The conversation went on for a while with nothing special happening. It almost seemed too good to be true.

At some point, Jenna was able to speak though. She showed the group a friendly expression but still seemed more than unpleasant to Lucille. She clapped her hands while beginning. “I wish to tell all of you something now that I am able to speak without disturbing anyone. Me and my husband are in the middle of preparing a small event at our mansion. Naturally, the formal invitations will arrive soon. I merely wished to inform you of this beforehand. We organized a little ball that will be held in two weeks. I would be happy if all of you could attend if you happen to find the time. If not, that would be a shame, but we understand that our short notice may have been at fault.”

After that, almost everyone agreed to join.

Lucille had a bad feeling about this though. She didn't want to make Cedar go to that woman. She could already imagine what Lady Peril would try, and she hated it. Even if she couldn't tell Cedar not to go. She focused on drinking her tea to push those thoughts away.

Blanche had quickly noticed what Lucille was feeling though. She leaned over to whisper to her. “It's pretty boring, isn't it? I feel like the people here always tell us the same things. As expected, only the stories about the new engagements and children are interesting. I don't feel like running away at the moment, but I fear that I will have to. Did you know that Theodore was watching us for a few minutes after he officially left? He wanted to know how the people would react to our princess. He also confirmed what that woman would do. But he isn't the only one that is here to protect us. Our two most skilled guards are waiting directly next to the table. And the ladies here all support us, so there is no need to worry.”

Lucille's stomach began churning when she heard that. She had a vague idea of why this was important now. She barely dared to ask, but she had to. “Why are you telling me this?”

Blanche gave her a gentle smile. “I apologize. Aurora is hungry, so I will have to go away for five minutes. I will hurry as much as I can, but a baby has to take its time. When I'm back, I will immediately take over. There is no need for you to worry about anything at all. You don't have to do anything special. Just sit here and drink your tea. Alright?” That wasn't very calming.

Lucille balled her fists on her lap and forced herself to nod, just because she didn't want to reject the empress. It would be fine if she just stayed silent for a bit.

Blanche reached over to pat the other's knee for a moment. “Really, you don't have to worry. Everyone here will support you. I will come to your rescue, no matter what. And Stella will stand next to the table, so she can fetch me if it gets bad too.” She waited for any objection to follow, and when nothing came, she directed her attention to the guests again. She cleared her throat before speaking up. “I do not wish to interrupt your lively conversations, but I will have to retreat for a short moment. I will return quickly. In the meantime, you are free to enjoy this event as before. Lady Valerian will assist me with hosting the tea party until I come back, so there is no need to worry. Please excuse me.” And thus, the empress took her daughter out of the cradle that had been right next to her chair and disappeared into the building.

Lucille was left behind with an overwhelming amount of anxiety. She quickly lowered her gaze to the table and did her best to calm down while focusing on her breathing. Nothing bad would happen. She would just sit here, drink tea and wait for Blanche to come back.

But unfortunately, other people had different ideas.

Mere seconds passed, and then Camille spoke up. “It seems that Lady Valerian is the host for the time being.” She waited until the other woman lifted her head and made eye contact. “I am unsure what you know about the etiquette of the royal family. Thus, I felt the need to ask this. What exactly gives you the qualifications to host the royal tea party while Her Majesty is gone? Should another member of the Estien family not take over?”

Lucille had no idea how to refute that. There was absolutely no reason for her to host the tea party now. She wasn't even able to find a logical reply and just stared at the dowager empress in fear. What should she say? She was horrible at speaking in front of many people. But ignoring Camille was impossible. “I...” Nothing but a pathetic stutter came out of her mouth.

It looked like the dowager empress would immediately comment on that, but Duchess Duremont spoke first. “Certainly, one could argue that Lady Valerian may not be acquainted with the most conservative rules of the royal family. Why would she when even His Majesty does not care for most of them? However, there is no need to remind her of this. After all, she is not the person who made the decision to host this party. Her Majesty asked her to do it, so no one here should complain, correct?”

Camille met the other's gaze with cold indifference. “I did not mean to criticize her decision. I merely cannot fathom what Her Majesty was thinking. That is why I asked for a reason, did I not? There should not be a need for anyone to defend Her Majesty when Lady Valerian could simply respond to the question.”

