The mask that hid Camilla’s true colors fell away, and she reached out in a panic to snatch the letter. She was about to crumple it up and swallow it in her mouth.

“Give it to me!”

Due to their height difference, Lionel was able to defend himself by simply holding his hands up high. Lionel said in an amused voice.

“Honestly, it’s none of my business how many men you’ve hooked up with. I’m not the type to be obsessed with political struggles. However, my father is from a different era, so he might be different.”

Realizing the futility of her actions, Camilla froze in place, her hands balled into fists.

“You unscrupulous bastard, what the hell are you doing to me? It’s about time you left me alone!”

Camila looked genuinely frustrated. Lionel let out a long sigh.

“To be honest, I don’t find it very pleasant to have to make light of the lady’s infidelity either, but since you’re tormenting my friend with your pillow talks, what better way to resolve this than to be equally childish myself?”

Camilla grew quiet at Lionel’s words. She’d decided they had some business to discuss. Her eyes were still glaring at Lionel, but she had calmed down considerably from earlier.

“You mean the firstborn of House Berta.”

Camilla said in a calmer voice. Her half-spoken mouth reassembled itself into a polite line, and the corners of Lionel’s mouth twitched up in response.

“I have seen your dazzling friendship with Duchess Anna. But there are things that are more important to you than that, aren’t there?”

Camilla avoided Lionel’s gaze, uncomfortable, but she wasn’t about to throw away her entire foundation to help Duchess Berta.

Everything that sustained her now came from the king. She might have played with fire on impulse, but not to the point of abandoning her comfortable life. As far as she was concerned, the presence of the High Priest Delmer was nothing more than a nice little extra income. A small question escaped Camilla’s lips as she finished her calculations.

“Should I arrange for the Little Duke to receive a title?”

“Of course. Everything is in order.”

Satisfied with her answer, Lionel lowered his arm and held out the letter to Camilla. Camilla looked at it suspiciously, then took it. She wondered why he should trust and hand over evidence when the request hadn’t been fulfilled properly yet.

But her doubts were short-lived. Lionel quickly added a chilling note.

“I will have the response for you. Be romantic.”

Camilla’s head snapped up. Camila’s face turned pale, and she asked in a fed-up tone.

“What else do I have to do for that?”

“Hmm, we’ll think about that later.”

Lionel replied leisurely. He wasn’t the one with the weakness anyway. Camilla gritted her teeth in exasperation, but she couldn’t bring herself to hurl more accusations at him. Instead, she nervously folded the letter and slipped it into her arms, her lips curling in disapproval.

“You’re making my skin crawl with your cute little antics.”

“It amuses me to know that someone like you thinks it’s cute.”

Lionel smirked. He was too old to be called cute, and Camila was not old enough to be called maternal. There was only a four-year age gap between Camila and Lionel. In fact, at one point, Lionel and Camila had even hung out as peers.

As he looked at the evidence clutched in Camila’s arms, he asked.

“Isn’t your youth too precious to sell for nothing?”

Camilla glared at him, the question unintelligible. Lionel continued.

“If you’ve lost interest in my father, it’s time to stop. You’re never too old to start over.”

Lionel’s words evoked an outright sneer from Camila. She replied exaggeratedly, as if she were an actress.

“Come on, Prince. I was just having fun with the High Priest.”

“I suppose what was said between the two of you in bed will determine if you were just having fun or if you were prying for information.”

“We’re only guilty of whispering love.”

“Or maybe not, you’re a woman who enjoys betrayal.”

With that, Lionel strode toward Camilla, his face dangerously close to hers. If he wanted to, he could have kissed her without her consent. As if to show off, Lionel closed the distance between them. Camilla raised her index finger to stop his lips. She said with a warning.

“Prince, I have no interest in men who haven’t even dried the blood on their heads¹ this expression implies that someone has not faced any significant hardships or difficulties.”

“I see. So you prefer old men whose heads haven’t seen blood in a while?”

“I’d rather choose them over young hotheads who only think about their lower desires. As time passes, people tend to accumulate more experiences and wisdom.”

“It seems like an unusual preference, to say the least.”

“That’s why they say you get more out of it than you put into it.”

Camilla smiled, looking relaxed, though she was well aware of his usefulness.

There was no compelling reason for Lionel to throw her out. The king’s mistress is an eyesore, but she’s there for a reason. If he got rid of her, he’d find another woman anyway. Love and people were sometimes illusory, but in the real world they could be replaced.

Lionel would probably find a more efficient use for the rest of her reply than to bring it to the king, but that would come later. Pushing past Lionel’s shoulder, Camilla stepped through the door.

“Rosalie, let’s go.”

At her urging, the distant maid followed. The maid looked at Lionel as if he were a scoundrel and disappeared. Her response was just as arrogant as her master’s.

