"Fifth princess, Claudia Rowe, please come in."
The king's servant yelled again. His tone was agitated.
Cheryl's heart stiffened even more when she heard the butler's call. Her sweaty palms. Cheryl took a step forward after a few moments of mentally bracing herself with difficulty.
She walked into the main room. Cheryl noticed that everyone's attention was drawn to her as soon as she appeared. It's not that she's narcissistic, but it's true.
Cheryl walked forward, her gaze downward. She didn't dare to look at the people in the front seat, especially since she knew Edgar was there.
Cheryl estimated the distance, making sure it wasn't too far or too close. Bowing respectfully in the centre, directly in front of the king's seat.
"Claudia extends greetings to His Majesty."
Cheryl's voice is not loud, but it is clear.
The king, sitting on the throne, cast an unfamiliar glance at the young girl hunched over in front of him. To be honest, he had never heard of this princess. He wouldn't have known he had a daughter named Claudia if the Crown Prince hadn't mentioned it that day.
"I accepted your greetings." The king replied casually.
Cheryl looked up. The king completely ignored her. She didn't feel sad, but she did feel uneasy. Maybe Claudia was down?
Cheryl chose not to say anything. She noticed a familiar figure sitting on the chair to the right of the King. It took Cheryl only a split second to realise who it was. Of course, she recognised him because he was Eugene, whom she had met the day before!
Cheryl's heart was pounding once more. She remembered introducing herself by her full name the day before. Then they meet again, and Eugene discovers that she is Claudia. What was his response?
Regardless of how concerned she was, she had to humbly salute because the other party was the Crown Prince.
Cheryl bowed, as she had done when she saluted the King.
"Claudia extends her greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince." Cheryl bit her lower lip; she almost spelled her name incorrectly.
Eugene laughed. He especially enjoyed seeing Cheryl when she was nervous. Cheryl's erratic demeanour piqued his interest.
The Prince rose from his seat and walked away. He grabbed Cheryl's arm and helped her stand.
"Your Greetings accepted, Lady Cheryl," he said quietly next to her ear. His voice was low enough that only the two of them could hear it.
Cheryl was stunned and her body froze.
Eugene actually says Cheryl's name at that point. Doesn't that imply he knew she was Claudia from the start?
Cheryl glared at him, but Eugene kept a beautiful smile on his face, both hands on Cheryl's arm. They were in an awkward position, standing so close to each other.
A certain person, who had not been seen from the beginning, couldn't help but frown.
He noticed something different about her from the moment she walked in with her head down. Not because he recognised her as the terrified girl that day, but for another reason. Such as liking. Unfortunately, special people have special attitudes. The girl didn't even look at him. Edgar suspected the girl had done it on purpose.
Then, as she greeted Eugene and the man approached her, Edgar felt bitter inside. His eyes were irritated by the two people holding hands in the middle of the hall. Edgar coughed, whether on purpose or unintentionally. Someone was offended by the sound of his coughing.
Cheryl jerked her head towards the source of the noise, letting go of Eugene's hand. She felt guilty all of a sudden. But when she met Edgar's gaze, she became bitter once more.
Eugene did not move from his position. I'm still standing in front of Cheryl. He reminded Cheryl of a caring older brother.
"Edgar Baldwin is the Marquess of Northland. Salute him."
Eugene's words were heard by all, including the two Princesses and the few maids standing nearby. Eugene's voice had an affectionate tone to it.
Particularly Yvette. She narrowed her eyes and immediately thought of another possibility. Everyone knew the Crown Prince was very cold. Eugene had no idea Yvette existed, even though she was stunning. Then, doesn't his recent warm attitude toward Claudia imply something else?
The king was equally taken aback. But not jealousy, as Yvette suspected. Instead, the king was ecstatic.
The Crown Prince has a unique position in the kingdom. He is not the king's true son, but rather the son of the emperor, the highest ruler of the Zizvania kingdom. Because the king had no sons, the emperor sent Prince Eugene to Zizvania when he was ten years old, specifically with the title of Crown Prince. The policy was that if the king had no sons, Prince Eugene would inherit the throne. In summary, the central empire seized power, and Zizvania would fall.
However, if Prince Eugene married one of the king's daughters, the king would most likely retain his position in the future.
The possibility didn't bother the king. If this is true, he intends to fully support Eugene and Claudia.
Edgar had also heard it. Eugene is the princesses' older brother, so it should be natural. But I'm not sure why his heart became unhappy.
Eugene had already made way for her, so Cheryl greeted Edgar half-heartedly. Because she didn't want to do it.
"This princess welcomes the Marquis," she stated. Her voice was gloomy and irritated. It's as if it's filled with rage and hatred.
