Chapter 65: An invitation from the palace

“I trust that you’ve reflected on your actions through this incident as well.”

“Yes, of course, Father.”

Her bright blonde hair, gleaming like molten gold, swayed gracefully. The curves of the woman, clearly visible through her dress, exuded a sensual aura.

“…So, now that your confinement is over, what will you do?”

“I plan to return to high society. I’ll also resume managing the gambling house.”

Her voice was sweet and sticky, a tone that drew people in. The man she called ‘Father’ nodded in satisfaction.

“Mardian.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Those who dance only in the shadows are freer than anyone else, at least until the light reaches them.”

It was an implied promise to overlook any sins, so long as they were kept out of sight.

“Don’t worry, Father.”

A soft smile bloomed on the woman’s fair, porcelain face as she understood the deeper meaning behind her father’s words.

“This time, I won’t make any mistakes.”

Between her long lashes, her crimson eyes burned with determination.

*

One month.

The time spent at the Baron Blanc estate with her mother, instead of at Viviana’s mansion, flew by like an arrow.

Sleeping in her mother’s arms, eating together, and indulging in her affection made it easy to completely forget about Viviana.

It was true—there’s no place like home.

For the past month, I’ve been holed up at home.

Countless letters poured in from noble ladies asking when I’d return to society, but I used the scandal with the Merdelia Duchy as an excuse not to move an inch from the house.

Honestly, it wasn’t so bad.

It was the idle life I had long desired, and each day spent basking in my mother’s love and attention felt like pure happiness.

But one can’t live like this forever. The financial situation of the Baron Blanc family wasn’t comfortable enough for me to continue lounging about like this.

“The sunlight is quite lovely today.”

“Indeed, it is.”

It was a lazy afternoon, the warm sunlight streaming down as my mother and I enjoyed tea under the shade of a parasol.

The cookies and elegant tea sets laid out before us—luxuries that the Baron Blanc household could not even dream of a year ago.

But the massive debt weighing on the Baron Blanc estate was now gone.

The contract that promised to settle all of Baron Bland’s debts.

It was a pledge I obtained under the condition of becoming Viviana’s personal pet.

I found out not long ago that my mother had refused the money offered by the contract.

She had vowed that she would never sell me off for money.

Instead, she formally demanded compensation from the Duke’s family for the emotional damage I had suffered, and the House of Merdelia paid an enormous amount of reparations along with a sincere apology.

With that money, we paid off all of the Bland family’s debts, and with the remaining wealth, we gained the luxury of enjoying tea like this.

The cancellation of my contract with Viviana was an added bonus.

However, even though the debts have been completely repaid, it didn’t mean we had suddenly become wealthy.

Now, we would have to slowly rebuild our fortune and reputation.

It wouldn’t be any easier than paying off the debt.

Well, knowing my mother, I have no doubt she will succeed somehow.

“A letter arrived from the royal palace.”

A single letter was handed to me.

At first glance, I could tell it was high-class, adorned with luxurious decorations, and at the center was the royal seal, depicting a lion, engraved prominently.

“How unusual.”

It was rare for the royal palace to send an invitation to a banquet to low-tier nobles like us.

The last time I attended a royal event was at the crown princess’s wedding. Since then, I hadn’t had the slightest connection with the royal palace.

Curious, I opened the envelope.

It had already been opened, likely because my mother had read it earlier.

I slowly read through the letter, and as I continued, my eyes widened more and more.

The contents were familiar.

This was an event that inevitably occurred no matter which route one played in [Princess Raising Simulation].

“…A saintess has appeared.”

A saintess had emerged, the first in 500 years of the empire’s long history.

The invitation was for a banquet to celebrate that occasion.

‘The whole empire must be in an uproar by now.’

The appearance of a saintess after such a long time, after 500 years of vacancy, was no trivial matter.

The title of saintess wasn’t something a mere human could bestow.

It wasn’t a position one could attain simply because the Archbishop asked, “Want to be a saintess?”

The saintess could only be born through the divine oracle of the Goddess of Prosperity and the Earth, Flonia, whom the temple worshipped.

In other words, the saintess was a direct representative chosen by the goddess herself.

‘I had no idea.’

