Chapter 17: Still a Long Way to Go

Faustina scribbled the four characters for “engagement annulment” all over a sheet of paper.
She used the back as well, filling every gap without leaving any space.
When she finished, she stared at the paper.
It almost looked like a cursed talisman, but maybe that was just her imagination.

The tea party was tomorrow.

It was already night.
She had finished bathing and dinner, and all that remained was to sleep.
The dress designed by Queen Sierra had been placed in Faustina’s room.
From early tomorrow morning, the maids would prepare everything for her.
Though smaller in scale than Bernhard’s birthday party, it was still a tea party hosted by the queen.
Feeling a little intimidated by the unusually fired-up maids, Faustina put the paper densely covered with “engagement annulment” into a drawer.
Even Linsy, who was in charge of cleaning her room, did not clean inside the desk.

Her countermeasures for the notebook hidden under the bed were also perfect.
Before she had recovered her past memories, she once hid a sketchbook under the bed because she would be embarrassed if anyone saw it, only for Linsy to find it while cleaning.
The drawings were of flowers blooming in the garden, but with Faustina’s lack of artistic talent, even beautiful flowers ended up looking like withered weeds by the roadside.

As Faustina panicked with her face bright red, Linsy looked at her with warm, indulgent eyes, and after finishing the cleaning, quietly placed the sketchbook back under the bed as if she had seen nothing.
Incidentally, the cover of that sketchbook read [Faustina’s Flower-Only Sketchbook].

[Faustina’s This and That] was also treated as the same kind of thing, so once the area under the bed was cleaned, it was gently returned to its original place.

Stretching her body widely, Faustina got down from the chair and dove into bed.

“The key people to watch out for tomorrow are Prince Bernhard, Elvira, Lady Aeria, and… I also need to be careful of the other noble girls.”

Especially Aeria, who had once competed with her for the position of crown princess.
Even though things had been reset, Aeria had shown open hostility toward Faustina from the very beginning.

The leading candidate for crown princess and the second candidate.

A self-mocking smile crossed her face.

“Everyone thought either Lady Aeria or I would become crown princess.
But Bernhard-sama only ever looked at Elvira.
I was hated by His Highness, and Lady Aeria wasn’t even acknowledged.”

What the two of them shared was that, despite unimaginable effort to refine themselves, they never once obtained the affection of the crown prince they longed for.
There was a line Aeria often hurled at her whenever they met.
Even if she said it to Faustina, there was nothing that could be done anymore.

“Yawn… let’s sleep.”

Faustina closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Faustina stood in a dim place.
Tilting her head, wondering where she was, she saw two people there.
A grown version of herself stood facing Aeria.

Aeria, her emotions in turmoil, was saying something to the resigned-looking Faustina.
She could see their expressions, but she couldn’t hear their voices.
Having learned a bit of lip-reading, Faustina deciphered Aeria’s words as best she could from her mouth movements.

“‘You are the biggest fool in the world’…”

She let out a sigh at how harsh it was.

But why was Aeria, who was hurling insults, crying such large tears?
She and Aeria had been enemies.
They were never close.

“But…”

Faustina watched her past self, being blamed by Aeria yet offering a weak smile in return.

“I haven’t forgotten what Lady Aeria did to me, but maybe she was the only one.
I—”

The words that followed were never spoken.

The scene before her eyes abruptly faded away.

“Miss!
If you don’t wake up in ten seconds, I’ll make only your soup have no ingredients!”

“Why!?”

Soup without any ingredients left her mouth feeling empty, so she definitely wanted a hearty one.
Awakened by Linsy’s voice, Faustina sprang up and reflexively protested.

When she looked outside, it was already morning.
Sunlight poured in through the window, so bright she couldn’t look at it directly.

“Good morning, Miss.”
“Seriously!
Stop using breakfast threats to wake me up!”
“It works very well to get you up quickly, Miss.”
“……”

Even nobles were human.
What was wrong with having a good appetite?

