Chapter 54
When the Duke asked if she had gone mad, Nayla couldn’t respond.
The Duke continued to vent his fury in front of Nayla, who remained silent.
“Claudia has become the princess consort. The Emperor himself is now her father-in-law! How could you, instead of showing proper respect, try to frame Claudia with such vile schemes?!”
Nayla had tried to ruin the path of his most cherished daughter, Claudia.
And she had done so in the most malicious and cunning way.
The Duke was so enraged that his head seemed to be on the verge of bursting.
Nayla, in front of him, could only beg helplessly.
Tears had already started to gather in her eyes.
“It’s a misunderstanding! Please, believe me! I was just…!”
“Silence! I heard clearly that you scratched your own arm and falsely claimed it was Claudia’s doing! How can you call this a misunderstanding?!”
“I was just crying because my scratched arm hurt, and others misunderstood it! I never intended to blame Claudia! It’s all a misunderstanding!”
“You lied in front of His Majesty too…!!”
The Duke wasn’t fooled by Nayla’s tears or her lies.
Though Nayla found his anger irksome, she continued to act as though she was desperately crying.
Even though she was frustrated and hurt by her pride, she couldn’t do anything about it.
Her dream was to become an empress and take revenge on everyone.
If she was expelled because of the Duke’s anger, she wouldn’t be able to achieve that dream.
‘I must not return to my poor state!’
She recalled all her efforts made to fulfill her dream.
She had brought Luke to her side, made Regis fall in love with her, and tried to oust Claudia—everything she had done up to now…
“I’m sorry. Father… I won’t do anything that could be misunderstood again.”
“Claudia even begged me to send you to the academy, and this is how you repay my kindness?!”
Just moments ago, Nayla had been crying and asking for forgiveness.
However, after hearing the Duke’s final words, she immediately stopped crying.
“…What did you just say? It was Claudia who asked you to send me to the academy?”
When the Duke had first recommended sending her to the academy, she had been filled with joy.
She thought that she was being recognized for her abilities.
She believed that, like Claudia, she would soon be treated as his real daughter.
She even thought that with more effort, she might be able to take Claudia’s place.
But now, the Duke was shouting that it had all been a misconception.
“Yes! If not, why would I have sent you there? You don’t even have any special talents!”
Nayla couldn’t respond.
The recognition she had thought she had earned from the Duke was nothing but an illusion.
Everything had been Claudia’s influence.
No matter how capable and kind Nayla had tried to appear…
‘In the end, Claudia’s one request was more important to the Duke than anything I could do.’
At that moment, Nayla felt an intense sense of humiliation.
Her hands began to shake.
“…”
“Go to your room and reflect! You should also go and apologize to Claudia, who asked me to send someone like you, plotting such despicable schemes, to the academy!!”
The Duke, not hearing Nayla mutter to herself, continued to shout.
Nayla didn’t hear him either.
She was too stunned to listen to what he was saying.
She barely understood that he had told her to go to her room and, in a daze, she left the study.
‘What should I do…?’
It was really a difficult situation.
The princess, Aleyna, was a particularly challenging guest to deal with.
Most of what she had prepared for her was useless.
Aleyna didn’t like any of the typical things noblewomen would enjoy.
‘She said she liked hunting, but I absolutely hate that…’
I remembered how difficult it had been when I had gone hunting with my father and Nathan before.
I didn’t want to go through that again.
‘What can we both enjoy together…?’
After desperately thinking, I finally came up with a suitable idea.
“Aleyna, would you like to go shopping?”
“Shopping?”
“Yes, shopping. There’s a great jewelry store nearby. They sell pieces designed by the famous genius craftsman that’s all the rage right now. Let’s go together, okay?”
She liked activities like exercise or hunting.
I, on the other hand, liked buying things.
So, I thought shopping would be the one thing that could satisfy both of us.
Shopping was enjoyable but also subtly taxing on the body.
“If you don’t like it…”
“I’ll go.”
“Huh? Really?”
Aleyna nodded.
“I’ve always been curious about shopping. I’ve never been before…”
“What?! You’ve never been shopping?”
