Chapter 16
A petition?
Ha—so absurd that a hollow laugh slipped out of me. But Eliza, already intoxicated with her own performance, didn’t notice my reaction and continued speaking.
“Return it to its rightful place?”
“Yes, Stella’s necklace. Wasn’t it utterly shameless to fund yourself with that? It was given to you by the child you killed.”
Perhaps she took my silence as an inability to refute her words, because she went on as if nothing was wrong.
“This whole conflict started because you refused to give up something that was never yours in the first place… I don’t want to see such a senseless fight, Edit.”
Her words, blatantly scratching at my nerves, made her true intention clear.
So she’s telling me to give up everything and leave.
She wanted to see me miserable.
Afraid that I might end up living comfortably outside… and someday return to reveal the truth.
That’s what she feared.
“I appreciate your concern for me… but I’d like to ask the Duke. On what grounds is he submitting a petition to accuse me?”
Unless, of course, he planned to confess in detail his own crimes—abusing his young daughter, branding her a fake, and casting her out.
Eliza misinterpreted my words, and a faint sneer passed over her lips before she returned to her gentle expression and shook her head.
“Right now isn’t the kind of situation where you can meet Father and change his mind.”
Her gaze toward me was full of mockery, like she was watching an insect struggling before it died.
It irritated me, but I didn’t show it. There was nothing to gain from winning a pointless argument.
Fine. Hold onto that position tightly.
Honestly, I had no desire for the Adelheit family to cling to me once they learned the truth.
So I had no intention of revealing that I was their real daughter.
“Then it can’t be helped. There’s nothing I can do.”
“…That’s all?”
“Yeah. What else?”
I feigned ignorance of their attempt to push me out at the family level. Eliza’s smile twisted.
Her expression clearly said, What an idiot, but I pretended not to notice that either.
“I gave you a chance.”
A chance offered like charity was one I refused as well.
But instead of saying that outright, I chose silence.
I have to keep it hidden that I successfully negotiated with Killian Orfeo.
There was no benefit in showing confidence here.
“Oh, right. I’m getting engaged to Reinhardt tomorrow.”
Before leaving, Eliza suddenly smiled as if she had just remembered.
Her triumphant attitude, as though she were the victor, made it hard to hold back my laughter.
Sure. Go ahead and take him.
I didn’t need any of it. If anything, I was grateful she was taking care of leftovers.
The next morning, early.
As street vendors were just beginning to set up their stalls, I submitted a formal complaint to the Imperial Court and immediately headed for the Imperial Palace.
Having already studied the patrol patterns around the palace through hired informants, I deliberately revealed myself in front of a particular knight.
I knew his name.
Phillips Ruon.
I had even gathered his personal details beforehand.
Forced into becoming a palace knight by his family, yet dreaming of opening a dessert shop under his own name someday—once he had enough money.
“If you slack off just because we’re not around, it’s the training grounds for you.”
“Take care, Phillips, Ron.”
“Yes, sir!”
A group of knights left for field training, leaving only the lowest-ranking ones guarding the palace gate.
And that meant only Phillips and his fellow trainee, Ron.
I waited.
“Hey, I need to step away for a moment!”
“Uh, okay.”
Finally, the other knight left for the restroom. My eyes lit up as I quickly approached Phillips.
“What is it?”
He looked at me with a stiff expression.
“If you’re here to beg, leave. I don’t have time for nonsense.”
Without a word, I held out a letter.
Thinking it was a love letter, his face instantly flushed, and he scratched his cheek awkwardly.
I could almost hear him thinking, Ah, my popularity…
I sincerely hoped I was mistaken.
As he looked at me expectantly, I spoke.
“If you happen to meet Princess Isabella, please deliver this to her.”
His expression immediately turned cold.
Definitely disappointed it wasn’t a love letter.
“I cannot deliver something like this. It’s against protocol.”
“Yes, I figured.”
I handed him a thick envelope of money I had hidden in my coat.
There was no way to contact the palace unless the royal family reached out first.
So this is the only method.
Approaching a palace guard.
“I can’t accept this.”
Startled, Phillips tried to return it—but hesitated at the weight of the envelope.
“Go ahead, open it. You can at least check how much is inside, right?”
After glancing around, he opened it—and his eyes widened in shock.
His expression practically screamed, This is insane.
