--I've finally come to terms with my feelings.

Since I entered the palace in the summer and stood in the middle of the struggle for power in the royal palace without understanding anything, until today, I have been looking away from it.
I've been turning a blind eye to my innermost thoughts - my desire to protect what's important to me.
I pretended not to see it because I was afraid. I was afraid that if I looked directly at my wish and tried so hard to make it come true, it would shatter everything. Because the stronger you wish, the more timid you become.

Because I'm a Red Rose, because I'm a faction, because I'm a rumor, because I'm a noble, because I'm under orders--so I have no choice.
By telling myself that, I've been able to put aside my fears and anxieties and keep running. I'm not here because I want to protect you, but because I'm here to protect you, and I've come to terms with that.

--But the more people I cared about, the more difficult it became for me to keep fooling myself.

But the more people she cared about, the more difficult it became for her to keep on pretending. Hurting Shayla brought out the desire to protect that was inside of her. Because she wants to protect and cherish her, she is tormented by the reality that she cannot do so.
Now that my confusion is greater than the power I can gain by blocking out my anxiety and pretending not to see it, I can no longer continue to fool myself.

This must have been the end of the line. With her mother's help and her aunt's comfort, Deanna was finally able to accept her heart.

"Well, now things are back to normal.

Fiona, who had been fixing Diana's makeup after she had calmed down from crying, nodded in satisfaction and stood up. Fiona, who had been fixing Diana's makeup, nodded in satisfaction and stood up.

Thank you, aunt.
You're welcome. ...... Your eyes are still a little red. Sister-in-law, do we still have time?
Yes, I think so. Let's relax a little more here and then come back.

Elizabeth, who had been making tea on a seat in the shade of a tree, smilingly beckoned to me. Elizabeth, who had been making tea on a seat in the shade of a tree, beckoned to me with a smile. Don't ask me where the sheet and tea set came from.

But I hope the garden is okay.
Ed will let me know if there's a problem. You just need to get some rest.

Elizabeth's eyes, which had always been kind and smiling, were now stern.

"Diana. From now on, you should write to me not only with reports, but also with complaints and grievances. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
...... I thought I was spoiled enough at home, but...
It's not enough. In case you're wondering, asking for an investigation or protection doesn't fall into the category of being pampered.

That's my mother. As expected of a mother, she seemed to be completely aware of Deanna's thought process.
Fiona chuckled.

"Diana has always been more careless about herself than others. But it doesn't make any sense to put her in so much trouble, does it?
No. I knew this was going to happen, so I wanted to prevent Duer from entering the palace even if it meant cracking his head open.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.

"So, Diana. You're not going to leave the palace, are you?
"Yes, mother.

And now that she has sorted out her feelings, Diana has no doubts. She nodded firmly.

I have no intention of becoming a 'concubine' in the true sense of the word. I do intend to leave the palace at some point. But that is not now.
So. I won't say anything more at ....... But if you need anything, just let me know.
Thank you very much.

No matter what, no matter what happens, your family will always be there for you. How reassuring that is.
Fiona, who was listening to the brief conversation between mother and daughter, smiled and said.

As long as Diana is the Red Rose, I'll be socializing more often. The more information you can pick up, the better.
I'd really appreciate it, honestly. ...... Is everything okay at home?

Deanna brought up a topic that she could not bring up in public.

I'm sorry to have called you here today. I'm sorry to have called you here today, but we have the restaurant to take care of, and Duran and Paul are here.
The store can run without me. They're not babies who can't do anything, they can do anything.

And what's more, Jin is here," Fiona smiled.

Don't worry about me. You don't have to worry about me. It's in our best interest to help Clester socialize.
"...... benefits?
You can study the latest fashions, visit rival stores, do 'production' inspections of products, all in the open.　It's all very beneficial.
"No one would think that the proprietress of Nolan's Clothing Company would be a 'bachelorette witch' in aristocratic society.

I'm not sure what to make of this. The main store is located in the capital and has branches all over the kingdom.
Before Deanna was born, Fiona fell in love with the heir to the business and secretly married him without telling the noble society. Her husband is now the third lord of the merchant house, a young and talented man of high reputation.
In addition to running the store and raising her children as the wife of the lord, Fiona, with the encouragement of her husband, has been using her maiden name and appearing in social circles.

