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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Princess's Command
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Evelyn and Leah followed Lumina's lead, adding lemon juice to their tea before taking a sip.
Thanks to the sweet and sour lemon juice, the tea was much more palatable than before.
In truth, what was more important was the beautiful color. It was perfectly suited to the tastes of sentimental teenage girls.
“Your Ladyship! How did you do that?”
“Your Ladyship, it's so pretty! It's the perfect tea for a day like today!”
“Please, call me Lumina. In return, may I call you Evelyn and Leah?”
“Of course!”
The enthusiastic reactions from the others were enough to make even Arabelle succumb to curiosity and sip the tea with lemon juice.
Just as it was starting to feel like a normal tea party.
“Is your leg all right now?”
Arabelle, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
At the same time, the surroundings grew quiet.
It was a silence that instantly revealed the hierarchy of the group.
“Yes. I believe it healed faster thanks to Your Highness's vast concern.”
Just like last time, Lumina got the feeling that Arabelle was unusually concerned about her injured leg.
*‘Did she injure her leg in the past?’*
The question briefly crossed her mind.
But what did it matter?
Coming from anyone else, it might have been different, but with Arabelle as the source, she couldn't accept the kindness at face value.
Look at her now. Wasn't Arabelle wearing an ominous smile?
Lumina thought it was better when Arabelle was quiet.
And she was right.
“Good. Starting today, you can be my exclusive lady-in-waiting.”
Arabelle dropped a meteorite into the calm lake. *Crash*.
“……!”
Startled, Evelyn and Leah gasped and stared at Arabelle.
The position of exclusive lady-in-waiting to the much-favored princess.
Even though Arabelle had a difficult personality, it was a position anyone would drool over.
In fact, Evelyn and Leah were here precisely because they were aiming for that spot.
Hoping Arabelle might offer them the position if they made a good impression. But she was offering it to Lumina?
Arabelle was known for being moody, but her assessment of Lumina had been clear.
Dislike.
Because of this, they couldn't predict what Arabelle was thinking at all.
Lumina, on the other hand, felt she knew Arabelle's true intentions.
*‘Is this a declaration of war, a plan to keep me close and torment me to death?’*
There was no other way to interpret it.
So, there was no need to hesitate with her answer.
“Your Highness. It is a glorious position, but I feel I am not worthy of it. Perhaps you could offer the opportunity to one of the other young ladies instead?”
The princess's exclusive lady-in-waiting was not a position for doing menial chores like a maid.
She would stay by the princess's side, discuss which necklace to wear for the day, play games together, and serve as a conversation partner.
It was akin to being a friend who served the royal family up close.
As such, the opportunity was only given to young ladies of high rank, and the selection process was rigorous, making it the highest honor for a noble daughter.
*‘It's also advantageous for finding a good husband, and you get to share the princess's connections. The old me would have jumped at the chance.’*
If she hadn't made a contract with the Duke of Heart, that is.
But the Lumina of today was different.
“If you're not worthy, shouldn't you just gratefully accept it?”
As if she had never considered Lumina might refuse, Arabelle spoke in an irritated tone.
“Thanks to you, the position became vacant. I've thought about it for a long time since then, and it seems there's no one as suitable as you.”
“……Me?”
“Yes! You!”
Eva, who had visited the duchy with Arabelle last time, had been her exclusive lady-in-waiting.
But after Eva's fall from grace, the position became vacant.
“Of course, your status is a bit low, but there are many others far worse.”
Arabelle hadn't been particularly fond of Eva either.
She just hadn't kicked her out because Eva was good at catering to her moods.
“Even if she can't be as great as me, she should at least be on a similar level so I won't be embarrassed anywhere.”
Arabelle was furious that a woman of much lower status was now connected to the man who was supposed to marry her.
To that, her older brother, Eliot, had suggested that she could simply raise the woman's status.
According to imperial law, it was impossible to have them divorce immediately.
But driving a wedge between them, forcing a divorce in the future, and then taking Karayan for herself was also a blow to her pride.
*‘I am the strongest Legion in the history of the Rembrana royal family, and I'm to marry a divorcé? Unthinkable!’*
The fact that the perfect husband for her now belonged to someone else was still infuriating.
However, Eliot's suggestion was a realistic way to quell her anger.
Arabelle studied Lumina.
*‘For some reason, the Young Duke of Heart seems to cherish this girl.’*
The creatures known as Legions were foul-tempered and tenacious; once they deemed something precious, they would never let it go.
Therefore, keeping Lumina by her side was the same as holding Karayan's weakness in her hand.
The weakness of a man who never listened to her. The prospect was undeniably tempting.
*‘And…’*
She was also intrigued by Lumina, who looked bland and unassuming but whose actions were quite amusing.
“Good. Today is the first day.”
Arabelle said with a satisfied smile, seeming to have completely forgotten Lumina's refusal from moments ago.
“Your Highness. I'm sorry.”
