episode_0320

“Hello, Prince Antonio. It’s been a while.”

As the conversation between Mezlen and Antonio flowed smoothly, I naturally turned towards the Fifth Prince, who had a reserved expression, and greeted him.

“Lilith Yeongae?”

“It’s been a while since we last met at the Witch’s Forest. Congratulations on entering the academy, albeit belatedly.”

“Oh, right. Thank you.”

Accepting my congratulations with a nod, Prince Antonio replied. Normally, a junior noble maid like me wouldn’t have the authority to initiate a conversation, but Antonio trusted me. That was because I was one of Agnes’s closest friends.

Since my actions directly influenced Agnes’s favorability, Antonio couldn’t ignore my greeting. Well, even if it wasn’t Agnes, Antonio wouldn’t have ignored my greeting in his current state.

“Is the person next to you the Fourth Princess, Mezlen Emilia Valtoira?”

“…Do you know Mezlen as well?”

“No, I’ve only heard rumors. It’s said that the youngest daughter of the Emperor, with beautiful red hair, resides in the imperial palace.”

“What?”

Antonio looked at me with a puzzled expression upon hearing my blatantly obvious words.

Just as he seemed about to say something, the red-haired princess suddenly leaned towards me.

“Where did you hear such rumors…?”

“Of course! It’s no surprise that knowledgeable individuals gather at the Luminor Academy…! To think that one can encounter someone who sees the truth so clearly as soon as they pass through the academy gates…!”

“Mezlen, you’re just saying empty words to lift your spirits, yet you’re so excited…”

“No…! Antonio, you’ve finally opened your eyes! It’s time for you to realize that I am the cutest, most beautiful, and lovable little sister, raised with noble blood…!”

Mezlen confidently boasted about herself, as if trying to release the pent-up frustration, and Antonio, who silently sighed while looking at his sister, couldn’t say a word.

In fact, there was a reason why the Fourth Princess had such a personality.

Mezlen was a sufficiently pretty girl who wouldn’t be overshadowed anywhere. Excluding aspects like personality and figure, she was undeniably cute and beautiful based on her face alone.

If Mezlen’s appearance was just ‘cute and pretty,’ then Seraphine’s appearance was undeniably the most beautiful in the world of the Luminor Academy.

Not only her face but also her personality and demeanor received better evaluations than Mezlen’s. As a martial artist with a slender waist, Seraphine even appeared to have slightly larger breasts compared to Mezlen.

In other words, Mezlen couldn’t compete with Seraphine’s popularity based solely on her cute and pretty face. Seraphine was like a walking source of radiant beauty.

‘I’ve seen her often recently, so I’ve gotten used to it, but during our first meeting, she truly seemed to radiate light.’

Even if they did the same things, Seraphine always received more attention. Whether it was at a social gathering, Mezlen would be surrounded by admirers, but as soon as Seraphine appeared, all the attention would shift to her, causing Mezlen’s self-esteem to gradually turn into excessive self-consciousness.

Forcing others around and constantly reminding oneself that “I am the most beautiful” was a bad habit that had solidified over time.

Fixing this personality trait or not obsessing over one’s own beauty was considered the key to conquering Mezlen.

“Oh, I made the right choice to enroll in the academy… I never expected to meet such a noble person on the first day…”

“It is truly an honor to meet you like this, Princess Mezlen Emilia Valtoira.”

“I will allow you to address me as Princess Mezlen… What is your name…?”

“I am Lillis Blackwood Rosewood, Princess Mezlen.”

“Lillis… alright, I will remember that… It is an honor for me to remember your name, Iris…?”

“It’s Lillis.”

“Yes, that’s it… I was trying to say that…”

…She didn’t really have high expectations to begin with. Mezlen was originally not interested in anyone other than herself.

On the other hand, Antonio, who suspiciously gained Mezlen’s favor as soon as they met, began to show a sudden sense of wariness towards me.

“Lillis, just in case, I hope you won’t harbor any ill intentions towards my younger sister.”

“You don’t need to worry, Prince Antonio. I simply thought it would be nice to exchange greetings after seeing Princess Mezlen’s beautiful appearance.”

“Brother Antonio… are you trying to restrain me again…? Perhaps being a member of the royal family makes you act so childish…”

“…Sigh. Let’s just go to the ‘Guest Room’ now. It’s taking too long.”

Antonio frowned as if he was disgusted by me and Mezlen, trying to quickly move towards the guest room, but his steps were blocked by Mezlen before he could even take a dozen steps.

“Kate, my leg hurts, so please hold me…”

“Understood, Princess Mezlen. I will leave the luggage here and come back shortly, so please wait a bit…”

“Stop acting spoiled, Mezlen. You can’t always bring your personal maid into class, can you?”

“The academy entrance ceremony hasn’t even started yet… Why is Brother so worried about things that haven’t happened yet…”

“Kate is already carrying your luggage with both hands full, and you’re forcing her to act spoiled. It’s pathetic, Mezlen.”

“I don’t know. I’m not going to walk anymore… I’ve never walked more than a hundred steps in a day…”

Mezlen plopped down on a nearby bench as if she were protesting, not because she was really tired but because she was annoyed with Antonio.

Normally, Antonio wouldn’t care whether she acted spoiled or not as his personal maid, but now he seemed to have changed from being a ‘like-minded brother’ to a ‘bothersome brother’ in Mezlen’s eyes.

‘Probably around here is where she becomes missing in the original story…’

As Kate moved the luggage to the ‘Guest Room’ to prepare to hold Mezlen, Mezlen wandered around alone and disappeared, creating a missing person event.

Asking to be held because she didn’t want to walk, but then disappearing when someone tried to hold her out of boredom, that was truly the epitome of a troublesome woman.

Although she was just taking a small step in the main story, based on her personality, she might be the most troublesome heroine.

And surprisingly, the way to handle Mezlen was quite simple.

Always harboring a desire to be loved by others, Mezlen always acts with the thought of how she can be the most loved.

Even this petty tantrum was actually an action she took to be loved, not because she wanted to make anyone uncomfortable.

Well then, it would be quickest to let her know that there is no gain in doing such things.

“Since Mezlen Princess’s personal maid seems to be busy, I will take the liberty to embrace you instead.”

“Excuse me…?”

“If you don’t mind, that is. Despite my appearance, I am the personal maid of Ethan Doyen, the illegitimate son of the Blackwood family, so my identity is firmly guaranteed.”

“The personal maid of the illegitimate son of the Blackwood family… Is the Blackwood family a famous family, Brother…?”

“They are one of the three Sword Masters in the Empire, Mezlen. Remember that much.”

“Umm….”

Mezlen hesitated slightly between embracing me or waiting alone for Kate to return. Although there was some hesitation, she was already a princess who accepted my suggestion, thanks to the trust we had built.

“Alright…. I will give you the opportunity to embrace Lirina, the personal maid of the Blackberry family….”

“It’s Lirissa, the personal maid of the Blackwood family.”

“That’s what I said….”

…Anyway, shameless.

Mezlen, sitting on the bench, casting ’embrace me’ spells, but with the usual way of embracing, I couldn’t fix her stubbornness.

So, I took a step to the side, pushed one arm under her knee, and lifted her up in a ‘princess embrace’ position, supporting her knees and back.

“Ugh?!”

“You can relax, Princess Mezlen.”

“You’re strong, Liriga…?”

“Princess Mezlen is light.”

“Umm, right…. Liria seems to get along well with me….”

She’s just accommodating.

Two noblewomen, one personal maid, and an additional maid by their side.

The four of us, in a strange combination, walked together to the guest room of the academy.