Chapter 48

I cautiously peeked around the corner of the hallway, keeping a watchful eye on the reception room where Prince Orca was, trying to calm my anxious heart.

“Madam… why are you here… Lord Eilspord told you to rest…”

Maria, who followed me, sighed, unable to understand my intense gaze that seemed to pierce through the door. Her innocent eyes made me look strange for being so enthusiastic about greeting a guest.

“But it’s the lady of the house’s duty to entertain guests. I couldn’t go out to greet them, but I should at least prepare the tea and snacks.”

“That’s true, but… there’s no need to go as far as to keep watch…”

“It’s not watching, it’s just… keeping an eye on things!”

“Madam, that’s usually called watching.”

I stubbornly held my ground, and Maria sighed and shook her head, giving up on trying to persuade me to return to my room. I felt bad for making Maria follow me around, but I couldn’t afford to be lax in my surveillance.

‘Orca isn’t just any guest!’

People who didn’t know the true nature of Prince Orca seemed tense just because a member of the royal family was visiting, but I was anxious for a different reason. The person I was dealing with was a real villain from a novel, the mastermind behind all the tragedies!

‘He might pretend to be nice, but who knows what he’ll do if things go wrong.’

That’s how it was in the novel too. Whenever someone displeased him, he would quietly move behind the scenes to eliminate them, all while smiling warmly on the surface.

‘So I can’t let my guard down.’

I glared at the tightly closed door, determined not to give him any reason to be dissatisfied with the hospitality. I had no idea what kind of revenge Prince Orca would take if he found any fault.

‘Maybe I’ve already given him a reason to be dissatisfied.’

The thought made me feel heavy-hearted. At the last meeting, Prince Orca almost got assassinated. Of course, it was Altear’s plan to deal with Balhail, and the target was likely to be me or Altear. But Altear cleverly used the fact that Prince Orca was attending to shift the blame to Balhail, making him the scapegoat.

‘Altear used Prince Orca.’

Prince Orca enjoys using others to solve problems, but he hates being used by others. He believes that others can be his tools, but he refuses to be a tool for others.

‘Typical selfish thinking for a villain and a mastermind!’

But that’s just how villains are, so there’s nothing I can do about it. The heroines who fall into novels with such villains usually try to reform them. But I know my limits. I don’t have the ability to do that.

‘So I’ll just try to make sure nothing bad happens to me, or to Eilspord.’

I might not be able to change the situation, but I can at least try to prevent it from getting worse. My plan was simple: feed Orca what he likes and provide a comfortable bed to make his sharp gaze on Eilspord dull. After all, people usually let their guard down after a good meal and a good night’s sleep. It’s a simple plan, but it’s the best I can do.

‘I know Orca’s preferences well.’

Since Orca was a significant character in the novel, I naturally understood his tastes.

‘Of course, I’ve only read the novel about 50 times, so I don’t know everything perfectly.’

If I had known this would happen, I would have read it at least 100 times. Why am I always just a step short? I sighed at my own lack of preparation. Just as I did, the tightly closed door slid open. I stared at it, tense, and saw Prince Orca and his subordinates start to move, guided by Pavel. It seemed the room was ready, and they were leaving the reception room.

‘I’m confident about the bedroom too! I decorated it completely to Orca’s taste!’

Despite the time pressure, I managed to decorate the room with the scents and colors Orca likes, thanks to the quick work of Pavel and Anna.

‘So I’m confident!’

I glared at Prince Orca’s retreating back as if declaring war. My gaze was so obvious that Orca stopped walking and turned his head.

‘Oh!’

Orca’s gaze met mine. The moment our eyes met, he smiled softly. It would have been natural to go out and greet him, but my timidity wouldn’t allow me to do such a bold thing. I took a deep breath without realizing it and hid behind the corner. I felt a bit foolish, but it was too late. My heart was pounding, and my hands were sweating.

‘Should I go out and greet him now? But that would be even stranger, right?’

After some deliberation, I decided to greet him. I tried to calm my trembling legs and cautiously stepped out into the hallway. But the hallway was empty.

‘Huh…?’

I just blinked at the wind that swept past. *** Prince Orca chuckled as he walked down the hallway. Pavel, who was leading the way, glanced at him, wondering what was so amusing, but Orca was lost in his own thoughts and didn’t notice.

‘Well, can you even call it “meeting”?’

It felt more accurate to say that he had unilaterally discovered the lady of Eilspord who was secretly watching him. Recalling that moment made him chuckle again.

‘To be so surprised.’

