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“…Angelica?”
The dazzling blonde hair, the clear blue eyes, and her upright posture—it was unmistakably Angelica. And yet, she looked so different from the Angelica I knew.
She always wore neat, simple dresses, but today, for some reason, she was dressed in something bright and splendid. The light sky-blue gown suited her so well that it revealed a side of her she had always kept hidden.
Everyone inside the café turned to stare at her. Flustered by the sudden attention, Angelica’s face flushed red as she nervously brushed her cheek, shrinking back under the weight of their gazes. Just then, as she turned her head away, her eyes met mine.
“Your Grace, the Grand Duchess!”
“Angelica…”
She broke into a radiant smile as she walked over to me, her face brimming with delight.
“I’m terribly late, aren’t I? I’m so sorry. Oh—Your Grace the Grand Duke, and Your Highness the Princess as well.”
When she spotted Lucius and Alexandra seated at the table, she quickly gave them a proper curtsey. While I sat frozen in surprise, Alexandra suddenly leapt up from her seat and hurried over.
“You’re really Lady Werner?”
“…Pardon?”
“Is it truly you?”
“Y-Yes… it’s me, but…”
Still bewildered, Angelica nodded as Alexandra gripped her shoulders and pressed the question. Alexandra looked her up and down once more, then exclaimed in amazement.
“My goodness… Have you been hiding this beauty all this time?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Why did you always wear such plain dresses? You look so much better dressed like this! I knew you were pretty, but I never realized you could look this different!”
“A-ah, well…”
Angelica’s face tightened awkwardly at Alexandra’s excitement. I wanted to step in and save her, but I was just as stunned and couldn’t move easily.
No wonder Alexandra’s so worked up. Anyone would be shocked seeing her like this.
Among the young noble ladies, Angelica was the very definition of “modesty.” She usually wore simple gowns and almost never chose bright or flashy ones.
Even in the original novel, she only wore deep, plain colors without patterns. Readers used to complain, wanting to turn her wardrobe upside down.
“Please let our heroine wear a pretty dress for once!”
There were even jokes about the Werner household maids being useless for not picking out a single decent gown for their lady.
Of course, it was entirely due to Angelica’s personality and tastes, so it couldn’t be helped. Later, after she met Rael, her dresses gradually began to change, and readers’ complaints slowly faded.
Right. It was after she met Rael that she started wearing dresses like this.
This wasn’t the kind of gown Angelica would ever choose herself—especially not a soft sky-blue one. No, this was entirely someone else’s taste. Someone like Rael. That dress had his influence written all over it.
So she met Rael before coming here? That explains why she was late.
Her flushed cheeks when she arrived… it all made sense now. Something must have happened between them. I wanted to ask right away, but for now, I needed to get them seated.
“Alexandra, you’re overwhelming Angelica. Let’s sit down and talk calmly.”
“Ah, you’re right, Tiana.”
Taking her by the hand, I coaxed Alexandra back to her chair. She regained her composure and nodded, sitting down. Angelica, flashing me a small smile of gratitude, followed suit.
Once they were settled, I signaled to Baron Evitt, who had been waiting by the counter. He gave a discreet nod and began preparing another teacup. I sat down as well.
A moment later, Baron Evitt himself brought over a cup of tea for Angelica.
“Thank you for joining us, Lady Werner. This is our special new menu item for the grand opening.”
“Thank you, Baron Evitt. And congratulations on your opening.”
“The thanks are mine, Lady Werner. I appreciate the Werner family providing such fine goods. Please, enjoy your time here.”
With a bow, he withdrew and ordered staff to set up additional partitions. The lingering gazes on Angelica dispersed, and soon the café filled once more with its usual chatter.
“Go on, try it, Angelica. It’s flower tea brewed from blue roses—delicate fragrance, wonderful taste.”
“Yes, thank you.”
She smiled faintly, lifted the cup, and took a slow sip. Closing her eyes to savor it, she finally lowered the cup and spoke in surprise.
“This is delicious. I wasn’t sure what to expect from tea made with blue roses, but as you said, Your Grace, the aroma is soft and refined.”
“Right? A child I know cultivated those blue roses.”
“Is that so? The quality is remarkable. Even steeped in hot water, the scent lingers so gently. And the color has been drawn out so beautifully. This would make excellent material for more than just tea. I’d love to meet this person.”
“I’ll introduce you when the chance arises.”
“Yes, please do.”
