Exactly one day later, Petronilla returned to the Duchy. As always, the courteous butler welcomed her, and Petronilla began to speak while drinking the tea that had been prepared in advance.
“Ask Madam January to bring a proposal for the amount of money she plans to spend and the items, butler. Let the two of us look at it and decide.”
“Yes, Lady. It is a wise answer as expected.”
“Oh, by the way…”
Petronilla spoke carefully.
“Yes, tell me Lady.”
“Is Madam January not inside the home?”
“She is out currently.”
“Ah, is that so.”
Petronilla mumbled with a voice that expressed how unfortunate it was. Soon after, she spoke to the butler again.
“I must have had too much tea.”
“Ah, the bathroom is on the second floor, Lady. Would you like me to escort you?”
“No, Butler. I am grateful for the words alone.”
After saying that she would go alone, Petronilla went up to the second floor. Petronilla pretended to go to the bathroom the butler spoke about, and then turned away and secretly moved into January’s room, which she had confirmed last time. After she sneaked into the ownerless room, she began to search through all the nooks and crannies in the room.
‘I have to find…’
She didn’t know if it would be useful, if she just found it. In addition, it could be different from what she knew about. Anyways, the variable was applied from the beginning. Petronilla quickly moved her hands and started looking for something. When she finally opened the fifth drawer, Petronilla discovered something. She almost yelled out unknowingly, then quickly closed her mouth and put the item in her chest.
-CLICK.
At that moment, the door was opened. Petronilla’s heart shriveled up.
“What are you doing in here?”
It was January. She glowered at Petronilla with an unusually cold look, and Petronilla spoke with a calm expression.
“Ah, I got lost trying to go to the bathroom… I opened any room to ask a maid, but the room was so pretty that I was admiring it. Is it Madam’s room?”
“… Yes.”
Since she said it was a mistake, it was difficult for her to ask Petronilla who was a guest, why she was in a room without a master. January did not hide her grim face, and Petronilla broke into a friendly smile and praised the interior.
“You are very good at decorating. I admire it. My room is not as pretty as this.”
“Well… There is nothing you cannot do with money.”
January, who replied without sincerity, spoke further with a smile.
“Would you please leave, Lady? I don’t like people being in my room.”
“Oh my, I am sorry, Madam. I made a mistake and disturbed you.”
“No. It’s fine.”
“Then I will take my leave.”
Petronilla said this and quickly left the room. It felt like January was staring at her with suspicious eyes to the end, but Petronilla walked on casually as if nothing was wrong. Nervousness excited suspicion.
Patrizia took a deep breath. The tiara on her head felt heavier than usual. As if she noticed that Patrizia was nervous, Rafaella came to her side and deliberately tried to help her relax.
“What is wrong, Your Majesty? Do you feel bad somewhere?”
“Ha… That is not it, but I am a little nervous.”
When Patrizia replied with a weak smile, Rafaella, who had dressed in a silver dress in a rare moment, burst into laughter.
“Your Majesty. Did you not see the mirror properly? How pretty Lizzy is right now.”
“…”
Patrizia’s face blushed at those words. Anyways, She was just a bad girl in name only, and in cases such as this, there was no one more naive and pure than this. Rafaella smiled and spoke in an admitting manner.
“Really pretty, Lizzy. Like an angel from heaven.”
“That is a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Really though?”
As the two of them playfully laughed at each other, Petronilla suddenly appeared. The black and green velvet dress blended with her flaming red hair and it was beautiful. Patrizia smiled and greeted her.
“Welcome, Nilla. You look so pretty today.”
“Your Majesty also looks beautiful.”
As Petronilla spoke in a formal way, which was unusual, Patrizia couldn’t stand it and laughed. It was beyond awkward. Patrizia asked her.
“Mother and Father?”
“They will be a little late. I came first.”
“Ah.”
Patrizia gave a small smile.
“By the way, my twin sister, you really are so beautiful today?”
“Such empty words.”
“No, you are really pretty.”
Petronilla said this as she touched the golden dress Patrizia wore.
“The dress is pretty, and the hair is up in a pretty way. And the tiara shines.”
“Why are you like this today?”
“Pretty, my little sister. Older sister is about to be jealous.”
Petronilla giggled with a mischievous expression, and spoke in a voice that revealed her feelings of regret.
“If you were unmarried, you would have broken the hearts of many lads.”
“Well…”
Patrizia received these words with an awkward expression, and spoke to excuse herself.
“It is not so bad now. There is nothing to bother me.”
“Yeah, good for you. Where is His Majesty?”
“Not interested.”
As Patrizia spoke in a flat voice, Petronilla smiled strangely.
“Yes, well. There are a lot of people with you, right? You have me, and Ella too.”
“Older sister should find a groom candidate. Our parents are worried.”
