He was a handsome man with dark brown hair, almost black, and green eyes as vivid as midsummer leaves.
The moment Daniela saw his appearance and the dazzling white ceremonial robe adorned with countless jewels, she immediately recognized his identity.
Adrian Eirik Castria, the Crown Prince.
He first examined the three maids. Upon seeing their bruised eyes and dried blood caked on their temples, Adrian’s brow furrowed. Soon, his cold gaze shifted to Daniela.
“Did you lay hands on the maids again, Lady Enchanto?”
“Ah, well…”
“When I caught you before, you swore never to harm the servants again. And yet…”
Adrian ran a hand through his slightly tousled short hair, exhaling as if troubled. Then, with a firm resolve, he declared,
“This is too much. Lady Daniela Lilian Enchanto, I don’t think I can marry someone like you.”
“…….”
“I tried to maintain our engagement out of respect for my late mother, but I can no longer overlook this. Let’s end it here.”
His kind eyes were now filled with contempt and disgust, as if he wished he could throw her into the dungeon that very instant.
Daniela swallowed dryly, then carefully composed her expression before responding in a solemn tone,
“Yes, Your Highness. I understand.”
At those words, not only Adrian but everyone in the room—maids and attendants alike—stared at her in shock.
Was this not the same Lady Daniela Enchanto who had thrown a tantrum just hours ago, declaring, ‘I will never accept breaking off my engagement with His Highness!’? No one had expected her to agree so easily.
Adrian, unable to believe it, asked again, “Are you serious?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Daniela nodded obediently and continued,
“First, I intend to formally apologize to all the attendants and maids I have tormented thus far. After that, once I’ve made the necessary preparations, I will leave the Crown Prince’s palace and return to my estate.”
“……!”
“I sincerely wish for Your Highness’s happiness.”
With that, Daniela bowed respectfully to Adrian.
As she observed his flustered yet strangely relieved expression, she thought to herself,
I’ll leave quietly, so go ahead and live happily ever after with Camellia.
The villainess is making her exit.
Freed from the looming threat of death, Daniela secretly curled her lips into a smirk.
That Night
Near the capital of the Ashilad Empire, at the heart of Melard Forest.
A vast campsite had been carved out of the dense woods, surrounded by dozens of circular tents. A banner bearing the image of a golden eagle soaring over an ice-covered mountain fluttered in the wind.
It was the camp of Grand Duke Ashid Carlisle Alberic and his knights. They had returned from resolving conflicts in the north and were resting before reaching the capital.
A golden eagle circled the camp before landing in front of a particular tent. The tent’s entrance was drawn aside, and a man stepped out—Sir Lowell, the Grand Duke’s right-hand man and the deputy commander of the knights.
“Yana.”
Lowell extended his gauntlet-covered arm, and the eagle promptly perched on it. He stroked the bird’s head with a rough yet practiced touch before removing a small letter tied to its leg.
After quickly scanning its contents, Lowell entered the tent and addressed the man inside—a figure clad in black robes, studying a map spread across his lap.
“Your Highness, Grand Duke Alberic. A message has arrived from our informant at the Crown Prince’s palace.”
Acid Carlisle Alberic gestured for him to continue.
“The Crown Prince has officially declared his engagement with Lady Enchanto null and void.”
“…Didn’t I receive the same report just a few days ago?”
“The circumstances are different this time. Lady Enchanto has accepted the annulment.”
At those words, Ashid, who had been listening expressionlessly, let out a brief scoff.
“Accepted, you say? To me, it looks like she was simply forced out.”
“That may be so. It’s said that the Crown Prince was particularly firm in his decision this time.”
“So? Has Lady Enchanto left the palace immediately for her townhouse?”
“No. She claimed she needed time to apologize to all the servants and maids she had mistreated. She spent the entire day personally visiting them and offering apologies. As a result, she stayed the night and will be leaving tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Ashid let out an incredulous laugh.
“Does she think Adrian will take pity on her and give her another chance? Foolish woman.”
For someone so desperate to cling to the palace and the title of Crown Princess, it was clear she was now making any excuse to stay.
Well, it was understandable. Once the engagement was officially broken, Lady Enchanto would be effectively exiled from high society.
She had little left—only a dilapidated townhouse and barren lands. No noble would be willing to associate with a fallen aristocrat who had been discarded by the Crown Prince.
“Adrian cast her aside so coldly over something as trivial as bullying a few servants. She must resent him terribly.”
As Ashid speculated about the lady’s thoughts, an idea suddenly came to him. A slow, meaningful smile spread across his lips as he turned to Lowell.
“Sir Lowell, if you were Lady Enchanto, how would you feel right now?”
“Probably miserable. Maybe even spiteful—wondering how the Crown Prince could cast me aside after all my father’s loyalty.”
“And in that state… what if someone approached her and said, ‘Join me in exacting revenge on Adrian’? What if they promised her the title of a Grand Duchess and untold wealth in exchange for everything she knows about Adrian and the previous Duke Enchanto’s dealings?”
“…Hmm.” Lowell pondered for a moment before nodding. “Given her greedy and short-sighted nature, she would probably agree immediately. She’d think she could have both riches and the chance to betray the Crown Prince, never realizing the consequences for herself… Wait, Your Highness, you’re not serious, are you?”
Lowell turned to Acid in shock.
“As soon as we arrive in the capital, I must meet Lady Enchanto.”
Ashid’s eerie smile deepened. His navy-blue eyes gleamed with twisted vengeance and madness directed at his half-brother, Adrian—like the eyes of a true villain.
The Following Morning
The night after accepting the Crown Prince’s breakup, Daniela did as she had declared—seeking out every servant and maid she had wronged and offering her sincere apologies.
She did this not out of guilt, but to prevent any lingering grudges from causing future trouble.
As befitting a villainous supporting character, there were far too many people to apologize to, and by the end of it, her knees felt ready to give out.
By the time she returned to her chambers, it was nearly midnight. After a quick bath, she collapsed into sleep.
And the next morning—
With nothing more than a single lightweight leather bag, she stepped out of the palace. Or rather, she was expelled.
The servants and maids, seeing her departure, grinned in satisfaction, as if relieved to be rid of a rotten tooth. Naturally, her former fiancé, Adrian, was nowhere to be seen.
Amidst their farewells, Daniela boarded the lavish royal carriage—Adrian’s final act of courtesy toward her—and left the imperial palace.
A short while later, she arrived at the Enchanto townhouse.
Upon seeing the mansion, she let out an involuntary exclamation.
“Wow.”
It was practically a haunted house.
The black gabled roof was riddled with holes, and nameless vines covered the mansion’s walls, climbing all the way up to the third-floor windows.
As she stood there, two maids and a lone butler—dressed in tattered uniforms—hesitantly stepped outside to greet her. They exchanged uncertain glances before leading her through the overgrown garden, where weeds reached up to her ankles.
“Pl-please wait here while we prepare your chambers, my lady.”
Left alone, Daniela let out a deep sigh.
The state of the mansion was worse than she had anticipated. Selling it for money seemed impossible.
What’s the point of knowing the future from reading the novel if I don’t even have money to invest?
At this rate, she might have to sell her noble title itself.
And just as she was considering that possibility—
