Chapter 80. Testing And Trial, Part XXI
Translator: Khan
Editor Group: Liber Reverie
"Please enjoy the party because I have prepared this party's food and drinks for a long time. I'll let him know your table when Oscar comes."
"Yes, princess..."
Mielle covered half of her face with a fan since she felt a sudden heat and settled at an empty table nearby. Some of the young ladies who recognized her hurried to fill the vacancy, and her surroundings were filled with people without a moment to feel empty.
"How can you be so beautiful today?!"
"I think you're getting more spotlight today."
"On her birthday, Lady Isis is very beautiful, and it's not long before the two of you, even the best in the Empire, have the same surname."
"Oh, what are you saying? Before that, Princess Isis will have the noblest surname in the Empire, Franz."
"I made a mistake. I'm so sorry!"
There was one reason that she was the future hostess of the Duke of Frederick. It was more like a fait accompli when they saw that the princess was taking care of her.
As Isis had sent letters to all the nobles above a certain level, they were invited to attend her birthday, but having difficulty in getting acquainted with the princess, they targeted Mielle, who was still young and seemingly easy to handle.
"I can't wait for that day to come."
As always, Mielle answered with a sweet smile. In fact, she didn't even know the names of those who surrounded her. For those who were of no value, she could have a consistent smile. She listened only to what she wanted to hear and answered only to it. That was the social world that Mielle had learned.
"Uh? Isn't that Oscar over there?"
"That's true!"
Turning to a spot where a young lady was pointing at someone, she found Oscar dressed up in a suit that had his family's emblem embroidered on his chest. He turned over all his hair back, and his matureness was outstanding.
'How cool is he?' Mielle admired him purely. He went straight up to Isis. He exchanged words of silence and soon turned to the table where Mielle was.
"Oh, it looks like he's coming this way!"
A garrulous lady predicted Oscar's behavior. As she said that, Oscar's footsteps headed for the table with Mielle. She got up from her seat, unable to bear to wait for him approaching. With his strolling gait, Oscar came just around her.
"How have you been?"
"... I've been good! What about you Oscar?"
"Me too."
Oscar's manner was very friendly. The stiffness of his speech was a little subdued and so was his expression. He asked an excuse for a lady who was taking the seat next to Mielle and sat next to her.
'Don't tell me this isn't a dream...?'
If it was a dream, she hoped she would not wake up. She couldn't even blink. She just stared at the friendly Oscar.
Whether he was really determined to love Mielle, he sought her convenience all the time and spoke to her. Mielle was half unconscious. She received his efforts, and around her, they said that the two were very well matched.
"They're a nice couple, isn't it?"
"Dear princess...!".
In response, Isis, the person who sought a close relationship between the two, fanned out. Whether she had finished her greetings to major guests or not, she also sat next to Oscar.
Real connections didn't show off friendship at these trivial parties anyway. Her real connections were the ones she met and chatted in secret places, which were very few people.
The birthday party was just a place of wealth, power, and bravado, so there was no need to spend a long time talking to useless people.
"I guess Oscar was quite lonely while he was away from Lady Mielle. How sweet of him. I wish he could do that to his sister."
"..."
Isis narrowed her eyes as if to observe how he would behave. Oscar only had a quiet cup of tea without any particular answer.
"So did I. I'd like him to graduate from the academy... I'll see him every day then."
'Is there a girl whose red cheeks match so well?' Mielle smiled as if she had the whole world.
"The good news is that Oscar will graduate this time. He won't make Lady Mielle sad anymore."
The word "not sad" contained two meanings. It meant that he wouldn't make her lonely and that he would give his heart.
Mielle figured out both of those meanings. Maybe that was why it felt like her own birthday, not Isis's. The two enjoyed a leisurely conversation with Oscar in between, talking about the events in the past, the present, and the future.
Most of their stories were about engagement and marriage, starting with the dress to wear at the ceremony and the room they would use in the mansion. It was not long after that that someone who interfered with them appeared.
"Miss Isis...!"
The butler of the mansion ran to Isis, forgetting his dignity. She didn't know what was so urgent, and she clicked her tongue. The butler, who came to her, did not hesitate to tell her why.
"The, the Crown Prince is here!"
"... what?"
Perhaps he was quite surprised by the Crown Prince's visit, and the butler shouted in a loud voice that everyone could hear. Surprised, Isis was frozen that she could not respond at all. And so was Oscar. The Crown Prince and the princess talked about their engagement on the surface, but they didn't really get along very well. 'Why would the Crown Prince be at Isis's birthday party?'
"The Crown Prince must have come to celebrate the princess's birthday!"
Mielle, unaware of the fact, raised her voice, and only then, Isis, who came to her senses, ordered him to guide the Crown Prince inside. However, the butler, who was instructed, did not have to carry out the task. The Crown Prince, who already knew where she was, did not wait but went to where they were by himself instead.
No matter how dominant the Aristocratic Party was, the royal family was the royal family. In the appearance of the Crown Prince who would be the next Emperor, beginning with Isis, the guests greeted him politely with their backs and heads down.
"I, I see His Highness the Crown Prince."
"It's been a long time, Princess Isis. Happy birthday."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The Crown Prince looked away, leaving only a very simple greeting to the princess. The place where his gaze was directed was toward Mielle, whose face couldn't be seen, with a deep bow. She was shivering faintly at the very existence of the Crown Prince that she met for the first time.
The Crown Prince smiled to see if she looked very pitiful. "Are you Lady Roscent Mielle? ...it's weird. I think you became a little smaller."
They didn't know why he was interested in Mielle and not Oscar. Her family had great wealth, but she was still only a lady of the family of the count. 'Is it because the rumors say that she's beautiful? Or because she is good at grace even at a young age? Or does he have the intention of upsetting the princess? Has he met her before?'
People in the garden spread all kinds of speculation. Isis was the same. She bit her lip and guessed what had happened between the two.
"I've heard a lot of your stories. I think you must have wondered about me."
Mielle could not understand what the Crown Prince was trying to say. It was partly because her body and heart were hardened since she was the one who met the Crown Prince first, and also because he kept talking to her and not the princess.
"So now... I think it's time for a face-to-face conversation, what do you think, Lady Mielle?"
Mielle shook her head reflexively. She didn't want to get entangled with the Crown Prince. Oscar alone was enough for her. If she got mixed up with him, the princess's mate... she was sure she would lose Oscar.
Ignoring this, however, the Crown Prince ordered her to raise her head again. It was an imperial order. She couldn't refuse. She couldn't help but lift her head, as not only her, but everyone was forced to raise their heads.
'What the hell is this...?'
As she raised her head, she could see the face of the Crown Prince who was gradually hardening his expression. Something was going wrong.
* * *
Lane, who left the mansion, went straight back to the Imperial Palace. Today, his steps to the Crown Prince's room were heavy. He had always thought that Mielle was weird, but she was definitely weird today. 'Is Lady Roscent really clever?'