Chapter 10
After barely securing those three wishes from Lloyd, I decided to save them for later.
For now, I needed to start building up Pere’s reputation before the upcoming hunting festival.
At the moment, Lloyd was meeting Caroline because of her light attribute—
But the moment he truly fell for her would come suddenly.
So before that happened—
I needed to push things while there was still room for Pere in his heart.
As the first step, we attended a handkerchief-embroidery gathering for the hunting festival.
It was customary for young ladies to embroider handkerchiefs and give them to a young nobleman of their choice on the day of the hunt.
In other words—
a perfect chance to confess your feelings.
Of course, I went with Pere.
And for her sake, I decided to design the embroidery myself.
I was terrible at sewing—
but pretty good at drawing.
So I was confident I could design something that combined the following:
- the white bird of wind (symbolizing the Crown Prince),
- and the sun (symbolizing the imperial family).
But actually sewing it was a disaster.
I pricked my fingers so many times they were practically torn.
“Elly, your hands are all messed up! This is something I should be doing!”
Pere stopped me immediately, her face serious.
So in the end, I used chalk to sketch the design onto the handkerchief and handed it to her.
“Would this be okay? Stitching it myself is a bit too hard…”
“This is more than enough. And… you’re really good at drawing.”
At her praise, the other ladies gathered around to admire the design.
Honestly—
This worked out well.
Anyone could tell the design symbolized the Crown Prince.
So no other young lady would dare openly compete with Pere by giving him a handkerchief.
…Or so I thought.
“Elly, who are you planning to give your handkerchief to?”
There was someone.
Caroline.
On her handkerchief—
a large silver-embroidered wind bird clearly representing Lloyd.
“Let me guess. You’re giving it to His Highness?”
I asked quietly, just in case Pere overheard.
But Caroline, completely oblivious, replied brightly—
“Yes! I have many things to thank him for, so I wanted to use this chance to show my gratitude.”
“Do you really need to use a handkerchief for that?”
She knew exactly what it meant.
Of course, in the original story, she did give Lloyd one—
So this wasn’t unexpected.
But right now—
I was on Pere’s side.
And seeing Caroline step in like this annoyed me.
Still…
Stories usually follow the heroine’s path.
Maybe someone like me, supporting Pere, was necessary.
“Elly… you’ve been acting strange lately. Did I do something to upset you?”
Her expression and tone were soft and emotional—
very fitting for a heroine.
But for some reason…
It made me uncomfortable.
So I unconsciously took a step back.
“Did you do something that would make me upset?”
Caroline stiffened and said she hadn’t.
I smiled.
“If that’s the case, then why assume I’m upset in the first place?”
“I just thought… since you’ve been close with the duchess lately… you might not like that I’m giving a handkerchief to someone she likes.”
So—
She knew.
She knew her actions would upset Pere.
And she was doing it anyway.
Either she thought it didn’t matter—
or she wanted to provoke Pere.
…Wow.
I already knew the original heroine wasn’t perfectly kind—
But she was just as sharp-tongued as Pere, in her own way.
The difference was—
Pere was openly harsh.
Caroline was… subtle.
And somehow, that made her harder to like.
I sighed.
“Since we’re on the topic—are you really giving a handkerchief to His Highness knowing the duchess likes him?”
“The duchess’s feelings are hers. But that doesn’t mean His Highness feels the same.”
“How do you know? Did he say he wants yours?”
“…”
Caroline had no answer.
Then she looked at me and said—
“You’ve changed.”
“Me? How? And why? Because I don’t blindly take your side anymore?”
“…”
“Caroline, listen carefully. Being kind to everyone and winning people over—that’s a good way for someone in your position to navigate society. I respect that.”
Her expression stiffened.
“But using those feelings however you want—that’s not right.”
She froze completely.
She probably didn’t even think of her behavior that way.
After all, she had grown up as the heroine—
People naturally liked her.
She likely took it for granted.
And now—
I, someone she had once helped and protected, was no longer on her side.
Of course she’d be shaken.
“I’m not like that.”
Caroline spoke with an expression I had never seen before.
A mix of anger and hurt.
“I’ve never tried to use anyone’s feelings—”
“Are you crying?”
“Lady Caroline! Are you crying?”
A freckled girl shouted from nearby.
Everyone turned to look.
Caroline quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
She wasn’t even crying—
just teary-eyed.
But now?
It looked like she was.
And of course—
It made it seem like I had made her cry.
“Lady Ellynea, what do you think you’re doing?”
Here they come.
The other girls immediately turned on me.
“Lady Caroline has always taken care of you, and yet—”
“How ungrateful!”
“Even if you’re from a commoner background, you shouldn’t treat her like this!”
They all started attacking me at once.
“I didn’t do anything to make her cry. And she’s not crying.”
“That’s a lie! Her lashes are wet!”
“She teared up because she felt hurt that I’ve been acting differently—then rubbed her eyes—”
“So you did hurt her.”
“And why have you been acting differently?”
I let out a long sigh.
Then said calmly—
“Do all of you only have one friend?”
The noisy room instantly fell silent.