Lucille cowered a bit under the dowager empress' hateful gaze. She forced herself to fiddle with her fingers to vent her worry in some way. But even now, she had no idea what to say.

It was surprising, but another person chimed in like an angel that could save the day. This was Duchess Vasquez, Camille's sister and former ally, who apparently now backed the emperor. She had a cold expression on her face when she faced the woman who was rumored to have killed her husband. “Well, how could people read others' minds? We will not make wild guesses about who would be thinking what. What matters is that Her Majesty decided that this was the best choice. Unsurprisingly. We will accept it without asking questions.”

Fiona, who gave her friend an encouraging smile, added the rest after that. “Besides, Lady Valerian is Her Majesty's lady-in-waiting. There is a strong bond of trust between them. We will rely on that. Since the tea party will hopefully progress as before, this does not create much of a change. How about we continue the previous conversations? I believe that Lady Bellfaux was in the middle of speaking about her family's vacation. Please do continue. All of us were intrigued.”

It seemed like everyone but Lucille was able to speak freely without feeling pressured. Thanks to all of them, the conversation moved on again. Lucille could relax a little, even though she still felt like Camille was glaring at her. But at least the dowager empress stayed quiet.

A few minutes passed, and nothing much happened except for boring small talk. Lucille hadn't even been forced to join and just sat there while listening quietly. Of course, she didn't stay this lucky for long though.

Lady Peril showed her a bright smile at some point, and it was obvious that it would go downhill from here. Surprisingly, Jenna didn't say anything offending though. She merely spoke up in a polite tone. “Could I appeal to the host?”

Lucille felt panic surging through her veins, but she forced herself to speak. “Yes?” Her voice had definitely been too quiet and too high-pitched.

Lady Peril was as calm as always, which served as a great contrast. “Pardon me for interrupting the conversation. I merely wished to ask something. We have been here for a while now, and I fear that many of us would need to stretch our legs a bit. Is there a chance of us taking a short break? Just so that we can walk around for a while?”

Lucille didn't know. This was typical for tea parties, but they couldn't leave the empress here alone. She looked over her shoulder in hopes of seeing Blanche, but she was disappointed. She would have to make this decision alone. She forced herself to reply. “I believe that... it should be fine. If you stay close to the table so that Her Majesty can see us.”

Jenna clapped her hands together and beamed at that. “Of course. We would not leave and let Her Majesty sit here alone. Thank you very much, Lady Valerian.” For some reason, it almost seemed like she had some ulterior motive and didn't just want to walk around. But she truly rose along with some other ladies.

Lucille almost relaxed, but the relief had come too quickly. She hadn't intended to stand up, but someone approached her after just a few seconds.

It shouldn't have been surprising that this was Lady Peril. She showed the other woman the same sickening smile as before. Then she lowered her head for a moment. “I wish you a wonderful day, Lady Valerian. It has been a while since we managed to speak to one another. Would you mind honoring me with a short walk? Just around that flowerbed over there.” She gestured to a patch of roses in the distance.

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Lucille followed the other's gaze before trying to estimate how far away this was from the terrace. “I...sincerely apologize, Lady Peril. But I cannot go so far away from the other guests, and...” She didn't want to be alone with the other woman either.

But Jenna didn't notice the other's reluctance, or she just didn't care. She let out an unpleasant laugh before making eye contact and scanning the other woman with her stinging, green eyes again. “I apologize. I momentarily forgot. But you would at least honor me with a short walk around the terrace, right? I wished to speak to you for so long, so it would be harsh of you to reject me.”

Lucille still didn't want to go with her. She already thought about how to avoid all of this when she made eye contact with Camille. It looked like the dowager empress was watching her. In that case, being busy with a conversation wasn't so bad at all. Lucille pressed her mouth into a thin line but quickly chose the lesser evil. “I understand. Then I will join you for a short moment, Lady Peril.” She had sounded a bit dejected while saying that.

Jenna put on a bright smile nonetheless. “How kind of you, Lady Valerian. It is a pleasure. Now then.” She didn't waste any time grabbing the other's arm and linking it with hers. “Let us move to the side to not disturb the others.” She didn't wait for a response before turning around and pulling Lucille with her.

The women arrived at the farthest end of the terrace, where few people were in audible reach.

