Chapter 32
It was fortunate amidst misfortune.
Although, even before becoming Crown Princess, it seemed she had already been branded as a sharp-tongued and fearsome young lady.
…Oh, is this how a villainess is born?
She steps forward to calm the Crown Prince’s tremendous temperament, misunderstandings pile up, and in the end, she herself ends up being seen as the villainess.
Until now, most of these stories had been mere imagination, but this one seemed surprisingly plausible.
Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Teowin’s terrifying charisma—so imposing that it overshadowed even the young ladies—and the scathing remarks he didn’t spare anyone from.
She had impulsively decided to try being exactly like him.
“Forgive me!”
“Please forgive me! My tongue, my tongue…!”
Even watching the trembling young ladies was uncomfortable. A sigh would escape, and they would startle at the sound.
“It’s fine to curse behind my back, but since this is an official gathering, shouldn’t you be careful?”
Of course, fabricating lies to slander someone is something to catch and scold, but how can one live in the world without a little gossip?
Watching the young ladies nod in agreement, Agnes shook her head slightly. Clearly, she had been firmly branded as a frightening woman.
“It’s a bit mischievous, but I’ve never heard such harsh words… If anyone makes harsh words like that come out of Agnes’ mouth again… they’d better be prepared.”
And Teowin’s finishing remark was perfectly chilling. Watching the young ladies bow and retreat at his command, Agnes noticed Cesare from a distance.
She hoped the concern in his eyes wasn’t disappointment at her behavior.
“So, you have such a sharp tongue,” she muttered to herself, watching the group of young ladies leaving the banquet hall, embarrassed by all the attention.
“I thought the rumors were exaggerated… but I see now they weren’t. I didn’t know it was you.”
She remembered his prickly demeanor from their first meeting. But that had only been once…
Since then, Teowin had been kind—climbing over the Marquis’ estate walls to accompany a young lady left alone, showing her the palace grounds when she couldn’t see well outside, and other such considerate gestures.
“You… weren’t like that to me.”
She had no choice but to reconsider her assumptions.
“Of course, that’s because it was you, Agnes.”
His voice, low and gentle, felt like a light love confession whispered to a lover. Her cheeks warmed, and at the same time, she felt the weight of realizing she might truly be a villain-generator.
“Do not worry. You just spared mercy for those who insulted you.”
So, the standard of ‘fortunate’ is determined by you, Teowin. I was just trying to prevent it.
She forced herself to resist the urge to run to Cesare immediately.
“By the way… you were quite far from where Your Highness was. How did you know to come here?”
Having moved closer to the banquet entrance to avoid being too conspicuous, the young ladies hadn’t even recognized her properly and had been gossiping freely.
That, however, allowed her face to become familiar to everyone present.
“Why, of course. I followed you.”
Even his faint smirk was charming. Agnes took his outstretched hand, moving back toward the front of the banquet hall where the Emperor and Cesare stood.
The banquet wasn’t over yet, it seemed.
As expected, after the banquet, the chatter among the young ladies about how unfortunate the Crown Prince’s match was—and that they could never permit his marriage—died down.
And apparently, the fate of the young ladies who had gossiped about her was also known.
“They say the young lady from the Riezern family is terrifying. She completely captivated the Crown Prince, who was supposedly sharp-tongued and prickly!”
“Goodness, the Marchioness of Riezern was always so gentle…”
Older women were saying such things. The conversation ended there, but what the older ladies thought was predictable.
When Agnes tried to enter a cake shop in the capital but overheard voices inside, she stepped back in surprise.
“Miss?”
“Let’s go back, Tarin.”
Agnes was feeling a little discouraged. Not only had she embarrassed herself, but the gossip had also involved her family, which was intolerable. Even if Teowin hadn’t intervened, someone would have spoken up.
But… perhaps she had been too harsh.
She regretted speaking so harshly under the influence of Teowin’s strong words, because… the banquet gossip had now turned into stories about how the Riezern young lady had grown up.
Tarin, trying to lift her spirits, had taken her out to the busy streets. She wanted to eat cake and see the fountain, and had gotten unintentionally excited herself. Luckily, Agnes had readily agreed.
It was meant to be a pleasant outing, but…
Tarin wanted to go into the shop to confront the gossiping young ladies and tell them how wonderful her mistress was—but now was not the time.
“Miss? Miss!”
Lost in thought about Agnes, Tarin temporarily lost sight of her. But the young lady’s eyes quickly found her, and she ran toward her.
“Wait, that person is…”
While Tarin dashed toward Agnes, a familiar-looking man approached her. The tall man following her slipped into a side alley.
“Did I see that wrong…?”
With the street crowded, it wasn’t easy to catch up to Agnes. She was only a few steps away now…
Then, the tall red-haired man who had disappeared into the alley appeared directly in front of Agnes.
“Gah!”
Who is that man? He’s too handsome! He’s obviously approaching the sad young lady with some intention!
Tarin, forgetting that he seemed familiar, dashed toward Agnes. The man’s beautiful smile nearly slowed her down, but she ran on.
“What’s happening to our young lady?”
Tarin boldly stepped between them. They were standing quite close, so she bumped her forehead against his chest but held her head high to face him.
“Who is this little girl?”
Then, a cold voice rang down from above. It didn’t match the gentle, beautiful face she had just seen. Tarin froze.
“S-so… from the young lady…”
But she couldn’t back down easily! Tarin braced herself, putting strength in her legs. Even if she got hit, she had to hold her ground.
“Heheh, Tarin.”
From the opposite side of the cold voice came the warm laugh of Agnes. Huh? I thought she’d be serious.
Tarin, thinking to protect Agnes from the handsome man, was confused by her bright laughter.
When she turned to look at Agnes, the young lady was smiling radiantly. This was the smile she had been waiting for today. The only problem… she had no idea why Agnes was laughing.
