Party Invitation part. 2

Meanwhile, in Magdalene's room…

The little princess sat on a chair in her room, accompanied by sweet snacks, tea, and two maids standing nearby.

Of course, her beloved teddy bear was also there, keeping her company.

Viona and Selina refilled the tea and served it to Magdalene.

"Please enjoy, Your Highness," Selina said as she handed over the teacup and a small plate with a blueberry jam scone—Magdalene's favorite.

No, the real Magdalene's favorite. Of course, Selina had no idea that the one before her wasn't the real Magdalene. The little princess also stared at the scone with a stiff expression.

"I'm still not used to the sensation of blueberries turned into jam like this."

"Liquid and sticky, yet oddly, this body seems to love it."

"Haa~ of course, because blueberry jam is the real Magdalene's favorite."

"Let's eat it while I still remember how it tastes."

Chomp.

As she took a bite, an unexpected smile bloomed on her face.

"I hate to admit this, but something I used to dislike tastes absolutely delicious."

"I'm really glad to be alive again, even if it's as a little girl~"

Viona and Selina smiled, pleased to see Magdalene looking happy.

"Your Highness, it seems you've recovered," Viona said cheerfully.

"Yes~ Magda is happy today."

"Is it because you got to spend time with His Majesty the King?"

"Yes~ Daddy said he was happy to be with Magda!"

"That's wonderful. At last, His Majesty is looking at you again."

"Eh?" Magdalene blinked in confusion. "Looking at Magda again?"

"That's right. His Majesty has always been so busy and never had time to play with you, hasn't he?"

"..." Magdalene fell silent at Viona's words. She set down the scone in her hand and listened intently to the maids' explanation.

"Ever since Her Majesty the Queen passed away due to illness, His Majesty has buried himself in work and never had time to be with you."

"But ever since you fell ill, he's been worrying about you a lot. It's been wonderful to see you both together and smiling again, just like before."

Magdalene had just uncovered another clue.

"So, their relationship was actually… distant? They said it became strained after Queen Helene died?"

"Come to think of it, Magdalene must have been really lonely…" She recalled her question from when they were together at the knights' training grounds.

["Daddy, are you lonely?"]

Now she realized why that question might have caught Aliester off guard.

"It seems I asked the wrong thing back then."

"What a careless mistake. But thanks to that, I now know that he must be lonely, even though he still loves his late wife."

"Now, I need to rethink this. As Magdalene, would it be a problem if I suggested he remarry?"

"But if a little kid suddenly brings that up, wouldn't it be weird?"

"Ugh, why is someone like me, who got cheated on and died before even getting married, thinking about matchmaking someone else's dad?"

"If the real Magdalene found out about this, she'd probably curse me!! Ugh!!"

The soul inside Magdalene's body seemed to have a lot on her mind. But then, something Selina said piqued her interest.

"His Majesty might still find it difficult to forget Her Majesty the Queen. Even the banquet invitations he receives every two weeks from various nobles are always declined."

"Hmm? Invitations?" Magdalene asked.

"Um…" Selina glanced at Viona, hesitating before answering. Both maids seemed unsure, but Magdalene's curious eyes didn't waver. She wasn't about to let this go.

"I want to know. What kind of invitations? What kind of parties is Daddy being invited to?"

"Um, well… Your Highness might not remember, but every two weeks, His Majesty receives invitations to attend dinner parties and banquets," Selina explained.

Magdalene had seen this kind of scenario before.

"This is just like those stories in comics and dramas, isn't it?"

"When a King or Queen loses their spouse, nobles start inviting them to gatherings. And the reason behind it is always the same… it's obviously about matchmaking!!"

"They want Daddy to get married again! No doubt about it!!"

Selina continued, "The most frequent invitations come from Earl Ventela. I believe he's quite eager to get closer to His Majesty."

Magdalene's expression screamed, I knew it.

"D-Does Daddy ever go to those parties? Magda never sees him leave."

She said that just to confirm her theory, but it was obvious from the maids' explanations that Aliester barely left his chambers—even for his own daughter.

There was only one possible answer. Aliester never attended those banquets.

"Daddy must have refused to go to those parties all this time," she thought with confidence.

And sure enough, her guess was correct.

"His Majesty has never attended, but Earl Ventela keeps sending invitations anyway," Viona confirmed.

Bingo. Magdalene's tiny hands clenched into fists in silent triumph. She then stood up, preparing to leave.

Naturally, the two maids followed, asking, "Your Highness, where are you going?"

"Magda wants to see Daddy!"

"But His Majesty is probably working right now!"

"Magda wants to talk to Daddy about something important. Magda is already a grown-up," she huffed, pouting like any child would.

"I need to confirm this myself and find out what Daddy is thinking!!"

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