Yesterday was a fruitful day for Diana and the Red Roses as they recaptured Shayla, controlled the Peony Faction, talked with the chambermaids, and secured a double secret.

"Did you hear that?　Last night, His Majesty went to ......!
"Yes, I heard he went to the Peony Room ..... I don't understand.
Could it be that she's up to no good?
Well, she is protected by the Red Rose, and yet she has the audacity to side with the Peony?

The rumors flying around the palace were collected in the Red Rose Room by excellent maidservants and their secret collaborators. The topic of conversation at the moment is...

You can find a lot of people who are looking for the best way to get the most out of their life.
...... That's absurd.

I'm not sure what to make of it. The other maids, including Lily, are currently busy with their normal duties and gathering information. The maids of the Red Rose Room are all very capable, but it is indeed quite difficult for them to perform these two tasks at the same time.

Deanna suppressed a slight ache in her head with her fingers. If we combine the information that Yuri brought with him and the information that Raia and the others secretly sent, we can get a general idea of what's going on.

"It's true that you went to the Peony Room last night. Whether she stayed until dawn or not, it's true.
If it weren't true, the Peony people wouldn't have made such a fuss.
On the other hand, if there were facts, they could be exaggerated to any extent they wanted.
That's right. And this is what Rhea just delivered to me.

As an urgent channel of communication with the Neutrals, letters are exchanged through Lurie's fellow maidservants. It's not usually used because it's easy to leave evidence behind, and it's just for emergencies.
The maids of honor assigned to the Red Rose Room are kept at a distance because of their loneliness and do not like to get along with others. Among them, the one with the most connections and the best social skills seems to be Lurie. In her case, the fact that she has dark hair makes it even easier for others to avoid her, but Rulie herself is curious and easily expresses her thoughts, and she also has a good-natured nature that can't leave people in trouble alone. She told me once.

The paper that Diana is holding now was delivered to her and then to Diana from the hand of one of her "trusted friends". I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

I'm not sure what to do.
I'm not sure what to do.　What news?
"What news?
You'll have to read it. Then I'll burn it.

What was written there made me wonder if I should be happy or angry.

"His Majesty will be visiting the Water Lilies this evening.
It seems that the purpose of this visit is to weaken Shayla-sama's reputation and to see how she is doing with her namesake.

If it's just the Peony, but if he's going to the Waterlilies as well, then the King is certainly aiming to check on the Named. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

As the paper burns in the candle flame, Deanna reaches for her teacup. She couldn't find anything to say, because neither could Deanna.
After a moment, Rita, holding her head, began to speak loosely.

"Yeah, no, I mean, how do you say, uh, you know, ......
I know what you mean, Rita. I know what you mean, Rita. But whatever the reason, we should be happy that His Majesty is now paying attention to the palace.
The timing is terrible, though.

I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm not sure what to say.

I'm sure you're right.　I'm sure you're right.　I don't know what's going on with you and your timing. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on. Deanna-sama had protected Shayla-sama and checked the movements of the Peony Faction. You've ruined it all!
"Don't worry, Rita. Your Majesty probably isn't even thinking about it.
I agree. But I'm curious to know what you think. It is true that he often acts as he pleases, but when he does something that is not in accordance with his heart, he must have some intentions of his own.

Yuri's thoughtful opinion. But when you do something that is not in line with your heart, you must have your own agenda.

"Well... If we know what His Majesty is thinking, we can roughly predict what he will do next. That way, we can put together a plan to deal with it.
"Your thoughts on ......?
I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what exactly made His Majesty decide to look into the palace.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a little nervous about this.
"Outside the palace?
Yes. The people around His Majesty at .......

The only person I can think of who is around the king who can help us is Alford. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of people who are willing to help you.

It's a good idea to take a look at the actual information on the web, as well as to make sure that you're getting the most out of it.
I'm sure you're aware of that, Yuri. I'm sorry, but please keep this between us.
Yes, sir. It's not in our best interest to delay critical information at this time. If you can get an instant connection to the palace through a back channel, so much the better.
Thank you. --But we don't need to be in such a hurry this time, do we?



Deanna turned a soft smile to Rita.

I'll send a letter to your father and ask him what happened. We'll have more information from Rhea in the morning. You don't have to force yourself to violate the ban, we'll soon find out what you think.
But I thought you were in a hurry.
I'm in a hurry, but I'm not in a hurry. Wouldn't it be more troublesome if the other side inadvertently caught wind of something that could be revealed sooner or later if we waited too long?

Rita was relieved. Rita nodded, relieved.

What's more urgent is how to calm down this rough palace.
Yes. The Peony Faction will use this one visit by the King as a weapon to their advantage. The Peony Faction will use this one visit by His Majesty as a weapon, and there's a risk that they will resume their harassment of the new noble families.
I'm sure there will be those who will underestimate Shayla-sama, who was taken away by the Peony Faction and was not heeded, as being 'not strong enough to keep His Majesty attracted to the Red Rose Faction', and there will be many who will suspect that she has turned to the Peony Faction as rumored.
"......, are His Majesty's feelings really with Master Shayla even now?

