A Dangerous Smile
The two of them settled at a small table prepared in the flower garden. Cayena arranged the hem of her dress and asked with feigned innocence.
“Is Sir Zenon Evans still unmarried?”
“That is correct.”
“How can a fine man like you still have no fiancée? Does Marquis Roderick Evans not concern himself with the matter?”
Zenon was the younger brother of Marquis Evans, who owned one of the empire’s most prominent granary regions. His influence was immense. It was rare for a man of his standing to remain unmarried without even a betrothal, especially as the brother of a great landowner.
“I simply missed the proper timing.”
“Missed the timing? That seems an inadequate way to describe it. You are still in your prime.”
He was only in his late twenties. Though his cold features might be considered a flaw, his appearance was more than presentable. His body, honed through constant training, possessed a robust, masculine appeal.
“I am deeply grateful for your kind words.”
Zenon was the sort of man who believed women existed only to cling to his ankles.
There had never been a woman worthy of the second son of a great landowning family. Those with beauty lacked intellect, and those with intellect lacked pedigree.
“At the banquet celebrating my coming-of-age, it might be good to find a match for you as well. Many young nobles will be in attendance.”
“Would it be appropriate for me to seek my own match at an event meant to find Her Highness a partner?”
Cayena responded with breezy composure.
“The nights granted to us are finite. If we are too selective about the moment, how can we ever find our destiny?”
“…How romantic.”
“Love, like an accident, can arrive in a single instant.”
Every word from Cayena carried a calm composure. As he watched her, a thirst rose in his throat like a burning dryness.
Is this woman truly only just becoming an adult?
He was far older than she was. Yet strangely, he could not feel that Cayena was younger. In fact, she made him feel as though he were the hot-blooded youth in this exchange.
Truly strange.
He had never imagined he would feel such tension while dealing with Princess Cayena.
Yet look at him now. He was far more attentive than when facing his elder brother, who was practically the ruler of the East.
“…Has Your Highness found such a love?”
The question was clearly aimed at Raphael.
Cayena smiled sweetly.
“I do not seek it.”
When Zenon slightly furrowed his brow, Cayena rested her arms on the table and leaned forward a little.
“I am waiting for it to find me.”
Cayena looked at him with a smile that revealed nothing of her true thoughts. At that smile, Zenon clenched his fist tightly beneath the table. The princess was boldly provoking him.
I will give you a chance, so try your best to seduce me.
That was what her smile was saying.
Instead of coaxing him, she was granting him an opportunity? It was absurd, yet it strangely stirred his competitive spirit.
The princess, huh.
He had never once considered Cayena as a potential marriage partner. Though she was beautiful, she fell short compared to the average noble daughter.
But the Cayena before him now was different.
Interesting.
Somewhere deep in his heart, a desire to answer her provocation surged. He licked his lips, savoring the taut tension between them.
If he connected with Cayena, he would no longer need to bow beneath Rezef. However, he could not carelessly step into that swamp just yet.
The more they conversed, the clearer the vague feeling he had sensed became.
Princess Cayena was dangerous. She was a woman like a fog where one could not see even an inch ahead. She was also a swamp of unknowable depth.
He was an ordinary man with as much interest in beautiful women as anyone else. The reason it had never shown before was simply that no woman had ever satisfied him.
Yet in this very moment, a possessive desire flew into his heart like an accident and took root.
“Your Highness is making me quite confused.”
Cayena widened her eyes, then laughed like a flower swaying in the breeze.
“Confusion comes from not knowing. If you know the answer, there is nothing to be confused about.”
With that, the nature of their relationship became clear. Zenon rose from his seat and approached Cayena’s side. He knelt on one knee, took her hand, and kissed it deeply.
“I will certainly find it.”
Zenon had accepted her provocation. He was certain of his victory. No matter how she struggled, Cayena was still a paper princess.
All without realizing how foolish that assumption was.
