Chapter 38

Despite the awkward atmosphere, Lapheche obediently approached. I pointed my folded fan toward Esadien and said casually,

“Here, take your partner back.”

Pffft.

Someone couldn’t hold it in and let out a quiet laugh.

That seemed to set the tone—muffled giggles started popping up around the room.

Unaware of what had just transpired, Lapheche stood flustered and awkward, unsure of what to do. But no one stepped in to explain.

Everyone had already figured it out—who the woman was that Esadien had been meeting in secret while lying to me.

Meanwhile, Esadien, face stiff, snatched the glove back from the flustered servant and stuffed it back into his coat.

“If you stopped loving me, if your heart had changed, you could’ve just said so.”

That line genuinely caught me off guard.  

My eyes widened—not because it was outrageous, but because it was almost exactly what I had thought myself just an hour or two ago.

“Your Highness, you say that now… But the scene the two of you showed me earlier painted quite a different picture.”

I didn’t say outright that Lapheche had been practically naked.

‘Imagination is a powerful thing.’

Some were surely picturing a chaste kiss, while others probably imagined… things too scandalous to say aloud.

Either way, the whispering and shocked gasps from behind confirmed what was going through their minds.

Esadien stood there in that quiet stir, his gaze flickering, fixed on me.

‘Why are you the one looking heartbroken?’

I’m the one who coughed up blood, had a nosebleed, and passed out.

Lapheche didn’t follow after him. Instead, she was pushed aside by the noble ladies eager to fill the space around me—she was bumped out of the inner circle with a soft pop.

“Wow.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small word of admiration. What an elegant shoulder-check that was.

Well, I had the upper hand in power, in justification—and Lapheche was beautiful enough to be anyone’s rival.

With the way things were now, I could probably point to anyone in the room and say, “Go throw a drink in her face,” and they’d happily oblige.

‘Power sure is sweet.’

The fact that I was enjoying this proved something I hadn’t realized before—I really was cut out for the villainess role.

Still…

‘Maybe I should stop here.’

Taking a lesson from the original Minuelle’s ending, I decided not to go too far.  

Really, what kind of ridiculous person wrecks an entire household just for losing a guy?

‘Gotta be a lady about it. Ahem.’

With a final mental middle finger toward the retreating couple, I wiped them from my thoughts entirely.

Sister Elga and Ramande came over a little while later, just as I was getting bored listening to the noble girls chatter and fake-laughing now and then.

“Shall we head back, Minuelle?”

“I thought you might be getting tired.”

Was it just me, or did they both seem particularly cheerful today?

“Lady Minuelle, it’s a shame we’re parting so soon!”

“Oh my, I feel the same! We’re kindred spirits. But it is getting late—do expect an invitation soon.”

The noble girls tried to keep me longer, but I politely said my goodbyes and slipped away.

Will I actually go to any of their gatherings?

Who knows.

I might consider it if it’s from René…  

But I haven’t forgotten that one of those girls had sniffed at commoners like they were cattle.

Especially Lucienne Levimer’s invitation?

Absolutely not.

* * *

I am officially an adult now!

That meant parties and social gatherings were popping up like mushrooms after the rain.

In my past life, people would flock to bars the moment they turned twenty at the start of the year, and honestly, the vibe here wasn’t all that different.

If I wanted to, I could easily bathe in centuries-old fine wine and reinvent myself as the queen of the party scene.  

But that kind of life was for energetic, social butterflies.

Me? I was a homebody by nature and lazy to boot.  

Even doing absolutely nothing at home, the days just flew by.

What did I do holed up at home all that time?

“I was so busy chasing after Esadien, I completely neglected myself.”

It was because of my tendency to hyper-fixate on one thing.

Ramande, listening to me with a skeptical look, crossed his arms and asked,

“So?”

“So! I’ve made a new set of goals!”

[Goals from now on]  

1. 1. Get healthy!  

1. 1. Collect hot guys!

“….”

Ramande’s eyebrow twitched as he scanned the paper I proudly held up.

“Number two… what the hell is this…?”

Planting one hand on my hip and slapping the table with the other, I spoke with utter seriousness.

“Ramande, I’m going to become twisted.”

“What does that have to do with hot guys?!”

To be fair, goal number two was… well, about 68% a joke.  

But Ramande’s reaction was more intense than I’d expected.

‘Oho?’

If your childhood friend falls for a joke, it’s your duty to push them all the way!

I steeled my face and said shamelessly,

“Of course it’s relevant. I’m done pining after just one person!”

But honestly… I still wanted romance.

Not the exhausting, serious kind—just the feeling of being in love would do.  

Obviously, the other person had to be handsome. With hotties, the more the merrier.

“What do you think?”

After listening to my explanation, Ramande let out a hollow laugh.

“You really are… something else. Always full of surprises.”

“Right? Pretty great idea, huh?”

“That wasn’t a compliment. Even Lady Plendena would faint if she heard this!”

