"What? Please don't cry. Why are you crying? Um… No…" There were a few seconds of silence before Lady Felicia's sobs were muffled. "You are an amazing person, Felicia. When I was wounded after a hunt, you gladly took me in, without asking who I was. You cared for me, and you cooked for me. To me, it was the best meal I had ever had."
"But that's only because you were sick. Anything can taste great in that condition," Lady Felicia argued.
"No! I want to prove to you that you have magical hands. I want to eat only the meals that you cook for the rest of my life. Actually, I'm fine with anything as long as you realize your talent in cooking. Do not look down on yourself anymore," Landgrave Simon's voice was firm.
"But, My Lord, I'm a mere daughter of a baron. No one will take me seriously if I were to open an eating house. Also, I'm inexperienced. It might be a coincidence that I cooked well at the time you were there."
Having had enough of Lady Felicia's persistence in downplaying her skills and talents, Yohana rose from the bench and approached the lovebirds.
"Please forgive me, Lady Felicia, Landgrave Simon. I couldn't help but overhear your intention to open an eating house. If you would allow it, I would like to have a taste too. The way Landgrave Simon spoke so highly of your cooking, I found myself interested to try as well."
Perhaps remembering the talk she had with Yohana in the powder room about finding her own strength, Lady Felicia quickly changed her stance. With two supporters behind her now, she could confidently take a step forward.
"If you insist, then perhaps I shall," Lady Felicia replied timidly.
Landgrave Simon shot a grateful glance at Yohana and left the two of them to enjoy their budding friendship. "Let me know when you're tired and ready to go home," he said.
After he disappeared, Yohana and Lady Felicia walked some more before returning to the grand hall to rejoin the ball. Yohana was heading to the powder room to wait for Princess Eleanor, while Lady Felicia intended to dance with Landgrave Simon.
Before parting ways, Lady Felicia said, smiling warmly at her, "Lady Runa, I don't think you're an evil princess."
The words struck Yohana deep in the heart. She didn't like it when people saw her as being benevolent because she didn't see herself that way. How many people had she killed already? No matter how kind she treated those around her, it didn't diminish the number of victims she had eliminated.
While Yohana was dwelling on her own thoughts, a commotion occurred. Someone dressed in a royal blue gown was pouring wine on Fabian's coat.
"What the hell?!" she screamed.
Amidst that, Fabian spotted Yohana on her way up the stairs. He gave her a reassuring nod, as if saying 'It's okay. I'm okay.'
Princess Eleanor, dressed in Yohana's gown, pulled a tablecloth, breaking numerous glasses and plates, spilling wine all over the floor. She gritted her teeth and stormed out of the grand hall. The attendees started to murmur between themselves, wondering why Lady Runa did that to Duke Fabian.
Seeing how this event had taken a different turn, Yohana was about to tell the truth, but the queen appeared in front of her, blocking her path.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty," Yohana tried to dodge her, but the queen pushed her back into the powder room. Hanne appeared behind her and dragged Yohana to the powder room.
"She brought the dress for you. Change before leaving!" Queen Emma demanded.
Yohana must go out now and verify the truth in front of everyone before the misunderstanding became rumors. But the door was locked from the outside. The queen must have put something to prevent Yohana from going out.
The act of being locked up brought back past memories, and Yohana collapsed. She lost consciousness as the fear of the young Yohana returned briefly.
When she opened her eyes, she was already wrapped in a new dress, although rather sloppily. She was also left on the floor instead of the sofa, when Hanne could have put her on the sofa after changing her dress.
Yohana rushed to the door and stepped out of the powder room, finding the grand hall empty. She trudged down the stairs, feeling hopeless.
Why was she hated so much, both as Yohana and as Runa? What did she ever do wrong that she had to be treated this badly by queens?
She sat on the stairs and clasped her face with her palms.
"Runa?"
Yohana looked up and saw Henrie, who was a silhouette now, the moonlight shining on his back. "Henrie…" she muttered his name.
Henrie took her into his arms, and Yohana shed tears. The anxiety of the past mixed with the frustration of tonight overwhelmed her. In the past, she had gone through hell because of Queen Charlotte's hatred. She wondered if she would experience the same hell with Queen Emma.
Yohana fell asleep in the carriage on their way back to the palace. Henrie carried her to her room and specifically asked Thea not to wake her up until morning.
***
Zara knelt on the ground as Queen Emma hurled objects at her, ranging from soft to hard items, leaving scratches all over her skin. Despite the pain, Zara tried to hold back her emotions.
She was certain she had followed the queen's instructions correctly, so why had things gone awry? She couldn't seek clarification from the queen, nor could she defend herself in this situation.
"I did as you instructed, Your Majesty," Zara's voice quivered.
"It is true that her dress wasn't in the same condition as before. Zara must have succeeded in tearing it apart, but somehow, Lady Runa was able to restore it. Could it be that she bought another dress as a substitute?" Lady Rafaela proposed, hoping to deflect some of the blame away from Zara and shield her from Queen Emma's fury.
"We instructed you to do it at night to prevent her from having the chance to buy another dress!" Lady Odetta kicked Zara's arm in frustration.
Rubbing her arm, Zara responded, "I sneaked into her chamber during dinner, My Lady, just as you told me to."
"Nonsense! How dare you lie to me?" Lady Odetta quickly dismissed Zara's explanation as lies.
"If you had done your job properly, how was her dress still intact? Did you know she became the center of attention at the party? Henrie didn't even glance at Katja because of you!!" Queen Emma retorted angrily.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I didn't know what happened," Zara pleaded, tears streaming down her face.
Queen Emma took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and then asked Lady Rafaela, "How is Eleanor? Has anyone seen her going home? No one must see her."
"She is currently in her chamber, Your Majesty. I doubt that anyone saw her," Lady Rafaela replied.
Queen Emma clicked her tongue, unconvinced. "We can't take any risks. Investigate thoroughly and bring me those who saw Eleanor that night. For those who can't be bought with money, get rid of them immediately. Make their voices insignificant."