“Just try laughing at me, and you’ll see what happens...”
“Pardon? Did you say something?”
Giselle asked in a puzzled tone, pulling Penelope out of her thoughts.
Sitting inside the carriage on her way to the palace, Penelope realized she had been muttering to herself.
“No, it was just a passing thought,” she replied, quickly schooling her expression.
“I thought as much. You’ve been spacing out and blurting out strange things lately. You must be feeling nervous. I mean, I’d be too if I were invited to tea with Her Majesty. But... we’ll do fine, right?”
Penelope hesitated, momentarily unsure of how to respond. Claiming she wasn’t nervous at all might earn her an indignant glare from Giselle.
The thought of heading to the palace seemed to weigh heavily on Giselle, who bit her lip anxiously.
Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at ƒrēewebnovel.com Only.
Penelope reached out and clasped Giselle’s hand reassuringly.
“We’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much.”
“I’ll put my trust in you, my lady.”
Penelope smiled faintly, though she silently thought that perhaps she should have brought Lucas instead.
‘Though Lucas probably wouldn’t be much different from Giselle,’ she mused.
At that moment, the carriage jolted to a halt. They had arrived at the palace.
“We’re here. What should we do?”
“Just follow me quietly and stay close,” Penelope instructed.
“R-right.”
Giselle swallowed hard, but she seemed to relax a little when Penelope gave her hand another reassuring squeeze.
The palace attendant opened the carriage door, and Penelope stepped out with his assistance. Yet, even as she walked, her thoughts were consumed by the issue of Ahwin’s gift.
Penelope reached a grim conclusion.
‘I can’t think of a single thing to get him.’
The fact that Ahwin was the Tower Master made the task even more daunting. She almost wished she could just hand him money instead.
Penelope grumbled internally as she followed the attendant.
And then—
“It seems you are rather difficult to meet these days.”
The sudden voice from behind startled Penelope. Turning around, her eyes widened.
Standing next to one of the massive palace columns was none other than Rianel.
“Lord Rianel.”
“It has been a while. You seem to be in good health. You look even better than the last time we met.”
“Oh... I’ve been well, thank you. And you, Lord Rianel? You seem to be doing fine, though...”
Or maybe not?
Penelope couldn’t help but tilt her head slightly. Rianel’s face looked unusually pale. He wasn’t someone who stayed up all night like Ahwin, so why did he look so worn out?
“I’ve been very busy. My retainers discovered that I had been hiding my identity while staying in Halo, and they’ve been giving me quite a hard time.”
“Pfft...!”
Penelope clapped a hand over her mouth, barely stifling her laughter. Rianel raised a brow in response.
“You seem to take joy in my misfortune.”
“Not at all, haha. It just sounds like you’ve been through quite an ordeal.”
Rianel didn’t deny it.
“My knights found articles about me in the newspapers. Now there’s quite a bit of curiosity about you, Lady Penelope. Quite a lot, in fact.”
“I suppose there would be...”
Recalling the front-page articles, Penelope felt a twinge of embarrassment.
‘I was in the papers with him, wasn’t I? Something about a scandal of the century.’
Typically, scandal articles in newspapers are exaggerated or outright false. Yet, the reports of Rianel courting her were entirely true.
‘Why couldn’t it have been fake news for once?’
Penelope suddenly felt parched and tried to ignore the sensation of Rianel’s gaze lingering on her. His stare left an oddly ticklish feeling where it landed.
Then, the attendant who had been silently observing the exchange spoke.
“You should hurry, my lady, or you’ll be late for Her Majesty’s tea time.”
“Oh, I’ll be on my way now.”
Penelope felt her cheeks heat up as she nervously adjusted her grip on her dress. She realized that both the palace attendants and knights had been quietly watching the entire interaction.
Rianel politely asked, “Would it be possible for you to spare a moment after the tea time? I’ll wait for you here.”
“Pardon? But...”
“It won’t take long. Please, I ask this of you.”
