I was possessed by the villain’s daughter.

EPISODE 8

After a lot of people arguing about who was right, the final choice was a silver dress with a very sheer peach-colored see-through top. The shoes were to be a similar peach color, and the accessories were to be emerald to match my eyes.

Everyone else seemed to be pleased with the outcome, as it was beautiful enough for me to love.

Afterward, my father and I walked downstairs to dinner, hand in hand, just in time to be greeted by my two brothers.

“I can’t believe it’s already Lara’s birthday the day after tomorrow.”

My father said as he sipped his wine.

“I can’t believe our little Lara is already fourteen years old!”

Brother Yit, who was slicing veal steaks, smirked.

“I was ten when Lara was born.”

Eddie picked up his salad and glared at me. My father and Eddie were winter people, and Yit was summer. They were ten and seven years older than me, so I must have looked cute in their eyes.

The meal went very well. As usual, Eddie and Yit were cracking jokes, and I was listening with interest, when my father spoke up.

He was telling me how he was organizing the banquet, and the part that surprised me the most was this.

“What?”

I looked up in surprise, biting into a sweet fruit that looked similar to a persimmon. My father spoke again, this time slowly.

“I told you that the First Prince is coming to this banquet. Aren’t you happy?”

“The First Prince…?”

I couldn’t hide my momentary embarrassment.

It was quite unusual for an imperial family member to attend someone else’s birthday banquet, especially when it was just for a princess who hasn’t even been knighted yet. I suppose you could call it an honor.

But the reason for my panic was not simply the fact that a prince was coming.

For the record, there are only four princess in our Ulysses Empire.

The Emperor was still only in his fifties, but his health had been deteriorating lately, and there’s been talk that he might have to choose a successor soon.

The crown prince battle was in the middle of all the rumors.

The two most likely crown princes were the first crown prince born to the empress and the second crown prince born to the empress. The second crown prince, born to the empress, should have been the crown prince by right, but the situation was complicated.

The emperor was very fond of the empress and the first prince. In addition, the second prince had no other relatives, as his mother had died when he was ten years old.

The traditional aristocracy was in favor of the second prince, who was born to the empress, but the weakness of his extended family was painful. With the second prince making no move on the throne, the first prince’s power was only growing.

We, the Dukes of Roshahil, were still neutral toward the crown prince.

One might think it wise to jump in and get a piece of the action like everyone else.

But the First Prince is sixteen, the Second Prince is fifteen. They’re still three or four years away from adulthood. Besides, the Duchy of Roshahil is not a small enough power that it would be wise to ally with someone immediately.

If you get Roshahil, you get the Middle Kingdom.

As the centerpiece of the central aristocracy, Roshahil’s choice could make the difference between victory and defeat. Whether the First Emperor or the Second Emperor could not accept us, they would be impatient, but we need not be impatient.

I thought to myself as I scooped up the dessert, a vanilla ice cream with a cherry on top.

“Not good.

I’d been studying with Lloyd, trying to get a handle on the situation in each country, looking for any possible reason for rebellion, but so far, the news had been mixed.

So far, I had come up with the most likely candidates,

1, a rebellion of the people.

2, a fight for the throne.

Let’s look at the people’s rebellion first.

The Ulysses Empire was a very peaceful place. The people were well off and not many were dying. But you never know what the future holds, and if there was a great famine, or if there were enough corrupt nobles, there could be a rebellion.

It was not entirely out of the question that the Duke of Roshahill could join him.

The more likely candidate, however, would be a fight for the throne.

What if the battle for the throne between the twenty-one-year-old First Prince and the twenty-year-old Second Prince flares up? What if a prince we don’t side with becomes Emperor and deliberately leads our House into treason in order to kill the forces of House Roshahil?

Whatever the case, safety is paramount.

After considering the possibilities, I decided that the safest course of action would be for House Roshahil to stay out of the fight for the throne.

If House Roshahil continues to remain neutral.

‘At least we won’t have to worry about the throne fight causing a disturbance.

