~ Chapter : 5 ~
The banquet was in full swing.
The nobles gathered in the Atheon Hall continuously approached to greet Duke Mont, Ritia’s older brother Ellar Vazenti, and Ritia herself.
“Ritia.”
During a brief lull in greetings, Ellar called her, and she turned her head to catch her breath. Ritia quickly composed her expression and lifted her head.
Although there was more than a five-year age gap between the siblings, their long silver hair and blue eyes were so similar that when they faced each other, they often looked like twins.
“Hm?”
“If you’re tired, you can rest. Shall I take you to the lounge?”
Unlike Duke Mont, whose attention was more performative, Ellar’s voice was filled with genuine concern. Ritia smiled and shook her head.
“No, brother. I can still manage for now.”
Rumors that she had tried to drown herself in the lake had been circulating for over a month. To show that she was alive and well, she had been dragged out to this event, much to Ellar’s irritation.
“You always say you’re fine…”
“Hm?”
“Sigh… never mind. Shall we step out for a bit, at least to get some fresh air?”
Ellar glanced at Duke Mont, who was busy talking to other guests. Mont was partly proud of Ritia’s presence.
Ritia shook her head again.
“No. It seems like the young ladies are just waiting for a chance to speak with you, so shouldn’t you pay some attention to them?”
Ellar’s gaze shifted toward the crowd, then returned to her.
“It’s fine…”
“I’m not fine, brother. I’ll tell Father and take a short break.”
When Ritia insisted she was fine, Ellar reluctantly nodded.
Ritia, who had come to this event to serve as Duke Mont’s loyal pride, actually wanted to escape as soon as possible. The hall was full of unfamiliar faces, and people seemed eager to speak with her at the slightest eye contact.
Eventually, using her poor health as an excuse, Ritia made her way quickly to the lounge. It took over ten minutes just to reach the corridor leading there because of the crowd blocking her path. Finally out in the hallway, she was escorted to the lounge by her guards.
“Tia!”
Someone called her name as she hurried along, wanting to be alone. Her guard tried to block the way, but as Ritia signaled that it was fine, the man grabbed her arm forcefully.
The man had short, curly blonde hair that reached his ears. His flashy attire and sharply defined features made him look more extravagant than she expected, and his hooked nose gave off the impression of a picky, difficult personality.
“Ah.”
Ritia frowned at the sudden pain.
“Didn’t you get my letter?”
He spoke arrogantly, full of haughty pride. Ritia sharply shook off his grasp and raised her head.
Although she had never met him before, Ritia knew who he was. She had seen him briefly in her diary and in a novel she had read, where a boyfriend had relied solely on his appearance while treating his partner poorly. That had made the character feel even more lonely and isolated.
This man was clearly the type to enjoy flashy appearances and self-indulgence, someone untrustworthy and self-centered.
Jit Tresh.
The man who claimed to be her lover—though not anymore.
Her arm reddened where he had gripped it tightly.
“I got your letter.”
“Then why didn’t you contact me? How dare you make me wait?”
His face was full of irritation. He seemed more upset about being ignored than concerned about her well-being.
After a month without contact, shouldn’t he have come to see her at least once? Sending a single letter a month ago and then getting angry was ridiculous. Why had she even accepted such a useless confession? Clearly, they had ended up as a couple by default because she couldn’t outright refuse him, as noted in her diary.
“Didn’t you hear I almost died?”
Ritia’s cold tone finally seemed to make Jit flinch. He stepped back and looked her over from head to toe.
“…No, you looked fine. And why is your tone like that…?”
Ritia scoffed. The original Ritia would have trembled and apologized profusely, but the current host of this body—Jimin—knew that the real Ritia was already gone.
“Yes, now that you know, could you move aside?”
“Why didn’t you contact me! You could have reached out after you woke up!”
“And why should I?”
“What?”
Jit stared at her, incredulous.
“There was no need, so I didn’t. After nearly dying, I realized who truly cares about me. So I felt no need to contact you.”
“If I had known, I would have gone to see you too!”
Jit approached threateningly, shouting.
“You didn’t know?”
“Y-yes.”
“Everyone in town knows, but only you didn’t? How funny. It’s good though—I was going to come find you anyway.”
“For what? If you wanted to apologize for the late contact, do it now. I didn’t know your circumstances, so I’ll understand and accept it.”
Ritia smiled faintly at his speechlessness.
“No need to understand. What do you even have to understand? Today, it’s over between us. Never appear in front of me again. I no longer need someone who doesn’t cherish me.”
She commanded the guard to block him before he could grab her again.
“Don’t let him get near me. If you don’t want to be scolded by my father.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Stay right there, Tia!”
Jit shouted, restrained by the guards. Ritia waved lightly and continued toward the lounge.
Emilia, following behind, covered her mouth in awe.
“Ah, Miss! I’ve never seen you like this before!”
“…Was it strange?”
“No! It was amazing! I’ve always wanted to see you like this, and seeing it firsthand is even more incredible!”
Emilia looked as if she might cry tears of admiration.
Ritia, however, had been nervous inside. In her previous life, she had been quiet and avoided conflicts. Long illness had made her value calm and comfort, shaping her personality accordingly. Yet in matters of men, she had learned that being indecisive often led to messy situations, so she believed it was better to cut things off decisively.
Knowing Jit wanted her apology despite her near-death experience made her even more infuriated.
Having rid herself of him, Ritia finally felt relieved. While Emilia went to fetch tea, Ritia sat on the sofa to rest briefly.
Being at the banquet for only a short time, she noticed some condescending looks, despite being from the family that had produced the most Tenia candidates, a prominent candidate herself. Likely, those who tormented her before her death belonged to this group—lacking courage to attack the family directly, they played with the weakest target: Ritia.
Noises stirred again outside the door. Jit seemed to be shouting and trying to enter.
Ritia ignored him and sank into the sofa.
About thirty minutes later, Duke Mont ordered that Ritia be brought to him.
Ritia, who had been resting so comfortably she almost dozed off, sat up at the summons.
Even if she was tired, she had no choice but to comply. She had to be obedient—she couldn’t risk being monitored in her room. The banquet atmosphere had changed dramatically since she had left.
The surroundings were slightly darker, but the bright orange lights now shone more strongly. The party drinks had changed from fruit juices and low-alcohol sparkling wine to brandy and deep-colored red wine.
This seemed to ease the previously overwhelming attention, making it more comfortable.
“Have you rested?”
Seeing that no bad conversations had occurred while she was absent, Duke Mont looked pleased.
“Yes, Father. But where is brother?”
Ritia noticed Ellar was missing.
“The Crown Prince arrived, so Ellar stepped aside for now. He probably wanted to greet you as well; when he returns, greet him. You’ll warm up to him quickly, since you’ve always been close. Make sure to keep him near.”
Ritia understood this well. She knew her being ignored had been because the Crown Prince invited Ellar away. No further explanation was needed, as they had been childhood friends.
“Keep him close?”
Ritia decided to first give the answer Duke Mont wanted and figure out his intent.
“Yes, Father. I will.”
Her obedient answer pleased Duke Mont even more. He leaned closer and spoke quietly.
“Until the Tenia prophecy is decided, make sure the Crown Prince’s attention doesn’t wander. He approaches on his own, so just accept it moderately.”
At first, Ritia didn’t understand what he meant.
“What do you mean…?”
“If you fail to become the protagonist of this prophecy, the position of Crown Princess will be yours. Of course, I have no doubt that you will become Tenia.”
Only then did Ritia fully understand. Duke Mont had already prepared a plan B in case she didn’t become Tenia. And that plan involved her potentially becoming Crown Princess.
