Chapter 12
I personally brought Agasa back to my palace.
She still seemed completely dazed, unable to even lift her head, merely scurrying along behind my maids.
“Your Highness.”
Brillinte, one of my attendants, widened her eyes at the unfamiliar face.
“Who is that child?”
“Mm, this is Agasa.”
I handed my parasol to Brillinte and sat down on the sofa.
“I found her while I was out walking, so I brought her with me.”
“Agasa… Ah, the very girl Your Highness had been looking for.”
Curious about our conversation, the timid Agasa carefully glanced at me.
I smiled innocently at her pink eyes.
“I heard you’re quite good at tending flowers. Is that true?”
“Ah—yes. My late adoptive father was a gardener.”
As expected, just like in the original story written in the diary.
Clapping lightly as if delighted, I beamed.
“That’s perfect! I’ve been needing someone to help me with the garden lately. I must have planted far too many flowers.”
“B-But my skills aren’t particularly exceptional…”
“Tsk.”
When Agasa hesitated, Brillinte made a displeased sound.
“Her Highness is personally making you an offer. Surely you’re not thinking of refusing?”
“Really? Staying by my side would be far more comfortable than working at the laundry yard. Or do you still dislike the idea?”
When I looked at her with wide, expectant eyes, Agasa hurriedly shook her head.
“No, not at all. Thank you so much for thinking kindly of me, Your Highness.”
“Good, Agasa.”
Smiling deeply, I turned to Brillinte.
“Then send someone at once to transfer Agasa’s assignment! Update the records to list her as my maid as well.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Nodding, Brillinte turned to Agasa.
“To revise your records, we’ll need your date of birth in addition to your name. When is your birthday?”
Agasa seemed overwhelmed by how suddenly everything was unfolding.
After hearing the birthday she stammered out, I smiled.
“Oh, it’s not far off. From today… one month and two days away, isn’t it?”
Heh. I wonder how anxious Gobard must be.
That was the exact day he had planned to confess to this girl.
‘The male lead revealing everything on the heroine’s birthday.’
How romantic.
But before indulging in romance, he should have paid closer attention to just how much trouble the heroine had endured.
Most of it caused by him, no less.
‘Otherwise, a sly fox like me might just snatch her away.’
“Come to think of it, Brillinte and Agasa have the same eye color! Such a pretty peach-blossom shade~.”
My maid Brillinte was the daughter of the Duke of Sanderin.
Agasa wouldn’t know such details, but she seemed aware that Brillinte was a high-ranking noble. She couldn’t even lift her head, staring only at the floor.
With a slightly sulky expression, Brillinte grumbled at me.
“Your Highness… Pink eyes aren’t exactly common, but still…”
I didn’t bother responding to her complaint and simply kept smiling.
‘Because Agasa is the younger sister you were searching for all this time, Brillinte.’
That’s why their eye colors are identical.
The moment I learned from Mother’s diary that Agasa was the Sanderin family’s lost second daughter, I immediately set Modway in motion.
After observing Agasa for some time, I confirmed that she had a small star-shaped birthmark on the inside of her calf.
‘In the exact same spot and shape as Brillinte’s.’
The same mark that the late Duchess of Sanderin had, apparently.
Isn’t that amusing?
‘The commoner heroine is actually the noble daughter of a prestigious ducal house…’
Well, a story would feel incomplete without that kind of setting.
The spirits popped into existence and fluttered around Brillinte and Agasa.
[You fools~ The little sister you’ve been desperately searching for is right beside you~.]
[Tsk tsk, it seems human perception is simply too narrow.]
They had read Mother’s diary with me, so they knew Agasa’s true identity as well.
Modway perched lightly atop Agasa’s head and asked,
[Master, when are you going to tell them they’re sisters?]
I tilted my head slowly.
‘Hmm… perhaps when the situation reaches its climax?’
It probably won’t take long.
Until then, let’s keep this twist as our little secret.
At my answer, the spirits burst into delighted giggles.
The Emperor officially announced Gobard and Avewa’s marriage.
As a result, Avewa seemed so busy that she had no time to see me.
“It’s all thanks to Your Highness, yet I haven’t even been able to visit and express my gratitude! I’m truly sorry!”
