We were gathered in the Queen’s salon now. The Queen, the Crown Prince, and I sat on the sofa, and sweets and fragrant black tea were neatly arranged on the table in front of us. On the other hand, Liliana and Lord Lucien were made to stand in front of the Queen.
Just that scene alone made the difference in our positions clear at a glance.
“Lucien! Aren’t you an Imperial Guard assigned to the Crown Prince? Your duty should be to protect the Crown Prince. Why didn’t you remove such a dangerous person who walks around spreading a stinking odor? Isn’t it strange to let her into the office?”
The Queen’s sharp voice echoed through the salon.
“However, since Liliana is the younger sister of my fiancée, I thought I couldn’t treat her too harshly…”
At the hesitant excuse, the Queen narrowed her eyes for a moment. The Crown Prince stared at Lord Lucien as if he were dumbfounded.
“In other words, you prioritized Liliana over the Crown Prince? Even though you are in a position where you should think of Alexis’s safety first?”
The moment those words fell, the air became a notch heavier.
The pressure given off by the Queen was tremendous, and Lord Lucien shrank back like a frog stared at by a snake, letting cold sweat stream down from his forehead.
However, Liliana was different.
Without caring at all about the atmosphere of the place, she opened her mouth with her usual demeanor.
“I am not in the wrong. After all, this perfume was given to me by Lord Lucien. He taught me that if I wear this and meet the Crown Prince, he will surely come to like me. I adore the Crown Prince. My social status is also that of a duke’s daughter, so it wouldn’t be strange even if I became the Crown Prince’s wife, right?”
An angel-like smile does not work here.
Immediately following was the absolute zero response of the Crown Prince.
“Only your status is. But I have no intention of taking Liliana as my wife.”
“That’s right, the only thing matching is your status. A lady without common sense like you could never become the Crown Prince’s wife!”
After being declared even by the Queen like that, Liliana seemed to have truly lost for words. The moment she floated thin tears in her eyes, she spun around without even a word of apology. And just like that, with footsteps making a pattering sound, she bolted out of the salon. Apparently, she went straight back home to the estate.
(She’s just like a child. Leaving without even making proper greetings in a place with both the Queen and the Crown Prince is something you wouldn’t normally think of doing.)
The Queen murmured while knitting her brows.
“We will officially send a letter of protest to the House of Duke Valentia. We cannot overlook this matter. We will strictly question their responsibility and order Liliana to be confined for a while.”
(Even Father probably won’t be able to protect her this time.)
As a result, the only one left behind in that place was Lord Lucien alone. And naturally, he ended up bearing the brunt of the Queen’s concentrated attack all by himself.
(Lord Lucien always has this kind of role, doesn’t he? Used by Liliana and put through terrible things… and yet, without learning his lesson, he gets used again. Does he not have the ability to learn?)
While I was thinking about such things, the Queen’s sharp voice flew over.
“And besides, Lucien, why did you send perfume or anything to Liliana in the first place? You were sending a gift to the wrong person, weren’t you? Normally, shouldn’t you be giving it to Cecilia, who is your fiancée?”
At those words, I quietly took a breath and clearly opened my mouth.