‘Wait? Did this person change in some way?’
Ever since Olivier appeared at the palace gates, Winnidith had a strange feeling.
However, since she had never had direct contact with him, she could only share her doubts with Isabella, who had.
Isabella had always valued her intuition.
After being prompted, she stared at Olivier for a few seconds and indeed noticed some changes.
“Compared to this morning, he has indeed changed a bit. His face has become softer, and his features have some feminine shifts. He might be wearing feminine makeup.”
As for his physique, Isabella could not tell if there were any changes because Olivier was wearing a wide robe.
But Winnidith felt that his body curves had also changed, roughly to the extent of shifting from Vilda’s build to Leah’s.
“Huh? Is he sick in the head? Why would a man wear feminine makeup?”
Isabella did not intentionally lower her volume, so the three young girls beside her heard her words clearly.
The one who reacted most intensely was undoubtedly Leah, the Elf Princess, who already found him unpleasant.
Her anger flared even more when she noticed Olivier was actually preparing to head toward them.
“That pervert actually dares to come over here. Watch me beat him to—”
“Leah! Prince Olivier is the representative of the Alandin Kingdom, and you are the Elf Princess. You must mind your status! …At least not in front of everyone!”
Vilda hugged her waist tightly, fearing she might accidentally trigger a diplomatic incident between the two races.
But no matter how reluctant they were, Olivier spotted them the moment he entered the Yaoguang Palace.
After dispersing the accompanying Alandin nobles, he headed straight for the four of them without a single attendant.
“We meet again, Princess Isabella. You are truly as beautiful as the moon in the sky tonight.”
Olivier stopped in front of them, lightly lifted his hem, and performed a feminine curtsy.
Although it suited his appearance perfectly, it still made their eyelids twitch.
“Thank you for the compliment, Prince Olivier. Your attire tonight is no less impressive. Before you, I never knew a man could dress so beautifully.”
Isabella returned the greeting, not hiding the sarcasm in her voice at all.
However, Olivier remained unfazed and even appeared somewhat happy, leaving Isabella confused about his state of mind.
“It is my honor.”
Olivier shifted his gaze to Winnidith, who stood nearby.
Silver hair and blue eyes.
This young lady of the Trenton family was the one he needed to pay special attention to.
“You must be Miss Winnidith? When I was in the Rose Domain, I heard that the Empire possesses both the most Beautiful Flower and the most exquisite Bright Pearl. Seeing you today, the rumors are indeed well-deserved.”
“Th—thank you for the compliment.”
Winnidith forced a smile, not even returning the gesture.
She felt a bit awkward facing Olivier.
After all, he was a man wearing feminine makeup.
Her impression of this Second Prince of the Kingdom had already become that of a mental prisoner who wanted to be a girl but was forced to be trapped in a male body.
From a certain perspective, the two of them were somewhat alike.
“Prince Olivier seems to have arrived a bit late. Is it because your previous cold has not yet healed? If that is the case, I can send a priest to the Alandin delegation to heal you.”
Before Olivier could say a second sentence, Isabella quietly stepped in front of Winnidith, giving him no chance to make contact with her.
“Thank you for your concern, Princess, but I only suffered some minor injuries. There is no need to trouble the Empire’s Divine Messenger.”
Olivier wanted to communicate more with Winnidith, but Isabella was like a solid barrier standing firmly in front of him.
No matter how he tried to maneuver, he could not bypass this wall.
Even though she was the Princess herself, she was willing to act as a loyal knight guarding Winnidith’s side.
Helpless, he could only turn the conversation toward Leah, who had turned away to avoid looking at him, and Vilda, who was maintaining an awkward smile.
“Miss Vilda, th—”
“What do you want! I’m warning you, don’t get any ideas about Vilda, or I definitely won’t let you off!!!”
Unfortunately, there was also a loyal knight on this side.
Before Olivier could even finish a sentence, he was glared back at fiercely by Leah.
Compared to Isabella’s subtle protection, Leah’s was much more direct and far more dangerous.
After all, in the current Yaoguang Palace, Leah was the strongest combatant.
Moreover, the Yaoguang Palace was the territory of the Elf race; as the Elf Princess, she had the authority to mobilize the guards.
Judging by this Princess’s past behavior, she did not seem like the type to worry about diplomacy.
In an instant, the atmosphere inside the Yaoguang Palace dropped to the freezing point.
Both the Empire’s and the Kingdom’s personnel were ready for battle at a moment’s notice, even beginning to calculate which opponents they would need to deal with once the fight started.
The vast palace seemed to have had its pause button pressed.
Only a few Elves remained immersed in their food, appearing to exist in a different space from everyone else.
“Princess Leah worries too much. I only wanted to thank Miss Vilda for her assistance.”
What finally broke the silence was Olivier’s laughter.
He shrugged helplessly, looking somewhat pitiful.
“It seems the ladies do not welcome me. Then I shall not disturb your girls’ gathering. Please allow me to take my leave first.”
“However, Princess Leah.”
But before leaving, he stared meaningfully at Leah.
“As nobles, we are born with shackles.”
“You are lucky to have Miss Vilda to handle the consequences of your willfulness. But have you ever thought about what would happen if, one day, you found that Miss Vilda was no longer by your side? Or perhaps, that Miss Vilda was no longer able to solve the trouble you caused?”
“You!!!”
“Please do not be angry, Princess. If you are unwilling to listen, then these are merely the mad ravings of an outsider. But I truly hope you will consider what I have said.”
“Goodbye.”
Olivier left the area, leaving behind four girls with different thoughts.
“What is wrong with him! Spouting so much nonsense on his own and then leaving on his own… Does he think he knows Vilda better than I do!!!”
Leah was so angry she wanted to smash something, but thinking that this was her father’s palace, she had to suppress the urge to destroy.
“Vilda will never leave me! Right, Vilda?”
“Yes… I will stay by Leah’s side forever.”
Vilda answered shyly, but she stressed the word ‘forever’ very heavily, as if afraid her determination wasn’t strong enough.
However, Isabella was in no mood to worry about Vilda’s pronunciation.
Currently, all her thoughts were on that meaningful gaze Olivier had cast her way before leaving.
‘He definitely knows something.’
Isabella thought so.
The meaning behind that look was also easy to understand—Olivier wanted to use Vilda’s secret to make a deal with her.
Should she agree?
Isabella looked back at the silver-haired girl behind her and happened to meet those blue eyes that were exactly as she remembered.
‘Hmm?’
Winnidith blinked, not understanding why Bella was suddenly looking at her.
Could it be that she had done something wrong just now?!
Come to think of it, after learning about the relationship between Vilda and that black-haired Elf, she hadn’t said much, had she?
She had left all the problems for Bella to solve.
Was she angry?
The more Winnidith thought about it, the more panicked she became.
Finally, she plucked up the courage to tug on the hem of Isabella’s skirt and whispered softly.
“I’m sorry~”
In an instant, all worries faded away.
Isabella had never felt her thoughts could be so pure.
Regardless of the danger, as long as it concerned Wendy’s safety, she would even storm Hell itself!