“Are you planning to leave the Princess as it is?”

It was in the midst of a nobles meeting.

The Emperor, who was sitting at the head of the table, rummaging through the documents, looked back at the person who had put up an agenda related to the Princess.

He was Duke Battenberg. He was recently trying to raise his power on the back of his daughter, Lady Battenberg, the Emperor’s fiance.

“What did Natalie do?”

The Emperor said, pressing his throbbing head firmly.

Princess Natalie. She was the only younger sister of the current Emperor. And since the position of the Empress was still vacant, she assumed various duties in place of the Empress.

The Duke doesn’t like that.

“You need to hold the wedding as soon as possible. You can’t keep Her Highness by your side forever.”

“What’s so urgent? Anyway, I will be marrying your daughter, and she will sit in the Empress’s seat.”

The Emperor said with a haggard complexion. He has recently been suffering from severe insomnia due to the constant nighttime hallucinations.

“When is that?”

The reason that the Emperor, Conrad III, postponed the wedding was actually because of the hallucinations.

“If you can breathe, you will be thrown into the fires of hell, and if you just want to die like this, you will see futile hope.”

It was almost like a curse. No, it was a curse.

The Emperor, who was snoring at first, had no choice but to surrender as the nightmares continued.

He postponed all important events in the country. So was the wedding.

So, of course, Battenberg’s side couldn’t help but feel unstable.

“It’s not just that, Your Majesty.”

Duke Battenberg continued to speak, creating a serious atmosphere for nothing.

“I’m telling Your Majesty this because Your Majesty doesn’t seem to think that Her Highness will one day become a threat to you.”

He meant for the Emperor to be vigilant. He wanted to instill doubts about the Princess and get her out of the Imperial Palace as soon as possible.

In the current situation, the Princess was the closest person to the throne.

“Natalie?”

Conrad laughed.

The child who buys and collects jewelry and dresses as much as possible and spends all her time in luxury, revealing that her head is empty with every word she says?

That child with thin ears* and a fiery personality who is easily swayed by other people’s words?

(thin ears means that you easily accept and believe what other people say)

Looking at Natalie, the Emperor used to feel a sense of superiority, ‘Oh, I’m better than her though.’.

“Not that child. I’ve been watching Natalie since she was a little girl.”

The Emperor waved his hand as if telling the Duke to stop. It was something he didn’t even need to hear.

Duke Battenberg rebutted several times, but he had no choice but to back down in response to the cold Emperor’s reaction.

“Your Majesty.”

After the meeting, an attendant came.

“Later.”

The Emperor quickly said with an exhausted face.

The servant was trembling with fear, but he had no choice but to deliver the news with firmness.

“But Your Majesty, Grand Princess Valentine has asked for a private audience.”

Hmm? The Emperor lowered his hand that was on his forehead and looked puzzled.

“Princess.”

Princess Natalie, adorned by the handmaids, turned her head away from staring into the jewelry box.

“What’s going on?”

“That is…….”

The handmaid who came to the Princess’ side whispered what happened today in her ear.

“A little while ago there was a clash between Grand Princess Valentine and the members of the Rose Society.”

It was safe to say that almost all scandals taking place in the Imperial Palace went straight to the Princess’ eats. Because she was very interested in it.

“Oh my, is that so?”

Upon hearing the news, Natalie expressed great interest. And she immediately invited some members of the Rose Society as representatives.

“Tell me directly. I heard there was quite a disturbance in the Imperial Palace?”

The Princess smiled softly, fanning her face with the fan.

“I’m really sorry for causing concern to the Princess. But it wasn’t a big deal. We solved it amicably between us.”

A Lady smiled awkwardly. She felt a cold sweat running down her back. She was going to move on as quietly as possible, but things were getting bigger and bigger.

“Who? Tell me. I’ll teach them a lesson.”

No matter how she was the Princess, she used ‘teach a lesson’ to the Grand Princess. The modifier ‘supercilious’ really suits her well.

Natalie was originally like this. Maybe it’s because she grew up not receiving the love and attention of the previous Emperor and Empress.

She always had her own way. Rather, she was able to remain in the Imperial Palace without being killed because of her stupid head and reckless disposition.

“If you don’t speak properly, I will teach you a lesson.”

The tips of Natalie’s sharply sharpened fingernails glistened. Her dark auburn eyes glistened like a snake.

The representative of the Rose Society, who swallowed her saliva, barely opened her mouth.

“The truth is…….”

“It’s not our fault.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the voice that suddenly intervened.

It was Lady Leshan.

Natalie tilted her head and asked.

“I don’t remember calling you?”

