The Villainous Noblewoman Is About to Be Forced into Love, Isn't This Wrong?-Chapter 85.2: One night with a princess

"I didn't expect you to arrive so early," Minoja remarked, observing Loraviel already waiting outside the main gate.

"Judge," Loraviel greeted with a slight bow, "I was just a bit worried that Princess Liana might oversleep and miss the opening of the festival."

"Whether Princess Liana attends the festival is for her to decide, but what I am doing now is ensuring that she is awake before the festival starts. It is my duty as Princess Liana's personal maid," Loraviel explained.

"I see," Minoja nodded. "I've heard about you from the princess. I'd like to hear your thoughts."

"About the matter with my teacher?" Loraviel asked.

"Yes, what kind of teacher are you looking for?" Minoja inquired.

"The stricter, the better. I believe that would allow me to progress the fastest," Loraviel responded.

"Eh? Minoja, Loraviel, what are you talking about?" Olifina, who was nearby, had not heard about this yet.

"Lady Olifina," Loraviel briefly explained the situation.

"That's great!" Olifina grabbed Loraviel's hand, genuinely happy for her, "You can finally escape Princess Liana's clutches!"

"I'm sorry, Lady Olifina."

"There's no need to apologize to me. I know my combat style isn't suitable for you, so what I taught you was just the basics to strengthen yourself. You have great talent and capability, and you're very hardworking. For me to teach you would be a waste," Olifina said.

"Thank you." Loraviel felt cared for and helped everywhere she went; it hardly matched the hardship she was supposed to endure.

So, for Princess Liana's sake, Loraviel now had to work even harder.

"I wasn't asking whether you need a strict teacher, but which path you need to take," Minoja clarified, "I've observed you for a while, and you have the makings of an excellent warrior, as well as the potential to be a fine mage. In this world, the profession of a mage is the most noble."

"I want to become an assassin," Loraviel stated.

"Oh? An assassin isn't exactly a reputable profession, you know. The outside perception is quite negative," Minoja warned.

"While my talents and abilities indeed suit it, I wouldn't easily recommend it to anyone."

"I know, but that's just other people's perspectives, isn't it?"

"Just like with Princess Liana, it's just other people's opinions."

"A good realization there. I understand," Minoja acknowledged, already considering a potential candidate for Loraviel's mentorship.

"Why is it so lively so early in the morning?" Mepeilu emerged, her silhouette slow and composed in the pure white light.

Is this what a grand princess looks like? Loraviel marveled again.

"Princess, I was waiting for Princess Liana," Loraviel said.

"Is that so? It's still early, and Liana is still asleep upstairs. Let's not wake her just yet," Mepeilu suggested.

"But I'm not sure if Princess Liana is planning to attend the opening of the festival. If she oversleeps now, I'll be scolded..."

"Don't worry, she won't oversleep because she promised me she would compete," Mepeilu assured with a smile. "However, you are free to wake her up if you want."

"Then we'll go ahead, Olifina, Loraviel, have fun at the festival later."

"Yes!"

The three bowed to Mepeilu.

"Are you going to stand here with me, or go up to check on Princess Liana?" Olifina asked.

Although it felt a bit unfair to Liana, Loraviel really wanted to make sure everything was alright with her.

"Time is still sufficient, but preparations need to be made in advance."

"I'll go up first," Loraviel decided.

"Alright, if Princess Liana does anything strange to you, just call me. I'll be there as fast as I can," Olifina offered.

"Okay."

Loraviel ascended to the third floor and approached the familiar door, reaching out her hand to turn the knob.

"It's locked..."

Was this lock meant to guard against her by Princess Mepeilu? But locking one's door is quite normal, Loraviel thought, trying «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» not to overthink it.

Waiting was slightly awkward; Loraviel sat stiffly on a chair, unable to touch anything in the room. Usually, she could do some chores in Liana's room or watch Liana sleep.

If it came to it, she could even pass the time with a magic book, but now, she was in someone else's room—Princess Mepeilu's.

At that moment, a phrase Shamming Zhu once said seemed apt.

The items here, Loraviel couldn't even sigh at any of them.

"Is that Miss Loraviel?" A well-dressed woman came up with breakfast.

"Hello," Loraviel stood up, recognizing her as the person from Princess Mepeilu yesterday.

Being a princess, yet only having one person to look after her, that person must be extraordinary.

