Julietta laughed at Phoebe's words. "Then just help me today. Now that a new maid is coming, Phoebe doesn't have to do this. Let's depend on each other like sisters and friends. Is it okay for you to learn many things you don't want to do?"

"Of course! I'll learn hard. I can do anything. And, Miss, lower your words. If you keep showing me respect, I'll get in trouble."

Phoebe spoke, rubbing a cloth with petals on Julietta's shoulders, and suddenly the door opened and Vera came in. "Miss, His Highness Killian is here."

She was so embarra.s.sed when the calm Vera slipped on the floor as she entered the bathroom with a towel.

"Are you okay, Vera? Are you hurt?"

Surprised, Julietta sprang up in the bathtub.

"I'm fine. Miss Phoebe, we have to hurry." Vera couldn't even get up and spoke urgently, handing Phoebe a towel first.

"He visited me without calling, which would be no problem at all but you even fell over."

The door of the closed bathroom burst open as Julietta walked toward Vera. "That's because I came into the princess's bedroom despite her dissuasion."

"Your Highness!"

Phoebe, who was raising the p.r.o.ne Vera up, screamed, and a scream came out of Julietta's mouth, too. But regardless of the mess in the bathroom, Killian came in leisurely and hugged Julietta, who hurriedly covered herself with a towel.

"It's a good sight, but let's hurry. Marquis Oswald and Ian are waiting outside."

Killian held Julietta and moved on to the bedroom pus.h.i.+ng aside Manny who was barking like crazy with the toe of his boot, and put her down carefully on the bed. He smiled down at Julietta, who was staring at him. "The princess, your eyes are turning. Why are you so upset, since both of us saw everything of one another?"

Vera ran madly into the dressing room from the bathroom while Killian smiled and coaxed Julietta. Vera returned with her undergarments and an indoor dress a moment later, and said to Killian, bowing slightly, "Your Highness, if you could just stay back and turn around for a moment, I'll have Miss Iris ready quickly."

Killian said to Vera, looking at her generously, as she was carefully holding a dress, "No. Give it to me. I'll dress her up."

"Are you crazy? Vera, let's go to the dressing room. That kind of talk doesn't work on this guy."

Killian said merrily as he watched Julietta heading to the dressing room, clutching a flowing towel. "Throughout the whole capital, rumors will spread that you and I were in one bedroom. It's difficult for further rumors to spread, so I'll have to rush in the Marquis and Ian."

Julietta shot back as she closed the door of the dressing room, "Did you come in here so brazenly to make some more rumors?"

Killian muttered as he looked at the door of the closing dressing room, "That's right. I meant to make a rumor."

Unlike when he said to hurry, he waited a long time and slowly opened the door across the lounge to the hallway. "The princess is getting clothed now. Wait a moment."

"Yes, Your Highness. No problem."

Oswald glanced at the butler who had guided them up, and the maids who were holding the teacups, with their heads down as if they hadn't heard anything.

"She must have been very tired at the party yesterday, getting up so late."

Killian leaned against the lounge door and answered Oswald's question. "I think it was too much for her because you asked her to have an entertainment in the dressing shop for the last night of the season."

Lady Anais had failed yesterday, but she didn't stay still, and strange rumors began circulating around lunch time among the aristocrats who gathered in the clothing stores, teahouses, and restaurants on Eloz Street. The rumor was that Princess Kiellini had been kidnapped by an unidentified man last night and released hours later.

Rumors that a single woman from a n.o.ble family was kidnapped and released by an unidentified woman were a fatal blow. It was a rumor without origin or even needing to know who was spreading it.

Still, Themes sent a letter to the Chartreu Dressing Shop to report what she was ordered to, and the manager of the shop brought the letter to Marquis Oswald. Oswald went straight into the Imperial Castle and delivered the letter to Killian.

"Lady Christine must have had an evil heart."

The letter said that Lady Anais was furious at her failure to kidnap Princess Kiellini. Prince Francis had told her to kidnap Princess Kiellini again by Wednesday this week, but Lady Anais had given up. The conclusion was that Lady Anais was working on a different method and decided to spread rumors that Prince Francis had rescued Princess Kiellini after she was kidnapped by an unidentified man last night.

The rumor could destroy Princess Kiellini's reputation, cut off her relations.h.i.+p with Killian, and tie her to Francis, so it was a perfect plan on its own.

Killian headed straight to the Kiellini mansion as soon as he saw the letter. How to confront a rumor was with another rumor. Against the fast-paced rumors, they only need to show that Killian and Kiellini were in a very close relations.h.i.+p.