♡ TL: Khadija SK
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“Greetings, Your Highness. I apologize for my delayed greeting. I wanted to greet Lady Annette, but it seems I have been discourteous to you.”
Yvonne responded politely to Theodore.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to intervene for a moment.”
“You never intervene, so please feel free to speak comfortably.”
“I welcome your greeting to my wife, but there are some things you need to correct before speaking. I would appreciate it if you used the title ‘Grand Duchess’ instead of ‘Lady Annette’ from now on.”
Yvonne was momentarily taken aback by Theodore’s completely unexpected words.
“Annette is now a fully entitled Grand Duchess. Now that she holds an imperial title as my wife, even if you two are close and do not use formalities in speech, you must immediately address her properly according to the law.”
Yvonne was clearly embarrassed by Theodore’s warning, as she had an inferiority complex due to her lack of proper aristocratic etiquette.
Because of her family’s poverty, they could not afford to hire a private etiquette tutor, and Yvonne did not receive the proper education of the upper class.
Those who were jealous of Yvonne often spoke about her unrefined manners.
So she had deliberately spoken to Theodore with the utmost politeness and the most refined words, yet despite this, the prince pointed out her mistake regarding the matter of titles.
It wasn’t incorrect, as it was extremely rude to misuse names associated with noble titles.
Yvonne had come to demand an apology, but ironically, she was now the one who had made a mistake and owed an apology.
“If the title ‘Grand Duchess’ still feels unfamiliar to you, at the very least, address her as Marchioness Scheringen. She is now the head of the prestigious Scheringen family.”
“I… actually… didn’t believe what was written in the newspaper. Lady Annette—no, I mean Her Highness the Grand Duchess… such a sudden marriage was…”
Yvonne was flustered and blurted out nonsense.
“I apologize if I have offended you both. I just… I didn’t know that Lady Annette—no, I mean… Because I haven’t met Her Highness the Grand Duchess since she was still unmarried, so… I… I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Of course, I know you didn’t mean to, but it’s best to be more cautious in the future. Your words might be misunderstood by others. My wife is kind-hearted, but I am not worthy of comparison with the Grand Duchess. I may be extremely harsh if unnecessary rumors spread about her due to a trivial title mistake.”
Theodore’s reprimand lasted longer than expected.
This was the first time Yvonne had met and spoken with Theodore, so all she knew about him was that he was the rival of her lover, Crown Prince Hugo, and that he was known for his ferocity, which terrified her.
The confidence she had been brimming with just a while ago shattered in an instant.
The more Yvonne’s voice trembled, the louder the murmurs of the onlookers became.
All the people who had been busy entering and leaving the cathedral had stopped, listening intently to Yvonne and Theodore’s conversation.
In the end, Annette stepped forward and stopped Theodore’s reprimand.
This was precisely the image Theodore wanted to portray to others.
His goal was to embarrass Yvonne in front of Annette and to demonstrate how Annette would defend Yvonne in front of everyone.
It was a quiet yet loud way of showing the shifting power dynamics between them and clarifying Annette’s status compared to Yvonne’s.
Moreover, Yvonne was Hugo’s lover.
Blaming her would be a direct blow to Hugo, and Theodore was curious to see how entertaining things would become between them in the future.
That was why Theodore would have continued his reprimand unless someone stopped him, and only Annette could stop him.
“Miss Yvonne considers me her friend, so please don’t blame her too much.”
At Annette’s gentle words, Yvonne finally regained her breath and felt slightly relieved.
“Miss Yvonne, I would prefer that we go our separate ways today. I will give you an answer to your request soon enough.”
“Yes, Your Highness… the Grand Duchess.”
Yvonne bit her trembling lips and quickly bowed politely.
Although she was the prince’s lover, she was not yet the crown princess.
Compared to Annette, the Grand Duchess, she could not even be considered a proper noblewoman.
In a place where Hugo was not present to protect her, she could no longer cause a scene.
The mere fact that a girl of such low status dared to demand an apology from a member of the imperial family was already an excuse to take a stance against her and humiliate her in front of everyone.
If Annette had acted as fiercely as she had in the past, she could have accused Yvonne of insulting the imperial family and attempted to ruin her.
Yvonne abandoned her resentment toward Annette and turned back.
As Yvonne left, Annette sighed under her veil and looked toward Theodore.
“You scared me for nothing. You told me we should return to the palace as quietly as possible, yet you were the one who caused this commotion.”
Her tone was simple, but Theodore could sense the hidden anger within it.
“Why are you angry?”
“I think I’ll have to start bullying Yvonne from now on because of you. If that’s the case, I’d rather hate her. But she’s not guilty of anything, so it bothers me.”
“You don’t want to be her friend? You don’t love Hugo anymore, and you don’t have to pretend to. Since that’s the case, you and that woman are the same age, so you could become close, couldn’t you?”
Now that Annette no longer loved Hugo, there was no reason for her to hate Yvonne.
In fact, Annette had even previously decided that she would get along well with Yvonne and try to befriend her.
She was the protagonist, the one who carried the fate of this world. There was no benefit in making an enemy of her.
“Are you joking right now? How can the prince’s lover and the wife of His Highness—the one who claims he wants to defeat the prince—become friends?”