“Pfft. Tsk. You’re just too old-fashioned. Reverse harems are totally trending right now!”

“There you go again with your weird nonsense.”

Sigh.

Ramande leaned back, covering his face with one hand like he was mourning the state of the world.

After thinking for a moment in that pose, he suddenly asked,

“Is the aftermath harder than the breakup?”

“Huh? No. I’m fine.”

There were no photos here, which made forgetting him easier.  

Most of our meetings had been at the Royal Palace, not my home, so there weren’t any lingering traces of him to dredge up memories.

Still, now and then, I’d recall that faint smile ghosting across his usually expressionless face. It left a dull ache in my chest, but at least the pain passed quickly.

Instead of confessing that, I brushed it off lightly.

“It’s fine. When I think about it, first loves never work out anyway.”

“Who says?”

Ramande suddenly straightened up and demanded fiercely, “Who the hell said something that stupid?”

“Wha—why are you mad all of a sudden? People say that all the time.”

“Lady Plendena never said that. Neither did the priests. Or the High Priest.”

“Well… yeah, I guess not…”

Ramande leaned over the table, bracing both hands against it, his face close enough that our noses nearly touched. Then he growled, “You and the Prince didn’t break up because he was your first love. You broke up because you weren’t a good match, that’s all.”

With that, he stood up and stormed out.

SLAM!

The door closed with such a bang it sounded like the house might come down.

“…”

Left behind, I blinked blankly and muttered in shock,

“Dude. You’re gonna bring the roof down…”

What was that about? Does he like someone?

We’d been practically glued together for ten years, and not once had Ramande ever shown interest in anyone.  

Who on earth could’ve melted that stone-faced guy?

“Ugh! I’m dying to know!”

I paced the room restlessly, then came to a conclusion.

“The odds of Ramande telling me himself are basically zero. For now, I’ll play the calm friend and quietly observe… no, wait.”

My first love may have gone up in smoke, but I truly hoped Ramande would be happy. He was my friend, after all.

“He’s really grown up…”

It felt like just yesterday when I first met Ramande, all skin and bones, eyes burning bright under messy hair.  

Now here he was, all grown up, harboring feelings for someone.

Smiling fondly, I tapped my list of goals.

[1. Get healthy!]

What good were riches—or hot guys, for that matter—if I was stuck in bed all the time?

To enjoy any of it, I’d first need to get rid of the residual elemental energy that had taken up residence in my body without permission.

And then there was something else on my mind—the Cult of Fire.

Now that the Third Prince and I were over, the Second Prince wouldn’t be targeting me anymore. But…

“The one who embodies fire itself.”

That phrase rubbed me the wrong way the most.

If that “fire” referred to a spirit, they’d definitely want the fragment in my body too—like some kind of magical scavenger hunt.

And that process? Yeah, it wouldn’t be anything like:

“Pardon us, we’ll just borrow this real quick! Let us know if it hurts, okay?”  

“Ow, it hurts.”  

“Yes, yes, please hang in there, we’re almost done!”  

“Then why ask if it hurts in the first place?!”

Nope. Definitely not going to be that cheerful or painless.

If it were that easy, they wouldn’t have scorched half the southern provinces to ash, destroying innocent homes and farmland.

So I officially designated the Cult of Fire as Enemy #1 and decided to focus on learning more about spirits.

Which meant, naturally, that my daily routine was now limited to two places:  

my estate’s library and the Temple of Plendena.

* * *

“Yes. So you’ve finally come to learn about spirits too.”

The High Priest welcomed me warmly and spent time with me without hesitation.

“Did you really breathe fire on the day of your coming-of-age ceremony? I didn’t witness the moment myself, but I didn’t sense any foreign energy within the temple.”

“I see…”

I was about to feel a little disappointed when she quickly added with emphasis, “It seemed like pure fire, untainted by magic. But there was no medium to ignite it either.”

My steps came to a halt.

‘So Theodore was right after all.’

My memory was hazy right before I collapsed, but I did vaguely remember the sensation of heat surging out of my body.

But a power I couldn’t control—what use was that, other than being a headache?

“If I could release it at will, it might actually be useful.”

“For example?”

“I could protect myself if I were in danger.”

“Oh my.”

The High Priest chuckled softly and covered her mouth.

“I was thinking more along the lines of fireworks.”

“That wouldn’t be bad either. But… I don’t want to always be the one standing behind someone whenever things get dangerous. I want to be able to stand on my own.”

“Minuelle, people are meant to lean on each other.”

She stroked my head with a smile as gentle as early spring sunlight.

“If we get more reports from the south, I’ll let you know. But don’t be in such a rush. Try speaking to your own heart. You may find a path you hadn’t considered.”

Speaking to my heart? How on earth was I supposed to do that?

“Okay…”

I mumbled gloomily, having no idea what that meant. But the High Priest’s warm smile didn’t waver in the slightest.