As I nestled into Ares’ embrace, the familiar scent I loved so much enveloped me in warmth. My heart filled with happiness.
Suddenly, my nose tingled, and my eyes started to burn as tears quickly welled up. I bit my lip, trying not to let them fall.
“…?”
Ares looked at me with slight surprise, as if he had already sensed that I was on the verge of tears.
Ah, this sensitive man. He must have noticed right away that I was crying.
“Bianca…”
He didn’t ask why I was crying. Instead, he just let out a deep sigh and pulled me even tighter into his arms. His warmth as he gently patted and stroked my back pierced my heart.
I sobbed quietly for a moment before taking a deep breath to calm myself.
I couldn’t break down. I had already resolved to accept my fate with grace.
But with Ares’ next words, the tears burst forth again.
“It’s okay to cry. I’ll protect you.”
I wish that were true. I wish you could break down the very foundations of this world in the story. I wish you could twist your destiny, which will lead you away from me and toward Lea.
Through my sobs, I managed to say to him, “Thank you for saying that.”
“No need to thank me. It’s only natural.”
His voice, unwavering and certain, resonated deeply within my heart. I closed my eyes and smiled weakly.
Ares never asked why I was crying, even until the end.
That was just who he was. Even though he must have been dying to know, he always extended his hand first, waiting for me to open up on my own.
It was the same when he first confessed his feelings for me, when he witnessed the ‘Author,’ and when I stayed silent about the truth of this world. He never pressured me to speak.
“I love you, Ares. I love you.”
With all my heart, I confessed to him once more. No matter how many times I said it, thousands or even millions, it would never be enough. I kept repeating it.
“I know, Bianca. I love you too.”
Ares’ gentle laughter was a profound comfort to me, though he would never truly know how much.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next morning, we left the beach villa, filled with only happy memories, and got back into the carriage to return to our everyday lives.
The road was a bit muddy from the rain, but it wasn’t bad enough to stop the carriage from moving.
“When we get back, you’ll have a mountain of work to do, Ares,” I said with a smile.
Ares shook his head, already exhausted at the thought. “I think I inherited the company too soon. I never have a moment to rest.”
Although Ares’ father was still the official head of the Stanley family’s company, it was Ares who ran it in practice, so his complaints were justified. At just twenty years old, it was rare in the Empire to hold such a position of influence, but Ares had exceeded all expectations.
After three long hours of travel, we finally arrived home. Before heading to his own residence, Ares said he would stop by to greet my parents.
Oh no, what am I going to tell Father…
“Bianca, did you enjoy your time at the villa?” my mother asked, her eyes sparkling with a smile on her face.
It felt like she knew something, the way she kept giving me meaningful glances. Oh no, what should I do?
“Of course! I had a wonderful time. Ahaha…” I replied, nervously sweating.
Ares, however, faced my father—who was staring at him with a burning intensity—with calm and composed words.
“Earl, I am deeply grateful that you allowed this trip. I promise that I will never do anything to disappoint you in the future. I swear it on my name.”
“…I will trust you, Lord Stanley.”
Wow, Ares! You survived without my father grabbing you by the collar!
Before getting into the carriage to return home, Ares took my hand and pressed a long kiss on the back of it. The farewell kiss, filled with more longing than ever, made my heart ache as well.
“This was the happiest trip of my life. Now, get plenty of rest, Bianca.”
“I feel the same, Ares. We’ll return to our busy lives, but take care of yourself.”
To endure the exhausting challenges of daily life, you have to draw strength from happy memories like these. Then you create more memories, and keep living on those moments. Isn’t that how life works?
Waving goodbye to Ares as he grew smaller in the distance, I took a deep breath. No matter what pain comes my way, I will never fall apart disgracefully.
I am Bianca Uranos.
The most radiant supporting character, with the power to shake this world.
****
Chapter 15: If You Touch the Protagonist, You Die (1)
After a short break to recover from the four days I spent away from the capital, I headed to Metis’ salon to catch up on the latest social events.
Actually, I had received a letter from Metis the day before. It mentioned some troubling rumors, and she suggested we meet to discuss possible countermeasures.
Entering the salon with a hint of nervousness, I saw Metis waving warmly at me. Thankfully, the salon was fairly quiet, with only a few people around.
“So, what’s going on?” I asked directly as soon as I sat down. Metis raised her eyebrows briefly as she poured some tea and said,
“Well, it’s not a widespread rumor, but one of the young ladies who has aligned herself with Lea Saturnos’ faction dropped by the other day and gave me a little tip.”
Though Metis outwardly maintained a neutral stance, Lea Saturnos herself had mostly stopped visiting the salon after our falling out. However, other noble ladies who mingled with both Lea and Princess Ariel’s group still visited from time to time.
