Lidia: 『 *Sigh*… 』
Queen Mireya: 『 Hmm?... Is something wrong, dear? 』
Lidia: 『 H-huh? No mother, it's nothing. 』
Queen Mireya: 『 Could it be that… you are already hungry? Speaking of, aren't they taking too long with the food? 』
I see that my mother is still as clueless as ever. I was tired of greeting so many guests and enduring her long presentations; it was exhausting and stressful. They all said the same thing: their full name (or rather their exaggerated stack of names and last names), their titles, recognitions, possessions, and a lot of other things that they showed off to me to seem more interesting; as if I was interested in their boring words! I just wanted to get out of there to stop seeing their faces and rest from that torment.
King Van Laar: 『 Lidia… Answer, Lidia. 』
Lidia: 『 H-huh?! …S−Sorry, Father. I did not hear you. 』
King Van Laar: 『 I said, "What do you think?' 』
Lidia: 『 Huh? 』
Generally speaking, my father asked for my opinion on the young men, those who introduced themselves to me one by one throughout the evening. He wanted to know if any of them had caught my interest, although it was obvious that none of them had. Of course, I didn't dare tell him; I stuttered, trying to give him an answer that could convince him that I wasn't sure, which was a lie.
If I'd had enough courage to tell him what I really thought, I surely would have said that they all seemed equally pretentious and boring. I didn't have the chance to do so anyway when my mother intervened saying:
Queen Mireya: 『 Certainly, dear; they almost all seem to be worthy suitors for her. But remember that you still have that agreement in place. 』
King Van Laar: 『 I am aware of it, Mireya. I just wanted to know Lidia's opinion. 』
Opinion? As far as I know, they have never considered my opinion, not even once. No matter how much I tried to speak to my parents, it seemed like I didn't exist, as if I were invisible. They have never listened to me; they don't know what I really think about these kinds of things, about how much I hate life here, that I must always endure being present at events with lots of people like that, and that I must follow their orders to show a fake smile in front of everyone.
I have always obeyed them and never complained; at least I would have expected a little of their consideration in return, a bit of their time in which we really lived together, where we spoke of more trivial things, more relaxed, that at least they would ask me, "How was your day?", "How are you feeling?", or, "What would you like to do today?"
Now it turns out that my father, such an apathetic, serious, and expressionless man, the intimidating King of Haiza himself, wants to know what I think. It was truly a very cruel and dishonest joke. Even if I told him what I thought, what I truly felt, I'm sure he wouldn't consider it. Everything would remain the same as always.
Headwaiter: 『 Ahem! …Dear guests. We are very sorry to have kept you waiting. We will begin with the long-awaited dinner in commemoration of Princess Lidia. I hope you are having an excellent night and without further ado... Let the waiters come in! 』
Thinking about it had spoiled my appetite, and seeing the waiters file into the large dining room made it worse. I wasn't in the mood to eat; I thought I wouldn't even be able to get to the side dish. As soon as my plate arrived, my mind was still somewhere else until…
Waiter: 『 Here you are. I hope you enjoy it, "Princess". 』
Lidia: 『 Hmm? … H−HUUUUUH!!? 』
I would recognize that voice anywhere. If anything could make me feel worse during that exhausting night, it was seeing him at that moment.
Shun: 『 It's creamed corn, your favorite. 』
Queen Mireya: 『 Oooh! It smells delightful! 』
Lidia: 『 *Mutter* W−What are you doing here?! 』
Shun: 『 What do you mean, Princess? I'm just a simple waiter serving you. 』
Lidia: 『 Stop joking and−! 』
King Van Laar: 『 Is something wrong, Lidia? 』
Lidia: 『 O−Oh, it's nothing, Father. Ha, ha, ha. 』
God! How he drives me crazy! Because of him, I almost lost my composure in front of my father and the guests; I even had to fake a nervous laugh to pretend nothing was wrong. But I couldn't believe that my father had overlooked it! Even he knew how stubborn Shun could be.
I didn't understand what on earth he was thinking. He certainly doesn't work in the kitchen, and I could bet he had never cut a vegetable in his life. And how did he get our table designation?! There was no way they would let him be the royal family's personal waiter! Who came up with the idea of letting him do so?!
Shun: 『 Well, if you'll excuse me... 』
Lidia: 『 H−Hey! 』
Surely, he was planning something bad; the only thing he achieves is attracting trouble. Also, what was that whole "Princess" thing? I have told him a thousand times that I hate that title. Because of him, I ended up completely losing my appetite, and to make thing worse, he had been messing with my cutlery napkin by tying it in a ridiculous flower-shaped knot (seriously, how does he do these things?).
Lidia: 『 Mmmmgh! What is this supposed to be?... Hmm? 』
As soon as I undid it, I saw that the white napkin had something written in Shun's characteristic handwriting. I was expecting it to be something else to make fun of me. Instead, I found a short message: "I'll wait for you on the right balcony." 』…
Lidia: 『 What is he planning? 』