There was a somewhat awkward silence as the boat floated on the lake.

The sky was beautiful and the water was clean. Lorette called out to Prince Sisef, who was sitting across from her, admiring the scenery of the lake, full of flowers and trees.

“Look, there are fish gathering there. I heard that they recently bought a lot of beautifully colored fish and pooled them, let’s go there once.”

“…….”

“Prince…?”

But Sisef’s gaze was still far away. After calling several times, an answer came back.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Is there something on your mind?”

Lorette asked cautiously, and Sisef smiled and shook his head.

“No.”

“If you are busy…..”

“No, I am not.”

Sisef said with a smile.

“You look unhappy.”

“I’m fine.”

“I wish Hazel would come with me.”

“She doesn’t want to see me now.”

Sisef said with a bitter smile. Lorette was perplexed and spoke after seeing his expression.

It can’t be. You two are friends. You’ve been friends for a long time, so if there’s been a misunderstanding, it’ll be resolved soon.”

“Actually, I went to apologize earlier.”

“And?”

“I was kicked out. With the sudden disrespect, I was asked not to come anymore.”

“Is that my sister?”

Lorette opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“I was sent away without giving any tea. I was so embarrassed.”

“I don’t think sister would do such a thing.”

“She’s very angry. She acted as if she would never see me again.”

“She must be angry, but she forgets quickly if the Prince apologizes.”

“Yes, I did.”

“…….”

“It doesn’t look like it will be easy this time. It seems that what happened before caused her a great deal of hurt.”

“I’ll try to make sister feel better.”

Lorette’s words brought a big smile to Sisef’s face.

“By the way, since when did you start calling Hazel that?”

“What?”

“You call her ‘sister.’”

“Not long ago.”

Lorette’s face began to blush slightly.

“Sister….she gave me permission.”

“What about Hazel?”

Sisef looked incredulous.

“She said she would treat me as a sister from now on.”

“…….”

“What’s going on?”

“She seems to have changed so suddenly.”

“I was a little surprised, too… But I think sister meant it. And so…I’m happy.”

Lorette smiled. It was a smile filled with pure joy.

“It seemed that she would never accept me as her sister. But, I was really surprised that she helped me at the welcome party the other day and lent me the queen’s necklace.”

“She’s changed a lot, hasn’t she? But why all of a sudden….”

Sisef’s face was still full of suspicion as he nodded in agreement with Lorette’s words.

“I don’t know. But from now on, she said she’d consider me as a younger sister, so I’m happy to have an older sister to rely on. I envied my close friends whenever they bragged about their sisters or brothers.”

“You’re about to have a brother.”

“My mother will probably devote all her love to her new child. Even more so if it’s a prince.”

A bitter smile spread across Lorette’s face.

“So I have to do better.”

“You are doing well enough.”

At Sisef’s encouragement, Lorette straightened her sullen face. The compliment that she was doing a good job seemed delightful, but her face was immediately filled with another worry.

“…I’m concerned about Hazel, she hasn’t been feeling well lately. I’m acting on her behalf, but I don’t think it’s perfect.

“As long as Hazel trusts you, you’ll do well.”

“Compared to sister, I’m lacking a lot. Sister is regal and beautiful in all positions.”

“There is no need to compare.”

“Really?”

Lorette looked a little relieved by Sisef’s words.

“Of course.”

“I’m sure sister will calm down soon. I wish there was something I could do to help.”

“There’s no point in trying. I’ve been kicked out so many times, no matter how hard I tried.”

“Maybe I should try to convince her.”

Lorette said, thinking it over. Sisef’s eyes widened, as if her words were a surprise. He had never seen Lorette try to do something like this before.

“You?”

“She likes fancy and fun things. There are a lot of things that she might like about the delegation’s visit. If I can get her to attend the event, she’ll be able to communicate much more calmly.”

“But she didn’t seem to want to attend. She even said she wasn’t feeling well.”

“I don’t think she’s very sick.”

When Lorette said that, Sisef started to chuckle.

“Seeing as how she was so angry….. Still, if she is not willing to attend, it’s no use.”

“My mother is doing her best to prepare for this event. She said there will be a masquerade ball the night after tomorrow.”

During the stay of the imperial delegation, various events were prepared in the royal palace to promote harmony between the two countries. There were various balls, including a welcome ball on the first day, as well as jousting and hunting competitions and other martial arts events.

Of these, the most anticipated by the court was the masquerade ball.

