Chapter 34: The First Direct Confrontation Between the Princess and the Duke’s Daughter

Altina had not expected Vita to appear at this moment.

However, Vita had clearly known Altina would be coming back.

As a result, Vita simply gave a kind smile and nodded slightly toward Altina. Even with her feigned frivolous and cheerful personality, she wouldn’t greet Altina with her usual high energy under these circumstances.

Altina was well aware of this fact.

Moreover, if Vita’s guess was correct, Altina would soon use her eyes and hand gestures to signal her to leave.

“…”

The result was exactly as Vita expected. After recovering from her initial shock, Altina signaled for her to step out by quickly glancing at the door and then back at her.

Vita didn’t pretend to be confused. She stood up honestly and quietly, then walked toward the door.

Before the two of them left the room, their movements were cautious and deliberate, ensuring they didn’t wake Caine while he caught up on his sleep.

Since discussing things right at the doorway might still disturb Caine’s rest, Altina led Vita all the way to the balcony at the end of the second floor before finally speaking.

“…Princess Vita, why are you here?”

With her plan utterly ruined, Altina was more than a little dissatisfied. However, her strength lay in her ability to remain unchanged on the surface, maintaining her usual businesslike and rational demeanor, devoid of any personal emotion.

Her expression was solemn, her gaze was sharp, and her voice was crisp—exactly as it always was. However, the casual outing clothes she was wearing, which were completely different from her usual attire, made Vita feel a sense of disconnect. It felt somewhat out of place.

“Would you believe me if I said it was a coincidence?”

Facing an old acquaintance, Vita gave a mysterious smile and responded to the serious Altina in a relaxed, teasing tone.

“…If you insist on calling it a coincidence, I will believe you.”

Although Vita’s status as the Princess and Altina’s status as a Duke’s daughter were not that far apart, Altina still behaved like a subordinate, offering an answer that clearly carried a hidden meaning.

“Hehe~ You certainly have a way with words. You don’t believe me at all, yet you say you do. Little Altina, you really are loyal, but that kind of personality isn’t very likable, you know? Why not show your true inner thoughts once in a while?”

In Vita’s eyes, Altina was indeed a loyal dog of the royal family, but she couldn’t be considered Corellia’s personal loyal dog. Therefore, while Vita didn’t particularly like Altina, she didn’t hate her to the point of being unable to tolerate her.

Basically, every time Vita spoke to Altina alone, she would take the opportunity to mock her under the guise of teasing.

This time was no different. Vita looked at the expressionless Altina with a mischievous smirk, acting as if they were best friends. From a common-sense perspective, her suggestion was actually sound… it was just a bit strange coming from someone like her, who also hid her own true feelings.

“…”

Of course, Altina didn’t know what was in Vita’s heart.

Altina only knew that as long as she didn’t respond to this flighty and frivolous Princess, she would eventually quiet down on her own. Thus, Altina simply stared silently at the smirking Vita with her usual sharp gaze.

“Sigh, fine, fine. I’ll just be direct. I heard that Elder Sister and Little Altina were heading out together, so I took the initiative to catch up. How sneaky of you two to sneak out to play without me. Ah, by the way, the ‘Elder Sister’ I’m referring to is Mr. Caine, not Her Majesty.”

Just as Altina was familiar with handling Vita, Vita was also familiar with handling Altina. Rather than lying and putting Altina on guard, it was better to be honest. That way, she could still hide her true ultimate goal.

Seeing Vita’s “carefree” confession, Altina’s expression remained unchanged, but she sighed inwardly.

‘It looks like my plans for today are going to fall through,’ she thought.

Still, she decided to make one last attempt to see if she could send Vita back, even though she felt the probability of success was low.

“…Do you not have other matters to attend to today?”

“I don’t. Even if I did, I’ve handed them all off to others. You know that the things I’m responsible for aren’t exactly urgent. On the other hand, it’s rare for you to have a day off, Little Altina. Instead of resting in your room, you ran out to play. You’re quite energetic.”

“…I appreciate the compliment, though I’m certainly not as energetic as you.”

“Haha, that’s hard to argue with!”

…Alright, it was a failure as expected.

One either had to avoid being found by Vita entirely, or accept that once she found you, getting her to leave was an incredibly difficult task. The royal family lived freely, especially a Princess with very little actual power. Altina had no way to drive Vita away.

“Ah, speaking of which, what did you and Elder Sister plan to do? Why is Elder Sister sleeping now? Did he not get enough rest last night?”

After Altina’s turn ended, it was Vita’s turn. Vita shifted the topic back to Caine, hitting the nail on the head with a casual tone.

Having such sharp intuition wasn’t a bad thing for a member of the royal family. However, from the perspective of another woman, it wasn’t very friendly toward Altina.

“…Yes. To be honest, the Otherworld Majesty didn’t sleep well last night due to certain matters, so he is resting now. As for what those matters were, I cannot say without the Otherworld Majesty’s permission. Please understand.”

Since Vita had seen through it, Altina chose not to hide it and admitted that Vita’s guess was correct. However, as a subordinate, she couldn’t give more details, leaving Vita to wonder for herself.

“Well, since you put it that way, I suppose it can’t be helped. So, what’s the plan now? The option of waiting in the room together… seems a bit inappropriate. Elder Sister would definitely have a headache if he woke up to that.”

“…You are right. If you truly have nothing better to do, we could go to the lobby to rest. What do you think?”

“Oh! That’s a wonderful suggestion! Why don’t we have some tea and talk about fashion? Even as a woman, I find your outfit today absolutely charming. I didn’t realize you were a hidden fashionista, Little Altina!”

“…You exaggerate. Compared to me, your outfit today is far more dazzling. If possible, I would be honored if you could give me some guidance.”

After a bout of dialogue that seemed both confrontational and perfectly normal, Vita and Altina walked together toward a table in the corner of the first-floor lobby as if they had just met.

Since Altina couldn’t watch over the sleeping Caine alone, it was best if no one was there. That was the consensus the two of them had reached.

A double loss was better than a single win; it was better to keep an eye on each other so that neither could sneak away.