Chapter 8
Meia stepped in front of Meryl, blocking her as she approached the whispering young ladies.
“Big sister Meryl!”
“Move! I’ll have them thrown in prison for insulting the imperial family!”
Meia asked Meryl,
“Do you even know exactly what constitutes the crime of insulting the imperial family?”
There wasn’t the slightest trace of emotion on Meia’s face as she spoke calmly.
“What else could it be? Their sneering is disrespect to the imperial family!”
“Article 1, Clause 51 of the Carpen Empire states that the crime of insulting the imperial family applies to the officially married first wife and the imperial consort.”
Meryl stared blankly at Meia, who was citing the law.
“Article 1, Clause 55 states that judgment regarding insults to the imperial family is rendered directly by His Majesty the Emperor after reviewing the situation and statements.”
“What are you even saying! Meia, you should be on my side!”
“Did you not understand what I just said? You have not held a wedding ceremony, so you do not belong to the imperial family. Furthermore, it is difficult to charge them with such a crime based on mere whispering.”
At Meia’s charismatic words and actions, the surrounding young ladies looked at her and spoke.
“As expected, you’re amazing.”
“I’ve never even heard of that law before.”
“Is it really true? That His Highness the Crown Prince would leave Lady Meia?”
“I can’t believe it either.”
“I really don’t understand what Lady Meryl is saying.”
Meryl’s face turned red, and she could only fume without saying anything.
Meia turned her head to glance at the young ladies once, then looked back at Meryl and spoke.
“If you are to become Empress in the future, some among these ladies may become concubines. You should get along well with them.”
“What? Concubines?!”
“When His Highness the Crown Prince becomes Emperor, it is only natural that he will have concubines. Did you not know that?”
“N-no… concubines are not allowed…!”
Meryl shouted angrily and glared fiercely at the young ladies as if she would devour them.
“Concubines are absolutely unacceptable, Meia.”
“That is something you should discuss with His Highness the Crown Prince. I have already permitted the existence of concubines.”
“You may be fine with it, but I can’t stand it!”
The young ladies, subjected to Meryl’s sharp glare, all wore expressions that clearly said, ‘We don’t want to be concubines under someone like you,’ and shook their heads.
The highlight of today hadn’t even begun yet, but the atmosphere she wanted had already formed, making Meia want to roll on the ground laughing. However, she held it in for the sake of the final act.
After steadying her voice, Meia spoke in a solemn tone.
“Everyone, I am no longer the fiancée of His Highness the Crown Prince. The fiancée is now my elder sister Meryl, who stands beside me. From now on, you no longer need to show me the courtesies reserved for the imperial family.”
Everyone had already suspected it during the conversation between Meryl and Meia, but hearing it confirmed directly left the young ladies in shock.
Looking at Meryl, Meia spoke with a voice filled with regret.
“Big sister Meryl, I wish you had shown a bit more restraint today…”
“Restraint?”
“The theme today is gratitude. Can you not tell from the carnations decorating the place?”
At Meia’s words, Meryl looked around. The flowers decorating the tables and surroundings were indeed centered around carnations.
“Are you saying I can’t recognize carnations? Are you trying to belittle me again?”
“I’m not belittling you. The meaning of carnations is ‘gratitude’ toward one’s parents. I lost my parents not long ago. My entire family.”
“Is there anyone here who doesn’t know that?”
“To lose one’s family is like having to endure both cold and heat without any clothes.”
“So what does that have to do with this tea party?”
“When I was suffering from that cold and heat, the many ladies here comforted me so I could endure it. That is why I prepared this tea party—to honor my parents and to express my gratitude to everyone present. And I also intended to let you know that, as Crown Princess, you would need the help of many ladies here, and to introduce each of them to you personally, but…”
Meryl would never know that the ladies gathered here, regardless of rank, were the precious daughters of the most influential families in the Carpen Empire—armed with immense wealth, power, and connections.
Meia had expected Meryl to go wild after becoming the Crown Prince’s fiancée, but not to this extent.
She spoke casually to everyone until the end, disregarding etiquette from start to finish.
“Lady Meia.”
Olivia, who had been sitting while holding the back of her neck in shock, stood up and called out to Meia.
“Lady Olivia, your complexion…”
“Even if she is from a ducal house, I will formally request a family-to-family apology from Meryl Hartsbellua for insulting my family. I will not let this pass.”
Meia carefully examined Olivia’s face. Her expression was twisted with anger—there was no trace of the gentle Olivia to be found.
‘She caused quite a scene before I even arrived.’
