Chapter 104

What happened last night with Mom and Michelle turned out to be completely pointless.

Wearing the pants the princess had gifted me, I was now giving her a tour of the estate. Who knew how long she’d be staying here, but if she was going to feel at home, she at least needed to know where everything was.

After realizing she was a fellow lover of the wallflower lifestyle like me, I felt an immediate and excessive sense of kinship.

It was during this stroll around the house with Princess Florin that Mom spotted us.

The moment she saw what I was wearing, her face shifted like she was about to faint. But just as she opened her mouth to scold me, her eyes caught sight of the princess following close behind — and she was struck speechless.

“They’re traditional clothes from Gellang. The princess gave them to me as a gift.”

After all, what’s more awkward than receiving a gift and not using it?

Before Mom could scold me, I quickly made my case.

The pants were exactly as I’d imagined—light, soft, and comfortable. The ultimate loungewear.

Realizing that her outfit was drawing a bit too much attention, the princess had taken hers off. But me? I was like a fish in water, bouncing around without a care.

“Mom, look at this! You can even do splits in these! See?”

Heaven help me, these pants felt so airy it was like wearing nothing at all. I was in bliss.

“Vivian!”

Mom clutched her forehead and sharply called my name.

“…Go change and show the princess around the capital or something, okay?”

I mean, touring is part of proper hospitality for important guests, right?

“Nope. The hospitality’s already underway.”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t that right, Princess Florin?”

I grinned at her. In her arms was a book—The Demon Duke Is Obsessed With Me.

“If you finish this one today, we can read another tomorrow. I’ve got more new releases, not just the ones in my room. Although those are technically my brother’s…”

“Vivian!”

What in the world is this girl saying!?

Even if Mom didn’t care about forging ties with Gellang, she had no desire to make her own son look ridiculous. The idea of Sasha reading romance novels was probably not the kind of impression she wanted the princess to have. She rushed to clamp down on my words.

“Uh, I-I meant, I snuck them into my brother’s library. My room’s already overflowing with books.”

“I see.”

Princess Florin didn’t seem particularly interested in Sasha anyway.

“Well then, let’s go in and read some more. Michelle?”

“Yes, miss?”

“Go bring us some cookies, okay? With milk. Please?”

“Um, to where?”

“My room. No—actually, the room the princess is staying in.”

With that, I resumed showing Princess Florin around the estate.

“Alright, Your Highness. Now lie down like this.”

I smiled slyly, luring her in. I was already lying on my stomach on the bed with a book, just like I usually did.

After hesitating a moment, Princess Florin kicked off her slippers and lay down next to me, mirroring my posture.

“It’s… it’s comfortable.”

“Right? Now! You dip a cookie into the milk like this—really soak it—and pop it in your mouth.”

I dunked one of the chocolate cookies Michelle had prepared into the milk and devoured it in a single bite. Princess Florin followed suit, and her eyes sparkled.

“It’s delicious!”

“Isn’t it?”

I felt proud, passing on these hidden gems of comfort to a fellow homebody.

* * *

An afternoon spent lying side by side reading together—and I grew close to the princess at remarkable speed. I think I had quite a few friends, but in truth, that was probably because Sasha was always by my side. When I thought about it, I didn’t really have anyone I could call a true friend.

But there are things only a conversation between women can fulfill—things neither a twin brother nor a lover can provide. Talking with Princess Florin reminded me of the joy I’d forgotten.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

Though she used to stammer shyly, she’d grown more comfortable around me, and her voice now sounded relaxed.

“About yesterday…why did you choose my brother?”

“Your brother? Oh, you mean the young lord?”

“Yes. Sasha. His full name’s Alessandro Roha.”

I hate to admit it, but Sasha is quite good-looking. Not my type, but still. Unlike me, the textbook outsider, he’s from a Viscount family and has always had people flocking to him, even despite that disadvantage.

And based on what I’ve observed, there were plenty of young ladies who blushed just looking at him. That’s why I’d actually half-expected Princess Florin might’ve fallen for him at first sight—that it might turn into one of those grand romances.

But her answer was surprisingly simple and clear.

“His hair color…”

“His hair color?”

“He was the only one who had the same hair color as you, so I assumed he was your brother.”

“…What?”

She smiled softly.

“Even in Gellang, this country’s newspapers are quite well-known. According to my brother Garbo, many scholars are studying it as a groundbreaking method that drastically reduced illiteracy rates in a short period of time.”

