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“Because I took you to the poetry reading, didn't I?”
Ivan grumbled, but he didn't refuse my request. However, seeing me prepare an armful of second gifts, he offered a piece of advice—the first real piece of advice in a long while—telling me, ‘If you act so overbearingly, Miss Emma will feel pressured to prepare things in return to meet your expectations, which might actually make her uncomfortable.’
Right, we're friends, so my mere existence should be a gift to Emma. I gripped Ivan's hand tightly and headed toward Saint-Turt Street. The weather had grown noticeably warmer over the past few days, allowing us to take a stroll in much lighter attire.
“Princess Larisa! I didn't expect you to come today!”
Emma welcomed my visit with a sincere smile. I rushed into the drawing room, which felt somewhat different from before, and threw myself onto a plush sofa. Ivan, arriving at the doorway, handed Emma a bouquet of flowers he had picked up from a nearby florist.
“Miss Emma.”
Emma's eyes widened in surprise, as if she hadn't expected it, as she took the bouquet of yellow tulips.
“Th-thank you...”
“I am not here to court you, so please do not feel pressured. Though I am not yet of an age to do so anyway.”
“O-of course.”
Aha, is that why she's so shy? I belatedly looked around the drawing room. I had felt something was different from my last visit, and it was because various bouquets of flowers were lined up around the room as if on display. I sniffed the air to catch the floral scent and spoke.
“The atmosphere of the house feels quite different.”
Emma, approaching while cradling Ivan's bouquet in her arms, replied shyly.
“It's the social season, after all. I'm only mentioning this now, but thanks to Your Highness sitting behind the Empress, I was able to get through my debutante presentation without any mistakes. I'm truly grateful. The apple blossoms you wore in your hair that day suited you so beautifully...”
“Thank you. You have quite a lot of flowers in the house.”
“Thankfully, many gentlemen have visited over the past few days.”
Then, do these bouquets represent the number of men who visited Emma? At a glance, there seemed to be at least ten. It seemed everyone had an eye for beauty.
“Now, here it is! Your Highness, you have no idea how much I've looked forward to this spring. I really wanted to gift you a hat.”
As soon as Ivan's flowers were placed in the nearest vase, Emma took a pink bonnet from her maid and rushed over to me. The bonnet, decorated with white flowers, pearls, and thin lace, wafted a warm scent of spring. Emma personally placed the bonnet on my head.
“It's so pretty!”
I checked my reflection in the mirror she held up. Of course it was pretty, but I looked far too much like a child. Still, since she likes it, well...
“When is the engagement ceremony? I want to wear this hat to Emma's engagement.”
Emma tilted her head with a bewildered look, then let out a belated gasp.
“Ah! That's right, I did mention that... That promise has been annulled, Your Highness.”
Wait, what? I asked back in a foolish voice.
“Annulled? Do you mean a broken engagement?”
“Yes, a broken engagement. Late on the night of my debutante ball, I heard from my father that the engagement to Count Valentin had fallen through.”
For a brief moment, a voice flashed through my mind. It was Valentin's voice.
[You needn't worry too much about her. I have no intention of doing something irresponsible and leaving.]
Could the 'irresponsible thing' Valentin mentioned have been the broken engagement?
But it was not easy to accept. The engagement between Valentin and Emma was a purely political one. How could an engagement pushed by the Imperial Family be canceled overnight?
“Why did it change?”
At my question, Emma replied with a subtle smile.
“Political marriages are naturally fluid until the ceremony takes place. Still, it's a relief it was broken right after the debutante ball. The Dmitriyevs were quite considerate of my situation. Usually... they push it back and back, just in case. It would be worse if a whole year of my life were wasted in vain.”
“Does that actually happen?”
“Of course. Are you surprised? Please don't let it weigh on you. Since it was a secret arrangement, there isn't a single scratch on my reputation. So, this hat will be perfect for when you take walks with me! I also made a hat with similar blue lace...”
Why did it change?
'Could the incident at the dinner party a few days ago be related to this engagement?'
As a result, the situation had become somewhat awkward for me. I could ask if he were her fiancé, but I couldn't exactly pry into the details of someone she had broken up with.
Just then, Emma, who had been staring blankly toward the fireplace, stood up.
“One moment.”
On the mantelpiece, where a maid had just carefully left, lay a few letters neatly arranged. Checking the envelopes one by one, she stared at the sender of the last one before returning with the letter in hand. Unless my eyes were deceiving me, it was definitely a letter with Valentin's name on it!
“This... is probably an apology letter regarding the sudden breakup.”
“Open it quickly.”
I was dying to know the contents.
But was it okay for me to watch? Seeing Emma nod, it seemed she didn't mind.
While I stamped my feet in anticipation, Emma tore open the letter without hesitation to check the contents. Her blue eyes quickly scanned the top of the page. It didn't seem to be very long, as it took less than twenty seconds to read the entire thing.
“What does it say?”
“It's as expected. He was kind enough to even write the reason. It says his study abroad was moved up significantly, so he doesn't have the leeway to be engaged this year. It seems it was moved up quite a bit.”
Study abroad. That wasn't a satisfying answer. Plenty of men get engaged before leaving even with a busy study schedule. I asked with a lingering feeling of unease.
“Is he leaving in May or something?”
“No. Let's see, hmm... it says ten days from now.”
I was speechless. Now, after dropping such a bombshell of a prophecy on me, not to mention not even coming to see my face once, he's planning to leave for his studies in ten days?
I was furious. I felt like a complete idiot for defending Valentin, thinking there must be a special reason, and trying to dig up information on him. The fact that this wasn't the first time I'd felt this way toward him only fueled my anger. Damn you, Valentin!
I tightened the ribbons of the gifted bonnet and stood up. Emma, who had been exchanging greetings with a young gentleman visiting the townhouse, approached me.
“Your Highness? Are you leaving already? The other guests will be leaving soon. You can stay longer...”
“Something urgent came up. I'll come back again within next week instead. I can come again, right? Oh, thank you for the hat. I'll wear it often.”
With a face full of regret, Emma retied the ribbons of my bonnet.
“Of course. Next time you come, I'll tell you plenty of interesting stories. This social season has far more exciting things happening than I thought. I'm sure Your Highness will find it intriguing too.”
“I'm looking forward to it. Ivan! Let's go, hurry. I have business to attend to!”
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