Who Could Have Loved the Monster Princess? - Chapter 16
I comforted Mom and escorted her to the workshop before heading to the study. Although the study was supposed to be my father’s domain as a duke, he had no involvement in the affairs of the Staedt family.
‘From the start, he’s claimed that he knows nothing because he’s solely focused on studying magic…’
Today’s workload had piled up quite a bit. The documents in the study consisted of reports from the estates, letters seeking help from neighboring territories, invitations to tea parties, and even some late-night ball invitations after my birthday. Among them were invitations to masquerade balls. Did anyone really think that wearing a mask will hide my identity?
The three maids sorted the invitations into order of importance and marked off the places I must attend to. Meanwhile, I went through and approved reports and organized the paperwork.
“Miss, this seems like something you should personally inspect.”
As Rose handed me an envelope, I noticed the royal insignia embossed on it.
“Who is it?”
An invitation from the palace. It was a teatime invitation sent by Princess Setileti Latropole.
“Two days from now.”
“Unfortunately, it clashes with Lord Peltrett’s concert,” Rose remarked.
I let out a light sigh upon hearing that.
Princess Cetiletty often engaged in such behavior. She’d occasionally send invitations merely a day or a few hours before teatime, providing me barely enough time to prepare. Of course, that resulted in me being unable to attend.
The princess desired everyone to prioritize her above all else. She seemed to continuously invite me as a sort of test. After a few rejections, she started giving me a couple of days’ notice for invitations. But even that was still too pushy.
I called for Lily. “Send an apology to Lord Peltrett. Tell him I won’t be able to attend the concert.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
“Should we prepare the dress?”
I shook my head resolutely. Princess Cetiletty hates me already, and I don’t want to hear what she has to say about me in a dress.
I’d better save my dress debut for another time.
***
I wore a turquoise robe to Princess Cetiletty’s tea party. It was close enough to my skin tone that at first glance, the scales and leather looked like decoration. Most of my clothes were designed to look like that.
The princess had seated me in a corner and was engaged in conversation with her followers. Fortunately, Mir, in a similar position as I, was nearby, so it wasn’t too dull.
Princess Cetiletty was a charming seventeen-year-old with wavy blonde hair. Her dress today was adorned with purple flowers, which complemented her well. The lace on her shoulders seemed to be crafted by Madame De Waal, similar to my own aqua dress.
‘Her dress is lovely. And her face… unlike mine.’
If it weren’t for the summer festival this year, I would have made various excuses to avoid attending. The summer festival was an event for the youth, and if the princess and her followers were upset with me, it could lead to awkward situations. So, I had to show my face, exchange greetings, and socialize a bit.
‘It’s all part of maintaining our social status.’
It’s good to get advice, but since I’ve been surrounded by older people since I was a kid, the stories my people my age told me didn’t sound very substantial, so it was interesting to see Mir sitting in front of me, munching on cookies and listening to the ladies’ stories with interest.
The topics mostly revolved around games and plays popular among young ladies, occasionally intermingled with stories about romance.
‘Romance…’
Since the princess was young, today’s conversations solely revolved around wholesome topics. Listening to these talks, I had to consciously avoid recalling the dream about Ken that I had a while ago, as stories that once seemed innocent now stirred up something inside me.
“Thanks to the princess, I was able to establish a connection with him. I’m really grateful.”
“Of course, you’re very welcome. I care about you, so if you ever face any trouble, just let me know, and I’ll help.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The term “establishing a connection” meant getting engaged, but to me, it sounded more like stripping down and merging.
‘Good grief.’
I kept sipping my tea. Mir looked at me, puzzled.
“Yen? Is something wrong?”
I shook my head, then a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“…Is spring the breeding season for lizardmen by any chance?”
“The timing varies depending on the species, but generally, it’s twice a year, in spring and autumn.”
I reached for my tea again and paused.
‘What? Did I really have that dream because it’s mating season and I’m in heat?’
Mir continued to explain, “Reptile demons are capable of parthenogenesis, so their population can increase rapidly. You’ve had some trouble dealing with them a few times, right?”
“What’s parthenogenesis?”
Does she mean laying many eggs? But Mir’s answer was more than I could have imagined.
“It means the female can reproduce on her own.”
“Oh, alone? Is that even possible…?”
I broke out in a cold sweat. So females can get pregnant alone during mating season?
Seeing my shocked expression, Mir chuckled.
“But Yen, you’re a human. Are you suddenly worried about getting pregnant?”
“Um… yeah. That’s a relief.”
I sipped my tea, embarrassed that I was so easy to read.
