Episode 45

“Then I’ll come with you.”

Chris, who had been watching the maid’s expression closely, decided to follow me. I turned to him, slightly surprised.

“Your Grace, you don’t need to—”

“Aren’t we allies?”

His quiet whisper was meant only for me, and I found myself with no reason to stop him. The maid, on the other hand, seemed almost pleased as she nodded.

“Yes, please do come along.”

‘…Something about this feels off.’

With Chris by my side, we followed the maid toward the toilette room where Aria was preparing.

Standing outside the room was Seth, who greeted me with a sly smile, raising his fist in what seemed to be a threatening gesture. However, when he noticed Chris, his expression froze.

“…Your Grace, Grand Duke Elzerian?”

“Sethril Reinhardt.”

Chris gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, and Seth’s face hardened. From inside, I could hear the sound of someone on the verge of tears.

“But… but…”

“Aria.”

As I entered the room, all eyes turned toward me.

The maids, Countess Claire, and several noblewomen and young ladies who had come to support Aria were all staring at me.

“Why aren’t you coming out? You’re the main character today.”

“Mindia…”

Aria looked at me hesitantly.

She was impeccably dressed, perfectly embodying the star of the day. The patchwork of pink and cream on her dress was flawless.

Anyone who saw her would undoubtedly think she was lovely and beautiful.

For a brief moment, I wondered what Chris might think of her. I quickly pushed that thought aside.

Aria looked at me with uncertainty.

“My brooch… it’s gone.”

“Your brooch? The pink sapphire one?”

It was then that I noticed the empty space where her brooch should have been on her chest.

The maids behind her glared at me, their eyes sharp.

“Frankly, there’s only one person who’s suspicious right now.”

‘…Seriously?’

I paused, staring directly at the maid who had spoken. She flinched under my gaze.

Then, the other maids started glaring at me as if to back her up.

“How could such an important item go missing on a day like this?”

“It has to be someone trying to harm Lady Aria…”

At that moment, Seth, who had been standing outside, cautiously entered the room, glancing at Chris before speaking.

“Yes, how dare they. That’s a precious item that I personally gave to Aria.”

I turned my gaze to Seth, who seemed unnerved by my stare, though he quickly tried to regain his composure.

It seemed that my previous encounter with him had left a lasting impression, making him a bit more fearful of me.

‘It’s not like he could possibly remember our past life…’

But maybe some part of his soul still recalled the wounds I had inflicted on him. If that were the case, I hoped that every time he saw my face, those wounds would burn with pain.

But that wasn’t the issue at hand.

‘There’s no way I’m letting myself be accused of theft, especially in front of Chris.’

“Have you searched the room thoroughly, Aria?”

I asked, and Aria, tears brimming in her eyes, nodded. The other young ladies, who had been watching with a mix of pity and curiosity, now looked at me with a strange intensity.

They were likely finding this situation quite entertaining.

Among them, Helena gave me a look as if to ask how I intended to resolve this. Countess Claire did the same.

‘They want me to prove myself.’

I had expected them to want to test me at some point, rather than simply showering me with goodwill. Both of them were calculating enough to weigh the pros and cons of every situation.

I turned back to Aria, who looked at me with a sorrowful yet beautiful expression.

“I’m sorry, Mindia. You even helped me with the dress…”

“Miss, you shouldn’t be apologizing!”

“You can’t do that here!”

The maids, almost egging her on, received a smile from me that made them scowl even more.

“Lady Mindia, if you know anything, please speak up!”

I held back a sigh.

‘They didn’t manage to bribe any of my maids, did they?’

If they had, it would have been better to plant solid evidence. They could have pressured one of my maids to actually steal Aria’s brooch and use that as undeniable proof.

‘But since they couldn’t do that, they’re resorting to these indirect accusations.’

I made a mental note to reward my maids later. Just then, Aria spoke weakly.

“Even if we don’t find the brooch… it’s okay.”

“Lady Aria!”

“But without a brooch, you won’t be able to attend your debutante.”

Another hesitant voice chimed in, followed by a direct question aimed at me.

“Mindia, could you perhaps lend your brooch to Aria?”

For a moment, I froze.

‘…So this was the real aim?’

Whether Aria had orchestrated this herself was unclear. Was she capable of such calculated malice? She blushed deeply as she made her request, her eyes momentarily flicking toward Chris, clearly aware of the significance of the brooch he had given me.

“Yes! You could at least do that for her!”

“The debutante’s star is Lady Aria, after all!”

Behind her, the maids continued to glare at me as if I were a thief.

Then Chris stepped forward.

“Is it not possible to use another lady’s brooch?”

