ENCHANTED | Ergi .C

Chapter Twenty-Four | Deceitful Men

I was having casual teatime on the same afternoon with Navier and our close ladies-in-waiting, Countess Eliza, Laura, Seanna and Melanie in my room when Circe, who had become also close with Navier yesterday, arrived at the table with a bottle of wine.

"This is a speciality of our Southern Kingdom. Consider it my apology for being late."

It was not really a custom of Easterners to drink alcohol during teatime but I'm aware that Southerners preferred wine over tea. Besides, everyone present is those whom we could be relax with a bit so I looked toward her and titled my head playfully.

"I will if it's from that one winery we visited back then."

"It is. The exact one you almost drowned yourself with at that."

Circe said with a grin, a gesture that I gladly returned while waving a hand toward one of the servants nearby to open the bottle as soon as she seated herself and placed the wine bottle on the table before dismissing all the servants.

"Say, Circe. Was your brother still lacking a Crown Princess?"

Probably due to the familiar unique taste of wine from Southern Kingdom that I once enjoyed with a friend, I asked Circe out of no where once the wine that was pour into my glass flow through my esophagus.

It wouldn't be half bad to get married with a foreign noble to avoid all the conflicts with Sovieshu for once and all. But who's I trying to fool anyway. I don't want to completely leave the land that I grow up in truth.

Circe frowned at my question before answering.

"You even refused to attend his wedding three months ago and you're asking me this?"

"Ah.. right. The last letter from him said he'd finally succeed pursuing Lady Syeol. I forgot."

As my crestfallen expression, all the ladies gave each other confusing looks before the one siting closest to me on left, Seanna, cautiously initiated.

"Your Highness, does something troubling you?"

At such careful coaxing tone, I couldn't stop spilling out my bitterness grudgingly.

"Aside from the fact that Emperor arranged a marriage for me out of blue? Nothing else, I guess."

"!!"

Everyone in the table, including Navier and Circe, gasped out at my blunt revealing. The first one to regain their composure was expectantly Navier. The Empress calmly turned toward me with questioning look.

"Is that perhaps with Wilbraham family?"

"Yes. Did you aware it beforehand?"

Navier shook her head gently after a sigh.

"Not really. He just mentioned it to me once in passing and I thought it's just saying out of whim."

"Apparently, it is not. He already sent engagement letter to Duke Wilbraham and the Duke agreed."

Seanna clicked her tongue quite unladylikely beside me at my word.

"Emperor really is getting bolder recently. He didn't even consulted with you first before doing something that important."

"Right! He is acting as though our princess is a powerless princess leeching on him when you're an Archmage!"

Melanie chimed in with a matter of fact tone while others nodded in silent agreement with her. Countess Eliza, the oldest one in the room also added.

"Well, at the very least, I believe he did try chosing a good candidate for princess. Sir. Giovanni is the strongest swordman of the generation after all."