CH 221

"I haven't seen the Queen today?"

Theon, who was sitting at his desk in the office looking through the documents, spoke bluntly to Mason.

He was bothered by Estelle, who wandered around the west palace meddling with this and that, perhaps because she had nothing to do.

He couldn't help but wonder since the west palace, which had been noisy due to the bustling guest, was quiet for some reason.

"Ah, she has another schedule today. I heard she's attending a tea party hosted by Princess Ariel."

"That's good. It was tiresome because she didn't seem to want to get away from Ayla."

"…"

It seemed that he had no intention of hiding his relationship with Ayla now. Mason kept his mouth shut as he watched his master speak proudly without any inhibition.

"You knew it anyway, didn't you? You keep your mouth shut as if you are surprised."

Theon said while waving the fountain pen, after reviewing the documents.

"The more Your Highness acts like this, the more difficult it is for Miss Ayla. Are you really going to break your engagement with Princess Ariel?"

"I think we decided not to bring that up anymore."

"If not, you should be careful with what you do. This is the advice I give as someone who has a long-time relationship with Your Highness. Even if you're doing the same thing, the person being criticized is always the relatively weak person. You have to protect the one you love."

"Speak in a way that is easy to understand."

"There are bad rumors about Miss Ayla going around among the noble ladies."

"What rumors?"

"…"

Mason remained silent with a dark expression on his face.

***

The laughter of the noblewomen echoed through the thin linen curtains.

The young ladies, each dressed in fancy clothes, were showing off their wealth in an unassuming manner.

Some wore jewelry rings studded with red rubies, others wore bracelets made with entwined pearls and sapphires.

They boasted of items such as fans and gloves brought in from far away countries, and continued their meaningless chatter.

"Oh my, Lady. Your brooch is so beautiful."

"I made it by crafting jade brought from the Liren region. Since it is a precious gem, the color and brilliance are unusual."

"The lace yarn that is popular these days is really hard to find. I was barely able to get it from a famous designer by paying a fortune."

"As expected, the Baroness has a lot of connections! Hohoho."

The corners of Ariel's lips curled up slightly, as if the appearance of these young ladies was ridiculous.

Ariel, who was watching the situation, took the steaming teacup and carefully sipped it.

She hoped this meaningless time would end soon.

Tap, tap.

At the sharp sound of high heels coming from afar, everyone's eyes focused on the entrance.

Ariel, who sensed the change in the group, also gently put down the teacup she was holding.

Despite being a princess from a foreign country, Ariel was the one who was controlling the social circles of the Stellen Kingdom.

As it was a tea party hosted by her, she was confident that all the major figures were gathered.

If someone didn't arrive on time, it would have been more polite not to come to the party.

She wondered who was the rude person that appeared late as if they were the main character.

The regular sound of high heels grew closer and closer, and Ariel's eyes narrowed, confirming who it was.

"Oh my. I'm very late. I received the message just now."

"Who is she?"

At Estelle's sudden appearance, the faces of those gathered were filled with curiosity.

Since she has only had private meetings with the king, she has only met with a few high-ranking officials and has never appeared in public.

Because of the circumstances, no matter how superior the young ladies were, they could not know the identity of Estelle.

The eyes of the young ladies who had gathered were asking, ‘Who are you?'.

Despite their hostile reactions, Estelle smiled relaxedly, as if she didn't care.

Ariel, who was looking coldly at Estelle, twitched her eyebrows slightly.

"It is an honor to meet you. Queen Estella."

Ariel quickly got up from her seat, adjusted her clothes, and showed courtesy towards Estelle.

At Ariel's words, the eyes of the young ladies at the party widened.

The interior turned chaotic in an instant.

"Greetings Queen Estella, the sun and light of the subjects of the Kingdom. My name is Claire, the daughter of Marquis Charne."

Claire, who was quick-witted, quickly showed politeness towards Estelle.

Unlike Claire, who was leaning her body and smiling satisfactorily, Estelle's expression was only reticent.

"Do you know where I am from, to be greeting me?"

"Ah… That…"

Claire hesitated to answer the unexpected question and looked at Ariel.

Looking at Claire's eyes, begging for help, Ariel twitched her lips without saying a word.