Chapter 117. Preparation, Part II
Translator: Khan
Editor: Aelryinth
Certainly, what they called a cafe here was different from a modern-day cafe back home. A restaurant was an independent place to visit only for meals, and was used mostly by aristocrats and wealthy commoners because of its high cost. A cafe was inside a lodging house, selling simple meals or drinks to travelers.
The café that Julietta was thinking of was a modern style cafe, but it was no different from the traditional cafe in that it was only used by visitors to the dressing shop.
“It’s okay to try the cafe in earnest that we’re going to make in the dressing shop.”
“What do you mean ‘in earnest?'” asked Sophie, who was admiring and enjoying a bite of food.
“I just thought of decorating the waiting room a little more in order to provide differentiated services to the waiting customers, but I think it would be okay to make it a place to sell snacks and tea in earnest. It’s a place where they can meet people freely without having tea parties at home. If the reaction is good, it’s good to open a cafe next to the dressing shop.”
There were so many things she wanted to do. There was a risk, but it was all an opportunity given by taking on the role of a princess. The more areas of business could be practiced, the sooner she wanted to finish playing the part of a princess and start working in earnest.
She looked at Amelie and Sophie eating and admiring the food, and thought she should have this time more often. A smile came out of her expectations for the future with the two.
————-
“What do you see, Nicole?”
Anna was introduced by Moira to get work as a maid at the mansion of Duke Haint after she left the Bertino mansion. She wasn’t a low-priced maid while working in Prince Killian’s mansion, but she was upset to have to become a cleaning maid; she barely managed to get the job because she was kicked out and didn’t get a recommendation letter from her ex-master.
The reason she bought her a meal at such an expensive restaurant like this was that she wanted to get a new job by asking Nicole, who she had lost contact with. It was because she was told that Nicole had been hired as a maid of the family of Marquis Marius at the introduction of the baronet, her uncle.
Anna had long forgotten that Nicole had been kicked out by her own slander. In fact, Nicole had no idea that she had done it on purpose, so she decided to be brazen.
However, Anna couldn’t help but ask, as Nicole’s eyes kept glancing behind her.
“She resembles Princess Kiellini.”
“You mean the famous princess? How did you see such a person? There’s no way such a person could be here, right?”
Anna thought Nicole was lying to her because she was being high and mighty. She managed to hide her jealous mind, but her real heart just popped out.
However, Nicole was busy looking behind her at Anna’s sarcasm.
“I followed the Marquise to her tea party a while ago.”
At Nicole’s words, Anna looked back at the side face of the woman who had taken off her hat to eat. The woman with her glossy black hair was such a beauty that she attracted the attention of everyone in the restaurant.
“Didn’t you say that Princess Kiellini is blonde?” Anna stared at the woman, who instantly looked more normal, when before she thought she was pretty.
“You know what? Those green eyes are the same as the princess.” When she saw the princess at the tea party that day, all the maids who accompanied their ladies went crazy and remembered her face clearly.
But it was ridiculous for a noble princess to dine with the common people. Nicole turned to Anna. “I must have been mistaken. Still, it’s amazing to know that there’s someone who looks like her.”
Anna looked at Nicole who was taking the steak to her mouth with a dashing smile, and then turned to the woman with black hair again.
“It’s definitely a face they will never forget if they look at her once.”
Anna turned back and began to talk to Nicole about her request in earnest.
——
In the carriage back to the Imperial Castle after meeting with the owner of the Eileen Theater, Killian glared at the Marquis of Oswald who sat opposite him.
“The Marquis, how long are you going to be chasing after me? I’ll drop you off on the way to the family of the Marquis, so let’s break up.”
Oswald protested against the whims of his Lord. “Your Highness, it was me who found Julietta. You ignored my accomplishment and keep telling me to go back. This Oswald is so disappointed.”
“I admit that. But the Marquis, let’s talk straight. I’m the one who found Julietta, not you. Did you forget that you told me that Julietta would be in the mansion of the Duke as a maid? And what’s the relationship between that and you not going back to your mansion?”
“What’s the relationship? Can your right-hand man, Oswald, just go back when something important happened today? I need to know how you recognized Julietta, and whether you’re going to accept the proposal of the owner of the Eileen Theater.”
Ian looked down at the doll wrapped in a blanket, then at Oswald, who refuted that reason with avidity, as if grilling a husband who had brought in a concubine.
‘What would Sir Albert say if he saw this doll? I’m sure he’ll be mad at me for not being able to serve His Highness properly.’
Ian was agonizing over the place to keep the doll unnoticed by Sir Albert, but still seen by the eyes of the Prince.
The wagon with Killian, now annoyed by Oswald’s nagging, entered the Imperial Castle, with Oswald refuting leaving passionately, and Ian lost in thought.
“Your Highness, are you back?”
Albert waited for Killian to return and ran in a hurry to greet him. As soon as he saw Sir Albert, the cause of his troubled thoughts, Ian hid the doll which he was holding reflexively behind his back.
“Albert, put in a message to Adam in Vicern to come back.”
When Killian entered the office with Marquis Oswald, who continued to follow him, Albert pulled on Ian, who was about to follow them.
“What happened?” Albert was gazing at his beloved Prince for fear of trouble.
Ian replied after agonizing for a moment, “I don’t know in detail. He has met Princess Kiellini and come back, and he’s probably trying to come to a conclusion about that.”
At Ian’s words, Albert made a fuss. “Princess? Princess Kiellini”? Are you saying that His Highness went out to see the princess on purpose? Oh, my God. Oh, I can hold a baby in my arms before this Albert dies.”
Annoyed by Sir Albert, who was even talking about a baby, Ian shook his arm off, “No, I don’t know for sure yet. So, don’t get ahead of yourself. You may be disappointed later.”
Albert was shaking his body as if he were dancing, but stopped when he saw what was in Ian’s hand.
“What’s that ugly thing?” The blanket concealing the doll in a fancy dress was released when Ian waved his hand. Albert snatched the doll from Ian’s hand without a chance to stop him, and began examining it.
“It’s very delicate. It must be quite expensive. But who are you going to give it to? Do you have a girl hidden somewhere?”
The moment Albert discovered it, everything went wrong. Ian decided to tell the truth, believing that Albert would learn all about it later anyway.
“It’s His Highness’ doll.”
Only
At the moment, silence fell in the hallway in front of the office.
“What?” Albert asked in astonishment
Killian called out from inside, “Ian! Ian!”
Ian wanted to explain more, but he could not delay at the call of the Prince. He hurried into the Oval Office, and there was no one left to soothe Albert’s shock.
“The doll of His Highness. The doll of His Highness.” The old grand chamberlain staggered toward his office and murmured incessantly as he crossed the corridor.
‘Isn’t it enough to search the whole Empire for a strange maid?’
At the increasingly strange tastes of the Prince, Albert had to struggle with sorrow all day because he thought he had raised the boy wrong.
——
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