A Fake Marriage? Sure! …Wait, Is It Actually Fake? Something’s Not Right Here! - Chapter 26

It was the third day since Lidoria had started living with Alex in the embassy’s single-story residence.

Finally receiving permission from Alex, Lidoria returned to her duties at the palace.

“These past few days have been absolutely exhausting,” Amanda pouted the moment they finished the handover of simple tasks in the Crown Princess’s office.

“Sorry about that. Were there any urgent matters?” Lidoria approached the document box beside the office desk.

The document box was completely full.

As she quickly sorted through the papers—separating urgent from non-urgent, then personal from official she suddenly felt something was off.

“Huh? Aren’t there a lot of applications to become a maid? Did Her Highness the Crown Princess put out a call for them?”

She turned and asked Amanda, who shook her head with a grim expression.

“No. After that tea party, we started getting occasional inquiries about ‘any openings for maids,’ but ever since the exhibition match, it’s been a flood. The Crown Princess’s popularity is rising, and there’s a rumor that if you serve as her maid, you might get a chance to meet the Crown Prince’s royal guards. You and Sir Alex have become the talk of the town.”

“Ah…”

Perhaps because her strength drained away, the documents in her hand flopped back into the box.

Even though it’s a fake marriage.

No, to begin with, it’s a fake engagement that resulted from being bullied by Princess Melissa and Sena.

Why is it attracting so much attention?

“Her Highness the Crown Princess doesn’t seem inclined to hire new maids for now, so I’ve requested that rejection letters be written through the chamberlain for these applications.”

Amanda had only come to hand over duties. Today, Lidoria would be handling them.

“Understood. Where is Her Highness?”

“I think she’ll be here soon with Sheila. She’s in the wardrobe room.”

“The wardrobe room? Was something scheduled for today?”

As Lidoria sorted through the maid application documents from the box, Amanda replied in a bitter tone, “Not today, but…”

“Princess Melissa’s marriage partner is apparently arriving soon. So, they’re currently finalizing the attire for the audience and the banquet.”

“The third prince of Lavria Kingdom, right? Is it likely to be settled?”

“Not ‘likely’—it will be settled.” Amanda pointed a finger right in front of Lidoria’s nose.

“If it weren’t, you’d be divorced right after your wedding, wouldn’t you? That princess is still intently aiming for Sir Alex.”

“No way,” Lidoria laughed, but then she felt Amanda’s silent pressure and stopped sorting the documents.

“Huh? Are you serious?”

“The nasty harassment is still ongoing. The tablecloths stored in the tea set storage were stained with red wine, and yesterday, when Her Highness was strolling in the garden, they told her, ‘It’s the princess’s visiting hours now,’ and sent her away.”

“What? You’re reporting each incident to His Highness the Crown Prince, right?”

Amanda shook her head.

“Her Highness said she wants to handle it peacefully. Honestly, we’re the Crown Prince’s wife—his wife. The princess is in a position where she’ll eventually leave this royal castle. And besides, she’s probing about you too.”

“Me?”

“Like when you’ll return to duty, or how severe your injuries are.”

“What did you tell her?”

At Lidoria’s words, Amanda smirked mischievously.

“I said, ‘I don’t know about her injuries, but since she’s newlywed, it seems her husband won’t let her leave the bed. Her Highness the Crown Princess gave a wry smile.'”

“Wait a minute!”

Lidoria cried out, but Amanda just laughed.

“It’s not entirely wrong, is it? Three days ago, when Her Highness summoned Finley to ask about your condition, he turned bright red and said, ‘It seems my sister is so loved by Sir Alex that she hardly has time to change clothes.'”

“That’s not it! It’s because of the injuries! The clothes!”

“Yeah, yeah. The reason doesn’t matter. Her Highness was pleased. She said she’s glad Lidoria seems happy.”

“…If that’s the case, then fine.”

That was all she could say.

If at least someone is happy.

She felt like a saint.

As she slumped her shoulders and continued sorting the documents, the royal guard stationed outside the door announced a visitor. It seemed Sheila and Crown Princess Sophia had returned.

“Oh, Lidoria. Are your arm and body better now?”

Sheila opened the door, and Sophia entered the room gracefully. Lidoria bent one knee in a curtsy.

“My deepest apologies for my absence. Starting today, I will once again serve at your side.”

“Of course. I look forward to it as well.”

When Lidoria raised her head, she was relieved to see Sophia’s gentle smile.

Sheila slipped over to the corner of the room and began writing something on paper with a pen. It seemed the attire had been decided. She was probably preparing documents to order any missing items or to coordinate colors with the Crown Prince’s outfit. Lidoria asked Sophia,

“Have the garments been decided?”

“Yes. And about that, I need to apologize to you.”

“To me?”

Lidoria’s eyes widened in surprise, and Sophia spoke with a dejected expression.

“It’s about your and Sir Alex’s wedding banquet. I had told you that His Highness the Crown Prince and I would plan it, but with this visit from the Prince of Lavria Kingdom, it looks like it will be postponed.”

“That’s no problem at all!”

She swallowed the words, “In fact, permanent postponement would be fine.”

“I heard that the commander of the knight order Sir Alex belongs to is arranging a wedding celebration, I just found out yesterday. We were discussing the date. So, a postponement actually helps a lot.”

