No matter how I weighed it, the possibility of me getting close to the First Consort was virtually non-existent. For one thing, I was physiologically incompatible with her. The First Consort likely felt the same way about me, as she did not like me.
I decided to go all out.
"Excessiveness is not courage, but recklessness, Lady Elliot."
The First Consort spoke clearly to me, grinding her teeth. I took a sip of the tea I had been savoring and set the teacup down. The warm tea flowed down my throat.
"Depending on who does it, recklessness can sometimes become an ability."
“Ha, it’s an ability.”
The Consort twisted one side of her lip upward. It was a mocking laugh that implied, "Do you have such an ability?"
I met her gaze head-on. Once again, a silence colder than ice and snow settled between the First Consort and me. She and I glared at each other without even blinking.
"Uh, come to think of it, Young Lady's coming-of-age ceremony isn't far off, is it?"
The Empress, who had been holding her breath as if dead while watching the First Consort and me, suddenly broke the silence. At the Empress's unexpected remark, I turned my gaze from the First Consort to the Empress.
"Ah, I was wondering how the preparations are going..."
She trailed off, glancing at the First Consort. The words the Empress and the First Consort had prepared for me seemed like there were a lot.
I leaned back against the chair and straightened my body. I didn't know what they had prepared, but I couldn't just meekly let them get me.
"I am overwhelmed by Your Majesty the Empress's concern for me."
"I'm curious about that too."
The First Consort unfolded her fan again. Her eyes were still as cold as frost, but a gentle smile hung on the corners of her lips.
"What is there to prepare? It's just a coming-of-age ceremony that everyone goes through."
"Isn't it a once-in-a-lifetime day? Moreover, a young lady's coming-of-age ceremony is even more special."
Anasha had found this out as well. There was no way the First Consort was unaware of the fact that I would not be undergoing the coming-of-age ceremony. It seemed as though the First Consort wanted to hear me say that I would not be having the ceremony.
Not holding the coming-of-age ceremony meant that my debut in society would be delayed by that much. Moreover, the public reason I decided not to hold the ceremony was the grief over the loss of my maternal grandfather. It was absurd for me to attend a party in the near future to make my debut in society when I had not even held the ceremony due to the grief of losing my grandfather. It meant that if I were to make my debut in society without holding the ceremony, it would take at least several months.
Without making my debut in society, I would be nothing more than the Crown Prince's fiancée. In order for the marriage to proceed, I absolutely had to make my debut in society first. It was for the same reason that the Emperor at the time had the marriage proceed at my coming-of-age ceremony.
The First Consort did not want me to marry the Crown Prince. There was a significant difference between being the Crown Prince's fiancée and the Crown Princess. As long as I remained his fiancée, the Elliot family's ability to assist the Crown Prince was limited. However, the moment I became the Crown Princess, the Elliot family would become his in-laws. This would allow them to serve as a powerful backer capable of fully supporting the Crown Prince. This was the reason the First Empress's faction was desperately trying to prevent my marriage to the Crown Prince.
"Oh dear, I completely forgot. There was no one to prepare the coming-of-age ceremony for the young lady, was there?"
A child's coming-of-age ceremony was usually prepared by the mother. If there was no mother, it was typically prepared by the grandmother, maternal grandmother, or a female direct blood relative. None of these applied to me.
Although Anasha was there as my maternal grandmother, she was of commoner origin. Even if I were to mention that I have Anasha here, it wouldn't work at all on the First Consort. On the contrary, she would likely use that as an excuse to disparage me.
"Oh dear, how can a noble lady possibly hold her coming-of-age ceremony without a chaperone..."
The Empress responded to the First Consort's words with a look of pity. It seemed they were determined to get me to say that I would not hold the coming-of-age ceremony. I originally had no intention of holding the ceremony, but seeing the First Consort act this way, my mind changed.
Although this did not apply to Young masters, the presence of a chaperone was absolutely necessary for a noble lady to make her debut in society. Making her debut in society without a chaperone was treated like standing naked in the middle of the street. In short, it meant she was a surefire way to be ridiculed.
Usually, the role of chaperone was taken by the mother of the young lady making her debut in society. As with the coming-of-age ceremony, if the mother was absent, the most influential blood relative in society took her place.
At the moment, I had no one suitable to serve as my chaperone. I rummaged through my mind to find a suitable candidate. There was a general manager on the Elliot side, and my maternal grandfather had two sisters on the Pison side, but both were currently living in regions far from the capital. There was simply not enough time for them to arrive in time for my coming-of-age ceremony.
At that time, my coming-of-age ceremony coincided with my wedding to the Crown Prince. I didn't particularly need a chaperone. It wasn't right for me to marry the Crown Prince again, just like I did back then, simply to try and beat the First Consort on this occasion.
"If Young Lady is okay with it, I'm fine with taking her place."
