who can’t adapt to the mood. That was Countess Laurent.

The Countess was currently boiling.

She somehow tried to make friends with the Princess at this tea time, but the result was not very good. The Countess grimaced.

‘Why is the Princess… … !’

At first glance, it seemed that she was trying to build a friendship with Iellie rather than the Countess.

Having Iellie sit next to her openly, and having a friendly conversation with her. The Countess couldn’t stand it.

‘No other family in the North is as close to the Imperial family as County Laurent!’

The maternal house of the Heir Apparent of Hessenweitz, the father of the former Duchess. And a family that was loyal to the Imperial family, not the Duchy. Even so, it felt like she was strangely in a cold situation. The Countess chewed on her lips.

‘But I can’t attack the Princess, so……’

First of all, she had to draw the attention of the Princess to her side. The Countess directed her words to the Princess in a cheerful tone.

“Your Highness, please try this cake. It’s very delicious!”

At her soft voice, the Princess turned her gaze slightly. As the Countess said, the cake looked very delicious.

“Ah, thank you.”

The cake, elegantly stacked with light brown cream, tempted her to take a quick bite. The Princess picked up her fork.

Cutting the cake into large pieces, the Princess held the plate closer to identify the cream.

‘The color of the cream is unique. This is probably…… Is it like coffee cream?’

At the Princess’ favorable comments, the Countess made a joyful face.

Meanwhile, Iellie stared at the plate of cake that the Princess had received, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. A cake filled with cream.

However…….

‘Oh dear, that cake?’

Obviously, that was a cake with plenty of peanut cream.

It was the chef’s own creation, and a favorite snack of Iellie’s. However, it was food that should not appear here. Iellie widened her eyes.

‘I obviously said to watch the Princess’ food!’

Before starting this banquet, Iellie had inquired directly to the Imperial Palace about the food tastes and health status of the VIPs.

The reply received was that the two royal families have no food preferences, but the Princess has a hypersensitivity to peanuts, so they should be careful.

Iellie also informed the Countess about it.

‘Did I clearly say to exclude all foods containing peanuts?’

As proof of that, there was no peanut-containing food at the banquet Iellie personally hosted.

‘…… Did you really ignore my advice?’

Iellie quickly turned her head to look at Countess Laurent.

But the Countess smiled as she praised the Princess for her taste in cake. She wrinkled her eyebrows as she spoke in a sarcastic tone.

“Honestly, the North doesn’t have as good food quality as the capital, but it’s still edible.”

“Countess Laurent, what you’re saying now is a bit…… ”

The Princess answered while looking at Iellie with a perplexed expression. The Countess was excited.

“Oh my God, I’ve been to both the North and the capital! I was only speaking based on experience.”

Besides, she’s ignorant of even the food of the Duke’s castle. Iellie sighed and said.

“Your Highness, please don’t eat that cake.”

“What rudeness is this?”

Countess Laurent turned her head toward Iellie with a quick glare.

She tried to score points with the Princess, and she was doing well, but she thought Iellie was trying to upstage her. The Countess said as she stood up.

“I had it made by telling the kitchen in advance after hearing that the Princess liked cakes.”

The Countess snarled in a tone full of resentment. Iellie had a pathetic face. Apparently, the Countess remembered only that ‘the Princess likes cakes,’ when she prepared tea time.

‘Isn’t the most important thing to take care of her Princess’ health first?’

Iellie sighed. Meanwhile, the Countess glared at Iellie almost as if to bite her.

“This is the finest cake made by the chef with the utmost care!”

“I know. I love that cake too. However.”

Iellie shrugged her shoulders. Her light green eyes rolled from the Countess to look down at the plate of cake.

“That cake has peanut cream, right?”

“What? What about peanut cream?”

The Countess asked with a puzzled expression. At the same time, the other ladies stopped their conversations.

“…… Peanut cream?”

The Princess looked at the Countess with a pale face. Iellie squinted her eyes as she spoke.

“I have already said that the Princess has a hypersensitive reaction to peanuts, haven’t I?”

“What? I, I have never heard of it!”

The Countess jumped up in surprise. But Iellie had already decided on her answer to that.

“I said it a total of three times while preparing the banquet.”

“I, I have no idea what you’re talking about…… !”

“Once while planning the first coming-of-age ceremony.”

She calmly continued. The Countess’s face turned pale, but it didn’t matter to her.

“Second when choosing the menu since the Countess decided to host teatime.”

“Lady, Lady Hessenweitz!”

“And yesterday morning, the last time I looked at the whole process, three times.”

Iellie said calmly. The Countess rolled her eyes helplessly, but no one was on her side.

Above all else, Iellie’s words were true, so there was no room for her to protest.

‘Honestly, I hoped that this tea time would pass safely.’

Iellie sighed again. She didn’t want to clash with the Countess this way. More than anything, it was tiring for Iellie herself to continue to stand up like this. However,

“This is something that might put a life in danger…… Aren’t you too insensitive?”

