Chapter 8

After confirming the original appearance of the orange, Lirika picked up the basket filled with orange juice and snacks and left the kitchen.

"Let's go to Mother. I want to share them quickly."

At Lirika's words, Brin nodded and carried the basket.

Lirika walked lightly down the corridor and suddenly stopped.

Looking at the door with a black dragon painted on it, she asked about something she had been curious about.

"Come to think of it, I haven't met the Crown Prince yet?"

"The Prince is currently in his fief."

"Fief?"

"Yes, the Crown Prince is given a fief as a basic privilege. When you say Duke Lowen, it refers to the Crown Prince."

"I see. Then when will he return?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems like it's about time for him to return."

At Brin's words, Lirika stared at the black dragon for a moment and then continued walking.

When she arrived at the Silver Dragon Room, her mother was sitting at the desk reading a letter. As Lirika entered, Rudia quickly stood up.

"Lirika, it smells sweet."

Hugging her daughter and kissing her cheeks repeatedly, Lirika laughed and hugged her mother.

"Today, I went to the kitchen with Brin. We ate delicious things there and brought some back."

"In the kitchen?"

Rudia hesitated for a moment, then realized she had recently replaced the kitchen staff and felt relieved.

At least for now, no one would give her daughter anything strange to eat.

"There are so many delicious things."

"I see."

Rudia gestured to the head maid to take the basket. While Brin and the head maid set up the snacks, Rudia sat on the sofa next to Lirika.

"Did you visit the office today?"

"Yes, His Majesty was throwing papers around."

At Lirika's chuckling, Rudia barely managed to keep her face from turning cold.

She was uncomfortable with the idea that the emperor was using her daughter. However, the royal guards had been replaced recently because they had treated the princess poorly, and as a result, Lirika's position had become even more secure. She could only sigh.

"Lirika, you must be working hard."

"Not at all. I'm actually enjoying it."

Lirika shook her head and held her mother's hand. She asked,

"By the way, why did you receive so many letters?"

"They are replies to the invitations. I'm planning to open a salon. And..."

Her mother whispered,

"I'm about to invest the advance payment I received."

"Advance payment?"

"I received an advance when I started this job."

Rudia gestured for the maids to leave and said,

"All the money and jewelry you use now must be left behind when the job is done, right? I need to make sure I earn enough while I'm here."

She planned to invest the advance and see it grow significantly. Her investment opportunities were endless.

Lirika, worried by her mother's confident words, said,

"Mother, don't buy things like the universal cure water or the happiness jar. Be very careful of scams."

"Oh, Lirika. Don't worry. There won't be any such thing. I'll only invest in places that guarantee a hundred percent profit."

At Rudia's reassurance, Lirika became even more worried.

Where in the world is there a hundred percent safe investment?

Lirika said,

"Mother, if you do invest, you must tell me. It's important."

"Of course."

Rudia said this and held her daughter's hand.

"And I have something to give you, Lirika."

"Give me something?"

"Bring it."

At Rudia's command, the head maid quickly brought a tray. On a velvet cushion on the tray lay a silver coin.

Lirika was startled.

"My silver coin!"

"It took a long time to find an identical silver coin. That old man, even though he promised to keep it separately..."

Rudia frowned slightly and then smiled.

"Is this your silver coin?"

"Yes, yes, it's mine."

Lirika picked up the silver coin with a dazed look. She remembered every scratch and mark on it.

It was that silver coin.

She had given up on it deep in her heart, not even wanting to receive it again. Even if she got a new one, it wouldn't be the same, so it wouldn't matter. But she didn't want to sound spoiled or unreasonable.

But then.

Lirika stroked the silver coin several times. It was the coin that made her think happy thoughts every night.

It was that silver coin.

Her vision blurred. She wondered if her tear ducts were broken, as she cried easily these days.

But when her mother hugged her and stroked her hair, she felt it was okay to cry freely.

In joy and relief, Lirika cried. She felt her inner wounds melting away.

"Thank you, Mother."

"No, I'm the one who should be grateful and sorry. But I couldn't find identical coins for the others..."

"It's okay! The important thing is the silver coin!"

She wouldn't be able to distinguish the other coins even if they were brought to her. Rudia sighed with relief and handed her a small purse. The purse, which opened with a snap, had a cute strawberry pattern embroidered on it.

"There are coins inside."

When she opened it, there were several silver coins.

"That's enough."

Lirika actually didn't care about the money. The silver coin wasn't important because it was valuable. She was happy with the cute purse and carefully placed the silver coin inside.

Seeing Lirika's happiness, Rudia smiled brightly. The effort to find this silver coin seemed insignificant when she saw her daughter's smiling face. She wanted to keep this smile going.

She wouldn't act foolishly like before.

She was glad to realize how enjoyable it was to spend time with her daughter every day.

Now Lirika had a healthy weight, her hair shone, and her nails were glossy, making it hard to believe she was once a street child.

She seemed to be getting along well with Brin too.

'If Brin Sol was a maid in her previous life, she must have been an excellent one.'

The Sol family's loyalty was recognized, so as long as she knew the direction of their loyalty, there was no need to worry.

Lirika held the purse tightly and hesitated for a moment. Rudia asked,

"What's wrong? Do you need more money?"

"No! It's not that. Mother..."

"What is it?"

"About the Crown Prince."

"What about him? Did you hear any rumors?"

"No, it's not that. I heard he's coming back soon. Can we have a welcome party?"

"Hmm, it might be better not to."

"Really...?"

Lirika's shoulders slumped, so Rudia quickly explained.

