Chapter 13
That day, during teatime, the conversation lingered on for quite some time about Gobard and the pink diamond.
The discussion was mostly led by the Second and Third Empresses, but even the First Empress, though not as active, was clearly paying attention.
Kinea really doesn’t seem interested though.
Hidden behind Kinea’s indifferent attitude, I too gave only appropriate reactions and returned to the palace.
As I got out of the carriage, I noticed Agatha’s complexion didn’t look good.
She must have realized who the real owner of the ring is.
After all, the pink diamond is the same color as her eyes, isn’t it?
This is troubling.
That girl shouldn’t be struggling already.
I turned my gaze away from the pale-faced Agatha and continued walking.
There are still many places I need to take you, you know?
“Welcome back, Princess.”
As I entered my bedroom, Brillant, who had been waiting, approached me.
Her arms were full of invitation letters.
“Whoa! What’s all this?”
“These are all invitations from nobles who want to meet you, Your Highness.”
At her words, I let out an exaggerated sigh.
“Is this all thanks to the Crown Prince’s engagement? Everyone seems unusually eager to see me.”
Well, I guess compared to the arrogant and haughty other royals, I was the easiest to approach.
Brillant smiled gently at my whining.
“It really is a lot, isn’t it? Even as a royal of Lornord, going to all of these would wear you out.”
She said, half-jokingly, and then asked,
“Shall I decline all of them?”
I folded my arms, pretending to consider it, then shook my head.
“Hmm, not all of them!”
“Then which ones?”
“Well, they’re only trying to celebrate the Crown Prince’s engagement, so rejecting all of them wouldn’t be polite… I’ll skip the banquets and just attend a few tea gatherings!”
I couldn’t take maids with me to the banquets, but tea gatherings were perfect for that.
After answering, I placed my hand on my waist and smiled brightly.
“How’s that? That way I won’t get sick either!”
“Of course. A wise decision.”
Brillant smiled proudly, as if seeing her younger sister in me.
Unaware that her real sister was sitting pale in the corner.
Brillant, I really hate doing this to you.
But what choice do I have?
I had vowed to use every card I held for my goal.
Even if it meant hurting the family of my childhood friend.
So Brillant, don’t give your heart too easily to someone like me.
I thought to myself, words I could never say out loud, as I looked at her gentle smile.
After that, I attended quite a few tea gatherings.
Mostly ones hosted by people with great influence in high society.
Naturally, such gatherings were crowded, and the more people there were, the easier it was for sharp conversations to arise.
“Did you hear too, Princess Neroli? About the pink diamond the Crown Prince supposedly bought?”
“I was so shocked when I first heard. I mean, an anonymous wealthy buyer paid hundreds of millions of gold in one go—who would have thought it was His Highness!”
“He must be planning to give it to Lady Bevonshire, his long-time fiancée, right?”
Everyone laughed knowingly.
Everyone knew the truth.
That Gobard, who had treated Evwa like a cold dish for the past five years, would never do such a thing.
Even the young lady who made the comment giggled at the absurdity of her own words.
“Well, if it’s not Lady Bevonshire, then who could the ring belong to~?”
“Surely His Highness wouldn’t wear it himself?”
“Oh my, that would be quite the plot twist!”
“Pink diamond and the Crown Prince—somehow fitting?”
All the young ladies here were direct daughters of high-ranking noble families.
Some of them had once been candidates to become Gobard’s fiancée.
Perhaps because of that, their tongues were sharper than usual.
They’ve been waiting for this moment.
They lost the engagement match due to dowry negotiations.
Their pride was deeply wounded—and now they had a chance to mock the winner?
Of course, highborn nobles would pounce for a chance to bite.
It was exactly the kind of gathering I’d been looking for.
The more they chatter, the more pressure it puts on Agatha.
But… maybe this is enough?
As I stayed silent, the conversation was beginning to cross a line.
Mocking a royal too much wouldn’t be wise, so I put down the teacup I was holding.
Clink.
A crisp sound echoed across the table.
“Is there any need to overthink it?”
At that moment, everyone’s gaze turned to me.
