Princess Veronica, the noble Third Princess of the Kingdom of Rune.
In folk tales, she had always been portrayed as a gentle, elegant, and dignified royal maiden.
Even the royal court painter always intentionally or unintentionally polished up her features whenever he painted her portrait.
The reason for this was not hard to understand.
Some things, if painted exactly as they were, would not be considered decent once they reached the ears of the common folk.
Just like right now.
Even though she was clearly so angry that the stone table was rattling from her strikes, Veronica still gritted her teeth, insisting that she was not angry at all.
This stubbornness clearly had nothing to do with the composure and steadiness a royal should possess.
The two maids standing on the side could not help but exchange glances.
Clearly, the Princess had been willing to listen to advice just yesterday.
Why did she turn back into her old self as soon as she ran into that Miss Lavia today?
After a moment, one of the maids spoke in a low voice.
“Your Highness, please calm your anger.”
The words, spoken subconsciously, immediately triggered a reaction from Veronica.
She snapped her head around, her gaze so sharp it was as if she wanted to pierce through someone.
“I told you, I am not angry!”
She was a noble princess, and her status was worlds apart from a Duke’s daughter; what did she have to be angry about?
She was not angry at all!
It was just, well, she was a little annoyed, that was all.
A subject’s daughter had shown her that kind of face; was she supposed to pretend that nothing had happened?
The two maids trembled at the roar.
One of them hurriedly lowered her head, bracing herself as she continued to offer comfort: “It is good that Your Highness is not angry, but today’s matter… truly cannot just be let go.”
“But you have only just arrived at the academy; it is really not suitable to make a big scene right now.”
Veronica stared at her intensely.
The maid continued to speak fearfully: “His Majesty the King has been dissatisfied with you lately, which is why he sent you to the academy. If you cause a scene that reaches the palace now, you will be the only one questioned.”
“How could Father possibly be dissatisfied with me?!”
Veronica’s voice rose sharply.
“It is those people who are spreading rumors about me behind my back! I have already said, I did not do it!”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, the fire in her eyes growing increasingly sullen.
Yes, her life in the palace had indeed been difficult recently.
Constant rumors reached her ears, and they were all about her.
But her father could not possibly loathe her.
On the contrary, he cared for her deeply; otherwise, why would he have suppressed those rumors for her?
Veronica gritted her teeth, determined to explain those incidents to her maids.
“The glassware meant for the Queen’s tea party in the west side hall was shattered, and they insisted I was the one who smashed it.”
“But I hadn’t even been to the flower hall that day!”
“And before that, the Snow Feather Sparrow that my eldest royal brother kept died, and some people said it was because I found its chirping annoying and had someone kill it on purpose.”
“They even managed to twist things so that when a few boxes of cream puffs went missing from the kitchen, they blamed me, saying I had someone take them in the middle of the night!”
The two maids had originally been shaking their heads, but when they heard the last sentence, they both showed hesitation.
That… that did not sound like it was fake…
As her personal maids, they knew better than anyone how strong the Princess’s appetite was.
Veronica grew angrier the more she spoke, failing to notice the strange expressions on the two maids’ faces.
Some of those things she had never even touched.
Others were things she had merely complained about in passing, but whenever an incident occurred, everyone’s first thought was of her.
Because she had a bad temper.
Because she ate too much.
Because she was not as well-liked as Lavia.
So, whenever something unsightly happened in the palace, if they could not find someone else to take the blame, those people would eventually fix their gaze on her.
Veronica gripped her skirt tightly, her eyes filled with resentment.
“They just think I’m an easy target.”
“They think that because I have no Magic Talent and am just a useless princess, they can splash any dirty water they want on me.”
She lifted her chin as if trying to maintain the last shred of her dignity as a princess.
“Father sent me here precisely because he knows I have been wronged.”
“At least this place is cleaner than the palace, and it saves me from having to take more abuse from those people.”
The stone pavilion fell silent for a moment.
Even the two maids could tell how far-fetched that sounded.
If he truly knew the Princess had been wronged, why would His Majesty send her to a place like the magic academy?
Is letting someone with no Magic Talent stay here not a form of humiliation in disguise?
Veronica suddenly seemed to remember something, her tone taking on a note of stubborn certainty.
“If he didn’t care for me, why would he be willing to give me even the Golden Carriage?”
That carriage was something she had demanded stubbornly during a tantrum a few days ago.
Many people in the palace had tried to persuade her against it, saying it was too extravagant and flamboyant, and not according to custom; even the person in charge of the treasury had knelt on the ground, weeping and begging the King to reconsider.
But her father had nodded in the end.
The carriage was built as ordered, according to the specifications befitting a princess.
Veronica still remembered the looks on the faces of those in the palace when she sat in that carriage.
Envy, jealousy…
At the very least, in that moment, no one dared to say she was not a princess cherished by the King.
So how could she believe that her father was dissatisfied with her?
