My stomach growled in protest. I came all this way to eat waffles, and all I get is candy?
My brain rebuts, Is now the time to be picky? Just give me some sugar, anything will do!
But before I gave in to my body's plea, the last shred of my rationality intervened.
"Your Highness, why are you being so kind all of a sudden?"
Was I too blunt?
Still, it's better to ask directly. Otherwise, I'll just keep misunderstanding.
Even Tristan flinched as if I'd hit a nerve.
"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but seeing someone who stayed by Lady Maria's side throughout the last banquet suddenly act this way… Have I done something to catch your attention?"
Please don't pay attention to me.
In the original novel, he didn't care about the reincarnated protagonist. If he suddenly starts paying attention, it's a clear sign the love line is shifting.
Unless you were enemies in the original, your fate is to regret and marry me anyway! If your attitude changes now, I'll be nervous!
'Is it strange to care about one's fiancée?' That sort of normal reasoning made me anxious as I stared at Tristan's mouth.
His lips parted slowly…
"…You looked like a dog."
"Pardon?"
"A…dog. No, more like a puppy whose food bowl was taken away. How could I not notice?"
I mentally canceled 50% of my earlier thoughts.
You should fix your attitude, indeed.
But once Tristan started talking, he couldn't seem to stop making puppy-related comments.
"I'm only saying this because I'm blunt. While I'm at it, let me add—do you have any idea how spectacular you looked at the last party, devouring madeleines whole, one after another? What kind of lunatic would find that attractive?"
"I eat because I'm hungry. Whether there's someone swooning over me or not, it's none of my business."
"That may be true, but—"
"Now that I think about it, Your Highness, your phrasing is peculiar. Normally, one doesn't feel fluttery watching someone eat, right? If anything, poor table manners would make you lose interest."
"…Right. Yes. That's very true. Absolutely."
Tristan answered with an unusually stiff expression.
Why come to nitpick only to end up sulking?
Anyway.
"Did you come to scold me, to give me a snack, or both?"
"If I handed you a small snack, would you take it?"
"Of course."
Let's calm down.
I need to remain a good fiancée. That's the only way this guy will bear with me later.
What would Dory Redfield do in this situation?
…Perhaps I should start by praising his efforts?
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness. Knowing there's someone in this vast palace looking out for me warms my heart deeply."
With a mental effort to inflate my sincerity by 250%, I lifted the corners of my mouth. Tristan looked down at me briefly before abruptly turning his head.
"It's no big deal. Regardless of whether the engagement holds any real meaning, the fact remains that you are my fiancée."
"That's true."
"So…about that. Later, in the hall…"
Uncharacteristically, Tristan hesitated. What's this? How strange is the next thing he's about to say?
"Are you going to tell me not to eat snacks in the hall?"
"Why would snacks come up?"
"You just scolded me for eating too much."
"That's not important! What I mean is…"
But Tristan's voice trailed off.
The voice of my chaperone pierced the silence from behind me.
"Dory, I told you to wait patiently! Do you know how long I've been looking for you? The dance will start soon, and here you are… doing whatever, I see. Ohohoho!"
My aunt trailed off into a forced laugh, taking a step back as she finally noticed Tristan standing behind me, hidden by the corridor's armor display.
I hope she doesn't get too optimistic about what she just saw.
Looking up at Tristan, I said, "It seems dance time is approaching. You should head out soon… Ah!"
Only now did I realize the meaning of what Tristan had said in the greenhouse a while back.
"Your Highness, didn't you say before in the greenhouse that you might 'ask me to dance'? Was that in anticipation of today?"
"Today? What do you mean?"
"In front of the Queen, of course. It would seem odd to leave your fiancée out and dance with everyone else, wouldn't it?"
"…Hmm, yes. That makes sense."
Tristan nodded.
"So, what I'm saying is… Would it be alright if I danced with you?"
"You don't even need to ask, Your Highness. I'm always waiting for your hand. But," I said, carefully maintaining a demure expression to conceal my dark ulterior motives, "I hope your first dance will be with someone you truly want to dance with."
"Someone I want to dance with? What do you mean?"
Don't play dumb.
Maria. That beautiful woman you've been chasing.
Please, protect my investment!
"Take it as you will. It's a royal banquet, after all, so I think it would be better for Your Highness to lead the way…"
"Lead the way, huh?"
"Pardon?"
