◯◯◯
After that, I went with Prince Edgar’s knights and Lord Felix to distribute the panacea. As promised, the disease was quelled within two days. All that remained was to give the rest of the medicine I’d made to Prince Edgar—just in case of a relapse—and my role would be fulfilled.
Before I knew it, it was the evening of the soiree.
“Lady Lucille! You look truly, truly, truly stunning!”
“Tee hee, you exaggerate, Sarah. I’m happy to hear that, though!”
Being praised by Sarah and the castle maids put me in a great mood. Despite the countless times I’d been called “cute” or “pretty” as Lilybell, I never got tired of hearing compliments! It always raised my spirits, no matter what!
Prince Edgar really had arranged everything for me. The dress that he’d had prepared for me was a lovely sky blue that matched my eyes, and its many ruffled layers truly made it adorable. My makeup had been done for me as well.
Before moving to Leeuwenhoek, I had only worn elegant gowns in red or other flashy colors, since I’d been trying to present myself as a mature vixen befitting Prince Bernard’s tastes. But actually, I loved cute clothes like what I currently wore.
The wonderful dress and the showers of praise had me positively elated.
Sir Kain, who had initially fallen silent for some reason upon entering the room, murmured, “You’re awfully receptive to praise, Lu. Noble ladies are usually the humble type that says, ‘That’s not true,’ the haughty type that says, ‘I know I’m beautiful,’ or the shy type that blushes in embarrassment. Right?”
“Are you speaking from experience, Sir Kain?”
“Huh? Why’re you making me out to be a womanizer? I’m just describing noble ladies in general!”
He could act as offended as he wanted, but my conversations with castle servants had revealed just how popular he was. My first impression of him had proven correct!
Efren the hero had been of a similar ilk, so I knew a player when I saw one. I wasn’t going to criticize Sir Kain for it as long as he wasn’t hurting anyone, though I found it suspicious that he tried to deny it.
As if my thoughts were written on my face, he hurriedly continued, “A-Anyway, that’s not important. I was just surprised you don’t fall into any of those categories. You accept compliments easily, yet you aren’t arrogant about it.”
“Well, why wouldn’t I be delighted by people liking me, praising me, and being nice to me? I accept people’s goodwill because in the end, happy things make me happy.”
Of course, while some people might have thought it inappropriate, I, for one, was most pleased when my acts of affection or kindness were accepted rather than dismissed. It only felt natural to return the same energy.
For some reason, Sir Kain laughed. “Aha ha! You really are an interesting one, Lu.”
“Hmm? Is that so? Thank you, I guess?”
I didn’t know what it was that he found so interesting, but he didn’t seem to mean it in a bad way, so it was probably a compliment.
While we were chatting, there was a knock on the door. It swung open, and Prince Edgar and Lord Felix stepped in.
As Lord Felix’s gaze fell over me, he struggled to speak for a moment, just as Sir Kain had. “Lucille... You...”
“My, my, Miss Lucille!” Prince Edgar interjected. “You truly are a beauty! The dress I arranged for you suits you wonderfully.”
Tee hee! I don’t know how serious he’s being, but regardless, it’s a pleasure to be praised!
“Thank you,” I replied. “It’s a very charming and pretty dress. I love it.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Now, shall we get going?”
“Yes, let’s.”
I wonder what Lord Felix was trying to say?
Curious, I asked him, but he only said, “Never mind. It was my fault for floundering.” For some reason, his expression, tinged with dissatisfaction and regret, was directed at Prince Edgar.
Is Lord Felix okay? Well, anyway, the soiree takes priority right now!
According to the crown prince, the party would begin by celebrating the eradication of the disease—with credit going to me and Lord Felix. After emphasizing his friendly relationship with us, he would then announce the king’s abdication and his own succession to the throne.
It definitely felt like he was taking advantage of me, but as a noble lady who had once undergone princess training, I knew I only stood to gain from doing favors for the royal family. In return, I’d have them grant my wish later.
Only Lord Felix escorted me to the hall, as Prince Edgar was royalty, so he would be entering the venue separately from us. The second Lord Felix and I stepped inside, we immediately became the center of attention.
Hmm, some of these gazes are pleasant, but I can sense malice in others.
