“Did you really have to go as far as reading fashion magazines?”
“Your Highness is far more knowledgeable about trends than I am, so what if I fall behind?”
Even clenching both fists as if ready for battle, Marsha’s eyes burned with fighting spirit.
“Please go and completely crush the spirit of those damn Eastern bastards! Rather than a sickly beauty, our lively Grand Duchess has a much better chance of winning!”
Winning against whom, exactly…?
Marsha was overflowing with motivation. It seemed she had been bothered by the fact that her Master couldn’t attend the second day of the Imperial banquet.
Finding her consideration adorable, Liselotte simply smiled brightly and nodded.
By the time the preparations were finished, the area around her neck felt unusually bare.
Liselotte fiddled with the area near her collarbone, which bore not a single piece of jewelry, and asked,
“Wouldn’t it be better to at least put on a light necklace?”
“Ah, about that.”
For some reason, Marsha awkwardly pressed her lips together.
Just as her eyes clumsily darted around the empty air as she tried to endure it—
Knock, knock. A crisp knock rang out at the door.
“If we do not depart now, we will be late.”
No sooner had Eren’s low voice sounded than Marsha and the maids opened the door at an astonishing speed.
He, dressed in full uniform, also looked as though he had put in a bit more effort than usual.
‘They really worked themselves up, huh…’
Eren himself, however, looked as though he had no particular thoughts at all.
Still, it was a feast for the eyes.
The black uniform with a navy cape draped over only one shoulder carried an arrogant yet restrained beauty at the same time.
If nothing else, if Liselotte’s aesthetic sense had improved compared to before the marriage, she was convinced that nine-tenths of the reason was Eren.
But the moment she checked his hand.
Liselotte felt an instinctive sense of danger.
The maids and Marsha had already left the room at a brisk pace.
Tap. No sooner had the door closed than he slowly walked over.
“I came to escort you.”
Contrary to his words, a clicking sound was heard behind him.
Soon, a solid arm extended from behind and placed a navy velvet case on top of the dressing table.
A very pale gold necklace was making its presence known.
It had a simple design and was not particularly eye-catching, but a single bead shone luminously.
Liselotte immediately knew what it was.
“It must be precious.”
“It is not a price that would be particularly burdensome.”
“The one bearing the burden wouldn’t be me, but Your Highness, right?”
“That’s right. Is there a problem?”
“I told you that you do not need to give me gifts like this.”
She already had no face to show him after having sent him a failed gift.
On top of that, having to receive an expensive necklace at a time like this made her feel uncomfortable.
Eren, having taken out the necklace, quietly met her eyes in the mirror.
“Your neck looks bare.”
“…You had Marsha do it, didn’t you?”
No wonder. She had acted awkward when the necklace was mentioned.
She had thought there was something going on, but she had never imagined that Eren was the cause.
To begin with, he wasn’t someone who schemed to that extent.
When Liselotte fixed her gaze on him in the mirror, putting strength into her eyes, he answered while tugging at the gloves he was wearing with his teeth and pulling them off.
“Staring at me like that does not make you threatening.”
“I’ll take that as an affirmative answer.”
After removing his gloves, he carefully touched along Liselotte’s neckline and the area around her shoulders.
The rough, coarse texture of his palms was conveyed directly to her soft skin.
Soon, a cool sensation touched the area around Liselotte’s neck.
Before she realized it, the necklace was hanging around her neck.
“If I gave it to you, I doubt you would have worn it anyway.”
Eren’s low voice sounded from behind.
His hands rustled at the back of her neck as he fumbled several times to fasten the clasp.
That sensation traveled directly over her shoulders.
In the mirror, Eren was focused on fastening the necklace.
The sight of him slightly furrowing even his brow as he fiddled with the tiny clasp in an attempt to fasten it was somewhat cute.
“Is it on?”
“It would be easy to cut.”
“If you draw your sword here, my neck will fall along with it.”
“I am more than capable of that level of control. I do not have a hobby of cruelly collecting pretty things.”
Because it came out without any warning, she was left momentarily at a loss for words.
