Episode 13

‘So, he finally arrives.’

I forced down the corners of my mouth, which wanted to curl up. It wasn’t a smile of joy, but a mocking one, and it wouldn’t do any good to show it to him.

‘He hasn’t changed a bit, has he?’

Where had he been wasting his time this time?

I wasn’t really curious. The places he frequented were predictable. Either he’d been playing with courtesans at some noble’s house, or he’d spent time gambling with his unsavory friends.

The Crown Prince, notorious for being the imperial family’s delinquent before meeting Aria, was that kind of person.

‘If there’s anything to wonder about, it’s why he’s not with Aria.’

But it didn’t matter much. He was the male lead in this story, and regardless, he would eventually meet Aria.

The Crown Prince, wearing a composed and arrogant smile, spoke, seeming unaffected by the earlier scuffle.

“Grand Duke Elzerian. It’s been a while.”

“……”

Chris simply bowed his head lightly. Naturally, the Crown Prince didn’t acknowledge the gesture. He was too busy looking at me with clear curiosity.

“Seeing you staring at the floor makes me embarrassed. I have no intention of making a patient suffer. Raise your head, young lady.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I obediently raised my head and looked at his ever-dazzling, beautiful face.

Anyone unaware would undoubtedly be captivated by his sculpted, almost feminine features.

If there were a Galatea made from all the gold in the world, it would be him. Such a face was fitting for Aria’s partner.

‘And he certainly lived up to that face.’

He wasn’t just involved in gambling and bad company.

The Crown Prince was notorious for his womanizing. Even before reaching adulthood, his scandalous escapades were well-known among the nobles.

He was following in the footsteps of his father, who had many mistresses.

‘But after meeting Aria, he becomes obsessed only with her.’

Once he fell for Aria, the Crown Prince did everything for her.

No matter how dirty the deed.

In my previous life, I endured relentless interrogation and torture from the Crown Prince in the underground prison. It was because of a treason case.

‘Hey, young lady. Speak up properly. Admit that you did it. Admit that you orchestrated the treason all by yourself.’

‘Y-Your Highness, I didn’t…’

‘That’s not the correct answer. Do you think I don’t know the truth?’

‘But…’

‘Give me the answer I want.’

The Crown Prince had even suspected the Duke’s conspiracy to some extent. Despite this, he allowed and supported the Duke’s act of framing me for treason.

And he forgave the Duke.

‘Because that was the only way to keep Aria safe.’

If the Duke’s family were punished for treason, Aria wouldn’t escape unscathed. Thus, the Crown Prince planned to pin everything on me and bury the incident.

To him, the Duke’s betrayal was merely an event to reaffirm the trust and love between the main characters, the male and female leads.

Remembering the Crown Prince’s face, looking down at me with that sickening smile, turned my stomach. While I had learned not to fear many things, it didn’t mean I wasn’t disgusted by them.

‘Speak clearly. Say that you acted alone. If you refuse…’

I vividly recalled the Crown Prince striking my cheek with the hand that wore his engagement ring to Aria.

Of course, the Crown Prince didn’t reserve his cruelty just for me. Chris, in the cell next to mine, also faced severe torture. Possibly even worse than I did.

‘How dare you covet the imperial throne?’

‘……’

‘You, of all people, dare!’

I remember his furious face, distorted with rage, as he spat those words at Chris. The memory was like a blade, cutting through the present, leaving a cold, sharp ache.

It was as if he was taking out his frustrations with the Duke’s family on us.

However, the Crown Prince’s obsession and cruelty were deemed traits befitting a male protagonist. Aria would correct his cruel nature and ultimately achieve a happy ending with him.

I turned my gaze from the Crown Prince to Chris. He still stood there, expressionless, ensuring he didn’t give any reason for criticism.

The next moment, the Crown Prince addressed me.

“They said you collapsed. How is your health?”

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”

“And… may I know the name of the lady from which noble family?”

I suppressed a laugh that almost escaped.

It wasn’t surprising that the Crown Prince didn’t know me. He was the type of man who bewitched countless women but never paid much attention to any of them.

There were even stories about how he couldn’t remember the names of the women he had professed love to the night before. It wasn’t likely that a man like him would know my name.

