My Dear Grand Duke on a Leash - Chapter 28

Chapter 14.2 — The dog, the lark and the Princess (12)

Narkissis had gone mad for a while as his eyes were on the position of the crown prince.

This was all she could do to end it like this. Even though he threatened the lives of her sister and nephew as collateral, she couldn’t completely restore their friendship like before, but they would be able to return to a distance of acquaintance.

“As you’ve seen for a long time, you know that I’m not good at lying and I shouldn’t even try, so I don’t even know why you’ve targeted me… I like the Grand Duke so there’s no problem trying to befriend him, but I can’t do it anymore. There’s a difference!”

“For the next six days, I would like you to refrain from approaching me. Princess Lariette.”

After hearing such a sincere request, trying to win his heart was beyond her ability to lie.

“I see. You like Cain.”

Hmm.

With a mumble, Narkissis touched his chin. He had regained his characteristic languid face before she knew it. The look in his eyes, as he gazed at her, was friendly. To someone who didn’t know him, his expression seemed as if Liette had said something very cute to him.

“I understand your intentions well. So, for the opera tonight, please. I hope you enjoy it comfortably. Lariette.”

Saying so, he smiled as he gazed lovingly at Riette as if she were a pet.

Then, he paddled again.

The oars creaked as if they were rusted, pushing through the quiet river.

˚ ·: * ✧ * :· ˚

The traces of the sunset permeated the ultramarine blue sky after dusk had passed as the golden light from the chandelier in the lobby of the Royal Opera House spilled out onto the entrance steps.

The moment a royal limousine slowed down and entered the front gate, the waiting press cried out in unison. The reporters of large daily newspapers who brought their cameras even engaged in a subtle struggle to preoccupy a well-lit seat.

Ceres, Bea, and Riette stood side by side with their backs to the entrance. Each of the Chalonné royal ladies smiled in familiarity as they waited for the sound of the camera shutter.

“Princess Beatrice! Please look this way!”

“Didn’t your husband come?”

“Your Majesty the Queen! What do you say about Princess Beatrice’s marriage…!”

When the reporters started to overheat, the royal spokesman and the guards naturally stopped them. After passing through the lobby, none of the three spoke until they had climbed the stairs to the box seats on the royal floor.

It wasn’t until they reached the hallway to the royal floor that Bea let out a long sigh.

“Riette, did you see it too? A camera the size of the palm of your hand… it was small enough to fit in the pocket of a tailcoat. Now, even such a small camera…”

Bea let out a sigh weighed down by the pressure. As her wedding neared, all the newspapers competed to report on her every move. Soon, she wondered if it might be in the article on how many times she blinked her eyes every few seconds.

Riette raised her voice as if to reassure her sister.

“I thought sister would feel uncomfortable, so I kept covering you up. Don’t worry, they couldn’t take many pictures!”

“If reporters were going to be there anyway, we could’ve spent the money on the royal opera and done some relief work in the slums, and it would have been a much more meaningful wedding. I’m worried that Saint-Cyr, who isn’t even a member of the royal family, has to deal with the press like this every day.”

Ceres, who was taking a step ahead, halted in her tracks.

“…I see. Did you hate the schedule this mother had prepared for you that much, Bea?”

She had a subdued voice… it was an ominous sign.

That was right.

Even without Narkissis’s plot, Riette was too busy. Managing guests’ schedules, including picnics, horseback riding, hunting, and operas, as well as floral arrangements for the halls and gardens. Not only that but also the list of guests and seating arrangements, to the tea time and reception that should be held once a day…

While the court envoy and her brother-in-law, Saint-Cyr, handled most of it, Riette had to grasp the whole process for the most important task—

—Coordination between her sister and mother.

The mind of a mother who wanted to make her daughter the most gorgeous bride in the world, and an older sister who wasn’t interested in attention, were forever running parallel to each other.

“Mother, you know that’s not what she meant. Besides, there are more things to worry about…”

“Please stop talking nonsense, Lariette! You have much to say when you’re the one who causes things for me to worry about!”

Ceres folded her ostrich feather fan and touched his forehead as if she had a migraine.

“Didn’t you interfere with gentlemen’s business and make such a mess over a dog? And even at a picnic, you stood up from the passenger seat of the cabriolet limousine and shamefully flung your hair around… Rather than getting precocious by the day, how on earth are you getting more and more immature?!”

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