Chapter 21
I tore the paper detailing Tristan’s past into shreds and burned it.
The original story I knew was now nothing but a handful of ashes. As I stared at the pile, a wave of unease washed over me.
Things were taking a very strange turn.
I already had the difficult task of choosing between one of my two villainous brothers. That alone was far too cruel for a supporting character like me—yet now I had even come across the abused male lead.
“Tristan…”
I murmured unconsciously, recalling last night.
No matter how hard I tried to shake it off, the thought kept coming back.
The boy with empty eyes. His gaunt face, the slight swelling on his cheek, the way he vanished like a shadow without a sound—it all filled my mind.
That pitiful image overlapped with someone else.
A small, thin child with a mark from being slapped—looking just like a young Cinderella straight out of a fairy tale. The first face I had seen in this world.
I kept looking into my memory of Tristan, as if staring into a mirror.
Was it okay to just leave things as they were?
If I did nothing, Tristan’s future would likely follow the original story.
The Achenbach Ducal House would be destroyed, and Tristan would become a slave, appearing at the New Year’s auction.
Or… perhaps because his setting was different, his future would change as well? Just like how everyone in the Ducal House was executed, he too might end up with his head on the guillotine.
If the story played out entirely differently from what I knew—if the Achenbach Duke never bore the crime of treason—then Tristan would live out his life just like this.
As the Duke’s illegitimate son and servant, unable to even resist when beaten.
I bit my lip hard.
No matter which future it was, Tristan wouldn’t be happy.
If things went according to the original, he might suffer a lot, but at least there would be a happy ending. Still, the original story wouldn’t begin for another three years. Until then, Tristan would…
A sharp, cracking sound buzzed in my ears. The sound of a slap, the image of Tristan crouched on the floor, and the eyes that looked up at me kept replaying endlessly.
Those eyes that had the color of the sun yet no light in them, filled not with hope or despair, but with sheer resignation.
“I can’t just leave him like this.”
I jumped to my feet.
It took me thirty minutes to make a plan, and another thirty to muster the courage to start it. An hour later, I was holding a letter in my hand. It was only a few lines long.
The tail of the blue snake is in Alefa. Look for the place where the west wind rests.
If this letter has been helpful, I’d like to meet and talk about Achenbach and his illegitimate son. The sooner, the better.
After reading the letter for perhaps the hundredth time, I called for Matilda. Then I told her to bring me a maid named Emma.
A while later, a very plain-looking maid with brown hair knocked on my door. I handed her the letter.
“Give this to your original master.”
Emma’s face stiffened slightly. Before she could say anything, I waved my hand.
“It’s fine. Just go. You’ve been in contact all along anyway, haven’t you?”
She looked between me and the letter with a guilty expression. When I urged her again, she seemed to realize I was serious, tucked the letter into her clothes, and left.
Left alone in the room, I tried to calm my pounding heart.
Until now, even knowing the original plot, I had acted passively. As long as I followed it, the future was guaranteed, so there was no reason to step forward.
But things had changed.
I had accidentally drawn the attention of my villainous brothers, and whether by chance or fate, I had met the male lead. The original had already been twisted beyond recognition—and now I wasn’t even sure I could trust it at all.
So I would change my approach.
Instead of being dragged along by the villains, I would drag them along with me. To do that, I’d have to make more active use of my knowledge of the story and figure out exactly how it differed from reality.
Taking the lead would increase the danger to my life, but so be it.
If it was to save Tristan Achenbach, I could accept that much.
Three days later, in the afternoon.
The Opal Palace was busy preparing to receive guests.
The servants had been bustling about since morning, filling the palace with liveliness for the first time in a while.
The original staff of ten had been reduced to six by Richard, but now the number had increased again to twelve.
With more hands, the quality of life had definitely improved. I looked around at the cleanest, most sparkling Opal Palace in recent memory and nodded in satisfaction.
When I went down to the drawing room, a table set with tableware greeted me. Today, I planned to have a light tea time with my guests.
I approached the vase on the table. Inside was a modest bouquet of wildflowers I had picked that morning.
Fingering the petals, I took a deep breath. Outwardly, I might have seemed calm, but I was actually quite tense.
“The 12th Prince has arrived!”
A loud voice announced Richard’s arrival. I turned to go greet him, but he was faster.
“Long time no see, been well?”
As always, Richard strode in with long, confident steps, reaching the drawing room in no time.
“Long time”? We hadn’t met that often, had we?
Even as I thought this, I smiled and greeted him.
“I’ve been well. Has anything happened with you, brother?”
“Not really.”
He gave a curt reply and gestured behind him.
“Since you said we’d have tea, I brought something to eat.”
The now-familiar servants from the Ruby Palace began expertly laying plates on the table.
Cookies, cakes, puddings… sweets that made my mouth water just looking at them kept arriving.
