Episode 56. The Villainess’s Reputation (6)

The Emperor sneered at Julius as he continued speaking.

“You must have mocked me, thinking I was an incompetent emperor, lost in luxury and indulgence. But it’s quite the opposite. It’s because of me that sanity is still being maintained.”

The Emperor’s yellow eyes gleamed menacingly.

“So, even if you want the throne, endure it. That is your happiness.”

Was it bravado or sincerity?

Either way, there was no reason to argue. The Emperor was the type who could suddenly lash out and go berserk. Julius prostrated himself. He was genuinely afraid of the Emperor, so bowing down was not difficult.

“How could I ever covet your throne, Father? I only wanted to ease your burden.”

And since he didn’t know the Emperor’s secret, it wasn’t hard to pretend to be harmless.

“After all, the throne is yours unless you abdicate it. I merely speak out of regret.”

Having soothed the Emperor, Julius slowly introduced a topic that might catch the Emperor’s interest.

“…Still, Sienna’s screams were the most beautiful.”

Would it work?

His heart pounded. At the same time, he felt a sudden surge of self-disgust for bringing up Sienna in this manner.

The Emperor regarded Julius with a suspicious gaze. Julius swallowed hard.

Then, the Emperor broke into a wide grin and chimed in.

“Haha, she does look a lot like Marigold. It was fun tormenting her.”

It worked!

This contradicted what the Emperor had said earlier about children leaving their parents in time. But it didn’t matter. As long as he could sway the Emperor’s mind.

‘If I can gain power this way!’

If Percy were to be unshackled, their plans would progress more smoothly. Julius braced his feet against his desire to flee. He forced out his words with great effort.

“I can’t bear Percy Stewart monopolizing her.”

“Indeed, she should return to the palace.”

The fortunate part was that the Emperor seemed mesmerized by Julius’s words.

‘Such obsessive fixation, it’s chilling.’

How did Sienna ever manage to face such a person and remain sane? Thinking about what she had endured made it all the more horrifying.

But this was not the time for empathy. With steely resolve, Julius met the Emperor’s gaze and said,

“So, give me the power to ‘compel’ Percy Stewart…”

“But you don’t need to worry about that. Sienna will return to the palace soon.”

The Emperor interrupted Julius with a smirk. His grinning face suggested he had some dirty scheme in mind.

“If they won’t let her go, we can just steal her away.”

Julius’s knuckles turned white.

* * *

It felt like just yesterday that I despaired over having only 70 days left until D-Day, but when I came to my senses, it had already dwindled to 65 days.

Today was the day of the Verita Marquisate’s ball, which the maids had eagerly awaited.

As I let the maids fuss over my appearance since the morning, I thought to myself.

‘Julius attending a ball, that’s unusual.’

It’s not that it’s rare for the Crown Prince to attend events, but something about Julius’s demeanor made me uneasy.

‘It feels like he’s attending on purpose. Otherwise, he looks like someone who wouldn’t leave the palace at all.’

His calm, brown-haired face could be described as unremarkable at best, but gloomy at worst.

‘Is he attending because something happened?’

Maybe he’s looking for a sponsor because he’s out of money, or perhaps he’s been scolded to hurry up and bring a fiancée.

As I unknowingly worried about Julius, a chuckle escaped me.

‘Just the other day, I declared him the second most hated person after the Emperor. How did I grow fond of him so quickly?’

The most dangerous thing for Koreans is attachment, attachment! Because of attachment, we buy expensive things and live our lives!

‘It’s all because he’s been acting like a real brother. And that letter he sent, anyone would think we’re real siblings.’

Thinking about Julius’s silly letter made me laugh again. The maid holding the mirror scolded me.

“Don’t move. We’re at the crucial finishing touches.”

You’ve said that a hundred times. When are you going to finish?

I wanted to grumble but kept my mouth shut to avoid being blamed for any delays.

Just then, a knock sounded from outside, followed by a composed voice.

