The woman with the creepy smile

To a point in time, a few days earlier, after Alice had abandoned Hadrian in the gardens of the castle.

- Alice Pov -

I found myself lying on an unfamiliar bed, not like the ones in a palace. I could immediately tell the difference, and it wasn't due to the texture or the material of the mattress... I don't know how to explain it.

"huff." I have no other response.

"Even though I more or less know his intentions for taking me here today, I don't mind because he believes in me... hehe."

After separating from my brother, or more accurately, fleeing due to my embarrassment, I unintentionally found myself smiling while thinking about him. Of course, I had not forgotten what had happened before.

After gazing out the window, I got up and left the room.

I went to the dining room alone because it was getting late, and of course, it was still empty. After waiting a long time, I finally saw the maids preparing food and beverage for the table.

Not long after that, I started to see some people coming. They were individuals who ate with my brother and me this afternoon, but this time they were wearing casual clothes as opposed to this afternoon, which was full of soldier's equipment.

When they saw me sitting at the dining table by myself, some of them had surprised expressions while others had neutral expressions. After that, they greeted me with a bow to show their respect, "Princess Alice."

I was just not comfortable being around other people, let alone complete strangers, so all I did was give a slight nod without making any other expression.

If you have ever seen me smiling in the past, you should know that it was because my brother was standing next to me. When I'm with him, I'm able to be completely honest and genuine.

Because he is a very important person in my life, my mother and sister Emila are included.

Even when I'm thinking a lot about him, my senses are always on high alert because I'm watching all of these people standing and talking simultaneously. The majority of the people here are between the ages of 30 and 45.

I can tell that they are very strong. In fact, these people are stronger and pose a greater threat to me than my instructors in the palace. I also had the impression that these individuals held high ranks within this army.

Suddenly, the room door opened again, and three people strolled in, maintaining a casual demeanor. I could see my brother, and on his left side, there was the same old man who I had seen earlier this afternoon.

When I saw the old man, I was a little surprised because I could see his shiny head exposed to the light of the room. Yes, it turned out that he was bald under his helmet and had a sturdy body.

After being taken aback by that seemingly insignificant detail, the next time I looked around, my gaze was drawn to a woman who was standing to my brother's right.

This time, I refrained from showing any expression. However, I did experience an odd sensation in my chest, one akin to an unpleasant premonition.

When my brother and I got off the carriage, this woman smiled in a creepy way. Later, when we were in the banquet room, she continued to smile the same way while slowly eating the food on her plate.

"To young master."

While I was still wondering, people suddenly started sitting down at the dining table, raising their glasses, and ignoring me completely as they continued to eat the food and drink the beverage served on the table.

Laughter can be heard from the dining room table, in addition to the fact that some people are engaged in idle chatter while the others are conversing with one another, creating an upbeat atmosphere.

Even my brother was engaged in conversation with the old man, the occasional creepy woman joining the conversation.

I tried to put on a sullen face while I tried to contain my irritation because I felt like I was being ignored.

My brother, who was sitting next to me, seemed to sense how I was feeling because he invited me to chat in a soothing tone while stroking the back of my head gently, "Are you starting to miss home already?"

"No, of course not, I've been looking forward to this moment for a very long time, when I'll finally be able to see the outside world," After he had finished rubbing the back of my head gently, I responded with a cheery tone once more.

"But, I saw you almost cried earlier. When you think about sleeping alone tonight, do you get scared?" He said this while maintaining a playful look while picking up a piece of warm meat from the table with a fork.

"hum" I can only snort at his comment

He continued to talk while pointing at someone else, completely ignoring that I was there, "Oh, I want to make sure you have a good first impression of Sascha, who will be your trainer, beginning tomorrow."

A lady introduced herself and said, "Nice to meet you, princess."

My body went limp all of a sudden, and the unpleasant premonition that I had was confirmed to be accurate.

Even though she is smiling more warmly now, I will continue to refer to her as the woman with the creepy smile.

"No way. How could she possibly teach me? are you serious," I remarked while maintaining a look of complete surprise.

"Yup, Sascha is the best person to instruct you among all the available options," After witnessing the grin on my brother's face as he said that, I was left with no other option.

While my brother and I were conversing, a woman by the name of Sascha listened to us with a friendly smile on her face. She appeared to be the same age as Emilia's sister.

It's not that I failed to recognize her potential or anything like that. Rather, her first impression made me want to avoid her company because I could sense the same menacing energy emanating from her as I did from sister Emilia.

After what seemed like an eternity, everyone eventually made their way back to their residences after the dinner.

I didn't see anyone else as I made my way down the deserted hallway of the castle that led to my room. Just like in our home, my brother also applies the same rules in this castle.

Only maids are permitted to stay here, and men are not permitted to enter the castle building, so here it is just my brother and me, along with the maid in charge of maintaining this castle.

Earlier dinner was, of course, an exception. The rest of what took place was merely a formality since my brother, and I only arrived today.

As it is my first night sleeping away from home, I decide not to sleep by myself and instead head in the direction of my brother's room.

Of course, not because I'm afraid to sleep alone, but I'm worried he'll be lonely if I'm not there.

But all of a sudden, I noticed something.