“Why? Why do you keep refusing? I can understand refusing once out of politeness. But there's no need to do it twice.”
Her mood thoroughly soured, Arabelle raised her voice.
Just then, Leah, who had been cautiously watching the two, carefully interjected.
“Your Highness. Lady Lumina seems to be in a difficult position. Wouldn't it be better to give the opportunity to someone who wants it…?”
“You two.”
Arabelle cut her off sharply and looked at Evelyn and Leah.
“Say my full name.”
“How could we dare speak Your Highness's esteemed name…”
“I'm giving you permission, so say it. Now.”
*Gulp*.
Swallowing dryly, Evelyn was the first to speak, her voice trembling.
“Arabelle Piane…”
“Wrong. It's Piaget.”
Arabelle arrogantly gestured to Leah with her chin.
“Arabelle Piaget Epani…”
“Wrong. It's Epagonizomai.”
Arabelle narrowed her eyes.
Evelyn and Leah's faces turned pale.
Watching them, Lumina thought that Evelyn and Leah were innocent.
Arabelle's full name was not only difficult to remember, but it was also easy to get tongue-tied or run out of breath while saying it.
She had just heard the middle name, that Epa-something, and had already forgotten it.
It was a name that seemed unreasonably long every time she heard it.
*‘Now she's going to ask me.’*
In other words, reciting Arabelle's full name was a sort of test.
A test to see if one was qualified to be Arabelle's lady-in-waiting.
*‘I have to get it wrong! I don't know it anyway, but I will definitely get it wrong! A complete mess from the very start!’*
While she was steeling herself, Arabelle didn't make the same demand of Lumina.
“This is why there's no one fit to be my exclusive lady-in-waiting. See? If you understand, then you do it.”
“Your Highness. Please ask me to say your full name, too. I can do it.”
“Forget it. Since you're the one refusing, you'd just get it wrong on purpose anyway.”
*But I'm not. I really don't know it.*
Lumina felt wronged.
“I have an important mission from the Duke. Because of that, I don't have the time, so I must refuse Your Highness's offer.”
“From the Duke of Heart? What is it?”
At the mention of the Duke of Heart, Arabelle visibly flinched.
Even the arrogant Princess Arabelle had no choice but to yield before the Duke of Heart.
Though she herself would never admit it.
Noticing Arabelle's weakness, Lumina quickly concocted a plausible excuse.
“I have to paint.”
“Paint?”
“Ah, now that you mention it, I heard a painting by Lady Lumina broke the record for the highest price in the empire!”
Leah exclaimed energetically, as the topic was something she knew about.
“That's right! I heard that just a passing glance is enough to bewitch you!”
Evelyn chimed in.
Lumina felt a mix of emotions.
*‘As I thought… even young ladies know about it.’*
She had resiliently endured Arabelle and her group's attempts to nip her in the bud like a stubborn weed, but now that the topic of her own painting came up, she wanted to flee.
*‘But painting was the only excuse I could come up with. The princess wouldn't have backed down unless it was something related to the Duke.’*
She'd rather suffer a moment of embarrassment here and now than wither away by Arabelle's side.
“I'm curious just how amazing this painting is. Show me.”
“……Right now?”
“Yes. You rejected the position of my exclusive lady-in-waiting. Surely you're not going to tell me you can't draw, are you?”
Arabelle's voice was sharp. It was as if she would force her to become her lady-in-waiting on the spot if she didn't paint.
“Just draw something simple. I don't care if it's a five-thousand-gold painting instead of a five-hundred-million-gold one.”
The problem was that Lumina's skill wasn't worth five thousand gold, let alone five gold.
While Lumina hesitated, canvases of various sizes and all sorts of art supplies were prepared.
It was as if every art supply in the world had been gathered.
She had said something simple would be fine, but the preparations were far too serious.
“I'll give you the special opportunity to draw me.”
Arabelle lifted her chin with a condescending air and spoke.
Lumina wished Arabelle would stop giving her opportunities.
*‘If I draw the princess, I'll be arrested for libel. I'll rot in a prison cell for the rest of my life.’*
Even without experiencing it, the future was crystal clear, as if she'd already lived it.
“Your Highness's beautiful face is something I couldn't perfectly capture even if I stayed up all night for a month, so I'm afraid that's impossible. I'll have to draw something I can do right now, so could you please just prepare paper and crayons?”
“H-Hmph. If you insist, I suppose it can't be helped.”
Arabelle was still putting on a prim air, but it seemed Lumina had managed to get past the issue without offending her.
Although the command to draw had not been withdrawn.
*‘Right. The princess is the one who ordered me to draw. The Duke is the one who raised the painting's value. I just have to do what I always do, without any pressure.’*
The time had come to create a monster.
With a trembling hand, Lumina picked up a crayon.
*Paper. I'm sorry.*
*I swore I would never pick up a crayon again.*
*Weep, crayon of hell.*
