Episode 25. You go in and out of the princess’s room every night?
“What happened with Count Weiss that rainy night?”
Clank!
Surprised, April dropped the fork she was holding.
It was always a good prey for the ladies who were thirsty for new topics.
“Is it true that you met the Count that night?”
“Who, who said that... No!”
April strongly denied the question that someone asked her to test her. However, her face and even her ears were red, so she had definitely fallen into a trap.
“The intruder that night was Count Weiss, right?”
“He ran to the balcony and opened the door for the Princess? Even your pajamas must have been soaked.”
As she listened to the barrage of questions, April’s heart pounded hard. This was because she remembered the events of that night so vividly.
The hot breath and the secret, lewd whispering voice...
But she didn’t know that people knew about it. After all, even if it rained, how many people were watching the palace? The guards and the nanny might have known and just left.
April wanted to hide in a hole.
“Why are you so embarrassed? You’re going to get married soon.”
“That’s so romantic. A secret meeting on a balcony on a rainy night.”
The more embarrassed April became, the more the ladies teased her.
“T-T-stop it! Nothing really happened!”
When April shouted in anger, the women held back their laughter and kept their mouths shut.
In the end, April left the living room with her neck red. The moment the door closed, another burst of laughter could be heard from behind her.
***
“You don’t know anything...”
April muttered in frustration in front of the balcony of the palace corridor.
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
When she turned around at the voice next to her, Seira was already there.
Seira, whose eyes met, smiled gently and beautifully. Her skin and golden hair, shining transparently in the afternoon sunlight, were worthy of the praise of being the most beautiful woman in the empire.
“I guess something has happened, Princess.”
Moreover, her soft voice seemed as if she would listen to and understand any worries she had.
“Do you know, Miss Seira? The rumor about the Count and me...?”
“Are you talking about the rumor that the two of you enjoyed a secret meeting on the Princess’ balcony?”
“Ugj! There really is no one who doesn’t know...”
Seira laughed softly as she looked at April, who had a sad face.
“You know how fast rumors spread in society. The Count and Princess are an enviable couple, so everyone must be very interested.”
“But nothing happened that day, so it’s a bit unfair.”
“Really, nothing happened?”
Seira’s eyes widened.
“I, I kissed...”
In fact, it wasn’t a kiss, but April felt hurt to tell the truth.
How could you come to see me like that and just leave?
“Oh my, he kissed you and nothing happened. How much did you expect?”
April’s face turned red again. Then she carefully brought out the words that were on her mind.
“What do you think, Miss Seira? Does the Count really seem to like me?”
Seira’s blue eyes sparkled sharply at her innocent question.
“Then does it seem like the Count likes someone else?”
Only then did April realize the true nature of her anxious feelings. Whenever she thought of the Count, Adele’s face always followed her uneasy gaze.
On the other hand, Seira could easily guess what the innocent Princess was thinking just from her expression.
She must have been suspicious of Christine and Adele’s relationship. No matter how much they tried to portray their relationship as siblings, they were not related by blood.
“That’s not the Count’s fault. If that woman really wants to seduce him, no man wouldn’t fall for it.”
“Do you have any idea who that woman is?”
Seira nodded with a pitiful expression.
“Isn’t she the villainess of Kalime for nothing? I know her better than anyone else."
“But she doesn’t seem like such an immoral and bad person.”
“They say the devil has the face of an angel. Who could have helped that woman deliver desserts to the imperial family? Didn’t she even go against Her Majesty the Empress a while ago, relying on the Count’s support? And she even used his money to renovate her house and buy a ton of employees and dresses. Does that still make her seem like a good person?”
After listening to her, it seemed like everything Seira said was right.
A shallow and immoral woman who seduced the Count with such a beautiful and elegant face to satisfy her greed.
And then deceived people’s eyes by saying that they were like siblings.
April suddenly felt hostile toward Adele.
“But didn’t Miss Seira have a good relationship with Madam?”
Feeling hurt, Seira quickly made an excuse.
