Chapter 46: The Princess’s Shield

A tea party where noble ladies gathered.

The woman seated at the head of the table spoke up.

“Have you heard that His Highness the Crown Prince is recruiting for the Knights Order these days?”

At her words, the other ladies quickly chimed in, eager to join the conversation.

“And I heard he’s accepting a huge number of commoners? That’s unheard of.”

“They say that not even much time has passed since he entered the palace, but he’s already spent several times the usual budget. I heard that Sir William is practically losing his mind every single day these days.”

At the flattery of the women, the smile on the lips of Glinda Reditch, seated at the head, deepened.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is always like that. He moves as he pleases, as if possessed by something.”

“That’s right, that’s right!”

She raised the corners of her eyes and lightly touched her nose.

“But what can you do? For a Crown Prince of commoner birth to care about commoners—well, in a way, it’s only natural... I suppose I understand.”

“Of course. You can’t change your roots. Still, Lady Reditch, you’re truly broad-minded. Even after what happened last time, you still defend His Highness the Crown Prince...”

Glinda, back when Rohan was still a prince, had suffered great humiliation at Lucretia’s atelier.

It was a scandal that had spread among the young nobles, and it must have been a shameful event for Glinda.

‘How dare he, over a mere maid, kick aside me—the most popular lady in the Empire?’

No matter how royal he was, she found it unforgivable.

So, Glinda devised a plan.

A very cunning one.

“To treat the delicate Lady Reditch so harshly, even His Highness has gone too far.”

Buoyed by the fawning words of the surrounding ladies, Glinda felt her simmering anger begin to cool.

With a composed smile, she gently stirred the tea in her cup.

Through the clear glass, tea leaves floated slowly.

“Lady Mistin. Now that I think of it, didn’t you say you were interested in the second son of the Woodlawn family?”

“Eh? Yes, yes, I did!”

“Shall I try to arrange an introduction?”

“Oh my, truly? How wonderful!”

Among the ladies of marriageable age, Glinda was the most popular among the men.

Her beauty aside, her family—the Reditch Earldom—was one of the wealthiest in the Empire.

Thanks to this, she was always surrounded by people.

“As expected of Lady Reditch...”

Just as the chorus of praise for Glinda began again.

Click. Click.

The sound of heels echoed across the room.

“Who is that? Was someone else supposed to come?”

A lady straightened her upper body to check the entrance, then gasped in shock.

“O-oh my!”

Clatter!

The fork she was holding dropped to the floor, and all eyes turned to the door.

“Gasp. Y-your Highness the Princess?”

“Why would Her Highness the Princess be here...?”

The ladies all shot to their feet at once.

There stood a girl with long, auburn hair.

A beautiful girl, with clear yet chilly emerald eyes and an undeniable presence even at rest.

She was none other than Isabelle Schubert.

A princess of the Empire and an official bearer of the royal title, recognized by His Majesty himself.

Even Glinda’s eyes widened in surprise at Isabelle’s sudden entrance.

‘Why would Her Highness be here?’

To appear so suddenly at a tea party where she’d never been invited.

Standing at the door, Isabelle paid no mind to the flustered atmosphere and strolled in naturally.

Without a word, without a smile, she stopped silently before Glinda Reditch’s seat at the head of the table.

A brief silence.

“Lady Reditch, what are you doing?”

Only when the lady beside her nudged her with an elbow did Glinda snap back to her senses.

“O-oh... I was just so surprised, Your Highness.”

With a flustered expression, Glinda rose and offered a proper curtsy.

“I greet the noble Princess of the Empire.”

As she stepped aside, Isabelle took the seat at the head.

Effortlessly.

Now, Lady Reditch was left standing beside Isabelle.

“I’d heard that the ladies hold a tea party every Wednesday, so I thought I’d drop by.”

Isabelle leaned forward with a mischievous grin.

“Why is the atmosphere like this? It almost feels like I wasn’t supposed to come.”

“...!”

“N-not at all, Your Highness, not in the least.”

“Everyone must be struck speechless by Her Highness’s stunning appearance. It’s truly an honor to see you like this!”

The ladies all wore identical, forced smiles as they spoke in turn.

‘Really, if they fell in water, only their mouths would float.’

Of course, witnessing this, Isabelle’s heart grew even colder.

“What were you chatting about so animatedly? Was there some interesting gossip?”

At Isabelle’s question, everyone exchanged nervous glances.

Just moments before, they’d been gossiping about Rohan, the Crown Prince.

But now, they faced Isabelle—his half-sister.

There was no way they would dare admit to talking about the Crown Prince in front of her.

“Oh, just... you know, the usual sort of talk among ladies, Your Highness.”

“That’s right. Marriage prospects, talk about the young lords, dresses and such...”

Hohoho!

Isabelle gave a subtle smile at their affected laughter.

“So, I suppose you weren’t talking about Crown Prince Rohan then.”

“...!”

The ladies’ chatter stopped abruptly.

‘Don’t tell me, did she hear everything?’

‘I’m doomed!’

One lady turned pale; another squeezed her eyes shut.

Glinda, especially, who had led the conversation, looked not just pale but positively green.