Understandable.
The amount inside was at least five times a palace knight’s annual salary.
Still, Phillips steeled himself.
“I cannot accept such corrupt money!”
“It’s not corrupt. I earned it fairly, with sweat and effort.”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“If this letter reaches Her Highness and I receive a reply, I’ll give you ten times this amount.”
He froze, doubting his own ears.
I spread all ten fingers to emphasize.
“As soon as I get a reply, I’ll deposit the money under your name at the Imperial Bank. What’s your name?”
“…Phillips.”
He answered quickly, then seemed embarrassed by his own reaction and began inspecting the letter.
Probably checking for poison.
“If you’re worried, you can open it.”
“Hmm.”
The letter contained information about a treatment, but outwardly it looked like an ordinary greeting.
Only when it came into contact with water would the hidden text appear—I had left a hint inside.
“You… are Edit Diel?”
“Yes. I’m also a fan of the princess. If you’re worried about being questioned, just say I lied about my identity.”
Even when I boldly offered to take the blame, his expression didn’t fully soften. He was more principled than I expected.
“If you’ve ever wanted to do something else, this could be a good opportunity.”
He frowned, clearly conflicted.
I knew from the original story that Phillips had a natural talent for desserts.
The Imperial Dessert Competition.
He would win it and use the prize money to open “Ruon Bakery”—which would become a huge success.
I only knew because there was a scene where Edit, penniless, longed to taste those desserts.
…That suddenly makes me a bit sad.
If I hadn’t known the story, I might have ended up the same.
Still, it’s lucky Phillips Ruon is on guard duty here.
It was pure coincidence. While requesting a list of palace personnel through the information guild Henry worked for, I spotted a familiar name.
This way, I could both establish a connection with Phillips and secretly reach the princess.
Two birds with one stone.
After staring at the letter, his wavering gaze finally hardened with resolve.
“Don’t expect too much. This isn’t something that should be done.”
He carefully tucked the letter into his chest like it was something precious.
I smiled to myself.
There’s no place in the world where bribery doesn’t work.
Especially for someone like Phillips, there was no reason to refuse that amount of money.
I left the palace quickly.
There was only one reason I was going this far—
To tilt the odds of the trial, even slightly, in my favor.
I can’t rely solely on Killian Orfeo.
I would gather as much proof as possible that the coffee house recipes belonged to me, but my opponent was the Adelheit family.
In this situation, insurance wasn’t optional—it was essential.
If Killian suddenly changed his mind, I couldn’t guarantee victory.
So I sent a letter to the princess, claiming I knew how to develop the treatment.
But she won’t believe it easily.
If she knew the sender was Edit Diel, its credibility would fall apart.
So I included part of the principle and structure of the treatment’s formula—like a gamble.
The princess would likely send it to the Pope to verify its authenticity.
She’s known to be intelligent, so it won’t reach the Empress.
That alone could buy me another chance in court.
Even if she didn’t openly support me, if I lost the first trial, there was a chance for a retrial.
Still, the best case is Killian standing as my witness.
I even secured a contract from him… but I couldn’t shake my unease.
What if that fickle devil suddenly broke the contract?
He probably just sees this as entertainment anyway.
And entertainment can be discarded at any time.
To him, someone like me was nothing more than a jester.
That’s why he offered Edit a soul contract.
To him, human souls were just collectibles.
No matter how I thought about it, something felt off.
Caleb approached Killian too…
The Buchanan coffee acquisition rights.
I had seen it with my own eyes—Caleb was involved.
Who’s to say Killian hadn’t already sided with Caleb behind the scenes?
If that were true, this trial would be a complete loss for me.
That’s why I met Phillips.
Though setting up an investment path for Ruon Bakery was also part of the plan…
That was secondary.
By now, the Duke of Adelheit is probably already celebrating his expected victory.
The newspapers had already reported that I’d been cast out.
I couldn’t even mock those who believed it.
After all, whether Killian had truly abandoned me was something only he knew.
Even with his promise, I couldn’t trust him yet.
So I needed my own backup plan.
“The development of the treatment must remain strictly confidential from third parties.”
However, since the princess herself needed the treatment, she could technically not be considered a third party.
…Though whether Killian would see it that way is uncertain.
When I returned to the Evan residence, there was a guest waiting.
The moment I heard who it was—
I froze.
