CH 57

12. Regina Netias

“Then I will go.”

The following day, the emperor issued a summons for Alex, so I went to the Lily Palace on my own to meet the princess.

“Sir Isaac, take good care of Ciel.”

Alex couldn’t come with me, but Isaac stepped in to serve as a replacement escort. Since Isaac had submitted his application for this position, a smile naturally bloomed on his lips.

“It is etiquette to wear a white dress since it is the first time to greet the court.”

“Thank you, Burnett.”

We need to cut off the source of the flaws. I stood in front of the mirror, wearing a pearl necklace given by the emperor. The dress with overlapping lace blooming like flowers is very colourful, and it is also a talent to pull off such an esoteric design.

“You’re like an angel, my brother.”

“When you look at each other like this, you two really look alike.”

“Both my brother and I take after our mother.”

I climbed into the carriage escorted by Isaac, dressed in a knight’s uniform, with his golden hair flowing softly as if honey had been spilt.

The princess’s palace, located to the right of the centre of the palace, looked like a huge sculpture with a golden plaque hanging from the entrance.

“Lady Valentine has arrived.”

Having an audience with the princess had many meanings. That was one of the reasons I chose to stay at the Crown Prince’s Palace.

“Greetings, Your Highness The Princess.”

“Raise your head.”

It was because there was also a ridiculous excuse to learn manners from Princess Lotte, who is currently in charge of saving the imperial family.

Princess Charlotte, also known as Princess Lotte, the Emperor’s only sibling, wore a golden crown in her hair and kept her strawberry blonde hair neatly styled.

Her thick eyebrows and long eyelashes, even her slightly raised eyes. Because she was born with a diamond spoon in her hand, she appeared accustomed to taking the lead and commanding others.

There were more than 20 noble women seated on the ground below the princess, who was perched on a raised platform.

“You are looking absolutely stunning today, Ciel,”

“It’s a virtue that the princess took care of. Thank you very much for calling me today.”

We smiled to ourselves incoherently as we looked at each other. The words spoken by an imperial woman are of the highest calibre.

– You can’t just listen to what the palace says!

In accordance with the definition that my mother instilled in me, I will translate this word as follows:

‘Today, you look a lot like your mother, with the exception that your face is much softer.’

‘Who am I to tell people to come and go? It’s so annoying.’

It can be interpreted in that way. This is a frightening place. The wording are good, but the hidden meaning is not a joke.

Naturally, I wasn’t the type of person to live my life in any situation where I was the victim, so I responded in a measured manner.

“Isn’t it inconvenient since the prince’s palace is far from the center of the palace?”

The three young women in front of me—one with long straight hair, one with a bun, and one with blonde hair—all chimed in as if they had been waiting for the villain leader to say something.

“It’s probably because it’s so far away from where the princess is.”

“I feel sorry for Lady Ciel, who has to be in such an inconvenient place.”

“It would be preferable if you moved to the Lily Palace like we did, rather than to that corner.”

It sounded like the three of them really had to do that.

Where do these come from? I could not afford to fall for such a cheap trick, so I covered my face with an iron plate and smiled broadly.

“That cannot be. This time, His Majesty has renovated it, making it a very comfortable place to stay.”

Before I entered the palace, the emperor had made extensive repairs, so both the interior of the palace and the roads leading to and from the crown prince are lined with flowers, making my eyes happy.

“Come to think of it, His Majesty said that he put a lot of effort into it.”

How about my attack? When I brought up the emperor, no one could object.

The so-called lion’s skin tactic. If the prince’s palace is inadequate, it will actually blame the emperor who remodeled it.

How do you get out of this situation? The imperial woman tried to make a pretentious smile while they were actually frowning furiously inside.

“Is that so? Because the prince never invites anyone else, we don’t even get the chance to look at those lovely flowers.”

“I know. We’d like to take a look, too.”

“I will ask Your Highness. Even if it’s too much to go inside, having a simple tea party in the garden would be just fine.”

It was obvious that the princess, as well as the others were taken aback by the proposal that was willingly thrown out there.

I knew this would happen, I had a strategy meeting with Burnett in advance. Even if Alex is hesitant, we conspire well to build the dignity of the crown prince’s palace in order to protect his reputation. Perhaps because our goals coincided, Burnett and I got along very well.

The declaration ceremony has concluded, and the operation can now begin. I pretended to think as little as possible and looked around as if enamoured with the beauty of the princess’s palace.

“I heard Her Highness has a hobby of collecting precious treasures.”

“That’s right. Her Highness, the princess, has many precious treasures.”

“I heard there are some treasures that aren’t in Valentine, and I’d like to learn more about them.”

I threw the attack with a bright smile. At first glance, it sounds like a compliment, but only the imperial woman recognized my meaning.

“There is nothing that Valentine does not have. Right?”

