Chapter 18: What Lies at the End of the Gazes They Exchange?

The journey to what should have been a pleasant tea party was completely ruined by the heavy, oppressive silence that dominated the carriage.
Faustina, who had hurled harsh words at Elvira before departure, found herself wanting to go back in time and punch her past self from just minutes earlier.
As expected, or perhaps inevitably, her greatest enemy arrived with Elvira in tears, wearing a terrifying expression, just as Faustina waited in the carriage.

Her name was called sharply, and there was no time to delay things further by being lectured.

So—

“I understand your anger completely, Mother.
If a daughter as adorable as Elvira came to you in tears, saying she was bullied by her older sister, you wouldn’t be able not to scold me.
But I did not say anything wrong.
That is why I will not apologize.”

Before Lyudmila could even open her mouth, Faustina continued, not giving her a chance to speak.

“Please ask the maids who witnessed the scene.
Unlike you, Mother, they won’t play favorites, so they won’t lie.
And you don’t need to force yourself to speak to me anymore.
That will save you stress as well, won’t it?
Even without you, there are plenty of reliable adult women around me.”

She had wondered about her mother’s strange behavior since yesterday, but she no longer cared.
Most likely, her father had said something to her, prompting her to put on an act.
If she was going to pretend, she should at least have the patience to maintain it properly.

Faustina looked away from Lyudmila, whose face had turned even paler than Elvira’s had been in the room, and stared straight ahead.
Cain arrived shortly after, tilting his head at the unmistakably tense atmosphere.
Elvira, who had been crying, stared at her sister with a pale face as well, and perhaps because of that, her tears had stopped.

Upon entering the royal castle, the tea party venue, the carriage was stopped at the designated spot.
The coachman opened the door, and Lyudmila stepped down first, followed by Cain, Faustina, and then Elvira.

They were guided by a knight to the southern garden.
This was the area with the most flowers blooming in the entire castle grounds, and it was Queen Sierra’s favorite place.
The sky was a clear, cloudless blue.
It was perfect weather for an outdoor tea party.

“Your Majesty the Queen, we are honored by your invitation to this tea party.”
“Welcome, Duchess of Wittgenstein.
I’m glad you could come.
Please enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you very much.”

After Lyudmila finished her formal greeting, the children followed Cain’s lead and greeted the queen as well.
When Elvira finished, Sierra turned her smile to Faustina.

“It suits you very well, Faustina.”
“Thank you very much.”
“That hair ornament as well.
Hehe.”

Sierra suddenly laughed and gently plucked an azalea petal.

“Do you like azaleas, Faustina?”
“I like all beautiful flowers.”
“Why did you choose purple?”

Azaleas came not only in purple, but also white, red, and pink.
There was no way she could answer honestly, so Faustina said it was because she thought the color would suit her hair.
Seeing Sierra laugh even more made her flustered, until Lyudmila stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, please refrain from paying Faustina too much attention.
The engagement between the Crown Prince and Faustina has not yet been formally announced.”
“Yes, I know.
But I just can’t help myself.
Seeing Faustina all dressed up, after working so hard in her queen consort education, is simply adorable.”

Sierra smiled beautifully, enough to make even another woman swoon.
Since Lyudmila’s point was valid, Sierra soon excused herself to attend to the other guests.

Faustina watched her go, her cheeks faintly flushed, when Cain poked her cheek lightly with his finger.

“Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes.”

Prompted by Cain, Faustina headed deeper into the garden.

In the spacious circular plaza, tables were laid out with a wide variety of sweets and fruits.
Drinks were constantly being brought around by castle maids.
This tea party was primarily meant to encourage interaction among children, so the food was served buffet-style.

“You are free to do as you please, but do not disgrace the name of the ducal house.”

After being given those instructions by Lyudmila, the children each went their separate ways.
Elvira, who had been in a low mood after being scolded by Faustina before departure, instantly perked up at the sight of the delicious sweets.
Her ruby-red eyes sparkled as she approached the table lined with macarons.

Seeing Elvira regain her energy put Faustina somewhat at ease, and she turned her attention to finding sweets for herself.
That was when she felt an intense gaze on her back.
She reflexively turned around—and saw…

Aeria.