Penelope couldn’t think of an appropriate way to refuse. Not only were they in the middle of the imperial palace, but Rianel was also the Grand Duke of Rahinsel. How many people in the empire had the nerve to deny a request from the northern duke outright?
Besides, the attendant was subtly urging her to proceed.
“Alright, just for a moment,” she replied, dipping into a slight curtsey.
Rianel inclined his head, his face expressionless but clearly pleased.
“I shall see you shortly.”
With a quiet nod, Penelope followed the attendant, her mind buzzing with the events that had just transpired.
“Welcome, Penelope! I’ve been waiting for you!”
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Lady Elizabeth.”
“What are you talking about? I’m the one who invited you to today’s tea time, so of course, it’s my duty to wait for my guest. Was it hot walking all the way here?”
“No, I’m fine. It wasn’t troublesome at all.”
Elizabeth greeted Penelope with such enthusiasm that it left her feeling slightly bewildered.
“Please, have a seat here.”
Penelope sat in the chair Elizabeth indicated. The table was adorned with an array of fruits, cakes, and cookies.
Soon, a maid placed a chilled fruit tea before Penelope.
“I figured you might be thirsty, so I had some cold tea prepared.”
“Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.”
“I should be the one thanking you, yet here you are, expressing gratitude instead,” Elizabeth said with a bright smile.
“Thanks to you, my morning has been incredibly smooth. Who would have thought it would take less than an hour to wash and dry my hair? None of my maids could believe it.”
“I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying my gift.”
“Enjoying it is an understatement. Every morning, I feel like bowing in the direction of wherever you are, Penelope.”
Bowing, no less.
“Haha, that’s truly high praise.”
“Penelope, you have no idea how significant your invention is.”
The compliments were so extravagant that Penelope couldn’t help but feel awkward.
Whenever she received praise for inventions based on her past life’s knowledge, Penelope felt a twinge of guilt, as if she were stealing honor and wealth meant for someone else.
Still, she maintained her composure before the Empress.
‘Get a grip. In a romance fantasy world where you’re running a business, you should’ve expected this kind of praise. Not everyone gets to be young and rich, you know?’
Thinking of her plans for early retirement lifted her spirits slightly, and she sipped her tea with newfound confidence.
At that moment, Elizabeth waved lightly toward someone.
“Over here. Why are you so late?”
“Apologies. The council meeting ran longer than expected.”
“Pfft...!”
Penelope nearly spat out her tea. Walking toward her was none other than the Emperor.
Platinum blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a golden emblem glinting on his black uniform.
The man’s sharp and arrogant features fixed themselves on Penelope.
“Cough, cough!”
Penelope broke into a fit of coughing, and Yulis furrowed his brows slightly.
“Did I fail to mention I would be attending?”
“I wanted to surprise her. Sorry, Penelope, did I scare you?”
“Oh, um, it is an honor to meet the esteemed ruler of the Empire!”
Penelope hurriedly rose and curtsied, grateful that she remembered the court etiquette Lady Linda had taught her.
She stole a glance at Giselle, who looked on the verge of fainting.
‘If she keeps this up, she’s really going to pass out.’
It dawned on Penelope that Elizabeth seemed to have a penchant for surprises.
The last time, it was dressing as a man to catch Penelope off guard; now, she’d brought the Emperor himself to tea.
As expected of the Empress, her theatrics were on a whole different level.
The Emperor waved his hand dismissively.
“There’s no need for such formality. Please, be seated.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Penelope sat back down, carefully straightening her posture and folding her hands neatly.
Yulis glanced at Elizabeth with a faint furrow in his brow.
“Hmm... Was it unnecessary for me to come?”
“What good does it do to say that now? You’re already here.”
“Fair point.”
Yulis and Elizabeth began chatting in a casual and familiar manner. The conversation itself wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but the fact that it was between the Emperor and Empress made it feel incredibly weighty.
Naturally, Penelope sat frozen in place, listening attentively.
Eventually, Yulis noticed her tense demeanor. With a slightly awkward expression, he rubbed his chin.