Villainous Lady, The Obsession Begins

【Chapter 28】

 

The parlor, which seemed to have been visited by someone, was also tidied up by the new attendants.

‘It has changed so, so much.’

The long green sofa, where Esadien and I spent the most time, was gone, replaced by small individual chairs with floral patterns.

On the table, there were plates with plenty of leftover chocolates, and next to them, the teacup had a distinct lipstick mark.

‘The Crown Princess… might have come.’

I stifled the urge to groan and comforted myself in that way, barely holding back the sound of my breath. Then, I turned to one of the attendants who was sending me a decidedly unfriendly gaze and asked.

“Where did the previous attendants go?”

“Without the permission of the Head Attendant, I cannot speak about internal matters of the imperial palace.”

“Ha.”

It was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped my lips.

In principle, that may be true, but in reality, the whereabouts of the attendants would merely be light gossip among the nobles in the capital.

So, what this attendant was implying was that he had no intention of divulging any information that could easily be deduced with a little probing.

‘Even if I don’t engage in social activities.’

I looked directly at the attendant, seriousness crossing my face.

“You, tell me who I am.”

“Yes?”

“Do I need to ask twice?”

“I-I am addressing Lady Karinen, the betrothed of His Highness, the Third Prince.”

“So, in your opinion, would the Head Attendant instruct you not to speak to someone who is regarded by the Emperor himself as his own daughter?”

“That….”

“Tsk.”

As I tried to press further, I inadvertently bit clicked tongue.

‘What am I doing right now.’

Isn’t what I’m doing right now not so different from the original Minuelle, who sought to attain her desires by leveraging the power of her family?

“Very well then. I’ll take my leave.”

Swiftly turning around, I began to walk away, sensing the attendant occasionally following behind with an air of courtesy. I ignored it and kept my gaze fixed straight ahead with a determined posture.

‘It seems like it’s bothering me after all.’

I tried to convince myself that the person who visited must have been the Crown Princess, but my intuition kept telling me otherwise.

The last time I visited the palace, Esadien was out, and the Crown Princess mentioned that Lafesch would have already finished work around that time.

‘She said that Lafesch leaves work early on the days when the Emperor summons her.’

If they went out together that day…

Suddenly, my gaze fell upon the tightly clenched, gloved hand in my possession.

 

“I went to the store and bought them. I thought they would suit you well.”

 

At that time, I was too happy to question it and let it pass, but as a noble, Esadien had no real need to leave the palace and go shopping in the marketplace.

The thought of Lafesch and Esadien riding together in a carriage, just like during Sister Juella’s wedding, made me feel uneasy.

I slowly turned around and asked the attendant who was still following behind, once again.

“There’s something I wanted to ask.”

“Y-yes.”

“Has Lady Lafesch Celeste ever visited the Third Prince’s Palace?”

“Yes.”

The attitude was somewhat more polite than before.

“How many times?”

“I’m not sure about that either.”

Despite feeling far from joyful, my lips involuntarily formed a slight smile.

Seeing the attendant’s refusal to answer, it seemed that it wasn’t just once or twice. Along with that, my suspicion that the visitor who had entered the Third Prince’s Palace earlier was indeed Lafesch grew even stronger.

“I see. Excuse me.”

An unusual feeling overwhelmed me as I turned my back and walked away from the Third Prince’s Palace.

What kind of emotion is this? Disappointment? Betrayal? Or perhaps a sense of loss, like a missing grindstone handle?

Whatever it may be, I didn’t realize it would be so difficult to see Esadien’s face and hear just a single word from him.

“Haah... I can’t ask for a favor from either the Emperor or the Crown Princess.”

It was when I murmured a sigh-filled complaint and opened the carriage door.

“You’re here?”

An unexpected person was sitting inside.

“Ramande?! Why are you here?”

“I was worried when you left in a hurry.”

“I-is that so?”

Even though I had left without any notice, Ramande followed me and waited. It was surprising to see him doing something he rarely did.

As he held my frozen hand while opening the door, Ramande added.

“These days, the potions in your room have decreased a lot.”

Ugh. I thought the servants were the ones refilling them. I didn’t know Ramande was personally counting them.

“It seems that the Prince… was not present.”

I guess it was obvious from my expression. I just chuckled bitterly, burying myself in the cushions.

“What should we do? Shall we go home?”

“Yes.”

I instinctively responded but quickly corrected my answer.

“No. I changed my mind. Let’s walk around the city for a while and then go back.”

For example, a shopping mall.

For example, we could go to the shopping district.

“What’s the matter? You’ve been insisting on walking.”

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with what you said. I just feel too gloomy if I stay at home all the time.”

Even if the house is larger than a grand resort, it’s still possible to feel that way. Well…

The truth is, I wanted to coincidentally run into Esadien while he was out exploring outside the palace, but even I find it quite trivial, so I couldn’t bring myself to speak directly to Ramande about it.

“Alright, then.”

Without knowing my thoughts, Ramande immediately gave instructions to the coachman, and soon we arrived somewhere in Roquette.

“This place?”

“It’s the outskirts of the downtown area, you could say. If you go that way, you’ll find the boutique where you had your dress fitted, and if you go this way, you’ll come across residential areas.”

“Is that so? You know it well, Ramande.”

“Unlike the lazy Minuelle, I’ve been around quite a few places.”