“I told you. I think of someone I once gave my heart to as my own for the rest of my life. I hope my stepmother will change her mind and live a good life of atonement. To do that, I want to stop her from using the Count any longer.”
“Miss Seira is a really kind person.”
Before she knew it, April had a look of deep trust in Seira.
So she carefully confessed what had been bothering her for several days.
“Actually... I think the Count was drunk that day and mistook me for that woman. He called her name when we kissed.”
“Oh my god, is that true?”
“What if you two are closer than I thought? What if the Count says he won’t marry me?”
Seira barely managed to lower the corners of her lips as she watched April weep.
In fact, she had only guessed about the relationship between Adele and Christine.
But that icy man called Adele's name while kissing her.
That meant their relationship was pretty deep.
If things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before Adele would steal him away.
'I can't let that happen!'
Thinking back on what Adele had done to her a while ago was humiliating. If only Count Weiss hadn't been behind her, she could have easily trampled on her. She definitely didn't want to experience that kind of humiliation again.
Fortunately, the Princess in front of her seemed like a really good chess piece. If she could use this innocent Princess, it might be easier than she thought to separate Adele and Christine.
"Do you really want to marry the Count? Then listen carefully to what I say from now on."
Seira whispered secretly in April's ear. April's face suddenly turned red as she listened with wide eyes.
"Oh my! Are you asking me to do something so shameful?"
Seira looked at April coldly, who was flustered.
“Then, are you going to let that immoral woman take the Count?”
“That won’t do!”
“So just do as I say.”
“But... what will I do if His Majesty finds out?”
“This is also helping His Majesty. His Majesty needs Count Weiss right now.”
April bit her fingernails.
“Are you really okay with that?”
“Of course. I can’t blame you for rumors.”
Seira nodded and smiled as if to reassure her.
‘Adele, you are destined to live your whole life as a sly, wicked woman. Because I decided so.’
She really thought of anyone she had given her heart to as her own. The problem was that she thought of her own people as her own possessions.
Mia was surprised when she visited Adele’s house early in the morning.
There were a lot of cookies of various shapes baked on the kitchen counter. The sun had only just risen, so how could she have baked this many cookies...
“You didn’t stay up all night?”
A few days ago, after Christine went, Adele worked tirelessly to make bread and desserts. She shared them with the people in the nearby villages.
Even those who were reluctant to accept her were happy about her gifts. Adele was especially popular among children who were short on food. Adele would return with a happy face, seeing the children happy.
However, Mia and Tanya, who were watching from the side, were anxious. They knew her habit of working tirelessly whenever she was in a complicated or depressed state.
Adele was clearly trying hard to clear her complicated mind. And the cause was Christine.
“I can’t sleep, and I have orders.”
“But that’s okay. What if you collapse? If Tanya were here, she would have stopped you.”
Tanya had returned home yesterday after receiving news that her younger sister was in critical condition. She had earnestly asked Mia to take good care of Adele.
“It wouldn’t have worked if Tanya had stopped me. Yesterday, an order came in from the palace.”
“There’s still time until the delivery date, right?”
“The Princess sent someone specially because she wanted to eat the cookies I baked.”
“There’s no chef in the palace to make cookies? Why is she ordering them out of the blue?”
“I should be grateful for that.”
Adele carefully took out the oven pan again. Colorful meringue cookies were neatly arranged in the square pan.
“They’re really high quality. No wonder the Princess would fall for them.”
“Want to try some?”
“Should I?”
Mia, who had been eating without realizing it because her mouth was watering, quickly came to her senses.
“Oh, this isn’t it. I thought you’d only work and not eat properly, so I made some special soup. Let’s eat that first.”
Thinking back on what Adele had done to her a while ago was humiliating. If only Count Weiss hadn't been behind her, she could have easily trampled on her. She definitely didn't want to experience that kind of humiliation again.
Fortunately, the Princess in front of her seemed like a really good chess piece. If she could use this innocent Princess, it might be easier than she thought to separate Adele and Christine.
"Do you really want to marry the Count? Then listen carefully to what I say from now on."
Seira whispered secretly in April's ear. April's face suddenly turned red as she listened with wide eyes.
