Chapter 45

Regarding my mother-in-law's achievements, we decided to keep it a secret even from the family (since my father-in-law and Percival are outsiders to the internal affairs, and would only need to be involved if a guard was required), my mother-in-law and I found ourselves secretly laughing more often at home.

The invitation from the next queen is in two weeks, giving us ample time to prepare. I am to be invited under the pretense of having tea with my mother-in-law. It also mentioned, "I wish to apologize for my son's rudeness," which makes sense, as Percival made sure to report to the queen, and she herself reprimanded the crown prince.

I thought that since others have gone to such lengths for me, and as the wife of the heir to a viscount's family, retaliating against the crown prince's clear mischief might not be the right thing to do.

I have already informed Percival of the schedule, intending for him to observe, partly because I want him to be there to watch over me.

It would be a lie to say I'm not afraid. I was very scared at the time.

However, I think that if I am cherished so much, it would be disrespectful to the people who care for me if I don't stand up for myself and fight for what is right.

Just as my mother-in-law was delighted by the "Mimosa is loved by me" incident, I want to make the people who care for me happy. This includes the queen who has taken an interest in me, my father-in-law, my own father, and Lady Media who protected me at the ball... most of all, Percival. I want to show that I am aware of how much I am cherished and that I can fight for it.

At the queen's first tea party, I learned that a woman's role is not just to be cherished. No, my mother-in-law writes books as Alex Cheryl. That is a form of self-expression and a way of fighting, and it has fans, which taught me that such things are also a woman's weapon.

What I have is embroidery and the past self I said goodbye to right after getting married. These are connected.

Tomorrow, my mother-in-law and I will go shopping. My weapon is unreliable and pitiful, but the me that has been discovered and polished by others is my weapon.

(If I said it out loud, it would be a crime of disrespect... but I must properly greet that rude crown prince.)

Percival might be shocked if he sees me, but I believe that even then, he would not hesitate to take my hand.

To prepare for tomorrow, I will go to bed early today. Percival also falls asleep quickly after a vigorous training session and a bath after dinner.

I want to take care of everything now so I can focus on supporting Percival.

With my mind fully in battle mode, I placed the piece of paper Percival wrote for me under my pillow to help me calm down and went to sleep.