Chapter 78

"Princess Octavia!"

"Princess Octavia!"

Startled by the crowd calling my name, I snapped back to reality. I urged Cissy to come up on stage, and Hughie would come along as an escort!

"The one chosen by the sky seems to be her."

Yes, I addressed the gathered people.

The sky—appealing to the Sky God always goes down well!

"Let's bestow her with a blessing of fresh flowers, praying for the smooth progress of her inspection."

This staged ceremony, if wrapped up nicely, will surely be fine!

The key is to avoid any "huh?" moments with the momentum!

"Hugh"

Hugh held the flower garland from Carlam. Nodding, Hugh offered the hair ornament to Cissy. Cissy handed the rose to Hughie and took the flower garland.

"...What's wrong? Cissy."

Seeing Cissy's serious expression, I couldn't help but whisper to her.

"Your Highness, this is a fresh flower hair ornament..."

"It's fine this way."

Usually, nobles don't decorate their hair with fresh flowers. But it's not wrong, so it's okay!

"...I understand."

With a determined look, Cissy lifted the flower garland.

Cissy is a bit taller, but she bent down to make it easier to attach to my hair.

Gently, the flower ornament was placed next to the tiara. However, her hands were trembling. I took her hands, which had completed their task, and gently held them in mine.

"Thank you."

"Princess Via..."

Because it was Cissy, I wasn't at all nervous. Even though this was a situation I had planned, being adorned with a flower ornament by a complete stranger would have been scary. It's something I should bear, as a result of the provocation. But for Cissy, it was sudden, and it would be strange not to be nervous...

"Thank you."

Because of Cissy's cold and beautiful appearance, she managed to give the best smile.

—A moment later, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Looking around the square, everyone had welcoming expressions.

Did the staged ceremony with the fresh flower ornament succeed?

"How about it? Brother. The combination of the tiara and the Carlam flower ornament?"

I asked with a smug look. The dress I chose for the inspection has a cape, which I flipped to show off.

I had received comments on the outfit before departure, but this is the finished look!

"......"

Blue eyes met mine, looking down at me.

Brother let out a breath.

"...It's not bad, but the flower ornament should be moved a bit."

His hand reached out, and I felt the position of the flower ornament being adjusted.

"This is better."

Looking around, Cissy and Hughie, as well as Guy and Erel, nodded in agreement.

"Princess Via, I'm sorry. I was nervous..."

"—No, you're Octavia's friend. Thanks to you picking the flower, we didn't have to be overly cautious. I'm grateful."

"Such..."

Actually, brother, you know about my social circle...

Of course, he would. The second son of a marquis's infatuation and pressure on Hughie, and Hughie's invitation to dance to resist it. And the famous story of Cissy and Hughie's love overcoming obstacles and social status. I was able to exercise my princess power refreshingly in that incident.

So!

I decided to create a bit of time to talk with them, without disrupting the schedule!

Stepping down from the stage, I asked various questions. Why were they in the square? Cissy, blushing, answered. As I expected, they were on a date...! Knowing I was coming for the inspection, they had only intended to watch from a distance, but then the roses fell.

I also wanted to talk to Cissy about the undelivered letter incident. I had arranged for the letter to be delivered without error, so I whispered to her to send it to my maid, Sasha, from now on.

I had already talked to Sasha, so there was no problem. I had also gotten the cooperation of the head lady-in-waiting, Matilda! Thanks to being confined to my room, I had plenty of time... and I could meet Sasha normally.

Phew. Talking to Cissy always relaxes me.

Time flies. I wish we could have a bit more...

Could we extend this a bit?

An idea struck me.

Following the new concept of the day—“Hey, Cissy, if you're free, why don't we have dinner together later?”—I almost said it, but then I thought better of it.

Safe...!

What's this? A battle between Makoto and the princess!

Makoto part: "Enjoy everything! Use this opportunity to have dinner with friends! It's hard to do this otherwise!"—feeling cheerful.

Princess part: "First of all, you're being targeted by a suspect? What if Cissy gets into danger?"

The decision was made in an instant. The Makoto part retreated immediately.

"I didn't consider that possibility...!"—the sound effect would be a big "Gah." "I don't want Cissy to get hurt!"—the princess part won by default.

Reluctantly, I kept quiet... but!

"Viscount Winfield, we are in the middle of an inspection, but we plan to have dinner in the city later. Would you like to join us?"

Brother actually invited Hughie.

"Prince Serius, thank you for the kind invitation, but..."

Hughie tried to politely decline.

Refusing the invitation of the first prince is usually unthinkable for a noble. Maybe an uncle or a duke could, or if they were personally close, it might be okay. But I've never seen brother extend such an invitation to someone he can't refuse!

"It won't be a formal occasion. If you're concerned, I can invite your fiancée, Leulay, as well."

Including Cissy too... I could feel brother's iron will not to let them refuse.

"Brother..."

When I tried to reprimand him.

"—Didn't you agree? It's part of my 'provocation.'"

The latter part was just loud enough for me to hear.

For a moment, my mind went blank. I refused to understand.

But, this means...

In the end, brother suspects Viscount Winfield, right? For me, Cissy and Hughie are beyond suspicion.

They appeared as a result of me changing the staged ceremony plan—creating a 'provocation.' It was a complete coincidence, but the fact that they appeared in such a perfect situation...

What if they are suspects? What would happen if I invited them to dinner and gave them more opportunities?

That's what this is about.

Understanding, complete.

—Do you really doubt them so much? I had to hold back, really hold back. From brother's perspective, even if it's just a tiny bit of suspicion, it's not entirely unreasonable...

"......"

Still, anger arose. The good impression I had of brother, who had just adjusted my hair ornament, plummeted.

I took a deep breath and replied, not whispering.

"Then, brother, you should also pay attention to the other person who picked up the flower. Of course, the one who said he was his subordinate as well."

In other words, Derek and the others!

"......There's no need."

I couldn't believe my ears.

Is this favoritism? Favoring one side? Something the original Serius wouldn't do?

"Really? Why?"

I myself don't suspect Derek and the others. They're probably acting for some reason, but they wouldn't do anything against the royal family.

But that's a separate issue.

"There's nothing to say about this."

Clang.

Invisible sparks flew between brother and me.

"Prince Serius, Princess Octavia!"

Hughie intervened to mediate between the tense brother and me.

"—I would like to accept the kind invitation. So..."

Though he didn't say it, I understood what he meant.

We shouldn't be arguing. ...I should be grateful. Thanks to him, I calmed down a bit.

"Yes, that's right."

...Right. In this situation, it's better to have dinner together.

"I'll invite you again. Please come."

I smiled at Hughie and Cissy.