"Oh my! Are you asking me to do something so shameful?"
Seira looked at April coldly, who was flustered.
“Then, are you going to let that immoral woman take the Count?”
“That won’t do!”
“So just do as I say.”
“But... what will I do if His Majesty finds out?”
“This is also helping His Majesty. His Majesty needs Count Weiss right now.”
April bit her fingernails.
“Are you really okay with that?”
“Of course. I can’t blame you for rumors.”
Seira nodded and smiled as if to reassure her.
‘Adele, you are destined to live your whole life as a sly, wicked woman. Because I decided so.’
She really thought of anyone she had given her heart to as her own. The problem was that she thought of her own people as her own possessions.
***
Mia was surprised when she visited Adele’s house early in the morning.
There were a lot of cookies of various shapes baked on the kitchen counter. The sun had only just risen, so how could she have baked this many cookies...
“You didn’t stay up all night?”
A few days ago, after Christine went, Adele worked tirelessly to make bread and desserts. She shared them with the people in the nearby villages.
Even those who were reluctant to accept her were happy about her gifts. Adele was especially popular among children who were short on food. Adele would return with a happy face, seeing the children happy.
However, Mia and Tanya, who were watching from the side, were anxious. They knew her habit of working tirelessly whenever she was in a complicated or depressed state.
Adele was clearly trying hard to clear her complicated mind. And the cause was Christine.
“I can’t sleep, and I have orders.”
“But that’s okay. What if you collapse? If Tanya were here, she would have stopped you.”
Tanya had returned home yesterday after receiving news that her younger sister was in critical condition. She had earnestly asked Mia to take good care of Adele.
“It wouldn’t have worked if Tanya had stopped me. Yesterday, an order came in from the palace.”
“There’s still time until the delivery date, right?”
“The Princess sent someone specially because she wanted to eat the cookies I baked.”
“There’s no chef in the palace to make cookies? Why is she ordering them out of the blue?”
“I should be grateful for that.”
Adele carefully took out the oven pan again. Colorful meringue cookies were neatly arranged in the square pan.
“They’re really high quality. No wonder the Princess would fall for them.”
“Want to try some?”
“Should I?”
Mia, who had been eating without realizing it because her mouth was watering, quickly came to her senses.
“Oh, this isn’t it. I thought you’d only work and not eat properly, so I made some special soup. Let’s eat that first.”
After forcing herself to eat the soup at Mia’s urging, Adele prepared to enter the palace.
But instead of the dress that Christine had bought for her, she wore her old clothes. All the dresses he had bought her were sent back to Chanel’s house.
She also wanted to send back the employees he had brought, but Christine had the authority to fire them. So she made them stay in the mansion they used as their lodging and did not let them come to Adele’s house.
Adele’s mansion became as quiet as before, and it had a slightly more gloomy atmosphere than before.
“I don’t know what you fought about, but try to make peace with the Count. I thought you were starting to act more like a human being.”
Adele’s expression became colder than ever at Mia’s words.
“There’s no need to make peace with the Count. It’s all settled now. ”
“Meet the Princess.”
Everyone was a little surprised when Adele entered the reception room. She looked so different from when she had come to the palace a while ago.
She was wearing an old gray coat, and her face was noticeably thin; and she looked very haggard from not sleeping well.
“I guess Madame Chanel’s dresses are really great.”
“That’s right. I should go get another set right now.”
Everyone was sarcastically saying that Adele looked pretty back then, only because of the dress.
Adele understood what they meant, but pretended not to hear and ignored them. She was sick of not paying attention to such bullshit.
“I made cookies with meringue, but I wonder if they’ll be okay.”
“Wow, they’re really pretty. How could I eat them all if I felt bad about throwing them away?”
April’s face brightened up as soon as she saw the cookies in the box. Adele also smiled quietly, delighted at the sight of the Princess’s bright face.
“I’ll bake you tastier cookies next time.”
“Really? Actually, I haven’t had an appetite lately and haven’t been able to eat anything. But I can’t help but miss your cookies so much.”