“Whether you are from Demophos or Land, we should be in harmony together. It will be held in the largest and most beautiful banquet hall in the palace, so it will be really interesting!”

Lorette said cheerfully, thinking that Hazel would have to move at least this much. However, thinking how Hazel had changed, Sisef asked in an unconfident voice.

“Do you think Hazel would attend?”

“I’ll ask her. And since sister likes masquerade balls the most, I think she’ll be into it when she hears about it.”

Lorette’s voice quickened.

“I think Hazel will be happy to hear this.”

Lorette smiled happily as Sisef said.

“What kind of mask will you wear?”

Lorette smiled, “That is a secret.”

Sisef said mischievously.

“Then I’ll keep it to myself.”

Then, Lorette said with a shy smile.

“But the masquerade….I’m worried about your brother.”

“Achilleon?”

“He doesn’t seem to be good at dancing or talking. As if sociability was removed from birth.”

“Because he spent most of his time on the battlefield.”

“He gets bored with all the talk at the balls and other social gatherings. And if he even has to wear a mask, it is likely it would make him irritated. He would definitely say ‘Are you going to make me play the ‘geisha’s game’?”

As if he could already see the whole scene, Sisef said with a deep sigh.

“Well then… What shall we do? Everyone will be disappointed if the Princess and the Crown Prince won’t attend.”

“Nevertheless, he’s here on behalf of the Empire, and it is essential for an important event. Land has carefully prepared for this event.”

“Yes, if the Crown Prince attends … I believe that sister must also attend.”

Lorette smiled.

“I will certainly bring her to the ball. Please wait for me.”

“Also, no one will see her face at the masquerade ball.”

“But her voice, the color of her eyes and her hair… you’ll recognize her at a glance.”

It was true that the voice could tell the identity of a masked person in numbers of ways.

“However, I think Hazel is quite good at disguises.”

Sisef sighed.

“We made a bet before on who would recognize each other first at the ball, and I lost terribly. Hazel really hid herself well.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know that.”

“That was before you came to the palace, so you wouldn’t know.”

“Oh, I see. By the way, what kind of bet did you make?”

“…….”

Sisef seemed to think about it for a moment, but then burst into laughter.

“What is it?” Lorette urged.

Suddenly, the ship lost its balance for a moment as Lorette approached Sisef, eager to know.

“It’s dangerous.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Lorette blushed and sat down again. The swaying boat slowly stopped its movements.

Sisef smiled and stared at Lorette, who was waiting anxiously for an answer. However, instead of answering the question, he reached out and grasped the oar.

“It’s time to go back.”

He began to paddle as hard as he could.

***

When Lorette returned from playing in the lake and quietly mentioned the day’s events, Lady Pais’s eyes flashed.

“Hazel refused to meet Prince Sisef?”

Lady Pais, who was sitting on the sofa, leaning against the feather pillows, sat up quickly.

Lorette stood in front of Lady Pais, looking at her mother with an uncomfortable face.

“Yes, she did.”

“Hazel, what’s wrong with her?”

“Well, the prince looked a bit flustered.” Lorette looked carefully at her mother’s face and said so.

“The Prince went there to apologize for something he did in the past, but Hazel gave him a hard time?”

“I’m not sure about that either. But I have a feeling that sister is really angry this time.”

“Could you please stop with the ‘sister’?”

Lady Pais made a crisp sound and Lorette flinched.

“She only loaned you the necklace once. Do you really think she’s your sister now?”

“…But…”

“Hazel thinks you’re no better than a towel to wipe her feet with!”

With a heartbreaking thought, Lorette sank lower and lower.

“But really, she’s changed a lot lately. She even sent me cookies through my maidservant and told me to tell you whenever I needed jewelry…..”

“How can you be deceived so easily by such flattery?”

“…….”

“It’s ridiculous. It’s because you don’t think about it enough. You haven’t the slightest idea what that fox-like thing is thinking right now!”

“Oh, mother.”

“How frustrating.”

Lady Pais, sat on the sofa, fanning herself as if to cool off her heat. At the sight of her, Lorette cautiously reached out to her.

“The baby will be surprised. Please calm down a little.”

“I’ll take care of myself!”

Lady Pais shouted and threw her fan at Lorette. The fan grazed her face.

“Oh.”

Lady Pais, momentarily startled, paused and said, as Lorette covered her face with a puzzled expression.

“…Why are you provoking me like that?”