Chapter 62

"Miss Mary, you knew about me even in my previous life, didn't you?"

"Yes, that's right. I knew about you as a fictional character."

"Even that I was a princess..."

"I knew that too."

When Mary stated this, Alicia began to think deeply again.

Her expression was serious, her purple eyes sharp, and she suddenly looked away.

Seeing Alicia deep in thought, Mary's heart tightened. She believed in their friendship, but at the same time, she understood how absurd her story sounded.

Even if Alicia understood, she might still ask, "If you knew I was a princess, why didn't you say anything?"

Everything now depended on Alicia.

So, all Mary could do was wait for Alicia's judgment.

She tried to convince herself of this and observed Alicia, who suddenly looked up as if she had reached a conclusion.

"So, that means we were best friends from our previous life, right?"

"No, that's not it."

"I see, so we'll be best friends in the next life too, right?"

"Please don't jump to your own conclusions. I have no intention of being involved with you for three lifetimes. Give me a break at least once!"

"No way, I'll definitely be best friends with Miss Mary in the next life too! This time, I'll find Miss Mary and be the one to approach her!"

"Scary, this girl is scary!"

Mary let out a scream and hurriedly hid behind Addy.

But Alicia, determined not to let her go, chased after her and firmly grabbed Mary's hand.

"Even if Miss Mary has mysterious knowledge, the fact that we are best friends remains unchanged."

"Alicia... Yes, we are best friends, and that won't change just because of this."

"Right, we are... heart sisters!"

"Don't take advantage of my honesty to escalate things."

Mary slipped her hand out smoothly and, in return, tapped Alicia on the forehead.

Alicia, holding her forehead, laughed, and Patrick, watching them, shrugged in exasperation. Both of them had their usual smiles.

This reassured Mary. She took a deep breath and felt a tug on the hem of her dress from the side.

This reserved approach was from Parfait. She was trembling as she looked at Mary, her tearful eyes filled with anxiety. Gaius, standing beside her, was also struggling to hide his confusion.

"Miss Mary, I couldn't understand your story... I'm sorry..."

"Parfait, don't apologize. I should be the one to apologize. As Mauro said, I actually knew that you would have your engagement broken off by Gaius."

"R-really?"

"Yes, but I couldn't bring myself to say it... I'm sorry to you."

If she had told Parfait beforehand, she might have saved her from the pain of the broken engagement. Even if the engagement couldn't be avoided, she could have at least prepared her mentally.

Mary apologized to Parfait.

In response, Parfait, though surprised, soon smiled gently and stroked Mary's arm.

"Miss Mary, you have nothing to apologize for. That was between me and Gaius. Gaius was neglecting our engagement because he was infatuated with another woman. So, Gaius gets minus twenty points! Right, Gaius?"

"Twenty points lost is painful, but I accept my foolish actions... I'm sorry, Miss Mary, for causing you trouble with my shallow actions."

Gaius bowed in apology.

Mary responded with a wry smile, and Parfait, leaning in, said, "For your sincere apology, I'll give you thirty points."

As they continued their banter, the surrounding commotion gradually settled down.

Some chuckled, others smiled warmly, and some were still confused, asking, "What's a previous life?" But in the end, they concluded, "How mysterious," and moved on to other topics, which became more lively.

There was no one criticizing Mary for being dishonest.

Instead, everyone returned to enjoying the party, and the orchestra resumed its lively music.

The party quickly returned to its festive atmosphere, as if Mary's announcement was just one of the events, and it ended rather anticlimactically.

This was unexpected. Mary had braced herself for a barrage of questions and explanations.

She couldn't help but mutter,

"What, what... I was prepared for more of a commotion..."

Standing beside her, Addy, who had been supporting her all along, couldn't help but laugh.

When Mary glared at him, he quickly tried to cover it up, but his expression was quite insincere.

"Laughing is rude. This was a declaration made after much anxiety and struggle."

"I've always said that everyone loves you as you are, and nothing would change even if you revealed everything."

"You're right, Addy. You know me better than I know myself."

Mary praised Addy and leaned into him.

The hand that had been supporting her waist tightened slightly, and she moved even closer, almost to the point where it was hard to tell if she was leaning or being embraced.

The sense of liberation from revealing everything and the relief of being accepted filled her heart, and the warmth of Addy's unchanged affection warmed her even more.

How sweet and gentle.

But,

"Laughing at my resolve is still rude!"

She slipped out of Addy's arms.

He exclaimed, "Huh!?" at the sudden emptiness, understandably surprised by his wife's sudden, lightning-fast escape.

Mary laughed mischievously and raised one hand.

"I'm hungry after such a major announcement. Would anyone like to escort me to some delicious cake?"

She said this to no one in particular, and Alicia quickly latched onto her hand. This led straight to the cake.

However, Alicia, though cheerful, walked briskly, lacking the elegance of a proper escort.

"The cake isn't going to run away, so please escort me more gracefully. It's embarrassing!"

"The cake won't run, but its freshness will!"

"Hmm, I see... No, that's not it, stop making me agree with you!"

Crying out, Mary was led by Alicia.

Behind them, Addy and Patrick followed with amused smiles, exchanging glances and silently acknowledging, "We'll have our hands full in the future."

Next came the tearful and trembling Parfait, comforted by Gaius, and Bertina, pulling Luke's arm, saying, "I want to have cake with my sister too." Karina and Margaret walked gracefully but still followed Mary and the others.

Despite the major announcement, the lively atmosphere remained as usual, noisy and unchanged.