“I’ve bought swords and armor, but never jewelry. I’ve always wanted to visit one.”
It seemed like she had never had a shopping companion for pretty things.
Her stiff speech and attire made it easy to understand.
‘I guess she mostly spent time with knights. The life of an average noblewoman must feel very foreign to her.’
Maybe I could be her first shopping friend.
I was relieved to think that I could finally make her happy.
‘Since this is the case, I’ll show her the best shopping spots. I’ll introduce her to a new world.’
As soon as I made up my mind, I hurriedly prepared to go out.
Before we actually left, I put on a bright cream-colored dress.
On the other hand, Aleyna just wore a shirt and pants.
I had planned to lend her a dress, but she adamantly refused.
Surprisingly, she told me that she hadn’t worn a dress since she was five.
I was shocked but didn’t show it, and we both got into the carriage.
Aleyna didn’t particularly like riding in carriages, so she followed behind my carriage on her black horse.
“Ah, we’re here. This is it.”
We arrived at ‘Matteu,’ a jewelry store named after its designer.
The store was still closed.
Outside, many young noblewomen were lined up.
‘As expected, there’s a big crowd. If I’m not careful, I might leave empty-handed.’
With determination in my eyes, I stared at the shop.
“Ugh! What’s the matter with you?!”
I shouted, rubbing my nose where it had hit the person in front of me.
The person who had bumped into me was a noblewoman I had seen around at social events. Her face twisted with annoyance.
“Watch where you’re going, you reckless girl!”
I quickly gathered myself and stepped back to avoid further embarrassment. My eyes were fixed on the sparkling sapphire set in front of me, but the unpleasant encounter had already left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Aleyna, who had been following behind me, took a few steps forward, her sharp gaze scanning the woman who had bumped into me.
“This is a rather strange situation,” she muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowed as if she were assessing the other noblewoman.
“Just ignore her,” I said, trying to shake off the tension.
The noblewoman had already turned away, as though she hadn’t even seen us. I couldn’t believe the nerve of some people.
“Let’s go buy the sapphire set. Don’t worry about it,” I urged Aleyna, hoping to put the awkward moment behind us.
She nodded silently, and we moved towards the display, leaving the woman and her rude attitude behind us.
As I reached the counter, I could see the shop assistant preparing the sapphire set. I turned to Aleyna, who was now carefully looking at the other jewels.
“This will look beautiful on you, Aleyna. It’s a perfect match for your unique charm,” I said with a smile.
Aleyna glanced at me, her face softening slightly at the compliment, though her usual seriousness was still present.
“Thank you,” she replied quietly, her voice low, but there was a hint of warmth in it.
After making the purchase, we both headed back to the carriage, leaving the bustling store behind. The air outside was crisp and refreshing, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere inside the shop.
As we settled into the carriage, I couldn’t help but think about how this little outing, this simple joy, had turned out to be much more than I had expected. It had been a moment of escape from the pressure, the expectations, and the burdens we both carried in our respective worlds.
Aleyna looked out the window, her gaze distant. I wondered what she was thinking. Perhaps, like me, she was enjoying the moment of peace, away from the usual responsibilities and the sharp edge of her status.
We didn’t speak much on the way back. The silence was comfortable, an unspoken understanding between the two of us that sometimes words were unnecessary.
When we arrived at my residence, Aleyna was the first to step out of the carriage. She looked at the sapphire set one last time before turning to me.
“I’m glad I came. Thank you for showing me this world,” she said quietly.
I smiled warmly, relieved that the day had gone well.
“Anytime, Aleyna. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
With that, she nodded and walked away, her usual composed demeanor returning as she left for her own chambers.
I watched her leave before turning back inside, feeling a sense of accomplishment for the small joy we had shared. In a world filled with high stakes and hidden dangers, sometimes it was the small, simple things that made life feel a little less heavy.
As I closed the door behind me, I allowed myself a brief moment of peace, knowing that for a brief moment, I had made a difference in Aleyna’s world, just as she had done in mine.
