Standing outside the door was a noblewoman in a moss green dress with brown hair. Since she looked the same as the woman who’d pushed the maid, her appearance at the door put everyone in the room on guard.
Estelle, on the other hand, was surprised. Because the woman’s face looked familiar to her.
“Lady Cecilia...?”
Arcrayne’s eyes widened at Estelle’s words. And he wasn’t the only one—Neil and May too had surprised looks on their faces.
“Lady Wyntia...” uttered the prince.
Her name was Cecilia Wyntia. She was the wife of Earl Cedric Wyntia, and the mother of Lyle, Estelle’s old fiancé. As the wife of a feudal lord, she appeared at New Year’s dinner parties held at the palace every year, so naturally, Arcrayne and his close aides knew her.
Having recovered from his stupefaction, the prince glared at Cecilia, warily.
“I wasn’t aware you were invited to this soiree, Lady Cecilia. I remember now that you were on good terms with Lady Giscard,” he said.
She’s friends with the ambassador’s wife? The news took Estelle by surprise. She’d known Cecilia for as long as she could remember, and this was her first time hearing about it.
Arcrayne had a comprehensive list of people’s faces, names, and relationships in his head, so it must’ve been just as he said.
“Marie Giscard is a distant relative of mine. She helped me with this.”
“With what...?” asked Estelle.
Cecilia began her explanation, an apologetic look on her face. “I wanted to be alone with you no matter what, Lady Estelle, so I asked for Marie’s cooperation and pushed the maid’s back. I wanted to only slightly stain the bottom of your dress, take you to another room, and work on that stain myself... I never imagined it would cause such a large disturbance. I am so sorry, Your Highness and Lady Estelle.” With that, she bowed deeply.
“Why would you do such a thing...?” asked Estelle in a blank amazement.
“This was my only way of getting a chance to talk to you. Though it is only natural, given what we have done to you...”
Estelle had an idea of what she was talking about. Ever since Estelle had told Arcrayne she wouldn’t see Lyle, several requests for a meeting with Estelle had come to the Libra Palace from House Wyntia. She’d had to write a polite rejection every time.
She was concerned about Lyle, but now that she was Arcrayne’s fiancée, she couldn’t act rashly. If she carelessly visited her former betrothed just because he had become a drug addict and kept saying her name, it could cause a scandal if it were to become public.
“Please, Lady Estelle, go see Lyle! I am well aware it is beyond my position to make such a request of you. But as his mother...”
As Cecilia pleaded desperately, Arcrayne moved between her and Estelle, protecting the latter.
“Lyle has been calling your name all this time, Lady Estelle. We were such fools. How could we have canceled your engagement...?”
Seeing Cecilia earnestly plead with a sorrowful look on her face actually served to calm Estelle.
“Lord Wyntia chose House Pautrier, not House Flozeth, yes? And as a result, you broke off my engagement with Sir Lyle without giving me a say in the matter. Supposing you had wanted to keep the engagement—does it matter?” Estelle didn’t look away from Cecilia’s pleading eyes and replied calmly. “I am aware of Sir Lyle’s current state, and I can understand how you feel, Lady Wyntia. But I cannot visit him. I am the fiancée of His Highness Prince Arcrayne, who stands here before you, and so I would rather not do anything that could cause trouble for him. I ask for your understanding in the matter.”
She wouldn’t call her “Cecilia” anymore; to Estelle, she was no longer the mother of her childhood friend.
“Seeing Lyle...would cause trouble...?” uttered Cecilia in a daze.
Arcrayne cut into the conversation. “I’m painfully aware of how you feel, Lady Wyntia, but I must ask that you let go of the matter now. I sympathize with Sir Lyle’s situation too. That’s why I sent him to a sanatorium on Parama which specializes in treating drug addicts.”
Cecilia was clearly shaken up by his words.
