"It seems the Luminous Court is currently in a frenzy."
Someone muttered under their breath. When I shifted my gaze from Mademoiselle Citroen, several people agreed with the murmur.
"The new Crown Princess is ignorant of the world's affairs, and while she's fine within the domestic social circles, she can't be presented at diplomatic functions."
"Ah, that's it. The matter is with Tania's resident envoy."
"Resident envoy?"
When I asked, several people nodded, their faces contorted in displeasure.
"Your Highness is aware, aren't you, that the King of Tania was greatly displeased by the annulment of the engagement with Mademoiselle Citroen, and as a result, the export of mineral resources to Luminous is currently suspended?"
"Ah. Because of that, we're going to the trouble of buying Tania's resources from other countries, right?"
When I said that, everyone nodded.
"Regarding that matter, the new Crown Princess... ah, Crown Princess Mail, that's right. She apparently went directly to the Tania Kingdom's resident envoy and demanded, 'Please sell me jewels."
I was dumbfounded.
"And the reason for that was... because the number of jewels she would use for her own wedding would be reduced..."
A snicker escaped the circle of conversation. Was this a bad joke?
"Until now, well... Mademoiselle Citroen had taken on the role of the villain, which probably made the current Crown Princess popular..."
"Now that the trick has been exposed..."
The nobles shrugged their shoulders at each other and sipped the wine in their glasses.
"The Crown Prince of the neighboring country doesn't have good judgment, does he?"
Raoul quietly whispered only to me. I snorted.
He hurt Mademoiselle Citroen so much.
He deserves to suffer a little.
"Oh?"
As I was feeling irritated, Raoul let out a small sound. He must have adjusted the volume so only I could hear it. The surrounding nobles hadn't noticed.
I also just moved my gaze to look at Raoul.
He was looking at Mademoiselle Citroen.
As if drawn by him, I followed his gaze.
There, Mademoiselle Citroen was holding a slender glass and tilting her head. She had a slightly troubled expression.
Huh?
Was she holding a glass? Did she receive something from a waiter when I wasn't looking?
Immediately, I saw her maid, Eaton, rush over from the wall.
Mademoiselle Citroen subtly moved away from the circle of conversation and said something to Eaton, and Eaton seemed to be frowning greatly.
"Raoul, go."
Raoul moved before I even finished speaking.
The security knights also noticed the anomaly, but they seemed to be waiting for instructions from Raoul or me.
When I lightly shook my head, they continued to wait.
Raoul approached Mademoiselle Citroen and Eaton and spoke to them.
Eaton complained angrily, and Mademoiselle Citroen was trying to calm her maid.
Raoul nodded and received the glass from Mademoiselle Citroen. She looked relieved but also somewhat apologetic and bowed her head to Raoul. Raoul hastily stopped her.
Mademoiselle Citroen was urged by Eaton and quietly returned to the circle of conversation.
The ladies also looked puzzled, wondering if something had happened, but they subtly included Mademoiselle Citroen in their conversation.
"What happened?"
I also left the circle of nobles and called out to Raoul, who had returned.
"Well, this."
Raoul offered me the glass.
It was the one Mademoiselle Citroen had been holding just now.
Judging by its color, it seemed to be orange juice mixed with carbonated water. Was there some trash in it?
"Could I just smell this for a moment?"
He abruptly pushed it to my nose, which startled me.
"Don't tell me it's rotten?"
"No, not that."
I took it from Raoul and cautiously brought it to my nose.
It really did seem to be orange juice. The refreshing, unique citrus scent tickled my nose.
"Hm?"
But my brows furrowed.
This wasn't just that.
Thinking it was impolite, I brought the glass even closer to my nose.
"Is there peach in this?"
My voice involuntarily became sharp.
I could faintly smell that unique sweet scent.
"Right?"
Raoul's eyes also showed anger.
We had sent out a notice to the lords of each territory regarding their stay.
Mademoiselle Citroen can not eat peaches or apples. We explicitly stated that they must never be used in meals or sweets.
Apparently, when she was young, eating them would cause her throat and face to swell up, and she would get a fever, which was very difficult for her.
It had gotten worse over the years, and now even just touching the juice would make her feel ill.
So, we had specifically requested that these ingredients not be included in her meals.
In fact, they weren't used at all in tonight's dinner or dessert.
Yet...
Why was peach here?
"... How did this glass get to Mademoiselle Citroen?"
"Mademoiselle Citroen said that a butler approached her and said, 'Please, Princess,' so she assumed it was orange juice and accepted it. Apparently, she had requested orange juice just before that."
It certainly looked that way. Even when held up to the light, all you could see was orange liquid and tiny carbonated bubbles.
"However, when she brought it close to her nose, she noticed the scent... and was wondering what to do about it."
"Was she mistaken for someone else?"
If this was referred to as a soft cocktail, it was plausible.
"But he called her 'Princess,' didn't he? There's no other woman with that honorific in this venue, is there?"
Raoul's voice lowered. He was emitting a crackling alertness, like a trained guard dog.
"Are you saying it was intentional?"
When I asked, he simply replied, "Yes," which made me give a wry smile.
"It's too early to cause a fuss. Let's observe a little longer."
Raoul pouted in dissatisfaction. I shrugged.
"Find the butler who gave Mademoiselle Citroen this glass. We'll hear his story. That's where we'll start. I don't want to do anything unsettling at this event, which is like Mademoiselle Citroen's debut, and it would be awkward to cause any misunderstandings."
Finally, Raoul seemed convinced.
He sent hand signals to a few knights by the wall and headed towards the entrance.
"Is something the matter?"
When the Count asked, I gave an amiable smile.
"No. Excuse me, just a quick word with my subordinate."
Saying that, I returned to the conversation.