Chapter 48………………………
What I had intended to do was simple.
If only it hadn’t been for Arpad’s interference—he seemed to have left his sense of shame in his mother’s womb.
All I wanted was to quietly spirit Lady Soleneu away, unnoticed, after she had been humiliated by the displeased Evangeline.
And then, in a corner of the maze, I came across the very scene I had been waiting for.
“Oh my. What brings Lady Soleneu all the way out here?”
“Ah, could it be that you’ve finally realized your family’s wrongdoing and come to beg forgiveness?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, Lady of House Ruth.”
Lady Soleneu replied with perfect composure.
“I only came because I received an invitation to this party after a long absence from the capital.”
“Oh my, how brazen. Is there anyone here who doesn’t know how rude your parents were to Her Majesty the Empress?”
In the west, there were many great houses with traditions older than the Empire itself.
And one of the foremost among them was none other than the Marquessate of Soleneu.
Naturally, their only daughter, Josephine Soleneu, should have been warmly welcomed after reappearing in central society.
But the atmosphere was hostile toward her—and the reason was simple.
Because the Empress and the House of Soleneu were at odds.
More precisely, the Empress and the Grand Duchess of Axion were enemies.
And the House of Soleneu was the Grand Duchess of Axion’s birth family.
Over ten years ago, when the Grand Duchess clashed with the Empress, the entire western nobility banded together against her.
As a result, central and western society had been completely severed.
Young nobles from the central region were barred from western social events.
And western nobles could not make their social debut in the capital.
At first glance, it seemed like the Empress had won, having secured dominance over central society. But the west was full of ancient, noble families, so the reality was more complicated.
In fact, one could say the entire west simply refused to acknowledge the Empress at all.
The Emperor rarely involved himself in matters of the social world.
All the more so in this conflict, since the two opposing figures held delicate ties to him.
The Grand Duchess of Axion was the Emperor’s aunt, as well as the mother of the late Empress—meaning she was, effectively, his mother-in-law.
Meanwhile, the current Empress Isabel had once been a mere lady’s maid to the late Empress Roxeline.
The Grand Duchess of Axion would never recognize Isabel’s authority.
And the result was the current schism within society.
For Lady Soleneu to appear in the capital’s social scene at such a time was indeed unusual.
That was why Evangeline had first tried to coax her.
She must have thought that if she could persuade Lady Soleneu, perhaps the west might finally bow to the Empress.
Especially since the grand ball at Artanus Hall was drawing near.
After all, even if one were “banished” from society by attending, that punishment only applied within the central circle.
The west, which had been separate for nearly a decade, was operating entirely on its own.
They could easily predict that I might try to seize influence over that side.
Thus, Evangeline too had attempted to win Lady Soleneu over.
And failed miserably.
Because despite all her coaxing, Lady Soleneu coolly dropped a landmine.
“But isn’t it true that Her Majesty the Empress was once a mere maid to my grandaunt?”
“…!”
Indeed, Empress Isabel had once served the late Empress as a maid, and before that, had served the Grand Duchess of Axion.
She was only speaking the truth.
But to Evangeline, the Empress’s daughter, the words were nothing short of a slap in the face.
And so—
SPLASH!
“Oh my, what a mistake. My hand slipped.”
Evangeline flung the tea she was holding all over Lady Soleneu.
It was sharin blossom tea, a favorite among noble ladies.
Lady Soleneu’s dress was a pale yellow, so the purple stains stood out all the more vividly.
No one knew better than I what Evangeline’s eyes looked like when she despised and mocked someone.
And what those eyes truly meant.
She must have been thinking:
“You’re nothing but a character in a book!”
Evangeline never saw people as real.
To her, they were only lines of text written in a story she had read.
Or thin, fragile dolls.
That was why she could look down on others with such unabashed contempt, use them, discard them, and kill them without hesitation.
I suddenly recalled my own final death.
The rage I had felt then returned, icy enough to numb my thoughts.
To you, this world isn’t real, is it? Just a story in some book you’re playing with.
That was why she could twist and destroy it without hesitation—because it was only entertainment to her.
But I was alive in this world.
Even if I remembered my past life on Earth, I had been born and raised here.
I had lived among these people, clashed with them, laughed and fought with them.
Not a single person—whether they liked me or hated me—ever acted like Evangeline, that possessor.
That was the one thing I absolutely could not forgive.
We are living beings!
Someday, I would say those words to Evangeline’s face.
I swore it.
At that point, I sent Arpad away.
I needed to get Lady Soleneu out of sight without being noticed.
And since Arpad was already notorious as the “mad Crown Prince,” I figured even if he caused a scene, everyone would dismiss it.
He played the part I wanted perfectly.
Simply by appearing, he seized everyone’s attention.
Even Evangeline’s.
“B-Brother?”
She blushed as she murmured, which made me uncomfortable.
Evangeline ignored Lady Soleneu completely and rushed toward Arpad.
Her followers, of course, followed suit.
Thanks to that, I was able to quietly smuggle Lady Soleneu away.
I even had the chance to wrap her in a towel and cloak I had prepared.
Only one thing went beyond my expectations.
Arpad had no sense of shame whatsoever.
This was also an opportunity for him to irritate the Empress, whom he loathed.
And, for some reason, he seemed offended that I had only been using him for this incident.
The result was this disaster.
“My baby squirrel of the heart! Where have you gone? With those tiny paws, how far could you have vanished? Unless you return to the home of my heart at once, I shall die of longing!”
…I truly hadn’t grasped just how insane that man was.
Perhaps the madness had already begun long ago.
It might just be that everyone had mistaken his insanity for his normal state.
Beside me, Lady Soleneu, still stiff with shock, asked:
“Shouldn’t you… go to him? He seems so desperate to find you…”
Clutching my pounding head, I shook it.
“No. Let’s just leave quietly.”
“But…”
She pointed toward where Arpad was dramatically searching for that damned baby squirrel as if he were performing in a play!
“…!”
My face burned.
To think that such a man was my legal husband. Perhaps I had made a grave mistake.
He had been acting strangely these days anyway.
With such thoughts, I managed to get Lady Soleneu out of the Empress’s garden.
Unseen by anyone.
“Ah, my baby squirrel! Not a single tuft of pink fluff remains to be seen!”
I was not running away from Arpad’s voice, which was clearly mocking me.
Our escape was only made easy because someone persistently kept every eye fixed elsewhere.
Though I hated to admit it.
Though my reason and composure had been blown far away for a time,
I succeeded in my goal of secretly rescuing Lady Soleneu and bringing her to the Crown Prince’s palace.
I dried her tea-soaked hair and lent her a new dress to replace the ruined one.
Once she was tidy again, we were finally able to exchange proper greetings.
“Though late, I am glad we can finally meet.”
“Josephine Soleneu greets Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
She bowed with flawless courtesy.
Such grace was something rarely seen among central nobles, and it moved me unexpectedly.
Her calm yet intelligent gaze rose to meet mine.
“But… why did you save me, Your Highness?”
