There were lightly magical gemstones going around now on Dartrin street that were meant to make love come true.
Those who couldnât obtain the blue diamond were struggling to even get a copy of it.
âThe person who will be chosen by the imperial princess will be Lady Phantemang, right?â
âOf course. I will become a precious lady-in-waiting of the princess.â
Phantemangâs face shone with ambition.
âItâs going to go well, Lady Phantemang!â
âIâm not sure what it is, but Iâm sure Her Highness will like it!â
âBy the way, what would Her Highness like?â
The conversation had quickly shifted. The topic was not Lady Phantemangâs jewelry, but the princess. At this point, Princess Iana was the dream of all aristocratic girls.
âWell, wouldnât Her Highness like swords because she has trained as a knight?â
âNothing is known about Her Highness. Iâm super curious!â
âOh my gosh, have you met Her Highness before? Today is my first time seeing her.â
Listening to the girlsâ conversation, Citrina also thought about the princess.
There was very little information revealed about the princess. Even in , there was no description of her thoughts and feelings. Citrina could only guess a few things.
âSheâs been at the knights academy and she likes romance novels.â
Combining these scattered pieces of information, Citrina came up with todayâs plan. Nevertheless, she somehow felt an unreasonable amount of confidence.
As she drew strength from her unfounded confidence, the sound of the orchestra flowed through the air beautifully.
That sound meant that Princess Iana was coming.
âHer Highness the imperial princess has arrived.â
All of the aristocratic ladies in attendance bowed their heads deeply following imperial etiquette. As the princess entered, the beautiful sound of the orchestra rang out once more.
When the orchestraâs melody came to a stop, Princess Iana spoke with a languid voice.
âEveryone raise your heads.â
All the young ladies raised their heads silently.
âThank you all for being here. Iâm not feeling well, so I will greet everyone and then go back. I hope everyone can enjoy the party though.â
Princess Ianaâs voice rang out through the hall with the use of a huge magical loudspeaker.
Even from a distance, one could see that Princess Ianaâs eyes were bloodshot. It wasnât only Citrina that noticed this.
Next to her, Lady Phantemangâs group seemed to have also noticed Princess Ianaâs expression.
âOh my gosh, she must have studied ardently all night!â
âIsnât there a rumor that she is aiming for a place of power in the future?â
âHow can you say such a thing when His Highness the imperial prince is here! She must have cried recently.â
âAnyhow, Iâm worried Iâll die if I only get to greet her.â
âDonât worry, Lady Phantemang! Iâm sure Her Highness the princess will like the jewelry Lady Phantemang prepared for her. You know what? Iâll bet youâll be made her lady-in-waiting!â
It was such extraordinarily arrogant language that it caused a ripple of murmurs here and there in the hall.
Citrina looked at the princess and was lost in thought.
âHer eyes are so red, but I donât think she cried.â
Citrina tilted her head. Meanwhile, the princessâs ladies-in-waiting and attendants started to organize the crowd so that they could give their greetings.
âAre you a baronâs daughter?â
âYes.â
âPlease move towards the back of the line.â
The knight spoke with a cold face. Citrina was pushed and pulled until she was practically at the back of the line.
She accepted the circumstances without making a fuss. Still, this made it fair that all of the ladies could greet the princess.
Standing far in front of Citrina was Lady Phantemang with a satisfied smile.
She had to pay a high price for the jewelry from that merchant. His name was Feinmann.
âI had a hard time learning the rumor that the princess loves romance.â
It was a rumor she had heard from her best friend Tahani, who attended the knight academy.
Tahani was a social butterfly at the academy. Phantemang smiled and touched the small black velvet case.
âThis topaz is my stepping stone to success!â
The jewelry contained in the elegant, graceful, and even beautiful black case would springboard Phantemang into high society.
Although it wasnât âthatâ blue diamond from the rumors, it seemed as if no one had been able to get their hands on the original.
âI wish endless glory to the princess. I am Viscount Phantemangâs daughter, Roloaina Phantemang.â
âGlory be to you, too.â
âIâve prepared a present for you, Your Highness.â
âPlease place it over there⦠what?â
Phantemang opened the velvet case and winked at the princessâs troubled face. As Phantemang had expected, the princess reacted with surprise.
âIsnât it pretty?â
âItâs a jewel from Dartrin Street enchanted to make love come true.â
âItâs fascinating, butâ¦â
There was a bit of curiosity on top of the princessâs sullen expression.
There must be a great many wizards around you if you are a princess. There were also spirit contractors and alchemists.
Still, this was a very good achievement. Even the presents from ladies of higher status than Lady Phantemang were sorted out mercilessly.
Phantemangâs gift alone was in the princessâs hands.
âSince I made a good impression today, the princess may invite me to a garden party sooner or later.â
âAfter this party, Iâll make a deal with that vulgar jewelry dealer and let my brother know about it.â
Phantemang greeted the princess, suppressing her heightened emotions. She strolled away to think. In the future, she might be able to look down on the other ladies in waiting.
âNext lady?â
âHello, Your Highnessâ¦â
The princess constantly listened to the ladiesâ greetings and received gifts. But the only thing in the princessâs hands was Phantemangâs offering.
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