“A plan…?”
I repeated, bewildered, as the princess twisted her lips into a sinister smile.
Wow, I know I shouldn’t say this, but she really looks like a villain right now.
Her sapphire-blue eyes sparkled with determination as she fixed her gaze on me.
“That’s right! We’ll teach her a lesson so she won’t dare to covet the position of Grand Duchess!”
“Why do we even need to teach her a lesson…?”
“This is the perfect opportunity to make it clear. Think about it. Diana Lawrence has been in the Nomos Empire for over two and a half years, so she has no idea what the relationship between the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess is like now, right? So we’ll put on a show from the start to make her feel utterly defeated!”
A show?
I froze momentarily, struck by the familiar expression.
The princess, unaware of my awkward expression, clenched her fists with fiery enthusiasm.
“Well? Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”
“It’s not really about whether I like it or not…”
Why is she the one burning with determination when I, the person involved, am staying quiet?
The princess, looking as if she were genuinely planning a strategy in her mind, suddenly clapped her hands.
“How about showing up in matching outfits, like at that last birthday banquet? No, wait, wear your couple rings too! I heard the Grand Duke gave you matching rings!”
“How… how did you even know that?”
“Please, it’s obvious. And how else can we show off? Should we have the wedding march playing as you two enter the banquet hall?”
Why on earth would we play that…
If I let her keep talking, we’d actually end up wearing matching outfits and entering the banquet hall to the wedding march.
I hurriedly tried to stop her.
“Um, Your Highness. Do we really need to go that far?”
“What do you mean, do we really need to? Of course, we do! I’m serious!”
Her face turned red with frustration, as if she were about to roar like a lion again.
Watching her, I couldn’t decide whether to thank her for being on my side or feel overwhelmed by the situation.
‘In the original story, the princess disliked Diana from the start, but it wasn’t this intense…’
Who could’ve known that trying to get on her good side would lead to this kind of backlash?
If I hadn’t fallen for Ian, I might have been able to handle this better.
But I was too unsettled by Diana’s return to console her properly.
“I should’ve held back…”
Humans are creatures of regret, and I was no exception.
While I sighed inwardly, the princess pounded the armrest of the sofa again.
“Argh! So, are you just going to sit there? Answer me!”
“…”
“Grand Duchess!”
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Argh! Don’t just think about it!”
When I didn’t give her the answer she wanted, her round, chubby cheeks puffed up in frustration.
At this rate, she would undoubtedly camp out in my office until sunset unless I gave her the response she wanted.
Sensing the urgency, I quickly came up with an idea.
“Um, Your Highness. Have you chosen your dress for the banquet yet?”
“…Dress?”
Her ears perked up.
I knew it.
Looking at her still sulking expression, I nodded solemnly.
“Yes, it’s the event where your official coronation will be announced. Don’t you think you should present yourself with dignity?”
“Dignity…?”
“You’ll soon be the Crown Princess. Besides, since you gave me such a generous gift on my birthday, I want to help you in return.”
“You want to help me?”
Seeing her begin to waver, I pushed a little harder.
“Yes, actually… this is a secret….”
Lowering my voice as if sharing a confidential secret, I leaned in.
“Madame Zed’s schedule is free for the last month. She’s not accepting new bookings now, but if it’s for Your Highness, she’ll create something stunning again. How about summoning her to the palace with me?”
The princess’s eyes widened.
“Really? For real? Can we?”
“Of course. After all, it’s for you, Your Highness.”
“Kyaaa! You’re the best, Grand Duchess!”
Success.
Thank goodness she’s simple-minded.
I secretly heaved a sigh of relief as the princess, who had been fuming just moments ago, now hopped around with excitement.
“Then, shall we start thinking about the design instead of this?”
❖ ❖ ❖
Three long hours later, the princess finally left for the palace, still reluctantly tearing herself away after expounding on her philosophy of dresses.
When she climbed into her carriage, she seemed to remember her original reason for visiting, shouting, “Anyway! Don’t forget to teach her a lesson!”
Now, the following day, I sat on a bench in the greenhouse, watching dry leaves fall beyond the glass.
“Haah.”
I let out a sigh heavy enough to sink the earth.
The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it all seemed.
Am I really about to end up as a love rival to the character I adore most in life? Even a toxic fan?
“This is absurd…”
This is all Ian’s fault for being too handsome.
That man had to go and tempt me with that devilishly attractive face of his.
If Ian were just a little less good-looking, a little less charming, none of this would’ve happened…
“What am I even thinking?!”
I slapped my cheeks firmly to stop my thoughts from veering in a strange direction.
“M-Madam? Are you alright?”
Vivi, who had been cautiously observing me from the side, looked startled and concerned.
I stopped in my tracks and met her gaze.
“Vivi.”
“Yes?”
“Come sit here for a moment.”
Surprised by my sudden gesture, patting the seat next to me, Vivi hesitated before slowly sitting down with a puzzled expression.
“What’s this about…?”
“Just hypothetically speaking, I want you to listen carefully.”
“Hypothetically? Uh, okay.”
“Let’s say… Hmm, alright. Imagine Kyle had a childhood friend. A girl.”
“Wh-What?! Sir Kyle had a childhood friend?”
Vivi sprang up like a spring-loaded toy, her face full of shock.
“Wait, is that true? He never told me anything like that…! Oh no.”
Mid-sentence, she hastily clamped her hands over her mouth.
Like master, like servant—Vivi wasn’t any good at hiding her emotions either.
“No, no, it’s just hypothetical. I said it’s a metaphor. This is actually about someone I know.”
“Oh, I see…”
Finally understanding, Vivi slowly nodded, though her wary glance lingered.
“Anyway, let’s say Kyle had this girl friend—”
“B-But, Madam,” she interrupted.
“Hmm?”
“Why is Sir Kyle suddenly the example?”
“Hmm? Well, because you like Kyle.”
“H-How do you know that?!”
This time, she leapt up again, looking more panicked than before, her face a deep shade of red.
I blinked in disbelief.
Did she… seriously think I didn’t know?
“…Just listen for now.”
“Y-Yes…”
At my insistence, Vivi, now as red as a tomato, sank back into her seat, her shoulders hunched.
“Alright, so let’s say Kyle had a childhood friend who had liked him for a long time. Turns out, they were originally supposed to end up together.”
“Madam, can I ask a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“…Is she pretty?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, she’s pretty.”
Very pretty. Ridiculously pretty.
At my answer, Vivi let out a despondent “Huuugh” sound, her expression collapsing in defeat.
She seemed far too invested in this hypothetical scenario.
Glancing at her, I cleared my throat and continued.
“Anyway, as I was saying… That childhood friend reappears in Kyle’s life. And as it stands, there’s a high chance Kyle might start liking her. So—”
“No! No way!”
Vivi shook her head vigorously, her face a mix of despair and determination.
“Kyle wouldn’t do that! H-He just told me yesterday that my hair looks cute…!”
Crash!
Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted from one side of the greenhouse.
Both Vivi and I froze in place.
When we turned to look, there was Kyle, lying sprawled on the greenhouse floor, his face as red as his hair.
“S-S-Sir Kyle?”
“Kyle?”
“…Your Highness, the Lord requests your presence… ahem.”
Stammering, Kyle roughly ran a hand over his face, which seemed moments away from exploding.
“W-What on earth are you even talking about?!”
Ugh, nothing’s going right today.
• • •
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