CHAPTER 209: BLUE, RED... AND MINE ALONE

[Lavinia’s POV — Lily Boutique, Continued]

As Eleania stood there trembling—trying and failing to mask the storm brewing behind her painted smile—I felt... how do I even put this? Ah, yes. A HEAVENLY FEELING.

Call me wicked. Call me a bully princess. Call me a BITCH with a crown. I won’t deny it. Because the girl in front of me? She was no innocent dove either. A snake hissing behind silk gloves doesn’t get to play "victim" when the hawk swoops in.

I chuckled lightly, the sound sweet as honey but sharp as a blade. "Hahaha... oh, Osric, really now? You shouldn’t tease a lady so harshly."

Then I tilted my head, eyes sliding to Eleania like a cat toying with a cornered mouse. "After all... she may have a slight lack of etiquette..." My smile widened, glittering like broken glass. "...but we mustn’t be too cruel. We should also be understanding, shouldn’t we?"

Her jaw ticked. Her knuckles whitened. Oh, I was savoring every second.

Finally, I leaned forward with the most dazzling smile I could summon and purred, "Lady Eleania. Do take a seat. Osric was only jesting. You wouldn’t think my knight truly meant it, would you?"

"...Tha... thank you, Your Highness," she forced out, her voice as brittle as cracked porcelain.

I waved a hand like a benevolent goddess dismissing a beggar. "Think nothing of it."

Then, without sparing her another glance, I turned toward the boutique owner, snapping the mood like glass under my heel. "Well then—shall we begin with the dresses? I do not have the luxury of wasting an entire day here."

The owner bobbed her head so fast, her proud attitude vanished somewhere in the air, then hurried away with her attendants, muttering orders as they scurried like ants.

"Osric," I said sweetly, patting the space beside me, "sit. Here. By me."

He obeyed immediately, settling beside me like he belonged there—which, of course, he did.

Lady Sirella gave a polite smile, her voice light but far too curious. "Lord Osric and Your Highness seem... rather close."

I turned my gaze on her slowly. Oh, the way she stiffened under it. She flailed, backpedaling as though I’d pulled a blade on her.

"I—I meant no offense, Your Highness. Truly. I was only... remarking."

I tilted my head, then let a smile bloom across my lips as I slid my hand around Osric’s arm. My nails tapped lightly against his sleeve.

"Of course we’re close," I said smoothly, almost lazily, as if the thought was obvious to anyone with functioning eyes. "Osric is not just the future heir of Everheart. He is my protector... my shadow... and above all—" I leaned into him, my cheek brushing his shoulder, "—my only trusted mate. We grew up together, you see."

I didn’t even need to look to feel it: the sharp sting of Eleania’s glare burning into my skin. Hatred, jealousy, fury—it rolled off her like smoke from a fire.

And then—RATTLE!

The attendants returned, arms piled high with gowns. At last—thank the merciful heavens—these dresses looked wearable. Fabric that flowed like water, colors that breathed sophistication, and jewels that whispered, rather than screamed.

"Finally," I muttered under my breath with a sigh of relief. "Something meant for a human being to wear... not for a greedy crow trying to outshine the sun with stolen diamonds."

Osric chuckled beside me, low and rich, the kind of laugh that slithered right under my skin. "Greedy crow? Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself, Lavi?"

I gasped, clutching my chest like a scandalized maiden and whispered. "Excuse me?! Are you implying I am greedy?"

He tilted his head, lips curving in that wicked half-smile. "Well... aren’t you?"

I narrowed my eyes, leaning in close enough that our noses nearly brushed. "Why on earth would I be greedy, Osric? Hmm? I am the Crown Princess. My coffers are already bursting with jewels, silks, palaces... and your unwavering loyalty. What more could I possibly desire?"

He leaned closer still, his voice a husky whisper that made my ears burn. "I don’t know... maybe the memory of you giggling like a thief outside the royal treasury room after you collected taxes from the nobles?"

I choked silently. "Wha—!! You—you saw that?!"

Osric’s smirk deepened, wolfish and far too satisfied. "Clear as day. You were practically glowing. Like a dragon admiring her newest pile of gold."

I sputtered, cheeks heating. "That was not greed! That was—appreciation! Appreciation of hard work!"

"Yes...yes...I know."

I slapped his arm lightly, huffing. "You are impossible!"

Before he could retort, I shot to my feet, skirts swishing dramatically, my chin tilted high. "I shall... look for a dress now."

