“Since you are merely the Duke’s daughter, how dare you show me such a look?”
Harvey followed Evelyn into the guest hall and caught sight of a candlestick thrown onto the floor, wax shards scattered nearby.
The morning light slanted in, illuminating the scene of disorder.
Lavia stood right beside it.
Without the need for cumbersome court gowns, she required no servants to dress herself.
A pure white apprentice robe accentuated her slender waist, and her water-blue hair fell behind her shoulders, making her look all the more cold and ethereal.
The morning glow touched her, bringing out an inherent, dignified nobility.
Lavia lifted her chin slightly, watching the “rude person” opposite her with a tranquil expression.
Even after having an object thrown at her feet, she maintained the elegance and composure expected of a noble.
The noble girl standing opposite her, however, was nearly the polar opposite.
A massive ruby necklace weighed down the girl’s neck, and equally gaudy ruby earrings dangled from her earlobes.
A thick, light-gold gown struggled to cinch her waist, yet the layered crinoline could not hide her plump, bloated frame.
She was draped in jewels, as if she were terrified that others might not recognize her high status.
If there was anything she could outdo Lavia in, it was perhaps only her slightly greater height.
“Speak.”
The noble girl stared at Lavia, her knitted brows filled with fury.
“What did you mean by that just now? Say it again.”
Lavia raised her hand naturally, brushing a lock of hair that had fallen onto her chest back behind her shoulder.
Those azure eyes shone brightly in the morning light, yet they held not a shred of warmth.
“Haven’t you already understood my meaning, Your Highness?”
“Or do you require me to repeat it?”
She replied calmly, almost gently.
However, that understated “Your Highness” lacked all respect, instead sounding intended to clarify the visitor’s status and make the embarrassment even more palpable.
The Princess’s complexion turned even worse.
“Are you insulting me?”
“So, Your Highness can tell.”
Lavia looked at her, her lips moving ever so slightly.
“My apologies, I have never been good at concealing my emotions.”
The guest hall fell silent for a moment.
The two maids standing to the side could not help but hold their breaths.
Not good at concealing emotions?
No one expected the Eldest Miss of the Astarea family to say such caustic words in such a calm and composed tone.
Yet, her expression remained unchanged, and even her posture stayed elegant and upright, as if her previous words were merely a polite response.
The Princess was stunned, also not expecting such a retort.
Her cheeks flushed red at a visible speed.
The girl who was addressed as “Your Highness” raised her hand and pointed at Lavia, trembling with rage.
“You—”
The gem ring on her finger flashed garishly in the morning light.
“A subject’s daughter, and you dare speak to me like this? Who gave you the gall!”
Lavia remained standing, neither retreating nor looking at the finger almost shoved into her face.
Her gaze swept over the gaudy ring, and she spoke inadvertently: “A subject’s daughter at least knows not to throw things in someone else’s house so early in the morning.”
“And even more so—”
She looked at the Princess’s face, now slightly distorted by anger.
“One should not put on a look of having been wronged before figuring out why one is disliked.”
Lavia showed no contempt for the other girl’s obesity, but she also offered no respect for her status.
“Lavia!”
The Princess practically shrieked.
This time, she had truly lost her composure in her rage, her chest heaving violently, even making her earrings tremble.
“How dare you say you dislike me? Have you forgotten my status?”
“Is it that hard to tell?”
Lavia retorted, “As a Princess of the royal family, where is your royal decorum right now?”
She did not become agitated alongside the Princess’s fury.
The more she maintained her calm, the more unreasonable the Princess appeared.
“Does Rune have royals who throw objects at the families of their subjects?”
“If I had to welcome you with a smile despite that, it would be far too hypocritical.”
The Princess was blocked by her words, her face shifting between green and red.
Her blunt features were bunched together, leaving only the ugliness of an overbearing person.
Harvey felt his heart leap when he heard Lavia’s words.
Back in the kitchen, he had thought this girl’s status was so high she might truly drive Lavia away.
But seeing Lavia suffering no grievance and instead infuriating the other party, he felt somewhat relieved.
Until—
“Your Highness?”
Harvey stood at the stair landing, his footsteps faltering as his eyes filled with astonishment.
