Flora was right—after her encounter with Lisette, her freedom to move about after each meal was revoked by Moria the very next day.
The reason given was that things outside were too chaotic, and it was for her own safety.
Flora had never expected Moria to keep her word, so she didn’t take it to heart at all.
She obediently followed the training schedule in the villa, spending several relatively quiet days until the eve of the banquet finally arrived.
After finishing a day of training, Flora sat before the mirror as usual, practicing her smile.
With a sigh, she recalled the turbulent news about the outside world she’d heard from Link these past days, and the mounting pressure weighed on her all the more.
Moria and the others hadn’t shown themselves for days now, and the maids led by Link had grown ever more serious, pressing her to finish her dance lessons.
She’d heard someone would ask her to dance at the banquet, but aside from Moria and the others putting on an act, who else would bother with her?
Flora couldn’t imagine.
Could it be Her Highness the Princess?
That would really be flattering her too much.
Not long ago, Link had especially emphasized the uniqueness of this banquet to her.
According to imperial law, nobles granted a title by the Emperor could recommend a commoner to be bestowed the honorary rank of baronet.
This was the so-called Noble Recommendation System.
By this method, the various noble families could expand their influence and recommend talents to the Emperor.
And once the right to do so was invoked, a noble banquet had to be held, attended and witnessed by nobles and members of the royal family, who would also evaluate the candidate.
Usually, only nobles of marquis rank or higher exercised this privilege.
But the problem was, few truly took this system seriously; most just went through the motions, and the royal family rarely paid close attention.
This led to a difference between “false baronets” and “true baronets”: the former were those not certified at a noble banquet, while the latter referred to the children of nobles and baronets who’d gone through the full ceremony.
Moria wanted Flora to become a true noble.
For this, she petitioned her father and the Emperor personally, seeking to use her privilege as the duke’s eldest daughter.
In this case, the rules required that, except for the Imperial Archbishop, all nobles of marquis rank or above must send a direct descendant to attend, though they themselves could not participate.
There were many young nobles who either opposed Moria or courted her.
For them, causing trouble for Flora—the central figure of a banquet of this level—would be the perfect opportunity.
If Flora made a single mistake, she would end up in a terribly dire situation.
[So much pressure…]
With a long sigh, Flora gazed at her troubled reflection in the mirror, then reached out, pressing her index fingers to the corners of her mouth and pushing them upward.
A stiff smile.
She tilted her head, turning it side to side, watching herself force a smile from every angle in the mirror.
The more she looked, the more unnatural it felt.
[Even a forced smile looks ugly on my face.]
“Miss Flora.”
“Ah… Link?”
She’d been lost in her own thoughts for quite a while, and hadn’t noticed anyone else in the room.
Turning her head rather mechanically to look at the maid behind her, she felt a pair of slender hands settle on her shoulders.
“Don’t move, just relax.”
“Mmm—eh~”
The practiced massage that followed was beyond words to describe.
Even as strange noises escaped her lips, Flora was in no mood to care.
“Your ability to learn is far greater than I imagined. In just a week, you’ve become quite presentable—there’s really nothing I can find fault with anymore.”
As she massaged Flora’s shoulders, Link spoke softly.
“I’m just trying to pass the time. There’s not much else I can do these days… These past few days, none of them have come to see me, not even you. You hardly ever come to my room unless you have to…”
Flora grumbled with a hint of annoyance, but soon fell silent.
[Why do I feel like those words came out wrong…]
She frowned, unable to help herself.
Rationally, she knew that having these people interrupt her would be an opportunity—she could use it as a chance to fight back and change her situation.
But in her mind, another voice kept asking: “Do you actually want to see them every day? Are you really happy when you see them?”
This sort of self-questioning felt as if she were hiding her own attachment to Moria and the others.
Once she realized that, Flora’s heart gave a sudden jolt.
These past days, her life had been a routine of training, doing exercises, practicing dance steps with Link, then going to bed and enduring those wretched “beautiful dreams” every other night.
Everyone seemed to tacitly avoid disturbing her.
They no longer imposed the harsh punishments or pressures they had at the start.
Even though her freedom to go out had been revoked, it was at least a sign that, as long as she willingly accepted training and reformation, they would grant her respect and a certain degree of freedom.
For instance, she could now move freely about the villa, and there were far fewer monitors watching her.
[Have I really been changed, relaxing my guard and unconsciously adapting?]
She couldn’t help but think so.
“Don’t be nervous.”
Link’s voice cut off her wandering thoughts.
Ever since that day they’d gone out together, aside from daily training, conveying updates from outside, and instructions regarding the banquet, this maid had avoided any further contact with her, as if hiding.
Flora couldn’t figure out why Link used “Miss Flora hates me” as an excuse to avoid her.
Today was the first time the two of them had truly been alone together again, and Flora had so many things she wanted to ask.
But right now…
For some reason, just having Link by her side made her feel content and at ease, so much so that she lost the urge to ask anything at all.
“Training is enough. You should relax. Practicing your smile in the mirror isn’t necessary. Your smile is precious—as a noble personally elevated by Miss, it’s enough if you can manage to smile for her. I really don’t want anyone I serve to wear such a stiff expression.”
Link changed her massage technique.
A tingling numbness spread through Flora’s back, and all at once she felt her body go limp, slumping back against the chair.
She knew this was Link’s control magic at work.
She looked up at the ever-composed, elegant head maid.
Link gazed down at her, the smile on her face utterly genuine, full of affirmation for Flora’s performance these days.
Were they under surveillance right now?
She might as well ask a question.
“Do you know where Elka is?”
Moria probably wanted her to stay fixated on the elven lady.
Link’s eyes dimmed a little, but her smile didn’t change as she shook her head.
“I don’t know. You should get some rest.”
“Should I not trust you so easily?”
Flora parted her lips, but the words never came out.
Yet Link seemed to understand them anyway.
[Yes, but I hope one day you’ll be able to trust me.]
That was the answer she wished to give, but she only smiled, scooping the exhausted girl—forced to keep up her spirits for training—into her arms and gently laying her on the bed.
“Sorry.”
She spoke softly, knowing that what she was about to do would make Flora hate her, but there was no other way.
All she could offer was her apology.
The banquet would be a tough battle.
Flora had much to do, and the challenges ahead were daunting.
Duke Delan had indicated that Moria’s younger sister would attend the banquet, and Link needed to arrange for Flora to meet her.
Meanwhile, Moria had commanded that Link prevent Flora from speaking to any nobles—especially Princess Lisette—and also to create opportunities for Flora to interact with people from the Rust-Gold Trading Company.
[I hope your judgment regarding the princess and the young lady proves right. I hope you’ll handle everything well. I’ll do my best to help you, but I just hope you won’t be angry with me tomorrow.]
Looking at the blue-haired girl asleep on the bed, Link offered her silent blessings and apologies, purely from her own heart.
Then, she quietly left the room and went to knock on someone else’s door.