In that sense, having the prince come to my birthday banquet was a minus for me. It wouldn’t hurt to see his face once and get a sense of what he was like, but that would be it. It was not good to delve into the relationship.

“Lara, are you not feeling well?”

My dad asked, concerned, as I frowned.

“Oh, no.”

I added as an excuse.

“I was just thinking about today’s class.”

“You mean the class with Lloyd? Come to think of it, he was talking so highly of you.”

“…Lloyd?”

I blurted out. My eyes widen, and he rolls his eyes and laughs. He seemed pleased to hear me praised.

“I thought you said teach one and they know the heat?”

“Yeah….”

I could feel myself blushing. Lloyd was complimenting me, which was surprising since I thought he was a blunt teacher.

“By the way.”

Eddie, who had been silent, spoke up.

“Lloyd said he’s coming back for that book he was going to give you, but he didn’t get it.”

“Really?”

I cocked my head, puzzled. That was the kind of thing you’d expect a maid to deliver. Besides, I was a little surprised that Lloyd, who was always on top of things, would forget.

“Some things Lloyd forgets.”

Yit chimed in, and we chatted for a while afterward. Yit told me that there were several new recruits in the Guard. He said that none of them were useful, except for a couple of them, but since he was a genius, I didn’t trust him.

I was returning to my room after dinner when I ran into Lloyd.

I spotted his graying hair bobbing in the far corner of the hallway, looked around, and called out to him.

“Lloyd!”

My manners teacher was telling my sister that it was not proper for a noble lady to call out so loudly, but there was no one around to pay attention right now, so it’s okay.

Lloyd walked over to me as I smiled broadly. Behind his glasses, his gray eyes blinked lazily.

“I thought you had a book to hand me?”

Lloyd showed me the book he was holding at his side. “A History of Continental Affairs and Armies.” Ugh, it made my head spin just looking at it.

“Homework, to be exact. I’ll hold it for you on the way out.”

Lloyd and I made small talk as we walked to the room. My head was full of the fact that the First Emperor was coming to the banquet, so I asked Lloyd if he had ever seen the First Emperor. Lloyd replied casually.

“Yes, I have.”

“Really? What was he like?”

“Well, I don’t know, at least he’s ambitious.”

What does that mean?

As I rounded the corner of the hallway, I suddenly heard someone talking ahead of me.

“…Speaking of which, isn’t our little princess absolutely beautiful?”

I paused.

“Yes, she is, and she has such a cute smile! Ugh, she used to be a little cold and hard to approach, but now she smiles at everything, so it’s much easier to talk to her.”

“He’s so kind to people below him, he’s a really nice guy.”

“The Duke and Confucius can’t get enough of you, and I’m sure you deserve it.”

I could feel my face heat up, my embarrassment multiplied by the fact that Lloyd was listening to this with me.

“That’s exactly what he said.”

Lloyd blurted out while I was trying to cool my face. I looked at him in surprise.

“You’ve really brightened up.”

Lloyd’s usually blunt mouth curved into a warm smile.

“I hope this is no disrespect to your daughter, but….”

No, no. It’s rude…. I scratched my cheek in embarrassment.

“The Duke is happy, of course, and so are the two princesses. The princess says you’re laughing more and expressing yourself more than you used to.”

“Ah….”

I blurted out. Everyone, everyone, saying that.

I realized that it had been a while since I had truly accepted my family. It was so refreshing.

Soon enough, the maids left. As we stood in front of my door, Lloyd pulled something out of his arms and handed it to me.

“…? What is this?”

I took it hesitantly, and Lloyd smiled gently.

“A gift.”

I opened the small, luxurious gilded box, and inside the velvet was a beautiful hairpin in the shape of a pink cherry blossom.

“Happy birthday, my dear. I knew you’d be busy on the day of the banquet, so I wanted to give it to you in advance.”

“Lloyd…!”

I was overwhelmed.

Lloyd scratched his graying hair as I stood there speechless.

“Uh, I don’t know if I should just accept this.”

“You can’t just take it, it’s a birthday present.”

“But….”

Lloyd looked at me and smiled faintly.