Perhaps because she had tossed and turned until late dawn, her head wasn't clear.
Lelia, having risen late, checked the clock on the wall before washing and standing before her wardrobe.
The clothes that had arrived yesterday had been promptly organized by the servants in charge of Lelia's quarters.
'What should I wear to attract less attention?'
After much deliberation, Lelia chose the most appropriate-looking outfit from among the neatly arranged clothes.
It was neither too flashy nor too plain, yet it looked elegant.
In her mind, the images of Princess Juriana's maids she had seen a few days ago kept floating around.
'I can't tell if I should be glad they don't suspect me.'
When the scene she had witnessed outside the imperial castle with Romeo came to mind, she felt an awkward sensation.
Indeed, it had a similar atmosphere to her own reflection in the mirror. It was perhaps fortunate that this type of man was popular.
At least she wouldn't be suspected.
But that also meant more eyes would be drawn to her, which was equally dangerous.
'If anything happens, I'll just use that medicine.'
Lelia packed the emergency 'medicine that makes people mistake me for a man' in her inner pocket and tied her cravat.
Thanks to Romeo teaching her, she didn't struggle as much this time.
After changing all her clothes and fixing her hair, Lute arrived a little earlier than the appointed time.
"……."
As soon as the door opened, Lute was about to greet her but stopped and looked Lelia up and down.
"Sir Lute?"
"Ah, my apologies. You look a bit different today. Good afternoon, Sir Raymond."
Only then coming to his senses, Lute apologized and greeted her.
"It's fine."
Lute looked at Lelia with a slightly tense expression.
There was a reason he was startled upon seeing her.
Perhaps because she was wearing more elegant clothes than last time, her appearance seemed to come alive.
'How can a man have such an atmosphere?'
With a pure appearance reminiscent of a lake reflecting moonlight, Lute felt a slight anxiety.
'I don't understand what women see in that scrawny type... Surely Juriana isn't like that?'
Lute regarded Lelia with some wariness and adjusted his attire.
The two decided to take a walk around 'Jasmine House,' where the tea party would be held, having stepped out a bit early.
'Jasmine House' was a separate palace located in the southwest of the main castle, said to be one of the new buildings Emperor Perseus had constructed for Princess Juriana.
"I heard that large glass windows are installed on all three walls, making it a greenhouse with excellent lighting. It's supposedly a place mainly used for tea parties."
Lelia forced the corners of her lips upward as she listened to Lute's explanation about the building.
'So it's one of the new buildings constructed in the southwest of the imperial castle grounds.'
"You certainly know a lot."
At Lelia's words, Lute smiled as if it was nothing special.
"I gathered and studied various information to get closer to Princess Juriana."
"I see...."
Lelia wasn't curious at all, but Lute started rattling off things he had studied.
Lute was quite talkative.
Eventually, after chatting for a while, an unfortunate incident occurred—they were slightly late for the appointed time.
Lute had an anxious expression as if the world were crumbling.
"You should have told me the time, Sir."
Lute implicitly blamed Lelia, but Lelia kept her mouth shut.
'What am I supposed to do about it?'
She had no energy to indulge Lute's complaints. Lelia was also in a tense state.
Lelia clenched and unclenched her hands to relieve her tension.
Thus, guided by the servants, they entered the greenhouse of the separate palace where the tea party was being held.
Quite a few guests had already gathered inside the greenhouse.
It was a tea party of a much larger scale than expected.
People were seated in designated spots, chatting, when naturally their gazes turned to the late-arriving guests.
The servant who had been blocking the door stepped aside, revealing Lelia's figure.
From one side, a small exclamation was heard.
"My goodness!"
The person who made the sound was a young lady who had been with Princess Juriana's maids, seemingly having made the sound unconsciously before covering her mouth belatedly.
The young ladies next to her whispered, "See? He's incredibly similar, right?"
Not just those young ladies, but most of the attendees had quite surprised expressions. However, they soon hid their surprised faces and began chatting as if nothing had happened.
'I knew this would happen.'
Lelia smiled awkwardly at the people's gazes and headed to a corner.
However, since people kept stealing glances, she simply sat with her back turned to where most people were.
"Fortunately, Princess Juriana hasn't arrived yet."
Lute, seated across from her, said with a sigh of relief.
"Indeed, fortunate."
Lelia felt uncomfortable as if sitting on a bed of thorns, but she pretended as much as possible that nothing was amiss.
Just then, an attendant standing at the entrance announced Princess Juriana's arrival.
The door opened and the elegantly dressed Juriana appeared. And following her, two men entered together, causing Lelia to be appalled.
It was Prince Cedric and Prince Damian.
Perhaps because she had completely forgotten about their existence, she had never dreamed they would attend.