Annette blamed Theodore, but in reality, there was a hidden reason why she couldn’t befriend Yvonne.
She realized it the moment she saw her.
Annette hated Yvonne.
Not the real Annette, but the current Annette.
“Don’t make excuses. The simple truth is that you don’t like her.”
“The reason I hate Yvonne isn’t because of love.”
“Then what is it?”
“Would you understand if I told you that the reason is the same one that makes Your Highness hate the Crown Prince?”
Theodore fell silent for a moment.
He must have understood Annette’s feelings.
At the same time, both of them smiled bitterly.
There are people like that in the world.
People so pure and kind that they make those around them seem like villains by comparison.
People who stir feelings of inferiority in others just by existing.
People who make others miserable because all their actions are righteous and just.
Annette felt jealous of Yvonne, though it was difficult to explain why.
A girl loved simply because she was the protagonist.
Because Yvonne was the protagonist, this world existed for her, and Annette had to fight against the entire world and overcome it.
She had to struggle with all her might so she wouldn’t be cast aside… so she could defeat that girl and return to her original world.
It was unbearable.
Annette was struggling just to survive, uncertain of what the future held for her, while that naïve child was guaranteed a happy future even if she stayed in place and did nothing.
Annette was destined to do terrible things, whether she wanted to or not, so she couldn’t suppress her anger and bit her lip.
“If you can’t control your anger here, let’s go home and let it out there.”
Theodore’s low voice brought Annette back to her senses.
Everyone was watching her from all directions.
“Let’s go.”
Carrying the weight of her jealousy toward Yvonne, Annette stepped into the carriage, feeling an unfamiliar gaze upon her.
Ironically enough, the only person in this world who could understand her jealousy of Yvonne was Theodore.
That was because he, too, was a villain who had an unbeatable enemy named Hugo.
“You really are like the villains in novels. Even though she was the one who started it, you hurt the protagonist and sent her away wounded.”
“Did I hurt her?”
“You saw Yvonne’s expression. She had the eyes of a frightened deer. If I were Prince Hugo, I would never forgive you, Grand Duke, for insulting Yvonne like that.”
“Your judgment is completely wrong. Just because she’s Hugo’s lover, am I supposed to ignore her lack of respect? Or do you have a better way for me to intervene?”
Annette shook her head.
“Even so, I’ll take care of all the consequences, so please stop interfering in my affairs.”
“As much as you wish, Grand Duchess.”
Theodore smiled, and Annette sighed.
***
It was during breakfast.
Hans suddenly rushed in, his anger blazing like fire.
“Is it true that you want to decorate the altar with the Müller title?”
Annette abandoned the plate of eggs in front of her, wondering whether or not she would take a bite.
Lisa, who had been watching from the side, wore a deeply displeased expression.
She had been worried that Annette had been eating less ever since arriving at Floris Palace.
It seemed that she was going to eat well today, but she returned to square one because of an unexpected guest.
Lisa had come with Annette to Floris Palace and had become her maid.
Of course, she was only a maid in name while primarily working as a doctor.
They needed someone to take care of Annette’s fragile health, so they kept Lisa for that purpose, as they needed to limit the number of people who knew Annette’s secret.
“Why did you choose the Müller name out of all possible titles?”
“What’s wrong with that name?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
“Yes, I don’t know. I hope it’s a big enough issue to justify disrupting the Grand Duchess’s morning schedule.”
Annette took a napkin and wiped her mouth as if Hans’s anger was merely an annoyance.
Only then did Lisa, who had been observing from the side, notice the unusual aspect of Hans’s mood.
She looked at him intently—his eyes were burning, and his voice was loud, yet he didn’t seem to be angry at Annette herself.
There was something else fueling his anger, and he seemed to be directing it at the most immediate target in front of him.
“Do you not know what the name Müller means?”
“It’s your family name, Mr. Hans.”
“Then do you not know why my last name is Müller?!”
“It must mean that the person is a child of the streets. In your case, Mr. Hans, you must have received your surname because you lived in an orphanage!”
Matching Hans’s tone, Annette became frustrated along with him.
“If you know that, then why…?”
Hans’s voice trailed off weakly.
The name “Müller” was a kind of stigma.
It was the most common surname given to abandoned children and street orphans.
It wasn’t a law, but it was an unspoken understanding among everyone.
A lowly name that meant nothing—one that immediately revealed a person’s origins the moment it was heard.
Müller was the most widespread surname among commoners and the one most ignored by nobles.
The greatest shame in Hans’s life was his surname.
And yet, the new Grand Duchess had decided to attach the name Müller to the altar of the newly built cathedral.
Engraving a family name on the altar was a privilege reserved solely for noble families of great honor and power.
However, she had announced that she would use the name Müller—a name regarded as the lowest among commoners—for a grand cathedral.
Hans had heard the news late and had run all the way to confront Annette.
He wasn’t angry in the usual sense; rather, his reaction came from sheer shock.
“What are you thinking?”
“You’re being too loud, so shut your mouth and follow me. I have a very important meeting, and I need you to accompany me.”
Annette tossed the napkin she had used to wipe her mouth onto the table.
Lisa, who had been silently watching everything unfold, felt a strange sense of déjà vu from Annette’s unusual behavior.
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