Half-lidded, she got out of bed.
Since she needed to wake up properly in the morning, she was handed a basin filled with cold water.
The sharp chill instantly cleared her drowsy mind.
She took the soap from Linsy.

“Miss?”

Linsy spoke in a puzzled tone as Faustina stared at the soap.

“Hey, Linsy.
The soap I use smells sweet, like honey.”
“That is because the soap you use contains plenty of honey.
It also includes olive oil and other plant oils that are gentle on the skin.”

Honey was one of the specialties of the Wittgenstein territory.
The honey produced across a certain region boasted high quality, but because of its limited quantity, it inevitably came at a high price.

“Hmm,” she thought, but decided to think about it later and lathered the soap to wash her face.

She wiped her wet face with a towel.
Next, she moisturized her skin with lotion and sealed it in with cream.
Wrapped in the scent of honey from the morning, she felt blissful.

After having her hair slowly and carefully brushed, she changed from her nightwear into a light dress and headed to the dining room.

Once seated, she let out a small yawn.

“Were you up late again?”

Cain said in an exasperated tone.

“The book was interesting.”

That was a lie.
She hadn’t read at all.
She had just been thinking about today’s tea party.

“You stay up late often enough yourself, Brother.”
“I don’t count.
Unlike you, I wake up refreshed.”
“Grr…”

She couldn’t refute that.
Next time, she would ask him for tips on how to wake up refreshed even after staying up late.

“Both you and Cain really like reading.
Shall I buy you some new books?”
“If so, I’d like to go to Aleister Bookstore on Il Sole Street.”

Among the several bookstores in the royal capital, Aleister Bookstore was the oldest.
Even among the vast collection in the Wittgenstein library, there were books purchased from Aleister.

“Aleister Bookstore, huh.
I’d like to take you, but I’ll be busy for a while, so it won’t be anytime soon.”
“Then I shall accompany them instead.”

Faustina and Cain both looked shocked at the same time.
Their mother, who usually only visited luxury shops catering to nobles, had offered to accompany them to an old-fashioned bookstore, historical though it was.
After yesterday as well, Faustina wondered what on earth was going on with Lyudmila.
Blinking in surprise, she cut the scone that had been brought to her into bite-sized pieces with her knife and fork.

“Elvira, you should also find a book you like.”
“I don’t want books at all.
Oh, but I do want a stuffed toy!”

(That does sound like Elvira.
But a stuffed toy… I kind of want one too.)

“I bought you a white teddy bear just the other day.”
“I’ve come to want a rabbit plush too.
Please buy it for me, Father!”

Citrine curved his eyebrows into an inverted V and smiled wryly.
Faustina swallowed her scone, thinking of riding that momentum, but stopped herself, feeling she would be told she couldn’t.

“Then, Elvira.
Can you promise to study properly with your new tutor?”
“Eh… th-that…”
“If you can do that, I’ll buy you a new stuffed toy.”
“Dear, that’s only for Elvira—”

Citrine shook his head, cutting off his wife.

“I would say the same to Cain and Faustina if they bought books and didn’t read them.
Elvira, you’re good at the piano, aren’t you?”
“Y-Yes.”
“How do you feel when you improve at something you’re good at?”
“Of course I feel happy!”
“Try applying that feeling to your studies.
Everyone dislikes studying when they don’t understand it.
Think of it as challenging a difficult piece of music.
You already know the sense of achievement when you succeed.”
“Yes…”

Having studying added as a condition for getting a stuffed toy, Elvira looked dejected, but Citrine gazed at her with a gentle, wry smile.
Lyudmila watched Elvira with concern.

After that, breakfast ended without incident.
Preparations for the tea party began.
Faustina watched Elvira’s retreating back as she trudged toward her room.
Understanding was necessary even to read sheet music.
Elvira was not stupid.
If her mindset shifted in a serious direction, there was every chance she could become a reliable young lady.

