The Villainess is a Marionette

“I’ll send you an invitation when I can make the most delicious tea with the leaves you gave me today, so there’s no need to force yourself.”

The people in their vicinity could not hold back their wonder at Cayena’s words. In particular, Raphael’s aide, Jeremy, was the most astonished. He heard rumors that the princess was different now, but he did not expect that she would be this different.

‘Did the princess always have such tact?’

She didn’t promise Raphael an exact date, just that she would send him an invitation before the black tea ran out. Even if it was a rejection, the message contained an appropriate level of consideration.

Jeremy couldn’t believe that ‘that’ Cayena said this.

He glanced at Raphael. Raphael’s expressions were difficult to read on normal days, but today, it was even more subtle.

‘…I’ve never seen such an expression.’

It was both hard and soft, a completely unknown countenance. Anyway, the important part was that Jeremy had never seen such an expression on him.

‘Of course, the master also seems to bring about strange changes in Her Highness.’

“Then next time, I will prepare a refreshment as a gift.”

Raphael approached Cayena, kneeled down on one knee and reached out his hand. Cayena knew that he meant to kiss the back of her hand.

‘Should I say that he doesn’t have to show such courtesy to me now?’

Cayena thought it would be too much for her to do so.

‘It should be slightly better since I’m wearing gloves.’

She sighed and reluctantly held out her hand. She only hoped that this action would not offend him.

“It was an honor,” Raphael said, and he clasped her hand.

Until now, his mind had been stained with displeasure when he had to do this. He had only thought of holding onto his patience and getting it over quickly.

‘It’s a small and fragile hand.’

But this contact was more bearable than he thought. No, it wasn’t just bearable. It was, strangely enough, fine. Did he just feel more comfortable because she wasn’t hitting on him like usual?

Suddenly, he realized that Cayena’s hand was so small in his own hand.

‘When we talked today, I didn’t think she was such a small person.’

Perhaps because of her natural dignity and grace, she never seemed weak or small.

He bowed his head and kissed Cayena’s hand. Fine, smooth black hair flowed down. Cayena had the strange thought that if she patted him at the moment, he would feel soft.

It was when Raphael’s lips parted from her hand and he just got up.

“So you were here, Sister.”

At that familiar voice, Cayena and Raphael both turned their heads. Rezef was approaching them, an attendant following behind him.

‘But he must be busy preparing for the hunting season.’

It was a time to socialize with the influential nobles and their successors. Cayena thought that he would be busy because he had to buy new weapons, but it seemed that he came to see Raphael.

“We greet His Imperial Highness.”

Everyone bowed their heads toward him. Raphael also acted courteously.

“Raphael Kedrey greets His Highness, the Prince.”

“Get up.”

Rezef smiled nicely. He had hurried over when he heard that Cayena was on a walk with Raphael.

“Were you still walking with my sister?”

The Kedrey ducal family was a family he had to recruit.

Rezef’s weakness was that he had no military power, whereas Archduke Heinrich had taken several families with soldiers on his side.

Of course, even after combining them all, they couldn’t match up to the Kedrey duchy.

This was because Kedrey duchy was elite among the elite, a military family that had guarded the empire’s border for a long time.

‘I have the Evans marquis with the largest agricultural zone.’

Though he had weak military power, Rezef had strong economic power based on the affluent granary of the Evans family. The Evans family fully supported Rezef, and he would be able to solve the Kedrey’s provisioning issues. If the two joined hands, they could complement each other’s weaknesses.

“I came to find my sister because I was thinking of having afternoon tea time with her. But I didn’t know you would be with her.”

There was no way that Rezef, who came all the way here to find him, did not know that Raphael was here.

“I was just about to leave,” said Raphael.

“Ah, is that so? What a shame,” replied Rezef.

Cayena hurriedly spoke, fearing that her brother would tell Raphael to stay for tea. Raphael also felt that urgency. His gaze reached Cayena’s side profile.

“Have a safe trip back, Sir Kedrey.”

Unlike before, it now seemed like she was trying to make him leave quickly. Raphael’s eyes slowly moved to look at her because of her strange attitude.