The First Consort smiled arrogantly and waved her fan. Since the First Consort had said this, no one other than a blood relative could become my chaperone.
To become my chaperone was no different from openly disregarding the First Consort's influence in society. Unless someone held a much higher position than the First Consort or intended to antagonize her, no one would step forward to become my chaperone.
The problem was not just my coming-of-age ceremony; even my debut in society was in jeopardy. To make my debut, I had to either find a chaperone on my own or accept the First Consort offer. The First Consort proposal would soon become known to the entire social circle. There was no way any noblewoman would become my chaperone at the cost of antagonizing the First Consort.
"What do you think, Young Lady?"
The First Consort's red lips curved upward.
'I got hit hard.'
"I appreciate Your Highness's proposal, but my maternal grandmother has already agreed to serve as my chaperone."
Just as I was thinking that I should ask Anasha to serve as my chaperone, even if it meant getting into trouble, the door opened, and the Crown Prince entered. Behind him stood attendants and court ladies fidgeting nervously. It seemed he had pushed them aside and opened the door himself to enter. The Crown Prince approached in an instant, grabbed my hand, and helped me stand up.
"I missed you. My Bee."
He looked me straight in the eyes and kissed the back of my hand. I could vividly feel the touch of his soft lips on the back of my hand.
"C, Crown Prince!"
"Please forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty the Empress."
He bowed his head toward the Empress. Startled by the Crown Prince's sudden appearance, the First Consort cried out as if screaming.
He lifted his head, which he had been bowing.
"Hearing that my fiancée is here, I couldn't just sit still."
He smiled brightly at the Empress. The Empress blushed at his charming smile.
Objectively speaking, he was a very handsome young man. His smooth, porcelain-like skin showed not even a single pore, and his lips, neither too big nor too small, were red and moist as if he had applied lipstick. His nose extended gracefully, his jawline appeared slightly sharp, and his eyes, with their thin double eyelids, curved alluringly whenever he smiled.
Although he could have easily appeared feminine, his thick eyebrows, tall stature, and sturdy physique honed by swordsmanship contrasted with his beautiful face, further highlighting his masculinity. In particular, whenever one met his piercingly shining golden eyes, one felt a dizzying sensation, as if being drawn into an abyss-like depth.
Back then, I fell in love with the Crown Prince at first sight and could not get over him until the day I died. The Empress was just beginning to mature as a woman. Perhaps it was only natural that the Empress blushed at his charming smile.
The First Consort looked at the Empress with disapproval and clicked her tongue. At the sound of the First Consort clicking her tongue, the Empress buried her flushed face low to hide it, as if feeling ashamed.
"The Crown Prince of the Empire is truly acting rashly. Maintain your dignity, Crown Prince."
The First Consort waved her fan and delivered a sharp rebuke to the Crown Prince. Turning his gaze away from the Empress, he looked at the First Consort and narrowed his eyes.
"Is it not at the prime of my youth? With a fiancée about to undergo her coming-of-age ceremony, how could I not feel a flutter in my heart? I humbly beg Your benevolent Majesty the Empress to understand the feelings of this humble servant."
The First Consort fan, which had been swaying gently, came to a halt. Her gaze toward the Crown Prince was filled with such murderous intent that if a mere glance could kill a person, the Crown Prince would have died many times over.
The Crown Prince completely ignored the First Consort's presence by responding to the Empress in response to her sharp rebuke. He leaned close to me and gently wrapped his arms around my waist. The Crown Prince's intention was clear. I decided to join him in his plan to humiliate the First Consort.
"Why are you so late? I have waited endlessly for Your Highness."
"I didn't know you would be here. Why didn't you come straight to my palace? Then I wouldn't have had to wait like this."
He pressed his lips gently against my forehead with a look of pity. As if seizing an opportunity, the Crown Prince tightened his grip on my waist and pulled me close to his embrace.
Since I was wearing heels today, I wanted to stomp on his feet with all my might, but the First Consort was glaring at me right in front of my face. It would have been difficult to carry it out secretly. I wrapped my arms around his back as if to hug his waist and pinched his side with all my might.
His body twitched. I gave him a satisfied smile.
"Her Majesty the Empress summoned me this way."
"Oh dear, today is the day His Majesty ordered just for the two of us, but it seems Her Majesty the Empress briefly forgot. Her Majesty the Empress, I am right in my judgment, am I?"
"O-Of course. Absolutely. The Crown Prince is right. I simply forgot."
The Empress nodded so firmly that I was worried her head might fall off. The Emperor had ordered me, who had been staying secluded in the Elliot household, to spend time with the Crown Prince two or three times a week. He also commanded others not to disturb the time I spent with the Crown Prince. Although it was not her intention, the Empress acted against the Emperor's command by summoning me here. With a face as pale as blood, she looked at the First Consort with pity.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment