Two weeks had passed since I met Gran.
During that time, nothing significant happened. Gran was still staying in the Ramsey Empire, and Henderson remained quiet.
I wasn’t sure if he didn’t know I was the woman who disappeared after spending the night with him or if he was pretending not to know.
But it seemed like a good thing.
I didn’t want to face Henderson again.
Over the past two weeks, I have been diligently preparing to leave. First, I gathered funds that would be useful for living with Eddie.
The small jewels I collected were the key.
They were easy to convert to cash and might not attract my father’s attention.
And then, two weeks from today, I also found a doctor to check on my pregnancy.
While I was preparing to leave, the wedding between Gran and me was also being smoothly arranged.
The Ramsey Empire accepted our marriage wholeheartedly, as if they had been waiting for it.
I heard that Gran, who had long given up his claim to the throne, was almost an insignificant figure in the Empire.
No one was particularly interested in who he married.
However, if he married me, the marriage would solidify the alliance between the empires, so there was no reason to oppose it.
The wedding date was set for two weeks from today.
It would be the day after I decided to leave.
That afternoon, I received a response from the guild I had contacted in the back alley.
I read the document about Helena.
She was the eldest daughter of Count Moore, graduated at the top of her class from an academy in the Ramsey Empire, and was known for her craftsmanship… and I found the part I wanted to know.
It was about when and how Helena and Henderson had known each other.
<Her First Love Was Henderson Graham, and They Had a Relationship in the Academy.>
Upon realizing that they had known each other for a long time, I began to think that there might be a bond between them that I couldn’t intrude upon.
I wasn’t sure when Henderson had developed feelings for Helena.
One thing was clear, however: when he was dating me, he didn’t have feelings for Helena.
On the other hand, it was clear that Helena had consistently had feelings for Henderson.
I recalled the rumors that had been circulating in high society lately.
‘Princess Riley has a scandalous nightlife. Many have seen her enter the same room with a man at a masquerade ball.’
These rumors had circulated in the past as well.
Even though I had vaguely heard that Helena was the source of these rumors, I didn’t pay much attention to it.
I thought it was unlikely that the reputedly demure Helena would behave that way, and since I wasn’t behaving scandalously, I felt there was no need to worry.
In fact, the rumors had only circulated briefly before disappearing like smoke and being forgotten by people.
However, upon learning Helena’s true nature, I began to think that she was indeed the source of those rumors.
Helena must have seen me entering the same room as Henderson and, blinded by jealousy, spread malicious rumors.
“This time, I won’t let it go.”
I called for Matilda.
“Matilda, are you out there?”
Matilda entered my room and bowed her head.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I’m planning to hold a tea time tomorrow. Could you deliver invitations to those I want to invite?”
“Yes, understood.”
I wrote down the names of the people I wanted to invite to tea and handed the list to Matilda.
After Matilda left, I examined the rest of the items that had come from the guild.
They were a forged ID and a ticket for a ship heading to the Ramsey Empire.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The next day, I was hosting a tea party at the palace, inviting several nobles who held some influence in high society.
Although it was labeled as “tea time to sample tea from the western regions,” the true purpose of this gathering was to humiliate Helena.
“Is the tea to your liking?”
At my question, Lady Vanessa, sitting across from me, nodded.
“It’s so fragrant. You mentioned it’s tea from the western regions? Thank you for inviting me, especially since I know you must be busy with wedding preparations.”
I smiled faintly.
It was the most perfect smile I had worn in recent times.
I surveyed the attendees one by one.
There was Lady Vanessa, whom I had been close with; Crown Prince Francis; the well-connected couple from Duke Bernard’s family; and…
“…”
I gazed at someone sitting not far from me.
The star of the day, Helena.
As our eyes met, Helena spoke with a smile on her face.
“Thank you for inviting me, Princess Riley.”
Hearing her voice made me feel nauseous.
“I’ve wanted to get closer to you, Your Highness… I hope today will be a good opportunity.”
Before Helena became Eddie’s tutor, there had been no connection between us.
Aside from that, it seemed Helena was quite good at saying insincere things as if they were genuine.
Despite spreading unpleasant rumors about me, she acted as if she desperately wanted to be close to me.
In the past, I might have been deceived, but now it was different.
“Actually, I called you because there’s something I want to say.”
Helena’s eyes widened in surprise.
“To me?”
“Yes.”
I flashed a bright smile.
In the past, I had been unable to say anything to Helena and had only let her walk all over me.
But now I faced her with newfound strength and full preparation.
This time, I was confident that I wouldn’t succumb to her.
“I heard some strange rumors about me circulating after the masquerade I attended recently.”
“…I’m not sure what rumors you mean.”
The moment I mentioned the rumors, Helena seemed slightly flustered.
It appeared she hadn’t expected me to bring up anything related to the masquerade.
“I hear someone is spreading malicious rumors that I am a promiscuous woman.”
“…”
“To deliberately spread such vile rumors in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of a princess like me is something I cannot tolerate.”
I clicked my tongue in disdain. Helena responded as if she knew nothing.
“Indeed.”
“So, as a member of the royal family, I decided to investigate it myself.”
“…!”
A huge ripple passed over her face, and the smile on my lips deepened.
“I found out who spread the malicious rumors.”
It wasn’t difficult to trace the source of the rumors. In the past, I had chosen to overlook it even though I knew.
Helena must have known this about my nature—that I preferred not to escalate matters—so she felt emboldened.
But I am different now.
“Lady Helena, it turns out you are the culprit. Why did you spread such rumors?”
Helena’s face turned pale, as if she hadn’t expected me to ask so directly.
She trembled, her lower lip quivering as she avoided my gaze.
It was truly a reversal of roles.
In the future, I would have reacted similarly when I heard about Helena’s affair.
I had already prepared follow-up questions in case she tried to make excuses.
An excuse that someone impersonated her to insult me, an excuse that she didn’t do it… It didn’t matter.
I had even prepared several witnesses to ensure she couldn’t escape.
A heavy silence fell.
No one dared to speak, only watching me.
Surprisingly, it was Helena who broke the awkward silence.
“Even if I did spread those rumors, it doesn’t change the fact that Princess Riley enjoyed that night. Don’t you feel ashamed in front of the Prince of the Ramsey Empire?”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected her to turn the tables on me.
But reflecting on it, she had always been brazen, directly acknowledging her relationship with Henderson in the past.
“She was shameless from the start.”
Instead of apologizing, she was actually attacking my behavior.
She was more foolish than I had expected.
Perhaps her resentment toward me for taking Henderson was so great that she acted impulsively without realizing it.
I responded calmly, without flinching.
“Well… it seems Lady Helena has a bad habit of speaking carelessly about others to hide her own ugliness.”
“I was only stating the truth.”
“Do you have any evidence that I enjoyed a secret night? And you speak so casually to a royal like me. It’s incredibly rude.”
It seemed that Helena finally realized her mistake.
“Princess Riley, that’s not what I meant…”
I looked over at my brother, Francis.
“Francis, I’m going to be getting married soon. It’s really upsetting to be insulted like this.”
I furrowed my brow as if I were about to cry at any moment.
It wasn’t difficult to feign sadness; I just had to think of Eddie, who had lived such a futile life.
Finally, my brother, who had been maintaining a neutral silence, spoke up.
He gestured to the two knights standing near the door.
“Arrest Lady Helena immediately.”
It felt as if a sweet requiem was layered over my brother’s voice.
It was a performance for Helena.
“Lady Helena, your crime is insulting a member of the royal family. As Riley’s brother, I can’t just stand by and listen.”
Ah, I had to maintain a sad expression, but I felt like laughing.
I quickly covered my mouth and showed off my sorrow as if I were holding back tears.
