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Chapter 84




"Mable, what are you doing here?"
Suddenly, a deep shadow fell over me. When I looked up, Oscar was alternating his gaze between Eidan and me. I felt a jolt. It was hard to act nonchalant knowing he had caught us in the middle of a confession.
“Hmm. I came to see Oscar.”
“You came to see me?”
Oscar laughed brightly. I was even more flustered because he didn’t seem fazed at all, unlike someone who had just received a confession.
‘Has he become numb from receiving too many confessions?’
That made sense. After all, with his good looks, high status, and excellent sword skills, he was bound to be popular.
“Oscar, have you eaten?”
“Eat... no, I haven’t. Why?”
“I brought a packed lunch to share with you. Let’s eat together! You shouldn’t skip meals.”
When we returned to the training ground, the knights, who had been taking off their tops, greeted me in formal attire.
“Welcome, Your Majesty.”
“Since you’re here, why don’t you watch a sparring match?”
“It would be the sparring match of the century. If not, I can show you around the training ground!”
I was overwhelmed by the knights’ comments.
‘Ugh.’
My vision spun! I was struggling to respond to each of them one by one when a hand suddenly grabbed me from behind.
“Why are you engaging with them, Mable? Just ignore them.”
“Huh? But...”
“Come, let’s go eat.”
Oscar took my hand and led me away. The knights began to murmur loudly.
“Eat?”
“What kind of eating?”
“Your Highness, we were just about to-.”
Swish! A dagger flew out of nowhere and grazed the cheek of the knight who was speaking. I turned in surprise to see Oscar smiling brightly.
“What did you say?”
“No, nothing.”
The atmosphere became awkward. I fidgeted with Oscar’s fingers and alternated my gaze between the knights and him.
‘They don’t seem to get along well.’
Sure enough, Oscar is on the outskirts of the knight’s circle! As his only sibling, I couldn’t just stand by. After all, who am I?
‘The all-purpose problem solver, Mable!’
I looked up at the knights with bright eyes.
“Knights! Do you want to eat with us?”
“...?!”
The knights, as if they had heard something they shouldn’t have, all took a few steps back with wide eyes.
“Why... don’t you want to?”
“No, no. It’s an honor, Your Majesty!”
“Hey, man. Honor of the house...”
“Honor of the...!”
I watched the knights, who couldn’t even speak properly, with interest when Oscar pulled me by the hand. His face was full of dissatisfaction.
“Mable, let’s just eat together, okay?”
“But I want to eat with everyone...”
Oscar, especially weak to my ‘last resort sad face,’ tapped his foot on the ground. Oscar then stroked my head with a perplexed look.
“Others will feel uncomfortable too.”
“Besides, the chef made too much, and we can’t finish it all by ourselves...”
“Mable...”
“Eating together will be more fun...”
I looked up at Oscar with pleading eyes. Eventually, Oscar sighed and nodded.
“Alright. Let’s eat together.”
“Yay!”
Preparations were swift. The large blanket was spread out, and the lunch boxes prepared by the royal chef were laid out in abundance. The knights, who had gathered awkwardly, picked up sandwiches and chatted.
“Every time Your Highness does something like this... it’s scary.”
“You too? Me too.”
“He seems like a different person.”
Everyone was murmuring about Oscar, not easily approaching him. The more they did, the more my heart ached.
‘I can’t help it. I have to take care of him.’
I fed Oscar his lunch enthusiastically.
“Oscar, eat this.”
“Okay.”
“Drink this too!”
“Okay. It’s delicious.”
“Eat some fruit too!”
While taking care of Oscar, I subtly offered a sandwich to Eidan, who was sitting next to me, and observed the knights’ reactions. They looked as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.
“Truly, Your Majesty.”
“Taming those two beasts...”
“Truly the power behind the throne.”
Are Oscar and Eidan, who are much younger, really that scary? I can understand Eidan, but still. Anyway, I finished the meal by chatting with each of the knights. I thought there was a lot of food, but it was quickly finished among more than ten people. It was a rather warm picnic. We seemed to have gotten a bit closer.
