Diana felt embarrassed in front of me, but she still awkwardly wiped her hands and tried to take Bluna away.
However, Bluna made a whistling-like sound and rubbed against me. As if she would never leave my side.
Clack, chirp.
Honestly, I found Bluna very adorable. Of course, Diana’s position as her owner was clearly different.
“She used to bite everyone who came close.”
“Really?”
‘She’s so affectionate and well-behaved like this.’
Bluna tilted her head as if she didn’t know anything. Diana glared at Bluna with a betrayed look.
“I’ve been taking care of her since she was a baby, but this is the first time I’ve seen her so fond of a person. No wonder my hands got so hurt while looking after Bluna.”
Diana showed her hand, which was bitten by Bluna. It was definitely serious.
“You must have been in a lot of pain.”
“It wasn’t anything special. I just don’t know how to take her away…”
Every time Diana’s hand approached, Bluna quickly jumped back and avoided it. Since she kept close to me, it seemed she couldn’t reach out roughly.
‘There’s no helping it.’
“How do you usually take Bluna away?”
“Usually, I put her in a cage. Since she broke the cage door, I need to find a new one nearby and return to Royam estate, but…”
“If it’s not too far, I can go with you to Royam estate. Would that solve the problem?”
Diana’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Would that be okay?”
“Is Royam estate very far?”
“It’s not very close either. It takes about 30 minutes to walk.”
Since Diana and I were not on good terms, it might seem strange for me to go that far. But after all, this incident happened because of Miryu.
Diana was merely influenced by Miryu.
‘That doesn’t mean Diana’s fault disappears.’
“That’s pretty close. I also wanted to spend more time with Bluna. Right, Bluna?”
Bluna nodded with a strange, chirping sound.
Diana swallowed nervously and looked at me.
“If you would do that, I’d be grateful…”
“Instead, I think we should rent a carriage from Royam estate to go to the Grand Court. Can you do that?”
“Of course!”
Diana, awkwardly speaking, raised her voice and then stiffened her neck.
“No, what I meant was…”
“Don’t worry, I understand.”
When I smiled lightly, Diana awkwardly scratched her cheek.
‘The more I see her, the less bad she seems.’
Honestly, Diana once pushed me hard, but she wasn’t that unpleasant.
The Royam Kingdom paid a huge compensation for the recent incident. It included Diana’s personal estate and wealth.
‘She even lost her knighthood, which she had fought so hard to earn.’
I didn’t feel any malice from Diana toward me. Instead, she seemed unsure how to treat me properly.
‘She’s not a fundamentally bad person.’
Maybe that’s why she often made mistakes but still had many friends in high society.
It might be selfish, but I considered the situation carefully. Beyond simply helping with this accidental matter, I wondered if I could get close to Diana.
‘She’s the only princess of Royam. Even if her reputation is damaged, there are still many who like her. It would be good to get closer.’
I didn’t like ambiguous relationships. Usually, ambiguous interest could turn into irrational hostility, attacking me.
‘Better to make enemies clearly than keep guessing.’
It’s better not to expect anything in the first place, so I wouldn’t get tired. Of course, gaining favor doesn’t mean people will stop hating me.
‘She pretends to be a lady, but in the end, she’s just a commoner like me! Why is she acting like this—’
At first, everyone pretended to like me, but in the end, they all hated me. Honestly, I thought the problem was mostly with me.
But that’s not the main issue.
‘You can’t trust good feelings. They change too easily. Expecting too much can turn into hostility. But…’
My inner scale was swaying and shifting.
Since leaving Liberteen, small things had started to change, not turning into enemies immediately.
“I’ll leave a note just for a moment. My maid is coming to pick me up. If I suddenly disappear, everyone will worry.”
Diana’s orange eyes shimmered with a strange affection. I looked at her eyes and briefly hesitated.
‘Where will that affection lead?’
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
Diana glanced at Estelle.
‘Why is she doing this for me?’
For noblewomen who always traveled by carriage, 30 minutes was quite far. Moreover, Diana didn’t get along well with Estelle.
‘I’m glad she helped, but—’
Bluna was officially gifted by the Deped Kingdom. Losing her could cause diplomatic issues, so she was grateful for Estelle’s help.
“Isn’t walking tiring?”
“It’s nice to enjoy the scenery while walking after a long time. And I have pretty Bluna with me too, right?”
Estelle smiled softly.
Her platinum hair, bathed in warm sunlight, shimmered with a pink hue. Her white, transparent skin was tinged pink, and she exuded an adorable atmosphere.
‘Estelle… she’s hurt a lot from knowing she’s from a commoner background. That’s probably why she was upset no matter what I did. I should have been more considerate as a friend…’
‘That scar—it’s from her. But Diana, it was just an accident! Please don’t think too badly of Estelle.’
Because she cared for Miryu, who would become family, Diana hated Estelle even more. But in hindsight, she realized she had only believed Miryu’s words too much.
Soon, the Royam estate came into view.
Just before arriving, Diana, closing her eyes tightly, spoke the words she had been pondering.
“…Duchess Blanchet, I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“About what happened at the salon. I was very rude to you the moment I met you. I acted recklessly without even listening to what you had to say.”
Estelle slightly lowered her long eyelashes.
“A somewhat late apology, isn’t it?”
“I’m sorry. I lacked the courage.”