At that moment, Faustina had an idea.
She would imitate Citrine’s approach.
If she used the piano as an example to guide Elvira toward studying, then someday, even if Elvira became engaged to Bernhard, her queen consort education might go smoothly.

“This is it!”
“M-Miss, why did you suddenly raise your voice?”
“Linsy, this is it!”
“What is ‘this’?”
“Linsy, I’ll do my best!
No, I have to do my best!”
“I’m very anxious about the direction in which you intend to do your best, but I support you.”
“Thank you!
Alright, let’s get ready for the tea party!
I bet there’ll be lots of delicious sweets!”
“Please be careful not to overeat.”

Linsy worried that Faustina, who had a weakness for good food and sweets, might overeat at the venue and upset her stomach.
Well, Cain would be there to keep an eye on her, so all she could do was hope he would stop her.

Once back in her room, the maids wasted no time in dressing Faustina up.
After being carefully prepared, Faustina turned to Linsy and the maids who had helped her.

“How is it?
The dress Her Majesty designed for me.”
“It’s absolutely lovely, Lady Faustina!”
“It matches Lady Faustina’s hair color perfectly!”

The dress was made from fabric with an elegant blue-silver sheen, but for the sake of the ever-moving Faustina, it was designed to allow easy movement.
To achieve the perfect color, four layers of glitter tulle were carefully layered into the skirt.
A sky-blue ribbon was tied at the waist as she checked herself in the mirror.
In her hair was a purple azalea ornament.
There had been white, pink, and red options as well, but she felt uncomfortable with those colors because Elvira had favored them before.

As for white, which matched anything, that was one thing, but pink and red simply didn’t suit her.

“It suits you very well, Miss!
But are you sure about choosing purple azalea?”
“Yes.
This color combination feels calming.”

There was still time before heading to the royal castle, the venue.
With preparations complete, Faustina stood before her bookshelf, thinking she would read while waiting.

“Which one should I choose?”
“How about a short story collection?
Each story is brief, so even if you’re suddenly called away, you can start again later.”
“That makes sense.
A short story collection… hmm, I don’t have one.
When we go to Aleister Bookstore, I’ll add that to my list.”

Her list of desired books grew, filling her with delight.
She wondered how to spend the remaining time, but time passed quickly on its own.

Just as she sat down on the sofa, deciding to wait quietly, there was a knock, and Elvira entered.

“Elvira?”

Feeling uncomfortable under the intense gaze that swept her from toe to head, Faustina asked the reason for her visit.

Elvira’s dress had five layers of differently colored tulle, creating a fluffy skirt that evoked the image of a lovely flower.
The waist ribbon was Elvira’s favorite pink.
Watching her, Faustina thought the designer’s eye for Elvira was genuine.
Then Elvira frowned.

“Do you have any awareness that you are Bernhard-sama’s fiancée?
Going to a tea party in such a plain dress.”

At those words, Faustina’s expression hardened.
Startled by her sister’s sudden change, Elvira let out a short scream.

“Elvira.
Take back what you just said.
You are being disrespectful to Her Majesty the Queen who designed this dress.
And to the artisans who made it.
Someone who cannot tell what may and may not be said has no qualification to attend a tea party.”

Living up to her reputation as a cold and cruel older sister in her previous life, Faustina scolded Elvira with chilled eyes despite being only seven years old.
Even the adult maids felt a chill run down their spines.
Facing that cold air directly, Elvira’s legs trembled as she bit her lip and glared at Faustina.
But Faustina did not waver at being glared at by her selfish sister.

“Is the carriage ready?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Then I’ll get on first and wait.”
“P-Please wait, Miss!”

If she stayed here and Elvira started crying, the tea party would be ruined before it even began.
Once Faustina was gone, Elvira would calm down eventually.

Leaving the room at a brisk pace, Faustina exited the mansion and boarded the carriage waiting at the gate.

In the empty space, she slumped her shoulders.

“…That just now was exactly the same as before.

…Huh?
Maybe I’m surprisingly suited to being a villain-role actress?”