I smiled brightly.
“His Highness would never have a secret lover besides his fiancée! Hehe, Evwa and the pink diamond already go so well together!”
Right?
Tilting my head sweetly, I looked over toward the group of maids and spotted Agatha.
Her face was pale as a ghost.
Time to drive the guilt in deeper.
I cleared my throat and spoke in a deliberately firm tone.
“And besides! I don’t believe at all that His Highness has a hidden lover! That’s an insult to him!”
Of course, that was a complete lie.
No one knew better than me that Gobard was the kind of scumbag who’d cheat even with a fiancée.
Whether he’s insulted or not, that’s none of my concern.
Still, I was a princess of the same blood. Staying completely silent would’ve been suspicious.
The young ladies, who had been chatting so freely, seemed to remember my position and glanced around uneasily.
Some quickly jumped in to agree.
“You’re right, Princess. Who would dare covet someone who already has a fiancée?”
“If someone did, they must be crazy. We’re all just sitting here politely…”
“And the position of Crown Princess only matters after His Highness ascends the throne, right?”
In the Lornord Empire, only the Emperor could practice polygamy.
It was a political tool to spread influence through marriage alliances across the continent and maintain stability.
In other words, no matter how powerful the Crown Prince was, he could only have one wife before his ascension.
This rule stemmed from the influence of the continent’s largest religious group, the Dahlia Church.
Though they turn a blind eye to unofficial lovers…
The unspoken rule was: don’t get caught.
I looked at Agatha again.
The girl was now visibly trembling.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Are you sick?”
Even a few maids beside her were looking at her worriedly.
Watching that, I smiled innocently as if I knew nothing.
Can someone so devout really hide her relationship with Gobard?
Forget hiding it—she looks like she can’t even keep herself together.
Just then, a sharp voice cut in.
“Lady Evwa does look lovely in pink!”
I turned to see Hidya Eoghal, the only daughter of the current Finance Minister, staring boldly at me.
She had been Evwa’s rival in the race to become Crown Princess.
“But! Isn’t the one who looks best in pink in this entire capital none other than Lady Sandelin?”
She was clearly trying to undermine Evwa, her tone sharp.
A few other ladies, also harboring grudges, joined in.
“That’s true. Lady Sandelin’s pink eyes are just lovely.”
“They would match that pink diamond ring perfectly.”
“Come to think of it, aren’t there rumors in society these days? That Lady Sandelin is actually the Crown Prince’s lover!”
I blinked.
Lately, rumors like that had been spreading in the palace.
Gobard’s secret lover is my maid, Brillant…
Brillant, like Agatha, had pink eyes.
And she had often visited the palace since childhood as my maid and childhood friend.
So it’s no wonder such rumors started.
Of course, Brillant, who had always been loyal only to me, hated the rumor with a passion.
Thinking of her frowning face, I tilted my head innocently.
“Surely you’re not believing those baseless rumors? That Brillant is seeing His Highness?”
At my direct question, the ladies hesitated for a moment.
Then Hidya forced a smile.
“Oh Princess, of course we don’t believe such baseless gossip. But you know how unpredictable men and women can be.”
“Well, it’s not entirely baseless, is it? I mean, there’s that pink diamond…”
“Exactly!”
They giggled as if they were having the time of their lives.
The others, more composed, began to watch me cautiously.
I tapped my teacup, thinking about how to deal with these increasingly brazen women.
But really, it wasn’t worth overthinking.
“Well~. There was even that ridiculous rumor, remember? That His Highness left the palace to eliminate pirates just to escape the ladies pursuing him!”
The chattering ladies suddenly froze.
Pretending not to notice, I clapped my hands lightly.
“There were so many rumors back then too! Just like the ones about the pink diamond now!”
Right on cue, a curious young lady nearby asked,
“Rumors?”
“Hmm, like… the Tart Disappearance Incident, for example?”
“The Tart Disappearance Incident? Hoho, that sounds kind of cute!”
The ladies chuckled.
And I didn’t miss it—the way Hidya, who had started this entire conversation, flinched slightly at her fingertips.