“Lady Meia, I apologize. Olivia of the Ferzen family will take her leave. If I stay any longer, I feel I might throw a ‘white glove’ at Lady Meryl Hartsbellua.”
Throwing a white glove meant issuing a duel challenge—and also carried the intent to kill.
“Lady Olivia! Did you just say you’d dare throw a white glove at me?”
“Lady Meryl Hartsbellua, I have not granted you permission to use my name.”
“How dare a mere marquis’s daughter talk about permission to a ducal lady?”
The voices of Olivia and Meryl grew louder and louder.
No one could stop them, and all the other ladies could only watch anxiously.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t act like the Crown Princess already, when your engagement might be broken off at any moment.”
“What did you say?”
As their voices escalated endlessly, Meia stepped between them.
“Lady Olivia, and big sister Meryl. I would appreciate it if both of you could calm down.”
“Meia! Look at that marquis’s daughter glaring at me and speaking like that! Look! Why aren’t you taking my side? You’re my only cousin! You should stand with family!”
At Meryl’s words, the ladies present couldn’t hide their incredulous expressions. Her talk of “family” felt utterly hypocritical.
“Lady Meia, it seems the peaceful social circle has come to an end. I must firmly decline your earlier request that I assist the new Crown Princess.”
At Olivia’s words, Meia tightly shut her eyes before opening them again and speaking with difficulty.
“I made an unreasonable request. Today’s tea party will be disban—… ah…”
As she spoke, Meia staggered and collapsed where she stood, losing consciousness.
“Kyahhh!”
“Lady Meia!”
The ladies screamed all at once.
Hearing the screams, the maids opened the doors to the tea party hall and rushed in.
Seeing the collapsed Meia, the maids fell to their knees and burst into tears.
“My lady!”
Yudi, who had been anxiously waiting outside the greenhouse after hearing that Meryl was present, didn’t care about the other ladies’ screams—but the moment she heard “Lady Meia!” she burst through the doors first.
Yudi turned pale, embraced the collapsed Meia, and wailed.
“Oh my! After suffering such consecutive shocks, unable to even eat properly… I knew this would happen. Oh, my Lady Meia…!”
Yudi cried out loudly, full of grief.
“Even the former Duke and Duchess passed away so suddenly—if I lose you too, this nanny will die as well! What are you all doing?! Hurry and call a physician!”
With Meia’s collapse, the tea party descended into complete chaos.
Exactly as Meia Hartsbellua had wanted—it was a total mess.
The next day, rumors that had already spread through high society became accepted as fact, and people began talking about them everywhere.
Those who didn’t know much had placed expectations on the new Crown Prince’s fiancée, but after hearing the accounts of the ladies who had experienced Meryl firsthand, they were disappointed and mocked Crown Prince Patsrary behind his back for having poor judgment.
However, there were even more families who rejoiced at Meia’s broken engagement.
“If only she weren’t the Crown Prince’s fiancée.”
“Lady Meia would be perfect as the lady of our house.”
“The broken engagement is real, right?”
“If she weren’t the Crown Prince’s fiancée, she’d be perfect as my daughter-in-law.”
The heads of such families, who had long harbored these thoughts, welcomed the broken engagement and began sending gifts and marriage proposals to Meia in an attempt to bring her into their households.
In other words—who would Meia Hartsbellua marry?
It became the hottest topic of interest.
“Milady, must you really go?”
“I’m going. You’ve seen the families sending me proposals! Are they even in their right minds?”
After Meia’s engagement to Crown Prince Patsrary was officially broken, gifts, letters, and proposals sent to her began piling up in front of the ducal residence day by day.
Of course, Meia rejected them all and sent everything back.
But the families that were rejected had no intention of giving up. When their individual proposals were refused, they began submitting formal proposals from house to house instead.
However, the Duke could not accept them. There was a freedom-of-marriage contract notarized by the temple.
Watching Luman’s frustrated face—unable to sell off his niece despite the high offers—Meia smiled inwardly.
“I’m worried something might happen if I stay here. The Mage Tower is safer, Yudi. I can receive its protection, and I want to live quietly.”
“That may be true, but…”
“I’ll come back before the coming-of-age ceremony. Please understand, Yudi. Okay?”
At Meia’s earnest words, Yudi began to cry again.
“At my age, these tears… sob…”
“You always blame your age when you cry. Don’t cry—just hug me.”
“My tears will stain your clothes… sob…”
Meia approached Yudi, wrapped her arms around her shoulders, buried her face in her embrace, and whispered,
“Yudi, you’re like a second mother to me. Thank you, nanny.”
At Meia’s words, Yudi lost herself completely and burst into loud sobs.