Only then, Lady Peril spoke up. “You see, I was almost reluctant to address this. But I felt like it would be important for you to hear it. After all, you have become famous in the capital over the course of a few weeks. Especially after the last ball, the one during Her Majesty's birthday. There have been some rumors about you. Did you hear that? Most are based on lies and misconceptions. Some are very insulting and others tasteless. But there are also some kind ones. Some people call you magical.”

Lucille didn't even want to ask. She knew that she wouldn't like whatever could follow. And yet, she spoke up despite hating all of this. “Why would they? I never did anything special. I'm not a very interesting person in general, so...I believe that there are more important things to talk about.”

Jenna patted the other's hand with a bit too much force. She laughed again, and it was the same as before. To most people, it probably sounded genuine, and the woman in front of them would look even more beautiful to them when she laughed. But this was Lady Peril, so it just sounded like she had ill intentions. “Of course, you did something special. Please allow me to remind you. His Royal Highness and His Majesty have been enemies ever since their father's death. And as soon as you showed up, they started to get along again. Just what is your mysterious relationship with His Royal Highness?” As soon as she mentioned Cedar, it was clear that the conversation would become less pleasant than it already had been.

It seemed like Jenna truly disliked Lucille and Cedar together. After all, she addressed the prince each time they saw each other while ignoring the other woman. She didn't even seem to feel the need to speak about other matters. Maybe because she only saw Lucille as her rival and didn't think much about the other's life apart from that.

Lucille did her best to hide her frustration, but in the end, her face had probably revealed that she was unhappy. “Lady Peril, there isn't much I can tell you. Cedar ran away from bad people and helped me since I had gotten hurt. Ever since then, we have been in the palace together and had a lot of chances to spend time together.” She had still been quiet this time, but she had said more than she had intended to. Maybe because she unconsciously wanted to prove that she was closer to Cedar than the other woman would ever be. That Jenna should take her bony fingers away from the prince.

But Lady Peril didn't seem to understand it that way, maybe because of the lack of a threatening undertone. “I see. It is wonderful to hear that he made a new acquaintance. But I am still a bit concerned. Those rumors will not harm him, but...” She put her hand on her cheek while carefully adjusting her closed fan. She glanced at Lucille while continuing. “But you, Lady Valerian. It might be unpleasant for you. An unmarried woman shouldn't be seen with a man this often.”

A married woman probably shouldn't try to impress a man ten years younger than her.

Lucille would have liked to say that, but she lacked the courage. She would also like to point out that Cedar had said that he could marry her, but embarrassment took over before she could begin.

It was almost scary how quickly Jenna noticed that slight change in the other's expression. She merely needed a second to determine what was going on and replied immediately. “Oh, please do not feel embarrassed. I did not mean to accuse you of any type of...inappropriate behavior. So, please do not worry about this too much. But others are less understanding. Some have said rather unkind things.” Her expression mimicked sympathy as she continued. “It would be best for you to distance yourself from Your Royal Highness. Just for the sake of your reputation.”

Lucille would have liked to push the other woman away for this, but she didn't dare to do it. Instead, she just averted her eyes and stared at the floor while speaking. “I won't. I like spending time with Cedar. That's why-”

Lady Peril didn't let her finish. “It is wonderful if you get along well. But can you seriously endanger your future because of this? You not being able to marry will not only cause problems for you, correct? Your family needs an heir. What will you do if you don't manage to recover your reputation after this short amusement is over? I do not want to pry, but...” Jenna showed the other woman a little smile, but there was something more vile glittering in her eyes. “You are aware that a woman cannot be in a relationship before she enters a marriage? In particular, more...passionate connections are unacceptable. I worry about you forgetting that. Of course, I doubt that His Royal Highness would be cruel enough to refrain from reminding you of that. But in the end, it is not his responsibility but yours.” She was saying so many strange things.

Lucille gritted her teeth and tried to ignore that. She didn't care what the other woman thought about this. She hadn't slept with Cedar, but she had become his lover. And she didn't want to go without that. In any case, she would be fine. He had promised to marry her or to support her financially, depending on what decision she made. And even her father had said that she didn't have to marry Cedar. He had said that it would be fine for her to back out of this at any time. Lucille didn't need to worry about any of this. She would have liked to speak with as much conviction as she was feeling, but she failed. “My relationships do not trouble me. You do not have to get involved.” Not at all. “I am perfectly content with how everything is at the moment.”

