A Spark of Possessiveness
The table, draped in a luxurious tablecloth, looked like a blooming flower bed. Colorful pastries and cakes, ranging from melt-in-your-mouth sweet to pleasantly bitter, were laid out in a spread that delighted not only the palate and nose but the eyes as well. The tea was no exception. Brewed by professional maids, its subtle and profound aroma held its own against the overwhelming presence of the desserts, standing proud as another main attraction of the tea party. Yet, I was not focused on eating or drinking at the moment.
"This is the first time I have greeted you like this, isn't it? It is truly an honor to meet you, Princess Sera! I am Tina of the House of Lorencia."
Out of all the nobles attending the tea party, she was the one who caught my eye. Tina Lorencia. The young daughter of the Lorencia family. Naturally, I knew her name, and I recalled seeing her face before. She was around my age, possessing the refined features befitting a lady of the kingdom's highest nobility. Her dark brown hair, styled in twin braids, complemented her blue eyes beautifully.
Arranging a meeting between a member of the Lorencia family and me at this specific juncture was undoubtedly intentional. It was highly probable that this gathering had been organized at Tina Lorencia's behest. Perhaps she intended to blend in with the crowd of other nobles to observe me, her target.
Masking my inner thoughts with a bright, radiant smile, I spoke.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Tina. This is indeed our first time speaking face-to-face. I look forward to getting to know you."
"Fufu, today's gathering was actually arranged at Tina's suggestion, Sera. The moment she heard that the Princess was spending her days here in loneliness, she asked if we couldn't all pay you a visit... Huhut."
Carmel, too, wore her mask of smiles, playing the part of a benevolent and composed Queen. As expected, this tea party had been orchestrated by Tina Lorencia. But why was Carmel, of all people, revealing this to me?
Having been put on the spot, Tina Lorencia flusteredly waved her hands in the air, a reaction quite unbefitting a noble lady.
"Y-Your Majesty! W-We agreed not to mention that...! Ah, no, Princess...! It's not that I pitied you or anything like that, it's just... I simply wished to meet you at least once!"
Her voice was thick with obvious panic as she brought her teacup to her lips. The hand holding the cup was trembling quite noticeably. She did not seem flustered because her underlying motive of probing me had been exposed. Of course, I could not entirely rule out the possibility of it being an act.
"Thank you, Tina. I am truly glad to have the opportunity to converse with so many people after such a long time."
"R-Really? I am so glad to hear that. I-I am also incredibly happy to meet you, Princess Sera. To tell you the truth, I have wanted to speak with you for the longest time."
"With me? Whatever for?"
Tina Lorencia opened her mouth, only to close it immediately. Her expression was one of hesitation, as if debating whether she should truly voice her thoughts.
"Well... because you are the ultimate idol among us young noblewomen, Princess! Your appearance is like an angel who has just descended from the heavens, and you are so capable, actively participating in state affairs...! You are the person I look up to the most!"
It felt as though stars were literally sparkling in her eyes. The haughtiness of a high noble that I had glimpsed in my first impression of her was entirely gone. She looked exactly like a fan standing before their favorite idol. If I were to take this attitude at face value, it would seem Tina Lorencia harbored pure goodwill toward me... but was that truly the case?
I could not bring myself to believe this lavish tea party was held merely for the sake of friendship. At a time when some conspiracy was brewing between Carmel and the House of Lorencia, this timing was far too precise to be dismissed as a mere coincidence. Therefore, even this girlish demeanor of Tina Lorencia—gazing at me with flushed cheeks and nervous eyes—must have a hidden motive behind it.
As proof, while Carmel chimed in on the conversations of the other nobles, she was secretly keeping a close eye on me, as if waiting to see how I would react. That meant I had to be even more careful not to show any vulnerability.
"Oh, I am not nearly as remarkable as you think. Even now, I am being punished by His Majesty's decree, confined to my mother's chambers like this... Saying it out loud makes me quite embarrassed, ahaha..."
"That is true. Living together, I have realized that Sera has quite a few clumsy sides to her. She can be needlessly greedy at times, too."
Seizing the opportunity, Carmel took a subtle jab at me. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the sight of me struggling to grasp the true purpose of this tea party.
"My, is that something you should be saying, Mother? Especially when you were so drunk last night that you went to sleep without even wearing your underwear."
At my counterattack, a crack formed on Carmel's mask of smiles. However, she quickly composed herself and raised her voice.
"Hohot, oh Sera, what a silly joke... Hohohot!"
"Fufufuhut."
Carmel quickly swept the topic under the rug with an exaggerated laugh. Why do you pick fights you are bound to lose, Carmel? Savoring a small sense of victory, I took a sip of my tea, only for Tina Lorencia to speak to me again in a timid voice.
"Um, excuse me, Princess Sera..."
"Yes?"
"If it is alright with you... once your confinement is lifted, would you care to visit our estate? Of course, we will prepare a reception befitting your status. Something far grander than a simple tea party like this... Ah! No, no, no! I didn't mean to imply that the royal family's tea party is lacking! Ah, what I mean is..."
Hmm, so this was the goal. Whatever they planned to do by inviting me, plotting against a member of the royal family within the palace was no easy task. Drawing me to their home turf—the largest fiefdom in the kingdom—would grant them far more options and leverage. If so, Tina Lorencia's seemingly innocent attitude made sense. She was likely being used merely as a tool to extend the invitation, probably by someone in her family who knew of her admiration for me.
Yet, it was also true that this was far too clumsy to be called a conspiracy. As a scheme involving Carmel and the most powerful noble house in the country, it was incredibly sloppy. It was best to view this as merely one of many contingency plans—something they threw out on the off chance that a foolish princess might accept, and if not, no harm done.
