Chapter 24

[ That’s enough, don’t you think? ]

However, Alice wasn’t the type to tolerate such pettiness. Switching to the language of his kingdom, she tried to stop him.

[ His Highness the Second Prince wouldn’t want this to become a bigger incident, either. ]

Although Alice’s mention of his liege made him falter for a moment, his eyes soon flashed sharply.

[ So, you do know who I am? ]

[ …Yes, I do. ]

Ren, his confidence restored in an instant, puffed himself up. It seemed he thought that, since she recognized him, the situation would now play out in his favor.

[ Is that woman the young lady you serve? ]

[ Pardon? Ah, yes, well… ]

Alice replied awkwardly, no doubt wanting to avoid revealing anything about my status that might further complicate things.

[ Make sure your mistress knows exactly who I am. And tell her that I expect both her and that girl to apologize to me. ]

Ren’s judgment was correct.

Alice, who was soon to study abroad in Valentin, really had no choice but to acquiesce.

“Why are you agreeing to everything he says, sister?”

Of course, I meant that was simply the position ‘Alice’ was in.

“What a waste of time.”

Having already sorted out the situation in my mind, I gave Alice a gentle push on the back.

“Just go finish picking out your dress for the banquet.”

Naturally, I didn’t actually mean it, so I mouthed a silent signal to her. Once Alice had stepped away, I called for the general manager.

“Who booked out the entire atelier for today?”

“Well…”

She hesitated for a moment, clearly troubled, before finally answering.

“…That would be His Grace, Duke Louis Arvan.”

“…What?”

At the mention of Louis’s name, all the color drained from Ren’s face.

“Yes, and who am I?”

“The fiancée of His Excellency Duke Arvan.”

Seeing all the color drain from Ren’s face, I couldn’t help but smile, the corners of my lips curling.

“If you understand, then be on your way. We’ve already lost enough time because of you, but I’ll be generous and let it go, just this once.”

With that, I opened the new catalog and beckoned Anna over. I’d been planning to discuss which dress she should wear for the portrait.

Thud—

“Ugh!”

In a flash, Ren seized Anna’s wrist.

“…I apologize for the trouble. However, that doesn’t change the fact that this girl was rude to me.”

He forced a polite expression, though his face was still twisted with anger.

“I still expect an apology.”

Although he might be afraid of Louis, he had no intention of bowing his head to me.

“Leave the girl.”

I gave my final warning.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

Ignoring my warning, Ren Reichsten tried to drag Anna away.

Or rather, he tried.

Crack!

“Aaagh!”

He was swiftly subdued by my knights, who had been hiding among the employees. At first, I’d questioned the need for an escort to a simple dress fitting, but this time, Louis had been right.

[ You crazy bastards! Let me go! ]

Just as I was about to order my knights to silence Ren Reichsten, who was flailing about and shouting obscenities—

[ That’s enough. ]

A group of knights with foreign features appeared and surrounded us. Among them, the most striking was a man with hair as white as snow and eyes the color of blue gemstones.

‘That must be the Second Prince.’

There was an undeniable air of nobility about him, something only royalty could possess. Besides, Alice had emphasized more than once that silver hair and blue eyes were the hallmarks of Valentin royalty.

“That man is my aide.”

The second prince continued, speaking in the Imperial tongue.

“I don’t know what’s happened here, but unless you’re looking to spark a diplomatic incident, I suggest you let this go.”

It seemed that after slipping out earlier, Alice had contacted Louis, who then summoned the second prince here.

‘Why is he so calm?’

Even as his own aide was being subdued by foreign knights right before his eyes, the prince remained perfectly unruffled.

‘…Now that I think about it.’

I was just about to act on a sudden hunch when Ren Reichsten, looking as if he’d been terribly wronged, pointed straight at me.

[ Your Highness, this is all a misunderstanding! That woman struck me first with a book, and I was only trying to demand an apology! ]

He had twisted the story to cast himself in the best possible light.

[ That woman looked down on me just because I’m from the Kingdom! ]

[ …Is that true? ]

[ No, it’s a lie. ]

When I spoke up, both men turned to me in surprise. After all, it was rare for an imperial noble to speak the language of the kingdom.

[ I was merely annoyed at being handed an outdated catalog by a staff member, so I tossed it away. ]

[ And by sheer coincidence, it happened to hit my aide? ]

The prince asked with a hint of skepticism, so I promptly produced the evidence.

[ This is the catalog in question. ]

The prince fell silent for a moment as he examined the catalog. Even for a foreign royal, it was clear that the designs were well out of fashion.

[ If you still don’t believe me, I can call a witness. ]

I pressed on, not giving the prince time to dwell on the matter.

[ My sister who came with me should still be upstairs, choosing a dress. ]

In all likelihood, Alice wasn’t even anywhere near the building, let alone upstairs. If she had returned after contacting Louis, she would have come straight to where I was. The reason I said otherwise, knowing this full well, was deliberate.

[ No, that won’t be necessary. ]

Letting out a sigh, the prince glanced briefly at his aide before turning his gaze to me.