Episode 47

‘A thief?’

At the sudden mention of the word, people around us froze in place.

I, too, glanced in that direction, feeling a bit bewildered.

“How could you say such a thing?”

“Please, calm down, young lady.”

Marquess Allensha, though flustered and with a reddened face, did not seem to back down as he looked at Aria. A belated piece of information about him came to mind.

‘Wasn’t he a former military commander?’

This meant that as a former soldier, he wasn’t one to easily yield, and in the process, the niceties of social etiquette and rules sometimes got overlooked.

“I didn’t say the young lady was a thief.”

His gaze rested on the brooch Aria was wearing.

“…I only said that it bears a striking resemblance to my late sister’s keepsake.”

At that moment, a thought struck my mind like lightning.

‘The “A” on the back of the brooch.’

I had assumed it stood for Prince Albert. But after hearing Marquess Allensha’s words…

‘Could it have been for Allensha?’

I couldn’t help but let out a gasp.

I vaguely recalled Marquess Allensha’s sister.

Born with a frail body, she passed away last winter from a severe illness. And…

‘There were rumors that she had pursued the Crown Prince right up until her death.’

Since many noble ladies had shown interest in the Crown Prince, Lady Allensha’s pursuit wasn’t particularly unusual.

The former Marquess Allensha, who had already passed his title to his son, was grateful that the Crown Prince didn’t outright reject his daughter. Even though the Crown Prince didn’t marry her, he believed the prince was at least granting her final wish.

‘The Crown Prince was probably just indifferent.’

He always treated the attention he received as something natural. He didn’t stop anyone from coming or going, nor did he care much for the gifts he received.

‘Just like when he gave me a handkerchief another young lady had gifted him.’

Scenes from the past flashed through my mind.

Lady Allensha, offering her brooch as a token of love to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince, casually accepting it and soon forgetting about her.

The forgotten lady, along with the token of love she had cherished.

“……”

It was typical of the Crown Prince to act like that.

‘A piece of trash on a different level.’

Most of the nobles must have thought the same, as their faces turned pale.

Even if Lady Allensha were still alive, it would have been inappropriate, but since she had already passed away, this made it all the more disgraceful.

Whispers began to circulate around us.

“Could that brooch really be…?”

“Now that I think about it, the former Marquess Allensha did buy only the finest things for his daughter.”

“If it’s her brooch, that would explain how beautiful it is.”

“How could such a thing…?”

The Crown Prince had clearly forgotten. Forgotten that the brooch once belonged to her.

Even I hadn’t anticipated this situation.

‘In the original story, after meeting Aria, the reformed Crown Prince threw away all the gifts he received from others.’

There was even a scene where he, with great determination, discarded all the items, declaring that Aria’s gifts were the only things he needed.

However, since he hadn’t developed a connection with Aria in this version, he hadn’t disposed of the other ladies’ items.

And that snowball had rolled all the way to this point.

“……”

The atmosphere in the ballroom grew cold.

Aria, still thinking she was being accused of theft, trembled uncontrollably, unaware of the full situation.

“Why… Why are you doing this to me?”

I felt a small twinge of pity for her.

‘She’s being caught in all of this without knowing anything.’

Aria barely managed to speak.

“Didn’t His Highness the Crown Prince just say it? He said he gave this to me.”

Her gaze shifted between the Crown Prince and me.

“I only wore it because my brooch went missing…”

She looked at me, her voice weak and sorrowful.

“If no one had taken my brooch…”

It seemed she wanted to bring up the earlier suspicion about the stolen brooch again.

‘Sorry, but I’m not going down that road.’

I did feel pity for her, but that didn’t mean I was going to allow myself to be framed in front of everyone.

As Aria was about to continue speaking, I looked up at the Crown Prince, then dropped my eyebrows in a show of vulnerability and whispered softly.

“You called it a precious item… It truly was something precious, wasn’t it?”

‘A very precious item. You’re far too modest.’

I was reminding him of his earlier words. The Crown Prince flinched. I sighed and spoke quietly.

“If I had known it was such a cherished keepsake, I’m sure Aria would have returned it.”

“……”

 

The Crown Prince clenched his fist, then smirked shamelessly, turning his head slightly toward Marquess Allensha and Aria.

With bold confidence, he declared, “Yes, didn’t I already say that brooch was something I gave her?”