The same Aeria who had stared at Faustina during Bernhard’s birthday party was there, gazing intently at her.
Not to be outdone, Faustina stared right back.
There was no hostility in those fresh green eyes, only the color of someone trying to probe another’s inner self.
Her intentions were impossible to read.
According to her memories, Faustina first met Aeria at the noble academy.
She didn’t recall ever meeting her in early childhood.

Should she speak to Aeria, or ignore her?

As Faustina hesitated, a maid asked for her drink order.

“What would you like to drink?”
“Um, orange juice, please.”
“Certainly.”

She accepted the glass of orange juice from the maid.
When she looked again, Aeria was already gone.

…

This time, the person requiring the highest level of caution might not be Bernhard, but Aeria.

Holding her glass of orange juice, Faustina scanned the tables for sweets.
Shortcake, chocolate cake, cheese tarts.
Cookies and madeleines were tempting as well.
After a quick visual check, she placed her glass on the table and reached for a cookie.

The buttery aroma and crisp texture captivated her, and she finished one cookie in no time.
She scanned the surroundings again with just her eyes.
This area had relatively few people.

“Hm?
No, more importantly—”

She took another cookie and turned toward the castle.
That area had an unusually high density of young ladies.
Even while chatting, all their gazes were directed there.
As Faustina reached for a third cookie, Cain approached her.

“Fauna.”
“Brother.”
“I didn’t ask earlier, but did something happen with Mother again?”

The atmosphere in the carriage had been unbearably heavy.
Faustina’s eyes darted around before she finally gave in and told him honestly.
After listening, Cain let out a deep sigh.

“Ever since your engagement to Prince Bernhard was decided, Elvira’s been acting strange.
She wasn’t this foolish before.”
“She must really want to become His Highness’s fiancée.”
“You know this yourself, Fauna.
A queen is the mother of the nation.
It’s not something you can become just because you want to.
Especially not Elvira, who’s so self-centered.
She wouldn’t even last half a day in queen consort education.”

It was a harsh assessment, but entirely accurate.
Even Faustina, who remembered her past life, had cried more than once from how strict it was.
Elvira, with her lack of patience, would surely break down almost immediately.

“And Mother…”
“I realized I don’t really suffer even without her, so I no longer care.”
“…I see.
Elvira’s not the only one who changed.
You did too, Fauna, ever since you collapsed with that high fever.
You used to desperately want Mother’s attention.”

Faustina gave a wry smile.
That, too, was true.

During lessons with her tutor, how many times had she looked out the window and envied Elvira walking hand in hand with Lyudmila?
During tea time, during nights when fear kept her from sleeping.
Elvira was allowed, but she wasn’t.

(I once asked why I wasn’t allowed when Elvira was.
Mother told me, “You are a child destined to become queen.
You must not remain spoiled forever.”)

She had been six years old at the time.
The same age Elvira was now.
When she cried, she was scolded even more harshly and forcibly taken back to her room by one of Lyudmila’s maids.

After regaining her past memories, Faustina no longer felt the need to cling to Lyudmila.
Ironically, once she became indifferent, her mother began trying to involve herself again.

“…I just wonder.”
“Hm?”
“What was I, really, to Mother?”
“…From the moment you were born, it was decided you would marry a prince.
The first prince, at that.
Maybe Mother was desperate to raise you properly as a future queen.”

Sky-blue hair and pale yellow eyes.
Faustina alone possessed those colors among all the women in the kingdom.
Even if the path had been predetermined, Lyudmila had treated her with particular severity in order to mold her into the next queen.
Not that Faustina had only realized this now.
She had simply been treated so differently from Cain and Elvira that it was impossible not to notice.

She took a sip of orange juice and reached for her fourth cookie.

“Phew.
Well, I already told Mother not to speak to me anymore, so I think things will be peaceful for a while.”
“Ah, you really said it.”
“I did.”
“I see.
From there on, it’s between you and Mother, so I won’t say anything.
By the way, Fauna, you’ve been eating nonstop.
Aren’t you going to talk to your friends?”

She was already on her fifth cookie.
Cain, who had been watching her in disbelief, found her pace concerning and took one himself.
After a bite, his eyes widened.

“It’s good.”
“I was surprised too!
I’ll eat lots so I can remember the taste!”
“Remember it for what?
You’re not planning to make it yourself, are you?”
“No.
I’ll remember the taste and have the head chef recreate it!”