Her wide-eyed face was vivid in his mind. In a normal situation, he would have felt suspicion and wariness at being watched, but seeing the lady’s innocent expression, which seemed to say “I don’t know anything,” he felt no such emotions. For a man who had always been wary and suspicious of others, this was surprising.

‘If that’s a skill, then it’s a skill.’

The ability to disarm people with an innocent appearance and actions was rare.

‘Moreover…’

“The carriage will be repaired soon, Your Highness.”

The room that the butler led him to completely captured his heart. The first thing he noticed was the scent, which melted his heart, followed by the serene blue scenery that calmed his mind. Everything was to his liking.

“Was all this done by the lady of the house?”

Orca’s question made Pavel’s stiff face soften, revealing a hint of pride.

“Yes. The scents, the bedding, the curtains, and the decorations were all chosen by the lady herself.”

“I’m impressed.”

Orca expressed his admiration openly. This room was more to his taste than the one prepared for the third prince in the palace.

‘There, no one considers my preferences like this.’

The emperor preferred red, sweet tea, and a subtle floral scent, which were completely different from Orca’s preferences for blue, grassy tea, and a woody scent. Everything in the palace revolved around the emperor, followed by the empress and the heirs with succession rights. As the third prince, he was at the bottom of the hierarchy. Therefore, receiving such perfect hospitality was…

‘A first for me.’

People who knew his preferences were more concerned with those above him, and those who tried to treat him sincerely didn’t know his preferences.

“I want to thank the lady of the house.”

“Yes, I will convey that.”

Orca shook his head and smiled softly, knowing that Pavel thought it was just a formality.

“No. I want to tell her myself.”

“Pardon?”

“The tea I had in the reception room was excellent. I would like to invite the lady for tea. Of course, if she’s not too busy.”

“Ah…”

It sounded like a casual invitation, but refusing would mean “I’m too busy to deal with you,” so it was impossible to refuse. Pavel, realizing this, blinked in surprise and then bowed deeply.

“I’m sure the lady will be delighted to accept. I will convey Your Highness’s request to her.”

*** Pavel hurried to his master, Altear.

“The third prince is resting in his room. He seemed very satisfied with the hospitality and showed no signs of suspicion.”

“Is that so.”

Altear, who was reading documents, put down his pen and massaged his temples, looking tired.

“Still, keep a close eye on him. He’s definitely here to get something from Eilspord, having realized we used him to deal with Balhail.”

“Really? He seemed like a gentle person.”

“If he could fool even you, he’s not just any ordinary person.”

Altear chuckled and leaned back in his chair. He had definitely felt it at the eastern meeting and again at Eilspord Castle.

‘He’s my kind of person.’

People of the same kind can easily recognize each other, so it wasn’t hard to notice.

‘Perhaps Pavel couldn’t recognize Prince Orca’s true nature because he’s not of the same kind.’

Suspicious, always wary of others, and always thinking about his own interests. But Pavel still seemed unconvinced, tilting his head.

“But he really seemed touched by Eilspord’s hospitality, especially grateful to the lady.”

“The lady?”

Altear’s face crumpled at the unfamiliar name, and Pavel, realizing his mistake, reluctantly revealed the truth. The story of Nadia serving tea and Orca’s admiration, the room Nadia decorated and Orca’s apparent gratitude, and finally, Orca’s request for tea with Nadia. Since nothing in Eilspord Castle could be hidden from Altear for long, it was a story that couldn’t be kept secret.

“Nadia prepared for the guest? I told her to rest. When did she do this?”

“It seems she heard the situation from Anna. She came to me in a hurry, saying that the third prince was a difficult guest and that everything needed to be done properly.”

“…How did she know the third prince was a difficult guest?”

Altear narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, his discomfort evident.

‘Now that I think about it…’

When he heard that the third prince was coming to the eastern meeting, Nadia’s reaction was strange. He had dismissed it at the time, but seeing her so concerned about the third prince now, it didn’t seem like something to be dismissed easily.

“The lady is from the capital, so she might have a lot of information about the royal family. She probably knows many things we don’t.”

“The first prince, the second prince, and the third prince. He’s just a royal in name. What kind of information could be floating around about him?”

“Well, the capital is the center of gossip.”

While Altear frowned, Pavel shrugged nonchalantly. But Altear thought differently.

“…Don’t tell Nadia about the tea invitation.”

“Not tell her? But it’s the prince’s request. How can you—”

“I’ll entertain him.”

“Pardon?”

Altear’s convenient claim made Pavel’s face crumple.

“How can you serve tea?”

“What’s so hard about it?”

“You can’t make tea properly.”

“…”

Altear shut his mouth at the accurate criticism. He believed that “all food is the same,” so