The Lion and the Royal Princess - Chapter 6

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The lady-in-waiting approached Adelaine with a comb made of ivory and sat down. Although Adelaine thought her skill would be a mess because she was young, surprisingly, she was skillful. After applying fragrant oil to the tips of the hair and massaging it, she combed it gently.

“Before I entered the royal palace, I heard your hair was silver.”

“And?”

“Up close, it’s a pale gray like clouds.”

“So, you’re disappointed?”

“No. it’s so beautiful.”

This time, her words seemed sincere. Because the hands that touched her hair were full of sincerity.

She was someone unpredictable. Although she was undoubtedly a surveillant Cesare put on, she neither hated nor despised Adelaine.

“Even your eyes… I have never seen anything like that.”

“My eyes?”

“I doubted it when I heard your eyes were like violet flowers. But seeing them in person, it was bluish-purple. Not like flowers, but more like butterflies. Have you seen a purple butterfly?”

Of course, she had. A butterfly with mysterious bluish-purple wings on a black background.

“The ladies-in-waiting assigned to attend to you have not arrived yet. They said they would come by today, but it seems they’re running late.”

Assigning ladies-in-waiting to royalty was the responsibility of the Queen’s chief lady-in-waiting. The woman who detested Adelaine must be struggling to choose the least competent lady-in-waiting.

Adelaine closed her eyes silently, lost in thought.

She had expected her father, the king, to visit last night. However, it was unexpected that Cesare still had not shown up. It probably was not due to being busy with work. It must be a personal reason. She wondered what could it be.

“Shall I bring the newspaper?”

The lady-in-waiting asked again. Adelaine wanted to stay quiet but she kept talking to her. So she was about to be annoyed. Still, she quickly realized what Adelaine wanted and brought the newspaper.

“I brought it from the quarters so there’s only this.”

It was obvious if it was a newspaper that the ladies-in-waiting read. A tabloid that mainly covered the private lives of nobles. Who cheated on whom, who broke up with whom, or who killed whom?

“Hmm… Your Highness.”

As Adelaine read the newspaper with a serious expression, the lady-in-waiting asked another question.

“Will you accept it? You know, that thing.”

“What thing?”

“The Lion King…”

“If you don’t speak quickly, I won’t answer.”

“…proposed to you!”

The lady-in-waiting whispered even though there was no one around to hear. She could not keep her lips still all morning and now her true intention popped out.

Was this the first question she asked? Come to think of it, this girl was present at that moment.

Adelaine recalled that time. She had missed the important details while sleeping, remembering only the moment when the Lion King proposed to her.

She must have been itching to ask but managed to hold it in so far. Adelaine closed the newspaper and looked at the lady-in-waiting. If she told the truth to this girl, it would reach Cesare. She had never forgotten that fact when she left Nova and returned to Marma.

“The Lion King is Marma’s savior.”

“What?”

“I know the rumors even when I was in Nova. I heard that The Lion King defeated the forces that dominated the southern border? A warrior with such deceptive strength that one might think he possesses divine blood. Plus, he’s young and beautiful. Because he uses his body well. One might think his intellect is lacking but that doesn’t seem to be the case, right?”

“Your Highness? What are you trying to say…”

“Why would such a remarkable man propose to me?”

The lady-in-waiting closed her mouth and looked at Adelaine with anxious eyes.

Adelaine casually smiled and said.

“Because I’m pretty, of course.”

The lady-in-waiting dropped the comb she was holding. Adelaine had no intention of answering the lady-in-waiting’s question.

“What’s your name again?”

“Pardon?”

“Your name. I think I heard it before but I can’t remember.”

The lady-in-waiting hesitated before answering.

“Collin… It’s Collin Dobby.”

Collin. It’s a nice name.

Adelaine lightly smiled and unfolded the newspaper again.

“Go out, Collin. It seems the ladies-in-waiting have arrived.”

A murmur of voices could be heard from outside.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

The ladies-in-waiting sent by the Queen’s chief lady-in-waiting did not bother with proper greetings and immediately started unpacking their belongings. The ladies-in-waiting serving the royal family were either second daughters of noble families, daughters of fallen nobles, or apples of the eyes of wealthy merchants. As a result, they were very stuck up.

Even after unpacking, they did not come straight to Adelaine. It seemed like they were having a serious discussion among themselves in their quarters. They must be sharing information about who she was and formulating strategies.

The royal palace was like a vast jungle. The principle of weak-to-the-wall and survival of the fittest were applied everywhere. It was a childish power struggle. Something Adelaine was quite familiar with.

“Your Highness Vita.”

The ladies-in-waiting finally came in the late afternoon. They entered her room and stood side by side. Let alone curtsy, they did not even bow their heads.

They wore bright cream-colored dresses with tightly buttoned blue vests. A golden brooch symbolizing their roles as ladies-in-waiting serving the royal family sparkled.