Instead of a clear answer, I smiled. At the tacit sarcastic remark that there was nothing wrong, the princess snorted at me and stood up from her seat.

“It’s alright. I have to show it if you want.”

The princess began her preparations by appointing a lady-in-waiting. The aristocratic lady smiled expectantly at her when she said she was showing off her collection for some reason.

The princess glanced at the youngest-looking aristocratic lady standing next to me.

“Hello, Lady Ciel. My name is Regina, the daughter of Count Netias.”

A sweet-sounding young lady with glossy purple hair, large eyes, and plump lips came up to me and started talking to me.

She was about the same height as me, despite looking a few years older. As an added bonus, I liked the smiley smile. She was poisonous to me because she was sent by the princess.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Regina.”

“I’m really happy to finally meet Lady Ciel, whom I’ve only heard good things about. I was lonely because there were no peers my age. Please be a good friend to me.”

To be honest, I don’t have a single friend my age, owing to the fact that I’m always at home.

Even if I were a spy, it wouldn’t be a loss for me to be friends with this child because I wouldn’t be able to play here all the time anyway.

I gladly extended my hand to the purple-haired girl.

“Sure. Do you mind if I call you Ciel as well?”

This kid is really charming. Like the cat-like raised eyes, soft voice and refreshing smile.

It was obvious that it was a trap when one looked at the alluring and refreshingly beautiful woman who appeared to be bursting with juice.

But why. I felt like I could just fall for it.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“I am not sure.”

The barrier in your heart softens whenever you come across an attractive person, regardless of their gender. The mere act of looking at Regina, who had a floral aroma about her, made me smile without my conscious awareness of it.

This girl appears to be an extra who was not mentioned in the original novel, but why is she so beautiful? Without even realising it, I keep staring at it while smiling stupidly.

“Oh, how cute.”

I finally succeeded in making friends for the first time. She is also a pretty girl. She is a pretty girl with purple hair that seems to have been spilt with mysterious ink.

Even though I’ve grown up, I’m naturally good at socializing. I like my older sister, but a part of me has always thought that it would be nice to have friends my own age.

Even if she is currently siding with the princess, all I need to do is work slowly towards winning her over to my side. I held Lady Regina’s hand tightly and smiled broadly.

“You are different from what I expected.”

“Of course.”

Fortunately, the other side didn’t shake my hand either. While following the princess to see the treasure, I started memorizing the internal structure of the Lily Palace.

When I arrived at the entrance of the Lily Palace, I took a carriage ride that lasted quite some time in order to meet the princess, but I had to be led further away to view the treasure.

“How far away is the treasure from here?”

“Because we want to put the thieves in a difficult position.”

That’s right. I could really see  the soldiers who were standing watch all around us. I held Regina’s hand tightly and inspected the internal structure. The security was tight.

But it’s all spot on. Even though there is a high level of surveillance in the area, it is still relatively isolated, which means that if you light a sleeping candle, you will be able to wake all of the soldiers.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Princess!”

“Open the door.”

The instruction given by the princess caused the door to the treasure house to be unlocked and opened. When the guests began to rush in, the soldiers, who had been acting calm, suddenly became tense and pretended to be quick.

I counted how many soldiers there were while waving my hand cheerfully.

After going through the main entrance, going up a flight of stairs, and finally entering a jewellery warehouse, where the security was even tighter than usual, the location was almost exactly like an exhibition hall for jewellery.

“It’s wonderful.”

The room was filled with magnificent displays of glittering jewels. But my gaze was directed elsewhere.

A powerful force could be felt rising from the ceiling on the left and reaching this floor. It was also felt coming from the third window on the left and the centre of the wallpaper on the right. While clinging to Regina, who was standing next to me, I mumbled something.

“I can feel the magic.”

“Magic power?”

I experienced something resembling a flow of magical power similar to the barrier that my father had constructed in my room. Even while I was in the hallway, I quickly scanned the places where strong magic power bloomed.

If I want to infiltrate the Lily Palace, I will first need to break through the barrier that acts as a form of CCTV. A magic barrier of this level does not constitute a physical barrier, but if it is not eliminated, anyone who invades the territory will be discovered.

“It looks like you set up a barrier to prevent thieves.”

It looks like I tried my best to block it, but I think I can break through it with my magic.

“Did you say that Lady Ciel is a wizard?”

I nodded at Regina’s question. The bloodline of Valentine is a traditional family that dates back to ancient times and has produced a number of notable wizards over the course of its history. This includes the famous wizard Christopher Valentine.

“I’m still too clumsy to be called a wizard.”

I responded with a meek and humble demeanor, which was not typical of me for some reason. As Regina approached the jewelry that was on display, she brightened her smile and took my hand.

This was the day that I arrived to learn more about the princess on the inside. I must have grasped the gist of her backstory because the only thing left for me to do was to find the ring. I observed the princess’s treasure with Regina.