♛
Something about the tea party won’t end quietly.
It was difficult to keep standing, so I looked around for a place to sit. While I was thinking about crouching in the shade of a tree, someone spoke to me, “Are you the Princess’ maid?”
The person who approached with a gentle smile was the Marquis of Eustoma.
“Why are you here?”
What do you mean by asking a question before I can answer it? I frowned and answered his question,
“I greet the Marquis of Eustoma. I’m waiting here at the order of the Princess.”
Lisian Eustoma.
As soon as he turned adult, he inherited the Marquis of Eustoma and started various businesses.
Thanks to his outstanding political skills and business sense, he created the golden age of the Marquis of Eustoma.
An outstanding person to the point that it makes me think that it might also be his second life. The aristocratic faction praised him to death as a living legend, and the Imperial faction also acknowledged his ability.
‘Well, he’s also the one who destroyed the Marquis Eustoma.’
But his greed eventually ruined the Marquis family. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m sure they’ll be working hard under the surface right now.
‘Preparing for rebellion.’
I did not shy away from his gaze. There was a strange curiosity in his purple eyes, which were lighter than an Iris.
“Then shall we talk for a while while you wait for the Princess?”
“…”
I took a step back without answering him. To be honest, I would have run away with an excuse without Stella’s waiting order, but I couldn’t think of any other excuse because I already said that I’m waiting.
As I distanced myself, Marquis Eustoma said with a gracious smile.
“You don’t have to be so wary. I’m interested in you.”
Hearing those words, I want to be more vigilant. It was a line that would have made the young noble ladies blush at the table where Stella was sitting earlier if they would hear it.
He was second only to Ellex in ‘The Man Who I Want to Marry,’ a theme that always comes out among unmarried young nobles.
His face, which resembled a fox, always had a smile on his lips, and his pale purple hair like his eyes created a mysterious atmosphere.
Plus, he got the power in addition to awarding him a gold medal. Among noble ladies who were afraid of Ellex, he was very popular.
However, it was an evaluation made by people who did not know the truth, and in terms of his behavior that appeared in the novel, it was a snarky scoundrel pretending to be noble.
I asked bluntly, keeping my guard down, “What are you curious about?”
Lisian’s eyes widened slightly at my question. Soon he burst out laughing.
What, why are you laughing alone? If you’re going to laugh, we should laugh together.
“I’m sorry, it’s an unexpected reaction.” (Lisian)
He grinned and apologized earnestly. Judging from his eyes, it didn’t look like a facet.
Maybe it’s because of Grandiel, I got used to it. Lisian looked better than what was portrayed in the novel.
‘Grandiel is more like a serpent.’
He had a lot to hide and could not be trusted. I couldn’t tell how far he was acting and how sincere he was.
I’d rather have Ellex, who can’t lie. While setting the standard of reliability in her head, Lisian coughed and brought out the main point.
“I’ll be honest with you. On the day of the Princess’ Tea Party, the Duke of Kolnuta caught you. What were you two talking about?”
Again, this is also very straightforward. Certainly, it was an understandable question why Lisian suddenly became interested in me.
The biggest obstacle to his plan was Ellex, so it was a natural concern for him. But I had another serious problem, ‘Where did he get that information from?’
At that time, the only people who saw me and Ellex talking were the employees of Stella’s Palace.
This meant that Marquis Eustoma’s spy was in Stella’s Palace. In hindsight, I was also Grandiel’s spy, but Stella was a member of the Imperial family.
It was a different matter from the fact that the aristocratic faction had a spy hiding at the Palace.
And it was also important whether Grandiel knew this. Because it didn’t seem like he obviously knew that the aristocratic faction had a spy lurking inside the Palace.
“Is it hard to say?”
Lisian asked carefully, as he interpreted my expression while agonizing over the spy of the aristocratic faction differently.
There was no need to make complicated lies because there was an excuse that I already used Stella.
But I didn’t have to say it right away. First of all, I am Stella’s maid.
“I am the Princess’ maid. I can’t divulge what happened inside the palace to the outside.” (Mayerie)
“I don’t intend to have it for free either. I’ll pay for the information. How much do you want?” (Lisian)
After the Queen’s death, Stella drifted away from power.
No one even wanted to be her maid, who had bad terms with the imperialists and was ostracized by the aristocracy.
For this reason, the Palace was the place of choice for maids who had no personal connections or were pushed out of politics.
‘Should I talk about it, and make a big call this time?’
