âEstiya, Iâm sorry. Itâs my fault. I will never do it again.â
Kaylan knelt down on his knees and begged.
Eyla shook her head and asked for the next version.
âEstiya, Iâll tease him in moderation from now on. As long as you donât get hurt.â
âYou want to fight Estiya?â
Kaylan, Ether, and Eyla were hiding in the shadows of the walls of Erhardtâs mansion, looking for a way to quell Estiyaâs anger. Theyâve already made ten versions, but none have passed unanimously. Could they relieve Estiyaâs anger with this? It seemed far-fetched for their wish to come true.
âNo! What the hell do you mean? That bastard saved us for nothing.â
âSay it right. It was useless.â
As Kaylan and Eyla debated, Ether slipped her hand between the two.
âLetâs do it right.â
Kaylan and Eyla glanced back at Ether. Fireworks erupted from her eyes.
âSo, are we going to even accept Rodrigo?â
He was a really simple person. How could they think in such a way all the time? Ether sighed and said,
âRetreat to advance, donât you know?â
âLetâs change the plan. It is forbidden to curse Rodrigo in front of Estiya from now on. When the two of them meet, letâs be patient in front of them.â
Eyla made an arrogant expression as if she absolutely hated it.
âInstead, letâs prepare to burn Erhardt. We need to use our heads a little bit.â
Kaylan sighed. In fact, their actions so far have not been like Cartina. It couldnât be Cartina because it was Estiyaâs problem. Besides, the opponent isnât that formidable. But now, they have to fight like Cartinas.
âThe mine explosion, it hasnât been resolved yet, has it?â
Ether smiled grimly as they understood her.
If there was a riot in the territory, he would have no choice but to go down. It is said that once you are away from the eyes, you are also far from the heart. In the meantime, it would be nice if the Crown Prince gave some strength.
Kaylan, Ether, and Eylaâs minds were clear after a long time.
I saw Kaylan, Ether, and Eyla welcoming me. It was long after the sun had set when I arrived at the Cartina mansion.
Rodrigo didnât hold onto me, but he poured out a bunch of strange words and fell asleep. I couldnât even imitate the nursing care he was talking about. I was just looking at him sleeping and didnât even know that time was passing.
âIâm sorry, Estiya.â
Kaylan, Ether, and Eylaâs apologies continued until I went up to my room. They were ready to kneel down if I wanted them to. I couldnât stay angry at their attitude of deeply regretting their mistake, because they said the most important thing above all.
ââŠWe wonât do it in the future.â
It was an unexpected achievement,but it was Rodrigo, not me, who deserved the apology. I knew very well that they did it because they loved me. And after all, we are family.
âApologize to Rodrigo.â
âOf course! I prepared a present. I want to give it to him at this banquet.â
âYes, Estiya, the banquet was held at the imperial palace. The emperor ordered that he must attend this time.â
As I recall, Rodrigo doesnât really like banquets. Will he go?
âThe Holy Father will also be there.â
Holy Father? I slowly recalled my memory.
There were parts that I couldnât remember because it has been a long time since I had been possessed by the world of the book. It was because my memory was blurred, or because the book was cruel and I skimmed through it. He seemed like a pretty important personâŠ
âWouldnât it be good if Rodrigo also got acquainted with the Holy Father?â
PR/N: Watch the triple threat go after the Holy Father next because Estiya talks to him
As I pondered, Kaylan interrupted my thoughts. The significance of the Holy Father on the Continent was considerable. There were times when we needed the help of the Holy Father in dealing with things, such as marriage and divorce.
There was no reason why I couldnât go to the banquet since I had already made my debut. Iâll have to convince Hela and Stefan though. I have to be persuasive.
I wanted to see his face. I might remember who he is just by looking at his face. Shall I go to the banquet too?
âBrother will escort you, Estiya.â
Eyla and Ether stabbed Kaylan from both sides.
âWell, well, if you allow it.â
âInstead of Rodrigo,â Kaylan added. I thought about it a bit more and kicked them out of the room.
The words âHoly Fatherâ lingered in my mind. My heart started beating anxiously. An ominous feeling overtook me, as if something was about to happen at this banquet .
Stefan, who went to deal with the monsters on the western border, did not return until the day of the banquet drew near.
âThe condition of the monsters was extraordinary.â
Helaâs expression was serious as she received the report from the commander of the knights. The monsters that inhabit the western border werenât very vicious and their attack power wasnât strong either so there were many cases where only children were sent to deal with it. But even though Stefan went out, he struggled?
âPrepare so that Stefan can leave as soon as he asks for troops. How much mana can wizards draw?â
âI can open about five gates.â
Wizards have a high ransom. So, in order to use essential magic such as the gate, it was necessary to convince them. But Cartina chose a different method.
The method they used was just like a villainous family: they caught and imprisoned the wizards. Extracting mana required a high level of skill, but Cartinas had a black magic book handed down from generation to generation. There were detailed instructions on how to draw mana from the wizards.
âYeah, bring some wizards from other continents as well. We may need more.â
Hela gave a dreadful command and got up from her seat. As she opened the door wide, her grim expression vanished out of nowhere.
âWelcome, Estiya! Letâs go shopping with mom!â
The complete transformation of her posture gave Cartinaâs knight commander, Gramlin, goosebumps.
âGive me everything from here to there. No. Weâll just buy this building.â
When Hela put down the gold bar and said that, the face of Yves Saint-Lora, owner of the boutique, which was in full swing in the empire these days, was surprised.
