Chapter 9: The Villainess Prepares for the Tea Party

‘Well then, it is finally time to meet His Highness face to face.’

Entrusting herself to the maids before the mirror, Claudia let her thoughts drift to today’s tea gathering.

She had greeted him at garden parties before, but this would be her first one-on-one tea.

Yes, one-on-one.

‘I was quite surprised when the notice arrived.
I assumed the other fiancée candidates would attend as well.’

At this point in time, the matter of fiancée candidates had already been raised.

Aside from Claudia, there were supposed to be three other young ladies selected.

Perhaps he would meet each candidate individually, yet Claudia had heard that she would be the first.

‘Considering rank, that is only natural.
But this did not happen in my previous life.
Had I already been removed from the list by then…?’

Until her condemnation, the former Claudia had firmly believed she was His Highness’s destined fiancée.

It was possible that, unbeknownst to her, she had already been excluded behind closed doors.

As was customary among nobles, the official decision of a fiancée would only be made after His Highness graduated from the academy.

‘I have no intention of handing him over to Fermina so easily.
At the very least, I must remain a candidate.’

As long as Claudia remained a candidate, Fermina would have no opportunity to step forward.

However, if His Highness were to fall in love with Fermina, the situation would change entirely.

With Virgil living under the same roof, understanding his preferences had been simple.

But when it came to His Highness, she could only puzzle it out.

She was well aware that her former self had been disliked.

Yet she did not know whether he had harbored romantic feelings for Fermina.

‘Politically speaking, an alliance with the ducal house is the safest choice.’

In the political arena, policies were enacted when the king approved resolutions passed by the council.

Within the council, which was run by nobles, there were currently two factions.

One was the Royalist faction, composed of long-established noble houses.

The other was the Noble faction, composed of newly risen nobles.

Recently, newly risen nobles—many of them former merchants—had been gaining influence, and voices demanding privileges for nobles rather than the royal family had grown louder.

However, the privileges sought by the new nobles often disadvantaged landholding nobles, so the long-established houses with vast territories opposed them as part of the Royalist faction.

Claudia’s house, the Duke of Lindsey’s family, belonged to the Royalist faction.

Yet her father, the current duke, was sympathetic toward the new nobles, effectively placing him in a neutral position.

As such, the ducal house was a match that would draw little objection even from the Noble faction, making marriage into it desirable for the royal family.

In that sense, Fermina’s rise to Crown Princess could be seen as nothing more than a political marriage.

‘In the end, I will not know until I meet him.’

Her preparations complete, she made a final check while the maids stood by.

Though more dressed up than usual, her violet dress was modest and refined.

Prioritizing chastity over cuteness, the skirt was softly flared but kept light on frills.

The maids had recommended designs more befitting a young girl’s tastes, but Claudia knew precisely what suited her.

‘I used to choose whatever I liked, but whether it suits you is a separate matter.’

With her sharp, mother-inherited eyes, voluminous ribbons and excessive frills would not suit her.

Just as bold dresses did not suit Fermina, every person had their strengths and weaknesses.

Satisfied with the result, Claudia thanked the maids and prepared to depart for the tea gathering.

“Before I go, could you rewrap the bandage on my finger?”