Besides, it was a matter of drawing the line for the Countess and her beforehand. No matter how mistaken it was, the Countess was in the position of seizing the hosting position from Iellie. If done wrong, it became a problem she could be blamed for, too.

“I understand the Countess’ desire to offer good food to the Princess.”

“…… ”

“I think it would be better to think first about whether such a favor is appropriate for you.”

So Iellie said more sternly. In the chilly atmosphere, only her voice stood out.

“At least if you are the organizer of the tea time, shouldn’t you be concerned about the food that the important guests are served?”

The Countess’s face flushed bright red at every correct point. She immediately bowed her head.

“…… Forgive me.”

But the Countess’ apology was limited to the Princess. The Princess put her fork down and spoke.

“I think it’s something that should be apologized not only to me, but also to Lady Hessenweitz.”

“Yes?”

The Countess had a bewildered face, but the Princess did not relent. The Princess said,

“Didn’t the Duchy and the Imperial family nearly clash with each other because of the Countess’ mistake?”

“Prin, Princess!”

“It could have caused a lot of trouble. So, of course, you should apologize.”

The Countess looked back to Iellie with a cold sweat. However, the mood was not at all favorable to her. Eventually, she bowed her head to Iellie.

“Good. In this case, I’m closing my eyes, because I’m looking to the Princess.”

“… … ”

At those words, the Countess’ face contorted horribly. To cover over the awkward atmosphere, the Princess said.

“Lady Hessenweitz. Would you like to walk with me for a while?”

“I will follow you, Princess.”

Iellie, who looked at the Princess’s expression for a moment, nodded her head. As the two noble women left, the tension in the air quickly relaxed. The ladies began to chat with each other in a bright voice.

‘The Princess is too much, she keeps favoring that little girl!’

The Countess ground her teeth. The little girl was looking at her arrogantly. Although she had attacked her several times already, the Countess still couldn’t give up the thought of taking her down.

‘I’ve been through this…… can’t I do anything?’

And the Countess saw a good tool before her. The target was Viscountess Blanchett.

Near the hunting forest, a trail was prepared for the ladies to take a short walk.

The two ladies, who were still close to girls, moved on at a slow pace. After a while, with a short sigh, the Princess opened her mouth.

“Countess Laurent was quite rude to the Lady.”

“It’s fine. In fact, I expected the Countess would act that way.”

Iellie answered in a calm voice. She didn’t even anticipate the Countess would obey her anyway.

The Countess had the Imperial family behind her, and she was Zachary’s aunt anyway.

“I’m sorry though. Perhaps the Countess believes in the Imperial family, so she behaves that way.”

The Princess sincerely offered an apology. Iellie looked back at the Princess .

‘The Princess herself says that Countess Laurent believes in the Imperial Family.’

With the Princess’ mouth, it was nothing less than proving the link between County Laurent and the Imperial family. This was a great favor the Princess gave to Iellie. Then, the Princess looked at Iellie and smiled.

“Perhaps Lady Hessenweitz knows it well, but…… ”

In the blazing clear sunlight, the dark gray eyes gleaming with light looked straight at Iellie.

“…… My brother wants to use County Laurent to somehow interfere with the Duchy.”

Why did she say that to Iellie? Iellie met the Princess’ gaze. The Princess shrugged her shoulders.

“Actually, that’s why Countess Laurent continues to pretend to be friendly to me, which makes me a little uncomfortable.”

Uncomfortable. It was not a word worth evaluating about the mistress of the family planted in the North by the Imperial family.

“That’s why I deliberately proposed to Lady Hessenweitz to go out for a walk.”

The Princess walked out in front. Iellie, looking at her slender back, suddenly asked a question.

“Isn’t the Princess very close to the Crown Prince?”

“How does the Lady see it?”

The Princess asked again without looking back. Hearing that question, Iellie felt speechless. But fortunately, the Princess wasn’t looking for an answer, and she uttered her words in a deeply subdued voice.

“My brother is the eldest son of the Imperial family and was born with ‘Asha’s blessing’, and he likely thinks of himself as worthy of it.”

“…… ”

“While I am a humble girl. After all, my mother was the Emperor’s handmaiden.”

Iellie was silent for a moment. Annerose was born to the Emperor and his handmaiden.

Even so, she heard that the Princess’s mother didn’t live for a long time. Rumors were that she had been killed by the Crown Prince.

“Women of the Imperial family, at least the concubines’ children…… can only be used as a marriage alliance.”

“Princess.”

“But do I really have no use for anything other than a marriage alliance?”

The Princess stubbornly stopped in place. She bit her lips and continued her words with her head lowered.

“Sometimes I wonder if I hadn’t been born as …… a Princess.”

The Princess’s voice was trembling softly as she said that.

After losing her mother to the half-brother who shared her blood, the Emperor, who loved the Princess, had long been bedridden. There was no place to lean on. The Princess said,

“I don’t know why I’m saying this to Lady. Is it funny?”

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