IRTP 3

Chapter 3

Interest Is Something I Decline.

Blair stared intently at Olivia’s face. Her blue eyes, filled with fear, were wavering aimlessly.

“So what you’re saying, Olivia, is that someone is trying to harm all of us?”

“Not all of us, I’d think. It’s probably someone aiming for the position of crown princess.”

That would mean herself—Prons—who had the highest chance of being chosen as crown princess after Anaïs. Of course, objectively speaking, that was true, but who would say such a thing so calmly with their own mouth?

‘She’s certainly not ordinary.’

She was a different type from Selina, who openly voiced her inner thoughts without filter.

“Anyway, I’m worried sick. Duke Brienne is pressuring the royal court every other day.”

“His only daughter ended up like that, so it’s understandable.”

“It’s not just for that reason, surely. This is Duke Brienne we’re talking about.”

Olivia continued in a tone that seemed somehow cynical.

“He must have intended to make my daughter crown princess and perfectly control the kingdom. Prince Kalinz is the sole heir to the throne, so barring any mishap, he’ll become king. Then Anaïs becomes queen.”

If an heir were born between them, that child would become the next king in turn. The Brienne ducal house would have grasped power soaring to the heavens, Olivia said.

“But now they’ve lost their most important stepping stone. No one knows what Duke Brienne will do next.”

“Do you think Duke Brienne is the one who did that to your bird?”

Blair asked directly, without beating around the bush. Olivia seemed slightly taken aback by her sudden question, but she quickly composed her expression and answered calmly.

“It’s possible. After all, he’d need to keep our house in check. This time, it was a warning—not the bird, but that I’ll be next.”

Blair nodded quietly.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t anticipated things would turn out this way, but either way, it had nothing to do with her. She wasn’t even a target of Duke Brienne’s containment, and she was the Prons furthest from being crown princess.

That was precisely why Olivia had come to her. Not to Selina or Tilda, but to her—someone who posed no threat at all.

‘If she really had been so startled and scared that she ran over impulsively, she should have gone to Tilda’s room, the nearest one.’

She didn’t know why Olivia had bothered to come to her specifically and talk about the atmosphere in the royal castle and Duke Brienne’s movements, but Blair didn’t ask.

After all, getting deeply entangled wouldn’t do any good. She needed to remain as inconspicuous as possible right now.

To hold her breath until a new crown princess was chosen, and when the selection was over, to say she would remain in the western annex. That was the only goal she needed to focus on right now.

“Still, thanks to you, Blair, I feel a bit calmer. Thank you.”

It wasn’t as if I’d really done anything.

If anything, it was closer to a one-sided conversation, but Blair didn’t let it show and slightly raised the corners of her lips.

“Don’t mention it. Since something like that happened, do be careful, Olivia.”

Olivia bowed her head slightly with a dignified gesture, offered an elegant smile, and left the room.

Once she was gone, the room fell quiet again. The sudden silence felt awkward, and Blair stood blankly for a moment.

Then she spotted the desk cluttered with scattered objects and snapped to her senses.

“Oh right, the brooch. I need to go back for it…”

When would she be able to sneak out of the castle again?

Blair furrowed her brow in thought, but soon gave up thinking about it.

If she were caught sneaking out of the castle in the current atmosphere, she could not only be expelled from the royal castle but also be unfairly linked to the poisoning incident and invite misunderstanding.

Besides, the lake in the forest was a place only she and Allen knew about, so she could go look for it a bit later.

Blair tidied the messy desk and then walked over to the window.

When she opened the window, a soft breeze tickled the tip of her nose. The gentle air of the spring night carried the scent of grass, and in the garden where flowers were in full bloom, a soft moonlight was calmly scattering down.

Gazing at that quiet scene, Blair found herself caught in inexplicable thoughts, shook her head a couple of times, and headed for her bed.

The next day, Blair received unexpected news from her dedicated maid, Lucia.

“His Majesty the King?”

“Yes. I believe it’s likely because of the recent incidents in the castle.”

“But we’ve never even had a luncheon together.”