They addressed Adelained as ‘Your Highness Vita.’ Not even princess. Mixing in the term ‘Vita’ which symbolized her humble origins was a compromise they had made in their own way.

Adelaine quite liked it. A sharp smile played on her lips.

“Your Highness VIta, huh? Who came up with that?”

“If it offended you, we can change it.”

They remained unfazed. They were busy scouring her with no expression on their faces.

‘Not bad.’

Adelaine found the situation amusing. 

The woman standing on the far right among the six ladies-in-waiting took half a step forward. Considering that she was in her early thirties, she must be a fairly experienced lady-in-waiting.

“Let me introduce them. Starting from this side, her family name is…”

“Enough with the introductions.”

Adelaine cut her off abruptly. Collin who was standing awkwardly beside her, flinched.

“Why bother knowing your names and families?”

“Pardon?”

“List up what you’re good at. If you’re good at sewing, I’ll call you Thimble. if you’re good at storytelling, I’ll call you Snout.”

The ladies-in-waiting’s faces were slowly distorted. Adelaine watched the scene with cheerful amusement. 

“Your Highness Vita, are you…”

“Starting from you. Since you seem to be head lady-in-waiting, you must be good at many things.”

“…disrespecting us?”

They spoke simultaneously. Both Adelaine and the head lady-in-waiting did not yield to each other. Perhaps feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Collin’s gaze dropped to the floor.

There were two unexpected things.

First, the ladies-in-waiting sent by the Queen’s chief lady-in-waiting were not incompetent but they were arrogant. 

Second, Collin was a subordinate of Crown Prince Cesare but she did not get along well with the ladies-in-waiting.

Now, things would become more interesting. Adelaine decided to enjoy this childish squabble as her pastime.

“This matter will be reported to Her Majesty, the Empress.”

Oh, there’s the third. Now, she said she’s not the Queen but the Empress.

The king called himself an emperor and declared Marma a millennium empire. But now even the ladies-in-waiting used that title.

Does that mean I would be an Imperial princess? What an incredible social climb.

“We have been chosen by the nanny who serves Her Majesty the Empress and we have come this far with pride in keeping the dignity of the royal family. While we understand that Your Highness Vita was a slave and has been accustomed to Nova’s lowly culture for the past 11 years, this is the great Marma Empire.”

“You’re talkative. From now on, I’ll call you Chatterbox.”

Adelaine cut her off again. She had heard enough of the royal family this and dignity that when she was younger.

“What did you just say?”

“Everyone except Chatterbox goes out.”

“Your Highness!”

“Didn’t you hear me? Get out. Except you. Now.”

They must have thought Adelaine was a violent-tempered princess. If that was the case, it was better to run straight to someone higher than her, rather than scuffling with her. Who that might be was uncertain.

The rest of the ladies-in-waiting silently discussed with eye contact and left only the selected lady-in-waiting behind. Even then, their necks were still stiff and their posture remained rigid.

Adelaine did not wait for all of them to leave. With one hand, she raised the newspaper and swayed it gently.

“Stand there and read this. Calmly and clearly.”

“Pardon?”

“You speak well enough to teach me the dignity of a royal family. Shouldn’t I test you first? Read it properly. Every time you stutter, you’ll be scolded.”

The ladies-in-waiting who were about to leave and the head lady-in-waiting who stood her ground all froze.

Adelaine smiled casually, as she always did.

“Read. until I fall asleep.”

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

This seems to be another source of entertainment.

A day had passed. Adelaine glanced and smirked when she saw the head lady-in-waiting appearing with a soup bowl as soon as morning arrived. The scent of potatoes and sheep milk filled the air. When she looked inside the bowl, she saw roughly mashed potato chunks.

“Breakfast is served.”

The lady-in-waiting stood rigidly, only lowering her eyes to gaze at Adelaine, who had not come out of bed.

Adelaine leaned back against two stacked pillows and quietly accepted the soup bowl. A hint of amusement flickered in the lady-in-waiting’s eyes. If Adelaine enjoyed the soup, she would become the ‘princess who enjoyed cheap porridge because she was a slave’. If she threw it away like yesterday, she would be the ‘princess with crude behavior due to her slave background.’

I don’t need to go along with it.

“Are you trying to get back at me for asking you to read the newspaper?”

“No, I am not.”

“This is my breakfast?”

“Yes. it’s soup personally made by the chef using premium potatoes and fresh sheep milk.”

Considering the chaos the chef experienced yesterday, there was no way he would use the same method. So it was right to see that this was the result after being influenced by the head lady-in-waiting in front of her.

Adelaine pushed the bowl close to the lady-in-waiting’s face and asked.

“Does this look appetizing to you?”

“Yes, Your Highness Vita. It looks very delicious.”

“I see.”

Okay, then.

Adelaine smiled and grabbed the lady-in-waiting’s hand. The face of the seemingly confident lady-in-waiting stiffened

“Your Highness, what are you…”

“Eat it all. In front of me. Leave not a single drop behind.”

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