It didn’t seem like something he had said with her in mind, as he still appeared focused on the back of her neck.
She had merely asked, and the answer had clearly come out without much thought on his part, which made the hand that brushed so close to her nape, almost touching it, feel all the more ticklish.
Click, clack. After several attempts, Eren finally succeeded and lifted his head.
A necklace the same color as his eyes swayed lightly against her neck.
His steady gaze rested firmly around her chest area.
For some reason, Liselotte felt embarrassed and, for no real reason, lightly pressed down on the necklace with her hand as she stood up.
“Let us go. You said we would be late.”
When she turned around, the gaze that had been fixed on the mirror naturally shifted toward her.
After staring at the area around her neck for a long while, he put his gloves back on.
“It was an excuse.”
Watching his calm expression as he extended his hand to escort her, Liselotte had no choice but to hide her slightly reddened ears.
***
As expected for the final day of the banquet, the Imperial Palace was quite crowded.
It was essentially an unspoken signal from the Emperor of Perida openly urging attendance.
The nobles who had stubbornly stayed on at nearby townhouses instead of returning to their territories looked as though they had come thoroughly prepared.
Standing before the Great Hall, Liselotte stared at the tightly closed doors without much expectation.
Those who hadn’t even pretended to be friendly since the first day of the banquet were hardly going to be any different today.
‘I should tell Marsha that people were admiring her work.’
Considering the effort she had gone to, even looking up unfamiliar central trends herself, this much of a white lie would probably be acceptable.
Soon, an Imperial attendant loudly announced their entrance.
“His Highness, Grand Duke Eren Keilos and Her Highness, Grand Duchess Liselotte Keilos are entering!”
Creeeak. As the massive doors opened, crash—the sound of the orchestra swelled overwhelmingly loud.
Under Eren’s guidance, they slowly walked into the banquet hall.
Faces she had only glimpsed in passing at the court occasionally caught her eye.
The sidelong glances and the measuring eyes that whispered among themselves were still there.
But if there was one thing that had changed—
“Good evening, Princess Liselotte. I am Count Oden Valan from the South. This is Telia, my daughter.”
For some reason, there were those who greeted her first.
It was an older middle-aged man and a young lady in her early teens who looked as though she had just completed her debutante.
They offered a respectful greeting to Liselotte as a member of the Imperial Family, then bowed briefly and simply to Eren.
Count Valan, perhaps lacking the courage to meet Eren’s golden eyes, hastily turned his head away the moment the greeting ended.
It was an instinctive action, obvious to anyone.
Regret spread across Count Valan’s face as he realized his mistake.
For a moment, the onlookers in the banquet hall fell silent.
The surroundings grew quiet.
And yet, the gazes contained within made it feel as though the banquet hall were still noisy.
Countless people were gauging whether Liselotte would grab his collar or slap his cheek.
Liselotte’s own impression, however, was far simpler.
‘Well… at least he didn’t run away.’
If he had suddenly acted as though he accepted everything, it would have felt even more hypocritical.
With this much courage, she was willing to accept it calmly.
Liselotte tightly linked her arm through Eren’s.
She also didn’t forget to pull her body in closer, narrowing the distance, to make them look a little closer.
“It is hard to see your face since you are bowing your head.”
When she asked gently with a smile, Count Valan finally hurriedly strung out words, as if making an excuse.
“Ah, ah, I should have greeted Your Highness yesterday at the court. There were so many people that I am only greeting you now.”
Oh, so he had watched the trial.
She didn’t remember him, but she responded appropriately.
“It wasn’t exactly a good place to exchange greetings anyway, so it is fine.”
Amid the meaningless conversation, an eager energy could be felt. Liselotte casually shifted her gaze toward Count Valan’s side.
The Young Lady of House Valan, who looked as though she had just completed her debutante, cried out with shining eyes.
“Y-you are so wonderful, Your Highness!”
Compared to adults who grew more timid the more they knew, her innocence, untainted by any ulterior intent, was clear.
Because of that, Liselotte felt just a little better.
So she scrunched her nose slightly and replied.
“Thank you, cute Young Lady.”
“I have something I am curious about, may I ask?”
