ENCHANTED | Ergi .C

Chapter Thirty | Shameless

As the time pass, the ladies continued their conservation again and ironically, they reach to the gossips of Prince Heinley again as if they're in a circle. When they continued criticizing about all the rumors they heard about the Prince again, Navier frowned across from me. She must found distaste from other talking bad to her now not mysterious pen-pal.

The ladies-in-waiting knew she was the real letter friend, and so there was no need for her to say anything more. However, Navier thought it would be helpful if she could change any of the rumors about Prince Heinley with her own words…

"Prince Heinley. He seems better than I thought."

Navier spoke nonchalantly as she picked up a teacup from the table and took a sip. Laura, who was playing chess opposite of Countess Eliza, surreptitiously changed a horse's position while the Countess was not looking.

"Right. And he knew that the maid and the slave didn't write those letters! Ah—that was wrong. Anyway, he found out quickly. Even though he's a womanizer, he's more faithful than other nobles."

Countess Eliza had slapped Laura on the back of the hand and restored the horse's original position on the board.

"Laura is right. Though he may seem like a carefree person, he's not frivolous."

"Even more so, I liked it when the slave’s lie came to light."

Sympathetic comments started to spring up from the other ladies.

"Did you see how his blood pressure went up when she lied so shamelessly to him?"

"The foreign nobles who mingle with her must have come to their senses by now."

However, Sir Artina, who was silently standing beside Theron not far, immediately threw cold water into situation.

“I don’t believe so.”

At Sir Artina's certain tone, the ladies-in-waiting all turned to him with questioning expressions. The knight nervously scratched his cheek, as if overwhelmed by the ladies looking at him all at once.

"Baron Lant is responsible for Lady Rashta's affairs, and he talks about her differently."

"Differently? How?"

Laura eyes were wide as she questioned him. Navier also looked at Artina, setting the now empty cup back on the table.

"Because of Miss Rashta’s beauty and charm, some say that the Emperor and Prince Heinley are fighting over her."

Of course, I knew Baron Lant. He was that nosy secretary of Sovieshu who started the whole mess of gifting to the concubine with his boneless tongue. That stupid man was extremely fond of Rashta, and it was only good for her if Baron Lant was coming forward and turning the rumors around.

When two conflicting rumors spread, there would be at least one that believed one story or the other. Baron Lant had planned this out carefully.

Laura shut the chessboard in frustration.

"I absolutely despise her!"

"Watch your mouth, Lady Laura. You are a lady-in-waiting of the Empress, and offensive language will only hurt Her Majesty's image."

"I am careful in front of others, Lady Seanna. Yet still…I have no other way to express my emotions!"

Then, as Laura cried out her frustration toward Seanna who was calmly sipping her tea, there was a tap on the glass window of the greenhouse.

"Queen!"

It had been several days since he came here last, and Navier quickly got up and opened the window to let him in. She was so happy to see him after such a long time that she held him tightly.