* * *
Cayena refused Zenon’s offer to escort her all the way to the princess’s palace.
Proud men are easy to handle.
She thought so with an expressionless face.
“I must select the maids as soon as possible.”
As soon as she returned to her bedroom, Cayena began drafting a petition to the emperor.
She intended to keep only four maids, including Vera. This was to strengthen the sense of privilege that becoming a maid of the princess’s palace was the greatest honor imaginable.
There was a sound reason for limiting herself to only four maids. The authority of the Inner Court could be divided into four major categories.
One maid to handle everyday etiquette and procedures, such as receiving Her Highness’s guests and managing parties or gatherings.
One maid to oversee everything related to what the princess ate—meals and medicine alike.
One maid to manage the princess’s clothing, residence, and tools in their entirety.
One maid to supervise, discipline, and punish the conduct and duties of all servants belonging to the princess’s palace.
Power follows those who work.
Until now, Rezef had interfered in every matter of the princess’s palace on the grounds that he held the authority of the Inner Court.
The maids of the princess’s palace had been nothing more than decorative, possessing no real power. Cayena intended to correct that first. Even if it was a short period, she needed to establish a system so that Rezef could not meddle as he pleased even if he were reinstated.
“Vera. I will grant you the authority to supervise the conduct and duties of all servants belonging to the princess’s palace from now on.”
It was the most delicate task among those performed by her maids. And Vera was the perfect person for it.
“I will serve Your Highness with all my heart.”
She had already chosen suitable candidates for the remaining positions as well.
Olivia would take on the role of receiving guests and acting as a sort of herald.
I must increase Olivia’s influence in high society.
True to her role as the heroine, Olivia was a born observer with keen insight. She would undoubtedly be perfect for the position.
Now only two more needed to be selected.
“I will appoint Julia Evans and Susan Lepol as maids of the princess’s palace.”
Vera frowned slightly at the unexpected choices and fell into thought. Julia Evans, the cherished daughter of the Evans Marquisate, and Susan Lepol, the second daughter of Count Lepol…
“In terms of family background, both are impeccable. However, I have doubts about their individual capabilities. Especially Lady Julia Evans.”
If Julia Evans entered the princess’s palace, Rezef would not object. In fact, he would welcome it. He would think she was one of his own people.
Yet whether the only daughter of the Evans family—called the rulers of the East—could properly perform the duties of a maid remained uncertain.
And what of Susan Lepol, the second daughter of Count Lepol? She, too, would likely have never done any real labor. Moreover, her temperament was quite…
“Susan is known for her difficult personality.”
Unlike her quiet-natured father, Count Lepol, Susan was known as a viper with a blade in her mouth. She was intelligent and talented, but she easily looked down on others. She did not hesitate to speak cuttingly, which made her rather unpopular in high society.
“But will His Highness Prince Rezef permit Lady Susan?”
The Lepol family was related by blood to Archduke Heinrich.
Yet there was a reason she was pushing this through.
In the original story, Susan Lepol becomes Olivia’s one and only friend.
In her first life, Susan had been bold enough to splash wine on Cayena and laugh openly in her face.
“Even if her family is related to Archduke Heinrich, they have no connection to Prince Heinrich himself.”
The Lepol family was also one that had not yet declared support for any successor. People simply assumed they belonged to that side because of their relation to the archduke.
And Susan greatly dislikes Prince Heinrich.
Of course, she also detested Rezef. It would be good to draw her to her own side while the opportunity existed.
“The Lepol family is a loyal border count house, so it will look good to others. And wouldn’t it be quite meaningful to have Rezef’s person, Prince Heinrich’s person, and Kidray’s person all gathered in one place?”
At those words, Vera let out a gasp of admiration.
Now that she thought about it, it was true. The three major factions representing the Eldaim Empire would be gathered in this princess’s palace. Although Susan was not actually Prince Heinrich’s person, society viewed her that way.
The Villainess Is a Marionette