Reading the hurried letter Avewa had written, I smirked.
‘It’s fine, Avewa. I calculated even this when I set you in motion.’
Setting her letter aside lightly, I stood up and declared energetically,
“Alright! Today is the delightful tea party~!”
“Yes, Your Highness. The carriage is ready.”
At Brillinte’s words, I left the palace with light steps and boarded the carriage.
Today’s tea party was hosted by the First Imperial Consort, Darian’s mother.
After the Empress died, the First Consort had firmly established her presence by filling the vacant position.
‘…Though in the original story, it was Mother who held the Emperor’s favor.’
Lost briefly in thought, we arrived at the First Consort’s palace.
Taking the attendant’s hand as I stepped down from the carriage, I found an unexpected person waiting for me.
“Good afternoon, Neroli.”
“Oh? Kynia!”
I smiled brightly and approached my half-sister, Kynia.
She naturally guided me forward as she spoke.
“You seem to have regained your strength. That’s a relief.”
“Yes! It’s still so hard without Mother… but I’m trying to stay strong!”
“That’s wise. We carry far too much on our shoulders to grieve endlessly over a family member’s death, don’t we?”
At her words, I gave a faint, bitter smile.
‘I didn’t want any of it. That’s why I tried not to stand out…’
Perhaps noticing my slightly lowered mood, Kynia said coolly,
“Even if my mother or Darian were to die one day, I’d grieve for just a single day and move on.”
“Really?”
“I’m not joking. I’m always prepared.”
An accident, an assassination… or even a choice.
As she murmured that, Kynia’s red eyes looked resolute. In a way, she seemed detached from everything.
‘So different from her full-blooded brother, Darian.’
…No.
Come to think of it, Darian and Kynia were originally said to resemble each other quite a bit.
‘In the original story, Darian was rather indifferent.’
Could this be the aftermath of his madness?
The current Darian was like a blazing inferno.
Especially whenever he looked at me.
Mother’s diary had written that she was shocked from their very first meeting.
‘She even blamed herself, thinking that if she hadn’t twisted the original story, Darian wouldn’t have turned out like that.’
If Darian had never met me, would he truly have carried the same air as Kynia?
Lost in such meaningless speculation, I followed Kynia until we reached a garden in full bloom.
At the center of the well-tended garden stood a round table, where the imperial consorts were already deep in conversation.
The First Consort smiled gracefully upon seeing us.
“Kynia has brought Neroli.”
At that, the other two consorts chuckled.
“How close you are.”
“I wish I had a daughter as well.”
After offering a neat greeting, I sat beside Kynia.
Once we were seated, the consorts resumed their conversation.
“I didn’t expect Gobard’s wedding to be scheduled so soon.”
“In just a month… First Consort, you must be quite busy.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Gobard’s marriage is a celebration for the Empire.”
Saying so, the First Consort lifted her teacup.
The other consorts exchanged unreadable smiles and drank as well.
After a brief silence settled over the table—
The Third Consort leisurely opened her mouth.
“Oh, by the way, have you all heard? The reason Gobard kept postponing his marriage.”
The Third Consort hailed from the Zelauer Count family, which owned the largest newspaper in the Empire.
She was highly sensitive to information and quick to gather various bits of gossip.
Having obtained news once again, her expression was triumphant.
The Second Consort showed a hint of curiosity.
“Wasn’t it simply because he was busy with state affairs?”
“Heh, if that were the case, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”
Lowering her voice slightly in delight, the Third Consort whispered,
“It seems Gobard had a lover he was seeing privately.”
“My, is that true?”
“Of course. I even found out what he secretly purchased recently.”
At that, even the First Consort set down her teacup with interest and looked at her.
With both consorts’ attention focused on her, the Third Consort spoke with growing excitement.
“A ring. Purchased by His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“A ring?”
“Yes, and not just any ring—a pink diamond. The very gem that caused such a stir in high society when it appeared at auction a month ago!”
The moment she finished speaking, I smiled brightly.
“A pink diamond! I saw a picture of it too. It was such a lovely peach-blossom color!”
At that instant, I heard someone behind me stumble.
There was no need to turn around to know who it was.
I simply continued smiling innocently.