He was clearly trying to force the situation and cover things up.

‘What a terrible way to handle this.’

While I was making that judgment, Marquess Allensha looked distressed.

“Your Highness, I was merely—”

“If someone gives something to me, it becomes mine. Is there a problem with me gifting my possessions to someone else?”

‘What a piece of trash.’

I stepped back from the Crown Prince, making sure to display a shocked expression for everyone to see.

I needed to make it clear that I didn’t agree with him.

“……”

As I pretended to tremble, a soft hand gently supported me.

“Your Grace.”

Chris quietly helped me to a corner, creating the appearance of a caring gentleman comforting a shocked lady.

“You seem to be shaking. Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m just pretending.”

While I whispered to Chris, the Crown Prince continued speaking shamelessly.

“If you have a problem with it, Marquess, why don’t you just leave this ballroom?”

Marquess Allensha’s face went pale.

‘How terrible.’

I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.

As a man from a straightforward military family, this situation must have been deeply humiliating for him. After all, it involved his deceased sister’s keepsake.

The Crown Prince, no longer hiding his irritation, spoke firmly.

“No. I’ll leave. There’s no reason for me to stay any longer.”

“Your Highness!”

Duke Reinhardt, who had been watching the entire scene in shock, also turned pale.

The Crown Prince walked past me, staring intently at my face as if trying to see through me.

As he passed, he whispered regretfully.

“I’ll make sure to prepare something much better next time.”

“……”

“Something new, something irreplaceable.”

He didn’t forget to glance at Chris’s hand resting on my shoulder as he finished his sentence.

“What is happening…?”

The room buzzed with confusion. Duke Reinhardt, along with Servi and Seth, quickly followed the Crown Prince out.

I tried to approach Aria, who was left behind.

“Aria…”

“I didn’t do it!”

Suddenly, Aria shouted hysterically.

Of course, being accused of theft would be deeply shocking for someone known for her gentle and kind nature.

The crowd around us watched with mixed emotions—some appeared anxious, hoping no further disaster would unfold, while others seemed intrigued, as if they were waiting for more drama to occur.

After all, today was Aria’s debutante. I didn’t want her to be left with a horrible memory, so I whispered softly.

“It’s alright. Come here. Band!”

Just as I was trying to calm the situation by signaling the band to play music, Aria, who had been staring at me darkly, whispered under her breath.

“You’re the thief.”

“……”

“It should be you.”

I flinched at the strange malice in her words.

‘It should be me?’

I couldn’t believe those words had come from Aria.

“Aria?”

For some reason, the incident with her missing brooch earlier now felt even more suspicious. I had assumed it was all the work of Aria’s maids.

‘Could it be…?’

I shook off the uneasy feeling and reached out toward Aria.

But as people paired up and started dancing again to restore the mood, Aria slipped away through the crowd, like a shadow.

“Wait, Aria…”

Just as I was about to stop her and try to make her understand, someone gently caught my wrist.

“Your Grace.”

“You are needed here right now.”

“……”

In that moment, I understood what he meant.

While everyone else was frozen in shock, I had taken the lead in restoring the atmosphere, and now the attention of the room was focused on me.

I found myself at the center of the circle, surrounded by people dancing.

“It’s a joyous occasion! Let’s see some smiles!”

Viscount Yuta and a few others were trying hard to lift the mood. Marquess Allensha, on the other hand, had withdrawn to the back, wearing a somber expression.

‘What a mess.’

I stifled a sigh. I felt guilty that, unintentionally, I had hurt Aria in the process of this situation.

“Your dress is quite unique! I wonder if I should ask my mother to create a patchwork design for me too next time!”

“Come to think of it, Lady Mindia’s dress includes a piece from the former Grand Duke Elzerian’s gown…”

Smiling at the people around me, I thought to myself.

‘I had hoped that something would trip up their union, but…’

This was an astonishing coincidence that had blown up into a full event.

Either way, after today, both the Crown Prince and Aria would be emotionally affected, and their union would be delayed for sure.

‘…As if it had all been planned.’

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that caught my attention.

At a distance, I spotted a priest smiling.

‘That man…’

It was the priest who had treated me at the Grand Temple.

He mouthed words toward me.

‘Keep going, the one who is touched by divine hands.’

He had said those same words to me once before.

‘What…?’

Before I could ask, the priest disappeared from view.