An Unexpected Gift
The door to the drawing room opened.
“This way, please.”
Olivia guided Raphaelo inside. She had personally prepared the tea—strong black tea brewed in a silver pot with a striking ruby handle, exactly as Cayena had instructed.
“I’m not sure if it will suit your taste.”
The fact that the princess’s personal maid had brewed the tea herself was a clear sign of how highly the guest was being received.
Raphaelo accepted the cup. The black tea inside was quite dark. Its aroma was rich yet not overpowering. He immediately recognized it as the very tea he had gifted her last time.
Strongly brewed black tea.
Olivia, whom he had only just met today, could not possibly have known his preference. This had to be something Cayena had told her. The more he thought about it, the less he understood the princess. Sometimes she seemed eager to impress him; other times she appeared utterly indifferent.
When his expression grew subtly complicated, Olivia asked gently, “Shall I prepare a different blend for you?”
Raphaelo’s gaze briefly left the cup. He glanced at her and answered in his usual dry tone.
“No. This is fine.”
Baston, as if trying to make up for his earlier rudeness, answered with excessive enthusiasm.
“The flavor is absolutely superb!”
Olivia smiled at the overly lively reply.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
While waiting for Cayena, Olivia carefully chose a suitable topic of conversation.
“I heard you’re donating a building to the Imperial Academy. That place holds special meaning for me as well.”
During her brief time as a student, she had distinguished herself enough for the Kedrey ducal house to decide to sponsor her.
Baston asked with open interest, “So you attended the Imperial Academy?”
“Only for a very short while. That’s when I began receiving support from the ducal family.”
“Ah! So it’s a long-standing connection? Isn’t that remarkable, Master?”
“Indeed.”
Raphaelo’s reply carried not the slightest hint of surprise.
Olivia found the coldly composed man puzzling. Just what part of him had earned the reputation of being a gentleman?
If people call him a gentleman simply because he doesn’t harass women, that might make sense… but then the standard for gentlemen is terribly low.
“Is there anything you need? Perhaps you’d like to look around the palace?”
Raphaelo declined firmly.
“I will wait here.”
Olivia wondered if he felt uncomfortable being in the same room as the woman he had nearly been engaged to.
“If my presence makes you uneasy, I can call for another maid.”
Raphaelo answered mechanically.
“Not at all. It seems I have been rude.”
Olivia had known from the start that he held no goodwill toward her. His attitude wasn’t particularly arrogant, yet it was undeniably unpleasant.
When will Her Highness arrive?
Unconsciously thinking of Cayena, Olivia wished for her to come soon.
Click.
At that moment the door opened and a servant entered.
“Her Highness the Princess has arrived.”
At the announcement, everyone rose from their seats as if they had been waiting.
The moment Cayena stepped into the drawing room, the awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere that had filled the space vanished as though it had never existed. Olivia greeted her with what sounded like a sigh of relief.
“You’ve arrived, Your Highness.”
“You’ve worked hard. I’m a bit late, aren’t I?”
Only then did Cayena glance around the drawing room. She gave Olivia’s shoulder a satisfied pat.
“As expected, you did wonderfully.”
Olivia was slightly flustered. Even the academy professor who had been kind to her had never praised her for something so trivial. At home, anything she did well was simply taken for granted. She had never expected praise, nor had she imagined it would feel so good.
With her ears turning red, Olivia quickly bowed her head.
“Thank you.”
At that moment, Raphaelo abruptly inserted himself between them.
“Raphaelo Kedrey greets Her Highness the Princess.”
He knelt on one knee and extended his hand as if to kiss the back of hers. The excessively formal gesture—something one would only see at an official event—immediately drew Cayena’s attention away from Olivia.
Cayena looked momentarily startled but quickly offered her hand, allowing the kiss.
“…It’s good to see you, Lord Kedrey.”
Raphaelo carefully took the offered hand and pressed his lips to it with solemn courtesy.
Baston, watching from the side, clapped both hands over his mouth.
Our master… just kissed a lady’s hand of his own accord…!
Baston had never seen his master voluntarily show such respect to a lady. His heart raced as he kept stealing glances at the scene.
Yet even now, Cayena did not misunderstand in the slightest.
…Last time and now again. Why is he acting like this?
She even began to suspect that Raphaelo had somehow caught her at a weakness.
Did I do something to harm him without realizing it?
But no matter how much she thought about it, she could not recall using any political tricks against him.
