The Princess Who Saw the Fall of Her Homeland Strives to Change Fate by Becoming the Cold Prince's Bride! - Chapter 19

“…Huh? Wait, please! We met, didn’t we!”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

“Please remember! You know, that fated meeting!”

“Princess Elze, quiet! Your time is up!”

Elze tried to keep going, but finally, a lady-in-waiting stopped her.

While Elze bit her lip in frustration, small giggles and mocking laughs came from around her.

“Did you see that? What is she thinking? A princess from such a weak country saying she has a promise with Prince Richard? As if that could be true!”

“She can’t even tell the difference between fantasy and reality… how scary.”

Amalia and the other girls around Gloria took this chance to openly make fun of Elze.

“May I offer my greetings next?”

To change the heavy mood, the young woman sitting beside Elze spoke up politely.

She looked gentle and seemed to be around the same age as Elze.

(What is this… There’s a strange smell…)

As soon as she moved, a soft scent tickled Elze’s nose—something sweet and dizzying, not like any flower or plant.

“I am Karina, third princess of the Kingdom of Eichner. To be honest, I don’t believe I have any special talents like the others here…”

With a humble smile, Karina pointed to the teapot in front of her.

“My homeland, the Kingdom of Eichner, is one of the best places for tea leaves on the continent. I heard that our teas are also loved in the court of Ernstahl. Today, I’ve brought a brand-new tea we want to promote in our country. If Prince Richard would be willing to try it…”

Saying this, Karina poured the tea from the pot into a cup.

The tea was a bright orange color, like melted gemstones, beautiful to look at.

A sweet aroma rose from the teacup—something dizzying, dangerous.

“Prince Richard, please, if you would.”

Smiling, Karina stood up with the teapot in her hands.

At that moment, Elze grabbed her arm.

“Please wait.”

The words came out of Elze’s mouth before she could even think.

Karina looked surprised for a second, then her face twisted slightly.

“…What is it, Princess Elze? I believe your time is already over.”

“That tea—are you sure it’s safe? There’s nothing strange in it?”

“What…!”

As soon as Elze asked, Karina’s expression turned angry.

“That’s incredibly rude, Princess Elze! Yes, we are rivals for the prince, but to lie and try to drag me down like this… shame on you!”

From around the room, people began shooting cold stares at Elze, as if saying, “Exactly!”

But Elze couldn’t let Karina continue.

“There’s something dangerous in that smell. If someone drinks it, something bad might happen…”

“I don’t understand! Are you saying I poisoned it!? Look closely!”

Karina, clearly furious now, pointed strongly at the teacup in front of her.

“The teacups used in the court of Ernstahl have a system that detects poison. And look—there’s no reaction! Didn’t you know that!?”

“I see…”

It was true—Elze hadn’t known that.

But she still wasn’t ready to back down.

That tea was dangerous. Her instincts were screaming it.

And Elze’s instincts—had never been wrong.

“Still… are you sure it’s truly safe? Even if Princess Karina didn’t mean harm, what if it still ends up hurting Prince Richard—”

“Stop accusing me! I told you there’s nothing wrong! This is a false charge!”

Karina’s face turned red as she shouted, glaring at Elze.

“You country bumpkin of a princess, trying to trap me? How awful! Someone, get her out of here!”

“Yes, yes! Send her back to her mountains!”

“Just because she’s from the countryside doesn’t mean she can act so rudely!”

Amalia and the other girls began loudly blaming Elze.

Even the ladies-in-waiting seemed caught off guard and looked at each other nervously.

Then suddenly, bang!—Richard hit the table with his fist in frustration.

The room immediately fell silent.

With everyone’s eyes on him, Richard spoke only one sentence.

“Call the apothecary.”

That meant—he was suspicious of Karina’s tea.