“I have something to tell the Princess, so I took the liberty to come to you.”

“Hmm, that’s fine. I hope it’s funny enough that you dared to set foot in my residence without permission?”

If not, I will teach you a lesson. The Princess added that, while fiddling under her skirt.

The members of the Rose Society, who recalled rumors of the Princess carrying a whip under her skirt, swallowed a gulp.

‘If it’s the Princess, it’s perfect.’

Lady Leshan thought.

The Princess was fiery, simple and stupid.

If she was pushed a little, she would go wild. Regardless of logic, she doesn’t even think about the future, and the moment she gets insulted, she slaps her opponent first.

‘It will escalate into a battle between the Imperial Princess and the Grand Princess.’

If that’s the case, then the high-nosed Grand Princess won’t be safe.

Lady Leshan reported what happened at teatime, with her eyes gleaming in evil spirits.

“Of course, we invited Grand Princess Valentine to us first, as a welcome.”

“Therefore?”

“But it was really hard that she asserted her authority on us because there was a misunderstanding.”

“Asserted authority?”

Lady Leshan lowered her gaze and said sadly. It was a clever mix of truth and lies.

“I prepared the teatime menu for the Grand Princess with great care, but she told me to bring out all the desserts on the menu. We said we couldn’t do it because it was the budget of the Imperial Palace, but as Valentine, if she can’t even do that, she will see His Majesty….”

Natalie’s eyebrows twitched at those words. It was because Aria really asked an audience with the Emperor at the same time.

‘Brother readily agreed.’

Even if she was Grand Princess Valentine, could she see the Emperor privately for that reason? The younger sister can’t even see the Emperor at any time herself.

When Natalie made an openly displeased expression, Lady Leshan was excited and quickly added more weight.

“The real Mistress of the Imperial Palace is the Princess, how can she act like that in the Imperial Palace. I was so surprised.”

The other members of the Rose Society were silent.

They were listening quietly. It was because they thought that Lady Leshan’s scheme was pretty good. And she cleverly mixed up the facts and added some lies, but she wasn’t wrong.

“Oh, really? She dared to do that.”

Natalie smiled fiercely and folded the fan with a snapping sound.

Perhaps she was firmly offended, her bright red lips were twisted at a strange angle.

When Aria returned to her room, Vincent was waiting patiently in front of Aria’s door.

He turned to Aria, while having a serious conversation with Marronnier.

“Sister-in-law! You’re safe!”

Yes, of course she’s okay. She wasn’t invited to a duel, and she wasn’t attacked by an assassin.

Aria asked as soon as her eyes met Marronnier with tears in her eyes.

– What did you say to Lloyd and Vincent?

“Young Madam!”

But before she could hear the answer, Marronnier quickly hugged her tightly. Aria tried to tell Marronnier she shouldn’t overdo it, but she sighed and had to pat Marronnier on the back.

In fact, she doesn’t mind at all.

“Having a tea party in this state, how very relaxing.”

Vincent grumbled as he had started researching and working on his own while Aria was away.

It wasn’t his intention of scolding her, but rather, he was worried about how much she might have been tormented here and there. All the socialites must be trying to bite off Aria. Like hyenas.

“Don’t say anything to the rabbit.”

Then Lloyd, who was slowly following Aria, growled at Vincent.

“I didn’t even say much, did I?”

Haa, right. I have to worry about people I worry about.

Even after the marriageable age, Vincent, who had remained stubbornly single, suddenly became a little lonely.

“First of all, there is something to be careful about before meeting the Emperor.”

Something to be careful about?

Aria, who had thought of the Emperor as just an idiot, widened her eyes as if she was really surprised.

Seeing her expression, Vincent shrugged.

“Aren’t you being too defenseless?”

Does she? Aria blinked her eyes.

“Even the lion, the king of animals, is often attacked by cunning foxes.”

And Vincent explained quite a few cunning foxes.

The Emperor’s right-hand man and assistant, Montes.

The Emperor’s fiance, Lady Battenberg.

And Duke Battenberg, who was behind her.

And so on.

“Finally, the Princess.”

Without explaining, he suddenly shook his head.

“She is more like a bear than a fox. If you upset the Princess, she will tear you apart alive.”

That was a pretty brutal explanation. Aria sent a message while hugging Marronnier tightly.

– Well. I think she is really a fox.

“Yes?”

– No, nothing.

Aria shook her head.

In fact, Aria knew more about the Princess than anyone else. Perhaps, she knew better than the Princess herself.

Because she had a direct conversation with her in the future palace.

‘She’s acting’

It was also a very thorough performance that deceived even the previous Emperor and Empress.