# 24
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'I didn't expect it to look like this.'
I was confused for a moment but quickly calmed myf down and greeted her with proper decorum.
Although I had only read about etiquette in novels, it came naturally to me, as if it was ingrained in my body.
“I salute the Second Noble Sun of the Empire, Princess Luisa Evgenia is Levant.”
“Ah, certainly. That's enough greetings, Grand Duchess.”
Still smiling amusedly, the princess waved her hand dismissively.
The nobles who had been watching the tense exchange between Isabella and I with great interest quickly turned away when they saw that their new conversation partner was the princess.
'Of course, it was a moving time bomb.'
The reason why the 14-year-old princess, who was always picking fights and causing trouble for Diana, did not officially receive the title of “villain” was simple.
She treated anyone who bothered her with equal amounts of contempt and hurt.
Her victims ranged from elderly dukes to noble ladies, young lords, and even servants.
'Diana was just one of them...'
In short, she was equally problematic.
As proof of this, the crowd that had been gathering around her like moths around a flame scattered like a tide as soon as the princess opened her mouth.
At the same time, Princess Louisa, who had finally stopped laughing, approached me with a smile.
Her violet eyes sparkled with interest as she looked at me.
“It's been a long time, Grand Duchess. The last time we met was at the Empress's birthday celebration, wasn't it?” "
"Yes, this is correct. How are you, Your Highness?
“Well, as always, boring. At least until the Grand Duchess decided to just drop a bomb.”
The princess burst out laughing again.
'What a loud laugh.'
Unlike Isabella, I felt a hidden tension rising.
That was normal. The princess was an interesting person, unlike these unimportant people.
'After all, she is the reason I came here today.'
After a while, the princess finally stopped laughing.
“I came because of the hype, but I didn't expect to meet the Grand Duchess here. What brings you today?”
“Is there anything unusual about attending a social event?”
“Normally not, but for you it's unusual. You never show your face at anything outside of official Imperial events. “People even joke that your face is more valuable than the face of a member of the royal family.”
She waved her hand dismissively. It was the same comment Isabella had made earlier, but the princess had no intention of mocking me.
'She has a great talent to be able to say things like this without any malice.'
I shrugged and replied lightly.
“I can't stay hidden in the Grand Duchy forever. “I thought it would be a good idea to attend social gatherings as part of my duty as Grand Duchess.”
“Ah~ Is that true?”
The princess whispered deeply, a sly smile playing on her lips.
“You look different today, Grand Duchess.”
Her playful tone made me pause for a moment.
'...Isn't she a bit too sharp for her own good?'
I felt that way when reading the original novel, but the princess was definitely someone you couldn't let your guard down with.
She would often appear out of nowhere and stab Diana with sharp, uncomfortable truths like these.
She quickly put a friendly smile on my face and shook my head.
"Different? This can't be right."
“It's just a metaphor. After all, there's no one else like the Grand Duchess, right?”
The princess laughed cheerfully and waved her hands.
She was as carefree as ever.
“Someone like me...?”
“You are the most boring and stressed person in the entire empire. Well, I guess I should correct myf – the Grand Duke is just as bad. I would say you two share the title of most stressed.”
The princess laughed and nodded jokingly.
It was hard to tell whether she was insulting me or praising me.
“But I must say, I like you. I never thought that the Grand Duchess could publicly humiliate someone like that!”
Her tone suggested that she found the whole situation amusing.
I felt like my actions made a positive impression on this little troublemaker.
'...Not a bad start.'
The princess, though annoying, was also simple in some ways.
She would cause all kinds of mischief to those she didn't like, but if something interested or amused her, she could be incredibly forgiving.
Had I, inadvertently, just succeeded in getting her attention?
When I realized that, I felt a bit more comfortable.
I smiled at her warmly.
“I did not intend to humiliate anyone, but I am glad it made you happy, Your Highness.”
“Oh, please.”
Princess Louisa rolled her eyes at me and shrugged lightly, as if the idea was ridiculous.
'At times like this, it's not like she's only fourteen.'
Of course, with such a strong personality, it made sense that she would constantly find fault with Diana and interfere in her life.
"Anyway, I had a different impression of you today. I thought you were a boring person, but you're not quite that, are you?"
She elbowed me gently.
"That was refreshing! I like you, Grand Duchess."
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
As far as I know, the family of Isabella, Marquis Howard, maintained a fairly close relationship with the royal family.
That's why, despite being only the Marquis's daughter, she had the courage to raise her head high and pick a fight with me, the Grand Duchess.
But when I saw the princess finding it so amusing, as if none of this mattered to her, I could clearly sense her reckless nature.
'This works for me'
Whatever the reason, it was fortunate that the princess took care of me.
If she could get on her good side, it would at least reduce half the obstacles that could be thrown in Diana's way.
I wasn't going to miss this opportunity.
I threw a gentle smile at the princess.
There was a topic that allowed me to continue the conversation normally with her.
“By the way, Your Highness, you look dazzlingly beautiful today as well. Did you personally instruct the tailor to design this dress?”
“Hmm? Grand Duchess, you have a sharp eye, don’t you?”
As she expected, the princess's eyes lit up with excitement, and she lifted the hem of her dress.
The dress was made of thin layers of fabric, with the top layer starting out white and gradually darkening to dark blue as it reached the bottom.
“I recently brought a new tailor to D.C. Doesn't this skirt remind you of anything?”
The princess spun around and asked the question, her eyes narrowing as if gauging my reaction.
Following the flutter of her skirt as she twirled, I clapped my hands together.
"It's really beautiful. It looks just like ocean waves."
"What? How did you guess?"
Her violet eyes sparkled as if they were full of stars.
'How could I not know?' It bothered Diana so much just because she couldn't guess it right.'
In the original story, the Princess, who was the first to recognize Lady Zedd's talent, had a deep passion for fashion above all else.
The dress she was wearing now had been one of her favorite dresses before she met Lady Zed, and she had been pestering the royal tailor relentlessly to create a dress inspired by ocean waves.
In the original story, the princess attacked anyone who failed to recognize the inspiration behind the dress.
Poor, wretched and pitiful Diana was one of the victims of this wrath.
'Just thinking about it still makes my fists clench…'
She suppressed the rising anger, and smiled softly at the princess.
"Yes, the way the dress flows is really like rolling waves. It reminds me of the ocean I saw from the cliffs in the southern region."
"Oh my God, the Grand Duchess! How did you know? This dress was inspired by my trip to the slopes at Etienne's southern estate!"
The princess's eyes widened in surprise, as if she might pop out at any moment.