TCBCVF 16

~Chapter 16~

The princess then glanced at me with a sideways look before deliberately adopting a nonchalant tone to continue speaking.

“You don’t need to be so formal with a friend. After all, it’s just the two of us.”

“Ah…”

Friend.
That word felt oddly close.

“If I knew you were coming, I would’ve told the chef to pay more attention to the tea food.”

The princess, who had been grumbling a moment ago, suddenly brightened and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“Oh, by the way, do you like lemon cake? I just baked some today, and it turned out pretty well.”

“……”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
The memory of Countess Johansson’s picnic came rushing back to me—the first time I realized the unfairness of this world.

“Seraphina likes refreshing snacks, right? Would you like to try some?”

Gregory, looking at Seraphina with affectionate eyes, offering her lemon cake.
Seraphina happily laughing as she took a big bite of the cake.
And in the middle of it all, me, sitting like a transparent ghost, lost in the background…

“Lady Ansi?”
The princess called me with a dubious tone.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I quickly responded.

“Ah, yes. I do like lemon cake.”

It felt strange to say.
It had been so long since I expressed any personal likes or dislikes.

“That’s good.”
The princess smiled broadly, satisfied.
“You can look forward to it. Our pastry chef is excellent at baking.”

Afterward,
The princess and I enjoyed lemon cake with tea, talking about various topics—her recent interest in rose seedlings, the lace patterns that were trending among ladies, and how the new opera singer had quite a handsome face…

As the cake and tea were nearly gone,
I suddenly felt a strong sense of discomfort.

‘The princess… seems really free right now?’
The grand event hosted by the Duke’s family was approaching soon.

Although she might not be super busy, shouldn’t she at least be overseeing the preparations?

I discreetly observed the princess and decided to speak up.

“By the way, Princess. Is there anything I can help with?”

“Hmm? What do you mean by help?”

“Well, the salon is only about two weeks away, and since you’re hosting it, I thought you might be busy.”
I continued cautiously.
“I’d love to help if I can.”

“Ah.”

In an instant, the princess’s expression darkened.
She seemed to hesitate before muttering and turning her head away.

“It’s fine.”

“Anyway, my brother will take care of it all.”

The princess murmured with a sulking expression.

“He’s always like this. He insists on doing all the hard work himself and tells me to just relax.”

“Princess…”

“Of course, I’m grateful that my brother thinks of me…”
The princess slumped her shoulders.
“…But he doesn’t need to.”

Her blue eyes clouded with a complex emotion.

“I feel like my brother is always pushing himself because of me. He already has so much to do, and I feel like I’m burdening him even more with the salon preparations.”

I gazed at the princess with a sympathetic look as she hunched her shoulders slightly.

‘The princess is worried about the Duke, huh?’
It’s understandable.

Duke Claudius, Dietrich, was one of the busiest men in the Empire.
The vast lands he controlled, his many vassals, countless subordinates, and numerous business ventures.

That alone would be enough to keep him overwhelmed, let alone being the head of one of the most powerful noble families in the Empire.

Considering his interactions with other nobles and the Imperial family…

‘He probably doesn’t even have enough time in the day to manage it all.’

I shuddered internally.
I could never live that way.

I subtly asked the princess.

“By the way, have you looked over the documents for the salon?”

The princess shook her head sadly.

“No.”

“Then, Princess…”
I gently lowered my head and met her gaze.
“Since you’re hosting, don’t you think it might be a good idea to at least review the relevant documents?”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. It’s different from just letting everything go. It’s important to stay on top of things.”

I nodded firmly.

More importantly,

‘The Duke probably wants to let you rest, Princess, but…’

I glanced at the princess with a subtle look.

‘Long-term, you’ll need to know how to handle these documents.’

There were several reasons for this.

First, the princess was the only direct heir of the Claudius family.
Even if she doesn’t take care of the practical tasks, she needs to understand how the family operates.
And documents are a fundamental part of that.

Second…

‘I can’t let Seraphina walk all over you.’

This part of the original story stood out to me.

At the climax of the conflict between Seraphina and the princess, a scandal occurred.
They had imported expensive perfumes and inflated the costs, defrauding the nobles.

Seraphina discovered the inflated costs in the sales documents and made it public.
Her social reputation skyrocketed because of it…

‘Actually, I was the one who discovered the inflated costs in the original story…’

But naturally, it became Seraphina’s credit.

Seraphina manipulated the situation to her advantage.

“Princess Claudius didn’t notice, but Lady Lopez did?”
“Lady Lopez is amazing!”
“But the princess… she seems a bit… incompetent?”

In the original story, the princess must have felt unfair.
The Duke had nothing to do with the fraud.
The perfumes were just gifts that happened to be among the presents the princess received.

But Seraphina’s cleverness lay in subtly planting doubt in others’ minds.

“The princess said it was a gift, but what if she’s just making excuses?”

Anyway,

‘To prevent any future issues like that, it’s better if the princess knows how to review these documents.’

Most importantly,

‘I didn’t think the princess was interested in work at all, but it turns out I was wrong.’

In the original, the princess was portrayed as arrogant, wasteful, and an empty-headed villain who only adored Seraphina.

But in reality, the princess seemed different.

‘Maybe she just never had the opportunity to learn. If that’s the case, I’ll help her.’

I made up my mind.

“Well, if Lady Ansi says so…”

The princess, now with a slightly indifferent expression, instructed the maid to bring the salon-related documents.

Afterward,
The princess and I sat across from the neatly arranged papers—lists of artists and guests attending the salon, the budget, and even the layout plans for the salon.