She was born to the daughter of a wealthy merchant and Baron Merrifield, and she had been raised as a commoner. Her straightforward personality and amiable honesty were testaments to that upbringing. Midnight blue hair and eyes were her most distinctive attributes. Just like the heroine of Star Maiden. Unlike Elizabeth or myself, her similarity was likely nothing more than a coincidence. Many nobles had a mistress or two, and such features were hardly rare.
The issue was that too many people assumed it to be fate. With her presence, the core cast of Star Maiden was assembled at the Academy. Even though two of those cast members were intentional, the novel was too much of a success for it to go unnoticed by gossip-hungry young lords and ladies. The impact was immense.
As a result, Elizabeth avoided me. She likewise avoided Lady Yulisse. She clearly intended to ride out the storm as quietly as possible, dashing my plans to grow closer to her. Whenever I bumped into her at lunch, she’d smile politely and disappear into a crowd of her friends. I couldn’t force myself into a group of ladies, so I invariably had to take my leave.
My chance encounters with Lady Yulisse were worse—all eyes would be on us, excitement would fill the air, and I’d have to fight the urge to run for my life. What were they even expecting? The last thing I wanted to do was talk to her! Luckily, she seemed to know how insulting it would be for a baron’s daughter to address a crown prince out of the blue, and she never said anything despite all her sidelong looks. Eventually, she would get bored and leave, but she’d always be back with more pitiful glances and endless fidgeting.
A full month of that nonsense had come and gone, and the thought that it would continue was horrifying. By rights, I should’ve been giggling with Elizabeth over picnic lunches.
How dare Harold suggest it’s only some dream?!
Given the ladies’ words to Lady Yulisse, she wanted Lady Elizabeth to introduce her to me. I couldn’t think of a more selfish, brazen request for the life of me.
“Do you even hear yourself?” one of the ladies huffed. “Have you any idea how deeply you’re hurting poor Lady Elizabeth?!”
“His Royal Highness is her fiancé! Why should she want to introduce a sniffling little rodent like you to him?”
Say it like it is, ladies!
I wished they would pick up on Elizabeth’s intentions and ignore Lady Yulisse, though. Anything but ignoring her would only put Elizabeth at a disadvantage. They likely wanted to emphasize and strengthen their ties with a duke’s daughter who was engaged to the crown prince, for better or worse.
“B-But I… I didn’t mean to…” Lady Yulisse’s voice trembled, and she sniveled. The ladies, not expecting her to cry so easily, were shocked into silence.
Oh, drat… drat drat drat!
A headache was incoming. No noble worth their salt would wear their heart on their sleeve like that. It was natural to smile, of course, but not to show genuine happiness or pleasure. Anger or sadness were likewise taboo. Even when putting on airs or looking down one’s nose at another, showing one’s true emotions was unthinkable.
The ladies showed that manner perfectly. Tears, especially, were never allowed under any circumstances. They were an admission of weakness, of defeat. Only a country bumpkin ignorant of every facet of high society, a truly uneducated fool, would dare do such a thing.
“I’m so sorry,” Lady Yulisse blubbered, tears streaming down her face. “I never… I never meant to…!”
The ladies exchanged guilty glances in silence. Cheering her up now would only worsen the situation, so they withdrew without another word.
As I shook my head in exasperation, I heard the sound of hard heels clacking haughtily.
“How dare you! What do you think you’re doing?!” cried a supposed gentleman as he burst onto the scene.
“Ugh… Not him again.”
Harold shot me a reprimanding look, but I waved him off. Our visitor couldn’t possibly hear me from our vantage point.
The voice was a deep baritone, fit for shouting down one’s sworn enemy on the field of battle. Its owner, Edward Norden, was a future count and the heir of the Norden bloodline, which was every bit as long and storied as my own. He was as proud and skilled a knight as any other in the realm.
His father was the Knight Commander, and the blood of warriors pulsed through his veins. The Nordens emphasized the martial arts as much as they did the fine ones and had a reputation for their overwhelming vigor. All his relatives were every bit as serious and straightforward as he was.
In other words, he was a simple-minded justice junkie with too much energy for his own good.
As soon as he arrived, any attempt at holding an actual conversation became moot. It seemed the story was determined to proceed, even without any work on my or Elizabeth’s parts.
Edward narrowed his eyes at the ladies. “You’re Lady Montlivere’s lackeys, aren’t you? Just what are you plotting?”
The ladies, taken aback at being called out so frankly, exchanged uneasy looks. None of them would dare announce their own house under such circumstances, even though some of them might well outrank Edward.
Oh, how I wish I was out there… Elizabeth is a LA Montlivere! Don’t you dare drop the definitive article!
“Have you no shame, ganging up on an innocent lady?!” Edward accused them. “Well? Nothing to say for yourselves? Perhaps next time, you should leave her be!”
He pounded the nail on the head, and still, none of the ladies dared speak out. They were looking for an excuse to slip away, I’m sure.
He swiveled about to face Lady Yulisse, I imagined with an air of indignation. His breath caught in his throat. “M-My word… You are?”
“My name is Yulisse Merrifield. My father, Baron Merrifield, holds South Windsor.”
Even when face-to-face with a greater noble, she didn’t hesitate to introduce herself. I decided it must be a moment’s lapse of judgment after being saved. Strangely enough, her tears had dried.
Perhaps next time, you shouldn’t cry! I could imagine Edward saying. His actual reaction took me off-guard.
“Oh, it’s you!”
…What?
There was sheer joy in his voice, even.
“I’d heard the Star Maiden herself had enrolled at our fair Academy, but never did I expect to lay eyes on her!”
Um… Edward? Edward. No.
The Norden’s devotion to the throne was second to none. That novel reduced my fiancée to the likes of a paltry criminal. He couldn’t possibly enjoy that drivel. No, it was unbelievable.
“I’ve been positively entranced by your beauty ever since I first laid eyes on your pictures!” he enthused. “Allow me to introduce myself—I am Edward Norden.”
“N-Norden…? As in, the Count Norden’s son?”
“Please, call me Edward. I assure you, Lady Yulisse, the pleasure of our acquaintance is all mine!”
He was clearly ogling her.
Can’t you tell the difference between truth and fiction?! Honestly!
Elizabeth’s groupies took their chance to retreat, but he didn’t so much as glance in their direction. Any noise they’d made by mistake was lost in his shower of pithy compliments.
“You wouldn’t believe the number of times I’ve read Star Maiden! It’s a classic, a true masterpiece!”
“Oh, I love that story, too! I’m so glad we share that love!”
Eugh.
I redirected my gaze out the window as Harold watched me with unconcealed pity.