Chapter 19

"Fortunately, the Crown Prince laughed it off, but the gazes of those around us were incredibly cold, weren't they? You should think before you speak."

"I, I am thinking! I just didn't happen to know about it! The Crown Prince laughed and forgave me, so it's fine."

"…Well, since Rosa is so cute, the Crown Prince probably won't take it seriously or get angry, but…"

Every man is soft on Rosa. Since she didn't do it with any ill intent, the Crown Prince must have understood.

Falko sighed.

"…The Crown Prince seems like a good person, so let's continue the conversation here. Those ladies over there are no good. They're glaring at Rosa so intensely…"

Rosa and Falko joined the conversation again.

After making a mistake, Rosa decided to be quiet and listen for a while.

The Crown Prince, noticing a pause in the conversation, looked at Rosa again.

"By the way, you have an older sister, don't you?"

Rosa felt a bit annoyed.

—Is it necessary to bring up that topic now?

To Rosa, her sister's name is one of the things she least wants to hear.

"What do you think of your sister? I've heard a little bit. Something about her losing to Falko and saying mean things to you…"

The Crown Prince said this with a smile, and Rosa couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's right. My sister is like a block of pride. She always tries to correct my manners, even the smallest ones, even though no one does them the way she does."

Reisch laughed softly.

"A strict person, like the sun, huh?"

"The sun…?"

Rosa had never been called 'like the sun.' It was Rosa, not her sister, who had always been compared to the sun.

With her radiant appearance and likable personality.

It was unacceptable for her sister to be called the sun.

"Ahahaha, not at all. My sister is dark, plain, and only has her whiteness as a redeeming quality. She's like a dazed moon!"

Reisch fell silent.

The people around them, who had been listening, also remained silent, not daring to speak.

—What, what is this atmosphere?

"…I see. In this country, the moon has a negative image, I guess."

"Huh…?"

"In my country, it's the opposite. Being called 'like the moon' is the highest praise. Our national emblem includes the moon, you know?"

Reisch pointed to a banner hanging nearby, which indeed featured the moon emblem.

Reisch smiled and said,

"I see. You've never even seen our national emblem?"

Rosa turned red with embarrassment.

—I've seen it, I've seen it! I knew it! But I never thought the moon had such a meaning.

Rosa, being a princess, had never paid attention to her country's symbols. She knew there were more important things to focus on.

"…I think what's more important than symbols is the 'heart' that wants to become friends with someone."

"That's not good. The thought of a carefree person like you handling negotiations makes my head hurt. From the looks of it, you probably didn't even understand the meaning of the dishes served today, did you?"

Rosa was surprised and tried to recall the dishes from today. But they seemed ordinary to her. She couldn't find anything particularly meaningful about them.

Reisch chuckled.

"I can understand why your sister had some harsh words for you."

Rosa felt humiliated by the sarcastic tone.

"I'm sorry for not knowing. But I'm still learning. I'll work hard, so please forgive me."

Reisch looked at Rosa's angry face with a cool expression and said,

"Your sister…"

—Huh?

"The person who taught me the classical hawk cuisine was your sister. In this country, hawks are respected as important friends. She told me that Falco's name comes from the hawk. She had thoroughly researched our history before coming to the banquet. Knowing her own country's classics is a given, of course."

He reached out and touched the large diamond earrings Rosa was wearing.

"In Reisch, women are strictly regulated in their adornment. I don't know if that's why, but when your sister came to our banquet, she tied up her hair and covered it, and didn't wear any jewelry."

Rosa had adorned herself with jewels today, feeling elated by the accessories she had received from Lucretia.

It wasn't because she had any particular thoughts about Reisch.

"We know about the Illuminati culture, so we don't think it's necessary to go that far, but at least her actions showed 'heart.'"

Reisch smiled teasingly.

"Can you really become like your sister?"

—No way!

There was no way Rosa could be inferior to her sister.

Her father always praised her for being much smarter than that know-it-all who only showed off her knowledge.

"…My sister, unlike me, received special education! I'm still learning!"

"Hahaha, that's true. I might have been a bit too mean to a young lady before marriage. Please forgive me."

Reisch's hearty laugh disarmed Rosa.

Her anger subsided, and she felt calm.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Hahaha, I've never seen anyone say that to me. You're an interesting girl."

Rosa felt better when he said this with a laugh.

—See? If you have the heart, you can get by without knowing manners.

She wanted to say this to her sister.

"You said your sister is like the moon, but I have to object. If there's a beautiful woman like the moon, it's my sister. I'll introduce her to you."

He said this and disappeared into another room.

Suddenly, the room buzzed with whispers in the Reisch language, which Rosa and Falko couldn't understand.

Confused, Rosa spoke to Falko.

"His sister…"

"I'm not really interested. I prefer blondes."

"But… she's a guest from another country. What are you saying?"

"Even so, it's natural for a man to be curious about a cute girl."

Rosa became worried.

—Falko doesn't have the best reputation with women.

She hoped it wouldn't cause a commotion.

Reisch soon returned with a stunningly beautiful girl who looked a lot like him.

"This is my sister, Reija."

The Reisch nobility often had balanced features, combining the best traits of different ethnicities.

Reija, the Crown Prince's sister, was exceptionally beautiful even by Illuminati standards.

Falko, standing next to Rosa, was speechless and entranced.

Reija whispered something to her brother in secret, and he burst out laughing.

"This is interesting. She likes the color of Falko's eyes and wants to see them up close. What do you say?"

"Yes… I'd be happy to."

—What, no, what is she thinking?

Rosa glared at Falko, who was responding dreamily, and Reisch spoke to Rosa.

"Rosa, why don't you join a card game at that table? I'll lend you the money to bet."

He casually put his hand on her shoulder, and Rosa was startled.

"I'll teach you a grown-up game, you studious girl."

Rosa, captivated by Reisch's charm, followed him dazedly.

—They enjoyed themselves at the embassy until morning.

Neither Falko nor Rosa could have predicted that this blunder would trigger their eventual downfall.

***

Reisch watched the carriage carrying the two of them leave and sat down on a cushion, looking tired.

—Phew. I thought they were foolish, but I didn't expect this much.

The events unfolded exactly as he had planned, leaving him somewhat disappointed.

At the banquet, Reisch had set several traps.

During the meal, he didn't toast to the Illuminati king and subtly served dishes that hinted at his good relations with their enemy country. These were very subtle and clever traps, but the guests were completely oblivious to them.

If it had been Lucretia, she would have paid attention to every detail, read the intentions from the menu, and connected them to the conversation.

However, they were completely ignorant about Reisch and showed no signs of caution.

—The Marshal and his wife were careless. To leave the country with only such a dull son behind…

Reisch was from the hawk clan. If the prey was exposed, he wouldn't miss the opportunity.

—I'll make them regret underestimating us.

With dark thoughts in his heart, Reisch decided to take the next step.

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