Chapter 19
#4. And Behind the Scenes
The carriage rattled along the city’s rough, uneven streets, swaying from side to side as always.
Every so often, one of its huge wheels would catch on a jutting stone, making the carriage lurch violently.
With its splendid exterior and refined interior, the carriage brought to mind a luxurious foreign sedan with a three-pointed star emblem.
But the ride was no better than an old farm tractor’s—if anything, it was worse.
The platinum-blonde young lady, however, seemed to have grown rather accustomed to the bumpy ride by now.
Eleonore rested her right arm on the carriage window and propped her chin on her hand, looking bored.
Her sky-blue eyes gazed unfocused out the window at everyday life in this fantasy world.
Buildings stood packed tightly together along the broad main road, so close that they blocked even the sunlight.
Every one of them was built of brown brick, and for some reason they were all narrow and tall.
Only their sharply pointed roofs, painted in a variety of colors, gave each building any character.
In front of them, boys with all sorts of hair colors ran about, shouting at the top of their lungs.
The children weren’t playing the ball games or hide-and-seek she often saw in her old world. Each held a wooden sword, pointing its blunt blade at the others.
In some of the alleys they passed, even girls in skirts joined in the lively battles.
At first, each of these sights had seemed wonderfully novel to her.
She would marvel at the strange, unfamiliar vegetables in the arms of a man carrying boxes.
She’d been such an innocent young lady that even a bard singing in front of a fountain or knights with swords swaying beneath their handsome uniforms would leave her gaping.
When she heard that the streetlamps and the enormous trains constantly passing through the capital’s station ran on magic stones instead of steam, Eleonore had clung to her older brother with sparkling eyes, asking again and again if she could learn magic, too.
But even these unusual sights had become a boring part of everyday life.
Even outings that once excited her had become a tedious chore.
Though she’d grown used to it, the carriage was still uncomfortable, and Eleonore could think only of how soon she could get out.
“Sophie, how much longer will it take?”
At her lady’s bored voice, Sophie stopped her busy hands.
She set down the white handkerchief she’d been embroidering with House Béarn’s golden lion, then turned her freckled, lovely face to peer out the window.
“We’re almost there. See that hill, my lady? Once we pass it, I think we’ll be able to see the imperial palace.”
Sophie pointed at something beyond the window.
And she’d been the one to ask.
As if even turning her head were too much trouble, Eleonore glanced toward the spot Sophie indicated with only her sky-blue eyes, then let out a small yawn.
“And to think our young lady is going to have tea with the princess!”
Unlike Eleonore, Sophie’s eyes were sparkling.
As if she herself had been invited, Sophie gazed at her lady with eyes brimming with anticipation.
“You can say that again.”
Despite Sophie’s eager gaze, her lady replied in a voice utterly devoid of interest.
“My lady, have you actually met Her Highness in person?”
“Yes. At my debut.”
“Then… is Her Highness really as beautiful as the rumors say?”
Curiosity shone in Sophie’s voice.
Eleonore turned her gaze from the window and stared blankly at the freckled face before her.
“Oh, you know… like the rumors going around the streets. That her golden eyes shine against her translucent skin, or that a halo streams down behind her with every step she takes.”
What was that…?
Don’t look at me like that, Sophie. You’re kind of scaring me.
The florid description reminded Eleonore of some dictator or other, and she chuckled before answering Sophie.
“You’ll see for yourself in a little while. You’re the only one coming with me today, Sophie.”
“Oh, my lady! How could someone as lowly as I look Her Highness in the eye?”
As a modern person, Seo Juha found that point utterly incomprehensible.
Still, the couple of months she’d spent living as Eleonore had been more than enough to get her used to lifting her stiffly bowed head.
At Sophie’s words, Eleonore gave a light nod, her platinum-blonde hair swaying.
“But you know, Sophie? I think I’m prettier than the princess.”
The past couple of months living as Eleonore had filled Seo Juha with a confidence in her looks she’d never had before.
