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Ayla, who had finished taking notes, folded a small note and handed it to Felix.
When he blankly accepted it, Ayla smiled brightly and held Peony and Felix's hands tightly in turn.
“Then both of you have a good vacation. I'll be waiting.”
Peony gave a faint smile and held Ayla's hand tightly.
But Felix remained frozen, unable to do anything.
Just then, Peony was hugging Ayla and saying goodbye next to him.
“Have a good vacation too, Ayla. I'll bring you some fun news later, so look forward to it.”
"Really? I wonder what kind of news it will be.”
Watching the two of them chatting with smiles, Felix hurriedly opened his mouth.
“I will definitely…… bring the herbs Ayla mentioned.”
Ayla looked at the two of them alternately and smiled happily once again.
“Yes, let’s all see each other after the semester starts.”
It was a brief farewell.
The huge carriage that Peony boarded slowly began to move. The academy's appearance was faintly visible beyond the neatly arranged curtains.
But Peony deliberately turned her gaze away from the window.
In fact, she wanted to stay at the academy with Ayla.
But she couldn't just stand by and watch those who were after her life forever.
‘Either way, it’s something I have to face someday. Don't act like a child, Peony.’
A determined light flickered in Peony's eyes.
Perhaps sensing her unusual mood, Lona, who was sitting across from her, carefully opened her mouth.
“Um, Princess. I have a question to ask you.”
"What is it?"
Peony glared at her with sharp eyes, as if to say she wouldn't let her get away with nonsense.
Then Lona carefully continued, with a slightly frightened look.
“You haven’t been examined by a doctor for a long time. While we're at the Imperial Palace, I was wondering if I should contact the court physician in advance.”
“……Hmm. I’ll be busy with various things when I arrive, so let’s talk about that issue again later.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
Lona tried not to show it, but she was secretly pleased that Peony had readily agreed to consider her suggestion.
Watching her, Peony snorted.
‘I’d keep watching if that will be a good thing for you.’
After driving for a long time, the carriage finally passed through the main gate of the palace.
The Head Maid, who had been waiting for Peony, greeted her and bowed deeply.
“Your Highness, the Emperor is eagerly waiting for you.”
“The Emperor?”
“Yes, he said that if you are well, he hopes you will attend dinner tonight. How should I convey this?”
“Okay, tell him I’ll go. And you can raise your head.”
Only then did the Head Maid raise her head.
The academy, where she was free from status, was different from the Imperial Palace. Everyone working in the Imperial Palace treated Peony with utmost respect.
Peony returned to her palace with their guidance.
As a princess favored by the Emperor, her palace was particularly magnificent.
Peony closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and took a deep breath. The Imperial Palace, which she had returned to after a long time, felt both unfamiliar and familiar.
As if she had just woken up from a dream, the days of exchanging trivial stories with her friends felt like a distant past.
Following the maids' hands, the familiar and comfortable Riod Academy uniform was taken off.
“Prepare something moderately comfortable to wear.”
"Yes, Your Highness."
But Peony soon frowned as she looked at the dress the Head Maid brought.
She had asked for a comfortable dress, but the prepared outfit looked too flashy and uncomfortable.
But soon, she nodded as if resigned.
‘Well, what can I do? This is the Imperial Palace.’
She had to be formal in front of the Emperor, so it was bound to be different from her academy life, where she hung out comfortably with her friends.
In an instant, her clothes were changed, and the maids neatly arranged the long train of her dress.
Then, they slipped soft silk gloves onto her hands.
Even though it was just a simple dinner with family, banquets in the Imperial family always came with a bit of tension.
“I will escort you.”
The number of people gradually decreased as she walked along the long corridor made of marble.
It seemed she had already reached the depths of the palace.
When Peony stood in front of the banquet hall door decorated with gold, the servants opened the door with a respectful attitude.
Through the wide-open door, she could see the familiar faces of her family.
"You're a little late."
As soon as she stepped into the banquet hall, she heard a scolding.
Peony quietly looked at the person who had just spoken.
‘Christina Celestia.’
As the Empire's only Empress, she was a figure who had recently been building a large presence in society, backed by the power of her family.
“Sister is still the same. Making Father wait.”
And the person who added a word next to her was the Second Prince, Adolf Celestia.
He was Christina's only son, and despite being much younger, he was a guy who constantly picked fights with Peony.
In the chilling atmosphere, Darian hurriedly took Peony's side.
“She just returned from the academy, so it’s natural for her to be later than us. She probably hasn’t recovered from her journey yet.”
The Emperor also agreed with his words.
“Yes, don’t say anything to Peony. She’s already weak! I’m just very happy that she came back healthy.”
Peony lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed gracefully to the Emperor.
“No, you’re wrong, brother. I’m sorry for being late when you called me, Father.”
In the past, she had felt that her father and brother, who cared for her, were her true family.
But now, she was in a situation where she couldn't trust anyone in front of her.
As soon as Peony took her seat, she obediently lowered her eyes.
It was the method Ayla had taught her, telling her to act in a way that wouldn't be criticized as much as possible when she returned to the Imperial Palace.
‘When you need to hide your emotions, always keep your head down. If you lower your eyes, you'll look somewhat melancholic.’
The Emperor lowered his eyes as if feeling sorry for Peony's appearance.
Soon, he turned to the Empress and the Second Prince and scolded them.
“Both of you can’t even praise Peony for safely returning from the academy. Now, everyone, let’s eat quietly.”
Peony suppressed a laugh quietly with her head down.
‘The method Ayla taught me works better than I thought.’
The inside of the banquet hall became quiet in an instant at the Emperor's words.
Taking advantage of the silence, Peony looked at her family members one by one.
Just looking at their calm eating habits, it was impossible to easily guess the culprit.
Who on earth could it be? Who among them wants to kill her?
‘Could it be Adolf, who is always rude to me?’
It would be fortunate if Christina and Adolf were the culprits.
The two of them had always been displeased with Peony receiving the Emperor's favor, as she had no maternal family or mother to rely on.
As Peony, who had always been mistreated, it was actually most comfortable for her to antagonize them.
‘But I can’t completely rule out the possibility of it being Brother Darian.’
He was a strong candidate for the next Emperor, but his position was still unstable.
This was because the Emperor had not yet decided who to make the Crown Prince.
If he was the culprit, it would be truly heartbreaking. Darian had always been a kind brother to her.
‘Can the person who always took care of me, filling the void of my mother, really be the person who was after my life?’
Her gaze naturally turned to the Empress, Eliza.
She was a very cold person even to her own child, Darian.
At one time, she had even respected that impartial appearance.
But now that she thought about it, she had a feeling that it might have been an act to avoid being criticized by anyone.
‘Perhaps everything was done unilaterally by Her Majesty the Empress. Pretending to be a benevolent Empress on the outside, while secretly planning to kill me or Adolf.’
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