Inside the room, there were signs of a princess moving about. The rustling of fabric could also be heard.
After a while, the door opened just a hand’s width.
“Come in, knight. I have something to ask.”
Once again, he hesitated at the door, but this time the hesitation was shorter than yesterday.
Lucian stepped into the bedroom and froze at the sight of the changed princess.
Ioret, now dressed in a pure white gown, stared up at him.
“Does it suit me?”
“Yes, Princess. You are beauti—”
Lucian reflexively answered, then stopped mid-sentence. As Ioret turned halfway in front of the mirror, her bright golden hair swayed, revealing her back.
“…stunning.”
Several buttons running down her slender back were left undone. It was clear she had struggled to fasten them herself.
His gaze was inevitably drawn to the glimpse of pale skin through the gap. It was instinctive.
Ioret let out a faint smile.
“You’re not very honest, are you, knight? Do you really think this suits me?”
“…!”
Lucian quickly lowered his gaze. His ears burned, as if he had been caught being improper even for a moment.
Strictly speaking, the dress did not perfectly suit Ioret.
It was overly elaborate for her slender frame. The pure white fabric made her skin look even paler.
However, her natural beauty was so striking that such flaws hardly mattered.
“My apologies. But I did not lie.”
“Really? So much that any man would fall for me at first sight?”
It seemed not just ordinary men, but even insignificant ones might be drawn in. Lucian swallowed those thoughts and asked instead:
“Why are you curious about that?”
Instead of answering, Ioret held up the hem of her dress and looked at herself in the mirror.
“This is the first gift Catherine gave me. She told me to wear it to my wedding. It should be fine for a banquet.”
“You intend to attend the Founding Day banquet?”
“There will be many envoys who came for my wedding. And it will also be my last chance to attend before I’m driven out.”
Indeed, that day had originally been Ioret’s wedding day. The cancellation of the wedding and the rescheduling of the Founding Day ceremony and welcome ball were all Lucian had been informed of.
He had not received any order forbidding Princess Ioret from attending the banquet.
Ioret murmured meaningfully.
“I will be the star of the banquet. Just as it was decided from the beginning.”
It was a bold claim, but hardly realistic.
Lucian thought skeptically.
Catherine, the Crown Princess, was undeniably the central figure of Elovice’s noble society and the queen of high society.
Beautiful, eloquent, and charismatic enough to command crowds—she was a perfect ruler.
Compared to her, Princess Ioret seemed far too fragile.
Her shimmering golden hair and delicate features were undeniably beautiful. But rather than someone to be followed, she seemed like a fragile flower that needed protection.
Lucian’s gaze once again drifted to the princess’s loosely fastened back. His fingers twitched unconsciously, almost reaching toward the undone buttons.
“…Are you truly going to wear this dress?”
Ioret shrugged.
“There aren’t any suitable alternatives.”
All she had in her wardrobe were dresses with deep necklines or backs, or ones that clung tightly to her figure. They had all been gifts from Catherine—and she had torn them all apart last night.
“It may look ridiculous to wear a wedding dress after the wedding has been canceled, but that’s not necessarily the case.”
What Ioret needed right now was presence.
‘I have to show the entire kingdom that there is a princess in this palace. The best stage is the Founding Day banquet.’
Her mother, Queen Charlotte, had once taught her this while gently sitting her on her lap.
“In high society, clothing is not just for looking beautiful. It is a declaration of identity itself. It tells others who you support, what you intend to do, and why you are here without saying a word. It can threaten enemies or lure allies.”
Ioret’s gaze sharpened as she looked into the mirror.
In truth, she had already made plans. She knew exactly who in noble society could handle matters of fashion better than anyone else.
‘If I can bring “that child” this time, even better… the question is how cooperative they’ll be.’
She glanced sideways at the silent knight.
He was the only one who could move freely in and out of the royal palace without arousing Catherine’s suspicion.
Yesterday, she had taken a gamble, painting him as a potential indecent man.
All she needed was for him to feel a little guilt—or sympathy. Judging from how he entered today without hesitation, it might have worked.
If so, she would gamble once more. After all, this life of hers was nothing but a series of gambles.
“Sir Perain. I have an errand for you.”
In the western square district of Delphine, the capital of the Kingdom of Elovice, high-end clothing shops and jewelry stores were gathered together.
Among the merchants working tirelessly to meet the deadline for the Founding Festival, one shop stood unusually relaxed.
[Kanzail Dye Merchant Guild]
The owners of Kanzail Guild, who had finished their work ahead of schedule through diligent effort, were enjoying a rare rest. Receiving a knock at the door early in the morning, just after dawn, was not part of their plans.
“Who is it?”
Logan Kanzail, still half-asleep, opened the door.
“Sorry, but we’re closed for a week starting today—huh.”
A tall man wearing a royal knight uniform stood at the door. Sleep vanished instantly.
“I have an errand from someone of high standing. Are you Master Kanzail, the dye artisan?”
“Yes, yes, I am Kanzail. But what brings a royal knight to a place like this? And whose errand is it…?”
“Please accept this.”
The knight suddenly handed him a letter and a package. His face was expressionless, but his steady gaze was sharp.
“I will return in two days. That is all.”
With those words, the knight disappeared.
Logan Kanzail blinked blankly.
His wife, who had come out from the dye storage, asked, “What happened, dear?”
The Kanzail Guild mistress, Anes, with her round face and round eyes, covered her mouth.
“Don’t tell me… was it that crazy Crown Princess woman?”
Her personality, unlike her appearance, was far from gentle.
“Calm down, dear… he was wearing a knight’s uniform.”
“He was probably just a trainee knight running errands! What’s so scary about that! I should’ve thrown ink at him!”
Anes was fuming.
Once, the couple had been artisans working in the royal tailoring house of Elovice.
Eighteen years ago, they had been favored craftsmen of the second queen, who had come from the Kingdom of Levia.
They were the only ones who handled dyes commonly used in Levian attire.
However, after the queen became embroiled in scandal with a royal guard knight, the Kanzail couple also lost favor and were expelled from the palace.
Fortunately, dyes were essential in noble society, so they were still able to survive.
They opened a dye merchant guild, importing rare dyes from abroad and supplying them to the market. Since their customers were fabric merchants and dressmakers rather than nobles directly, rebuilding their lives was not difficult.
Ten years had passed like that.
Now, almost no one remembered that the Kanzail couple had once been close to Queen Charlotte.
They had accumulated wealth comparable to lesser noble families. But the resentment of those ten years still lingered in their hearts.
Especially Anes, who could not stand Crown Princess Catherine.
“How dare she show her face to us after sending our queen to her grave?! To falsely accuse such a noble soul! Even sending Sir Perkins to the execution platform… she’s the kind of woman who should have her veins dyed with poison!”
“Dear, someone might hear you… let’s just open it first. We need to know who sent it.”
Logan persuaded his wife, sweating nervously.
Anes reluctantly inspected the package.
Inside was a luxurious wedding dress. The fabric felt so smooth it slipped through her fingers like water.
“Well, the fabric is top quality. Perfect for dyeing… hmm? What’s this?”
Something fell from between the frills of the dress. A thin silk handkerchief.
The moment she saw its unusual color, Anes’s eyes filled with shock.
“…Honey. Didn’t you say a letter came with this?”
“Yes, here it is.”
Logan unfolded the letter.
Anes quickly scanned the words.
And then her mouth fell open.
“Oh my God… this is—!”