Lionel chuckled at the absurdity of it all. There was no way a woman like Camilla would have been so sincere as to offer herself up to High Priest Delmer. She was probably just trying to extort more money from a man whose eyes were wide with the prospect of stealing her. He didn’t get his tail between his legs in time, though.

Lionel knew best that the rest of the unreturned letter was nothing more than a ridiculous skit. Camilla was a woman who didn’t believe in love. Lionel scratched the back of his head and paced.

“People can be quite perplexing.”

* * *

“You remember, how you have to explain things to people.”

“That I felt compassion for the poor tutor’s shitty life and gave her charity as if I was trying to get her to experience high society, is that right?”

Diego recited the long sentence without even a hint of impatience, as if he had been waiting for it. His voice carried a tone of boredom and weariness. Estella decided to abandon her attempts to probe further at this point. With each repeated question, his responses were becoming increasingly hostile.

“Good, that’s perfect.”

Estella nodded in satisfaction. Still, she wiped her palms on the hem of her dress, feeling nervous for some reason. Madame Laura, who had spent over two hours working on her, would have been proud. But she couldn’t help but feel more nervous as they neared the palace. The curtains were drawn on the windows, so she couldn’t see exactly where she was, but it had been a while since she’d been in the carriage, so it couldn’t be long.

Estella paused to adjust her glasses out of habit. There was no way Madame Laura would allow her to wear glasses to a ball. Naturally, Diego, sitting across from her, saw all of her awkward gestures. Frowning, Estella asked him sharply.

“Why do you keep looking over here?”

Estella realized that her question was ridiculous. What else could he do in a carriage but look across from him. But his gaze was almost too intense. Diego relaxingly leaned back in his seat.

“You look like a different person.”

“I don’t know if that’s an insult or a compliment…….”

“It was a compliment, of course.”

Diego clarified, sounding incredulous. Estella was puzzled because he seemed to mean it. It certainly didn’t seem like he was making fun of her. She had to admit that she looked pretty good today.

It wasn’t the first time she’d been complimented by a man, but it was a little different when it was a woman. Feeling awkward, Estella fumbled with her clothes.

“Madame Laura was very attentive. I can’t believe how this detail came out in such a short time.”

With that, Estella lifted the hem of her skirt to show him. There were pearls embedded in the fabric. It was the kind of embellishment that could have taken several people three nights to make.

The dress ended up looking exactly like Estella’s original design. The color, on the other hand, was decided upon as a clear, dark blue, far from the white she had originally wanted. It was Madame Laura’s decision, but no one disagreed when Estella walked out in the dress. The royal blue color contrasted beautifully with her fair skin, as if they were made for each other. With multiple layers of white lace draped over it, a graceful atmosphere was added to the ensemble.

“It’s too good to throw away after wearing once, but what can we do?”

Diego asked, sounding genuinely curious at Estella’s lament.

“Are you stepping into the role you’ve been talking about?”

“What role?”

“The one that Miss Margaret has been so emphatic about, that of a poor country bumpkin. You’re the only person I know who would make such a fanciful statement in the presence of the heir to the Duchy of Berta.”

Before Estella could retort, the carriage screeched to a halt. Diego stepped out first, leaving Estella gaping. He held out his hand in a very gentlemanly manner. Estella felt the urge to leap out with all her might, but everyone in the neighborhood was watching her as she arrived in the same carriage as Diego.

Estella finally took Diego’s hand while half asleep. She spoke in a drowsy tone.

“If you don’t want to be embarrassed about your partner’s old-fashioned behavior, please be careful.”

“Well, if we’re going to immerse ourselves in our roles, let’s just enjoy it today. You look absolutely beautiful right now.”

Diego smiled as he said that. Estella was speechless. There was more to Diego than she had ever realized, even as she followed his life through a book. It was for exactly the same reason that she hadn’t been able to convince Adriana to consummate her marriage to him.

Estella meekly followed him to the entrance. They had arrived late, so the party hall was already almost full. She could feel the natural noise that came with a large crowd.

Diego was a great nobleman, and no great courtier would keep him and his partner waiting long. The servant at the door immediately recited Diego and Estella’s names. It wasn’t hard to imagine that the people inside were running genealogies through their heads, trying to figure out who she was. Not that any of them realized that ‘Montiel’ was the name of a small estate in the north.

The Montiel family had lost the land on which it was based two generations earlier. The name had long since been changed by a neighboring lord who wanted to make sure the old contract was honored. If he could have sold it, he wouldn’t even have a title left.

“I’m fortunate to be a home tutor.”

“Why did you suddenly think that?”

“No matter how nervous I am, I can’t forget the mannerisms I learned for etiquette training.”

Whispering softly, Estella descended the stairs. Her posture was certainly upright, and her chin slightly lifted, just as proper etiquette dictated. Diego smiled and encouraged her to continue speaking.

“Keep talking. It’s better to appear enthusiastic.”

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  this expression implies that someone has not faced any significant hardships or difficulties