Olivia, reading the room, bowed her head to excuse herself.
“I will wait outside, Your Highness.”
“Hm? There’s really no need…”
But before Cayena could finish, Raphaelo saw Olivia out.
“Until next time, Miss Grace.”
Olivia responded with perfect politeness, as if she had been waiting for the cue.
“Yes. Then I shall take my leave.”
Cayena looked back and forth between the two.
The mood feels a little strange.
She had thought that simply leaving the two people who would continue to be connected in the future alone together would allow them to get along naturally. Yet it didn’t seem they had spent a particularly pleasant time.
“Your Highness.”
Cayena turned at the voice calling her. She had been staring at the door Olivia had exited through. Raphaelo took her hand and guided her to the sofa.
Suddenly, Cayena felt an unfamiliar gaze upon her. Baston was narrowing his eyes in a sly manner, the corners of his mouth twitching repeatedly.
“Today you brought someone other than Secretary Jeremy? His face looks familiar, though.”
“Baston Deborah, at your service, Your Highness!”
So this is Baston. He was portrayed as quite an amusing character in the novel.
Meeting the man she had only known through text gave her a strange sense of interest.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“The honor is entirely mine!”
Baston exclaimed and looked at the handsome man and beautiful woman seated close together.
Looking at them like this, it’s practically a masterpiece painting.
Cayena wore a cream-colored dress that gathered her hair up and revealed her collarbones. The skirt was not overly voluminous, giving her an even more elegant appearance. Raphaelo, for his part, happened to be wearing a lighter-colored formal suit than usual. They matched so perfectly it seemed as if they had coordinated in advance.
Baston inwardly praised himself for strongly recommending the cream shirt.
Master keeps pretending otherwise, but if this isn’t interest, what is?
He was convinced there was a pink aura flowing between the two.
Raphaelo opened the conversation.
“I was worried I might have imposed on someone as busy as yourself.”
Cayena waved her hand dismissively.
“Not at all. You are a guest more important to me than anyone else.”
It was only natural. After all, he was the person who would contribute the most to her safe escape from the imperial palace.
However, to Baston’s ears, Cayena’s words did not sound dry at all. He pressed his lips together and exhaled through his nose. What is this? Isn’t this a pink aura?
Even as Baston’s eyes darted about busily, Raphaelo remained composed. He knew full well that Cayena had not meant the words in a sweet sense. Still, they sounded pleasant. Especially the part about being “more important than anyone else.”
Cayena checked the items on the table and asked, “The refreshments seem a bit lacking. Are you not hungry?”
She had noticed it before, but Cayena occasionally—no, often—spoke to others as if they were much younger than herself, even though almost no one around her actually was.
“I am fine.”
“My maid didn’t neglect her duties as hostess, did she? I hope the two of you got along. She will be the one to represent me from now on.”
Raphaelo realized that Cayena cared about Olivia on a personal level as well. Why? For what reason? He tilted his head slightly and said, “You cherish her.”
Cayena smiled faintly.
I cherish Olivia? Well… In truth, everything I’m doing is simply for my own peace of mind.
She thought that perhaps this way she could be forgiven, even a little, for the sins of the past. She knew she was being selfish, but she couldn’t feel at ease otherwise.
It was time to speak seriously about the purpose of today’s meeting.
“I was quite surprised when you suddenly announced you would build a new building at the academy in my name.”
Cayena had been genuinely shocked. She had even forgotten her dignity and let out a rather crude exclamation.
Raphaelo had pondered how he could naturally arrange a meeting with her. That was when Jeremy had suggested giving her a birthday present in advance. It had been quite good advice.
“I wasn’t sure what would make a suitable coming-of-age gift, so my choice may have been lacking. I hope it pleased Your Highness.”
Raphaelo was the first man to give Cayena a gift of honor rather than dresses or jewelry. If she had still been the same villainess as before, such an honorable gift would never have come her way. The present he gave her felt like recognition that she was doing well now.
“It was such an unexpected gift that I was a little flustered, but I truly am grateful.”
Her words and smile carried genuine feeling.
Raphaelo could now admit it completely. Cayena’s smile was beautiful. More precisely, the smile directed at him was beautiful. The one she gave Olivia was not so much…
He spoke impulsively.
“Shall I build one more?”
“…Pardon?”
“A theater or a department store… in Your Highness’s name…”
— To be continued —