The Princess Who Saw the Fall of Her Homeland Strives to Change Fate by Becoming the Cold Prince's Bride! - Chapter 17

“Next.”

Watching Romilda’s behavior, Richard must have decided her turn was over and urged the next person to speak.

The young lady sitting next to Romilda began her introduction timidly, but perhaps out of fear of Richard, she quickly ended it.

The next girl did the same. And the one after her too.

(…This is supposed to be a garden party, right? The atmosphere is more depressing than a funeral!)

In contrast to the glamorous venue, the mood in the air was terrible.

To switch gears, Elze secretly picked up a macaron from the plate in front of her and popped it into her mouth.

(Even if I end my introduction safely, Richard probably won’t remember me. In that case, I have to take a chance…!)

Elze didn’t have many cards to play.

But ever since she arrived here, she had definitely gained something she could use now.

(It’s okay… I can do this…!)

In her line of sight, it seemed the greetings from the first table of bride candidates had ended, and Richard was starting to move to the next table.

From the seating arrangement, it looked like Elze’s table would be the last.

(By the time he gets to us, I hope Richard isn’t completely bored and indifferent… Though, maybe he already is…)

As always, he looked uninterested.

Elze, checking out who was at the next table, noticed that Gloria and Amalia were there.

As soon as Richard took his seat, the first one to speak was Gloria.

“It has been a while, Prince Richard. We last met at the previous garden party, didn’t we?”

Elze was surprised by her extremely confident attitude.

According to the casual information she had gathered yesterday, Gloria was a lady from one of the most prestigious duke families in the Kingdom of Ernstahl.

Naturally, she likely had close ties with the royal family and was already acquainted with Richard.

The fact that she wasn’t overly eager, unlike Patricia earlier, also showed her composure.

“Let me formally introduce myself. I am Gloria from the House of Duke Liebner. It is truly an honor to meet Prince Richard as one of the bride candidates.”

“I see…” Elze admired her approach.

With Richard’s cold personality, pushy types like Patricia probably turn him off.

In that respect, Gloria clearly understood the boundary that should not be crossed.

She was appealing to the limit of what Richard would tolerate without irritating him.

This was a tactic that required analyzing Richard’s personality and planning accordingly.

As expected, Richard didn’t say anything.

Normally, not responding to someone who greets you would be considered quite rude, but this was Richard.

He usually rejected people with cold words. So being met with silence might actually be considered a positive reaction from him.

While everyone was impressed by Gloria’s tactics, the next to speak was one of her followers—Amalia, who had a habit of picking fights with Elze.

“I’ve heard Lady Gloria has a wonderful singing voice. Would you kindly perform for us here…?”

(Wait, is that even allowed?)

Instead of seizing the chance to speak for herself, Amalia tried to boost Gloria even more.

“Oh, Amalia… This isn’t really the time or place. There are still other bride candidates waiting for their turn…”

“No, Lady Gloria. I would also love to hear your singing.”

That was said by another young lady, different from Amalia.

(I’m sure she was with Gloria yesterday too…)

In other words, they were working together.

Even though these girls were bride candidates, they had no intention of becoming Richard’s bride. They were just here to support and elevate Gloria.

“Everyone feels the same, right?”

Amalia said, glancing around at the other bride candidates.

Their opponent was the daughter of a powerful duke from a great kingdom. Princesses from small countries couldn’t possibly stand a chance.

All the others could do was silently nod.

“Of course, it’s fine, isn’t it?”

Amalia turned to a lady-in-waiting standing nearby and asked.

Elze thought, “She’ll probably say that’s not appropriate now…” but the lady-in-waiting nodded firmly and even gave a gentle push.

“Yes, it’s fine. Everyone seems a bit nervous, so if Lady Gloria’s singing can help relax them, it would be much appreciated.”

(…She’s in on it too, isn’t she?)

Elze had already sensed it when the treatment of bride candidates started to differ, but now it was clear—some of the ladies-in-waiting were obviously siding with Gloria.