That was to be expected, though. Lord Felix was the notorious cursed marquess, and I had been banished from the capital for supposedly being a detested, evil woman. Honestly, I didn’t care what random people thought of me, but I worried that it might bother Lord Felix.
I looked up at him, concerned, and noticed he was sporting a rather pointed glare.
Huh? He’s exuding an extremely unsettling aura! What could be the problem?
Startled, I followed his gaze through the crowd and found he was focused on none other than Prince Bernard.
Oh my, he’s already recovered enough to attend the soiree? His complexion also looks much better now. It’s hard to believe he was recently bedridden with a disease.
While I certainly wasn’t fond of Prince Bernard, I was still glad that my panacea had brought him back to good health.
Prince Bernard stared at us, dumbfounded, his mouth agape. He likely hadn’t known that Lord Felix and I would be present tonight. Well, knowing what I did about the crown prince, perhaps he hadn’t been told anything at all.
Not “perhaps,” but “definitely.”
As if coming back to his senses, Prince Bernard’s face suddenly contorted in anger.
Uh-oh, I have a bad feeling about this!
For a second, I considered running away from what was obviously going to develop into a bothersome confrontation. At the same time, I had a hunch that fleeing wouldn’t affect the outcome. The stubborn second prince would probably just give chase.
Lord Felix didn’t look like he was going anywhere either, so I decided it would be better to get it over with and engage the approaching annoyance head-on.
Having finished wading through the crowd, Prince Bernard uttered in a low voice, “Scoundrel, what do you think you’re doing here?”
Ugh, I knew this was going to be bothersome! Well, worst-case scenario, I’ll tell him, “I was the one who saved you!” He might not believe me, though.
An unintentional sigh escaped me. It was then I noticed something off about Prince Bernard’s blatantly hateful glare.
Hmm? No matter how I look at it, it seems like he’s glaring at Lord Felix, not me.
Casually, I stepped closer to Lord Felix and murmured in his ear, “Did something happen between you and Prince Bernard?”
“No, I believe this is our first direct interaction...”
Huh? Would Prince Bernard call someone he’s never talked to before a scoundrel? Also, with the look on his face, you’d think he has an unforgivable grudge against Lord Felix!
“Hey!” the prince yelled. “What’re you whispering about?! Get away from her!”
His glare remained focused on Lord Felix—that was, until it suddenly shifted to me. On instinct, my gaze dropped to the floor.
I don’t know what’s going on, but something’s telling me to avoid eye contact!
Much to my surprise, a hand was proffered below my downturned face. Confused, I slowly looked up. Prince Bernard was regarding me with completely different eyes—not hateful, but...gentle? Dare I say “warm”? What in the world?
“Now, please come this way,” he said softly with a smile.
What?! Who is this man?! He looks just like Prince Bernard, but Prince Bernard would never look at me with such eyes or speak to me in such a fashion! He must be an imposter! How could this happen at a soiree hosted by the royal family at the castle?! This is an emergency!
That said, it wouldn’t be a good idea to expose the fake prince myself, lest he fly into a rage. I had to hurry and resolve this conversation peacefully so that I could report the situation to Prince Edgar!
“U-Um, I can’t. My escort tonight is Lord Felix...” I stammered.
I couldn’t help my shaky voice—the fraud looked identical to the real Prince Bernard! I didn’t know if his appearance was a disguise or if he happened to bear a close resemblance, but the thought that he’d come this far without raising suspicion was frankly terrifying.
Upon hearing my response, the imposter laid one hand on his chest and the other on his forehead, looking up at the ceiling in an exaggerated manner.
“Oh, how wretched!” His gaze whipped back to Lord Felix. “What an awful man you are, cursed marquess!”
“Huh...?” I was mystified.
“Um...” Lord Felix gave the man a skeptical look. He didn’t seem to know how to react either.
Is this imposter in a state of delirium?
I tried to pinpoint any notable distortions in his mana, but I didn’t see anything particularly bad. He was mildly agitated, but not to the point that I’d consider it an abnormal condition.
The fake prince’s next words were directed toward me. “My beautiful, sweet angel!”
“What?” He really is an imposter!
While Prince Bernard was capable of saying such things, they were absolutely never directed at me.