Regret With All Your Might

Chapter 15

Attending an official tea party for the first time was a novel experience.

Essella lifted her lips from the cup filled with rose tea. The strong scent of roses was overwhelming.

The conversations flowing over the table were equally burdensome.

"You are as beautiful as ever today, Your Highness the Princess."

"Look at the pink diamond necklace you're wearing. It was sent by the Prince of the Welton Kingdom, right?"

"You wear it very well, Your Highness."

"Is that so?"

At the excessive praise, the Princess grinned satisfied and touched her necklace. It had been an hour of the same conversation repeating.

Essella recalled the invitation. There had been no talk of her sister at the tea party she had attended with hesitation due to the letter that promised to show pictures of her sister's party. Rather, when she tried to bring up her sister, the conversations were abruptly cut off with subtle glances.

It had been a tea party she had attended, risking a scolding from her family. Instead, she felt fatigued. Should she leave now? Essella was contemplating.

"I never knew you were so pretty. What do you think, Princess Madeleine?"

"Yes. Beautiful."

The plain answer was all there was. The Princess, hiding her surprise, picked up her tea. The ladies- in- waiting awkwardly followed her laugh.

The Princess glared at Essella with malicious eyes.

Essella Madelreine, who had only received the love of the Duke, had no tact. She had also torn down Olivia's dress, naturally breaking the atmosphere that was being created.

"You misunderstand. My sister suits all colors, so she looks beautiful no matter what she wears."

But that wasn't all.

"Currently, not only the Duke's budget but also the territory's budget is being organized by my sister. On top of that, financial documents from the Crown Princess's palace come home every day. If my sister were a manager, would there have been such an honest and competent manager?"

Essella took Olivia's side in every conversation.

She interrupted whenever the conversation turned unpleasant about Olivia, and now, she didn't even have the motivation to participate.

All the Madelreine family's blood mixed were like that.

"But Your Highness."

Suddenly, Essella looked at Reyna.

"When can I see the party pictures mentioned in the invitation?"

"Party pictures. Well. That was your purpose, Princess?"

As Reyna winked at the Baroness Lieveoborn, Essella lightly said,

"Thanks to Your Highness the Princess inviting me to see my sister's picture first."

That one sentence written in the postscript of the invitation had led Essella to leave her maternal Haelquin Duke's home and come to the royal palace, even prepared to be scolded by her family.

But she really wanted to see her sister's picture. The newspapers were full of nothing but stories of her sister and the Duke, who had sworn allegiance to her. There were no pictures.

Essella, thinking of Olivia, grinned brightly. I wonder if my sister wore the jewel pin I gifted her.

With that thought, strange glances came over the table.