Chapter 101. Debut, Part XIII

Oswald, lying on the back of the sturdy servant opened one eye quietly at Julietta's question.

"You noticed it?"

"I'm not a fool."

"Oh, I see. I had something to say to you, but I was being careful because there were a lot of eyes watching at the banquet hall. If something goes wrong and I am rumored to be suspicious in my relationship with the princess, I'll be in trouble."

"Don't you think this is going to be a rumor?"

"It will be known that the overworked Oswald collapsed and was taken care of by the kind princess."

She wanted to say, 'That, or it could be a scandal for me who is making her debut for the first time,' but Julietta pressed down and asked again, "Tell me your purpose."

"Prince Killian wants to see the princess."

"Me? For what?" Julietta retorted, her anxiety coming back.

"I don't know why he is calling you. However, I was asked to bring you to the resting room by any conceivable means."

​ Julietta gave up the idea of rebelling against Oswald's words. 'As soon as you are given the order, you have to act quickly.' Wasn't that the arrogant Prince's personality? She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the old memories she had forgotten.

"I'll be back in half an hour. Please let go of my dress. I don't want to hear the rumors spreading, so I hope I can visit him as quietly as possible. I'll go back to the party and come out on time. I'll be waiting outside the south gate of the banquet hall, so please send someone to take me to the parlor to meet His Highness."

Oswald's hand fell naturally from the dress, as if he understood. Julietta stopped walking and looked back at Christine and the ladies following her."Fortunately, His Excellency has come to his senses. He said he wanted to rest quietly, so we'd better go back to the banquet hall."

"Are you sure he is okay?"

"Yes, he has come to his senses and even said sorry. He is embarrassed that he has shown weakness, so why don't we just go back and pretend we don't know anything?"

At the end of the remark, Julietta turned to the banquet hall. As she moved gracefully, Christine and the ladies followed her. Before they knew it, Julietta was leading everyone, but no one noticed.

The ladies who returned to the banquet hall were busy talking about Oswald for a while. Julietta began to look for Simone, who was making an appropriate response to their story.

She saw Simone talking to wives after she left Julietta to the Marquis, but couldn't find Simone in the banquet hall after that. She seemed to be in a tea hall or game hall where middle-aged wives often gathered.

Julietta thought it would be better to hurry back before Simone noticed, rather than search for her and report, and thought carefully, as Oswald had done before.

"Oh, the princess. Do you have a headache?"

The lady of Count Patrick who kept poking at Julietta's dress while chatting was in a flurry. Julietta smiled faintly at her.

"I must have been very surprised at what happened earlier. I have a little headache. Excuse me, can I take a break for a while?"

"Yes, we forgot that you are weak. Please take a break. We still have to save up our stamina at the beginning of the party. Would you like me to come with you?"

Julietta smiled affectionately at Lady Patrick who seemed to want to go, her eyes glistening.

"That's very kind of you. But I can't take away your precious time. I'll go alone since I think I'll feel better after taking a break. Please make sure that I can repay you for your kindness next time."

At the words, Lady Patrick's cheeks flamed with joy. "I'm so honored to hear that. Now, don't worry about this place and go take a rest."

Christine frowned at Julietta's grip on the ladies, contrary to her thoughts. Against her expectations, she thought this cousin was quite formidable, but now it was her priority to get closer to the princess. With such thoughts, she started to follow the princess, but Lady Patrick prevented her.

"I think she wants to rest alone. Even if you are a cousin, if you met for the first time today, it would be uncomfortable. I think we'd better not interrupt."

As she changed her face completely, as if she had never begged her for an introduction to Princess Kiellini, Christine replied to Lady Patrick, "That's right. She must have been uncomfortable for a cousin she met for the first time, but she must have been more uncomfortable with a lady who has nothing to do with blood. I think that's why my cousin stayed away."

Their quarrels were as common as the champagne at the party, as they would always fight over Prince Killian. This time, however, the aspects were slightly different. The aristocrats at the party witnessed the bizarre sight of the two ladies fighting over Princess Kiellini, not over Prince Killian.

Not knowing that the meddlesome Lady Patrick was helping her unintentionally, Julietta walked out of the south gate of the banquet hall and waited for someone to guide her.

After a while, a servant in a royal uniform came near. "Are you Princess Kiellini? You can follow me."

Julietta clasped her trembling hands and entered the parlor, guided by the servant. She believed the Prince would not recognize her, but she was wondered if she could remain calm before his fierce eyes.

"Iris Regina Josephine Kiellini says hello to Prince Killian Michael Hedford Bertino Austern, the fifth son of Emperor Claudio and ruler of the Principality of Bertino," Julietta bowed politely, as she had learned hard and memorized.

She leaned forty-five degrees and held her skirt wide, and put one foot back, a very difficult position to maintain for a long time. So, there should be an answer to get up right away, but there was no response from the other side.

Maybe he recognized her, and she waited for the Prince's reply with her eyes wide, but she couldn't stand it any longer when she didn't hear anything after five or ten minutes.

As soon as she slightly raised her eyes, with her body and head fixed, she met cold silver eyes staring at her, as if he had been waiting. A moment later, a sneer was heard as Julietta looked down again in surprise, as if she had never made eye contact.

"Princess Kiellini is impatient. Is it so hard to wait until I order you to get up?" Killian deliberately set the bait and waited for the princess's reaction.

Oswald said proudly that he had talked to the princess, calling her a pretty clever and calm person. He also said that she was not like a lady who made her debut for the first time, and Killian's expectations were raised. It occurred to him to test whether Oswald's judgment was right.

Not long ago, after discovering Julietta, he was impatient. He wanted to deal with everything quickly and get Julietta safely inside the Imperial Castle.

Killian pretended to be relaxed and watched her as the princess's forehead frowned slightly, her head down, at his scolding.

Julietta felt that the Prince's peculiar psychic spirit was in action. She didn't know why, but the Prince now seemed to want to gain the upper hand in the first meeting with her.

The moment she stood up without bearing, she was going to lose the upper hand. Then she remembered the two men in the room and smiled. Didn't Oswald teach her a very good way?

Julietta suddenly stumbled, groaned weakly, and fell down. The sight of the princess tumbling down to the floor was picturesquely beautiful, as if a flower were falling. Down gracefully on the floor, Julietta closed her eyes tightly after she confirmed the two men were running to her, except Killian.

"Princess, Princess Kiellini. Ah, I think she's passed out."

"You should do it in moderation. Did you forget that she was recuperating a while ago?"

When it was revealed that the princess had collapsed in the Prince's parlor, the scandal would engulf the nation. Spencer and Oswald couldn't even call for the doctor of the Imperial Castle, and they just walked back and forth without touching the fallen princess.

Looking at it without many reactions, Killian ordered the fallen princess. "Stop and come sit down. I don't think wasting any more time would be good for one another."

At the fierce command of Killian, who did not miss the princess's moving eyes as she fell, Julietta sat up.