CH 9

I wanted to see the woman Edward loved, but that was because I wanted to be sure that if he chose this person, he would have no choice but to break off his engagement with me. I didn't expect her to be so diametrically opposite to me.

Annette indeed has an honest and cheerful personality.

However, if that was a suitable quality for a queen... It seemed very doubtful.

Mariabelle thought of her former tutor, Mrs. Dudley.

She was taught that the future queen must be graceful, not only in the way she stands and walks, but even down to the tips of her fingers as she holds her teacup.

If she couldn't do it naturally, without thinking about it, she couldn't be considered a true lady.

The queen is the highest-ranking member of the nobility, so she must always be flawless.

Mariabelle took Mrs. Dudley's words to heart, worked hard, and is now known as the 'perfect lady'.

If it had been Mariabelle standing next to Edward, surely Mrs. Dudley's words of reprimand would have been swift.

But now, although she was giving Annette a stern look, she didn't seem to be reprimanding her.

Mariabelle wondered why. Then, she decided to put herself in Mrs. Dudley's shoes.

Annette was originally a commoner, so she knew nothing of the manners of the nobility.

She hadn't even mastered the basic manners that children of aristocrats acquire from an early age.

This would require her to be careful throughout the tea party.

But that's not the way a tea party is supposed to work.

A tea party is held to entertain guests. The host should not make the guests feel uncomfortable.

If Mrs. Dudley was paying attention to Annette all the time, it would be just a class, not a tea party.

If Mariabelle were in Mrs. Dudley's position, she would check everything that needs to be corrected here and then try to correct it slowly later.

However, it was impossible that Annette, who only had this level of manners, would be allowed to attend the tea party in the first place.

She should have spent more time with her tutor practicing basic manners before attending a tea party.

So Mariabelle wondered if the queen had left because she couldn't stand Annette's bad manners

The queen, who has received a proper lady's education, disliked the rigid aristocratic society.

Considering that even the queen might not have been able to endure Annette's clumsy behavior, it is understandable why she left immediately after inviting Mariabelle to a tea party.

Of course, Mariabelle knew that Annette was a commoner and therefore different from the aristocrats.

However, what she imagined and what she actually saw were completely different things.

The only commoners Mariabelle has met were the priests or orphans at the church she visits.

They were properly aware of Mariabelle's status and were never rude to her.

This was because there was a strict difference in status.

Annette, on the other hand, has none of that.

When viewed as human beings, she sees no distinction between the customers and the crown prince.

Her easy-going and carefree demeanor must have seemed new to Edward, who had only known aristocratic society.

However, Edward is not just a man living in the city.

He is the crown prince, the future king, and the heir to the throne.

If that's the case, shouldn't he choose a woman who is suitable to be his wife?

It doesn't have to be Mariabelle; she just wants someone who can be respected as a queen.

Is Annette a woman who can live up to that expectation?

Mariabelle hoped that would be the case.

Because otherwise, Mariabelle's truncated thoughts and efforts will not be rewarded.

However, she couldn't help but have the uneasy feeling that such faint expectations would eventually come to nothing.