Isabelle arched her brow and picked up a dessert from the table.

“That’s too bad. I’ve been really interested in what’s been happening in the Crown Prince’s palace lately.”

Crunch!

She took a bite of the cookie and continued.

“If you had any interesting stories, I was hoping to hear them too.”

Her tone was gentle, but this was Isabelle Schubert.

Famed as the Empire’s troublemaking princess, no one knew where her whims would take her.

That was why, among the noble ladies, she was ranked number one as the person they never wanted to get involved with.

Isabelle promptly turned to Glinda.

“By the way, Lady Reditch. You’ve been awfully popular lately, haven’t you? I’ve even heard about it in the palace.”

“...It is an honor, Your Highness.”

Glinda forced a stiff smile and bowed her head, and Isabelle’s lips curled ever so slightly.

“But still. You’re of marriageable age and so popular—how come you haven’t found a suitor yet? Is there no one in the Empire who catches your eye?”

At Isabelle’s blunt question, cold sweat trickled down Glinda’s back.

“It’s just... there’s no one who captures my heart yet.”

“Oh, is that so? Then what kind of man do you want? Just say the word. I’ll introduce you.”

“How could I possibly trouble Your Highness with such a matter? Thank you for your offer, Your Highness, but that’s more than enough.”

Glinda mustered every bit of courtesy she could and declined.

“You’re so stiff, it’s almost no fun.”

Isabelle chuckled quietly, then suddenly seemed to realize something.

“Now that I look, there aren’t enough seats, are there?”

At those words, Glinda glanced at the lady sitting beside Isabelle.

It was a signal to take the hint and vacate the seat.

“Well, for now, Lady Reditch, why don’t you—”

As the lady, understanding Glinda’s intent, started to rise, Isabelle raised her hand.

“Wait. Even so, one person will still be left standing, won’t they?”

She stretched out her index finger and pointed.

“Lady Reditch, you can sit over there. Right?”

The spot she indicated was none other than a small utility stool in the corner.

“Um, Your Highness, that’s usually for the maids...”

One lady began to protest, but Isabelle ignored her, still pointing at the stool.

“What are you waiting for, Glinda?”

With a friendly smile.

“Sit.”

An order from the Princess—impossible to refuse.

Face flushed, Glinda quietly took her place in the corner.

Isabelle raised her teacup.

“Well then, shall we begin tea time anew?”

With her smile, the atmosphere that had prevailed was completely turned upside down.

---

“So, in the end, Glinda Reditch had to sit on the maid’s stool?”

At William’s words, Rohan set aside the document he’d been holding.

His eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.

“Yes. By none other than Her Highness the Princess’s own command.”

William gave a wry smile, clearly amused, but Rohan’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

“Isabelle... she didn’t really need to go that far.”

Leaning back in his chair, Rohan gazed into the distance and muttered.

The fact that news of the entire tea party incident had reached him proved just how much of a scene Isabelle had caused there.

“Some things never change, she’s always been that kind of girl.”

“Pardon?”

“No, nothing.”

Rohan shook his head and looked down.

Memories from the past suddenly resurfaced.

—I am a princess of this country, and the sister of the current Emperor, Rohan Schubert. So, naturally, it is my duty to protect him.

To rescue Rohan from Marquis Fabian, who treated the Emperor as if he were his own puppet, she had mobilized the conservative faction that Empress Sherilda—her mother—commanded.

Thanks to her help, from the middle of his reign, Rohan had enjoyed much greater freedom of action.

In a way, it was entirely thanks to her that he’d been able to amass the power needed to stand against Marquis Fabian.

Of course, because of this, she herself had ended up unhappy.

“Still, it is surprising. That the famous Princess Isabelle would take action for Your Highness.”

“She may be difficult in other ways, but she’s fiercely loyal to her family. She can badmouth me all she likes, but she won’t tolerate anyone else doing it.”

“Is that so?”

William’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Then, Your Highness, were you and Her Highness the Princess always close? Judging by how well you know her. I always thought you and the Princess had no connection at all.”

“...That was the intention.”

That was what he’d tried to achieve.

To have no connection, Rohan had done his utmost.

But now...

“But it seems I can’t avoid it anymore, even if I wanted to.”

With this turn of events, he had a strong feeling that he would inevitably face Isabelle again.

It was strange how the human heart worked—no matter how desperately you tried to avoid something, it would always surge back like the tide.

Though everything in this life was completely different from his previous one, Isabelle was once again moving for Rohan’s sake.

At this point, he began to wonder if something like fate truly existed.

“Oh, by the way. As you instructed, I’ve reserved the restaurant for the final day of the Knights Order selection.”

“That’s in two days?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Make sure everything’s ready—don’t worry about the budget.”

Though William winced inwardly at the thought of their finances, he nodded.

“...Understood.”

“And when you go outside, there should be a baggage cart waiting. Sort it out, and use anything you need.”

“A baggage cart? What’s inside?”

“You’ll see when you get there.”

“...?”

At Rohan’s meaningful words, William blinked rapidly, then bowed.

“Very well, then, I’ll take my leave.”

With no idea what tremendous event was about to occur.

He whistled cheerfully as he hurried down the stairs.