Rita interrupted with a somewhat angry look in her eyes. Her eyes spoke eloquently of her inability to forgive.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of people who'll be able to help you out.
"Indeed. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea. It's a rare 'right' decision for His Majesty not to go to Shayla, though.

The Red Rose Faction always has one person lurking in the attic guarding Shayla, so we already know her main movements. I'm not a fan of peeking into people's private lives, so I'll just be watching from a distance.

And it's not all a mistake that she went to the Peony Room. If it was an unofficial visit, in the light of day, for a short time, it could be taken as a check on Master Peony's disregard for her favored princess. Even if it's actually just to check on her. If that had been the case, it would have been a great help in stabilizing the palace and consolidating Shayla-sama's position.
It didn't ...... work, did it?
It had the opposite effect.
It's a shame, because it's been a real disaster.

Yes, the King's visit to the Peony Room, in public, at night, and for quite a long time, resulted in a rough time rather than stability. Normally, I should complain about who is going to take care of this.

The first thing I should do is to calm down the 'Red Rose Faction'. I think I'll just go and show off my 'Countess of Clester' dignity at the very least, as there's no need to make such a big deal out of His Majesty's one and only visit.
"If Deanna-sama is calm, her opposition to Shayla-sama won't be as strong.
It's important to act like a superior. I knew that, but now that I'm in the palace I realize it.

Diana does not even try to hide her disgusted air. Because such things are truly troublesome, the people of the Crester family have stayed away from the center for generations. This is not the case with the head of the family, but he still tries his best to keep his appearance to a minimum.

Do you have a gathering of the Red Roses at ......?
Yes. Maybe at tea time today.
I'll see what I can do.
Oh, Mr. Yuri, I'll go.

Yuri tried to move, but Rita interrupted him. She didn't wait for Yuri's reply and walked quickly out of the room.

Yuri's expression did not move, but his eyes darkened with concern. He turns around and asks Diana.

"Rita, is something wrong?
"I'm sure there is. She's been acting strange since yesterday.

Rita has always been the type to show her emotions. But at the same time, she hates to bother her master, Deanna, with her personal feelings. She only shows her emotions when it comes to Diana, which in a way is the right attitude for a maidservant, but that's why.

"I can't believe Rita can't put on her 'maid of honor' face. I don't mind it at all, but ...... you know it's going to hurt her.
...... Do you have any idea what's going on?
Yes, although Rita doesn't know that I know.

There was one time in the past when Rita couldn't keep her maid of honor face. The only thing Deanna could do at that time was to find out the cause of the problem, secretly nail the person, and continue to pretend that she didn't know anything so that Rita wouldn't be hurt any more.

To be honest, at first I wasn't sure if I wanted to take Rita with me.
"...... Really?
It's a royal palace. Even though I usually live in the palace, .......

I'm not sure what to do. If you are unsure whether to take a maid of honor with you, please take me.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. ...... was a mistake.
But I think she's ready for it. Why don't you wait and see?
Yeah. And I'm going to nail her again.

We have a lot to worry about, both internally and externally. Seeing Deanna's expression, Yuri smiled slightly.

I'll go help Rita with that.
Thank you. Thank you, please.

Yuri nodded his head and left the room. In the empty room, Diana muttered to herself.

I wonder what it's like to fall in love with someone.



Whether it's Shayla or Rita. Whether it's Shayla or Rita, they all have feelings for someone, are shaken with anxiety, and sometimes spend sleepless nights. She can't control herself well, and she gets upset and depressed by every word and action of the other person.
Deanna doesn't know about these complicated emotions. If she knew, she wouldn't be so confused about what to say to Shayla.

I'm sure that Rita is more qualified to talk to Shayla now than I am.

She pulled out an inconspicuous dress, changed into it, and put on a brown wig, so that there were few things that would identify her as Deanna. Deanna's heart ached as she put on her usual attire for talking to Shayla.

The king was 'right' not to go see Shayla. --If he was only thinking about maintaining order in the palace.

But if he cared about Shayla's heart... She had finally made up her mind to face the king, Juke, and this treatment was too much. It's understandable that Rita is angry, and in fact Diana is angry too. It would have been different if the king had at least given some kind of follow-up, but there was no sign of that in the story of Darkness. Shayla, devastated, is now in a secret place with Dee, and is said to be depressed.

I have to go see her. I know that.
But Deanna can't really understand Shayla's pain. She can't be angry with the king the way Rita is angry with her, and her calm head even thinks that the king's decision to leave Shayla alone was the 'right' one. She wondered if talking to Shayla would be a way to save her heart.

When she thinks about it, Diana's heart hurts. She can't understand the pain.

"...... But Shayla is still waiting for you.

I'm sure. She's waiting for Dee to come.

I'm sure she's waiting for Dee to come." She quickly put away the tea set and left a note saying she was going out for a while.
In fact, it's a little-known doorway for maidservants, and Deanna heads for the promised place with Shayla.