What? Seriously? Now I was the one surprised.

“So I had a few copies imported and read them. Including the serialized novels.”

Apparently, Gellang doesn’t have a romance genre. While the princess and I share a love for books, her experience had mostly been with practical texts—until she discovered romance novels through newspaper serializations.

“I was truly shocked the first time I saw one.”

She said it was eye-opening to realize that writing could be used not just to gain knowledge but as a form of entertainment and leisure.

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”

“To me?”

“Yes.”

Nodding, she now confidently brought a cookie to her mouth. At first, she used to flinch whenever crumbs fell, but after I told her, “You just shake it off once or twice before bed!”, she seemed to relax.

“In my country, the literacy rate is very high, but people don’t enjoy reading.”

To most, reading was merely a necessary tool—not a hobby or form of joy.

“That’s why I envy this country.”

“Then why not create novels like this in Gellang too?”

I offered lightly, thinking it couldn’t be that hard.

“What do you mean, my lady?”

“Your Highness, you’re fluent in both Gellang’s language and ours, aren’t you?”

“Well, yes. I’ve studied it since I was a child.”

“Exactly. So someone like you, who’s fluent in both speech and writing, could translate these romance novels and export them to Gellang.”

“Hmm?”

“You said lots of people there can read, right? Then I bet these books would be hugely popular there too.”

The princess fell silent, thinking it over.

“But… we don’t even know who owns these books.”

She meant we’d need the author’s permission to translate them.

I smiled at her. Now was the perfect time to let my connections shine.

“Your Highness, would you like to step outside for a bit?”

“Outside? Why?”

“Because there’s someone you need to meet.”

* * *

The Duke of Grey’s estate—by now, it was so familiar to me that I could practically call it my second home. But Princess Florin, dragged here without warning, looked a little bewildered.

“Lady Roha, where are we?”

“This is the Grey Ducal Estate.”

“The Grey… Ducal Estate?”

Princess Florin turned to me with a slightly flustered expression.

“Why are we here? Who am I supposed to meet?”

Seeing her confusion, I explained as naturally as possible.

“The Duchess Grey is something of an expert when it comes to novels. You could say… she’s my mentor.”

At my words, the princess’s eyes widened as if they might spill over.

“The Duchess Grey?”

“Yes. So I’m sure once you meet her, Your Highness, you’ll like her too.”

With full confidence, I climbed the grand stairs of the mansion. Perhaps word had already spread of my arrival—because the butler was already waiting in the entrance hall.

“Lady Vivian… and this guest is…?”

“Oh, this is Princess Florin of Gellang.”

“P-Princess?”

The surprised butler looked quite taken aback, so I quickly asked him to let the duchess know we had a visitor. I’d heard that nothing ever startled this long-serving butler, but it seemed even he hadn’t anticipated a royal guest today.

“Coming here unannounced like this…”

His tone hinted that perhaps this was improper, but I waved off the concern.

“It’s fine. Everyone here loves me.”

I said it loud enough for Princess Florin to hear. Just then, the familiar sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway—clearly, the Duchess was on her way.

“Vivi! What brings you here without even sending word?”

Even though I’d been visiting nearly every day since Armin returned, the Duchess always greeted me like this, as if I were a rare delight.

“Oh my! And you brought a guest?”

“Madam, I did try to inform you…”

The elderly butler, unable to match the Duchess’s pace, was panting slightly behind her.

“Now, who might this be?”

“Yes, this is Princess Florin of Gellang.”

“The Princess? What brings Her Highness to this place?”

The Duchess was always warm toward me, but to others, she maintained a rather refined, urban demeanor. Hearing the cool formality in her voice, I quickly stepped forward.

“Um… she’s my friend!”

The words came out on impulse. I hadn’t formally asked the Princess to be my friend, but she was so gentle and mild that I doubted she’d mind me calling her one.

At the word friend, the Duchess’s expression transformed dramatically.

“Friend?”

“Yes.”

“Well, any friend of Vivi’s is more than welcome. Come in, come in. Butler? Prepare tea and refreshments, at once.”

Overjoyed by the fact that I had a friend, the Duchess reached out warmly to Princess Florin. Though a little caught off guard by the sudden change in demeanor, the Princess soon took the offered hand.

As the two stunning women walked down the hallway side by side, I watched from behind, quietly pleased with myself. It was a picture-perfect moment.