“Mother keeps bugging me about it as it is. I don’t know if I’ll be sold at this rate.”
Petronilla, who laughed in a joking manner, soon moved to the food table to drink a cocktail, and Patrizia tilted her head down, as if she was already tired. Rafaella spoke.
“We have not even started yet, Your Majesty. What will you do if you are already drooping down like this?”
“I am scared because it is the first time… I am also nervous.You do not need to go around anywhere?”
“The most important task of the knight is the escort of the serviceman. I am going to stick to you like a piece of gum today.”
“I will decline. What will happen on a day like today?”
“You never know. Why, are you thinking of going on a date with His Majesty?”
“Yea right, like that will happen.”
Patrizia drew a line in a voice that said there was no chance of that.
“Nothing like that. We are not even close enough.”
“Sure, sure.”
Then someone called Rafaella from a distance. When she heard the voice, she realized this person was a relative of Rafaella. When Rafaella sneakily looked at her, Patrizia replied casually.
“Go on ahead.”
“Can I go, Your Majesty?”
“Of course. You also have the right and duty to enjoy this celebration today. You know how hard I prepared for this.”
At Patricia’s words, Rafaella lifted the corners of her mouth slightly, and laughed. The makeup that was thicker than usual suited her well. She whispered to Patrizia.
“Thanks. I will be back soon.”
When Rafaella disappeared from her side, Patrizia felt it was a little quiet. When she was about to feel a little lonely, Patrizia noticed Lucio walking towards her. Patrizia’s face, which found him, went blank.
“Why are you alone?”
Why was he picking a fight on a day like today? Patrizia’s forehead narrowed.
“Can I not be alone?”
“Because there is no escort and no maids.”
“The maids went to get cocktails, and Rafaella also briefly went away for something regarding the Marquis of Brinkstone.”
“Dangerously.”
“It is a party I designed. At least nothing dangerous will happen in a place where so many people have gathered. You have too many worries.”
“… I have no choice.”
“…”
Patrizia turned her head without saying anything. Lucio did not leave, despite the blatant dismissal. Eventually, Patrizia opened her mouth again.
“You are not going to the Lady of Efreni.”
Rosemond finally abandoned the Darrow name a few days ago, and got Efreni’s name. Rosemond Mary Rune Efreni, was now her name. Lucio spoke in a strange voice.
“You are probably the only wife telling her husband to go to the mistress.”
“No way.”
Patrizia spoke coldly.
“There should be many. If they are disappointed enough with their husbands, and if they do not have any more expectations, it is possible.”
“… sure.”
Even though she had said quite a bit of harsh words, he was resilient. There was something he had done, so if he had a conscience, he wouldn’t be able to tell her what to do. Patrizia spoke to him.
“Then, why is Your Majesty alone?”
“I sent them away.”
“Why?”
“Because my surroundings were too noisy. I do not really like it to be loud.”
“…”
Only that was a similarity they shared. However Patrizia soon made an expression showing that she didn’t care, and after a while Mirya returned with a low-alcohol cocktail. Mirya saw Lucio and displayed the proper greetings.
“I see the Sun of the great Empire, His Majesty. Glory to the Marvinus Empire.”
“The maid is like you and courteous.”
“…”
Patrizia ignored him as she thought it was something she thought wasn’t worthy of answering, and she emptied a glass of cocktail and handed it over to Mirya. As she moved to go somewhere else, Mirya asked her before Lucio could.
“Your Majesty? Where are you going?”
“There are so many people that I feel suffocated. I want to catch the outside air.”
Patrizia said this and walked a few steps, but soon turned back and spoke to Lucio as if to hit the nail on the head.
“I am telling you just in case, but I do not want you to follow me.”
Despite the obvious refusal, Lucio was in a calm state, and because of that it was Mirya who felt the embarrassment. Patrizia walked over to the terrace with an expression that showed she was without a care.
Meanwhile, Petronilla was thinking about something as she was drinking a cocktail that she had brought from the food table. It was because of what she had brought from January’s room a few days ago. She borrowed the power of alcohol, and stretched out her thoughts freely, then shook her head as if she were suffering. It was so complicated that her head hurt.
She needed another drink. Petronilla thought this, and picked up another red cocktail.
“Ah!”
However, the cocktail was soon poured into her dress as she let out a slight scream. Petronilla fell on the floor as a result of bumping into someone, and frowned as she picked up the cocktail glass that fell on the bottom of the dress. She was relieved it didn’t break.
“Ugh…”
“Are you alright, Lady?”
At that time, a voice she had heard somewhere once before hit Petronilla’s ears. Petronilla raised her head with a dazed look. A man with brown hair and auburn eyes… Where did she see this guy? Where? The man looked at her as if he had the same thought, and then looked at her with a happy expression.
“Uh!”
Petronilla shouted after a long time as if she had remembered.