***
Florinda wasn't lying when she said she would do her best.
Normally, it would take her about an hour to put on makeup, but today it took three times as long. The dark circles under my eyes must have been bad.
I wanted to quit an hour into the makeup application, but it was my fault for staying up all night when I was supposed to be at the palace today. And so, I kept my mouth closed and remained still. I shouldn't have stayed up the night before, but it was too late to do anything about it.
"It's all done, My Lady," Florinda declared.
It wasn't until it felt like there were a good five layers of powder on my face did Florinda stop putting on makeup. I accepted the mirror she handed to me and looked at my face.
"Good gracious."
This was some superhuman skill. How did she transform me into this?
"Do you like it, My Lady?" she asked.
It was in the form of a question, but Florinda seemed to already know the answer. There was no way I could be disappointed with these results. I stared dazedly at myself in the mirror.
The dark circles were covered as a basic option, of course. Additionally, my face was almost like a bride's on a wedding day, as if to show off the greater amount of effort put on my makeup today.
Was this really me?
Maristella's face was already lovely enough that even a little color on her face made her shine, but with full makeup, she almost looked like a goddess.
I couldn't believe that a maid had this much skill! Maristella was truly lucky.
"It's unbelievable. I look so different from before," I said in awe.
"I'm glad you like it," Florinda beamed proudly. She seemed to know exactly what she was capable of.
I stood up from my seat while I seriously considered giving her a bonus.
"How much time do I have left until I have to leave, Florinda?"
"Don't worry, My Lady. You picked out your dresses and accessories yesterday. It won't take long to wear them."
It was just as Florinda said. With the help of the other maids, the rest of the preparations did not take as much time as I thought.
Finally, I boarded the carriage, and arrived at Thurman Palace right on time. I entered the palace, hoping I was not too late, when one of the servants noticed me.
"Lady Maristella."
It was Sir Dilton. A natural smile formed around my mouth.
"Sir Dilton," I said in acknowledgment.
"It's been a while, Lady Maristella," he greeted.
"Yes. It's been a while. How are you?"
"I am well," he said briefly, but soon his tone turned worried. "More importantly, I heard you were in a carriage accident… Are you alright?"
"Ah," I answered with an embarrassed expression. "I had been stuck in bed for about three months. I'm completely recovered now."
"God must have helped you. Carriage accidents have a high fatality rate."
"That's what I think too. I was lucky." I smiled lightly and changed the subject. "By the way, where is His Highness?"
"Ah, His Highness is—"
"Sir Dilton."
Then, a low voice interrupted from behind. I turned around and saw a familiar figure. There stood a man with hair as silver as the moonlight and eyes as dark blue as the deep sea.
"What are you doing not taking my guest to the dining room?" Xavier said. His low voice seemed to carry through the air like a cave and got stuck in my ears.
When I was looking at Xavier with a glazed expression on my face, his expression shifted from stern to smiling.
"Lady Maristella," he said warmly.
"Your Highness." I blinked and came back to my senses, and gave a polite bow. "Greetings to the Little Sun of the Empire. Glory to Yonas."
"Thank you for coming all the way here. Are you feeling better?"
"I am well. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Xavier's expression relaxed at my answer. "That's a relief. It just so happens that the lunch is ready. Let's go to the dining room together."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I nodded and followed Xavier to the dining room, and we conversed on the way there.
"I didn't expect you to send me a letter first. I was quite surprised when I received it," he said.
"I'm sorry if I'm taking up your time."
"Not at all. I'm not so busy that I cannot have lunch with you. I'm glad to see you again."
When I heard that, I suddenly remembered Claude's warning from a few days ago. He described Xavier as a cold man who eventually hurt the people that were close to him.
'But I don't think he's like that.'
Of course, Claude was Xavier's academy classmate, and he knew Xavier far better than I did. But I didn't think Xavier was as bad as Claude said. Everything he had done for me so far was quite over-the-top.
Perhaps I was rationalizing the situation because I didn't want to believe in Claude's words, but my hunch said that wasn't the case.
***
We finally arrived at the dining room, and a servant opened the glass door for us. When I went inside, the first thing I saw was an enormous table. I was a little surprised. This was the first time I have ever been to the Thurman Palace dining room, and it was much fancier than I expected.
Xavier pulled out a chair for me at the table. "It troubled me that I couldn't treat you to a meal last time. I'm glad to have you here now."
It wasn't until I saw him waiting did I realize that he pulled out a chair for me.
"Your Highness, you don't have to do this—" I said hastily.
"You are a lady, and I must follow etiquette," he replied. He kept waiting for me expectantly and, feeling pressured, I hurried over to the seat and sat down.
I never received this kind of treatment in my life before, and I was unfamiliar with the code of etiquette that a high-ranking person like Xavier needed to follow.
After I settled down, Xavier took the seat opposite of me. A few minutes later, servants filed into the room and served appetizers and drinks.
The meal started with tomato bruschetta, followed by cream soup and pumpkin salad. More wonderful dishes were served and the conversation, which was naturally interrupted by the food, resumed when the servants stepped away from the table.
"Is Duke Escliffe still visiting Bellafleur mansion nowadays?" Xavier asked.
Ah, so this was going to be a high level from the start. I noticed that last time Xavier didn't seem to like Claude very much either.
I hesitated before answering. "He's been very busy since my recovery, but I think he will visit from time to time."
The most straightforward answer I could say was, "He came the other day", but that would probably irk Xavier, so I tried to keep my answer as vague as I could without lying. Who would like it if their friend was close to someone they hated?
"Does it bother you that I'm close to Duke Escliffe?" I asked.
Xavier seemed taken aback by my question. "I don't think I have the right to force that on you."
"It's not forcing…but I'm just curious. The last time I saw you two together, I got the impression that you didn't seem to like each other very much."
"…"
Xavier fell silent, and I followed him in silence as well. It was several long moments afterwards that he spoke. "Do you remember what I told you last time, Lady Maristella?"
"What you told me last time…?" I echoed.
"I told you about it when we were talking about the Lady Cornohen. A love-hate relationship."
"Ah."
It was when I visited Thurman Palace for the first time after Xavier's birthday party was over. Only then did I remember what he was talking about.
"I remember," I told him.
"The man I told you about was Duke Escliffe," he said.
"Ah…"
But then again, Claude was the only one around Xavier who could maintain such a relationship.