Princess Jodi

"No," Irina shook her head, then continued, "But regardless, I still hope your authorities will capture Frederick as soon as possible. After all, the news that I solved the case has spread, and I'm just a weak, helpless girl—I worry that Frederick might try to take revenge on me."

Irina's words were a subtle critique of Grace's unprofessionalism; if it hadn't been for his loose tongue, Frederick would never have come after her last night. Grace picked up on her implication; he even noticed dissatisfaction in both Irina's and the beautiful maid's eyes, leaving him feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Um, we will definitely capture Frederick as soon as possible. If nothing else, I must take my leave now," Grace quickly excused himself, and naturally, Irina didn't stop him.

After Grace left, Feilin said to Irina, "Princess, when I went to answer the door earlier, I encountered Princess Jodi. She asked that you soon visit Princess Becky's villa—please finish your breakfast quickly, then come with me to change your attire."

Princess Jodi?

Irina was somewhat surprised. She recalled that her previous self didn't have many memories of this princess. Why would she suddenly wish to see me?

Nevertheless, this matter must be taken seriously. Irina promptly finished her breakfast, rinsed her mouth, and followed Feilin back to her room.

"Since when did a painting appear on the door? I distinctly remember it was supposed to hang in the corridor," Feilin remarked as her gaze fell on the door.

Although the brief battle between Irina and Frederick last night had affected the room somewhat—with most marks being easy to clean up—the bullet holes from the air bullets couldn't be fixed, so Irina had to cover them with a painting.

Seeing Feilin about to remove the painting, Irina quickly said, "Just leave it there; don't worry about it. Princess isn't waiting for us, is she?"

Thinking of the waiting princess, Feilin nodded and went to the wardrobe to select a dress for Irina.

Soon, Feilin produced a pure white dress. "This is the dress you wore when you first arrived in the Kingdom of Night; at that time, Princess Jodi complimented your beauty. Since our meeting now isn't in an official setting, you can wear this again."

Irina glanced at Feilin. Her previous self had arrived in the Kingdom of Night about two months ago, hadn't she? It's impressive that Feilin remembers so clearly.

Since there was no need to go out, aside from the female safety shield, Feilin suggested that Irina could do without extra underlayers—just wearing this little dress would suffice.

"Ugh… Feilin, I feel a bit tight."

"Tight? Have you gained weight these past two months, Your Highness?"

"Not really… perhaps a little?"

"Highness, take a deep breath and pull in your waist."

"Ugh…"

Irina fussed with her dress in exasperation. Glancing into the floor mirror beside her, she noted that her figure was indeed slim—it was clearly the dress that was too tight.

Now, wearing the pristine little dress, her fair shoulders and delicate collarbones were exposed; a long, graceful arm appeared flawless, and Felin had insisted that she wear a silver jade bracelet on her wrist.

This dress was quite casual; she didn't need a petticoat underneath—the skirt flowed naturally, accentuating a lovely curve at the back.

Below the skirt, a pair of fair, slender legs were revealed. A breeze from the window made them feel refreshingly cool.

Feilin then brought out a pair of white socks with a cross pattern for Irina to wear—socks that reached just above the ankle—followed by a pair of pearly white leather shoes adorned with decorative patterns and floral motifs, exuding a very youthful charm.

Once Irina was dressed, Feilin styled her hair. In Irina's silver-white long hair, Feilin placed a white bow as a hair accessory. Perhaps thinking Irina's bangs were too long, Feilin also used a silver hairpin to secure them, revealing a pair of sparkling purple eyes beneath.

"Feilin, don't you dress up for yourself?" Irina asked, glancing at Feilin's reflection in the mirror.

"I'm just a maid; dressing too extravagantly would be a mistake," Feilin replied impassively.

"But you look very pretty even without extra adornment," Irina said sincerely.

"Thank you for your kind words, Highness. Now, we must go see Princess Jodi," Feilin replied calmly.

It wasn't long before the two exited and arrived in front of the neighboring villa. Feilin rang the doorbell, and soon a royal maid opened the door to welcome them inside.

In the living room, Irina met Princess Jodi and Becky.

They were seated on a soft, brown sofa, with two cups of coffee on the table. After Irina and Feilin arrived, Princess Jodi had a maid fetch another cup of coffee, then instructed her own maid to leave the living room. Seeing this, Feilin courteously excused herself from the room as well.

"Very pleased to meet you, Princess Jodi," Irina greeted with a bow before taking a seat.

She observed Princess Jodi Ferrent; according to her previous memories, this princess was originally the sister of King Dawn VII, who later married her own brother to become a princess, and bore two children for King Dawn VII—one of whom is Becky.

Even though she had had two children, Princess Jodi still looked like she was under thirty. She had softly curled, medium-length golden hair, a smooth, fair complexion, and eyes as bright as sapphires—each expression and smile remained utterly enchanting.

Wearing a black dress, Princess Jodi exuded a mature air; the contrast between her fair skin and the dark dress added an indescribable allure.

"Irina, come over here," Princess Jodi said with a smile, patting the seat beside her.

Irina smiled, rose, and moved over.

Then Princess Jodi said to Becky, "My little Becky, I have some matters to discuss with your big sister Irina. Could you please go upstairs to play by yourself for a while?"

"Sure," Becky said with a tilted head and a smile, then skipped off happily.

Thus, only the two remained in the living room.

Seeing that Becky had left, Irina curiously asked, "Princess, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Irina…" Princess Jodi looked at her, her expression shifting—sorrow, pity, and a sigh all flickered across her face in a matter of moments, leaving Irina utterly bewildered.

Before Irina could ask further, Joanna suddenly wrapped Irina in a tight embrace: "Irina, my poor child, why must you face all of this?"

Irina was completely confused, unable to understand what was happening.

Though the princess's hug was comforting and her soft body was a delight, the sudden action and words left Irina wondering what they truly meant.