She stared at the screen in front of her with a mixture of slight sorrow and frustration.
'I thought you wouldn't appear anymore...'
She also started to wonder if others could see the screen that was in front of her.
"Sina, do you see what's in front of me?" she asked while pointing to the screen in front of her.
Sina looked at what the Princess was pointing at with confusion, then shook her head. "No, Your Highness. What is in front of you?" she asked, bewildered.
Viana turned to Sina, puzzled, then waved her hand through the transparent screen.
"You don't see it? There's like a transparent box with writing inside?"
While still looking at the Princess's waving hand with a curious expression, Sina replied, "No, Your Highness."
"Ugh, okay. You can leave me alone now," said Viana as she kept staring at the screen in front of her.
"Very well, Your Highness. I will call you again when the designer arrives," Sina excused herself, then walked away, leaving the Princess alone in the garden.
As she walked, she glanced back at the Princess and saw her seemingly deep in thought, gazing at something in front of her.
'Is the Princess all right? She truly feels like a different person today...' Sina thought to herself.
Viana continued staring at the screen in front of her and murmured to herself, "I was planning on doing that. But if I accept..."
The screen vanished for a moment before new words appeared.
[If you successfully save Elysia Kingdom from bankruptcy, you will be rewarded for your hard work.]
[Save the Elysia Kingdom from bankruptcy.]
[Are you willing to take on this mission?]
[Yes/No]
"Huh. What's the reward?" Viana asked.
The screen then changed to display another message.
[The reward will remain a secret, and it can only be obtained after the mission is successfully completed.]
She maintained a neutral expression before asking, "What's the guarantee that I will receive the reward if I accept your mission?"
[Your System was the one who brought you back to the past so that you could fix everything. If you don't want to, fine.]
She widened her eyes upon reading those words before the screen disappeared.
"What is this, a transparent piece of paper with moody writing?" she muttered with slight annoyance.
"Okay, okay. I accept," she said with a slight pout.
But the screen didn't reappear.
"Is it sulking?"
Viana furrowed her brows but then pretended to act indifferent as she sipped her tea once again.
"If you're sulking, the deal will never be completed," she muttered softly.
Suddenly, the screen appeared again in front of her.
[System never sulks.]
Viana giggled, "Oh, yes. You are. But now, let's finish the deal."
[Huh.]
[Alright.]
[First Mission: Save the Elysia Kingdom from bankruptcy.]
[Are you willing to take on this mission?]
[Yes/No]
Viana chuckled as she answered, "Yes."
[Host has accepted the First Mission. The System will organize the Tasks for the Host.]
[The Host is requested to be patient while waiting for the upcoming Tasks.]
"Okay, okay. I'll be patient," she muttered with a chuckle before taking another sip of her tea.
"Your Highness, who are you talking to?"
Suddenly, Sina's voice came from behind her, causing her to choke on her tea once again.
"Ugh. I was just talking to myself," she replied while wiping her lips with her napkin.
Sina glanced at her briefly with a pitying expression, then said, "The Royal Designer has arrived, Your Highness. I have asked them to wait in the drawing room."
"Alright, I'll head there now," Viana said as she stood up, pretending to maintain her elegance, walking ahead of Sina.
Sina followed silently behind her, still puzzled by the Princess's strange behavior since that morning.
When she arrived in the Drawing Room, a woman in her late thirties with over-the-top makeup and clothing was waiting for her on the sofa.
The woman immediately stood up and bowed when she saw Viana, who nodded her head in return to acknowledge the greeting.
"Madam Rosaline, I know you're busy. Can we start right away?" Viana said.
"Sure, Your Highness," Madam Rosaline replied as she quickly instructed her assistant to start taking the Princess's measurements.
Her mouth didn't stop chattering, and if Viana were still the same as she used to be, she might have joined in the lively gossip.
But the Viana of today was no longer the Viana of the past.
"Yesterday, I heard that Duchess Yessa bought a cute pet for her lover!" Madam Rosaline exclaimed.
Viana responded with a polite smile, but Madam Rosaline took it as a sign that the Princess was interested in hearing more.
"Exactly! She bought an adorable lion cub from a faraway country..." Madam Rosaline chattered enthusiastically.
The Princess simply rolled her eyes slightly in annoyance while turning her back to Madam Rosaline.
Everything Madam Rosaline said, she already knew. The woman had even said the same thing while measuring her body.
'In a moment, she'll say that Duchess Yessa's lover gave her an extremely memorab...'
Before Viana could even finish grumbling in her thoughts, Madam Rosaline's two-octave voice rang out again.
"And I heard Duchess Yessa was telling everyone at the salon that her lover gave her the most wonderful night of her life..."
Suddenly, an idea popped into the Princess's mind.
'Lovers?'
In Elysia, many noblewomen also kept lovers, just like their husbands did.
If one of these noblewomen had a handsome and dashing lover, there was a chance that he would escort her to a tea party to be shown off.
These lovers would also be given a place in their manor and enjoy a luxurious life, just like the nobles themselves.
Of course, this custom was only practiced among married noblemen and women. For those who were still single, it was considered taboo, as virginity was highly valued in this kingdom.
'If I can gather the best men in their fields in the future, there's a high chance I can save Elysia from bankruptcy...'