Reunion

"They say people with violet eyes bring good fortune."

The princess stared intently at Dahlia's eyes. Still unsatisfied, she stood up and approached her.

"I've never seen such vivid violet eyes before."

Dahlia instinctively stepped back under the princess's curious gaze, as if examining something strange.

Oblivious to Dahlia's discomfort, the maids nearby chimed in.

"Indeed, it seems the princess will have good fortune."

Pleased by the maid's flattery, the princess asked brightly.

"What's your name?"

"Grace."

"Good, Grace. In two weeks, I have a very important event. I'm meeting a man, and I must marry him. From now until he leaves, you'll stay by my side as my maid."

"Excuse me...?"

Staying at the palace? This was entirely unexpected. Dahlia glanced at Muriel with a bewildered expression, and Muriel stepped in.

"It is a great honor to serve Your Highness, but Grace is currently raising a young son alone. If she stays at the palace, her five-year-old child would be left home alone. I ask that you kindly reconsider her circumstances and withdraw your request."

"Hmm... is that so?"

The princess hesitated briefly before replying to Muriel.

"Fine. Then stay at the palace with your son. I'll arrange a special room for you until then. Does that solve it?"

"Excuse me...?"

But excuses like these didn't work on the princess. She spoke with the arrogance of someone granting a favor.

"By any chance, does your son also have violet eyes like you?"

"…No."

"That's unfortunate."

The princess muttered to herself that it would have been wonderful if her son had violet eyes too.

As the princess turned away, Dahlia bit her lip.

"Stay in the palace with Damian?"

No matter how isolated this place had been, it was still the royal palace.

Someone might recognize the unique traits of the Granos imperial bloodline. She could dye his hair in a pinch, but what about his eyes?

Since lenses to alter eye color didn't exist here yet, there were limits to hiding Damian's eyes.

"I can't stay here with Damian."

Dahlia made up her mind and studied the princess's face. It seemed the princess hadn't even considered the possibility that Dahlia might not stay.

Since Dahlia couldn't predict how the princess would react if she declined, she decided on an alternative.

"Understood. However, I won't bring my child to the palace. There are too many precious things here, and I worry he might cause trouble. While I'm here, I'll leave him in someone else's care."

The princess shrugged at Dahlia's words.

"Do as you wish."

"Yes."

As soon as Dahlia answered, the princess continued.

"Alright then, let's begin. Shall we start with taking my measurements?"

With that, the room bustled with activity. Just as Dahlia joined the others to begin her work.

Her eyes met Muriel's, who was watching her.

Muriel looked apologetic, but Dahlia gave her a reassuring smile.

* * *`

Time flew by, and two weeks passed.

Contrary to her concerns, Dahlia had been living at the palace without issue.

Though it pained her to be apart from Damian for two weeks, Muriel brought letters from him whenever she visited, which helped ease her longing.

Damian's letters were full of crooked handwriting and misspelled words, but the fact that he had sent them warmed her heart.

Dahlia had been gazing at Damian's letter for quite some time.

Dahlia noticed that the palace seemed particularly noisy today and looked up.

"Come to think of it, today is the day."

The day the man who was to marry the princess was to visit the palace.

Princess Gloria, contrary to her first impression, didn't seem like such a bad person.

Perhaps because she was a beloved princess, she tended to think only of herself, but her innate nature wasn't bad.

She was quite affectionate, often taking Dahlia's hand or linking arms, asking her to share good energy, treating her subordinates with ease.

After two weeks, Dahlia found herself seeing Gloria as something like a younger sister.

Dahlia, momentarily lost in thought, glanced at the clock.

The time was nearing for Gloria's long-awaited meeting with the man she'd been singing about.

"I'd better get going too."

Realizing it wasn't the time to dawdle, Dahlia busied herself and headed straight for the princess.

By the time Dahlia reached the room, the princess was already wearing the dress Muriel had designed.

The shimmering aqua dress adorned with subtle crystals complemented Gloria's silver hair beautifully.

"You look absolutely stunning, Your Highness."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm certain he will fall for you the moment he sees you."

"That's right. I heard he likes silver hair. There's no silver hair in the world as beautiful as yours, so he's sure to love it."

The maids showered compliments on Gloria as she admired herself in the mirror, brightening her mood further.

Quietly approaching, Dahlia stood by the princess's side, waiting until Gloria called for her.

As the pleasant chatter continued for a while, one of the maids spoke up.

"Still, I can't help but feel uneasy about him having been married before. How dare someone remarry with our princess…."

The other maids seemed to share the sentiment, staying silent, but the princess herself spoke up as if she didn't agree.

"I don't mind at all. I heard his wife passed away less than a year after their marriage."

"I heard that too. But there were rumors about how his wife died—something about her running off with another man and dying in the process."

"Oh my…."

The others, seemingly unaware of this, added their comments, until the princess raised her hand to signal them to stop.

"That's enough. The past doesn't matter. What's important is that my marriage to him is for the good of Easter."

As everyone fell silent at the princess's words, there was a knock at the door.

"Your Highness, it's time."

Finally, it seemed the princess's suitor had arrived. Gloria took a deep breath and grabbed Dahlia's hand behind her.

"May fortune smile upon me…."

Whispering softly, Gloria lifted her head.

"Grace, you must stay by my side today, alright?"

"Yes, I understand."

Dahlia gave her a reassuring smile.

Even nobles couldn't marry freely, so it was only natural that royal marriages involved intricate negotiations.

Dahlia had thought Gloria was merely a naive princess, but after hearing her talk, she realized Gloria was trying to fulfill her duties as royalty.

Even though he had no children and was a widower, it couldn't have been an easy decision for a royal like Gloria to agree to a remarriage.

"Her suitor must be incredibly powerful. Maybe he's a king from another country."

Dahlia knew nothing about the man's status. She had considered asking but figured it didn't matter—she'd learn when they met anyway.

With that lighthearted thought, Dahlia followed Gloria, who was walking ahead.

Standing before a certain door, the guard's call was followed by it opening.

The first thing that greeted her was a long table in a lavishly decorated room. A man sat at the far end with his back to the door. But then—

"Black hair?"

The back of the man sitting in the chair felt oddly familiar.

Was it because his hair color was the same as someone she knew well?

An inexplicable sense of foreboding crept up her spine.

"It must just be my imagination."

"I always think of him when I see black hair. That's probably why I feel this way."

Dahlia forced herself to ignore the unease and fixed her gaze on the floor.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Gloria Easter."

Approaching the table, Gloria greeted the man first. Rising from his seat, he introduced himself just as she had.

"Clayton Seiyer."