~Chapter 46~
Why is the Marquis of Nor showing up here?
Surprised, Aveline turned the recommendation letter over and over, but the name didn’t change. She quickly checked the list of families connected to the orphanage where Lisa’s siblings stayed.
“There’s nothing that really stands out…”
But the family running the orphanage was the Mor family, a neutral group with no connection to the Herols family.
“Most of them are neutral families.”
The supporting families were also mostly from the neutral faction.
“Wait a second.”
Then she spotted a familiar name.
“Deville…”
Where had she heard that before? It was a neutral family with no ties to the Herols, but it sounded familiar.
“Ah.”
Soon, she remembered.
Pennia Deville, the daughter of Viscount Deville, was the maiden name of Countess Juan before she married.
“So Lisa has a recommendation letter from the Marquis of Nor, and her siblings are at an orphanage supported by the Deville family, which is Countess Juan’s family…”
Did this mean the Marquis of Nor and Count Juan purposely planted a spy in the Herols house?
But if that was true, something didn’t fit.
“Then why did she only mess with my letters?”
She hated to admit it, but she was the least important person in this house for getting useful information.
“Sigh. It’s faster to just ask directly.”
It was better to hear from Lisa herself than to keep guessing.
Aveline went straight to the room where Lisa was locked up. Since it was nighttime, she didn’t run into anyone in the halls.
‘I already got the key ahead of time.’
As she opened the door with a rattling sound, a voice came out of the darkness.
“E-Emma? Is that you, Emma?”
Lisa sounded scared, probably from being alone.
But the room was lit by candles, so it wasn’t too dark.
“Sorry, it’s not her.”
“Huh…”
Lisa gasped when she saw Aveline’s face.
“I’m here to ask you something.”
Lisa turned her head stubbornly, as if she wasn’t going to say a word.
“I know which orphanage your siblings are in. And I know who sponsors it.”
Lisa’s eyes grew wide at the mention of her siblings.
“The Deville family supports the orphanage, right?”
“Countess Juan’s maiden name was Deville, wasn’t it?”
Aveline watched Lisa bite her lips nervously.
“Countess Juan is the one threatening you, right?”
That was the conclusion Aveline reached on her way here. She wasn’t sure how the Marquis of Nor was involved, but Countess Juan definitely had a motive.
‘She obviously hates me. She made that clear at the last ball.’
If someone wanted to bully her, Countess Juan was the most likely.
“Help me out. If you answer my questions honestly, I’ll help you as much as I can.”
“You’ll… help me?”
Lisa looked blankly at Aveline.
‘Maybe she was touched.’
Even Aveline thought it sounded cool, like something the main character in a novel would say.
While she was enjoying that feeling, Lisa spoke again.
“How could you help me?”
“Huh?”
“You’re just… a lady.”
Aveline was so surprised, she couldn’t keep her face straight.
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said.”
Lisa, who’d always looked lost and shy, now stared directly at Aveline. Behind her large glasses, her eyes looked completely empty.
“I’ve worked here for four years, so I know how things go. If I’d wanted help, I would’ve gone to the Young Master or the Count. I know you’re a good person—Emma always smiles when she talks about you. And you’re saying you’ll help me even though I intercepted your letters… but…”
Lisa hesitated.
“…Being a good person isn’t the same as being a powerful good person.”
For a moment, Aveline had nothing to say.
“Sorry for speaking out of turn. Do whatever you want with me.”
Lisa watched her, waiting for her response.
Aveline couldn’t say anything. She just turned around and left the room.
“What did you eat last night?”
The next morning, Ares was surprised by Aveline’s puffy face.
“Go away.”
Normally, they would’ve bickered, but Aveline didn’t have the energy.
As soon as she got back to her room the night before, she had buried her face in her pillow and cried.
She felt a bit pathetic crying just because of what a maid said, but she couldn’t stop the tears. The truth was, Lisa hadn’t been wrong about anything.
Honestly, she even envied Lisa’s courage to say things directly to her face.
Dealing with Theron lately, Aveline had gotten a bit too excited. With her new magic powers and the Crown Prince paying attention to her, she’d lost her sense of reality.
‘This is who I am.’
No matter what power she had, or even if she became a beloved princess in a story, that wasn’t reality.
‘I almost fooled myself.’
In real life, nothing had changed. Just like Lisa said, she was still powerless.
Wanting to help Lisa was pointless when she couldn’t actually do anything.
Embarrassment and shame washed over her. She realized she’d been thinking Ares’s influence was somehow her own.
She learned the hard way that she needed to rely on herself, not others.
“Alright. I’m going to do it.”
Even though it hurt, she couldn’t give up. She’d run away for four years—she was done running.
From now on, she would do things properly.
“Do what?”
Ares tilted his head when he saw her clench her fists and make up her mind.
“It’s… nothing.”
Ares looked disappointed at her vague answer, but then something else occurred to him.
“By the way, what did Duke Ribes say to you yesterday when he took you away?”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard, Aveline was surprised.
“Is he really serious about you?”
“Hmm…”
She’d been wondering about Theron’s behavior yesterday. He’d rushed over because of the mana stones, but the last thing he said had stuck in her mind.
“I never want anyone to get hurt because of me again.”
‘It was like someone really did get hurt because of him before…’
But she never got to ask more because Ares showed up.
She didn’t see Theron in her dreams either, since she’d cried herself to sleep.
“And now the Crown Prince is acting strange too.”
Ares muttered, and Aveline spoke up.
“If Dad finds out about yesterday, he might faint.”
She meant that Ares should keep quiet too.
“Why would I faint?”
“Father…!”
Suddenly, Count Herols appeared behind the twins.
“What brings you here…?”
Aveline was startled—the twins were near their own rooms, far from their father’s study.
“I came because I didn’t get any report from you after yesterday.”
He’d been worried ever since sending them off by themselves.
Aveline and Ares exchanged glances.
‘Don’t say anything.’
‘If he finds out, he really might faint.’
The twins silently tried to hide the truth.
“Nothing much happened…”
“Are you trying to lie to me?”
Count Herols interrupted Ares.
“Huh?”
Ares was caught off guard as the Count frowned.
“I’ve been getting invitations from every family, and most of them mention that Aveline visited the palace yesterday.”
The news about Aveline’s private invitation from the Crown Prince was already spreading fast.
Looking worried, Count Herols asked,
“Did the Crown Prince say anything important to you yesterday?”
“Um.”
There was a lot she could say.
In Aveline’s mind, yesterday played out like a multiple-choice test:
The Crown Prince filled the palace with flowers like he was competing with Duke Ribes.
The Crown Prince put a red rose in his jacket pocket, which didn’t suit him.
He took her to the glass conservatory and showed off mana stones under the blazing sun, talking about “joining the Imperial Family.”
Then Theron ran in, they fought, and suddenly acted like romantic rivals—even though neither was serious.
Theron suggested pretending to be her lover, saying it was to protect her.
No matter which answer she gave, she was sure her father would turn pale.