âHey, the building isnât mine. We will pack all the items for you.â
âYou donât have to.â
Clap clap. Hela applauded and the people of Cartina jumped out of nowhere. As they swept the items from the showcase into the box, Yves Saint-Loraâs mouth widened. From accessories that commoners could not buy for the rest of their lives, to dresses that even nobles had to wait and wear, they went straight to the box.
âMom, thatâs too much.â
âEstiya, itâs never too much. Even this is not enough.â
âMom, I will have to change ten times a day to wear all the clothes here.â
âYou only need to wear one. Give the rest to whomever you want after this season is over.â
The expression on Yves Saint-Loraâs face as she listened to our conversation was a spectacle. I shook my head from side to side.
âThen why are you buying all these things?â
âWhy? Because no one in the Empire deserves to wear the same designer clothes as you. From now on, only you can wear Yves Saint Loraâs clothes, who is the best designer in the empire.â
Hela glanced at Yves Saint-Lora. The smile on Yves Saint Loraâs face disappeared. I bit my lower lip.
I was sure most of Cartinaâs annual budget was spent on buying all of this, but there was no way to stop Hela. And it seemed that I would not be able to attend the banquet if I spoke further. I was reminded again that the condition of going to the banquet was to receive, rather than refuse the gifts from Hela.
Whatâs the use of regretting later?
âEstiya, what kind of dress are you going to wear?â
On the day of the banquet, I picked a dress that reminded me of spring cherry blossoms from among the many Yves Saint-Lora dresses that Hela had bought me. It was a dress with no special decorations and a gradient pink fabric was padded in various shapes and swelled below the waist.
PR/N: I think this is probably the dress on the novel cover.
The fabric was like dragonfly wings, which flapped with every movement I made. I was quite satisfied with the design that could draw attention with only the drape. Itâs a dress thatâs simple but gorgeous, modest but catches the eye, and doesnât have much decoration but looks expensive.
âWow, Iâve only heard about Yves Saint-Lora, but itâs really the best.â
Even Jane, who was not interested in dresses, was impressed by the design.
âNow I understand why some people sold their house for one of their products.â
Was it expensive enough to even sell your house?
I turned to Jane and she shrugged her shoulders.
âI donât know the price either.â
Yes, it sure looked expensive. But Hela swept up everything, so I couldnât even imagine how much money she would have spent.
âWhat kind of jewelry would you like? Not the sapphire necklace that the Crown Prince sent last time.â
âIf itâs a necklace, there are a lot of them.â
On the floor where I roughly pointed, dozens of jewel boxes were waiting, with their lids open.
âHmm, yes, but that was really big.â
âDo you need something bigger?â
I heard a voice from the window that I shouldnât have heard. Jane immediately picked up her knife and tried to throw it.
Shrugging, Jane lifted her shoulder and walked over without a hitch. At the end of the day, it was going to be a big mess. When I saw Jane stepping forward and backwards, Rodrigo came down the window.
âHow did you get here?â
I hurried to the window and looked out. Then I grabbed him and slammed the window shut.
Seeing that the mansion was quiet, it seemed like he came here secretly. How did he get here?
Without the ropes or common hooks needed to climb the wall, he was modestly dressed.
Rodrigo raised his finger as if nothing had happened. A bright blue light flashed from his fingertips.
Was he really that good at magic in the first place?
Teleporting was a difficult magic no matter how close it was. I narrowed my eyes and looked at him.
âIâm not yet arriving at the exact location.â
So Rodrigo, who said he came in through the window, and asked if he did well for the first time, gave me a box.
âYou seem to be worried about the necklace, but I hope this will be a good answer.â
Admiration burst out of my mouth.
âIs it a rose made of ruby?â
âYou seem to like roses.â
âDo you like big ones? Next time, Iâll get something better.â
âI think it will be quite pricey, but such a gift is burdensome.â
âHey, itâs too early to be embarrassed.â
As if something was bothering him, he bit his lower lip and turned around.
âThe gift is not perfect, but it was meant to be given, so I will give it to you. If you donât like it, dispose of it yourself.â
He presented the papers. I handed the box to Jane. Seeing Janeâs face light up, it was clear that Jane liked it too.
I pulled out the paperwork and scanned it carefully. My eyes widened.
Even when I rubbed my eyes, my name was clearly written on it. The exotic mansion Rodrigo had shown me, the land surrounding the greenhouse, including the greenhouse facilities, and finally the owner of the ruby mine were in my name!
âI was going to give it to you that day, but there was no time. Do you like it?â
When I didnât have an answer, Rodrigo asked.
The size of the gift was enormous.
The gift Detheus sent me was so mouth-watering, but this guy gave me more?
He told me that he could transfer it to my name with ease, but I didnât think it would be done so quickly. As I stumbled thinking of what to say, Jane poked me in the side and smiled brightly.
âIt seems that the young lady is a little surprised by the generous gift. From my 15 years of serving her, I can tell you that she will definitely like it.â
Jane quickly grabbed the paperwork as I was going to refuse.
Jane, you are really fast. I acknowledge your actions.
ââŠI will take good care of it and return it to you later.â
All I could say was that. Rodrigo frowned, but we couldnât talk more.
âEstiya, are you ready?â
Eyla and Ether came to see me for a banquet.
âThen I look forward to it.â
Rodrigo opened the window and disappeared outside. After holding the papers for a while, I was dazed, but later I came to my senses and looked out the window. I could see the end of his cloak going up the roof.