“Isn’t that all because you want to be my guide?”

When I narrowed my eyes, Ramande gave a perplexed smile and nodded his head.

“Is that so? Then where would you like to go, Your Highness?”

I responded with an exaggerated gesture, placing my fingertips arrogantly on the outstretched hand of Ramande, and replied.

“Since we’re here, shall we go shopping?”

“I would be delighted to accompany you.”

However, high expectations often lead to greater disappointment. The jewelry store I eagerly entered didn’t have anything particularly eye-catching, contrary to my hopes.

“I wanted to say, ‘Everything from here to there,’ at least once.”

As I quickly glanced around and started to leave, Ramande asked.

“Why didn’t you buy anything?”

“Not really… There wasn’t anything better than what I already have at home.”

“Well, I guess that’s understandable.”

“Is it really? My sisters had them custom-made… Oh, now that I think about it, if I wanted to shop, I could have just placed an order with on out Top.”

“Since we’re on the topic, would you like to go sightseeing? The upper branch of Roquaitte.”

“That’s a great idea.”

Even though it was a stroll with a different purpose, leisurely walking and chatting with Ramande unexpectedly lifted my spirits. It reminded me of the time we spent in Sumander.

With a slightly lighter heart, we were slowly making our way toward the city center when I noticed a young girl persistently offering something she held in her hand to passersby.

“What is she selling?”

“Shall we find out?”

I wasn’t that curious to begin with.

However, just as I was about to shake my head, the child who was being jostled by passersby accidentally stumbled and fell.

“Oh no.”

The colorful threads spilled out of the basket, and the distressed child picked them up one by one, brushing off the dust. Unable to pass by without notice, I nodded my head, and the knight standing behind me approached the child and said something before bringing her to me.

“Hello.”

“Uh, hello… miss.”

It seems to be her first encounter with nobility. The child was bending her waist almost at a right angle and trembling nervously.

“You can lift your head. There’s a priest here as well. Are you hurt?”

“Uh, I’m not. I’m okay.”

“That’s a relief. Then, would you show me what you’re selling?”

“Yes…?”

It seems the child didn’t expect anyone to show interest in her basket. Startled, she quickly lifted her head and alternated her gaze between me and Ramande, her face turning bright red.

“Umm.”

As the knight cleared his throat from behind, the child finally handed him the basket. The knight inspected it, checking if there was anything unusual inside, and then showed us the basket.

“Wow, is it a bracelet?”

It was a kind of wish bracelet made by weaving colorful threads together.

“Ramande, do you remember? When we were kid, I made something like this and gave it to you.”

It was when I had just started learning weaving at the temple. There was an abundance of colorful threads, and well, making bracelets was easier to complete than tapestries. I remember being immersed in making bracelets.

“Right. You said that if you keep wearing the bracelet after making a wish, it will come true on the day it breaks, so I kept wearing it until it actually broke.”

“Hahaha. That’s right. I remember.”

Despite being the same age, Ramande was a determined child. I, on the other hand, quickly felt itchy on my wrist and took it off.

“Come to think of it, what was your wish?”

“……”

At that moment, Ramande, who had been speaking fluently until then, suddenly fell silent.

‘Why are you silent?’

Curious about his sudden silence, I turned around and noticed a slight flush creeping up his neck as he fiddled with the thread bracelet in his palm.

“Ramande?”

“Yeah? Uh, yes?”

Moreover, as our eyes met, Ramande seemed startled.

“That, that’s something that shouldn’t be said out loud.”

It was an awkward and feeble excuse.

“Ramande, do you happen to…”

“Happen to? Happen to what?”

“Is it because you can’t remember? Is that right?”

After constantly teasing me, saying how quickly I forget things!

Ramande, who seemed full of confidence, slightly parted his lips and then let out a sigh-like laughter.

“…Just because you’re quick-witted.”

“If you dare tease me as a pink goldfish from now on, I won’t let it slide.”

I playfully poked Ramande and then turned to the child and asked.

“Excuse me, how much would all of this cost if I wanted to buy it?”

“Pardon?”

The child’s eyes and mouth widened simultaneously. And once again, the knight coughed awkwardly.

“Oh, um, you see, I don’t know how many of these there are…”

Seeing the child’s confusion and helplessness, the nearby coachman stepped forward.

“My Lady, I believe each bracelet would cost approximately one silver coin.”

A hundred copper coins are equivalent to one silver coin, and ten silver coins are equivalent to one gold coin. The coachman’s words roughly meant that giving one or two silver coins should suffice.

However, that amount is still a significant sum for the child to carry alone. I remembered the back alley stories I had heard from Ramand a few times.

“Hmm, do you live with your parents?”

“Ah… no, My Lady. I don’t have parents. I live in an orphanage.”

My Lady. It seems the clever child learned the term that the knight used and repeated it.

“Sure. Let’s go there, then.”

The knight, the coachman, and even the surprised child were all taken aback and opposed the idea, but at least Ramande understood why I suggested it.

“Since the lady has given the instruction, we shall follow it. It won’t take long, so please don’t worry.”

As I entered the carriage, I heard Ramande’s voice from behind.

I was touched. It was truly a grateful thing to have a friend who knows what I want and why I want it.

‘I’m grateful to have you.’

When our eyes met, I smiled, conveying my gratitude at that moment.

💧

Thank you for reading!