“Thank you for the meal, Your Majesty!”
“Please come play again next time, hee...!”
A knight of the House of Glory smiled and then turned pale.
“...?”
I looked around, but only Oscar was smiling brightly. As the knights returned to training, the surroundings quickly became quiet.
“Oscar, are you going to continue training?”
“No. I have a mission to go on.”
“Mission?”
“Yeah. I need to investigate the guild.”
“Guild...”
I made eye contact with Eidan across from me. He shook his head slightly. While I try to avoid my father’s guild investigation, it’s hard to stop Oscar from going. Even if Oscar investigates, the guild won’t be easily swayed, but I can’t just let him tear it apart.
‘Embarrassing, but I have no choice.’
This is a sacrifice for the greater good. I clenched my fist and stubbornly insisted.
“Let’s play!”
“Huh?”
“Don’t go, play with me!”
“Mable...?”
“Let’s play together, okay? Come on, let’s play!”
Oscar scratched his cheek, looking perplexed, as I started throwing a tantrum, which I don’t usually do. I saw a fleeting moment of hesitation on his face. I clung to Oscar’s waist like a cicada on an old tree.
“I won’t let go until you agree to play with me.”
“But Mable, I have to go on the mission.”
“I’ll cry if you leave.”
“That’s not good.”
Oscar tried to reason with me in a worried voice.
‘Huh?’
But it seemed like there was a hint of laughter in his voice. Was it just my imagination? I lifted my head slightly to see Oscar grinning.
“...Oscar?”
“If Mable really wants to play with me, I won’t go, then.”
“R, really not going?”
“Yeah.”
Despite my embarrassment, Oscar’s reaction was too light. Why does he look so happy? But since I achieved my goal, I decided to let it go.
‘At least I managed to protect the guild today!’
***
The sudden preparation for the tea party went smoothly. The one who helped me was my friend and confidante, Emily. Emily, who had expressed her willingness to attend, gave me various pieces of advice. As a lady at the center of society, she was well-versed in tea parties.
“Putting flower decorations on the table is the latest trend.”
“What kind of flowers are used?”
In response to my question, Emily took a piece of paper and a pen, wrote a list, and handed it to me.
“Thanks, Emily. I’ll use this as a reference.”
Emily’s casual advice made her seem like a big sister, which felt strange.
‘No, no, I can’t.’
I repeated Donavan Duke’s advice to keep my distance from the Javier family and tried to shake off the sense of intimacy.
“By the way, Your Highness. Is it true that you sent an invitation to Lady Deverill?”
“Is that a rumor?”
Emily chuckled and put down her teacup.
“Your Highness is always at the center of attention.”
“Center of attention...?”
“Everyone admires you. Didn’t you know?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“The dress you wore at the sword tournament is now popular among young ladies.”
I rarely showed up at events unless they were major ones, so I had been living a life detached from the social trends. But to be at the center of a trend felt very embarrassing.
“Everyone is curious about whether Lady Deverill will attend your tea party.”
“Will she come?”
“Probably not. She rarely leaves her mansion.”
Indeed, Emily’s thoughts were the same as mine. While we were chatting about the tea party, Emily asked me.
“So, Your Highness. Have you chosen a partner for the tea party?”
“P...artner?”
“Yes. You need a partner to escort you.”
“I guess I need to choose one...”
Oscar? Father? Or Eidan? But no matter who I choose, the others will surely be upset. I faced an unexpected obstacle!
‘Partner!’
When the rumor spread that Mable was considering a partner for the tea party, a tremendous tension enveloped the palace. Strong candidates like Esteban, Oscar, and Eidan, as well as Lisandro and other young nobles of the family, began to look for opportunities.
“To be the Emperor’s partner, I must do it.”
“But my life is precious...”
While the young nobles were torn between desire and death, Esteban muttered fiercely.
“I’ll declare a special no-contact period with Mable. Anyone who contacts her in the next week will be fined 100 times.”
“I’ll pay 100 times...