My Dear Grand Duke on a Leash - Chapter 48

Chapter 24.2 — Best Bridesmaid (2)

Riette pressed her pale cheeks with both hands.

“I’m too cute. How can I look less cute and more mature?”

“The Princess, mature…?”

The maids exchanged puzzled glances. It was because the Princess, who had always been content with whatever she wore, was acting so picky now.

“Princess, how about this hat? Princess Beatrice complimented you for looking good in it. If you wear it again this time, she’ll surely be pleased.”

“Huh? I’m not going to see my sister? They say no visitors are allowed until just before the wedding for her safety.”

“Really? Then, why are you so concerned about your appearance?”

“Well, Grand Duke Acheron…”

Riette, who was about to respond instinctively, sealed her lips.

Grand Duke Acheron would soon arrive at the courtyard. It was the last day she could seduce him, so she needed to look as beautiful as possible. If she said such a thing, it would likely reach her mother’s ears, and she’d get an order not to go out. With her sister’s wedding just around the corner, if she were caught tailing some guy, she would surely be threshed for not caring about her sister.

Sealing her small mouth tightly, she rolled her round green eyes once. There was no point in continuing with a clumsy response since it would only sound suspicious, so it was better to keep quiet.

The maids exchanged meaningful glances with each other.

As the head maid and three other maids engaged in an intense debate that resembled a heated discussion among military officers, Riette found herself distracted by them while the youngest maid secretly approached the wall where the telephone was located.

The youngest maid lifted the receiver quietly. At the same time, the head maid, as if trying to divert her attention, clapped her hands.

“Now, Princess. We’ll make sure you maintain your charm while also exuding elegance. Just trust us.”

“Ung! Please do!”

The three women’s hands moved diligently over her body.

The skilled hands of the disciplined maids, brimming with precision, had created today’s style, and it was truly perfect from head to toe.

An elegant updo accentuated her waves on a wide-brimmed Merry Widow hat adorned with roses and feathers. She was wearing an evening dress in subtle pink with a lustrous square neckline and pearl earrings that glimmered with a gentle sheen. Even down to the long-sleeved silk gloves, each stitch of delicate lace was carefully handcrafted.

Riette, facing the mirror, let out an exclamation.

‘Yes, this is it. It’s cute, yet didn’t make me look too young…’

“Princess.”

She turned around at the youngest maid’s voice to see the maid holding the receiver with a perplexed expression.

“Her Majesty the Queen…”

At those words, she raised an eyebrow.

Why was her mother calling her at this hour? She had been so absorbed in her sister’s issues that she hadn’t exchanged a proper word with her mother in the past few days…

Riette, who received the receiver in bewilderment, widened her eyes as if they were about to pop out.

“Mother. What are you suddenly talking about? Why couldn’t I go out for the rest of the day!”

With a raised voice, Shushu, who had been nesting in her hat, raised his voice as her grip on the receiver tightened.

“But sister’s wedding is tomorrow, and I have so much to do today!”

「 His Highness Narkissis has already taken great care of the wedding preparations. He truly understands a mother’s heart. I’m sure he was deeply shocked by the recent terrorist incident, so I don’t know how to express my gratitude… 」

Unconsciously, she furrowed her brows. If it were her mother, she should be hailing the Grand Duke who rescued her sister and niece as a hero, yet she was going on about His Highness Narkissis.

“You should be thanking Grand Duke Acheron! He’s the one who saved sister and me.”

「 That’s why I’m refraining you from going out! Your sister’s wedding is just around the corner, and you have no business wandering around such an unworthy man! 」

“…Un, unworthy man?”

「 Your sister confided in me. It seems that you have taken an improper interest in the Grand Duke. I respect him as the gracious benefactor who saved your sister, which is why I’ll refrain from speaking ill of him. However, I can’t allow a hasty judgment like yours to potentially jeopardize and end up in the mistress position. So, don’t utter a word to the Grand Duke until your sister’s marriage is over! 」

Riette’s mouth fell open. In a split second, an overwhelming rush of thoughts poured out. Why did her sister say such things to their mother without even knowing for sure? At the very least, shouldn’t she have asked her before saying anything to their mother?

The scolding seemed to have touched something. Embers leaped out of Riette’s mouth as if her mother had struck a match she hadn’t realized she had.

“The Grand Duke is the most wonderful man I know. He’s not just some guy who has a mistress or anything like that. His Highness Narkissis can’t even hold a candle to the Grand Duke!”

Ceres, who waited for her daughter to lower her head and obey while acting cute as she always did, paused in bewilderment as if embarrassed. She seemed unable to believe her daughter’s unconventional rebellion.

「 The Duke is having an affair with Princess Thesil, but since the Princess already has a fiancé, he’s playing the role of his cousin’s lover. To conceal this fact, he has sought out a foreign woman to marry. How can you admire a man like that? Even if you lack common sense, there should be some limits. You, Bea’s little sister, are going to fall for that man and be his mistress? 」
[ T/N: ‘Thesil’ is a nickname for Princess’ Penthesileia’! ]

…Affair? Mistress?

The listing of these unsuitable and vulgar words made her head spin.

Her eyes became dizzy from the array of unsuitable and vulgar words that she couldn’t imagine being associated with him, even if she were to die soon.

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