Chapter 103 The Engagement Party Invitation
Every inch of air in the capital suddenly felt toxic to Ilse, also known as Anna.
For the past seven days, this city had become a stage play for her.
Wherever she went,
that woman's name was always being echoed.
Lysandra Fontaine.
The holy maiden.
The great heroine.
The savior of the king.
It was nauseating. Ilse wasn't jealous, she was simply tired of hearing people praise Lysandra to the skies. Honestly, if people just used a little bit of common sense,
that whole rescue scenario was full of oddities.
How could a "holy maiden" just happen to appear right when the king was about to be in danger? But whatever. This was a novel, and Lysandra was the main character. Of course, every female protagonist would get the best share of every moment. That's only natural.
Better to stay quiet.
If she protested, she wouldn't get praise instead, her neck might be offered up for execution by Claus, just like in the original plot. Ilse would rather pretend to be deaf.
She enjoyed her remaining days in peace, basking in the wealth of the Varannes family. When else would she get to be a noble lady, relaxing, eating grapes with milk, changing dresses, and doing all those other ridiculous noble activities?
The one thing that brought her relief was a new reality:
Gisella.
Ilse's one and only friend. Anna had even come to love Gisella as her own close companion.
The unfortunate girl who had almost become a victim of the crown prince's rotten luck, Didier.
She was no longer here. After that incident, the Mercer family decided to retreat to their estate in the northern region.
A remote, quiet place. Safe.
Far from the reach of the royal family who had betrayed them.
The Mercers, especially Viscount Mercer, must have felt deeply humiliated and shaken, especially after Didier's words and seeing that even the Empress didn't take their side in that moment.
As far as Ilse remembered from the original novel, the Mercer family were the Empress' main supporters, but now they had been cast aside.
The most important point was that Ilse and Gisella were no longer villains in this novel. They were no longer important pawns. The male and female leads had found each other, so there was no reason to see them as threats anymore. Claus also had no reason to execute them.
Now Gisella was doing fine, and her relationship with Julian was going smoothly. They liked each other, and as her next move, Ilse just had to make sure the Mercer family accepted Julian, and vice versa. Ilse thought everything would be fine after that.
She could live peacefully without worrying about a tragic fate on the next page. But fate seemed to have a hobby of yanking her hair from behind.
Exactly one week after the day when the whole country was busy licking the feet of Lysandr. That morning arrived without warning. Ilse's bedroom door was knocked on by Hans, the head butler of the Varannes family. The man respectfully handed Ilse an item and then excused himself politely.
Ilse stared at the unfamiliar object lying in her palm. A thick envelope. Ivory white and sealed with a raised gold royal crest.Her heart stopped beating for a second.
She hastily tore open the top. Pulled out a sheet of expensive paper, scented with the fragrance of roses. Her eyes scanned the neatly printed lines on the page.
Reading every word carefully. Engagement party invitation. Written in bold black ink in the center.
Between His Highness Prince Didier Vesperian Aurelius D'Alecon And the great heroine, the holy maiden, Lysandra Fontaine
To be held grandly in the palace's main hall. All nobles were required to attend, no exceptions. Including the Varannes family, of course. The event would take place the day after tomorrow.
The day after tomorrow! How was she supposed to prepare herself in time?
As she panicked over what to wear, suddenly her bedroom door was knocked on gently.
"Come in," said Ilse. Elara entered as usual.
"Miss, the most handsome man worshipped by every woman in the entire kingdom is waiting for you downstairs." Elara winked annoyingly.
"Who do you mean? Don't scare me like that." Ilse glared at Elara. She was not in the mood for jokes.
"His Grace, Duke Claus Valerius Maximilian D'Alecon, is looking for you, Miss."
Her mouth fell open instantly.