The royal invitation arrived before the Church’s.
When the invitation was delivered, Wuli’s expression was anything but pleasant.
Because she knew there was truly no way out of this now.
Shuen’s expression, meanwhile, was difficult to read.
The Duchess, on the other hand, was overjoyed. She spent the entire night giving her daughter instructions and advice.
“This time, make sure to spend more time with the First Prince. I heard His Majesty personally arranged this gathering. That means the Emperor places great importance on you.” The Duchess’s voice brimmed with delight, completely oblivious to Wuli’s expression.
“If the First Prince takes a liking to you this time, our family could very well produce an Empress.” The Duchess beamed at the thought.
Wuli listened in embarrassment.
Shuen was still standing nearby, his gaze resting quietly on her.
Being watched by him like that, Wuli felt inexplicably guilty.
“Enough.”
The Duchess’s eyes shifted and landed on the son born to her husband’s former wife. A look of displeasure appeared on her face, but she did not continue speaking.
The white-haired young man merely raised an eyebrow.
The two of them were escorted into a carriage.
Over the next few days, the upper circles of nobility would be gathering for a social event hosted by the royal family. Wuli would be attending as well. The Duke’s Residence would not only have Shuen present; the Duke and Duchess would also be there.
The moment Wuli sat down in the carriage, her blue eyes drifted toward the scenery beyond the window.
She said nothing.
Her gaze appeared calm and quiet, but in reality, she was anxious about the plot that was about to unfold.
“Wuli.”
Wuli was still lost in thought. When she heard her name, her heart jumped, and she quickly turned around.
“Hm?”
The white-haired young man’s deep blue eyes were unfathomable.
“Even though this is what they want, I still want to remind you of one thing.”
“Don’t get involved with the First Prince.”
Wuli froze for two seconds before the question slipped out instinctively.
“Why?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
At a time like this, the most reasonable response should have been to obediently accept the warning without asking why.
The white-haired young man’s deep gaze remained fixed on her.
“The royal family runs deeper than you think.”
Using those words as a prompt, Wuli recalled the game’s plot.
Deeper than you think?
From what she remembered, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Or perhaps the game had never explored the royal family’s background in depth. After all, it was an otome game. Under normal circumstances, all it needed was for the female lead and the male leads to enjoy plenty of sweet interactions together.
Though, admittedly, 《A Maiden’s Western Fantasy World》 hadn’t managed to do that either.
Shuen stopped there and said no more.
Their destination was the outer grounds behind the Imperial Palace, a vast estate that stretched across an enormous area.
In this world, there was a long-standing tradition.
Every year, an autumn outing was held to strengthen the bonds among the upper class.
Once they arrived, a butler stepped forward to receive them.
“Miss Sinclair, Young Master, your rooms have already been prepared. Please follow me.”
The two followed behind him.
As expected of property belonging to the Emperor, the estate was immense.
They were led into the residential wing. The long corridor was illuminated by rows of candlelight on either side, while maids stood stationed throughout the hall.
Wuli followed closely behind.
“Miss Sinclair.”
Wuli was stopped just as she was about to continue.
“Your room isn’t here. Please come with me.”
Wuli paused for a moment.
It made sense.
Because the Emperor and the Duke had reached an understanding this time and intended to bring Wuli and Glenn together, her room had been arranged close to Glenn’s rather than alongside the rest of the Sinclair family.
Wuli did not immediately follow the maid.
She looked back and met the white-haired young man’s gaze.
Lowering her eyes, Wuli followed the maid upstairs.
The castle housed nobles from all over. Wuli spotted several familiar faces along the way and greeted them with small nods.
The castle had five floors in total.
Wuli was led all the way to the fifth floor.
Wuli: “…”
What truly left her speechless was that she had finally figured it out.
The entire fifth floor was occupied by Glenn alone.
Seriously?
Well, now there was one more resident.
Wuli.
“Miss Sinclair, this is your room.”
The maid led her to the door.
“If you need anything, feel free to call for me at any time. I’ll be stationed right here.”
“When it’s time for dinner, I’ll come and fetch you. There’s no need to worry. I hope you enjoy your stay and have a pleasant rest.”
Wuli glanced around.
It seemed the room next door belonged to Glenn.
Bracing herself, she pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The room had been kept impeccably tidy.
It didn’t feel like a guest room prepared for a visiting noble.
Rather, it felt like a room regularly occupied by its owner. Nothing about the furnishings was rigid or impersonal. Instead, there was even a faint sense of warmth to the place.
*
By dinnertime, exactly as expected, Wuli and Glenn were seated together.
“…”
The meal was awkward for everyone involved.
All around them, people kept stealing curious glances at Wuli.
This was the rumored fiancée of Prince Glenn.
Perhaps even the future Empress.
‘Haha.’
Wuli let out two dry laughs as she took her seat beside Glenn.
“Your Highness, it’s been a while.”
The black-haired young man nodded.
There was not the slightest hint of pleasure in his dark red eyes.
He had always considered the royal family’s annual noble gathering to be a troublesome affair.
And this year was no exception.
The dining table was filled with influential figures from high society.
Among them, the person of highest status was First Prince Glenn.
Naturally, there was no shortage of people eager to curry favor with him.
And if that was the case, then there was even less chance that people would ignore Wuli.
“So this is Prince Glenn’s fiancée? What a sweet-looking young lady.”
Some noblewoman at the table made the remark.
Wuli: “…”
Glenn and Shuen both turned to look at her.
Nothing had even been decided yet.
Could they please stop emphasizing her status as Glenn’s fiancée at a time like this?!
Glenn, however, responded to the comment.
“Lady Lucia, you’re too kind.”
His dark red eyes settled on Wuli.
The white-haired girl did indeed look obedient and harmless. Her round eyes gave the impression that she would never scheme against anyone.
Her cunning score was practically zero.
Wuli had no idea what to say and could only force a polite smile.
“I’m not flattering her. Someone favored by Your Highness should naturally be liked by many people.”
Wuli: “…”
All Wuli wanted was to leave as quickly as possible.
“You’re mistaken.”
She heard the person beside her say that much.
She waited for a follow-up explanation.
But none came.
Glenn was the first to finish his meal and leave.
Wuli also made quick work of the dinner and escaped soon afterward.
Once she saw that no one was paying attention to her, she used feeling unwell as an excuse and returned to her room.
The lamps along the fifth-floor corridor cast a dim glow across the walls.
The subdued light tinted Wuli’s flawless face with a faint red hue as she walked through the hallway.
The maid who had been stationed outside her room earlier was nowhere to be seen.
An uneasy feeling rose in Wuli’s heart.
It was too quiet.
Trusting her instincts, she acted immediately and knocked on Glenn’s door.
“Your Highness, are you there?”
…
“What are you doing here?”
The door in front of her opened.
Glenn was dressed in nothing but a robe. His black hair was still damp, clearly indicating he had just finished bathing. A cryptic gleam flickered in his dark red eyes.