She had been so focused on not being caught that she hadn't had the leisure to think of anything else.
Princess Juriana exchanged greetings with close nobles before taking her seat.
Then suddenly she stood up abruptly and looked around.
After a moment, an attendant who had been standing in a corner of the tea party venue approached and said.
"Sir Lute, Sir Raymond. Please move to the seats designated by Princess Juriana. Her Highness has instructed me to guide you."
At these words, Lute's face brightened and he stood up abruptly.
Lelia also rose and looked in the direction the servant indicated, then bit her lip firmly.
There were two empty seats at the large table where Princess Juriana, Cedric, and Damian were seated.
'Go over there?'
She didn't want to go there, but she had no choice.
Lute was in high spirits. He was already heading in that direction with light steps.
With no other choice, she followed behind him.
Of the two empty seats, Lute first claimed the one closer to Princess Juriana.
As a result, Lelia had to sit in a seat facing Prince Cedric directly.
'Of all places....'
Princess Juriana offered a light greeting with her eyes, and Lelia, like Lute, slightly bowed her head in response.
Just as expected.
As soon as they took their seats, she could feel the gaze of everyone seated at this table.
'Did I come for nothing?'
Even though it was unavoidable for Lute's quest, regret kept washing over her.
This table was the largest among all the tables at the party venue, which meant many people were seated there.
Lelia felt the burning gaze of young ladies from her left, so much so that she couldn't even bring herself to look in that direction.
If their eyes met, they seemed ready to speak to her immediately.
When Princess Juriana offered greetings to those who had attended, the servants brought out tea and desserts.
Light conversations began to flow across the table.
Just then, Prince Cedric, seated across from her, tapped the table in front of Lelia as if knocking.
"Where in the Roseberry Empire are you from?"
"...Pardon?"
At the sudden question, Lelia was momentarily dazed.
The prince's etiquette was a mess. Muttering inwardly, she recalled what Romeo had told her.
"I'm from Parmenia in the northwest, Your Highness."
"Is that so? The countryside?"
At those words, Lelia hesitated.
'Is it the countryside?'
She hadn't heard specific details from Romeo, so she hesitated to answer.
However, Prince Cedric nodded and smiled as if an answer wasn't necessary.
It was a smile that strangely seemed to mock.
'What is this, is he looking down on me for being from the countryside?'
Lelia looked at him with an unpleasant feeling. She thought that since he had a good reputation among the people, he must have grown up well.
Honestly speaking, Lelia couldn't forgive what they had done to her in childhood.
But her head understood.
'His mother died, so how could he not be distressed?'
Seeing herself, whom they thought was the daughter of the aunt who had tormented their mother, they must have been angry.
While growing up in the Superion territory, she had seen how tragically her grandmother, grandfather, uncles, and aunts had regarded her mother's death.
That was why she could understand Cedric and Damian.
But understanding didn't mean she liked them.
Understanding didn't mean she had to unconditionally forgive or accept them.
Despite being brothers born of the same mother, Lelia felt repulsed by the two.
Seeing the hostility in Cedric's eyes, she felt as if old wounds were being stirred up again.
She grew anxious that perhaps he had recognized her.
If not, there was no reason for him to look at her so hostilely, was there?
"What kind of place is Parmenia, Sir Raymond?"
At that moment, one of the young ladies seated to the left asked.
Until now, Lelia had been ignoring the gazes from that direction, looking only straight ahead or at her teacup.
But she couldn't ignore them when spoken to. Lelia reluctantly turned her head in that direction.
"Oh my..."
"Ah..."
Then, somehow sweet exclamations burst from among the young ladies.
All four young ladies had expressions as if they had eaten sweet cake.
They were the maids of Princess Juriana she had encountered before.
Their expressions were so blatant that when Lelia was flustered, the maids laughed playfully among themselves.
"Hah."
Watching this right in front of him, Cedric let out a deflated sound as if dumbfounded.
Lelia hesitated, not knowing how to respond.
'I didn't hear specifically what kind of place it is...'
She only knew that it was a territory in the northwest and that the mining industry was developed.
Lelia was about to open her mouth to answer at least that much. But before she could, Cedric answered.
"The young ladies ask difficult questions. Parmenia is known to be quite a barren countryside. Enough to shock young ladies raised so preciously."
"...."
What was this?
Lelia looked at Cedric, wondering why he was acting like that. The young ladies were the same.
"What are you all talking about so enjoyably?"
At that moment, Prince Damian, who had been conversing with Lute, suddenly interjected and asked.
"We were discussing 'Parmenia' in the Roseberry Empire, which is Sir Raymond's hometown, Your Highness."
"That's right. Parmenia seems like it would be a truly quiet and atmospheric place. Isn't that so, Sir Raymond?"