"The Crown Prince is very picky about food. He only eats what his close aides bring. So even if we have a party, it won't be fun."

"But, it's been a long time since he's been back. Besides, we're suddenly here. What if he misunderstands?"

Thinking about it, she hadn't even seen him at the wedding.

How would he feel about a new cousin sister suddenly appearing in the next room?

Thinking of the many bad stories about stepmothers, her heart raced with worry.

Would he think they were treating him poorly?

Seeing Lirika's enthusiasm, Rudia thought, 'No, Attil wouldn't be like that.' But there was no need to discourage her daughter.

Since Attil was the next emperor, she wanted to get along well with him.

Due to frequent assassination attempts since childhood, Attil was currently in a state of early human distrust. Later, a long-serving royal guard attempted to assassinate him, leading to complete human distrust.

'I planned to prevent that incident and maintain an appropriate distance.'

"Let's think of something other than a welcome party. We just need to let him know we are welcoming him."

"Okay!"

At Rudia's words, Lirika's face brightened. She counted on her fingers and said,

"I think we should put flowers and delicious things in his room."

Rudia nodded.

"And when he returns from his trip, we can have a small tea party and drink tea together."

"Sure."

Rudia had several thoughts that came and went, but seeing her daughter's sparkling eyes, she couldn't bring herself to object.

She asked seriously,

"But Lirika, do you really want to get along well with the Crown Prince?"

"I want to, but I don't know what he thinks. I want to tell him that I want to get along well."

"Okay, if that's what you want, I'll help you actively."

"Thank you."

Lirika smiled brightly and hugged Rudia. Rudia thought she should send a lot of tea party supplies to her daughter.

* * *

Lirika's plan, of course, reached the Prime Minister Lat and His Majesty the Emperor.

Lat asked with a smile, "Can I send gifts?" and Lirika elegantly allowed it.

Over a month of effort, she had started to get used to etiquette.

Soon, Lirika let out a joyful scream at the gift boxes carried in by the maids.

The large and beautiful boxes were tied with smooth silk ribbons, which Brin said she would take back and use well.

Every time she opened a pastel-colored box, an exclamation of delight escaped her.

The beautiful glass bowls and teacups with delicate gold decorations were all made in a size suitable for a child.

They were too luxurious to be considered toys.

The plates with pink and blue designs and the delicate silver cutlery fit perfectly in her hands.

The embroidered tablecloth, of course, and the ceramic teapot had cute animals drawn on it.

Squirrels, rabbits, baby bears, and foxes were drawn in a way that never got old.

When she opened the silver box inlaid with gold, there were sugar cubes in various shapes.

The items were so beautiful that her eyes spun.

They were neatly arranged in rows and columns in many boxes.

The tea leaves sent by the Sandar family were of ten different types, each very precious, as Brin explained.

"Tea is a specialty of the Sandar fief. The Sandar fief is in the south, so the people there are very sensitive to the cold."

"I see."

Lirika nodded, learning a new fact.

Lirika wrote the invitations carefully, discarding several drafts.

Her handwriting was still not elegant, and she struggled with the pen, causing the ink to smudge, but she chose the best one.

It was a waste to use expensive paper, but she had no choice.

The seal was in the shape of a dragon, sprinkled with white powder to indicate it was from the White Dragon Room. The powder was surprisingly shiny like snow.

When she asked, the answer was, "It's processed from snow gems."

Lirika sighed. Snow gems are gems that fall with snow, shaped like snowflakes but do not melt.

"I wanted to collect them so much, but I've never done it."

"Try again this winter."

"Okay."

Lirika nodded.

At the same time, the preparations began in earnest.

His Majesty allowed her to enter the Black Dragon Room, but Lirika was hesitant.

"Would he be upset if he knew I entered his room without permission?"

Brin found her question amusing.

"That's impossible. Because it's impossible to have a room where no one enters."

"Oh."

In the palace, servants and maids constantly enter and exit every room to perform their duties. So, a life where no one enters a room was impossible.

"If that bothers you, just decorate the living room."

Lirika nodded. The White Dragon Room and the Black Dragon Room had almost the same structure.

First, you enter a large entrance and waiting room, then open another door to enter the living room. On both sides of the living room, there are reception rooms, and beyond them are the bedrooms.

"Let's just decorate the living room."

Lirika agreed.

When she asked when the Crown Prince would return, Brin shook her head.

"The Prince doesn't announce when he will return and travels quietly with his close aides. So, we don't know when he will come back. But I can ask Bran."

"Bran?"

"My older brother. He is currently serving the Crown Prince."

"Really? Can you ask what he likes?"

"Yes, I will."

Brin nodded.

According to the information from Bran, it seemed he would arrive within a week, making Lirika even more busy.

She aired out the stale air, changed the sheets, and decorated the walls with ribbons and colorful paper rings.

She also placed a bouquet of flowers, making the once bleak Black Dragon Room look very lovely.

According to Brin's information, the Crown Prince liked sweet things. Lirika, feeling a sense of kinship, chose tea and sweets.

Her mother advised, "You should choose snacks that match the color and type of food." So, Lirika and Brin tried different combinations of teacups and plates on the table.

The chef also made new pastries every day. The chef, hired by her mother, was known for making interesting and new pastries.

The garden in May was quite colorful, so Lirika asked if she could set up a table in the garden.

Brin thought it was a good idea, and her mother agreed, so Lirika rewrote the invitations to change the tea party location and placed them on the table.

In case they weren't seen, she placed a doll holding the invitation.

All preparations were complete.

Lirika often looked out the window, wondering when the Crown Prince would arrive.

'I hope he likes it.'