Chapter 79
Grizelle’s forehead throbbed with veins as she all but stormed out of Sylaria’s drawing room. Even on the way back to the Second Prince’s Palace, her anger refused to cool.
‘That b***h dares look down on me?’
The way Sylaria’s eyes had glimmered with scorn, the mocking little smile tugging at her lips. And worst of all, that brazen kiss she’d received from the First Prince, right before Grizelle’s eyes.
Everything about Sylaria replayed in Grizelle’s head, sharp and vivid.
‘What trick did that girl pull?’
Grizelle bit at her nails in agitation. Unlike her own flimsy charade of showing off Arendtert’s affection, Sylaria was being showered with genuine love.
The way the First Prince looked at Sylaria was real. That sort of gaze couldn’t be faked.
He was utterly taken with her. Even before stepping into the drawing room, his mind had seemed to hold no one but her. You didn’t need words to see it.
‘That wretch Syllie…’
Click, click— Her nails snapped under her teeth. Whatever Sylaria could do, she could do too. No, she could do better.
Hadn’t she already become a Princess Consort? Winning Arendtert’s heart was only a matter of time.
Once back in her quarters, Grizelle stood before the full-length mirror in her dressing room, turning this way and that as she studied her reflection. Frowning deeply, she cupped her own chest in both hands, lost in serious thought.
‘These dresses won’t do.’
If she wanted to seduce Arendtert, she needed to bare more. He had to be overcome with desire the instant he saw her. She had to look utterly irresistible.
Resolved, Grizelle swung open the wardrobe and began pulling out dresses one by one.
The gowns the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting had stocked were all exquisite, but far too modest. Wear things like this, and she’d never captivate Arendtert’s body, much less his heart.
Growing frustrated, she tugged on the bell cord. But no matter how hard she pulled, no one came. At last, she flung the door open and stalked into the corridor.
“Hey, you there!”
Spotting an attendant walking by, she called out, but the man ignored her and kept going.
Grizelle alone didn’t realize it, that she was already branded as nothing more than the Second Prince’s kept woman.
A woman the Empress had taken in merely to cover the prince’s misconduct. That was the limit of her standing.
So of course no one served her. To the household, she was no different from a street harlot.
Missing her chance with the attendant, Grizelle turned to a maid carrying laundry. But the maid, too, pretended not to see her and swept past.
Their attitude made it look like there was a stray dog just barking somewhere. It made Grizelle grind her teeth until they creaked.
“Just wait until Aren comes back. None of you will get away with this!”
“Already on pet-name terms with His Highness the Second Prince, are we?”
A clear, ringing voice came from behind her.
It was Aria, the lady-in-waiting who had served at the Empress’s side and helped dress Grizelle earlier under the Empress’s orders.
“Her Majesty sent me to find you. I went to your room and you weren’t there, so here you are, making a scene in the halls. No sense of shame, I see?”
“And why should I be ashamed?”
Grizelle shot back curtly, but Aria only gave a faint, amused smile. Folding her arms, she said coolly.
“You don’t know? Here’s a girl sneaks into the bed of a man she’s not married to, and you’re asking why you should feel shame?”
“That was…!”
Heat flared in Grizelle’s cheeks at Aria’s pointed jab. She hated the casual way the woman spoke down to her, but couldn’t think of a single sharp retort.
Leaving Grizelle sputtering in the corridor, Aria turned and strode off. She let herself into Grizelle’s quarters without asking and shook her head slowly.
“Not long ago you were sobbing and wailing, demanding the Second Prince take responsibility because you’d given him your maidenhood. And now here you are, strutting around with your chin in the air. Impressive.”
“…You came all this way just to say that?”
“Take this.”
Aria pulled a small vial from her sleeve and tossed it to Grizelle. Grizelle caught it and tilted her head. It was tiny, no bigger than two knuckles of her finger.
“What’s this?”
“A gift from Her Majesty the Empress. Sprinkle it on your undergarments and, they say, you’ll earn a man’s favor. Imagine, she’s gracious enough to show kindness even to the likes of you. If it were me, I’d never bother.”
Discussion
1 CommentRBluemoon238
2nd: woman is unbelievably stupid. So much so that I wonder if FL was drugged with a potion that reduces intelligence. How did she fall from those two incompetent?