Chapter 2: The Intel and the "Lady" StrategyI spent the next three hours draped across a chaise longue. Not because I wanted to—I'm eighteen, not eighty—but because three different doctors insisted that "excessive verticality" would stress my delicate heart.
I didn't care. I had a mission. If I was trapped in a romance novel, I needed to know the players before the "Main Event."
"Tell me," I said, leaning toward my head maid, Mina, with a bluntness that would have gotten me kicked out of any finishing school. "Give me the lowdown. Who is the lady in the burgundy dress? And who exactly is this 'Saintess' everyone keeps whispering about? I want names, titles, and rumors."
I expected Mina to gasp. I expected her to faint at my lack of "soft, lyrical lilts." Instead, she didn't even flinch. She just leaned in, her eyes darting toward the heavy oak doors.
"Lower your voice, My Lady!" Mina hissed, her hand hovering near my mouth. "If the Crown Prince hears you speaking so... energetically, he'll think you've recovered your strength! Do you want him to stop sending the pearl-infused tonics?"
I blinked. "I—wait, what?"
The other maids moved with practiced efficiency, closing the curtains and checking the hallways. The "Little Lily" act, it seemed, was a team effort.
The Dossier"The lady in burgundy," Mina whispered, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial murmur, "is Lady Vesperia von Thorne. The 'Iron Duchess.' She's the primary obstacle to your engagement. She's cold, she's logical, and she has the Prince's respect. But she doesn't have his pity, and that is where you win."
"And the other one?" I asked, my university-student brain trying to keep up with the shift in tone.
"Saintess Seraphina de Luce," a second maid chimed in, buffing my fingernails with aggressive speed. "The 'Dawn of the Kingdom.' She's currently at the Great Temple, but she'll be back for the Spring Gala. She's your real threat. She can faint better than anyone in three provinces."
I stared at them, totally confused. "Wait, you're not shocked that I'm being blunt? You're not worried about my 'dignified elegance'?"
Mina paused, looking at me like I was the one being slow. "Do you no longer want to impress the Crown Prince and defeat that man-stealing Saintess, My Lady?" she whispered. "You've spent months perfecting this 'Ethereal Feather' persona. If you stop now, Seraphina will swoop in with her 'Distant Star' routine and take the Prince right out from under your nose!"
The Confusion of the CourtI felt the gears in my head grinding. So, the "Original Liliana" wasn't a victim of the world's physics—she was a pro. She had been weaponizing her clumsiness to keep the Prince's attention anchored to her. This wasn't a curse; it was a tactical maneuver.
"So... me falling on my face earlier... that was a good thing?" I asked.
"It was a masterstroke!" Mina beamed. "The way you landed on Sir Alistair's boot? Pure genius. He's been polishing that armor for three hours just thinking about it."
I leaned back, my head spinning. I was an eighteen-year-old student who just wanted to get home to my spicy chips, but I had inherited a life that was essentially a high-stakes game of "Who Can Be the Most Fragile."
"Right," I muttered. "So if I act like a 'True Lady'—calculated, strong, and walking in a straight line—I lose the Prince?"
"You'll lose everything," the maid warned. "Vesperia will mock you, the Saintess will replace you, and the Prince will find a new 'lily' to protect."
I looked at my hands. I thought about Lady Vesperia—how cool she looked, how sharp her eyes were. I didn't want to fight for a Prince who liked "porcelain dolls." I wanted to be like her. But apparently, in this house, "strength" was considered a forfeit.
"I need to see the Saintess," I said, my voice determined. "If she's my rival in the 'Fragility Games,' I need to see her technique."
"Not yet, My Lady!" Mina panicked. "You're still 'recovering' from the heavy air! If you walk too soon, it'll look like you're faking!"
I groaned, burying my face in a pillow. "Fine. But bring me Vesperia's schedule. If I can't be her, I'm going to follow her around until I learn how to stand up without a three-man escort."