THAT night, Cesia fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Her soft, dry linen sheets smelled faintly of flowers. She was impressed by her maids, who always carefully made her bed; it was comfortable to fall asleep while thinking of how faithfully they performed their work.
Family—the word warmed Cesia’s heart. It surprised her how much it calmed her down. Marcus always unconditionally believed in her, and he watched over her by her side to make sure she could stand on her own. Mavis had once asked her who her type was, and Marcus was exactly the kind of man she had given in her answer to the princess. No, maybe it’s the other way around, she thought. Maybe she had already loved Marcus and had unconsciously described him when she had replied to Mavis. She felt embarrassed. Thinking about her lover before she drifted off to sleep—why, it was like she was the protagonist of some love story.
“I’ll do my best,” she said to herself. She would do her best—to live up to Marcus’s expectations, and so she could remain herself.
✦ ✦ ✦
DAYS later, Cesia was at a routine evening banquet at the castle. Her attendance was mandatory as the candidate to be the next princess consort. She was seated next to the wife of a marquess, Lady Olcott, who, being about the same age as Cesia’s grandmother might have been, had a male personal attendant for support standing at the ready behind her.
Cesia was nervous but remembered everything Rosary, Maria, and finally, Anita had taught her. Showing consideration for the other person was the most important thing. Of course, it went without saying that proper etiquette and adhering to customs were also crucial.
The dinner began, and the servers brought drinks and plates with appetizers. Though nervous, Cesia began the banquet with elevated spirits.
Sitting some distance away, Marcus looked at Cesia and smiled slightly. She was the type to perform better when it mattered, and her ability to analyze and respond to unexpected situations was better than anyone’s. Her own fear was what chipped away at her confidence and made her believe she was making mistakes. She had always put her all into everything, and with great effort, she had increased what she could do.
Cesia was cheerfully conversing with Lady Olcott. The lady herself was kindly responding; she, too, must have thought it heartwarming how Cesia was working hard to be polite despite how nervous she was.
“I understand that your fiancée is lovely, Your Royal Highness, but I must ask that you do the honor of conversing with this old man as well,” Marquess Olcott said to Marcus, smiling.
Marcus smiled awkwardly, realizing that he himself had been rude. “If you understand, then isn’t it tasteless to bring it up, Marquess? We’ve just gotten engaged, and we’re in the same room, but my fiancée has been seated so far away from me, and I feel lonely. I’m sure you once experienced the same thing.”
As he brazenly spoke lovingly about Cesia, the nobles around him laughed cheerfully.
That night was a less formal gathering, and Marcus always took the initiative to participate and lend an ear to everyone’s idle conversation at these kinds of events. He took pride in serving as the eyes and ears of his brother, the crown prince, who found putting on different masks for different occasions difficult, and his father, the king. From now on, Marcus and Cesia would participate in these kinds of gatherings as husband and wife, and he looked forward to having Cesia help by gathering information from the women as well.
Marcus had told the truth when he told Cesia he loved her, so there was no need to worry about anything. However, he wouldn’t have proposed to her if she hadn’t been qualified to be the princess consort. He had always been a prince, and he was proud of that fact—he knew he wouldn’t have been able to convey his feelings to her if she hadn’t been suitable for the position. In that case, he would have hidden his feelings for her and married someone chosen for him, just like he had been about to marry Juliette. Luckily, they had stopped her plans, and Cesia was a talented, wonderful woman and more than qualified enough. So, he had her to thank for where he was now. He considered himself an extremely lucky man.
There weren’t many opportunities for Marcus to show it, so it wasn’t very well known, but he was the type to forgive everything in the one he loved and devote everything to her. Because of that, he knew he was unfit to be a ruler. There had been occasions where some had offered to make him king, but he had laughed in their faces and refused all of them. That was another area in which Juliette had greatly misjudged him. Additionally, he knew he could never hate Cesia, even if she committed something as heinous as treason. It wouldn’t have been very persuasive if he had spoken about an uncertain future, so he hadn’t said that to her, but he was confident in that. Of course, he would convict her if it ever came to that, but he was also willing to be punished along with her.
