Chapter 68
Startled by the sudden words, I jumped up, and a small towel fell beneath the sofa.
“What? Elli, what did you just say?”
“I don’t want to be Crown Princess anymore.”
Finally…!
I couldn’t contain my joy, though I had no idea what could have shaken Eloise’s heart so deeply.
My eyes sparkled as I looked at her.
“Really? Truly?”
Eloise lowered the small towel from her face and looked me squarely in the eyes.
“Yeah. Thanks to you, Lizette.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You said you wanted me to be happy.”
I had sincerely wished for her happiness.
That was the sole reason I’d been scolding Marcel and poking around the Montclair household.
I had been so absorbed in it that I couldn’t even tell if it was selfish vicarious satisfaction or a genuinely selfless feeling.
Eloise stretched out her arms toward me, and I threw myself into her embrace.
“You made the right choice! Elli.”
“The only reason things changed with Marcel and Mother must be one thing.”
“Because she likes you!”
“That’s part of it, but… I think it’s also because you pushed them forward, like you did for me.”
Her hands stroked my hair with full affection.
The fresh, fragrant scent of flowers clung to the air around us.
The sound of our pounding hearts and the slowly flowing mana that had just begun circulating felt pleasant.
Two days later, as promised, Marcel and Étienne arrived at the ducal mansion.
Instead of heading straight to the training ground, I lingered around the tea table set in the garden.
Étienne watched me suspiciously, but for now, we quietly hid among the flower beds.
I was curious about the answer Marcel would give, and I wanted to see whether Eloise would actually tell him she wanted to break off the engagement.
“Your Highness, may I step away for a moment? I have some work pending today.”
Raoul must have sensed the unusual tension between Eloise and Marcel as he glanced between them.
“That’s fine, don’t worry about it, Raoul.”
“Thank you. Then, please take care of Her Highness. Sister.”
“…Go on then.”
Raoul had a good sense about him.
Once he entered the mansion, Eloise motioned with her hand, and the servants immediately stepped back.
I perked my ears, focusing intently.
“Your Highness, I’ve thought about the question you asked last time.”
Even from a fair distance, Eloise’s voice was clear.
I was struck once again by a beast-person’s excellent hearing.
“Miss Montclair… Are you seriously thinking of marrying my brother?”
“Before that, I’d like to ask something. You asked if I wanted to end it, which means there must be a way, right?”
“I didn’t ask without reason.”
“You know well that just because I haven’t signed, I can’t betray the promise between the royal family and Montclair.”
Sign? What could she mean?
As the conversation only they knew came from Eloise’s lips, I listened even more intently.
“Of course. That plays the biggest part, but it’s not everything. So, answer me, Elli.”
“…I want to end things with the Crown Prince, Seal.”
A subtle tension flowed between them as they said each other’s nicknames.
The fragrance of the blooming roses right in front of me tickled my nose.
Without realizing it, I clenched my fists tightly. My heart raced.
“What are you two doing here?”
A cold but gentle voice above drowned out Marcel’s words.
“Who…!”
I looked up, ready to demand who was interfering at such an important moment, but then closed my mouth.
The Duchess, holding a white lace parasol, was alternating her gaze between me, Étienne, and the distant Eloise.
“Ka-Katrin…”
“Lizette, Étienne. What interesting conversation are you eavesdropping on? Hehe.”
The smile in her voice carried an unmistakable undertone of scheming; she was definitely the royal mana resonator.
Étienne subtly distanced himself from me and pretended not to notice.
I shot him a glare and muttered:
“Traitor.”
“I’m just as scared of the Montclair Duchess.”
“Oh, Étie, scared? That’s a bit disappointing. I’ve taken care of you since you were little, you know.”
Étienne’s expression darkened slightly at the nickname, but he didn’t say not to call him that.
The Duchess glanced between us and Eloise once more before walking toward the training ground.
“It’s better to hear the full story there. Come on, follow me.”
Since we had already set up the pretext for the Duchess, perhaps the timing was perfect.
“Étienne, could you bring the materials we collected last time?”
“Sure. Is tonight okay?”
“Even better.”
As we chatted while walking, we soon reached the training ground.
The Duchess, who had arrived first, looked around the grounds before smiling at us.
“Well then, who will tell me the story?”
“Étienne—”
“I only helped, Duchess.”
Before I could finish, Étienne cut in and led me in front of the Duchess.
You like me, don’t you? It would’ve been nice if you stepped up first.
I glared at him, but he just remained sulky as usual.
“Go on, Lizette. Tell me.”
No need to be scared. I haven’t done anything wrong! And I already informed the Duchess.
“As I mentioned before, I want Elli to marry someone who truly loves her. And just now, Elli told Marcel that she wants to break off her engagement with the Crown Prince.”
“Breaking an engagement won’t be easy. How did the Second Prince respond?”
“That’s the thing! When I tried to hear it, Duchess Katrin called us here.”
I muttered in a pout, and the Duchess’s lips curled slightly.
“Oh my, I disturbed an important moment. But the Second Prince wouldn’t manage alone anyway. He can’t go against my father, after all. Quite helplessly.”
The Duchess twirled her parasol handle thoughtfully.
“So, our Elli wants to break off her engagement.”
“Duchess, I will bring the materials we gathered tonight.”
Étienne’s sudden comment made the Duchess stop twirling the handle.
I looked at Étienne, and he shrugged.
“Weren’t you planning to show it to the Duchess?”
“That’s right.”
“Materials, huh? You two are quite the mischievous pair. Should I expect something good?”
“Of course. So please support Marcel.”
Earlier, Étienne had pushed me toward the Duchess, but now he confidently made a request.
“Yes. That looks better than having Nana and Serge intervene. But if Marcel hesitates even slightly, we will step in.”
“Understood.”
“It’s better for Elli to owe Marcel rather than us. Though even owing anyone bothers me.”
“Marcel won’t see it as a debt. He likes Elli a lot.”
Étienne’s confidence made the Duchess smile faintly.
“Good, Lizette picked out a fine match for Elli. Now, shall we start the lesson?”
“Ah, but Duchess Katrin, is it okay for Étienne to know this?”
“Étienne isn’t the type to tell anyone. And the more people there are, the faster one can learn the light element.”
“Eh?”
I tilted my head, and the Duchess’s eyes curved meaningfully.
“To heal, you need a wound, right? Children grow by getting hurt. Lizette, you can handle a spar with Étienne, can’t you?”
“I’ve only just learned to manage mana…”
“Oh, that’s enough. Étienne, let’s begin.”
I looked at Étienne, unsure.
He shook his head, then assumed a sparring stance.
“Ét-Étienne…”
“You saw me spar with Marcel in mana resonance training, right? Do the same. That’s Duchess Katrin’s method.”
“Germane and I, the Empress included, trained that way too.”
Ah, now I understood why Étienne was scared of the Duchess.
I remembered the rumor: a lion drops its cub off a cliff to make it stronger.
Truly, Étienne began moving his mana.
“But, you know… honestly, isn’t this a little too much?”
“You’ve already learned how to control it. I was thinking of starting sparring soon anyway.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Étienne shot a droplet the size of a fist at me.
I dodged and ran around nimbly.
“Don’t just run away, Lizette!”
From near the wall of the training ground, the Duchess’s commanding voice sounded particularly villainous today.