It was a lie, but Sophia seemed genuinely relieved.

“Oh, such plans. Once the date is officially set, I’d like to give you something. Please let me know.”

“That’s too kind. Your words alone are more than enough.”

Lidoria bowed her head, but Sophia glanced at Amanda and Sheila. Probably meaning, “Report to me when it’s decided.”

“Will Lidoria and Sheila be on duty today?”

Sophia sat at her desk and asked.

“Yes. I will be taking my leave after this. The chamberlain should be here in an hour, so official documents and such can be handled then.”

Amanda explained. Meanwhile, Lidoria presented the sorted urgent official documents to Sophia.

“There are many applications for maids, but I’d like to continue with just the three of us for a while. Is that alright?”

After glancing through several documents, Sophia looked up as if suddenly remembering something.

Amanda was preparing to leave, Lidoria was getting the next set of documents ready, and Sheila had just finished her writing.

“We are fine with that.”

“There is no issue.”

“As Her Highness the Crown Princess wishes.”

The three exchanged glances as they answered, and Sophia smiled as if relieved.

“Good. I still don’t know who I can trust. Even though it’s been three years since I married into this country, being like this means I’m failing.”

“Not at all.”

“Exactly. And once Princess Melissa is married, the situation may change again. You can reconsider then.”

When Amanda and Lidoria spoke, Sophia lowered her well-shaped eyebrows.

“You two are already married. You might have children in the future. Thinking ahead, I really should increase the staff in preparation for that.”

Hearing this, Amanda hesitated, but Lidoria puffed out her chest.

“I have no such worries at all! If anything happens, I’m prepared to work with Amanda’s child on my back!”

Sophia and Amanda stared at Lidoria blankly for a moment.

It was Sheila who burst out laughing.

“So that means Amanda would return to work right after giving birth.”

“Hey now. In that case, I’ll carry my own child.”

“It’s fine. I raised my little brother properly, you know. I have more childcare experience than you.”

As the three chattered cheerfully, Sophia’s expression gradually softened.

“Then, if in the future I also become pregnant with His Highness the Crown Prince’s child, may I rely on all of you?”

“Of course!”

The three maids pledged, “Leave it to us.”

Sophia smiled, then turned her gaze back to the documents.

Three years since her marriage.

Still, there were no signs of pregnancy for Sophia.

Lidoria and the others understood this was a great source of pressure for her.

“Then I will take my leave now.”

Amanda bowed. Confirming Sophia’s smiling nod, she exited.

“Lidoria.”

Sheila approached with two sheets of paper.

“It’s about the attire for the Prince of Lavria Kingdom’s visit. Could you deliver this to His Highness the Crown Prince’s office? I’d like to consult with Her Highness again about the missing garments.”

“Of course.”

Lidoria accepted and took one sheet, approaching Sophia’s desk.

“May I deliver this to His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Sophia quickly glanced over it and nodded.

“Thank you, Lidoria.”

“Understood.”

After a bow, Lidoria left the office.

“Take care.”

“Thank you. I’m going to the Crown Prince’s office. I’ll be back soon, so please take care of Her Highness the Crown Princess.”

The royal guards outside the door nodded respectfully. Lidoria returned their smiles, feeling warmth in her heart.

Until just half a month ago, they had been guarding with sullen expressions, thinking, “I just have to endure this until I’m 22,” but as the Crown Princess’s reputation improved, the way people viewed the royal guards must have changed too. Being looked at with respect, the royal guards gradually began to carry themselves with pride.

As she walked lightly down the second-floor corridor of the administrative wing, two knights approached from the opposite direction.

She noticed them because they were wearing the same Winged Lion Knight Order uniforms as Alex.

“Ah, Lady Lidoria.”

One of the knights gave a light salute and said that, making her fluster. Oh right, I’m married now.

“My husband is always in your care.”

Wondering if that was the right response, she bowed her head, and the two knights looked extremely flustered.

“We are the ones always indebted to the Vice-Commander. Just the other day, he helped us when our work wasn’t finished.”

“He even bought me a meal when I was broke.”

They said it with such serious faces that she couldn’t help but laugh.

Above all, she felt pleased to hear such human, senior-like anecdotes about Alex.

“Um, Lady Lidoria.”

“Yes?”

“Have you seen Sir Evan Ridley? Or perhaps he visited the Crown Princess’s office?”

Asked by the knight, Lidoria blinked. For a moment, she thought, “Who?” but then remembered.

He’s Sena’s fiancé.

“No, I haven’t seen him, and he hasn’t visited.”

When she shook her head, the knights exchanged glances and frowned.

“Then perhaps at Princess Melissa’s office?”

“But we just checked there, and they said he hadn’t visited.”

“Maybe Her Majesty the Queen’s?”

“That would be even less likely.”

As the knights debated, Lidoria tilted her head.

“Did Sir Evan say he was coming to this administrative wing?”

This building housed the offices of the Queen, Crown Princess, and Princess, along with their necessary departments, rooms, and storage. In contrast, the northern side of the royal castle had the administrative wing used by the King and Crown Prince, where they, as the Crown Prince’s royal guards, should be stationed.

“Yes. He told the person on standby, ‘I’ve been called by Lady Sena, so I’ll step away for a moment.”

“But he never returned. We have shift changes, so we had no choice but to come looking.”