As expected of Richard. Good thing I didn’t bother preparing dessert separately, trusting Ruby Palace’s chefs.
All I had prepared were the tea leaves. Richard, on top of bringing desserts, had even brought his own tea leaves and a teapot.
I wondered when I’d ever see him eat anything without worrying about poison. Not that I minded—I could eat as much Ruby Palace cake as I wanted.
As I glanced at the fresh cream cake, lost in thought, Richard suddenly said something out of the blue.
“And I brought some people with me.”
“…Pardon?”
I looked up—and froze.
The hall in front of the drawing room was packed with people. Several individuals in red uniforms stood lined up neatly. Before I could gather myself, they gave a crisp salute.
“The Kalia Knights greet the 17th Princess!”
I answered awkwardly, “Hello…?”
The Kalia Knights were Richard’s personal order. Their red uniforms with gold buttons and epaulettes were flashy and so very Richard.
With nearly twenty of them packed into the small entrance hall of the Opal Palace, the space felt even smaller.
“Squads 1 and 2, patrol around the palace. Squads 3 and 4, check the southern forest. The rest, split up and familiarize yourselves with the interior layout. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
At his orders, the knights dispersed in all directions.
“Um, brother?”
While I stood there dumbfounded, it almost seemed like Richard was the master of the palace.
“What exactly are you doing?”
“These are the people who’ll be working here from now on. They’ll rotate shifts, but get used to their faces.”
“What I mean is—why is your knight order working in my palace?”
“You don’t have any knights, do you?”
He said it like it was the most obvious thing. What was this—‘Bet your place doesn’t have one of these’?
“You must not know this.” Richard shrugged at my expression.
“Choosing someone to support for Solea means your life just got more dangerous. You’re basically the number one target for assassination now. And obviously, you’d be easier to take out than me.”
I tried to follow his logic.
“Support someone? Me?”
Richard frowned.
“Didn’t you make up your mind between me and that guy? That’s why you invited me, isn’t it?”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. He thought that just because I contacted him a few days after the birthday celebration, it meant I’d weighed him and Rudolph against each other and chosen him?
I opened my mouth to clear the misunderstanding—
But right then, an Opal Palace servant announced, perfectly timed:
“The 5th Prince has arrived!”
Unlike Richard’s heavy footsteps, Rudolph’s were light and quick.
“There’s not a single magical barrier around this palace. I’ve set up a temporary one, but it’s not enough. Also, I detected about six armed individuals at the back and another six near the forest. They could be assassins, so—”
Without greeting anyone, Rudolph rattled off his concerns as he entered the drawing room. Then his eyes met Richard’s.
Their gazes clashed in the air for a moment before turning to me simultaneously.
“What’s this bastard doing here?”
“What’s he doing here?”
Aside from tone, it was almost perfectly in sync. I nearly laughed despite the situation.
The two of them faced each other.
“Who said you could come here? Want to die?” Richard threatened, looking ready to draw his sword.
“Last time I saw you, I thought you’d gained some manners, but I see I was wrong. No greeting for your elder brother, and you barge into your younger sister’s palace uninvited?” Rudolph’s voice was smooth, but his fingers twitched in a way that suggested he was preparing magic.
It was like the nightmare of the birthday celebration night all over again. I quickly stepped in to stop them.
“I invited both of you!”
Both brothers looked at me at the same time. Seriously, why were they so in sync?
Having two displeased gazes fixed on me was… a lot. I almost hunched my shoulders but caught myself. I’d decided I wouldn’t be dragged around anymore.
Steeling myself, I spoke firmly.
“I called you here to discuss something important. So please, no causing trouble in my palace—just sit down.”
Perhaps because I was more forceful than expected, both men sat down without further protest, though their expressions were still sour.
When I took the seat at the head of the table, Rudolph sat on my left and Richard on my right.
An oppressive silence filled the room. The servants, sensing the tension, quickly set down the teapot and vanished.
The aroma of tea mingled with the sweetness of the desserts. From the outside, it might have looked like the perfect tea time, but no one reached for the plates.
I wanted cake, but if I ate it now, I’d probably get indigestion…
I soothed my sad stomach with a sip of tea and began.
“I invited you both today to give my answer to your offers.”
Richard’s face lit up with confidence.
Judging by his expression, he clearly thought I would choose him. I had no idea where he got that confidence.
Rudolph’s expression remained unchanged, his faint smile as dazzling as ever as he looked at me.
“There’s something I really want to do,” I said. “But I can’t do it alone. That’s why I’m asking for your help.”
I looked at the two contrasting faces and declared:
“Whichever one of you helps me with this will have my support for Solea. If you both help, I’ll support the one who contributes more.”
Its such an interesting novel 🤗🤗,
Thanks for the hardwork Zoe 😍😍.