ITMFYWCLBU 2

“Getting along so well this early in the morning, Clarisse!”

True to his declaration that he would stay glued to her, Alexis followed Clarisse all the way to the antechamber outside the ladies-in-waiting’s room beside the queen’s private quarters. Bruette, a fellow maid who had arrived at the same time as Clarisse, teased her with a knowing grin, making the situation painfully awkward.

“Alexis, it’s quite all right now.”

When Clarisse shot him a warning glance—half-expecting him to barge into the attendants’ room as well—Alexis seemed to realize even he shouldn’t go that far. The faintly ominous air he had carried in the carriage vanished as if it had never existed, replaced by the refreshing smile of a model young gentleman.

“Then I’ll come pick you up again when you’re heading home. I’ll be finishing early today as well.”

…Starting work late and finishing early? Isn’t that strange?

Knights worked longer hours than ladies-in-waiting. There was no way his schedule was light enough to allow him to escort her back and forth.

Clarisse eyed him suspiciously, but Alexis merely said, “Please take care of Clarisse,” to Bruette and strode off briskly.

“Oh my, he’s so handsome! To have someone like that as your fiancé—you’re so lucky, Clarisse!”

Bruette nudged her playfully with an elbow, and Clarisse made a complicated face. Before regaining her memories of the future, she would have blushed and smiled shyly. But now, she couldn’t simply rejoice.

No matter how wonderful he seemed, no matter how kind he was—two years from now, he would betray her.

“And yet, Bruette, you and your fiancé Orlando seem awfully close yourselves.”

Not wanting to be teased about Alexis any further, Clarisse gently steered the conversation away. Bruette, after all, adored her fiancé and would happily gush about him at the slightest prompt.

“Of course we are! Oh, listen—Orlando did the sweetest thing…”

As they entered the attendants’ room, the lovestruck chatter began at once.

Truly, they seemed quite happy together.

I’m jealous…

Clarisse had loved Alexis enough to boast about him, too. But now, just recalling his face made her chest ache.

And his affair partner was… his affair partner, after all. Compared to her, of course I fall short.

The woman Alexis would give his heart to two years from now was none other than a princess of this kingdom.

Princess Wiejeny—the first princess. Daughter of the second consort, currently sixteen years old. With pinkish-beige hair and large brown eyes, she was astonishingly adorable.

Clarisse wasn’t lacking in looks herself—or so she liked to think—but beside Wiejeny, she paled in comparison. In appearance and in status alike, the princess surpassed her completely. Had Alexis strayed with a common girl or a courtesan, perhaps Clarisse could have dismissed it as a fleeting indiscretion. But with Princess Wiejeny, there was no way it had been mere play.

The future Alexis had truly fallen in love with her.

Her mood sank heavily.

She couldn’t appear so dejected before Queen Félicité. Clarisse took a deep breath.

“The queen has a tea gathering scheduled for this afternoon, doesn’t she?”

Bruette, still mid-gush, straightened at Clarisse’s reminder. A lady-in-waiting had to move according to the queen’s schedule.

“And Her Majesty will be having lunch in the salon with the crown prince today.”

“Then for lunch, Clarisse and Fleur will attend her, and for the afternoon tea, Clarisse and I will do so. Fleur is resting this afternoon until we return, after all.”

Only three of Queen Félicité’s ladies-in-waiting were on duty today: Clarisse, Bruette, and Fleur. Clarisse and Bruette were both seventeen; Fleur was sixteen. There were seven ladies-in-waiting in total, rotating between duties such as morning preparations, breakfast, and evening routines, often staying overnight at the castle. Fleur had begun her stay two days earlier, with the overnight rotation changing roughly each week. During such periods, their workload was lighter despite being at the castle all day.

Service to the queen and the second consort was largely a matter of etiquette training, so turnover was high—most women resigned upon marriage. In Queen Félicité’s case, the only veteran attendant was Lady Léonie, who had come with her from her family home when she married. However, after giving birth to her third child four years ago, Lady Léonie worked fewer days due to her young children, coming to the castle only about twice a week and being exempt from overnight duty.

Thus, when Lady Léonie was absent, Bruette—who had joined half a year before Clarisse—handled the arrangements. Clarisse had no objections and nodded.

“All right. The sweets are prepared, yes?”

“Yes. The pastries and today’s tea leaves are all ready. Since it’s just an intimate gathering with the duchess and her daughter besides Her Majesty, the preparations aren’t too demanding.”

Large tea parties required the help of many castle maids, but small gatherings were far more relaxed. They were simply occasions for Félicité to enjoy conversation with close friends, free of political maneuvering.

It’s the Duchess of Edinson and her daughter, Lady Matilda. It should be a pleasant gathering, as always.

Lady Matilda Edinson was the fiancée of Crown Prince Gracian. She was eighteen and due to marry him in half a year; today’s tea was partly for planning that occasion.

After confirming the day’s schedule, Clarisse headed from the attendants’ room to the queen’s chamber. The queen had already finished breakfast and was reviewing her work for the day. Unlike the second consort, the queen participated in governance and was therefore busy.

“Ah, good morning, you two.”

Félicité was a gentle-looking woman with silver hair and blue eyes.

“Perfect timing. Could you take these documents to the chancellor? If you tell him they concern the church restoration project, he’ll understand.”

