Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Eve felt sorry for Sylvestian, knowing what the future held for him, so it was only natural for her tone to sound tender. Mikael did not fail to notice this.

“You seem to be disappointed for some reason, Princess.”

“What?”

She turned and saw some displeasure in his look.

“It won’t do for you to want someone who has become the personal knight of another princess, and especially not when I’m standing right here.”

Though his voice was even and unemotional, his words were quite bold. Lianne and Peony covered their mouths in surprise, but Eve reacted calmly.

“What do you mean, ‘I want him’? I told you before, didn’t I? I don’t need any personal knight but you, Mikael.”

“But you just now spoke of Sir Millard in what seemed to be an affectionate tone.”

“No. You’re the only one for me, Mikael.”

“I am happy to hear that.”

“But you should be careful not to be envious of Sir Millard, Mikael, when you see Rosie today. I will not allow you to be a personal knight for anyone else.”

“Of course. I swear on my honor as a knight that I will serve only you, Your Highness.”

“Good, I’m glad I can rely on you.”

Even in front of the servants, there was no hesitation between Eve and Mikael when expressing the strong bond of trust they shared. Sedella seemed especially moved by the sight.

At least I can trust Mikael not to try and seduce Rosie.

Eve was satisfied with his promise.

And now for the final step in his adornments. Sedella tied the lace eye patch delicately over Mikael’s eye, covering up his enchanting eye makeup. It surprised Eve that his sultry looks weren’t lessened in the least—in fact, he looked even more alluring than before.

“The banquet will be starting soon, Your Highness.”

“We should get going.”

As soon as she spoke, Mikael gingerly took Eve’s left hand.

“Allow me to escort you, Your Highness.”

“Yes, Sir Agnito.”

Signaling the start of their social formalities, Eve adopted her formal tone of addressing him. The servants guided them out, and Eve and Mikael started off for the banquet hall. High society was waiting for Eve to make her reappearance.

❇

Rosenitte’s influence was incredible. There were so many nobles here that the biggest banquet hall in the main palace was nearly full. The hall was adorned lavishly with countless white roses, Rosenitte’s symbol. At the center of the hall, in accordance with the imperial family’s birthday banquet customs, a 10-story pyramid grandly stood, made of wine glasses each filled with mousse cake. The cake served as a small gift given out by the birthday host—they would greet each guest that came to congratulate them.

Because the selection ceremony had ended late, however, Rosenitte had not shown up at the banquet hall yet, as she was still being dressed. Since the main ceremony was delayed, an opera singer performed along with orchestral music to fill the time. The nobles ate finger foods and took drinks while they waited for Rosenitte to appear.

“Seventh Princess, and your partner, Sir Agnito, welcome. Have a pleasant time.”

Mikael politely took Eve’s left hand when they reached the entrance of the hall. This was the first occasion he would ever be escorting her. Eve took a deep breath, feeling the weight of this moment.

Mikael noticed. “You must be nervous, my princess.”

“No, I’m all right. I prepared quite a bit for this,” Eve replied curtly. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Mikael said, “Well, I’m nervous. I’ve never been to an imperial palace banquet before.”

“Oh, right. It will be fine. Trust me, Mikael.”

“I rely on you, my princess.”

The lace eye patch hid Mikael’s mischievous glint from Eve. Eve assumed a solemn expression. She put more energy into her ankles and waist as she walked into the hall, using the graceful step that she’d mastered in the previous life. Though Eve moved forward slowly, shock rippled through the hall quickly.

“Why is the eighth princess so late—wait. Was that the seventh princess that just walked by?”

“What? You must be mistaken. I heard she’s a recluse. She would never have come to a birthday banquet—my god! You seem to be right.”

“Hold on. Did you see her partner? It’s a homunculus. So the rumors in the gossip magazine were true.”

“Rumors? What rumors?”

“The seventh princess appointed a personal knight.”

“Whoa!”

In high society, it was a mark of class and dignity to ignore open stares and whispers. Eve walked with her head held high, and Mikael whispered, “So, my princess, what is the plan?”

“I will be impressing the people who could be useful to me.”

“Is there something I should be doing?”

“Standing beside me and looking handsome, I suppose?”

“I’ll do my best. Nothing else?”

“Um, please warn me if you think any of my older sisters or brothers are about to approach me.”

