Chapter 66

Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, I asked the young ladies again.

 

“Not the Crown Prince?”

 

“His Highness the Second Prince hunted an orc and won first place.”

 

“It’s still hard to believe. That the Second Prince had that kind of strength.”

 

“I know, right.”

 

The expression he’d worn at the banquet a few days ago had clearly looked like disappointment at losing.

 

‘Could it be that the Emperor rejected his wish?’

 

I cautiously asked the young ladies, “What kind of wish did the Second Prince make?”

 

“Prince Freyer said he wanted a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

 

“F–Foreign Affairs…?”

 

It was a development I never could have predicted. As far as I knew, authority over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs belonged to the Crown Prince. In the novel, it was often mentioned that the Crown Prince traveled abroad for diplomatic matters.

 

‘Was that why Freyer had been going in and out of the imperial palace so often lately?’

 

I had assumed it was because of the palace renovations, and since I never imagined he’d be the winner, I’d completely misunderstood the situation.

 

‘Why would Freyer want a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?’

 

In the past, I would have thought it was because Freyer, the Second Prince with little power, wanted to present himself proudly to Nazlee.

 

But now, I wasn’t even sure whether Freyer liked Nazlee at all. The young ladies’ eyes sparkled as they spoke of him.

 

“His Highness is truly wonderful.”

 

“This is the first official post the Second Prince has taken on, right?”

 

“Yes. They say he holds the key to strengthening ties with Oneren Kingdom. I’m so curious what that key might be.”

 

“He’s such an impressive person—why was he surrounded by such baseless rumors all this time?”

 

“…Yes. He really is impressive.”

 

When Nazlee, who had been quiet, murmured softly, the other ladies all turned to look at her.

 

“You’ve had feelings for Prince Freyer, haven’t you, Lady Nazlee?”

 

“He must be very kind. Lady Nazlee, you really have a good eye.”

 

“You’d look so good together.”

 

At their words, Nazlee’s face flushed red. Ophelia, who had seemed uninterested until now, suddenly joined in.

 

“But I’m curious about something, Lady Lilithia.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You’re both at such a passionate age, aren’t you? And it rained heavily that day—you were soaked. You spent the entire night with Prince Freyer… nothing happened?”

 

I never imagined the topic would turn like this. In an instant, the air grew heavy.

 

“Lady Ophelia. That’s rude.”

 

“Is it rude to ask?”

 

Ophelia blinked, genuinely puzzled.

 

“When a man and a woman spend the night together, something’s bound to happen.”

 

“……”

 

Nazlee’s pupils shook visibly. I hurriedly answered.

 

“Nothing at all! Truly—nothing happened.”

 

Of course, I had fallen asleep in Freyer’s arms, and there had been the unfortunate incident of seeing his abs—but aside from that, nothing.

 

“I swear it!”

 

“Really…?”

 

“Of course!”

 

A faint look of relief crossed Nazlee’s face. Then, as if she remembered something, she clapped her hands lightly.

 

“Oh, right. I heard the Crown Prince sent you gifts because he was worried about you, Lady Lilithia?”

 

I stiffened in surprise. It was true that I had received gifts from the Crown Prince—but I’d sent them all back, and I hadn’t told anyone about it.

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“I recently had an opportunity to meet the Crown Prince, and I heard it from him then.”

 

“Oh, really?”

 

“The Crown Prince personally sent you gifts?”

 

The ladies looked at me with curious eyes.

 

“I did receive them, but…”

 

“I’ve never seen the Crown Prince send gifts to a young lady before.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Could it be that His Highness likes you, Lady Lilithia?”

 

“The Crown Prince… likes me?”

 

I waved my hands at their baseless speculation. Nazlee gazed at me with shining eyes.

 

“Then how do you feel about the Crown Prince, Lady Lilithia?”

 

It was a question I’d never considered. To me, the Crown Prince was nothing more—or less—than the protagonist of the original novel. Lately, he was someone who made me uneasy.

 

“He’s the Crown Prince… but why are you asking that?”

 

“Just because! He’s such a wonderful man—everyone admires him. I was wondering whether you felt the same.”

 

“That’s right. Who will become the Crown Princess is the talk of society.”

 

“And we’re all of marriageable age now.”

 

Claire covered her mouth shyly as she laughed. As she nodded along, she suddenly squinted at something reflecting the light and gasped.

 

“Oh my. Lady Ophelia, is that a diamond brooch?”

 

Thankfully, the topic shifted naturally. Ophelia smiled proudly, looking at the sparkling diamond brooch pinned to her chest.

 

“Yes, it is.”

 

“It’s beautiful. How did you get it? I’ve never seen one like it before.”

 

“I recently became engaged to the young heir of Count Torchibi’s family. He gave it to me as an engagement gift.”

 

“An engagement gift?”