Imagining Faustina directing cookie production after memorizing the flavor, Cain smiled wryly as she crossed her arms, muttering to herself.

As she moved on to her sixth cookie, she felt that intense gaze again.
When she turned around, Aeria was there once more, staring straight at her.
Those green eyes met hers—still no hostility, only scrutiny.
Cain followed Faustina’s line of sight.

“That’s from the Laris family, isn’t it?”
“Lady Aeria.”
“Do you know her?”
“We just made eye contact at Prince Bernhard’s birthday party.”
“That’s quite a stare for just that.
She looks like she’s trying to bore holes into you.”

If anything, Faustina was the one who wanted an answer.

Aeria suddenly looked away and stood slightly apart from the other young ladies.
A boy approached her and spoke to her, and her expression softened.
Cain told Faustina who he was.

“That’s Heathgriff.”
“Right, the Laris family has twin brothers and Lady Aeria, doesn’t it?”

The one chatting animatedly with Aeria, his pink-gold hair bouncing, was the older twin, Heathgriff.
Soon after, the younger twin, Keithgriff, with the same hair but braided on the left side, joined them.
They were two years older than Aeria.
Most likely, they had come to check on their youngest sister, who was standing away from the crowd.

It was the first time Faustina had seen Aeria smiling gently, talking with her brothers, her eyes free of tension.
As Faustina watched with interest, a wave of shrill cheers reached her ears.
She had just taken a sip of orange juice and nearly choked in surprise.

Cain sighed and patted her back as she coughed.

“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yes.
That startled me.”
“Looks like everyone was waiting for Their Highnesses.”
“Cough, cough… ah.”

Once her coughing subsided, she looked toward the source of the noise.
Standing there was the ever-beautiful Bernhard, with a healthy-looking Neige at his side.
They exchanged polite smiles and greetings with the young ladies who welcomed them, then slipped out of the crowd to greet other children.

Bernhard occasionally checked on Neige’s condition as they made their rounds.
Eventually, the two princes came over to Faustina and Cain.

“Hello.
Faustina, Cain.”

After the two greeted Bernhard, Neige greeted them as well.
Faustina and Cain responded, and Neige smiled softly.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you at the castle, Lady Faustina.”
“Yes.”
“After that, my brother found me staying outside too long and scolded me.
Isn’t that awful?”
“Neige.”

Bernhard chided him, and Neige puffed out his cheeks.
Knowing how fragile Neige’s health was, Bernhard’s concern was understandable.
Even in the middle of sword training, he had rushed over when he heard where Neige was and taken him back to his room.

Bernhard smiled wryly at his troublesome younger brother, while Neige wore a mischievous grin.
Seeing the close bond between the two princes again filled Faustina with a strange sense of nostalgia.

Bernhard and Neige soon moved on to greet other guests.
And at the same time, Faustina felt it again.

…

It was Aeria.

Once again, Aeria was looking at Faustina.
This time, however, there was a sharp edge in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.
Heathgriff and Keithgriff noticed where their sister was looking and turned their gazes toward Faustina, speaking to Aeria.
But she didn’t seem to hear her brothers at all, continuing to stare fixedly at Faustina.

Faustina tried to reason it out.
From Aeria’s perspective, as someone aiming for the position of crown princess, seeing Faustina chatting amicably with the crown prince would be unpleasant.
That explained the current glare.
But what about her earlier looks?

Go, or don’t go.

As Faustina questioned herself, Cain suddenly spoke up.

“Ah.”

Aeria was walking toward them.
Her twin brothers hurried after her.

Stopping in front of Faustina and Cain, Aeria brushed aside the single long lock of bangs hanging down and spoke.

“How do you do, Lady Faustina?”

Faustina’s expression stiffened instantly.

“…‘How do you do,’ huh.”
“What is it, Neige?”
“Nothing.”

The princes had finished greeting all the guests, and since this was a tea party meant for interaction, they were now free to talk to anyone they liked.
Most of the guests—especially the young ladies—watched eagerly, hoping the princes would approach them.
While listening to Bernhard converse with a marquis’s son, Neige’s gaze drifted toward Faustina and Aeria.

After greeting Faustina and Cain earlier, Neige had felt a powerful gaze.
When he subtly checked, he met Aeria’s sharp eyes.
As her expression hardened further, he returned a gaze as dark as a bottomless swamp—then smiled softly.