“Are you ready?”

It was Percy, here to escort me.

The maids, creating a commotion, answered the door in my stead.

“Just a moment! We only need to apply the lipstick!”

“Wait, wait, I think we need more blush. These days, it’s trendy to look like you’re drunk.”

“Our master is in too much of a hurry. He should have come a bit later.”

After hours of preparations, what’s the rush? If I were Percy, I might have lost my temper and yelled to hurry up.

Even after applying the lipstick and fixing the blush, the maids didn’t stop. Finally, exhausted, I spoke irritably.

“Girls, I look pretty even with minimal effort, so let’s just finish up.”

“No way! Absolutely not!”

It seemed they were determined to make me look perfect, whether I liked it or not.

I raised an eyebrow and asked,

“Are you saying I’m not pretty now?”

The maids, bouncing with excitement, quickly replied,

“That’s not it, Madam! It’s just that this is your first ball attending with Master! You must look as beautiful as possible!”

“Yes, it’s a special day.”

Oh, is this our first outing together? I had been lounging around Stewart’s mansion so comfortably that I hadn’t realized. Frowning, I crossed my arms and replied indifferently,

“A special day with a man who hasn’t even confessed his love? Please.”

Percy is not the kind of man to open up his heart easily. Investing emotions in such events would only lead to my heart burning with frustration.

The maids, their faces flushed, protested in response to my words.

“There you go again, saying the opposite of what you mean. You’re upset, right? You’re really angry, aren’t you?”

“I thought Master would have confessed boldly by now. This is surprising.”

“Should I hint at it to him?”

What are they saying? They must have completely forgotten their past fear of Percy as if he were a bear or a tiger. I chuckled and told the maids,

“Forget it. You’re all being ridiculous.”

My words left the maids looking as if they had been struck by lightning.

“What?”

“Are we ridiculous?”

Why are they acting so shocked?

Realizing they wouldn’t let me leave all day, I stood up abruptly. I walked over to the door where Percy was waiting and swung it open.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all.”

Percy replied neatly as he turned around, then suddenly froze like a statue.

“….”

Look at this man. I waved my hand in front of his eyes and asked,

“Are you tired from not sleeping?”

“No.”

“Then why are you so stiff?”

He never listens. He must be tired and stiff like a rock.

As I frowned, Percy took my hand, kissed it lightly, and whispered,

“You look exceptionally beautiful today.”

“…?!”

It was an uncharacteristic compliment. Blushing, I reflexively turned to the maids. They were watching our interaction with keen interest and quickly replied,

“We are not being ridiculous.”

These little…

I looped my arm through Percy’s and pulled him along, walking briskly. As he let himself be led, Percy asked,

“What was that about?”

“We were discussing the definition of ridiculousness with you outside. Ignore them. The more coldly you treat them, the more they like it. They talk a lot of nonsense too.”

At my response, Percy’s eyes narrowed. With a face resembling the one he made while talking about Julius, he murmured,

“You seem to have grown quite close to the maids.”

There he goes, being strangely jealous again. I replied in a feigned indifferent tone,

“We talk because we’re always around each other. If that means we’re close, then you are my closest friend.”

“It’s an honor. That’s what I wanted to hear, Sienna.”

I frowned. His face was gleaming with amusement.

‘This man is so tricky.’

Was he teasing me again? As I glared at Percy’s profile, he held my hand tightly and whispered,

“Be careful not to be too surprised at the ball.”

“What’s there to be surprised about? Is there some bizarre trend?”

“It would be nice if it were just a trend.”

“…?”

I tilted my head in confusion. I only understood what Percy had meant about a bizarre trend once we arrived at the Verita Marquisate’s mansion.

The moment we arrived, a young lady loudly addressed me.

“Princess Sienna, please be my friend!!”

Isn’t it normal to introduce oneself first? Who asks to be friends without even stating their name? And why is everyone watching so eagerly?

‘Is the new trend asking me to be their friend?!’