The white lotus

"Your Royal Highness, the crown prince. May the gods' blessings fall on you and may prosper you, your lineage, and your kingdom forever. "

Albrecht hit Marcellus's head as the rest laughed at them. Eleanora watched with confusion. Avianna and Gianna looked at each other before grabbing her arms at both sides, surprising her.

Standing in the middle, Eleanora is slightly smaller than Avianna and Gianna.

"Lady Eleanora, how does it sound to be friends with us. As you can see, we are the only girls in this group at the moment, so we would feel delighted if you joined these lonely people."

Eleanor looks at her brothers, asking for permission. They all nodded at her with big smiles on their faces.

"Umm... I guess I can since my brothers permitted me; you may call me Eleanor, your royal highness, your highness."

"Oh please, remove the formalities. Call me Avie and her Gia since we are friends."

"Then, address me as Ellie."

"Awesome!"

Giana exclaimed as they stood not far from the men. Two beautiful ladies suddenly joined their group.

"Oh, before I forget. Lady Zariah Esther Aremburge, my cousin and the eldest daughter and heir of the Royal Duke. She's the oldest in our group."

Avianna introduces a female with light blonde hair and gray eyes.

"This is my childhood friend, Lady Ophelia Reena Anoora. A Duke's daughter and the youngest in our group."

A lady with pink hair and eyes bowed to Eleanor as she also did.

"Nice to meet you ladies. You may also address me as Ellie as you are friends of Avie and Gia."

"Likewise, you may address us as Zaya and Reena."

Eleanora smiled and felt that they were trustworthy and worthy of being friends.

"Well, the illegitimate must feel like she's the princess within the banquet seeing as she is not paying her respect towards the crown princes fiancé."

"I agree with you, Lady Everyn—or should we call you, the crown princess."

The nobles surrounding her began to chuckle as if they found it a joke. Eleanora's new friends stared at her calm expression.

"Some people would flaunt their newly acquired position without looking at the hierarchy. I wonder where all of those lessons taught by them at a very young age went."

Eleanora muttered under her breath as she finished her drink.

" Your royal highness, Avie, do you think those fools should be taught again by the imperial tutor about the hierarchy? They might be the crown princess, but they are not higher than the marquise from the empire."

"I agree with you, Lady Ellie. I most definitely think that they think they are higher than the Duke's daughter from the empire and on par with her Royal Highness."

Zariah added as her fan hid half of her face.

"Your Royal Highness, isn't that an insult to your position? We must teach this despicable person a lesson."

Ophelia added while glancing at Everyn's group with a smirk.

"Don't you all, ladies and young Lords, think that someone thinks highly of themselves just being engaged to a mere crown prince from a small kingdom? They are challenging our positions as the highest nobles from a powerful kingdom."

"I agree with your wise words, my beloved sister."

Cecil added as he and the boys walked towards them.

Upon hearing their words, Everyn felt her body drenched in sweat. One of the ladies decided to step up and walk towards Eleanora's group.

"Your Royal Highnesses, your highnesses, young Lords and Ladies, we meant no harm as were merely talking with each other. We didn't mean to insult you in any way."

Eleanora didn't say a word, so the rest followed her also. Her silence made the ladies tremble in fear. Everyn stepped up and pretended to save the lady as the wise and humble crown princess.

"Your Royal Highnesses, your Highnesses, young Lords and Ladies. I apologize for this ladys' ignorance. We meant no harm and were merely conversing with one another. If our words insulted you in any way, please forgive this humble princess from a small kingdom."

Their little words of dispute had somehow attracted the adults', and Everyn's words led them to think that Eleanor's group was making trouble for nobles from a small kingdom, putting a bad taste on their mouths.

Everyn noticed she had gained the people's attention and grinned while pretending to bow her head deeper, gaining sympathy from the crowd.

The ladies tried to raise her head with sadness in their eyes. Eleanora's friends frowned, dissatisfactory as the dispute slowly got bigger. As the princess from the empire, Avianna tries to step up when Albrecht stops her.

Thinking that he would scold the ladies, she backed down in worry. Instead, Eleanora closed her fan loudly, shifting the crowd's attention to her.

Her gentle smile took the people's hearts and made them feel like a goddess had smiled towards them.

Albrecht, standing behind his sister and Eleanora, his heart thumped firmly. His heart never beat to any woman. His gaze never left Eleanora, and he decided to ask his father later after the banquet.

"Please raise your head, Lady Everyn."

Eleanora's gentle voice soothed and pulled the heartstrings of the people. In the past, when she was Alice, she barely talked to people except for Anna or the King and Queen.

"We never meant that your words insulted us. As you said, you and your ladies were merely conversing with each other. Likewise, we ladies and young Lords were also chatting without any names in our conversation.

"I am sure that the nobles around us both heard our conversations as it is public. Kindly explain as I do not understand why you are apologizing in fear of insulting us when both of our groups have not mentioned any names within our conversations."

Eleanora's words brought the people to murmur to each other and realize what she said was right. The two groups have not mentioned a single name, making the topic of their conversation general to all of the young nobles.