Chapter : 06
Cesar truly hadn’t been visible at all—until he finished eating enough and finally rose from his seat.
“Princesses of House Highboard, I apologize for my many discourtesies. To the young Duke of Highboard who invited me, I will convey my thanks separately. I believe I should excuse myself now. It’s already quite late.”
“…Think nothing of it. Please take care on your way. I won’t see you out.”
Selena replied coolly. Watching her speak like that, I kind of… well… maybe I understood why she was labeled a villainess. She seemed like the type who showed zero leniency to people she wasn’t close to.
This time, Cesar turned his gaze to me.
“…Lady Regfield. I apologize for my rudeness today.”
He apologized to me politely. In truth, Cesar was a very rational character. If Reina hadn’t been stalking him, he probably wouldn’t have treated me like that either.
“There will be no further misunderstandings that put you in an awkward position.”
“Me too. There will never be a situation where I cause trouble for Your Highness. My brother won’t either.”
So let’s just not run into each other again. Of course, I knew that wouldn’t be easy. High society was small, and gatherings where high-ranking nobles could mingle were even fewer. Naturally, Cesar and I moved in similar circles. It was practically impossible to never see each other.
Still, it was a promise that even if we crossed paths or shared the same space, we wouldn’t make things uncomfortable for one another.
Cesar looked at me with a strange expression, offered a final farewell, and left.
…Somehow, I felt like I should hurry up, go on a blind date, start dating, get engaged, and get married already. That way, there’d be no room for misunderstandings between us. I glanced sideways at our female lead, Grace.
She didn’t seem particularly interested in Cesar or me. She just stared down at her plate, picking at her food.
She might be like that now, but once she got entangled with Cesar, things would change. There was no need to get on the female lead’s bad side. And rumors involving the male lead were the last thing I wanted. Living quietly was best. To do that, I needed to either avoid them as much as possible—or maintain good relations.
Having a good relationship with Cesar was already out of the question, so at the very least, I should cut ties cleanly. That was what I was thinking.
While I was lost in thought, Selena suddenly snapped at Grace.
“If you’re going to eat like that, wouldn’t it be better not to eat at all? Why are you ruining everyone else’s appetite?”
Selena, what are you saying right now? This isn’t it. No matter what your intention is, that tone is bound to cause misunderstandings!
Grace dropped her fork without realizing it, and seeing that, Selena let out a sigh and shifted in her seat. I felt just as uncomfortable as I had when Cesar misunderstood me. I looked back and forth between the two of them.
I saw Grace muster her courage and speak carefully.
“…I’m sorry, Sister. But I’m uncomfortable in places like this—”
But Selena cut her off sharply.
“How long are you going to be uncomfortable? You’re a noble lady now. Even if you think you don’t belong, shouldn’t you at least try? I’ve told you countless times—acting like that only brings shame to the family.”
Her voice was ice-cold. Tears welled up in Grace’s clear eyes. Honestly, I felt like I might cry too! Before my shocked eyes, Grace finally broke down in tears. As she bowed her head and sobbed, Selena snapped again.
“Crying at the dining table… honestly, you’re something else. What kind of disgrace is this in front of guests? Grace, can’t you stop crying right now?”
“…Selena, Sister…”
“And you still call me ‘sister’ while acting like that? Do you really think you’re qualified to be a noble lady?”
Hic.
Just listening made my chest feel tight and my heart race. Selena, that’s not it. Pressuring her isn’t the answer. Right now, I felt an overwhelming sense of duty to save Grace. And hey—this would earn me some points with her too. I quickly opened my mouth to change the subject.
“I—I’m done eating! Selena, I think I ate too much… I want to go for a walk. What about you?”
“Ah, Reina…”
Selena called my name, as if realizing something too late.
Yes, I’m right here. Please don’t forget that.
“W-would Grace like to come too?”
Grace shook her head with tear-filled eyes. Of course—she didn’t look like she was in the mood for a walk. She looked like she wanted to be alone. When Selena looked like she was about to snap again, I hurriedly jumped in.
“Then Selena, let’s go together. I want to spend some time alone with you too!”
At my words, Selena nodded shyly. Grace fled as if escaping, and I let out a breath of relief inside. I seriously thought I was going to get indigestion. It felt like all the food I’d enjoyed was about to come back up.
I’d vaguely expected it from the original story, but seeing it firsthand was far more brutal than I’d imagined.
I quickly took Selena out for a walk.
“…I’m really sorry, Reina.”
For what—almost making me throw up?
“I don’t know what I should do for Grace.”
Honestly, from my perspective, just speaking more gently would help…
“She still thinks this isn’t her home. She barely eats, barely sleeps. She doesn’t even go out, and she doesn’t use the budget allotted to her. If she’s going to enter society, she’ll need dresses, jewelry, hats… so many things. I don’t know what she’s thinking. Ha… it just makes me so upset.”
Selena muttered with a dejected expression. Seeing her face made me feel unsettled too. Did I accidentally curse her or something? Talking like that was bound to make Grace misunderstand…
I felt like I was witnessing the true nature of the villainess Selena.
“I just want Grace to feel more at ease. There were so many things I wanted to do together…”
“…Don’t you dislike Lady Grace?”
“I know what you’re going to say. Don’t.”
Selena shook her head.
“That wasn’t Grace’s fault. And it wasn’t mine either. I don’t think Grace needs to bear that sin. I simply gained a beautiful younger sister. She did nothing wrong.”
It was a firm, clear conclusion. Selena truly seemed to believe it.
Wow. Really.
This time, the original story got it wrong.
* * *
Cesar reflected on what had happened at the Highbord estate today.
Especially about Reina.
Her pale face, shouting at him in outrage.
“You’re seriously disgusting!”
Ha.
That was something he’d never heard in his life. Raised under strict discipline, Cesar had never once been insulted like that. It was partly because he was a prince—but also because he was naturally upright in character.
Of course, Cesar was at fault for accusing her outright, but…
“Has she really changed?”
Suddenly—why?
Up until now, Reina had been relentlessly bothersome. If Cesar didn’t act according to her wishes, she’d use Rochester. Within the knight order, where hierarchy was absolute, seniority determined rank. Noble status meant nothing there.
On the battlefield, status was meaningless.
What mattered was experience, skill, and competence.
Rochester Regfield was three classes senior to Cesar and was considered one of the best. Even Cesar, who respected him deeply, had come this far because of that.
And Rochester’s only weakness was Reina.
Rochester granted his younger sister anything she wanted.
“She’s been frail since childhood. Whenever she cried, she’d develop a fever. I became a knight to protect her.”
The tragedy began when that younger sister fell in love with Cesar. The more Reina obsessed over him, the more Rochester pushed Cesar away—and the more Cesar came to dislike Reina.
Being hated by a senior he respected was reason enough.
And so the cycle repeated itself—until Reina herself severed the relationship.
End Of Chapter : 06