I smiled lightly.

“…You mean my name?”

“Yes. It’s surprising that I didn’t know such a beautiful lady.”

“You flatter me.”

I looked at his face, one that would make anyone desperate to strike up a conversation.

‘He’s not actually interested in me.’

Was it some sort of competition with Chris?

Before meeting Aria, he was notorious for his promiscuity. Half of him wanted to seduce any woman he saw, and the other half was delighted that I happened to be Chris’s woman.

Chris sighed softly.

“Your Highness, the Lady of Reinhardt and I have only met today.”

“Reinhardt? The Lady of Reinhardt?”

The Crown Prince’s smile deepened.

“So, you’re a lady of the Reinhardt Duchy. How did I miss that? It feels like I’ve been rude to you.”

“Just recognizing me is enough, Your Highness.”

“Still, you’re a lady of the Duke’s family. It’s hard to believe I didn’t know.”

The Crown Prince seemed to be contemplating something before speaking again.

“Ah, are you the new lady who joined the Duke’s family?”

I almost coughed to stifle another laugh.

‘He just mentioned Aria.’

I brought my hand to my mouth to compose myself before replying.

“That’s another lady. If you must know, she’s my sister… I suppose?”

“Ah.”

The Crown Prince gave a peculiar smile, as if he finally understood who I was.

‘Of course, he’d know. Even if he doesn’t recognize my face, he surely knows of my infamy.’

The Crown Prince looked at me with interest, clearly entertained by the fact that I, ‘that woman,’ was with the Grand Duke.

“Have you finally met your destiny, Grand Duke Elzerian?”

I smiled, feigning joy.

“Will Your Highness bless us as well?”

“Haha. We’ll see. Before I congratulate you, I’d like to get to know the young lady better.”

So, he was still considering making a move.

“I apologize, Your Highness. Though you are indeed the Empire’s finest groom…”

“Yes, but?”

“My heart belongs to someone else.”

I squeezed Chris’s hand gently as I said this. Chris looked at me quietly.

“It’s hard to go against what the heart whispers.”

And there’s no way I’d accept someone as worthless as you.

The Crown Prince stared down at my smiling face.

“Is that why you did what you did?”

We all knew what he meant by ‘that.’ He was referring to the poison I had taken in place of the Grand Duke.

Just as I was about to smile wryly, voices came from outside.

“If she’s awake, we should have been informed. Why come in alone?”

The sound of a fan fluttering followed. People started entering through the open door.

Even the Dowager Empress and the Duke, with his grim expression, entered the room. The Dowager Empress glared at the Crown Prince before smiling at me.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Well. You must have been quite excited. I heard from the Duke that you starved yourself to slim down.”

“……”

“You shouldn’t harm your health for such things. You’re still young. Everyone was very worried when you collapsed.”

Ah.

‘So that’s the story they’re going with.’

The Duke stepped forward. I feigned confusion, letting my voice tremble slightly.

“I collapsed? No wonder… I woke up in a strange place.”

As I looked around in apparent confusion, the Dowager Empress folded her fan and asked,

“Oh dear, you don’t remember?”

“No…”

“You collapsed right in the middle of the sanctuary.”

I furrowed my brows slightly and asked,

“Did the ceremony get canceled because of me…?”

“Don’t worry, it proceeded, albeit in a bit of chaos.”

The Crown Prince added, his tone mocking.

He gave me a piercing look with his imperial blue eyes, followed by a sardonic smile.

“You collapsed at quite the opportune moment. One might think it was as if you…”

“Crown Prince, enough with the sarcasm. The young lady did not collapse by choice.”

“Please, there’s no need to be kind, Your Highness.”

The Duke said coldly, looking at me. He seemed to want to prevent any further discussion.

“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by our family’s daughter.”

Then he turned to me with a stern reprimand.

“Didn’t I tell you to take it easy, Mindia?”

He probably meant more than one thing with those words. He must have wanted to shout at me and curse me out.

“…No matter how much you wanted to be beautiful, you shouldn’t have skipped meals.”

I heard a faint snicker from behind. It was the Crown Prince. The Duke looked down at me with disdain, the way he always did when he treated me like an insect.

“Are you causing a scene by collapsing here?”