"Yes, of course. Once my confinement is over and I have settled the royal duties that have piled up, I will be sure to visit."
This was the best response for now. I accepted the invitation without giving up the initiative regarding the timing. Yet, even at this noncommittal acceptance, Tina Lorencia's face lit up as if a light switch had been flipped.
"Yes! Thank you so much, Princess Sera! It is an absolute honor!"
"The hospitality of the House of Lorencia... I am quite envious, Sera. When the time comes, may I accompany you?"
"Pardon? Ah, of course, Your Majesty. If both of our esteemed guests were to visit together, it would be the greatest honor imaginable for the House of Lorencia."
This was not ideal. Carmel's reason for interjecting was clear. While she likely wanted to interfere with whatever would happen at the Lorencia estate, she also wanted to wrest away control of the visit's timing. No matter how much I tried to delay it, if Carmel pressed me using this promise as leverage, I would not be able to put it off indefinitely. I could not simply break a joint promise made alongside the Queen, who was also my stepmother.
However, I had no proper justification to refuse Carmel here. Should I have rejected the invitation outright instead? Perhaps she had gotten the better of me this time. Well, no matter; I had plenty of time to prepare. My house arrest was not yet over, and I could buy additional time under the pretext of sorting through my backlogged duties. In the meantime, I would uncover the true intentions of both Carmel and the House of Lorencia.
Smiling at both Tina Lorencia and Carmel, I spoke.
"Visiting Lorencia with Mother... Fufut, I am looking forward to it immensely."
The bustling tea party came to an end, and before long, late evening arrived. I spoke to Carmel after she returned to the room.
"That was quite an enjoyable tea party this afternoon. But I heard it was rather impromptu... What brought this on, Mother?"
"I already told you that during the day, didn't I? While we were talking, Tina mentioned she wanted to meet you. It was entirely a coincidence."
Tina, is it? You two seem quite close.
"That is a very interesting story. While you were secretly contacting the House of Lorencia behind the scenes, Tina Lorencia just happened to mention wanting to meet me out of pure coincidence. If this were a novel, no reader would ever suspect it of being foreshadowing."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's the truth. The same goes for Tina's invitation. If this had been planned in advance, do you really think I would have chosen such an obvious, blatant method?"
Hmm, that was certainly true. Such a noisy, conspicuous approach was not Carmel's style. Of course, I couldn't take her words entirely at face value.
"Then are you saying the Lorencias acted on their own?"
"Who knows? Perhaps Tina genuinely admires you. She has always been like that, but today she looked like a girl who had fallen head over heels in love."
"Hmm..."
Indeed, the affection Tina Lorencia had shown me was of a caliber that was hard to dismiss as a mere act. If it were a facade, she would have to be an exceptionally talented actress. But at that moment, my mind was occupied by an entirely different thought.
"Mother, do you always spend your time surrounded by other women like that?"
The noblewomen at the tea party had seemed quite close to Carmel. It appeared they had already gathered like this several times in places I knew nothing about. Of course, Carmel had worn her mask of hypocrisy the entire time. Her sociable demeanor was nothing more than a fabrication. I was the only one who knew the true Carmel beneath that mask. Yet, that fact brought me no comfort right now. Imagining Carmel mingling with other women in places beyond my sight, smiling at them—even if those smiles were fake—caused a dark, murky emotion to well up from the deepest depths of my heart.
"Ha? What on earth are you talking about?"
In truth, I knew. I knew that such duties were part of a Queen's role. But understanding it did not make me hate it any less. The dark emotion, now overflowing, lent a sharp edge to my voice.
"You looked quite pleased. Calling them by their names so easily... Do you always sell your smiles in front of other women like that? When I am always..."
I bit my lip and cut myself off. I could not bring myself to say the next words.
When I only think of you, Mother, no matter who I am with.
Because that was my true weakness. If Carmel were to mock me for it, it felt as though my very soul would be scarred.
"Have you been drinking?"
Hearing my words, which were far too reckless to even be considered a provocation, Carmel simply frowned in sheer disbelief. With her brow furrowed, she seemed to fall into deep thought. Meanwhile, a chaotic battle of thoughts raged inside my own head. The dark emotion that had caused this mess, self-loathing, the desperate search for a way to salvage the situation, and the sheer embarrassment of having exposed my raw feelings.
Amidst the chaos, Carmel called my name in a firm voice.
"Sera Rustier."
I did not answer. Even as I tried to formulate a response, the battle in my mind continued.
"You said you were going to defile me, didn't you?"
"...Pardon?"
At her unexpected words, I lifted my head. Carmel, her face still contorted in a frown, continued speaking with a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
"You have already defiled my body with those hands of yours several times. Do you honestly think I would ever allow any of that crowd to do such things to me?"
Carmel's words echoed in my ears. As her voice resonated in my mind, the turbulent thoughts inside me came to a temporary truce. Could this be... Is Carmel trying to comfort me? No way...
"Carmel...?"
Like magic, my intense emotions subsided. Seeing that I had returned to my usual composure, Carmel stopped what she was about to say and sat down on the sofa with an annoyed, lingering scowl.
"Honestly... what am I even doing..."
Carmel herself seemed bewildered by her own words. Of course, I was just as surprised as she was.
"Let me make one thing clear...! That doesn't mean I have any intention of letting you have your way with me again! This time, I will pay you back tenfold for everything you've done to me... so you had better prepare yourself!"
I could tell she was trying her hardest to sound fierce and menacing. The problem was, it didn't sound convincing in the slightest.
"Ah... Yes, I will..."
For some reason, my heart wouldn't stop racing. Watching Carmel glare at me with mock ferocity, I made a silent vow to the pounding in my chest. Next time, I would absolutely subject Carmel to the ultimate humiliation.