And off I went, weaving through glittering racks of gowns. One after another slipped beneath my fingers—silks, satins, velvets. A graceful off-shoulder gown, a sleek high-neck sleeveless cut, and even a daring backless piece that made me pause for exactly three seconds before shaking my head furiously.

"They’re elegant," I murmured, almost to myself, sliding the fabric between my fingertips. "So elegant. But... something feels missing."

The boutique owner, who had been hovering nearby with stars in her eyes, immediately stepped in, bowing low. "Your Highness, if any of the designs fail to satisfy, I can have them re-patterned, re-stitched, or even re-enchanted if you desire. Anything you dream of, I will make it so."

I hummed, pretending to ponder. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I turned toward the only opinion that truly mattered. "Osric... what do you think?"

He stiffened, his confident knightly air evaporating in an instant. He glanced at the gowns—first left, then right, then left again. His expression was pure panic, like I had just asked him to recite poetry in front of the entire empire.

"I... uh..." His jaw clenched. He looked at me, then back at the dresses, then back at me again. "Lavi, I... don’t know much about ladies’ dresses."

I sighed. "What even was I expecting from a man?"

He exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. And then—his eyes softened, his tone dropping low, quiet, almost shy. "But... I just know... you’d look beautiful in blue. And in red."

I blinked.

Blue. Red. So simple, so unpolished, yet it pierced straight through me like an arrow.

Slowly, a smile curled at my lips. "Blue... or red, hm? That’s all it takes to sway me?"

He shrugged helplessly, rubbing the back of his neck, ears faintly pink. "It’s just... those colors suit you. Blue like the sky... red like fire. Both... like you."

I tilted my head, warmth spilling into my chest despite myself. "Hmph. You know, Osric, for a man who ’knows nothing of dresses,’ you’ve managed to say the sweetest thing I’ve heard all day."

His lips tugged into the faintest, warm grin.

I straightened, brushing the fabric of a deep sapphire gown, then letting my hand linger over a crimson one beside it. "Then... I’ll choose something in blue. Or red. After all, why not honor the man whose opinion matters most?"

His gaze locked on mine, steady and unyielding, and for a moment the boutique, the dresses, and even Eleania’s burning glares melted away.

Just me. Just him. And the ridiculous flutter in my chest.

But of course... the gods refuse to let me enjoy peace for more than ten seconds with my lover.

A sugary-sweet poisonous voice cut through the air.

"My, how enviable..." Eleania’s tone was dipped in honey, though her eyes gleamed like knives. "To have Lord Osric—Everheart’s heir, protector of the Crown Princess, and soon-to-be one of the empire’s highest men—choose your gown for you. It must be... reassuring, Your Highness, to have such loyalty bound so tightly to your side."

Her smile curved gracefully, but her words dripped with poison. "Though... some might say it is unfair for one man to give all his devotion to a single woman, leaving so little for duty, honor, or... anyone else."

Ah. There it was. A noblewoman’s strike—gentle in delivery, vicious in intent.

I turned toward her slowly, like a queen bored with her jester. "Mmm... unfair, you say? But isn’t that the very definition of loyalty, Lady Eleania? To give it wholly, without scattering it like cheap coin?"

Osric’s arm flexed beneath my hand, the faintest chuckle escaping his throat.

I leaned forward ever so slightly, letting my smile stretch—sweet, sharp, untouchable. "Besides, it is only natural that I receive all his loyalty. After all... who else could possibly deserve such a man other than me?"

Her lips trembled. For a fleeting second, I thought she might shatter then and there. But no—Eleania pasted on that polished, poisonous smile of hers, the kind nobles wear when they’d rather bite off their own tongue than admit defeat.

"...Of course, Your Highness is right." Her voice was soft and carefully reverent, but her eyes betrayed her. They flicked toward Osric—hungry, desperate, jealous—like a snake flicking its tongue at prey it could never claim.

"It is only natural for Lord Osric to devote himself fully... to you," she continued, voice sugared but edged with venom. "After all, not every woman is fortunate enough to capture such steadfast loyalty. Not every woman... is blessed with the kind of affection that makes a man ignore all others as though they do not exist."

And there it was.The slip. The truth beneath her noble mask.

Her jealousy—clear, raw, and ugly.Jealousy... over my man.

My smile curled wider as if I had just watched a mask crack into pieces.

Yes. This was entertainment. This was power.

And Eleania? She had just revealed her true face.