When I hid the fact that I was married, I only thought it was because I didn't want to cause any trouble. But it turned out to be more convenient than I thought.


In the first place, there's no such thing as a count's daughter marrying a commoner. I doubt if it was even allowed.
In a world where commoners can become aristocrats, it would be nice if the opposite were also true.

I'm not sure if it's allowed or not. She is not a noblewoman in the same sense as Deanna. Perhaps it was for the best that she went down to the town.

There are a lot of people who think the world is wrong, and that's why there are conservatives, right?
You can't just dismiss it out of hand, can you? It's hard to dismiss that argument in general when you see examples like the current Baron Callerd. ......
That man is also a particular exception. It's a bit tricky because he's legally and officially Shayla's guardian.

Diana chuckled at the bleak conversation between the two beautiful ladies.

"Such a person. I'm sure there's plenty of dust that will come out if you hit him, but we have to avoid letting it get to Shayla-sama.
"Yes. She's a small person and Shayla is in the palace now, so there's no need to rush. There are more pressing matters to attend to.
"Serra Maris, is it?　What's she doing today?
She's working the back.

Or, more accurately, I'm letting her do the back.

It's the only way to get her off my back.
I'm not waiting any longer. The only bet was to find a replacement. ...... How can I ever thank you, aunt?
"There is no one in society today who has both the capacity and the freedom to take on the position of matron of honor. You've come to the right place.

A woman who is not related to the concubine, far away from factional conflicts, has worked in the imperial court, is married, and has a certain status.
It was Fiona who successfully found and seduced a successor to the chief consort, who seemed like a fool to look for.

She's one of our best customers. I can vouch for her character.
"Yes. With your aunt's approval, I'm sure she'll come.
The only question is whether the outer court will act properly...

It's the Outer Palace's job to expose and remove the evil of Serra Malice.

I'll have the outer court send it to you via Al-sama, so it won't be crushed in the process.
I'm not worried about that. I'm just worried that His Majesty will find out.
Master Al says he's a very serious man when it comes to politics.

I'd like to think he'll be okay, but that's Diana's honest opinion.

I hope so," she said, "but it's going to be very noisy with all the shifts before Les Armeniastes. I don't know if I can handle it.
"It won't be hard to get him removed, though, if a high-ranking official connected to Serra Malice doesn't get in the way.
If they do, it'll give us a foothold to get to the bottom of their misdeeds.

The two adults shook their heads in agreement.

The two adults shook their heads. You didn't get any concrete evidence of people connected to Master Maris, did you?
"The Darkness has been all over it, but nothing like that. However, I only searched the office of the headmistress at most. A formal search of her mansions and annexes might turn up something else.
I doubt it. I doubt it. It's more likely that they've been using Master Maris from the beginning with the intention of cutting her loose. I don't think they're going to come in here and get evidence.
"But if the headmistress is caught and testifies, she'll endanger herself. Don't you think she'd be in a hurry to reveal something?
I doubt she'll testify. She's the type of person who'd take any deal that would get her off the hook for keeping her mouth shut about us.

Diana fell silent.

Can't we just wipe them out? ....... It's a pain in the ass.
Yeah. Well, you'll get another chance.
For now, we have to deal with Serra Malice.

We can't let her be the Handmaiden any longer. Not only for the sake of the court, but for the whole court.

You three, it's about time.

When the conversation was over, Edward peeked out. Apparently, the show was coming to an end. The garden party is almost over.

I'll have to reveal the final trick.
How did you come up with that?

"How did you come up with that?" Diana laughed at Fiona's question, who seemed to have noticed the trick.

It's not my idea. It was Master Shayla's idea.

Trees and plants surrounded the courtyard. The trees and plants surrounding the courtyard had been pre-decorated with colorful silver paper. They were not just decorations, but...







"I have a small gift for all of you who are here today. Please take home some of the beautiful, sweet sweets from the trees in the garden.

Shayla, whom I met by chance before the garden party, said that this would brighten up the trees without flowers, make the garden party more memorable, and make cleaning up the decorations easier. Inside the silver paper were the sweets that had been served at the garden party today, wrapped up little by little.

As she watched the people reaching for the plants with a childlike gleam in their eyes, Deanna felt a sense of relief that all was well that ends well.