Jenna slowed her pace at that. She tapped her fan onto the other's arm and spoke up with a bright smile. “Oh, I fear that this is exactly why I have to give you a piece of advice.” She turned to the other woman and put on a serious expression. “This will not last for much longer. I do not know whether you are aware, but there is one little problem. You may be fond of romance and fairy tale stories, but this is the real world. His Royal Highness will not magically fall for you when he has never been in a relationship. He does not want you. He is merely spending his time in a way that doesn't bore him for the moment. It's easy to see what he really wants. He was raised to challenge his brother. He wants everything His Majesty has.”

Lucille clenched her free hand into a fist. Why was Jenna so keen on making her believe that Cedar didn't care? If he didn't, there would be no need for Lady Peril to be so insistent. That woman saw Lucille as an enemy, which proved that Cedar had paid more attention to her than to anyone else. And Lucille had spent enough time with him to be certain that this between them wasn't a lie. So, she spoke up despite still refusing to make eye contact. “Why do you think that you know what he wants? Pardon me, but I don't think that you paid much attention to his wishes until now.” After all, that woman had bothered Cedar for years despite his refusal.

Jenna replied in a sickeningly worried tone. “Oh, my. Please do not get so upset. I did not wish to hurt you. I merely wanted to make sure that you know how this will end. His Royal Highness will not be content, no matter how wonderful you could be. Because he is naturally jealous of everything his brother has. That means His Royal Highness wants Her Majesty too. And not just a random viscount's daughter.”

Nonsense.

In that case, Cedar would already have tried to get closer to Blanche. But he hadn't done that. He had even stayed close to Lucille in front of the royal couple many times.

Lucille's expression had probably shown her disbelief.

Jenna stopped in her tracks and gazed at the other woman. “Do you not believe me? Then please think back. Do you remember the time after His Royal Highness came back from confinement for the first time? There was a welcome ball for him and Her Majesty, the dowager empress. As soon as he met Her Majesty, who was still Lady Blanche then, he kissed the backside of her hand. He complimented her multiple times and showed interest in a private meeting with her. Then he asked for a dance and was rejected. And a few weeks later, he even addressed her by her first name by accident. Those are a bit too many coincidences, aren't they?”

Lucille might remember talking about that too. There had been a few speculations about Blanche supporting Cedar behind closed doors, but the empress had never really liked him at that point in time. Whether Cedar had liked her remained uncertain. Lucille was almost completely sure that he didn't like Blanche anymore at least.

The empress had needed to force him to stop using her title after all. And she had also needed to make him hold Aurora with some insistence. Cedar hadn't immediately done this for her when she had asked. So, it was obvious that he wasn't in love with her. But that didn't mean that he couldn't have liked Blanche in the past.

Cedar's actions last year might have been read that year. He had complimented Blanche so often while addressing her without her title and asking her to dance even in public. And while he had claimed that he had never had any romantic experience, there was no way to know whether he hadn't liked Blanche at some point.

Lucille disliked that thought, even if it didn't mean much to her at the moment. But what she disliked more than that was the fact that Jenna still tried to put obstacles between Lucille and Cedar. She didn't want to let that woman succeed. She didn't dare to meet the other's gaze, but she spoke up with every bit of confidence she could muster. “If you still remember that, it must have been unpleasant for you to see that. But that was over one and a half years ago. I know what holds true at the moment though.” She stubbornly kept her eyes on the floor, even when some unpleasant feeling came over her and made her heart clench. She didn't want to show Lady Peril that a few words were enough to make her so weak. So, she forced herself to lift her gaze when she pulled her arm away from Jenna.

It was the perfect moment for Blanche to come back. The empress held her baby in her arms and walked the remaining few steps to the table before sitting down. In an instant, all other noble women joined her.

Lucille took that as her sign to rush toward the table too. In the meantime, she tried to sort the whirl of thoughts in her mind to no avail. Most likely, she would ponder this for the next few hours. That was unpleasant.

Especially since she could guess what this stinging and unreasonable feeling in her chest was.

Jealousy.

Unjustified and exaggerated jealousy, which she hated herself for.