Chapter 221 - The Life I Want

Looking at the entrance to the terrace, Beatrice sulked. There was no one she knew in the banquet hall now that Jubelian was gone. Of course, many nobles greeted her.

"Your Highness, I am Viscount Shaer's…"

"I greet the Royal Ladyship of this empire. My name is…"

However, they all left after saying only a few words—most likely because Beatrice reacted coldly to their greetings. After all, she only saw those people as snobs; she was exhausted by those who approached her with ulterior motives. Regrets overcame her when she realized she shouldn't have expected anything from the banquet.

The princess' eyes were still on the doors leading to the terrace. She knew that Jubelian was probably with Maximillian. Nevertheless, Beatrice could not believe that her only friend had left her to be alone. Just now, she had thought becoming family with Jubelian was a great idea, but Beatrice realized this could not come true if her parents arranged a marriage for her. She would have no choice but to obey them.

Beatrice began feeling a little melancholy. However, she soon felt someone's gaze on her and turned around. Scowling, she recalled, 'Did he say his name was Mikhail, heir of Marquis Hessen?' She was unsettled as the man had been following her around for a while. She couldn't understand why he was so persistent in trailing her. She had already moved around plenty of times, yet he was relentless.

'Just why?' Frustrated, Beatrice wondered if she should address the bothersome issue. That was when she saw him approach.

"Your Highness, is everything okay?" The man looked innocent at first glance—even kind as he was asking for her wellbeing. Nevertheless, there was something in his eyes that made Beatrice feel unpleasant. Not wanting to answer him, she turned her back to the man. Just then, several women surrounded her.

'Huh?'

Beatrice wanted to scold them for what they'd done. However, she stopped herself before she could speak as she recognized their faces. 'They're the ones who were with Jubelian some moments ago…'

The ladies began chatting with bright expressions.

"Your Highness! You were here!"

"We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Have you forgotten that you decided to play a card game with us in the drawing room?"

Beatrice stood frozen in place, confused by the girls' sudden meddling. One of them who was red-haired locked her arm to Beatrice's and whispered, "Please pardon our rudeness.

This was a request from Lady Floyen." Beatrice's heart began pounding at the mention of Jubelian.

"A request, you say?"

The girl nodded in response to the question. "She asked us to protect you from any strange people that might approach Your Ladyship."

A strange expression characterized the princess' face. 'She asked her friends to protect me?'

It was ridiculous how just knowing that Jubelian cared about her made her feel better. Beatrice turned her head slightly to look at Mikhail and realized he was no longer staring at her. For some reason, he looked as if he had achieved a grand purpose. The man was a strange one. Spooked, Beatrice followed the group to the drawing room. Once the ladies were in privacy, the red-haired girl—Rose—let off her arm and bowed in embarrassment.

"Please forgive us, Your Highness."

Seeing the noblewomen bowing, Beatrice smirked. 'Of course.' Even Jubelian's friends were those who sought her favor in the end. Nevertheless, Beatrice couldn't dare to ignore them.

"Don't worry about it," she replied sternly.

She was confident that she would now be left to go, but Rose smiled and asked shyly, "If there isn't anything you need to attend to, would you like to actually play a card game with us?"

Beatrice frowned slightly in response to the reckless attitude. She wondered what one had to do to possess such naivety. Perhaps it was because she was one of Jubelian's friends.

Oddly enough, Beatrice was not displeased by the interaction. She was reminded of the time when she had first met Jubelian.

"Um, you can keep that handkerchief," she had said, handing over a piece of cloth.

'She made friends who are just like her.' Beatrice didn't understand why, but she decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to hang out here for a while. "All right then, I will give it a try—" Before she could finish speaking, Rose ushered her into the room, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Great! We will do our best to make your coronation ceremony memorable!"

"Agreed! You will enjoy it, Your Highness!"

Beatrice was completely taken aback by their zeal for a moment. However, she felt her insides grow warm. Smiling, she realized, 'She sent girls just like her.'

****

Hope you enjoyed it,

Love,

Biji ^^,

Jan.5.2024