A significant portion of the queen’s duties involved welfare, including oversight of church operations. Churches ran orphanages and homes for the elderly and provided food to the poor, so the state offered them substantial support. While the national budget was set by the king, chancellor, and finance minister, allocation was determined by the queen—though she still required their approval.

“Certainly. Bruette, I’ll go deliver them.”

“Yes, please do, Clarisse.”

Though they spoke casually in private, before the queen they used formal speech and comported themselves as befitted young ladies. Félicité was strict about such training, as Clarisse and the others were essentially apprentices.

Taking the documents with practiced grace, Clarisse left the room at a brisk yet elegant pace.

The private quarters of the royal family and the administrative wing were separated within the castle. As Clarisse descended from the third floor to the second, she spotted a woman approaching—draped in a luxurious deep purple gown. The moment Clarisse recognized her dark brown hair and orange eyes, she hurried to the side of the corridor.

It was the second consort, Joanne.

Joanne was notoriously temperamental and did not hesitate to scold even the queen’s attendants if displeased. Clarisse bowed her head and waited for her to pass—but Joanne stopped.

“You’re one of the queen’s attendants… Where are you headed?”

“To the chancellor’s office, Your Highness.”

“I see…”

Seemingly in a good mood today, Joanne nodded magnanimously. Her gaze flicked to the documents in Clarisse’s hands, and she smiled.

“Let me deliver those for you. I was just about to see the chancellor myself.”

She had been walking away from the chancellor’s office—an odd claim.

She’s always looking for a chance to undermine Her Majesty…

If Clarisse handed over the documents, there was no telling what might happen. They might never reach the chancellor—or worse, be altered to frame Félicité.

Joanne’s intent was suspiciously obvious, but she was the second consort. Openly refusing her could backfire on the queen.

What should I do…

She couldn’t hand them over—but couldn’t easily refuse, either.

“Well? Hurry up. I’m busy.”

Joanne’s irritation was growing. If kept waiting, she might erupt.

“Um… Her Majesty instructed me to hand these directly to the chancellor…”

That was precisely what it meant. Ordinarily, invoking the queen’s orders would end the matter—but Joanne, who seemed to believe herself equal to—or above—the queen, frowned.

“I am telling you to give them to me.”

As expected, she won’t back down…

Her resistance only seemed to pique Joanne’s interest further.

The church restoration involves a considerable budget. I can’t let this go…

Even as the second consort, Joanne couldn’t be trusted. Perhaps Clarisse’s memories of the future influenced that distrust.

After all, the woman Alexis would fall for in two years was Joanne’s only daughter.

Having been murdered by an assassin sent by Princess Wiejeny, Clarisse couldn’t bring herself to feel kindly toward the princess’s mother.

Not that she ever had.

Should she run? Undignified as it was, Clarisse began considering it—when she noticed two men approaching from the opposite direction.

Alexis… and Crown Prince Gracian.

Nineteen-year-old Gracian already took part in governance. Seeing the thick bundle of documents in Alexis’s hands, Clarisse guessed they were headed to a meeting.

“Oh? Second Consort, what are you doing here?”

Gracian asked with a pleasant yet unreadable smile. Though gentle by nature, he was shrewd enough to handle seasoned ministers.

Joanne scowled openly and turned away.

“It’s nothing. I was merely greeting one of the queen’s attendants.”

“I see. Then may I borrow her for a moment? I have a matter to discuss.”

“…Very well. I have things to attend to myself. Excuse me.”

Despite claiming business with the chancellor, Joanne retreated in the opposite direction.

Clarisse exhaled in relief as Gracian and Alexis approached.

“Are you all right? She was bothering you, wasn’t she?”

“Thank you, Your Highness. She insisted I hand over the documents meant for the chancellor…”

“Oh dear… The second consort can be troublesome.”

Gracian turned to Alexis. “Could you escort her to the chancellor’s office? I’ll head to the meeting room first.”

Taking the documents from Alexis, Gracian departed. Alexis nodded lightly and placed a gentle hand at Clarisse’s back.

“Don’t dawdle flirting—come straight to the meeting room afterward.”

“F-flirting—?!”

Clarisse turned scarlet. What was he saying at a time like this? She had no intention of flirting with Alexis—she planned to end their engagement as soon as possible.

As she flustered, Gracian laughed and walked away.

Honestly…

Lowering her head to hide her flushed face, Clarisse hastened toward the chancellor’s office, with Alexis following easily behind.

“You didn’t have too unpleasant an experience, did you?”

With his long stride, Alexis caught up effortlessly.

“It’s fine… and thank you.”

Without their timely arrival, she would have been truly stuck.

“Being a lady-in-waiting is hard work. Wouldn’t it be better to resign soon and focus on wedding preparations—”

“This is far enough. Thank you for escorting me.”

Clarisse deliberately cut him off and stopped. The chancellor’s door was right there. The guard stationed outside grinned knowingly as he looked between them.

Embarrassed, Clarisse hurriedly requested entry. As they waited, Alexis bent closer and whispered:

“If we were married, I could protect you from all that malice…”

Clarisse pretended not to hear.

Once permission was granted, she thanked him again and quickly slipped inside.

Protect me? You didn’t protect me at all…

Rather, two years in the future, she would be killed because of him.

Pain stabbed deep in her chest, but Clarisse looked away from it.

She never noticed the expression on Alexis’s face as the door closed behind her.