Had I ventured out into the empire even once, I might have heard about the saintess, but I had been holed up in the house and missed it entirely.

By now, everyone must be busy preparing for the festivities.

This was a historic event that couldn’t be compared to the crown princess’s wedding.

The temple would raise the faith of the empire’s citizens, and the empire that held a saintess would increase its prestige and influence.

Killing two birds with one stone.

The royal family, wary of the aristocratic factions, wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip by.

For the next month or so, there would likely be banquets held nearly every day to celebrate the saintess’s appearance.

‘Wasn’t this around the time Lilian was chosen as the saintess?’

Lilian Eldoria, the second protagonist of [Princess Raising Simulation], following Viviana.

In the beginning, she lived in quite a poor environment, but after being chosen as a saintess, her life completely turned around.

Moreover, the requirements to be chosen as a saintess weren’t difficult.

All she had to do was accumulate a certain amount of good deeds.

To put it simply, as long as she lived a kind life, her future would blossom on its own.

‘…She’s so different from me.’

While I have to cling to others just to barely maintain a life befitting a noble, her future brightens simply by living kindly.

Feeling down, I couldn’t help but think how unfair the world is.

Viviana struggles on the battlefield every month and is buried under a massive workload, while Lilian, on the other hand, seems to walk a flower-strewn path just by being born.

The only hardships she faced were doing odd jobs in the temple during her childhood and dealing with the initial hostility from nobles after becoming a saintess.

I hadn’t given it much thought before, but now that I think about it, I really don’t like Lilian.

‘Well, it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it.’

And it’s fine.

After all, I have my mother.

Lilian wouldn’t have a mother as beautiful and kind as mine.

“…Tina, it seems I must attend this banquet after all.”

My mother is right.

You can’t refuse an invitation from the imperial palace just because you don’t feel up to it. Even the high-and-mighty Viviana will likely have no choice but to attend this time.

On top of that, the invitation included a note, as if they wanted the saintess to make some friends, asking all young noblewomen of a similar age to attend.

It was more of a demand than a request.

“I guess I have to go. After all, she’s the first saintess in 500 years, right?”

“…Will you be alright?”

My mother’s face looked endlessly worried.

With what happened to Mardian and Viviana, she must be very concerned after everything that’s happened to me.

“I’ll be fine. I’m actually quite famous in the social circles, you know?

Though, I suppose I’m famous as a pet, rather than a person…

Still, I flashed a bright smile to ease my mother’s mind, even if just a little.

“Besides, it’s a banquet hosted by the royal family, right? I’ll just load up on delicious food and sweets.”

“…I’m glad you think of it that way.”

In any case, I had planned to return to the social scene soon.

If I stay at home like this, I’ll quickly become irrelevant in society.

For a lower-tier noble like me, becoming irrelevant in the social world is akin to social death.

My mother must know that too, which is why, even though she’s not thrilled, she’s pushing me back into society.

And above all, there are plenty of patrons eagerly waiting for me. I suppose it’s about time I flashed them a smile again.

“The banquet is in two weeks… I guess it’s time to start starving again.”

They love my delicate figure, which stirs up their protective instincts just as much as my face.

I chuckled to myself, thinking about how my pockets would soon be filled with all sorts of gifts, and popped the last cookie into my mouth.

“Tina, let’s go out together this weekend.”

“Go out?”

It was rare for my mother to be the one to suggest going out.

“Since we’re in a comfortable financial situation now, I want to buy my daughter a dress.”

Her gentle voice, wrapped in a mature smile, warmly embraced me.

After all, it was Artasha  who had worked tirelessly to pay off the debt.

And now, the first indulgence after clearing all the debts wasn’t for herself but to buy me a dress.

“Mother… can I kiss you?”

Mother was momentarily startled, but she soon cleared her throat with a calm, composed look.

“Well, go ahead.”

I sat on her lap and showered her cheek with countless kisses.

Every time my lips touched her warm cheek, happiness bloomed in my heart.

In truth, I already had several expensive dresses.

There were quite a few dresses that noble ladies had gifted me, and they were worth far more than any of the dresses my mother owned.

But I was certain of one thing.

No matter how many dresses gifted by noble ladies were adorned with expensive jewels, for a while, I would only wear the dress my mother had given me.