Chapter : 05
“It’s a gift. It’s nothing special, but you invited me.”
“Ah, you really didn’t have to….”
The thing glistening at the corner of Selena’s eyes—was that… tears? Selena? This character? Weren’t you supposed to be a villainess? The disconnect was so strong my brain felt like it was short-circuiting.
“Ah, but…”
Selena spoke with a troubled expression.
“Would it be alright if my younger sister… joined us for the meal? Of course, if it makes you uncomfortable, you can refuse. You’re a guest who came all the way to our estate, so your opinion matters most, Reina.”
At this point, doesn’t she basically have a wagging tail? She’s like a complete puppy. Where did the cool, elegant villainess big sister go?
And her younger sister—Grace? The one who supposedly poisoned food…?
But she’s begging this desperately just to eat together with Grace?
“Actually, my sister doesn’t really eat well when she’s alone. So I’ve been forcing myself to eat together with her every time….”
Forcing herself to eat together…
That reminded me of a passage from the novel.
[Selena couldn’t stand Grace leaving her sight.
So even if it was torture, she insisted on eating together with her.
“What, are you planning to steal something from this estate and sell it? I told you not to leave my sight.”
Even though Selena hated Grace, she wanted to punish her—even if it meant tormenting herself.]
This… feels ominous.
I have a bad feeling.
A feeling soaked in massive misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
I stared at Selena, who was looking at me with clear eyes.
So you’re the type who racks up karma with your mouth, huh… There’s no way someone with that face poisoned her sister’s food. No matter how you look at it, she seemed like a sister hopelessly devoted to her sibling.
The poison must have some hidden truth behind it.
Ah, I just wanted to stay out of this and be done. But… this is the first friend I’ve made since coming here. There might be a way to help. And if I do nothing and leave it like this, I feel like I’ll regret it later!
It can’t be helped. I’ll just have to find a way to help.
“Alright, Selena. Let’s eat together.”
At my words, Selena’s face brightened even more. Then she spoke again, her voice tinged with a sigh.
“And there’s also one uninvited guest, Reina.”
“Huh?”
“My older brother brought one of his junior knights with him yesterday. They drank so much they were completely wasted. I hate looking at either of them. Anyway, that junior still can’t report for duty, so he’ll probably have to eat with us.”
Well… if Selena’s in a tough spot—
“That’s fine too!”
But I should have refused. I absolutely should have said no, that I hated eating with strangers.
If I’d known this would happen.
＊ ＊ ＊
How can the world be this small? The novel rule that says the more you try to avoid someone, the more you end up running into them applied to me too. I shuddered under the contemptuous glare aimed straight at me.
“I knew this would happen. Ha. And I didn’t even realize it….”
Why are you here, Cesar? I’m the one who’s shocked!
Cesar’s eyes flashed coldly as he glared at me.
“So what trick did you use this time to appear in front of me?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“How did you know I was here? Was it my senior again? Don’t you ever get tired, Lady Reina?”
I know it looks suspicious. Given all the karma Reina has built up until now. She’d stop at nothing if it meant meeting Cesar. But this time, really—it’s not like that!
“It’s a misunderstanding, Your Highness.”
Please, just listen to me. But Cesar looked like he wasn’t going to hear a single word.
“To think I almost believed what you said back then….”
“Ah!! I said it’s not like that!! It’s not! Just listen to me!”
At my shout, everyone—including Cesar—who had been watching us went silent. Even to my own ears, my voice was filled with pent-up resentment. My mouth didn’t stop moving.
“I told you I got over it! I said I don’t like you! You’re not my type! I don’t like you! I’m going to marry a man who’s more handsome, cuter, kinder, and more lovable than you! I’ll meet someone who loves me back! If someone says that much, you should believe them! And don’t go getting weird ideas just because you crashed at my friend’s place after drinking—seriously, it’s disgusting!”
Ha… seriously. What kind of disgrace is this, making a scene in someone else’s house?
Wait.
What did I just say?
After unloading everything, my sanity slowly returned. As I replayed my words, I felt my face grow paler and paler.
“Disgusting….”
Cesar muttered.
Damn it. I let my true feelings slip….
Am I about to be arrested for insulting royalty? I should’ve been honest—but only moderately, Reina. This is how you die, running your mouth without knowing your place.
I huffed and puffed, then rolled my eyes.
Everyone was staring at me with rabbit-like eyes.
I swallowed.
“…I mean… boring?”
“You definitely said ‘disgusting,’” Selena murmured.
Why are you correcting that so precisely? We said we’d be friends, didn’t we? Aren’t friends supposed to help each other out in tough situations?! I widened my eyes at her.
I figured it’d be best to wrap this up quickly. Now was the perfect moment—Cesar was still too shocked to respond properly. I hurried to speak.
“Anyway. I won’t do anything that would trouble His Highness due to past feelings ever again. I only came here because I was invited. So please drop the misunderstanding.”
I really didn’t expect to run into you here either.
I glanced at Grace. She didn’t look particularly interested in Prince Cesar. It was probably because the original story hadn’t fully started yet. Cesar, your future girlfriend is right there. Could you please stop paying attention to me?
If this went wrong, I could end up being branded by the female lead—as the woman who liked her future boyfriend. I needed to be firmer.
“He was my first love when I was young, and I think of it as a good memory. But that’s truly all it was. Everyone has someone like that, right? Isn’t that so, Selena?”
Selena looked at me with an amused expression. Hurry up and agree.
“…Let’s say that’s the case. Prince Cesar, Reina truly came only because I invited her. I hope there’s no misunderstanding because of me. And besides, you were invited by my brother, not by me.”
“…I understand what you mean.”
Only then did Cesar reply, his tone oddly cold.
“Still, may I at least eat before I leave? I’ll need to report for duty right away.”
“The Highboard family isn’t stingy with its guests.”
With Selena’s permission, Cesar took his seat.
Looks like the misunderstanding is cleared up. I swallowed a sigh and quietly sat down as well.
Ha… I don’t even know if I can get this food down.
The female lead, the male lead, the villainess—and… the side character who dies after stalking the male lead.
What kind of lineup is this?
I don’t even know where things started going wrong. How am I supposed to swallow even a single grain of rice like this? There can’t be many people in the world with the nerve to eat in this situation. I let out a deep sigh. Seriously. Life is so unpredictable.
But that worry was unnecessary.
I overlooked one thing—
that the food was so good it surpassed everything else.
It just went down effortlessly. Without realizing it, I was already eating.
“Oh my gosh. Wow—this is honestly the most delicious thing I’ve ever had, Selena!”
“I’m very happy to hear you say that, Reina. Eat as much as you like. Our head chef is quite famous in the empire, after all.”
“Oh my, oh my. This is delicious too.”
In front of good food, reason always collapses. I tried to hold back, but the exclamations just spilled out. The umami was incredible, and the gentle spiciness was absolutely perfect for a Korean palate.
Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy a warm, cheerful meal while chatting with Selena.
Truly, throughout the entire meal, Cesar didn’t even register in my sight.
End Of Chapter : 05