He had been born with the duty to devote himself to the kingdom and its people; however, if he had to give up his life, he now wanted it to be for Cesia’s sake. He would live for the kingdom and die for her.
He was worried that if she knew how heavy his feelings of love for her were, she—that independence-loving cat—might be disgusted by him and scamper away. He was really the one who would be at a loss if she wasn’t there for him.
“Now, Your Royal Highness, do you know where tonight’s wine comes from?”
As someone had asked him a question, Marcus returned to the task at hand. “Hmm. I’m not as knowledgeable about wine as you, sir, so I’m not quite sure, but it feels like it comes from the western provinces.”
“That’s right! It’s from Nabaca, in the west. In recent years, the fertile soil there has…”
Marcus pretended to listen to the man as he spoke extensively about wine, and he looked over at his fiancée again. I have nothing to worry about, he thought. After all, he had chosen her, and she was a skilled enforcer and his trusted partner.
Meanwhile, Cesia energetically conversed with the others at her table, just as Marcus had predicted. She could mess up again if she were too eager, so she endeavored to keep herself in check somewhat, and as a result, she could take everything around her into account. She had assumed that anyone and everyone was observing her closely, just waiting for her to slip up, but she had just been paranoid. The servants treated her as another noblewoman, and the nobles around her, especially the elderly, were just concerned about her and had only been watching her so they might help her if she needed it. Their goodwill came from the fact that she was the fiancée of Second Prince Marcus, whom they all trusted—yet again, this was a time when he had kept her safe.
It might’ve been a long time coming, but Cesia could finally see how she could compete. She had no reason to doubt Marcus’s love for her, so no matter where she went, all she had to do was use all the power she could muster to be worthy of the trust he had placed in her.
“I heard you received a barony, Lady Cesia, but where is the territory?” Lady Olcott asked her.
Cesia smiled. “It’s north of the capital. Marquess Acton, who graciously gave me the title, will oversee it as he has been for the time being, which I’m incredibly grateful for.”
“Well, the marquess is quite a caring man.”
“I hear that he’ll soon be bequeathing his estate to his eldest son,” another noble said.
“And, that lady…”
The topic of conversation quickly shifted, and others began talking. With that, Cesia could tell she wasn’t the only object of attention at the table. Thinking about it logically, that was only natural. She had a high profile but was hardly the only person with influence in the country. Tonight’s banquet was partially for exchanging information; it wasn’t only so they could size her up.
The dinner harmoniously continued, and the conversation proceeded at a reasonable pace. People occasionally asked Cesia her opinion on something, and other times, she would insert a short comment.
As one would expect from a banquet in the castle, the food and wine were fantastic. This was the first time in a while that Cesia had been able to enjoy her food when eating in front of others. The way nobles saw her wouldn’t change in a single night, but she had a feeling that everything would work out if she could build up trust and prove herself to them, slowly but surely. Whatever kind of hardship she faced, she just had to fight until she got results and could win.
With a surface-level, friendly smile, Cesia glanced next to her at Lady Olcott. There were small jars of spices and condiments in the center of the table for everyone to add to their food as they pleased, and she looked like she wanted one of them. At that moment, her servant had gone to get a plate to put her food on, so the noblewoman had been left alone for a short time. She took several graceful sips from her glass of wine, waiting for her servant to return, but he must have had some sort of problem because he wasn’t showing up. If this continued, her food would slowly get cold, and if someone else noticed that she wasn’t eating anything, they might grow suspicious of her.
Cesia quickly took a spice jar and sprinkled just a little on her own food. Then, she turned to the noblewoman. “Would you like some, Lady Olcott?”
Lady Olcott took the jar in a manner that said, “If you insist.” Then, she smiled and said. “Thank you, Lady Cesia.”
Cesia was glad to see her happy. It was only a small thing, something so slight that no one had noticed it. Still, she felt like she had been able to express the consideration toward others Rosary had talked about. Cesia felt a bit embarrassed by the pride she felt, though; it was like she was a child looking forward to a parent praising her.