Episode 79

Caught off guard by her unexpected words, I stiffened for a moment before slowly shifting my body. And then, I reflected.

‘I underestimated her too.’

I had thought of her as endlessly kind, unfailingly gentle.

‘But no living person can be that way forever.’

It didn’t matter that this was a world inside a novel. My emotions were real. My pain was real. The people before me were alive and breathing.

Living people do not always follow a predetermined path.

‘…Just as I am not merely a villainess.’

If I—someone who was supposed to die early as a mere throwaway antagonist—had been able to stray from the original course, then perhaps Aria could as well.

I had made the same mistake as everyone else.

In my determination to stick to my own principles, I had become blind to the reactions and changes in those around me.

Looking back, there were things that stood out.

‘…The brooch incident at the debutante, the summer villa dress…’

It suddenly occurred to me that those moments may have been entirely Aria’s own decisions.

Aria spoke again, her tone sharp.

“I should have believed Father and my brothers when they said it. That you are an ungrateful girl, that the more kindness you receive, the more reckless you become.”

Though her words were cutting, she looked more wounded than I did.

Her long lashes trembled pitifully, her delicate brows knitted in sorrow, and tears welled in her emerald eyes.

She looked exactly like the tragic heroine of a grand story.

“Have you truly forgotten all the kindness my father has shown you?”

“Kindness?”

“Yes. He took you in when you had nowhere to go and raised you all this time.”

“Lady Aria Reinhardt.”

Chris interjected, as if to stop her.

I reached up and gently brushed his arm, silently signaling that it wasn’t necessary.

The imperial social scene still frowned upon men intervening in disputes between noblewomen of similar status.

Ignoring Chris entirely, Aria pressed on, her gaze locked on mine.

“Even I still think of the baron and his wife as my adoptive parents and respect them. But you… you don’t, do you?”

“How could I not? I think of the Duke constantly.”

‘Though it’s mostly thoughts of wanting to kill him.’

Aria’s voice wavered as she sniffled.

“Then shouldn’t you be treating me better?”

“The kindness I received was from the Duke, not from you, Aria.”

“But I have done you favors as well! Have you forgotten how I helped you?”

“The dresses you lent me were all repaid with gifts of equal value.”

Under different circumstances, I might have humored her.

Had Chris not been by my side, had there not been so many watching eyes, I might have allowed her grievances to air unchecked.

But in front of this crowd, listening to her ridiculous accusations without objection—

That would be the same as acknowledging her claims and branding myself as an ungrateful woman.

‘And I won’t let that happen.’

My reputation was now directly tied to Chris’s.

‘I don’t care about my own name, but I won’t let his be tarnished.’

I responded calmly.

“Yes, we were talking about repaying kindness. You say you have honored your adoptive parents.”

“What of it?”

“…You took such good care of them that the moment you became a lady, you sent them away to the countryside with a meaningless scrap of land?”

“What? How could you put it like that?”

“They lived in the capital their entire lives.”

The land the Duke had given the baron and his wife was a barren, useless estate. It didn’t elevate their status, nor did it provide any real power.

“I heard from the mansion’s servants that they recently wrote a letter about how difficult country life has been for them.”

More accurately, one of my informants among the household staff had reported it.

I had dismissed it as unimportant at the time.

“But despite their struggles, they have chosen not to return to the capital—out of concern for you. You truly are fortunate to have such devoted guardians, Aria.”

‘Unlike me.’

I didn’t need to say the words out loud.

Anyone listening could fill in the blanks.

Today, I had dressed more extravagantly than usual—a fairy-winged cape, adorned with yellow citrines and pearls. My injuries were still there, the larger ones standing out prominently for all to see.

As I absentmindedly brushed my fingers over them, watching Aria, her face flushed red with anger.

Perhaps deciding I wasn’t worth confronting, she abruptly turned to Chris instead.

“Your Grace, you can’t do this.”

“…Lady Aria Reinhardt.”

Tears clung to her long lashes as she spoke.

“There are things between us, things we exchanged….”

Chris’s brows furrowed slightly, as if he didn’t understand what she meant.

Aria caressed the wine bottle in her hands as though it were something precious.

“That’s why I believed you loved me. Everyone else thinks so too.”

“I don’t know where such a misunderstanding could have arisen. Nor do I know what you mean by ‘things we exchanged.’”

