Chapter 21 – Hidden No Longer

‘But I didn’t trample on it?’ Just as Levisia began to feel something was amiss, she walked over to her presenting something in her hand.

“Do I have to host another tea party which was not on the schedule just for you?”

Levisia almost went deaf with Elizabeth loudly scolding her. She ended up making a retort. “I’m sorry?”

“I am inviting you officially, giving you another chance to attend my tea party. I am especially giving you this chance for the first time!”

The golden invitation shone brightly in the sun. Elizabeth held her chin high flapping the invitation in the air. With an expression on her face as if to say, ‘be grateful!’

‘What is going on here?’ Levisia blinked her eyes out of bewilderment but soon greeted her. “Second Princess, your highness?”

“Yes. I am Elizabeth Seine Kraiden. Kraiden’s second royal daughter. Levisia White, you daren’t say you don’t know me?”

‘It’s not hard to know if you introduce yourself like that.’ Levisia thought of what to do for a bit, then politely returned the invitation. “I must say I cannot attend the tea party.”

“What? You will trample my invitation again?”

She never trampled the invite; she only politely declined it.

“There must be a misunderstanding. I did not trample your invitation.”

“Declining my invite is the same as trampling it!”

She must love trampling things! Just then the invitation fell to the floor, as if to ask to be trampled. ‘What, what’s this?’ Levisia quickly stepped backward for fear of actually trampling on it. Then she heard a sharp voice in front of her.

“You’d even avoid me right in front of my face?”

‘She’s driving me insane!’

“N-no, you misunderstand. What I am trying to say is, your highness doesn’t have to go out of your way to hold another tea party for me.”

Now that she has come all the way here to find Levisia, there was no way to avoid her. But Levisia would rather see her anywhere but a suffocating situation as a tea party.

‘I rather should’ve…’

Perhaps declining Elizabeth’s invitation brought on this misfortune just as Lidan said. ‘Who knew she’d come find me herself…’ Levisia continued, on the verge of abandoning any hope. “If your highness desires an audience with me, a little time for a friendly chat would suffice.”

‘I don’t need anything fancy like a tea party…’

Elizabeth’s eye brows twitched at Levisia’s words. Soon, a cool grin spread on her face. “So, you also want to have an audience with me! Then why did you decline my invite? Did you want me to come all the way out here for you myself? Then you have succeeded!”

She rattled on so quickly that Levisia’s head was beginning to spin. “Why…” How will Levisia bring her back here when she’s gone so far ahead, as far as the space, all on her own?

As if the universe were against her, the agony was becoming worse every second.

* * *

Elizabeth and Levisia moved to a different room. They didn’t go too far, just to the same sitting room where she welcomed Lidan. Sheila brought out tea and remained quiet. Elizabeth looked around the tiny space and furrowed her eye brows as if something wasn’t to her liking. At the sametime, she enjoyed her cup of tea.

‘Such an odd person…’ Levisia picked up her tea as she pondered Elizabeth’s strange character. It was really torturous sitting there just drinking tea without saying anything. Just as Levisia began to feel full, she started to seriously worry. What sort of conversation are they to have? ‘Before that, why did her highness desire my audience?’

She had just opened her mouth to ask the question.

Crash! With a loud noise two people burst through the open door. Startled, Levisia looked to the door but Elizabeth didn’t even flinch, as though she already knew. She even continued to sip her tea and criticized them.

“What thoughtless behavior is this?”

“Elizabeth!”

“Sister Elizabeth!”

Unsurprisingly, the two people were Lidan and Siaphyl. They seemed to have run all the way here and addressed her without catching their breaths. Elizabeth set her tea down and turned around towards them.

“The look on your faces.” Her remark left them speechless as if they were caught off guard. “How does it feel to have this child discovered by me?” Elizabeth pointed to Levisia with her chin.

‘Discovered?’

Just as Levisia’s head tilted, Elizabeth looked at her. “Yes. There has to be a reason those two have tried to conceal you to this extent.”

The situation and nuance all indicated she was talking about her. But Levisia didn’t have a clue as to what about.

“Whatever do you mean?” Levisia asked her with genuine curiosity but she retorted with another question. “You, who are you? How did you bewitch two of my brothers to you?”

‘Bewitch them…? I mean, if you looked at Lidan and Siaphyl, you could most definitely say they were bewitched. Seeing as how they suddenly showed interest in me when we never had any acquaintance beforehand. But no matter how much she asked, Levisia couldn’t give her an answer. ‘I should be asking that. I want to know too.’ If she did indeed have an ability to bewitch them, Levisia wanted to hide it entirely and escape the royal grounds safely.

“I would like to know as well. Why are the three of you seeking me out like this all of a sudden?”