"What about Lady Iris?"

When asked that by Julietta, Vera silently combed her hair. She looked like a woman of chubby frame, calm brown hair, slightly wrinkled eyes, from a loving and chatty neighborhood, but she was indeed silent. They had talked many times over the period of more than fifteen days to Tilia.

Julietta gave up on hearing the answer and sighed slightly, then heard Vera's voice. "She is beautiful, clever, and gracious. If not for her health, she is perfect."

'I guess so. She was raised in a perfect environment, so I thought that she would not fall short. If the Duke of Kielini and the younger sister of Marquis Anais were her parents, she would be pretty, of course. If she really was healthy, she'd have nothing to be envious of.'

Julietta had forgotten her situation and was sympathizing with the sick princess.

"Don't be an enemy. Don't be greedy for something that isn't yours. Don't forget your reality. That's all I can say to you."

It was sincere advice. It was fortunate that Vera did not antagonize her as much as Simone, who seemed to hate her. Recognizing her reality was what Julietta was most confident of.

Julieta vowed that she would do her best the day she was free of this shackle and fly freely.

-----------------------

"You are pretty."

The girl sitting up against the white bed looked as fragile as a crumb. The pale blonde hair, pale face, and lightless purplish eyes were observing Julietta with an expressionless calm.

"Aunt, do we look alike?" Finally, Iris took her eyes off Julietta, looked at Simone, and asked, "It's half blood mixed, so it won't be different at all. Right?" Without waiting for Simone's answer, Iris concluded.

"I'm moving to a separate house tomorrow. No matter how much I hide, it's hard to hide my ident.i.ty from the employees who come and go from the castle. Well, today could be our first and last meeting. In fact, we don't have a good reason to see each other often. Isn't that right?"

Iris spoke with an impa.s.sioned expression as she looked at Julietta's bright blonde hair, sparkling green eyes, and red lips as if to prove she was alive. She did not say that it was nice to meet Julietta, even in empty words. She was just a girl who would take over her role. She was a girl who would go out of Tilia, instead of herself, and make a debut in society and experience everything. Iris would be a dead person until the girl returned to her seat, a dead person who no one should know existed.

"My name is Iris Regina Kiellini. You are Julietta, right?"

"Yes, my lady."

Iris stared at Julietta quietly. "From now on, your name is Iris Regina Kiellini. Please use it well and give it back."

Iris looked at Simone with a heartless eye. "Now, aunt, please call me Regina. I don't like being confused with her, even for the time being."

******

"Spencer, come on. Did you enjoy your trip?"

For the hunting compet.i.tion to be held next week, Prince Francis had arrived that morning in time, and Killian's cousin, Marquis Spencer Rhodius, had followed.

"I got the wrong start date. I don't feel good, because I've been continuously b.u.mping against Francis during the trip," Spencer complained as he swept through his pale brown hair, which covered his eyes slightly.

"Why didn't you move with him together?"

Spencer snorted at Killian's words. "Do you want us to have stabbed each other? If I had a guarantee to win, I'd have attacked him, pretending to be crazy."

Spencer was not like Oswald, but he was of the same cla.s.s. He loved art, praised beautiful women, and detested blood and force. He was able to live a life that had nothing to do with the struggle for the throne, but he came to the political dispute on the side of Killian; it was because of the Dudley family and Francis. The moment they came to power, he was afraid of what would happen to this peaceful Austern.

Even now, there was no knowing how much of Dudley's funding was being used to stop Francis from acting. Francis must do what he wanted, whatever it would take; it was a secret known only to those who knew Francis's character.

Francis was now suppressing himself to become Emperor, but if the reins were lifted after achieving the desired goal, what would happen? Spencer was worried about that. He could drive Austern into a time of blood. His blood was mixed with the royal blood, so Spencer himself did not know what kind of charges he would face if he was unlucky. It was natural that he hated Francis in this situation.

"What about Francis?" asked Spencer who had arrived right after Francis, and thought Killian might be facing him, but he could not see him at all.

"I haven't seen him yet, either. I heard he dropped by the outer castle first."

"Did he go to where Lady Anais is? It looks like he's in a real hurry."

"His behavior is quite reasonable since the marriage to Princess Haint has failed. Except for Princess Kiellini, who is now known to be dead sooner or later, the woman with the highest status among the ladies who are at the marriageable age is Lady Anais."

"Is Francis still believing that he must marry a woman of the highest status in Austern to become an Emperor?"