She preferred to believe that those people in the palace had evil intentions, deliberately planting troublesome matters on her so they could use the rumors to sway her father’s judgment.
The two maids standing before her looked at one another.
For a moment, neither of them refuted her.
Because they truly did not understand the King’s mind.
But they understood Veronica.
This Princess’s nature was not inherently bad; at least she had never truly done anything heinous.
However, her temper was truly terrible; she flared up at the slightest inconvenience, and she was too forthright to hide her emotions.
Plus, she had always been sensitive and could not stand being looked down upon or talked about by others.
With such a personality, in a place like the palace, it was indeed very easy for people to use her as a scapegoat.
The maid who had spoken earlier did not contradict her directly, only saying in a low voice: “Your Highness is right; His Majesty naturally cares for you.”
Veronica glanced at her coldly, and her expression softened slightly.
Meanwhile, the other maid stood behind, her gaze shifting slightly, meeting the eyes of the one who had spoken.
The older maid’s fingertips twitched imperceptibly.
The younger maid was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood. Under the guise of tidying the silver tray on the table, she retreated silently.
Only that one maid remained by Veronica’s side in the stone pavilion.
Her voice softened even more, as if she were slowly soothing Veronica’s emotions.
“Since Your Highness also believes that His Majesty sent you to the academy to protect you, then you must not make a scene easily now.”
“Otherwise, would that not be letting down His Majesty’s good intentions?”
Veronica pursed her lips and did not speak immediately.
Seeing that she did not refute, the maid continued to advise in a low voice:
“If Your Highness makes a scene back at the palace, those who have been watching you will only take the opportunity to pin more accusations on you.”
“When that happens, they will not be saying how rude the Astarea girl was; they will only say that you have caused trouble outside again and made things difficult for His Majesty.”
Veronica’s fingers tightened bit by bit.
These words were harsh, but she understood them.
The people in the palace had always been like that.
If the matter truly blew up, the blame would not necessarily fall on Lavia.
In the end, the person who would be talked about, belittled, and described as ignorant and lacking propriety would most likely be her.
Thinking of this, the fire in Veronica’s chest did not dissipate; instead, it burned even more stiflingly.
At this moment, the maid who had retreated returned with refreshments.
They were all the Princess’s favorites.
Because they had arrived in a hurry yesterday, the royal court had not arranged for anyone to transport ingredients.
But that was only for last night.
That disgusting Attendant Officer loved to use such small matters to exert his influence, but fortunately, that male servant had allowed them to borrow ingredients for the night.
Thinking of this, the maid who brought the desserts sighed internally.
Both of them were clear on this.
The Princess was not just angry at the Duke’s daughter.
That male servant could not escape either.
The Princess had truly considered him “her own” yesterday, which was why she had promised to look after him, but when the argument broke out today, that person had not said a single word.
Anyone would be depressed in her shoes.
Veronica grabbed the pastry on the table and bit into it heavily.
It was as if she wanted to swallow that nowhere-to-go anger along with it.
The maid watched her, a hint of undetectable worry flashing in her eyes, yet she continued to follow the topic: “Although it is not convenient for us to make a big fuss right now, aren’t you curious about who that male servant is, and why he would receive the favor of the Duke’s daughter?”
Veronica’s chewing slowed for an instant.
She looked up, a little fine sugar still on her lips.
“Do you think he is suspicious, too?”
“If he were just an ordinary servant, Miss Lavia would not protect him like that.”
The maid said in a low voice: “And she certainly would not have acted in such a way that disregarded etiquette.”
Under the traditional etiquette of Rune, decent women were not allowed to show their faces in public easily.
Only those commoner women who had to work outdoors and had no way to cover themselves would walk through the streets with their true faces exposed.
Restrictions on unmarried women were slightly more lenient.
But if a married woman were to meet a man in private, even if it had not been verified whether there was an affair, it would be enough for the patrol officer to take them away on the spot for questioning.
They might even be stripped of their original status and lose all the rights a citizen of Rune was entitled to.
Whether they lived or died afterward would be up to others to decide.
In comparison, falling into the status of a Slave was considered a relatively decent outcome.
The Duke’s Mansion was even clearer on this.
Rune did not allow women to be unrefined, but it did not forbid men from expressing admiration and proposing marriage in a manner consistent with etiquette.
Lavia’s reputation in social circles had spread long ago, and those coming to seek marriage were endless.
She was already of marriageable age, and it was said that her Crown Ceremony would be held this year.
At such a time, the Duke could not tolerate even the slightest flaw in Lavia’s reputation.
Veronica stared at the silver tray on the table, her eyes sinking.
Yes.
That boy, no matter how she looked at him, did not seem like someone who truly had the guts to offend her.
Yet, it was precisely such a person who had made her lose face in the Guest Hall today.
She swallowed the pastry in her mouth, her eyes sullen.
“Go find out.”
“I want to know who he is.”
The maid watched her pick up another piece of cake and bowed her head in response.
“Yes, Your Highness.”