Until now, the Prons had mostly had luncheons with Queen Leah. Of course, the queen handled quite a lot of state affairs personally and was always busy, but two or three times a week, she would always summon the Prons to the queen’s palace for lunch.

And the king had attended that gathering only once in all this time.

‘Well, after what happened to Anaïs and then Olivia’s bird. Thinking about it that way, maybe this is actually late.’

“What dress would you like to wear to the luncheon?”

Lucia asked Blair, who was deep in thought while touching her lips.

“…Just something as plain as possible while still being proper. I’d also like to minimize the accessories.”

At her answer, Lucia looked puzzled. She seemed to want to ask whether Blair shouldn’t stand out more, given it was a rare occasion with the king, but she soon answered that she understood and left the room.

‘Stand out? Absolutely not.’

If she had her way, she’d want to become as transparent as air, but unfortunately no such method existed.

Blair let out a faint sigh, resolving to arrive before anyone else and sit in the most corner seat.

The luncheon was held in the main castle, not the queen’s palace, as usual.

Blair left her room well before the appointed luncheon time to secure the most inconspicuous seat. Of course, everyone else would want to sit in places where they’d be noticed, so there was no need to come early just to sit in a corner, but still.

‘Just in case.’

Since she had asked for minimal adornment, she had time to spare after finishing preparations.

The dining room in the main castle had a distinctly different atmosphere from the queen’s palace. It felt more weighty and classical, and the chairs were much larger and spaced further apart.

The kitchen seemed to be busy preparing food, as delicious smells wafted through, making her mouth water.

Blair scanned the table once and pulled out the chair at the very far end to sit down.

‘Good. This seat is the furthest from the head of the table.’

As she looked around the empty chairs with a satisfied smile, a colorful floral arrangement caught her eye.

A centerpiece woven with bluebells and primroses was making the table even more lavish. Blair’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the fresh floral arrangement that looked as if butterflies might flutter up from it at any moment.

‘If I move that just a little more this way, it would perfectly cover my face.’

Blair went back and forth between her seat and the head seat where the king would sit, adjusting the position of the floral arrangement little by little.

At last, she found the perfect angle where her face would be completely hidden.

“Oh my, it’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

Blair murmured with a deeply satisfied smile. That was when it happened.

“It looks perfect to me as well.”

A low, smooth voice came from behind her. Startled nearly to the point of screaming, Blair barely swallowed the sound and slowly turned around.

“Oh—I greet Her Majesty the Queen.”

Stammering from sheer embarrassment, Blair felt her spine stiffen as she offered an awkward greeting. The queen, who had appeared suddenly, looked back and forth between the floral arrangement Blair had been touching and her face.

Desperately racking her brain for how to explain this, Blair opened her mouth.

“Your Majesty, you see, this is—”

“To think you’d even check the seat where His Majesty the King will sit. What admirable dedication, Miss Merbis.”

“Yes, well, that is—yes?”

No, what on earth did that mean? Check? Check what? Dedication? Admirable?

“Even in my eyes, that floral arrangement looks much better where you’ve placed it, Miss Merbis. Coming all this way in advance before the luncheon time even arrives to see to such details—how diligent.”

A look of satisfaction flickered in Queen Leah’s eyes. She seemed to have firmly misunderstood in a very strange direction.

“I hear you always arrive early like this. I already knew that much, but to think this was the reason.”

No, that was not the reason at all. She had simply been arriving early every time to secure a corner seat so as not to stand out, but there was no way she could say such a thing.

“Ah… it’s not really such a great thing, I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

Blair offered an awkward smile, packaged as best she could. The queen stared intently at Blair’s face and then asked.

“Your name was Blair, wasn’t it?”

“…Yes, I am Blair of the Merbis viscount family, Your Majesty.”

The queen nodded as if to say she understood.

“Then I’ll see you at the luncheon, Blair. I need to go see the head chef.”

Fortunately, the queen left the spot quickly.

But a warning bell rang in Blair’s mind. It was because the queen, who had never once called her by name, had just spoken it.

This kind of interest was something she absolutely declined.