When Arthur Reinhardt’s gaze turned toward Shirleyviel.
It wasn’t until she was gently pulled by Old Anna that Shirleyviel snapped back to her senses. She stood up awkwardly with her head lowered, her voice faint and weak:
“…Shirleyviel Connalt.”
She hadn’t even clearly seen the “Prince’s” face. She only wanted to quickly end this uncomfortable scrutiny and return to her corner, or… return to a place where she could see him.
‘Arthur’ did not mind Otillia’s coldness; instead, the smile deepened.
Her gaze lingered more on the faint blush on Shirleyviel’s cheek and her slightly trembling eyelashes.
“I wonder if the two Misses would do me the honor of accompanying me for a short stroll in the garden? It is a bit stifling in here.”
She extended her hand, making an inviting gesture.
Otillia declined without the slightest hesitation:
“I thank Your Highness for the kind offer, but I am feeling somewhat unwell and am afraid I cannot accompany you.”
Shirleyviel also hurriedly shook her head, shrinking behind Old Anna. Her voice carried obvious panic: “I… I want to go back.”
Having been rejected twice so decisively, especially when facing two beauties she had “scouted” at first sight, the smile on ‘Arthur’s’ face stiffened slightly.
“That truly is a pity.”
“I hope that next time, I will have more time to converse with you both.”
With that, the Third ‘Prince’ turned and walked away, heading back toward the main seat.
Otillia watched “Arthur’s” departing back, her sapphire eyes filled with coldness. This Third Prince… had significant issues.
Arthur Reinhardt returned to the main seat to begin presiding over today’s Consort Selection Banquet, but her eyes were drawn to Otillia and Shirleyviel from time to time.
Arthur Reinhardt, originally named Amiville Roswitha, was the product of a night of passion by Emperor Reinhardt.
Her mother was a lowly court entertainer who had died early in melancholy.
Before being brought back to the Imperial Palace, she had lived in the dark corners of the Imperial Capital and was well-acquainted with the coarseness, tyranny, and greed of men.
These experiences had long ago planted a deep-seated loathing for males in her heart.
Added to that was her mother’s affection for her, which caused little Amiville’s views on love to take a turn.
That’s right—the future heir of the Chester Empire was a lesbian…
This banquet was, in name, to select a consort for the returned Third Prince, but in reality, it was an important debut for Emperor Reinhardt to display his chosen successor to the entire imperial aristocratic class and pave the way for her.
Amiville understood that her identity as a woman disguised as a man was a temporary measure by the old man to silence the criticisms of the ancient nobility regarding blood purity. It was a mask she had to wear.
However, this did not stop her from pursuing what she truly desired beneath that mask.
The rejections from Otillia and Shirleyviel did not make her retreat; instead, they piqued her interest.
The more unattainable the flower, the more precious its fragrance when plucked.
‘Woman, you have successfully caught my attention .’
For the remainder of the banquet, although Amiville continued to speak politely with other noble young ladies and accepted everyone’s compliments, her attention remained entwined with the two female leads.
She saw Otillia skillfully avoid several young nobles attempting to strike up a conversation, walking alone to the edge of the balcony to gaze at the night sky thoughtfully. Under the moonlight, her profile appeared beautiful, noble, aloof, and dreamlike.
As for Shirleyviel, she kept her head down most of the time, occasionally whispering a few words to the old maid beside her. Her gaze would involuntarily drift toward the hall’s exit as if searching for something lost. That dazed yet stubborn look was exceptionally endearing.
“The rose of House Philimons, the edelweiss of Connalt…”
Amiville savored the thought in her heart, her purple eyes flashing with light.
“Truly… something to look forward to.”
***
In the days following the end of the banquet, Amiville began her journey of pursuit.
For Otillia, she took a more roundabout and “sincere” approach.
She invited Otillia to visit the exhibition hall of ancient magical sealing artifacts in the Royal Treasury.
The reason given was, “I heard Miss Philimons has quite an interest in ancient magical craftsmanship.”
As for why Otillia would like sealing artifacts, it could only be said that for those who know, they know.
Sent along with the invitation was a complete set of the latest ice-attribute magic-amplifying jewelry, crafted by the imperial court’s personal artisans.
The attached card bore only the concise royal crest and the floral script initials “A.L.”
However, when Otillia received the invitation and the gift, she didn’t even look at them. She directly ordered her maid to return the jewelry in its original condition.
She then declined the invitation to visit on the grounds of “being slightly indisposed and requiring quiet rest.”
Otillia only wanted to quickly confirm the relationship between Shirleyviel and Ian now.
She had an intuition that she would soon be able to meet her most beloved Ian.
When that time came, she would definitely lock him firmly by her side and never let him escape again.
At the thought of her beloved being locked to a bed and left to her whims, Otillia couldn’t help but press her slender, well-proportioned legs together.
On the other side, after learning of the rejection, Amiville only smiled faintly and did not get angry.
If one side didn’t work, wasn’t there still the other?
For Shirleyviel, Amiville first sent people to the Duke’s Mansion of Connalt to deliver a rare specialty from the Northern Snow Mountains—a “Moonlight Epiphyllum” plant and a matching constant-temperature magic flowerpot.
Amiville knew that Shirleyviel enjoyed quietly tending to plants and flowers.
Next, she invited Shirleyviel to play in the greenhouse of the Imperial Palace garden.
But on Shirleyviel’s end, she hadn’t even received the flowers or the invitation before they were intercepted by Old Anna and handed over to Frederick.
Shirleyviel only wanted to know why her kitty wouldn’t pay attention to her anymore. She really wanted to hold him while she slept…
Frederick also knew about his daughter’s situation.
He was currently having a headache over how to prevent his daughter from discovering the secret that the black cat had been swapped out.
He didn’t have the time to deal with Amiville’s little tricks.
Having received two rejection letters in a row, Amiville’s desire for conquest grew even stronger.
She was not discouraged.
In her view, it wouldn’t be realistic if two girls as beautiful as moonlight were so easy to catch.
And so, over the next month, Amiville began her frantic pursuit.
Shirleyviel was relatively easy to avoid because she had only recently recovered and didn’t go out much. Amiville could only try every possible way to send gifts and invitations.
But they were all accurately intercepted by Old Anna and then handed over to specialized staff for formulaic rejections.
Frederick Connalt was one of the three Grand Dukes of the Empire; he could continuously reject Amiville on Shirleyviel’s behalf.
But Otillia could not do the same.
While she dealt with the endless “courtesy” interruptions from the Imperial Family, she also stepped up the use of the Philimons family’s intelligence network in the Imperial Capital. She attempted to dig up more news about Ian through the lead of the Connalt Miss.
Amiville’s 360-degree, round-the-clock pursuit meant that Otillia hadn’t even been able to see Shirleyviel’s face in an entire month.
Even worse was that she was also a student at the Imperial Royal Magic Academy. Amiville’s “devotion” had caused the already famous Otillia’s reputation to reach even greater heights.
Finally, a month later, the freshman testing for the Imperial Royal Magic Academy arrived…