"Don't be so formal, and no need for honorifics. I am just a person like you," the maid said with a smile as she placed the breakfast on the table. "It's about time, isn't it? I wonder if Princess Liana will attend the festival."

"I'm not sure either. I just came to make sure Princess Liana didn't oversleep," Loraviel checked the time; it was nearly 8 AM, almost time to wake Princess Liana.

The festival was set to start at eight. If Princess Liana lingered in bed, had breakfast, changed her clothes, and got ready, considering the crowd at the festival, being late would be troublesome.

"I'll leave you to it then," the maid said after setting up the breakfast and departed.

Loraviel approached the door, ready to wake Liana.

...

Around 5:30 AM, Liana had already awoken. She looked at the unfamiliar ceiling and then at the empty space beside her, reaching out her hand—the warmth of the bed had already cooled.

It seemed Mepeilu had left quite early.

Liana rubbed her head, wondering if she had slept so deeply because of the comfort or perhaps because of the exhaustion from traveling and the busy day before.

She checked the time; it wasn’t too late, there was still some time to dawdle.

But Liana thought she heard some noises outside. It should be Mepeilu getting ready in the palace by now, and there shouldn’t be anyone else in the house.

Had someone forgotten something and come back to fetch it?

Surely no one would dare to enter the princess's room to steal anything.

Leaning against the wall, Liana listened to the noises outside. Though she couldn’t make out any words, she could occasionally hear breathing sounds.

It seemed to be Loraviel.

Even though Liana knew why Loraviel might be there, it was better not to keep her waiting.

After a quick shower, Liana browsed through her wardrobe for something suitable to wear.

Having someone to take care of her was convenient. Usually, Liana didn’t have to worry about her outfits because Loraviel would have already prepared what she needed to wear in an excellent position. Loraviel had a good eye for fashion and always chose outfits that suited Liana well.

But when she thought about it, it wasn’t really necessary; she could just pick something she usually wore. After all, no one would care much about it, especially since the king already knew about this matter, there was no need for her to prepare specifically.

After dressing, Liana opened her bedroom door.

"Loraviel?" Liana expressed her surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Indeed, Liana was somewhat puzzled, as Loraviel was now standing right at the door, the two of them face to face.

"Sorry, Princess Liana," Loraviel stepped back with a bow, "I wasn’t sure if you were going to participate in the opening of the festival, so I came to make sure you wouldn’t oversleep. Rest assured, I haven't entered uninvited; I have Princess Mepeilu’s permission." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Did you prepare all this?" Liana gestured to the tea and pastries on the dining table.

"It was personally prepared by Princess Mepeilu," Loraviel responded.

"I see," Liana began to enjoy her breakfast, "Please help me with my hair."

Since Liana knew Loraviel was outside, she didn’t use a hairdryer and simply towel-dried her hair.

"Sure."

Loraviel helped Liana style her hair while Liana sat at the chair, enjoying her breakfast.

After the preparations were finished, around seven o'clock—slightly later than expected, mainly due to spending extra time on her hairstyle—Liana asked, "How does it look, Mepeilu?"

Liana looked at herself in the mirror. It appeared to be a side fishtail braid. She wasn’t sure about the specifics, but it looked pretty good.

"Not bad," Liana stood up, "It's about time."

"Lady Olifina is waiting downstairs, shall I call her to join us?" Loraviel asked.

"Olifina? She really is a responsible one," Liana commented as she walked downstairs.

"Our Princess Liana has decided not to choose the window seat," Olifina noted.

"After all, I promised to sleep by the door with Mepeilu. Such a hassle, I wish I hadn’t agreed," Liana said, making sure they could hear her.

"I didn’t expect Princess Liana to keep her promise," Olifina was somewhat surprised.

Now that there was no need to make others dislike her, it was better to start changing their perceptions from the small details.

"Are you coming with us?" Liana asked.

"After all, it's a festival, and it seems Princess Mepeilu needs to make some announcements on stage," Olifina followed behind Liana.

"But to say, this is the biggest festival in recent years. Just a few steps away and you see a noble, and many contenders I rarely see are also here."

This was a gathering of characters usually unnoticed, though it didn’t matter much.

Moreover, the Venus Gardens had a special area set up, with refreshments and tea already prepared.

"Countess Ruth," Liana greeted Countess Ruth before casually finding a seat to sit down.

"Good morning, Liana," Eileen chose a seat next to Liana intentionally, settling down beside her.