"...It is."
Lelia answered in a low voice while meeting the eyes of the young lady who had asked. Then that young lady's face flushed red.
The other young ladies continued to look at Lelia with expressions like cats that had eaten sweet honey.
"...."
Prince Cedric, dumbfounded by their reactions, huffed for a moment before standing up, saying he would step away.
Prince Damian, not understanding what was happening, followed him out.
"Why is Prince Cedric acting like that?"
Juriana moved to sit in the seat Cedric had vacated, looking puzzled.
She seemed to intend to converse with her maids.
'...Uncomfortable.'
But the problem was that she was now across from Lelia.
Princess Juriana openly looked at Lelia and smiled. Immediately, she felt a gaze full of hostility on her right cheek.
It was obviously Lute.
"I don't know. He seems to have suddenly become angry."
"Did Brother have any reason to be angry?"
Juriana puffed out her cheeks and asked cutely. Her expression was as if she would scold whoever had made her brother angry.
At that cute expression, the maids giggled.
"In my opinion, it seems like Prince Cedric was jealous of Sir Raymond. There's a rumor that his fiancée, Lady Emily, collects paintings by 'Donatelli,' you know."
"Is that true?"
"It's true, you know? I almost obtained one myself recently, but Lady Emily beat me to it."
"By the way, a fiancé who's jealous of another man—Prince Cedric has a cute side to him too."
Actually, she had thought it was a bit unseemly earlier, but one young lady said so while smiling.
Juriana heard this and looked at Lelia across from her with an amused smile.
'Even my brothers are jealous.'
Until now, Juriana had grown up thinking her brothers were the strongest and coolest in the world.
Of course, Lute was a bit cooler than them.
Anyway, if even those perfect brothers were jealous to that extent...
'Lute will surely become jealous too.'
Juriana slightly raised the corners of her lips.
She wanted Lute to become anxious because of her and confess quickly.
So, truly sorry but... she planned to use 'Sir Raymond' before her eyes.
If she pretended to be enamored with Sir Raymond and treated him well with feigned interest, Lute would surely become anxious.
However, there was one concern.
'Surely... Sir Raymond won't confess to me, will he?'
Since her mother's remarriage made her an imperial princess, Juriana had grown up like a peerless jewel.
The Emperor protected every single hair on Juriana's head, always making a fuss lest she get hurt.
And he removed anyone who slightly offended Juriana's feelings from before her eyes.
Her birth mother, the Empress, also granted everything her daughter wished for, hoping her childhood wounds would disappear.
Prince Cedric and Prince Damian were the same. The two older brothers treated their sister like a glass artwork.
As a natural result, only people who liked her surrounded her.
So the whole world couldn't help but look beautiful and positive.
She had a fundamentally lovely and bright nature, but she was like a flower in a greenhouse.
Previously, when it was revealed that one of her maids had hated her, she had been so shocked that she had groaned in distress.
Except for that incident, all the women around Juriana liked and admired her, and the men of her age all harbored feelings of admiration.
She could tell their inner thoughts just by looking at the eyes of young nobles or knights.
That was why she worried that if she treated Sir Raymond too well for no reason, he might misunderstand.
Just then, Juriana's eyes met 'Sir Raymond's.'
When she smiled slightly out of politeness, Sir Raymond forced the corners of his lips upward in a smile and then averted his gaze.
Then he spoke in a small voice with Lute.
"...."
Juriana tilted her head slightly, a bit dumbfounded.
'Is it because he's a popular type?'
It somehow seemed like he had a high nose...
Perhaps because of that forced smile earlier? Strangely, she felt that Sir Raymond was avoiding her.
'That can't be possible.'
She felt hurt for no reason.
'Even though he's not as cool as Lute anyway.'
Juriana felt inexplicably embarrassed and scoffed inwardly while criticizing him. Perhaps because she had grown like a flower in a greenhouse, she couldn't help but have an unconstrained aspect to her.
Honestly, Juriana didn't understand why her maids were making a fuss collecting 'Donatelli's' paintings, nor could she comprehend being enraptured while looking at Sir Raymond.
Of course, she acknowledged his pure beauty. Still, Juriana thought Lute, with his strong masculine feel, was cooler.
But it was truly strange.
'What is it...?'
Upon watching quietly, Sir Raymond really did seem to be avoiding her gaze.
Even when their eyes met, he didn't look for more than 3 seconds, and unlike ordinary men, he never stole glances at her.
Thinking it might be possible, she smiled broadly when their eyes met, but again, he just barely raised the corners of his lips and quickly turned his head away.
'...What on earth?'
Rather, when talking with Juriana's maids, a more natural smile seemed to emerge.
Juriana had never experienced this before and was thoroughly confused.