Chris’s voice turned cold. Though he didn’t speak loudly, his words were clear enough for everyone in the garden to hear.

At his unmistakable rejection, Aria visibly flinched. I was just as surprised.

“Chris?”

“I swear, with nothing to be ashamed of.”

Chris’s voice was icily calm as he continued.

“Lady Aria, you and I have never exchanged anything of sentiment.”

His tone was sharp—cutting, final.

Aria turned to me, disbelief flashing across her face.

“What did you do to His Grace?”

“Aria.”

“He wasn’t like this. He was the kind of person who would reach out a hand when I was hurt and crying.”

Chris’s brow twitched slightly again, as if realizing that a past moment of kindness had led to this.

“Your Grace, you just don’t know it yet. We—”

Before she could finish, the atmosphere around us shifted.

A murmur rippled through the gathering.

“What’s going on?”

“They say it’s the Reinhardt ladies…”

I realized that too many eyes were on us. This situation wasn’t just bad for Aria—it was also bad for Chris and me.

“Aria, if you want to give the wine, I’ll take it. Thank you.”

I reached out for the bottle.

“No. Forget it.”

Before my fingers even touched it, Aria smacked the bottle away, hard enough to sting.

Chris’s gaze immediately flickered to my hand.

“You’ll see soon enough, Your Grace.”

“……”

“And you’ll regret it.”

Tears spilled from her eyes as she turned and walked away. Several young noblemen and ladies, admirers of Aria, hurried after her.

‘So this is what it feels like to be the villainess.’

Of course, I had always been a minor antagonist, but today, I felt like one more than ever.

Wasn’t this the classic scene? The villainess stealing the heroine’s man, while the betrayed heroine stormed off, vowing revenge?

‘Usually, in the stories I’ve read, the heroine comes back to destroy the villainess.’

But unlike those stories…

“Let’s go.”

Chris’s voice brought me back to reality.

“…Chris.”

I hesitated before forcing myself to speak.

For so long, I had avoided this question, afraid of the answer.

But I couldn’t avoid it forever.

“Tell me honestly.”

“……”

“Did you ever—”

Before I could finish, Chris grasped my hand firmly and pulled me along.

Away from the crowd, toward the temple’s exit—somewhere no one else was gathered.

The people eavesdropping on us sighed in disappointment as we left their earshot.

Only then did I realize how inappropriate this place and time were for such a question.

I had always prided myself on caution, but in front of Chris, I had made a mistake.

“I’m sorry. I—”

“Not once.”

His voice was lower than usual, as if something constricted his throat.

He turned his head slightly, his eyes catching mine from the side.

Those violet eyes—deep as a sea at dusk—held something low, something burning.

If a mere gaze could cut a person apart or bind them in place, his would have done both.

“I have never thought of Aria Reinhardt in that way.”

His voice, now clear and unwavering, rang through the empty corridor as if sealing an oath.

My fingers twitched at the sensation his words stirred in me.

Chris sighed.

“I believe I’ve made myself perfectly clear.”

“I….”

“One Reinhardt by my side is enough.”

“……”

“No matter what that means.”

A swarm of butterflies buzzed through my mind.

“I need only you.”

The fluttering spread down my chest, to my stomach, until it filled every corner of me.

“I have no need for anyone else.”

I couldn’t even respond.

I simply let him lead me back to the carriage.

* * *

“Your mind seems to be elsewhere today.”

Marshal’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

After returning from the temple with Chris, Marshal—who should have been in the North by now—had suddenly come looking for me.

I had just finished serving her tea and refreshments when she spoke.

“Hm.”

“I must say, it’s quite surprising to see you making expressions suited to your age, Lady Reinhardt.”

“…I know you view me with hostility, but treating me like a child isn’t exactly flattering.”

“I meant it as a pure compliment, but if it didn’t come across that way, I apologize.”

“More importantly, what brings you here? From what I recall, you were supposed to depart for the North by now.”

Marshal had recently been transferred from my personal guard to the Northern army—a change that had been set in motion once my engagement was confirmed.

At my question, the relaxed expression she wore as she casually crossed her legs and sipped her tea shifted.

In an instant, the seasoned mercenary captain was staring at me with a piercing gaze.

“You remember that one guy you had released?”

“…The mercenary I let go to stir up some infighting, yes.”

“That bastard was found dead yesterday.”