“Please, don’t ask Estelle and the rest of us for anything more,” the prince went on. “The things people said about her in high society when her engagement with Sir Lyle was broken off... Are you not aware of the fact that Baron Pautrier spread rumors about her to justify what he did?”
Huh...? This time, it wasn’t only Cecilia who had a look of surprise on her face, but Estelle too.
When she’d gone to social events after her engagement was broken off, she’d wondered why people had talked so much and so negatively about her. How she’d “had her betrothed stolen from her,” how she’d “gotten in between Diana and Lyle who’d been in love from the start,” et cetera, et cetera.
So that was the baron’s doing...? Estelle went pale. But wait, now that I think about it, he comes from a family of merchants...
Schemes that put them at an advantage must’ve been their specialty. Diana was still in the hospital, and the baron had struck a deal with Arcrayne.
Anger toward them welled up in Estelle all over again.
Then again, I heard it caused a significant amount of damage, she thought to herself.
Apparently, when the baron had gradually distanced himself from the second prince’s faction per his deal with Arcrayne, his company had lost several major clients.
As Estelle wrestled internally over what she’d just learned, Arcrayne coldly said, “We’ll do our best to avoid a scandal regarding what happened here today. Please understand that this is an act of kindness on our part. Now I must ask that you leave.”
At that point, Cecilia hung her head and began to tremble. “I am so sorry. Please, laugh at this foolish mother. But being his mother, I simply could not sit idly by...” As she began to cry, she looked awfully tired, and older than Estelle remembered her.
Estelle and her family had been friends with House Wyntia ever since she was a child. To her, Cecilia was someone who’d been kind to her after her parents had died. It pained Estelle to abandon her.
But being a mother didn’t mean you could do whatever you wanted.
“Cecilia! I’ve been looking for you!” came a voice, and a pale Lady Giscard barged into the room through the door that had been left open. She immediately began rattling off a long apology in Francien, bowing to Arcrayne over and over.
Estelle’s Francien wasn’t good enough to make out everything she said, but she seemed to be desperately explaining that she was sorry, that Cecilia had been just that worried about her son, and asking the prince to settle the matter peacefully.
✦ ✦ ✦
“That must’ve been tiring,” said Arcrayne, sitting across from Estelle.
She had been reclining wearily in her seat in the coach as they headed back to the palace.
Lady Giscard’s apology had been followed by her husband coming to the room as well. The dispute had been settled and they’d finally been allowed to leave.
“I could say the same to you, Lord Arc. I apologize for getting you caught up in something so strange,” replied Estelle.
“It’s not your fault. If anything, the blame lies with Mrs. Wyntia for acting in a manner so far removed from common sense.”
It was somewhat dark in the coach as it drove through the evening streets of the city. Estelle couldn’t tell what face the prince was making, but there was no doubt he was displeased. She could tell by the color of his mana.
After the discussion with the ambassador, it had been decided everyone would keep as quiet as they could about the wine incident, as it could potentially lead to a scandal for Estelle or a diplomatic incident.
Lord Wyntia would be summoned for a discussion at a future date, but Arcrayne said he would forbid Cecilia from approaching Estelle.
As for Lady Giscard, she’d gotten off with only disapproval. Arcrayne had decided there was no need to go any further, as she would be leaving the country in the near future.
“You can probably see it, but let me assure you that this negative emotion in me is not directed at you. Trust me.”
Estelle could see the sincerity in Arcrayne’s eyes directed at her as his face was illuminated by the mana lights shining through the windows.
“I know,” she replied and nodded. “If she was desperate enough to do what she did, does that mean Lyle’s treatment is not going well...?”
“It seems to have its ups and downs. That kind of treatment takes time.” Arcrayne lowered his eyes. “Are you worried about him?”
“I am. But he and the rest of House Wyntia are distant from me now. I remember saying this to you before, but it is enough for me to hear about his situation from you every now and then, and I believe I ought not to come any closer to him.”
Flatly stating her decision, Estelle smiled at the prince.