It seemed that one of these ladies, in a rather ambiguous position, had become Metis’ informant this time.
Metis let out a dry laugh, as if finding the whole thing ridiculous, and began to speak.
The story went like this: after Princess Ariel received a harsh reprimand from the Empress in front of me, she became rather downcast. To comfort her, Lea Saturnos and a few other young ladies who often surrounded her hosted a tea party at the princess’s quarters.
Princess Ariel sat there quietly, not saying much, likely feeling guilty. But one of the ladies, in an effort to side with her, spoke up.
“Nothing ever happened at previous hunting tournaments, so who could have known something like this would happen?”
“Exactly. Unless someone has the ability to predict the future, how could anyone have prepared for this? The Empress was too harsh.”
“Speaking of which, isn’t it strange? I’m talking about Lady Bianca Uranos.”
“What’s strange?”
“None of us foresaw that Her Highness the Princess would be in danger. So how did Lady Uranos foresee it?”
“She even told the Duchess of Stanley about it, which led to Lord Stanley escorting the princess that day.”
“Now that you mention it, it does sound odd. Could she have known in advance?”
“Known in advance?”
“I heard it was Lady Uranos who pointed out Baron Nesso. How did she manage to single him out so easily?”
“But if she knew beforehand, wouldn’t it have made sense to prevent the attack before the hunting event even took place?”
“That’s precisely what makes Lady Uranos so frightening.”
“Pardon?”
“Perhaps Lady Saturnos doesn’t fully realize how cunning Lady Uranos can be.”
“Oh please, Lady Saturnos has already suffered because of her! How could she not know?”
“Wasn’t it because of Lady Uranos’ sly meddling that Lady Saturnos grew distant from Lord Stanley? Honestly, you were getting along well with him first, weren’t you?”
“No, I didn’t have that kind of relationship with Ares…”
“Hehe, there’s no need to hide it now. We’re all friends here. You liked Lord Stanley, didn’t you?”
“…I just…”
“No one else was allowed to call him by his name—not even Lady Uranos. But you were. Do you really not see what that means?”
“……”
“Anyway, Lady Uranos is someone you must never let your guard down around. She might have known about the assassination attempt on the princess this time too.”
“That’s right. And yet she kept quiet on purpose, for her own gain.”
“What do you mean?”
“If the attack had succeeded and something terrible had happened to Her Highness, then…”
“Watch your words! How can you speak like that in front of Her Highness?”
“Your Highness, it’s purely hypothetical. Please hear me out.”
“…”
“If something had happened to Your Highness that day, not only would the minor royals behind it have been affected, but Lord Stanley could have gained a claim to the throne as well. The Emperor holds him in high regard, and it’s possible he might have been seen as the rightful heir in your place.”
“Oh my, when you put it that way…”
“And even with Your Highness safe, Lady Uranos still has much to gain. She persuaded the Duchess, ensuring Lord Stanley escorted Your Highness. If he had saved you, of course he would be greatly rewarded. And, by predicting the danger and preventing it, Lady Uranos has already earned the Empress’s trust.”
“…”
“Of course, there’s no proof she knew about the assassination attempt. But the circumstances are suspicious. She identified Baron Nesso so easily, after all.”
“Hmm…”
“Enough with the baseless assumptions.”
“Your Highness!”
“Speaking without evidence will only bring consequences. And it’s wrong to gossip like this about an event where my life was at stake.”
“Our apologies, Your Highness.”
“You can have your doubts, but remember this: without proof, Lady Uranos could turn the tables on you all, just as you’ve said she’s capable of.”
“We understand, Your Highness.”
After Metis relayed the full story she had heard from her informant, I couldn’t even muster a laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all.
It was utterly ridiculous. How could they so carelessly fabricate their own twisted narratives?
Metis, with a cynical smile, added, “It’s pathetic. They pick the conclusion they want and then scramble to fit the facts to it. No matter how noble their reasoning sounds, it’s all pointless. I don’t even need to explain how stupid that is.”
“I can easily refute everything that was said at that tea party.”
“Of course you can. That’s why the princess warned them. If this gossip spreads too far, they’ll have to face the consequences from every corner of society.”
I felt my initial shock quickly turn to anger.
How could I get back at them in a way that would truly satisfy me?
Metis, also looking irritated, sighed. “It’s really not worth confronting them. They’re just gossiping amongst themselves. If we leave it alone, it’ll probably die down on its own.”
I replied in a cold tone, “All the rumors about me have been like this—petty attempts to drag me down, fabricating whatever nonsense they can. It’s nothing new.”
“So what are you planning to do?”
“If I publicly react to these baseless speculations, it’ll only feed the gossip mongers. But I’m too angry to just let it go.”