In the contract with Grandiel, I didn’t even think about coordinating because I was in the position of B, and when I dealt with Ellex, I was in a hurry, so I called the same amount as Grandiel.
I thought it was reasonable, but after a while, I regretted saying, ‘I should have asked a little more then!’.
‘I want to, but… No, let’s not be greedy. There’s a person whose life was ruined by greed right in front of me. I shouldn’t make a hasty deal with Lisian and then get caught by Grandiel later.’
There was a clause in the contract that I should do what he told me to. It wasn’t written clearly, but the meaning contained in it was to help strengthen his imperial power.
I wouldn’t know what Grandiel, who would later find out about this, would try to rip something out of me if there was any contact with Lisian, the head of the nobility, in any form here.
So, I suppressed my rising greed. Lisian looked confident because he thought I would accept the offer.
“It’s okay.”
At a moment he looked surprised by my answer as if he didn’t think I’d reject him and made a different offer.
“I heard you’re still new, but you’re already loyal? That’s pretty believable. I love that attitude. If you want, I’ll let you work for the Marquis. It would be better than the Imperial Palace. How about it?” (Lisian)
Wow, what a lucky day that I didn’t have in my previous life.
It was so unfair… How nice it would have been if I got a good job in my previous life. It was my second scout after Ellex, but I wasn’t happy at all.
“Thank you for treating me well, but I will decline the proposal.” (Mayerie)
Unlike the first proposal, I quickly refused without any hesitation.
Lisian, whose face remained unchanged at my refusal, crossed his arms and remained silent for a moment.
He didn’t seem to be upset or embarrassed by the rejection. He just looked worried about what price he had to pay to get the answer.
Looking into those eyes, I didn’t think he would give up easily. I opened my mouth with a deep sigh, and said, “The Princess knows the conversation I had with the Duke. If you have any questions, please ask the Princess.”
I handed over the troublesome work to Stella. There was a twinkle in his eyes. Perhaps he changed the target of his deal.
From his point of view, it would be easier to persuade Stella to listen to what conversation I had with the Duke than to ask Ellex directly.
‘Come to think of it, Stella and Lisian were engaged in a novel.’
In the middle of the novel, Lisian and Stella got engaged, but their relationship was only for mutual interest.
Stella wants to take revenge on Ellex, and Lisian wants to get rid of the rebellious Ellex and prevent the rebuttal of the nobles who talked about legitimacy by using Stella, the bloodline of the Imperial Family, as the Princess.
But this time, since Ellex is not married to Radiata, Stella will not join hands with Lisian. So I wasn’t too worried about Stella and Lisian meeting up.
“I see. I respect your opinion.” (Lisian)
Lisian retreated more plainly than Ellex or Grandiel.
It was fortunate that we were able to communicate. He felt like a person with common sense compared to the trio I had been through.
Just as Lisian was about to take a breather after turning around, a quarrel was heard.
“It’s…”!
“Princess…”
It was Stella’s high notes. Based on Stella’s high-pitched voice, I could notice that her mood had fallen to the ground.
Daphne must have been a lack of comfort for Stella.
‘Why isn’t Erica here at a time like this?’
I was in agony cursing Erica, who was not helpful. She told me to wait here, but the atmosphere showed that Stella’s anger was going to splatter on Daphne.
Hesitating, I cautiously moved in the direction of the voice. Not far away were Stella and Daphne. They didn’t even notice when I got closer.
“Doesn’t my command sound like a word? Do you also think lowly of me?”
Stella’s right hand went up. Before I could even think, my body moved first.
The moment I came between them, Stella’s right hand landed on my cheek.
‘Ouch!!’
Stella’s eyes grew bigger, perhaps surprised by my sudden appearance.
“What are you doing now? Breaking my orders is not enough, so you intervene at will?” (Stella)
I closed my eyes tightly because I was afraid of Stella with her face red in anger as if she were going to explode and hit my other cheek.
Contrary to expectations, Stella didn’t hit me or get angry at me. As I slowly opened my eyes, she trembled and burst into tears. Daphne and I were perplexed to see Stella starting to cry like a child in place.
I thought she would be hysterical because of her personality. We didn’t know what to do, so we just glanced at each other.
Stella, who was shedding tears, muttered in a watery voice, “I’m a royal… Why do they keep ignoring me?” (Stella)
Those words weren’t meant for us. It was a resentment that had been built up in society from the past.
“You’ll see! If I marry Ellex, no one will ignore me anymore!” (Stella)
❥ Lisian's name is derived from Lisianthus Eustoma (a flower).
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