Most of the princes and princesses saw Eve as an easy target and attempted to pick a fight with or shame her at any opportunity. They were best to be avoided.

“Leave it to me.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s get started, then, shall we?”

Her amber eyes were fixed on a young noblewoman gazing at the cocktails by herself. Eve picked up two glasses of non-alcoholic drinks and approached the woman.

“Those may look pretty, but they all contain unpleasantly strong alcohol. If I may, Baroness Panello, I have heard that you are not a drinker. I’d like to recommend this fruit drink.”

“Why, thank you—oh! Your... your Highness.”

The young noblewoman was shocked as she realized it was Eve standing in front of her. Her eyes grew wider when she noticed Mikael standing a few paces behind. Eve smiled and introduced him first.

“This is my personal knight, Sir Mikaelis Agnito.”

She made sure her clear tone could be overheard by all of the ears that were listening in. Nobles murmured among themselves as the rumors were confirmed.

“Your own... personal knight...?”

The young baroness could not hide her dumbfounded expression, being shocked not only by this reclusive princess accepting a personal knight, but also by how handsome her personal knight looked. She was left speechless.

“Baroness Panello,” Eve said quietly, regaining the woman’s attention. The woman flinched, realizing that she’d committed a faux pas. Eve chose not to mention it. “So you’ve come to congratulate Rosie on her birthday as well. How about a toast to this happy day? With these non-alcoholic drinks, of course.”

“Oh, yes. I would be honored.”

The narrow-necked glasses clinked with a crystalline note. In sharing this friendly gesture, Eve was able to naturally move forward and close the distance between them. The baroness missed her window to back away as she gazed at Eve’s bright smile.

Physical distance can impact one’s emotional distance as well.

This was a technique used by the twin princes Rubens and Icallis—who would later become infamous for their womanizing—to beguile innocent ladies. Eve had never tried it herself, but she’d managed to make it seem quite natural. Leaning on the social acumen she’d acquired in her previous life, she continued the conversation.

“I’ve heard you’ve been quite busy managing the baron’s household since your marriage. Are you perhaps here representing the baron today?”

“How did you... know that?”

“Baron Panello’s love for his wife is famous. If he came as your partner, he would surely not have left his lovely wife alone like this.”

“Oh my, you flatter me.”

“But it’s true. The baron is still busy, I trust?”

“Yes, There are many imperial estates he must manage. Most of the time he can’t even manage to care for his own barony. I’ve been learning to manage the land myself these days.”

“Amazing. Your intelligence has been talked about since even before your marriage when you were Count Reindel’s daughter. I’m sure you’ll manage it well.”

“Thank you.”

At that moment, Eve’s amber eyes narrowed slightly as she remembered something. As the young baroness would soon be acting as the real lord of the barony, Eve decided to give her a word of advice.

“As you were married just six months ago, you’ll be experiencing your first summer in Panello this year. The Rassetora River, which runs through the Panello lands, floods every 50 years. I’d advise you to show some caution during the rainy season this summer.”

“Really? This is the first time I’ve heard of this.”

“I only learned of it myself recently through a book. A history book from the Imperial Archives holds records of multiple floods in the Panello barony. I noticed they seemed to occur on a 50-year cycle.”

“My goodness! That’s unbelievable!”

“Remember that a rainy season is always followed by a monster attack. If flooding damages the castle walls and defenses, the subsequent damage could be terrible.”

The young baroness blanched at Eve’s dire warning, despite that it seemed mostly conjecture. Eve soon resumed the conversation in a bright tone, however, as if she’d never intended to scare the woman at all.

“It’s hard to believe now, of course. I’ll make sure to instruct my personal maid to find the records for you in the library. Please come visit me in my quarters before you return to the barony.”

“Of... of course. I will come to see you in the palace right away tomorrow.”

Eve smiled as the baroness gave her an earnest look. Baron Panello was an official who managed the imperial estates, including magic stone mines. The Barony of Panello was located next to a magic stone mine, which gave it geographical significance. In addition to that, in her previous life, Panello had always maintained political neutrality. When Brigitte’s rule became tyrannical, he’d been one of the few nobles who’d supported the attempt at dethroning Brigitte. Eve had a feeling that the Panello couple would make for a great connection.