April picked up a cookie with an adorable face and put it in her mouth. At that moment...
“Ugh! Ugh!”
She immediately gagged and covered her mouth.
“Are you okay, Princess?”
Seira, who was next to her, approached her in surprise.
April nodded with a red face and bloodshot eyes. Then she apologized deeply to Adele.
“I’m sorry, Marchioness. I want to eat, but I suddenly feel nauseous.”
Seira carefully lifted April up from her seat.
“That’s perfectly acceptable. Would you like to go out and get some fresh air?”
“I guess so.”
Seira helped the Princess out of the reception room.
Then the people who had stayed began to exchange glances and whisper.
“I guess the rumors are true. Count Weiss comes in and out of the Princess’s room every night.”
“And what about those rainy days? I heard you two were really hot on the balcony.”
“She's pregnant... right?”
But instead of the dress that Christine had bought for her, she wore her old clothes. All the dresses he had bought her were sent back to Chanel’s house.
She also wanted to send back the employees he had brought, but Christine had the authority to fire them. So she made them stay in the mansion they used as their lodging and did not let them come to Adele’s house.
Adele’s mansion became as quiet as before, and it had a slightly more gloomy atmosphere than before.
“I don’t know what you fought about, but try to make peace with the Count. I thought you were starting to act more like a human being.”
Adele’s expression became colder than ever at Mia’s words.
“There’s no need to make peace with the Count. It’s all settled now. ”
***
“Meet the Princess.”
Everyone was a little surprised when Adele entered the reception room. She looked so different from when she had come to the palace a while ago.
She was wearing an old gray coat, and her face was noticeably thin; and she looked very haggard from not sleeping well.
“I guess Madame Chanel’s dresses are really great.”
“That’s right. I should go get another set right now.”
Everyone was sarcastically saying that Adele looked pretty back then, only because of the dress.
Adele understood what they meant, but pretended not to hear and ignored them. She was sick of not paying attention to such bullshit.
“I made cookies with meringue, but I wonder if they’ll be okay.”
“Wow, they’re really pretty. How could I eat them all if I felt bad about throwing them away?”
April’s face brightened up as soon as she saw the cookies in the box. Adele also smiled quietly, delighted at the sight of the Princess’s bright face.
“I’ll bake you tastier cookies next time.”
“Really? Actually, I haven’t had an appetite lately and haven’t been able to eat anything. But I can’t help but miss your cookies so much.”
April picked up a cookie with an adorable face and put it in her mouth. At that moment...
“Ugh! Ugh!”
She immediately gagged and covered her mouth.
“Are you okay, Princess?”
Seira, who was next to her, approached her in surprise.
April nodded with a red face and bloodshot eyes. Then she apologized deeply to Adele.
“I’m sorry, Marchioness. I want to eat, but I suddenly feel nauseous.”
Seira carefully lifted April up from her seat.
“That’s perfectly acceptable. Would you like to go out and get some fresh air?”
“I guess so.”
Seira helped the Princess out of the reception room.
Then the people who had stayed began to exchange glances and whisper.
“I guess the rumors are true. Count Weiss comes in and out of the Princess’s room every night.”
“And what about those rainy days? I heard you two were really hot on the balcony.”
“She's pregnant... right?”
“Oh my god, morning sickness?”
“Shh! If His Majesty found out, it would be a disaster!”
“They’re going to get married anyway. But it’s surprising that someone as innocent as the Princess is like that.”
“The person you’re talking to is Count Weiss. I would have been like that too.”
Adele couldn’t come to her senses because her head was pounding.
What on earth were these people talking about?
The Princess had morning sickness.
Could it be that she was pregnant with Christine’s child?
“Shh! If His Majesty found out, it would be a disaster!”
“They’re going to get married anyway. But it’s surprising that someone as innocent as the Princess is like that.”
“The person you’re talking to is Count Weiss. I would have been like that too.”
Adele couldn’t come to her senses because her head was pounding.
What on earth were these people talking about?
The Princess had morning sickness.
Could it be that she was pregnant with Christine’s child?
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