The atmosphere in the room shifted abruptly. No one had expected Chris to get involved—least of all me.

“Your Grace, this is a matter between the young ladies,” one maid protested.

“That’s right, sir. It’s not for a gentleman to intervene,” another added.

But Chris ignored them, his gaze fixed on me.

“But Lady Mindia’s brooch is a gift from me, given specifically for her.”

His calm statement brought an even more awkward silence. Chris wasn’t wrong, after all.

To loan out a gift from a grand duke, especially something as personal as a brooch, could be considered an insult to him. Soft whispers began to ripple through the room.

“Now that you mention it, Lady Mindia didn’t have any jewels for her debutante, did she?”

“Oh my.”

“Could it be that His Grace the Grand Duke personally selected it for her, knowing that?”

“That would certainly explain why he’s speaking up.”

The young ladies looked at Chris with eyes full of admiration. The mood had shifted in our favor.

At this point, I gently tugged on Chris’s hand, signaling that he didn’t need to go any further.

“Aria, of course I’d do anything for you.”

“Mindia!”

Aria’s face lit up at my response.

I pointed to one of Aria’s maids and said, “If you go to my room, you’ll find Marie. Tell her to bring the brooch.”

“You don’t mean the brooch you’re wearing now?”

Aria’s voice held a note of confusion, and her maids exchanged glances, their expressions suddenly uneasy.

“I’ve never heard of you having another brooch.”

One maid remarked suspiciously.

“Whose brooch could it be?”

Another questioned.

“It must be Lady Aria’s missing brooch…”

Their insinuations that I might be planning to return the stolen brooch were clear. I remained silent, waiting patiently for Marie.

“You called for me, my lady?”

“Yes, come here.”

Marie arrived sooner than expected, holding a luxurious jewelry box.

“Your dress is mostly pink, but…”

Click.

As I opened the box, the yellow diamond brooch gifted by the Crown Prince sparkled brilliantly.

‘This should do.’

Since it was an anonymous gift, the Crown Prince couldn’t openly claim it without exposing himself. The brooch was of high quality and value, perfect for a debutante.

The brooch’s multifaceted sparkle reflected different colors depending on the angle, making it appear both yellow and pink—a perfect match for Aria’s patchwork dress.

“This should work.”

I approached Aria and gently pinned the brooch to her chest.

“…”

Aria’s eyes trembled slightly, and the young ladies around us gasped in surprise.

“What’s that?”

“It looks incredibly valuable.”

I made sure to explain clearly.

“It arrived a few days ago in an anonymous package addressed to Lady Reinhardt. I was going to show it to you, Aria, but since you already had a brooch, I kept it as a backup just in case.”

“…”

Aria’s lips parted as if to say something, likely recalling the time when she had assumed an anonymous gift was meant for her, only to find herself in an awkward situation.

I smiled and added, “The letter inside mentioned that the initial ‘A’ was engraved on the back.”

Everyone knew whose name started with ‘A.’

‘Albert Alates.’

And Aria Reinhardt.

Both the Crown Prince and Aria shared that initial. The young ladies’ expressions quickly shifted.

Looking at Seth, I added with a bit of pointedness, “This diamond is… far more fitting for an occasion like this than a pink sapphire.”

“…!”

As soon as the mention of the pink sapphire came up, the young ladies began whispering more energetically.

“Certainly, sapphires are precious, but a diamond of that caliber…”

“And it’s a gift from His Highness the Crown Prince, isn’t it?”

“Isn’t it strange that Lord Seth seems to care more for Lady Mindia than for his own sister, Lady Aria? Such a meticulous gift…”

The sight of Seth’s face turning bright red was immensely satisfying. I quickly whispered to Aria to wrap up the situation.

“We can search for the sapphire brooch later. For now, you need to go, Aria. The ball is about to begin.”

“Yes? Oh… yes.”

Still looking at the brooch with some reluctance, Aria finally began to walk. The other young ladies followed suit, their eyes lingering on her.

I exchanged glances with Helena and Countess Claire, both of whom seemed impressed. Chris, too, gave me a look of approval.

As we stepped outside, the guests who were eagerly awaiting Aria’s entrance were gathered in the lobby.

“My goodness.”

“She’s truly stunning.”

I naturally positioned myself beside Aria, gently arranging her hair. Chris took a step back.

At the far end of the crowded room, I noticed the Crown Prince, who had been conversing with the Duke of Reinhardt. As expected, he had arrived late after lingering elsewhere.

When he turned his gaze towards me with a smile, his expression suddenly hardened upon seeing the brooch on Aria’s chest.