This girl who exuded flashy luxury from head to toe was actually a royal Princess?
The Princess looked up at the sound, noticing this “manservant” who had been missing all day.
She had been heaving with fury at Lavia, but at the sight of Harvey, her expression paused slightly.
The boy had just arrived from the kitchen, his dark hair messy, revealing his fine features.
His somewhat simple attire only made his clean, sharp demeanor stand out more.
The Princess looked him up and down, her furrowed brow relaxing slightly.
She then lifted her chin.
“You, come here.”
She ordered as if it were a matter of course, “Where did you run off to yesterday, and why did you not come to serve me?”
She had originally intended to punish the little servant for his negligence, but for the moment, she had forgotten all about it.
Harvey froze, glancing instinctively at Lavia.
And Lavia, in turn, turned to look at him.
Her face, which had been wearing a subtle, cold indifference, slowly began to darken.
The change was not obvious, yet it made one’s heart turn cold.
Especially when she noticed Evelyn beside Harvey, the faint smile at the corner of her lips vanished entirely.
Harvey stopped, standing only a few feet away from her.
Evelyn glanced at him in confusion before quickly moving behind Lavia.
Lavia said nothing, turning her head back to look at the Princess.
Harvey realized then.
He had been mistaken for a servant sent by some attendant officer by this Princess.
‘This is terrible.’
The Princess did not detect the change in Lavia’s mood, and she urged him again impatiently.
“What are you standing there for? Come here!”
She glanced at Lavia, “You are my servant, why are you standing so far away? I won’t really punish you.”
When the words “You are my” were uttered, the last trace of warmth in Lavia’s eyes vanished completely.
Her brilliant, gem-like azure eyes were now filled with cold, icy shadow.
She raised her hand and smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle on her sleeve.
“M-Miss…”
Evelyn was full of cold indifference, remaining entirely unaffected.
But Harvey felt a bone-chilling cold radiating from Lavia’s body.
Lavia ignored him, speaking instead to the Princess.
“Your Highness.”
She said coldly, “You seem to have misunderstood something.”
The Princess raised a brow, looking displeased.
“Misunderstood? What could I possibly misunderstand?”
Behind her, two maids watched Lavia vigilantly, their wrists glowing with a faint, milky light.
Two distinct magical auras were canceling each other out.
Lavia glanced coldly at the two maids and suddenly took two steps toward Harvey.
Her white robe was stirred by the morning breeze, and her footsteps made a crisp sound that felt as if she were stepping on one’s heart.
Under everyone’s gaze, Lavia stopped beside Harvey.
A faint, elegant smile suddenly curled at the corners of her lips.
Lavia reached out and took hold of Harvey’s hand.
“He is not your servant.”
She turned to face the Princess, “Therefore, it would be best if Your Highness did not use that tone to speak to him.”
Otherwise, she truly would not be able to suppress her turbulent emotions.
The blatant possessiveness behind her actions required no further explanation.
Evelyn, beside the two, furrowed her brow.
She did not step in to stop them.
The Eldest Miss was clearly establishing her authority, and it was not a time for her to interfere.
But…
With the Eldest Miss behaving this way, how was she to carry out the Duke’s instructions?
No one noticed Harvey’s pale complexion.
He did not understand what Lavia was doing—was she angry that he hadn’t clarified his identity to the Princess?
The coldness radiating from her palm nearly froze him solid.
The Princess was clearly stunned.
She looked from Lavia to Harvey, realizing something belatedly, and her face turned pale.
“Not my servant?”
She clenched her hand, “Then who is he?”
Lavia tilted her head slightly, her gaze settling on Harvey.
Her eyes held only cold, thin indifference.
Seeing the two in such an “intimate” silence, the Princess’s expression worsened.
Lavia wore a faint smile.
“As for who he is—”
She replied with a gentle tone, “I am afraid that is not something for Your Highness to inquire about.”
The distance in her voice was apparent to everyone present.
Lavia held no shred of respect for the royal family.
It was the Princess herself who had foolishly stepped on her already darkening mood.
What’s more, she had stepped exactly where Lavia least wanted anyone else to touch.