Since the petals could also be used as natural dye, her eagerness made me smile. As the cheerful conversation flowed, Alexandra finally slipped back into the discussion.
“Now then, Lady Werner, may I ask? What’s going on today?”
“Ah…”
With her tone calmer than before, Alexandra’s question made Angelica hesitate. Her lips parted, her face flushing again. Watching her reaction, I felt certain my suspicion was right.
“I always thought it a pity you wore only dark, plain dresses. I knew brighter colors would suit you—and I was right. You look stunning.”
“Thank you. It feels a little strange though, since it’s been so long since I wore anything bright.”
“It’s perfect. Gowns like this truly bring out your charm. But why today of all days?”
“Ah, well…”
Flustered, Angelica trailed off, unable to answer. Her red cheeks and downcast eyes said everything. Alexandra, noticing her shy expression, suddenly smirked mischievously.
“I knew it—it’s because of a man, isn’t it? That gown was a gift, wasn’t it?”
“Th-that…”
Unable to deny it, Angelica bowed her head and gave a tiny nod. Her bashful honesty was so endearing I couldn’t help smiling. Alexandra beamed, eyes sparkling.
“Oh my! And who is this gentleman? Since when have you been close enough to receive gifts? This is news to me!”
“N-no, there’s no young master I’m especially close with.”
“Really? Then what—some young noble fell in love at first sight and gave it to you?”
“No! Not a young master, it’s just… um…”
“Not a young master? Then a titled noble?”
“Well, I…”
Her faltering words only confirmed what I already knew. She had said it herself—not a young master. And when asked if it was a titled noble, she hadn’t answered.
Which left only one possibility in the Empire.
The Emperor. Rael.
Who else could it be? That gown could only have come from him. I didn’t know how far things had already progressed, but considering he had already spoken of marriage to Alexandra, it made sense.
Still, this was far earlier than in the original. As far as I remembered, Rael gave Angelica a dress only after they had confessed their feelings for each other.
Could it be… they had already reached that stage without my knowing?
As I pondered this, Alexandra pressed again, impatient.
“If it wasn’t a young master or a titled noble, then who? There’s no way an ordinary man could afford such a gown. Is it someone you can’t tell us about?”
“No, he told me I could say it. Actually… he even told me to go ahead and tell people. But saying it here feels a little…”
“He told you to tell people?”
Rael?
“Y-yes…”
She nodded softly, and I nearly laughed aloud. To openly encourage her to say it—that was basically announcing their relationship. Could it really be that they were already together?
Unbelieving, I leaned closer and whispered so only she could hear.
“Angelica. The one who gave you that dress… it was him, wasn’t it? The elder brother of the man sitting beside me.”
“Uh… y-yes.”
She didn’t even flinch at my knowing, as if Rael had already hinted at it.
“He told you to tell people he gave it to you?”
“…Yes.”
“Then… the two of you are in that kind of relationship?”
“…”
Her reddened cheeks, her timid nod… my breath caught in shock.
When? Where? How did they advance so quickly, right under my nose? As expected of the original male lead—Rael wasted no time. I couldn’t decide whether to admire him or sigh.
But in the novel, he wasn’t this forward.
Once again, I found things diverging from the original. With their meeting pushed forward by an entire year, I’d expected some changes, but this was more than I imagined.
Some of it was no doubt because of me inhabiting Tiana’s body, but part of it was clearly Rael himself being… different.
I wasn’t unhappy about them coming together sooner—it was a good thing, really. But with so many deviations, twists were inevitable.
Well, things had already begun to twist the moment I possessed Tiana… or even before, when the first possessor arrived. No use worrying now.
Still, a little warning would have been nice. His unpredictability reminded me of Alexandra. With a deep sigh, I thought I was finally beginning to understand Rael’s audacious personality.
But Alexandra, watching us whispering, pouted.
“What’s this? Whispering between yourselves? Tiana, do you know something?”
“Ah, well…”
Should I tell her? My eyes flicked to Lucius. Catching my glance, he hesitated. But Alexandra, quick as ever, noticed and pressed on.
“Lucius, you know too? What is this—am I the only one left out? Don’t tell me… Tiana knows, Lucius knows, and I’m the only one who doesn’t. Then the one who gave that dress must be…”
Her eyes widened as the realization struck. Slowly, she turned to look at Angelica. Under Alexandra’s steady gaze, Angelica’s eyes trembled, and then—
“…It’s Rael. My brother, isn’t it?”