Before I could react, Tristan reached out and placed his hand firmly on my left shoulder.
"Your Highness?"
Startled, my voice came out louder than intended. Tristan flinched, but he didn't let go.
"Why are you surprised? Didn't you say you were always waiting for my hand?"
"Are we going out together?"
"Is there something wrong with that?"
In theory, no. It would be strange to leave separately.
But why are you suddenly acting so considerate?
If we go out together and the Queen sees us, she might tell us to dance together. That would be trouble!
My investment!
As I was racking my brain for an excuse to get rid of this guy first, my body instinctively betrayed me.
Growl…
"…"
"…Dory Redfield."
"I-I'm so sorry! I swear I ate before coming!"
Maybe it was because I'd only filled my stomach with black tea, but the sound of my stomach gurgling echoed loud and clear. Tristan shook his head.
"Candy clearly won't cut it. I'll have the maid bring you something; eat before you come out."
"Th-thank you—or rather, I'm sorry…"
"There's nothing to apologize to me for. Save your apologies for any fool who might be enchanted by your graceful appearance."
"…"
Thank you for turning my gratitude and embarrassment into something far worse. Much appreciated. You idiot—it's you! You're the one who's going to marry me anyway!
"As I've told you many times, I am your fiancée. Who would suddenly start courting me?"
When we arrived in front of the room where the maids were preparing food, I lightly pushed Tristan's back toward the hall and added one final thing.
"But I'll thank you again. For calling me graceful."
"…"
"You're the only one who notices my good qualities, Your Highness."
Even if by "graceful" you probably meant "boring and stuck-up", a compliment is still a compliment.
Tristan, who had been walking down the hall, suddenly stopped. He turned to look back at me.
"Your Highness? What's wrong?"
"…Don't take too long."
"Of course. See you shortly."
After elegantly lifting my dress hem and bowing, I turned away first. Toward the direction of the faint sound of bread being sliced.
***
At first, the maids preparing food seemed nervous around me. Understandable; I was the prince's fiancée, after all.
But after I showed them my unique talent of eating a sandwich in just two bites, the atmosphere lightened somewhat—
"Waffles taste best when you eat them like this."
"Oh my, how lovely!"
I garnished a waffle with chocolate ice cream and carefully arranged small slices of fruit along the edges. Someone even clapped.
This place really was a waffle paradise. Natalie didn't lie.
One of the maids spoke up.
"It's a pleasure seeing you enjoy your meal so much. Most of the other ladies just nibble delicately, probably because they're nervous…"
"The corsets don't help, either. I barely managed to escape my aunt tightening mine another inch just now."
"Oh, but you're already so impossibly slender!"
"Exactly!"
At my bold response, a younger maid burst out laughing.
"Lady Redfield, you're much more fun than I expected! When we heard you'd be coming to eat, we were all so nervous—oh!"
An older maid quickly clapped a hand over the younger one's mouth.
"Show some decorum! I'm terribly sorry for her rudeness, Your Grace!"
"It's fine. Besides, I'm not even a princess yet, just a guest."
"But you will be soon. Of course, we should treat you as royalty."
The young maid, now looking embarrassed, bowed repeatedly as she stepped back.
After that, a few maids came over to tidy my slightly disheveled hair and gently brush crumbs off my dress.
While most of society seems to think Tristan will abandon me, these maids genuinely believe our marriage will happen. It feels nice to be respected…not bad at all.
I took a sip of sparkling water to cleanse my palate and stood up.
The kitchen bustled endlessly with maids rushing about, carrying trays and dishes. Voices discussing all manner of topics floated through the air.
"The dance must be starting soon. Two plates broke during setup—replace them quickly."
"Did you see the young Duke Arthur Albion? He's as gorgeous as the rumors say! Three ladies have already 'accidentally' spilled their drinks just to get his attention. Someone, clean up the carpet!"
"Baroness Rose is asking for port wine, but water it down. I overheard plans to get Maria Mayer drunk and embarrass her."
The working world is a chaotic exchange of information.
Just as I was about to step out of the bustling room, I caught wind of the news I'd been waiting for.
"They say Duke Arthur is approaching Maria right now! Do you think he's going to ask her to dance?"
"Kyaa, really? I told you, the way they look at each other is anything but ordinary!"
Is it finally starting?
But Maria's first dance partner will be Tristan.
I hurried my steps to witness this pivotal moment for myself, with my two coins riding on the victory.