 

“I heard their family is wealthy—looks like it’s true.”

 

“I told him it wasn’t my style, but he begged me to accept it anyway.”

 

The young ladies stared at the brooch as if it might bore a hole.

 

“I wonder if I’ll receive something like that when I get engaged.”

 

“I’m going to marry into a rich family.”

 

“I’m so jealous, Lady Ophelia.”

 

At their words, Ophelia’s shoulders lifted proudly. Smiling broadly, she stood up.

 

“Lady Lilithia, where’s the restroom?”

 

“If you step outside, a servant will guide you.”

 

Ophelia leisurely left the room, and we heard Winnie speaking to her from outside.

 

“I’ll show you the way.”

 

Once the central figure left, the conversation naturally drifted elsewhere.

 

 

***

 

 

“I heard the lemon madeleines at the new dessert shop are amazing.”

 

“Really? I should go try them.”

 

They chatted pleasantly about new dessert shops and famous seafood restaurants.

 

Then—

 

“Aaah!”

 

A sharp scream rang out from the corridor. Everyone turned toward the door. Another scream followed. This was no ordinary matter.

 

“Excuse me for a moment.”

 

I hurried to my feet and ran toward the sound. There, I saw Ophelia clutching Winnie by the hair. Servants who had rushed over stood frozen, unable to stop her.

 

“You’re the problem! Where did you steal my belongings and hide them?!”

 

“P–Please let go…”

 

“Speak! Now!”

 

Ophelia shook Winnie violently by the hair. Winnie screamed again.

 

“Aah!”

 

I rushed forward and grabbed Ophelia’s wrist.

 

“Lady Ophelia! What do you think you’re doing?!”

 

“Let go of me!”

 

I wasn’t strong enough to restrain her in her frenzy. I was shoved backward, narrowly saved from falling by the servants who caught me.

 

“Give my things back right now!”

 

“I–I didn’t take anything!”

 

“Another lie!”

 

Ophelia flung Winnie aside. Winnie collapsed onto the floor. Clumps of her brown hair were tangled in Ophelia’s hand. Unable to even fix her disheveled hair, Winnie stared at the floor, tears streaming.

 

“Hic…”

 

I rushed to Winnie’s side and met her eyes.

 

“Winnie! Are you all right?”

 

“…Hic, miss…”

 

She flinched at my touch and began trembling violently. Grinding my teeth, I shouted, “What do you think you’re doing, Lady Ophelia?!”

 

Ophelia shook the hair from her hand dismissively and raised her voice.

 

“She deserves to be treated like that.”

 

“I asked what happened—clearly!”

 

I glared at her sharply. Ophelia crossed her arms and snorted.

 

“Lady Lilithia, are you really taking the side of a servant just because she works here?”

 

Her shameless attitude hardened my expression.

 

“Explain exactly what happened. Now.”

 

“That girl stole my jewelry. My diamond brooch.”

 

“You’re saying our servant stole your brooch?”

 

“Yes. I went to the restroom, and when I came back, it was gone. You all saw it—I was wearing it just before.”

 

It was the very brooch she’d been boasting about. She shot Winnie a vicious glare.

 

“I saw it myself. That maid was eyeing my jewelry greedily.”

 

“It wasn’t me! I’ve told you over and over!”

 

Winnie shouted through her tears.

 

“How dare a commoner raise her voice! Honestly—what kind of training did she receive?!”

 

“That’s going too far, Lady Ophelia!”

 

“How amusing, Lady Lilithia. In a situation like this, you should be apologizing on your knees for failing to train your servant properly—yet you say I’ve gone too far?”

 

She spoke with open contempt.

 

“Unless… did you order your servant to steal it for you, Lady Lilithia?”

 

Her twisted accusation left me staring at her in disbelief.

 

“Your silence tells me I’m right! You deliberately had the brooch stolen!”

 

She sneered and glared at me venomously.

 

“You wanted someone else’s things so badly you sent your servant to steal them? As expected—I never should have associated with some obscure family like yours.”

 

She strode toward me and grabbed my wrist with crushing force.

 

“Lilithia Baimery, I’m giving you one last chance. Hand over my brooch!”

 

“Ah!”

 

A sharp cry escaped me as pain shot through my twisted wrist. The other young ladies rushed forward, alarmed, trying to stop her.

 

“Lady Ophelia, please calm down!”

 

“Then all of you must be in on it! If that girl didn’t have my brooch, then it must be on Lady Lilithia!”

 

She shoved the others aside and grabbed at my skirt, trying to tear it away. I clutched the hem and cried out, “Please—someone stop her!”

 

Rip—

 

The sound of threads tearing echoed as the seam connecting the bodice and skirt split.

 

“Let go of her. Now.”

 

At the familiar yet strangely distant voice, a chill ran down my spine.