Nanaen, who was smiling brightly, linked her arm with men and led me to the couch. We sat side by side.
“Sister, you said you missed me, right?”
It seemed my earlier complaint about having to watch Lilliana run wild in the absence of the Golden Deer had been misinterpreted. I didn’t mind the embellishment, but there was one important fact I needed to clarify.
“Your informant’s report is sloppy. It wasn’t me who said that, but Sister Lette.”
“Oh, really? Kilieon, go and bring Sister Lette here.”
As Nanaen pouted and withdrew her arm, the velvet curtain was pulled aside.
“I’m already here.” Sister Orlette entered and sat on the couch across from us. “Golden Deer, what are you doing here? With the queen of the society absent, Lilliana thinks the world is hers.”
“I’m like Sister Sasha. It’s entertaining to watch the amateurs flail around.”
“Amateurs?”
A translucent curtain hung near the balcony railing. If slightly pulled back, one could freely observe the banquet hall below from within, while those outside couldn’t see who was inside. We could still easily spot Lilliana basking in the attention of the nobles in the middle of the banquet hall.
“Sister Lilli is truly ridiculous,” Nanaen said, her lips curved but her expression cold. It was a smile filled with disdain for someone of the same kind but far beneath her level.
“It’s not just bragging when she keeps harping on how much others love her. It’s a way to brainwash the listener. ‘I’m so loved. That means I’m someone worthy of being loved. So, you should love me too.’ It’s a shallow trick, but annoyingly, it works quite well.”
Nanaen placed three teacups in a row and poured tea into them.
“To pull off such a trick, you don’t need to manipulate many people. In front of the viscount, you talk about the count. In front of the count, you talk about the marquis. And in front of the marquis, you go back to talking about the viscount or the count. For example…”
Handing the first teacup to Sister Orlette, Nanaen spoke as if confessing a secret.
“Sister Lette, to tell you the truth, I’ve often gone to sleep in Sister Sasha’s room since I was young. Whenever I cried and went with my pillow, she would pretend to be reluctant but let me sleep there. Every time, she would say, ‘I never even did this for our youngest, Shumel, but I just can’t help it with you…’”
“Is that true?” Sister Orlette turned her wide eyes toward me.
“Do you think it’s true?”
“See? I’ve already shaken one person.” Nanaen said mockingly as she handed me a teacup next. She brought her own cup to her lips and spoke nonchalantly. “I’ll tell you in advance, just in case Sister Sasha misunderstands. I have an appointment to meet Sir Regen in the lake garden at midnight today. He said he had something to ask me and requested the meeting first.”
“That never happened.”
Before I could even react, Regen’s voice cut in. Everyone except Nanaen and I were already glaring at him, demanding an explanation with their eyes.
Nanaen burst into laughter and stood up from her seat. “Now, since he’s right here, we can immediately verify the truth. But what if Sister Sasha had been away from Sir Regen for a while, and during that time, I approached Sir Regen and said something like this?” She walked over to Regen, who was standing stiffly near the entrance. Her expression turned unusually serious. “Sir Regen, you’re being deceived. Would you like to know the real reason why Sister Sasha chose you as her knight?”
“…”
For a moment, I almost choked on the tea. I did my best to regain my composure and spoke as nonchalantly as I could. “And then you call him to the lake garden at midnight, make me witness it, and misunderstand the two of you?”
“Bingo.”
The theoretical explanation of the low-level trick concluded. Nanaen cheerfully returned to the couch and sat down.
“Of course, I don’t need to go to such lengths. I get attention just by staying still.”
“I came here to rest, but now I feel even more exhausted.”
“Then heal yourself by looking at my pretty face.”
“I’ve seen it too much; the effect has worn off.”
I extended my right hand toward Regen, signaling that I was ready to leave.
“Wait, Sister, just a moment.” Nanaen stopped me. She leaned in close, her lips brushing against my ear as she whispered something secretive. “Be careful. In the imperial palace, if love is exposed, it becomes dangerous.”
“…”
Handling such ominous words without reacting was easy enough.
“Who doesn’t know that?”
Leaving my sisters behind, I stepped out onto the balcony. In the dim stairwell, Regen carefully escorted me. A memory surfaced—of long ago when I had held his hand while descending a sloping path at the edge of the forest and plains.
Regen, still impacted by the earlier confrontation, spoke softly. “You seem to get along with your sisters.”
“In a way.”
“Outwardly, you act like you’re on bad terms. Is it to avoid being implicated together in the case of an incident?”
“Yes. If someone tries something extreme and gets caught, they must take the blame alone.”
“I see.”
“But there’s another reason.”
“What is it?”
It was something that was common knowledge in the imperial palace but would likely seem absurd to Regen.
“Why do you think the emperor toys with people’s lives?”
“Because life is something you only have one, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. Because you only have one, it’s usually the most precious thing. But what do you think would happen if the emperor discovered something as precious as life?”
“Then it would be weighed against your life, wouldn’t it?”
“Exactly.”
The mad emperor doesn’t just toy with people’s lives. Dignity, honor, love, hope—anything as precious as life becomes his plaything. There were already histories of it. Several princesses who had strong bonds of sisterhood have died before.
After returning to the banquet hall, I resumed dealing with the nobles. It seemed they had grown tired of Lilliana’s boasting, as their eyes sparkled with interest the moment they saw me and Regen.
“There you are, Your Highness! I’ve been eagerly waiting to meet your personal knight, who is said to be so dashing and distinguished. And indeed, he is as remarkable as the rumors say.”
“The banquet hall is so crowded. Does Your Highness perhaps plan to host a separate tea party to introduce Sir Regen?”
“Ahem, I heard you’ve been secluded for a week. Did you enjoy your time? Ahem, ahem.”
“I heard there’s a duel scheduled with Sir Jerom. We’ve been betting on who would win if the two of you fought…”
It was a time to respond to goodwill with goodwill and hostility with hostility. I kept offering strong liquor with a smile to the young nobleman who was drunkenly babbling nonsense about bets and other trivialities. By the time he had downed five glasses and fled while covering his mouth, the surroundings had quieted down again.
From a distance, I could see the other princesses engrossed in their social activities. They exchanged formal compliments, laughed at meaningless jokes, and elegantly retaliated when faced with rudeness. Although some were less competent, most of my sisters performed above average.
At the edge of the banquet hall, a standing bar was set up, offering drinks and finger foods at all times. I grabbed two glasses of juice to quench my thirst. I intended to offer one to Regen, but I noticed he wasn’t looking at me. Following his gaze, I saw two of my elder sisters. One had her blue hair styled high, while the other had her jet-black hair loosely tied and draped down.
Regen quickly straightened his posture and refocused on escorting me, but the fact that his gaze lingered a bit longer than usual didn’t escape me. So I cautiously probed.
“That’s Sister Vivian and Sister Gwendellin. We’re not particularly close, so there’s no need to greet them. But should we go say hi?”
“No.”
It seemed like he wasn’t particularly interested. The brief thought I had about whether he preferred older women felt laughable.
Around that time, the entrance to the banquet hall became noisy. It was because one of the main figures of the banquet had finally made a belated appearance.