Though Sophie served Eleonore, she stared at her for quite some time with a look of utter disrespect at her lady’s confident declaration.
Why! What! Why?
No matter how I look at it, I’m prettier than the princess!
#.
When she first met Princess Dominique,
she’d smiled brightly and said they should have tea together after Eleonore’s debut.
Eleonore had taken Dominique’s words to mean, ‘We should find some time to have a meal together,’ and promptly forgotten all about them.
But among the many invitations that arrived each morning, she spotted an envelope stamped with the imperial seal and belatedly realized Dominique had meant what she’d said.
And so, now.
She was walking through the imperial palace in a newly tailored dress her mother had forced her to wear for the princess’s invitation, with airy frills and a large white ribbon.
The princess’s palace was in the innermost part of the imperial castle, Baroness Viola, one of the princess’s maids who had come to meet Eleonore, had told her.
Eleonore had asked if that meant she couldn’t take a carriage there.
At that foolish question, Baroness Viola had looked at Eleonore with pity and kindly explained that, as a rule, only members of the imperial family could ride in carriages inside the palace.
At the baroness’s pitying expression,
Eleonore had pretended to be a fool with amnesia and followed her through a garden filled with gorgeous spring blossoms, walking diligently.
How long had they been walking?
The baroness finally stopped when Eleonore’s calves had started to ache.
“The building over there is Lily Palace, where Her Highness resides.”
Perhaps Eleonore’s act had worked rather well, because the baroness smiled brightly as she kindly explained.
Then, amid the spring breeze gently stirring her platinum-blonde hair, a familiar woman’s voice reached her, mingling with the scent of flowers.
“Lady Eleonore! I’ve been waiting for you!”
Princess Dominique, her wheat-colored hair fluttering behind her as she ran toward Eleonore, looked quite different from the women Eleonore had met at social gatherings while holding her mother’s hand.
She wore a fitted jacket that showed off the elegant curves of a woman’s figure.
Beneath it were slim white trousers tailored to fit her hips.
With long black boots covering her knees, the princess stood before Eleonore dressed not as a lady, but in something a male lead in a romance fantasy might wear.
Her behavior was just as striking as her outfit.
When she reached Eleonore, the princess knelt on her left knee like a gentleman addressing a lady, gracefully bowed, and gently took Eleonore’s right hand.
“Ah… um, Your Highness?”
The sense of déjà vu from some ballroom left Eleonore staring at the princess in confusion.
Eleonore was clearly the one who should have offered her respects first,
but when Eleonore called to Dominique in a flustered voice, Dominique carefully pressed her lips to the back of that small, white hand.
“How do you like it, Eli? I heard a handsome gentleman kissed you at the ball, so I decided to dress up like one, too.”
Despite her actions, her voice was that of a playful young girl.
Dominique looked at Eleonore with a radiant smile.
That sunny smile could make even someone without a womb grow one… No. I already have one.
“Today… you look… quite… dashing, Your Highness.”
The princess seemed quite pleased with the words Eleonore had managed to think up through her reddening face.
“Ahaha. Thank you. You look incredibly pretty today, too, Eli. It’s a shame I didn’t get to see you in your pure-white dress, but you’re so cute like this, too. I suppose I’ll have to be satisfied with it.”
Maintaining that same sunny smile, Princess Dominique gracefully held out her hand.
“Now, shall we go inside? I’ve prepared so much for your visit!”
Dominique looked at Eleonore, extending her hand clad in a white glove.
She soon began waving the offered hand up and down, apparently intending to escort Eleonore herself.
To think she was being escorted not only by men, but by women, too.
Eleonore gave a small sigh, then placed her hand on Dominique’s white glove.
Dominique smiled with her eyes and gently drew the small, white hand toward her.
With a touch as delicate as her hand, Dominique gracefully led Eleonore toward the balcony of Lily Palace.
Though Eleonore had been sighing deeply only moments ago,
she had to try quite hard to calm her heart as it began to pound again at Dominique’s smiling eyes, all while walking briskly alongside her.