Chapter 78
After Felice caught her cold, everyone in the Racliffe household became certain: something was definitely up. As soon as Butler Ben began reminding everyone to watch their words, suspicion turned into conviction.
Now, the servants started discussing Felice among themselves.
“I mean, as polite and beautiful as Miss Felice is, isn’t it a bit much to hope she could marry our prince…?”
The first to voice any real discomfort was Mrs. Pritchard, the head maid. Her mother had served the Queen since she was a princess, and so Mrs. Pritchard herself had always looked after Claude.
Having served the royal family for generations, she was especially sensitive to issues of dignity and protocol, so she couldn’t help feeling uneasy about all this.
But Mrs. Pritchard’s complaints faded that very evening—after Felice brewed her a pot of tea using petals from the garden herself.
The second to complain was, surprisingly… no one.
On a rare, relaxing afternoon, the other staff members found themselves with nothing but praise for Felice and the prince’s relationship. Eventually, all eyes turned to Ben.
Surely, if anyone had misgivings like Mrs. Pritchard, it would be him.
“Butler Ben…?”
Ben just sniffed the tea in his cup—tea that Felice had brewed, though she’d gone outside with Annie by then, so the staff felt free to talk.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Ben arched an eyebrow.
“Aren’t you against it, sir? You’ve served the prince longer than anyone—even Mrs. Pritchard!”
“What does that have to do with it? Who am I to criticize the prince’s choice of partner?”
“Really? But when Lady Elise’s letter came, you looked so annoyed! I even heard you hint to the prince about clearing his schedule that day…”
Laughter rippled through the staff.
“Right, right! We all saw you do that, sir.”
But Ben just ignored their teasing, inhaling the fragrance of his tea.
“Still… Miss Felice really is something special. She’s nothing like other noble ladies these days.”
Even without Ben saying anything, the staff kept praising Felice.
“True. She’s always so kind to Annie… and she really doesn’t seem to have any prejudice.”
“I know, right? One time, I was struggling with something heavy and she came right over to help. She may be the daughter of Baron Kelton but I’ve never met a noblewoman like her before.”
One by one, the staff took turns recalling Felice’s small kindnesses. There wasn’t a single person who hadn’t experienced her goodwill.
They all nodded in agreement.
“I just hope she can be the kind of wife who gives the prince peace of mind. Honestly, I can’t think of anyone more fitting than Miss Felice.”
“If there’s one thing that’s unfortunate… well, it’s not her fault, but still…”
A collective sigh swept through the room.
At that, Ben stood and announced.
“All right, that’s enough. Time to get back to work.”
With reluctant faces, everyone rose from their seats.
Thomas the gardener was the last to stand, murmuring quietly.
“Annie doesn’t approve, you know…”
He glanced at the window and shrugged.
“But honestly, what difference does Annie’s disapproval mean?”
He left the room with a short laugh.
Through the window, he could see Felice and Annie sitting together in the garden. Annie was placing a crown of flowers on Felice’s head.
“Teacher, I couldn’t protect you last time, but next time, I promise I’ll be the one to protect you!”
Felice nodded, accepting the flower crown.
“Thank you, Annie. But really, it’s my job to protect you!”
Felice beamed with pride at Annie, thinking the girl must be referring to the day Felice’s father had come to the estate and caused trouble.
But Annie was talking about a different day entirely.
“That day, I couldn’t protect my knight from the king, but next time, I will!”
Felice didn’t quite understand, but she just smiled and thanked her.
Thomas paused for a moment—he knew ‘the king’ Annie spoke of was really the prince.
“Oh? Dad!”
But then he thought, what could a six-year-old possibly do anyway?
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