Chapter 05
The daughter of one of the Empire’s great noble families, the Hernia Duchy.
Florence Hernia.
With her good family background and beautiful appearance, Lady Florence was considered the Empire’s most eligible bride.
Whenever I was dragged to tea parties by my mother, I would hear her name—no, quite often—from the lips of noble ladies and young girls.
Most of it was praise.
Lately, Florence’s name was frequently mentioned alongside Kylein’s. Rumors of marriage discussions between the two naturally followed.
But in the original novel, she was a villainess—someone who harbored unrequited love for the male lead and bullied the female lead.
And in the original story, I, Eliana, had been one of the small fry hanging around her.
Knowing the original, I made sure not to go anywhere near her.
So there should’ve been no connection at all between us…
Then why… why was she sending me a letter?
The envelope resting on the silver tray seemed to be emitting a black, ominous aura.
A sense of unease made me swallow hard as I set down the letter opener I’d picked up.
“M-Maybe I don’t have to read it right now…?”
Mia, who’d just finished fixing the curtains, narrowed her brows at me. Pretending not to notice her suspicious gaze, I picked up the newspaper next to the letter instead.
There was still no article about the arson case.
I’d casually tested the waters with Father about the Imperial Family’s reaction, but he too shook his head, saying he knew nothing.
…Maybe letting it get buried wasn’t so bad.
That’s what I tried to convince myself—until I remembered that Kylein had asked me to dance at the final night of the banquet. Then my legs shook like jelly.
“Goodness. I told you to stop biting your nails. When did you even start that habit?”
Mia clicked her tongue as she pulled my hand away.
Just then, a frantic knock sounded at my door.
Before I could even tell them to come in, the door swung open.
“M-Mother?”
My mother, eyes wide and unblinking, strode in and yanked my hand out of Mia’s grip.
“Eliana! You, you, you—!”
“Mother?”
She stuttered with a grave expression. Before I could ask what was wrong, Father stumbled in behind her, panting for breath.
“Honey. W-We must get Elly changed. Quickly!”
At Father’s urgent words, Mother snapped back to herself and clapped her hands sharply.
“Mia! Make her look like a human!”
…So I don’t look like a human right now?
I opened my mouth to protest—
“We mustn’t keep him waiting! Of course not!”
—but before my voice could even escape, Mother dumped me onto Mia and rushed out with Father.
“What’s wrong with them…?”
Mia only shrugged, just as confused, before promptly stripping off my nightgown. Static made my hair stick up in all directions.
Thanks to Mia’s precise and speedy hands, I finished getting ready quickly.
Leaving the dissatisfied Mia behind—I knew she hated the rushed styling—I headed toward the parlor.
As I stepped onto the stairs leading to the first floor, a sudden sense of dread welled up inside me.
I stopped halfway down.
Maybe I should go back upstairs and feign illness—
But before I could turn, the butler spotted me.
“Ah, my lady!”
Sian, the butler who managed our townhouse in the capital, had served the Rudds since before I was born. He was like a grandfather to me.
Seeing him this tense made my stomach drop.
When I tried to retreat, he quickly climbed the stairs and grabbed my arm.
“My lady. This way, please!”
“S-Sian! Who on earth came? Why is everyone—?!”
Without answering, Sian practically dragged me downstairs. He nearly jogged to the parlor door, cleared his throat, and knocked.
I hadn’t even learned who was waiting inside when Father’s voice called, “Come in.”
Sian opened the door, bowing deeply. I shot a glare at his back before reluctantly stepping inside.
And then I saw him—
A man sitting on the red velvet sofa my grandmother had painstakingly chosen.
“…I greet the Empire’s Little Light.”
It was Kylein Livryden.
The Empire’s second prince.
Arsonist.
And the male lead of the original novel.
Gulp.
The sound of my swallowing was embarrassingly loud, but thankfully drowned out by Father’s ragged breathing.
Sweat beaded on Father’s round face. His handkerchief was already soaked from wiping his face nonstop.
Mother looked calmer, but her voice was pitched noticeably higher as she chatted with Kylein, stealing glances at him.
Kylein Livryden—kind to everyone.
Unlike the crown prince, who was known for rarely smiling, Kylein’s warm demeanor made him beloved across all ages and genders.
Sunlight streaming through the carefully maintained parlor window spilled onto his golden hair.
His eyes, half-closed as he savored his tea.
The slight upward curve of his lips.
His long, pale fingers gently holding the familiar teacup.
Everything about him—even the way he drank tea—seemed more graceful than when I’d seen him at the palace.
The neatly slicked-back hair with pomade had suited him, but the fringe falling over his forehead softened his impression even more.
I raised my hand to bite my nails again, but Mother stopped me before my fingers reached my lips.
“Ha-ha, but truly, what brings you to our humble home…?”
Father, eyes darting nervously, clutched his damp handkerchief with both hands as he asked cautiously.
“Ah, well…”
Kylein glanced sideways at me.
“I came to return something to Lady Eliana.”
Kylein reached into his inner jacket pocket.
“When Lady Eliana helped me, I borrowed her handkerchief. I wished to return it in person.”
He set a white silk handkerchief on the old table.
“Oh my! When did our Eliana do something so admirable… hoho.”
Mother covered her mouth with one hand and nudged my shoe with her foot.
Kylein’s graceful smile in response only made Mother’s grin stretch wider.
Father, already pale, looked even more ghostly.
My own face drained of color as well.
The white silk handkerchief on the table…
I had never seen it before in my life.
“The weather is quite beautiful today. So, I was wondering…”
Kylein’s gaze slid toward me. My hands curled into fists on my lap.
“Would it be alright to take a walk in the garden with Lady Eliana?”
Silence instantly fell over the parlor.
Mother, Father, and I all wondered for a brief, delusional second if he had meant some other Eliana.
But the male lead of this world stared directly at me, unwavering.
“No!”
My voice rang loudly through the quiet room.
“Gah—mmph!”
Father’s shriek of surprise was smothered by Mother’s palm. Her reaction time was suspiciously fast.
I barely had time to marvel before Kylein slowly rose to his feet.
He leisurely fastened his jacket button, then lifted his gaze toward me.
“The garden is lovely here. I feel I’d regret leaving without seeing it…”
Our gardener had tended the Rudds’ small garden since his youth; he was now over seventy.
Thanks to his care—from dawn until dusk—the flowers were always beautiful.
Since transmigrating, I’d even helped him sometimes, so I knew the garden well.
And yet…
The garden behind our townhouse in the capital was minuscule.
Five minutes at a slow stroll.
Yes, the weather was wonderful. And yes, the garden was lovely.
But the regret he spoke of would be mine—not his.
Damn it.
I forced my drooping lips up into something resembling a smile.
But the corners of my mouth trembled fiercely.