“Then, I’ll take my leave, Your Highness.”

Rezef looked back and forth between the two. Somehow, their relationship looked quite different from the one he knew. Cayena wasn’t making advances at Raphael, and Raphael…

‘The atmosphere here doesn’t look so bad.’

It wasn’t clear whether it was because of his sister’s good conduct or because Raphael was in an exceptional mood today. Anyway, it would be fortunate if their relationship continued to be genial like this.

‘My sister keeps making excuses to get entangled with him.’

Though the Grace family did not respond to his letter stating their daughter was selected as one of Cayena’s ladies-in-waiting, it was only a matter of time.

‘She said that he would marry Olivia Grace, I believe.’

Rezef approached Cayena and escorted her away. Cayena grabbed his hand and leaned onto him without hesitation.

Raphael looked at the scene with a strange glance before turning around and leaving.

‘What was that gaze just now?’

Rezef frowned slightly.

“Hmm…”

As Rezef quietly murmured, Cayena lifted her head.

“What’s wrong?”

Rezef looked down at his sister. She was a beautiful and caring sister who could melt a heart of ice in no time.

He put on a familiar mask.

“It’s nothing.”

In any case, he thought that he would have to keep an eye on Raphael.

***

“Father!”

Lydia shouted as she ran toward Count Benzeman, who had come to the imperial palace.

“What did His Highness Rezef say? Everything worked out well, right?”

There was no other reason he would visit the imperial palace.

It was because of the incident when Lydia had injured the princess a while ago.

Even if it was only a title, Cayena was still a part of the imperial family. That Lydia would burn her like that…

Count Benzeman found himself often disappointed by his idiotic daughter. But this time, she had made a tremendous mistake.

“Sir Evans took care of it. You can’t behave so rashly again. Do you understand?!”

Lydia didn’t show a single sign of remorse despite his scolding.

“It’s too oppressive, Father. When will the Evanses recommend me as a bride candidate for the prince?”

The count clicked his tongue and glanced at his daughter’s emerging true nature.

‘The Evans family also has an eligible bachelor. I can’t ignore him and try to push my daughter to the Imperial family.’

He looked at his daughter, who had no doubt that she would become a princess.

‘It’s enough if she comes to be the hands and feet of Prince Rezef.’

They could not attract the Evans family’s ire by being too greedy.

Still, there was a change for her, so Count Benzeman said this so that his daughter would not be hurt.

“Don’t be too impatient. First, you must have a smooth relationship with the imperial princess.”

Lydia said pointedly, “That woman purposefully made me spill the pie! Look at my hand, Father!”

The count’s head throbbed in pain.

“What do you mean, ‘that woman,’ Lydia?!”

She had grabbed the plate with the hot pie and slightly burned her finger. Lydia suspected that Cayena had arranged it all.

“She encouraged the court ladies to compete by telling us to deliver the snack to His Highness! Who other than a kitchen servant would know that you had to cool the pie?”

There was a part of her accusation that was correct.

“She was deliberately walking around, baring her arms, and she waited right in front of the pie. She did so to earn the compassion of His Highness, Prince Rezef.”

“Watch your words! Did you forget that this is the Imperial Palace?”

Lydia felt frustrated with her needlessly passive father.

“Father, please. Those insolent things keep ignoring me.”

Recently, Lydia had been having a hard time. The maids and Vera, of course, were careful about being seen with Lydia, and Lydia was furious.

The count tried to reason with his daughter.

“They’ll go back to normal once your father says the word. So, take care of your heart and watch the princess well.”

Lydia sighed at her father’s words.

“There’s nothing to watch. I don’t even leave the Imperial Palace, and I’m only in the bedroom all the time. The budget is rotting away, but she won’t even throw a party.”

“You say she isn’t socializing even with a large budget?”

Thinking about it, two months had already passed since the attempted poisoning case.

Was there any reason for her to isolate herself like this?

Furthermore, Cayena’s coming-of-age ceremony would be held when the roses were in full bloom.

There was just over a month left. It was certainly strange that she had not done anything so far.

~~~