Eventually, the empress and the princesses’ interest naturally headed towards Irene.

“You truly do resemble Duchess Elena the more I look at you.”

“I am flattered.”

Irene answered in a gentle voice while shyly lowering her eyes.

The empress once again nodded in a satisfied manner.

“When I first arrived at the imperial castle, Duchess Elena truly helped me a lot. She took care of me when I had no one to rely on. We sometimes decorated the Golden Rose Palace together. Even though we were young, she was extremely skilled at embroidering… Ah, right!”

The empress smiled brightly as she recalled the past, then brought something out.

It was a handkerchief that was finely embroidered with the crest of the imperial family.

“This is a present that was given to me by Duchess Elena on the day she left for the Pendragon family. I still treasure it.”

“Wow…”

The princesses let out breaths of astonishment.

Just like themselves, Elena Pendragon was not a princess of direct descent. They were not required to do anything because of their special status, even though they were considered second to the direct descendants.

However, Elena was so good at embroidery that she created such a delicate and pretty handkerchief. For...