Edgar found himself unable to respond to the greeting. He only looked at Cheryl's face. In his heart, her cute voice saying half-hearted greetings echoed. Despite the fact that it was only a forced greeting, it was the first time the girl had spoken to him directly. He felt content in some way.
Eugene spoke first, without waiting for Edgar's response.
"Let's go to the main hall now that everyone has seen each other. The guests are patiently waiting."
The king was displeased to see Eugene acting as the host. His goal hasn't been met yet, but Eugene is already making him uncomfortable. Even so, he could only swallow his displeasure and agree.
"The Crown Prince is correct. Let's have some fun going to the main hall."
The king left the room first, followed by his personal butler.
Eugene extends his hand in front of Cheryl. The young girl was taken aback. Eugene's words were lost on her.
"Does Your Highness require anything?"
Eugene's smile froze, but he quickly recovered. He looked down at his outstretched hand. "I just want to hold your hand, lady Cheryl; are you willing?"
Cheryl is once again confronted with Eugene's seduction and feels somewhat overwhelmed. She tentatively takes Eugene's hand, and they walk together towards the main hall. They had no idea that a pair of eyes were staring at them from behind them.
Cheryl is concerned about Eugene's demeanour. She frantically suggests that because some nobles want to socialise with Eugene, Cheryl should have left.
The nobles were drawn to the way the two of them conversed in silence. They didn't know Cheryl, and Eugene didn't introduce them to her. As a result, they didn't know and didn't dare to inquire.
Eugene finally let Cheryl go when she was about to cry. Cheryl took advantage of the opportunity to flee.
There was no one to speak to Cheryl about because Claudia was an unknown princess. But does Cheryl care? Of course not. Cheryl walks freely to the buffet table, takes whatever food she wants, and drinks whatever looks refreshing.
Cheryl went to the cake table after finishing her cookie. Cheryl loves sweets, so all of the cakes look delicious to her. So she ate a piece of each type one by one.
The chocolate flavour is delicious, as is the strawberry flavour. In any case, she enjoyed the taste of all the cakes. She fell in love with all of the food right away.
Cheryl was so preoccupied with eating that she didn't notice that she was being watched. Edgar had followed the little princess with a glance ever since she had broken away from Eugene. He witnessed everything. Her ridiculous behaviour when she saw the food, the manner in which she ate it, and the expression on her face when she tasted it were all recorded in his mind.
A woman in a lavish gown approached him. Edgar cast a glance her way. He ignored the woman's arrival, believing he didn't know her.
Princess Yvette was irritated by Edgar's icy demeanour. She refused to be ignored. Princess Yvette hid her annoyance because she thought Edgar was her future husband.
She put on her best smile and spoke softly.
"Why is Lord of Northland standing alone in the corner? Were you dissatisfied with the banquet?" Princess Yvette attempted to find a random topic to discuss but was unaware that the question was less than pleasant.
Edgar caught sight of the beautiful woman beside him and realised she was one of the king's daughters.
"No, the banquet was enjoyable."
"Will the Lord of Northland then invite this Princess to dance?"
Edgar frowned, clearly annoyed. He wasn't a good person who never touched a woman, but the thought of him dancing and hugging Yvette was too much to bear. Yvette is not only attractive, but she also has a good body and large breasts. That was, in fact, Edgar's ideal type. But his heart was strongly opposed to Yvette's approach.
"I just don't feel well," Edgar explained.
"Is that correct? The Lord of Northland can then go to the resting room. I'll accompany you."
"There's no need, Princess." Then Edgar made an excuse to leave, claiming that he needed to talk to the king about it.
Cheryl witnesses their brief interaction. She was about to get a drink when she turned her head and saw Edgar and Yvette talking. Cheryl smiled quietly to herself. She thought the two of them looked good together.
Cheryl is still happily eating.
The couple took to the dance floor one by one. Dancing extremely well.
Cheryl couldn't find Edgar and Yvette among the dancing couples. She seemed perplexed. According to her book, Edgar asked Yvette to dance and was carried away by the atmosphere, as if he didn't want to be separated.
But how come Cheryl didn't notice them dancing there?
Cheryl looked around but didn't see the couple she was looking for. Edgar wasn't to be found. Among the noble girls who surrounded her, she only saw Yvette.
Could it be that the plot does not unfold exactly as described in the book?
Cheryl threw the question backwards because she didn't want to think about it any longer. She returned to eating a few slices of cake until she was completely satisfied. She looked at the colourful cakes on the table, wishing she could take some home with her.
"If I had known, I would have brought a bag of cookies to fill."
Cheryl is exhausted and has no further business in the palace. She slipped away, convinced that no one was looking. She happily returned to her small house.
"I didn't come to the banquet for nothing. I'll be able to return home with a full stomach."
Cheryl quickly forgot about her annoyance.