Diana felt overwhelmed. She was afraid she was about to learn the ugly truth behind Miryu, who had always been kind and affectionate toward her.
“So I tried to observe what you said more carefully.”
“…”
“How much do you know about Miryu?”
Since that day, Diana continued to notice strange things about Miryu.
‘Miryu is quite tense lately. She even hits the maids…’
‘She reacts nervously every time she tidies her bed. I’m not entirely sure, but it’s as if she’s hiding something.’
“Honestly… I don’t really know. Whether everything I knew was wrong, or if I should do something else…”
Diana, shamelessly, felt tears about to well up.
“I realize I said something strange. But—”
“It’s okay.”
Estelle gently took Diana’s hand.
“I don’t think I’m the right person to tell you this. I don’t have anywhere to talk, so I was just rambling…”
Estelle patted Diana’s hand as if she understood her complicated feelings. Only then did Diana realize she was crying.
She lowered her head and then looked up again.
“Oh, now you’re finally looking at my face.”
“Well…”
“Don’t think it’s shameful. I’m fine.”
Estelle was kindly smiling at her.
“I can’t give you an answer, but if you’re having a hard time, you can cry. Sometimes, you just have to let it out.”
Diana completely broke down. To this endlessly loving and kind person.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
Miryu’s wedding day approached rapidly.
Miryu returned to the Jutti Lord’s estate and spent time with her friends. They congratulated her on her upcoming wedding.
As the bride-to-be, Miryu smiled brightly.
“Thanks everyone for the congratulations. Honestly, I still can’t believe I’m getting married.”
At that moment, a friend cautiously asked.
“But Miryu, what happened with Duchess Blanchet? After that day?”
“Yeah. We were worried about what might have happened to you.”
Miryu tightly clenched her teacup and smiled casually.
“It’s nothing special.”
“They say Lady Blanchet left crying. What exactly happened?”
At that moment, Miryu couldn’t say that Estelle staged a scene. The banquet was held to apologize to Estelle.
So she made a vague excuse.
‘It seems Estelle was quite upset—she spilled wine by mistake.’
‘What about the broken wine bottle?’
‘That was an accident. Maybe—it’s because she’s from a different background, but Estelle sometimes makes such mistakes. It’s not something to be so embarrassed about.’
But people didn’t react as they used to. There was suspicion in their eyes.
Queen Isabella openly showed her discomfort.
‘Girl, are you telling the truth?’
‘It’s the truth, Your Majesty.’
‘Even if it’s true, you shouldn’t have acted like that. She’s a guest we’ve carefully invited. Nothing should have gone wrong at the party yesterday…’
Queen Isabella warned Miryu.
‘No matter how much Hesen loves you, I can’t give you any more chances.’
It was clear she was pretending to be kind, but with malicious intent.
‘Do you think I’ll just take this lying down?’
At first, Miryu was startled, but she realized there was no other way.
‘That girl is pretending to be loved in Liberteen too, isn’t she?’
She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want to show her wounds.
‘I can threaten her just as well. After all, she’s not better than me.’
Estelle was basically so innocent and naive that she was almost stupid. If I pretend to regain control, she’d be easily manipulated.
Of course, I needed to lie to the Royam royal family beforehand.
‘I’ll confess that she’s been jealous of me for a long time and has been doing bad things. That last incident was also staged to trouble me.’
No matter what Estelle said, she wouldn’t believe it—just like everyone else so far.
“Guys. I’m so sorry. I think I have to end today’s tea party here.”
Miryu, who had stopped the party at her convenience, immediately moved to the Royam estate. She managed to end the tea party quickly enough to arrive before dinner.
‘Since everyone is gathered, the timing is perfect.’
At that moment, Miryu saw Hesen picking a flower as he approached.
“Hesen!”
Startled, Hesen asked.
“Weren’t you supposed to stay overnight at Lord Jutti’s today?”
“Yes, but I have something important to tell you.”
“You have something to tell me?”
“Yes. It might shock everyone, but I want to tell you my pain before the wedding.”
Miryu lowered her brows with a pitying expression and looked at Hesen.
But Hesen spoke with an ambiguous expression.
“How about doing it next time?”
“Huh? Why…?”
“Because there are guests at tonight’s dinner.”
A chill ran down Miryu’s neck.
“Guests?”
“They’ll be very surprised when they see her.”
Hesen took Miryu happily and led her away.
‘No way.’
Laughter from the banquet hall floated over. An inexplicable anxiety made her head go completely blank.
The luxurious Royam estate’s dining hall.
Queen Isabella, Princess Diana, and—
“Oh my, Miryu!”
Estelle.
‘Why is she here? And without me?’
Queen Isabella and Diana looked at her. But unlike usual, they weren’t greeting her and instead looked uncomfortable.
‘She’s already here… without me!’
Queen Isabella spoke in a stiff tone.
“Girl, I’m a bit disappointed in you.”
“Huh?”
“I heard everything. How could you—”
Miryu hurriedly kneeled.
“Mother, it’s all lies! You must not believe that woman’s words!”
The atmosphere grew colder. Miryu’s heart pounded even more.
“Estelle has been jealous and hateful of me from the beginning. That’s why she staged a scene this time too. She’s upset that I’m forming ties with the Royam Kingdom!”
“Older sister-in-law, what are you saying?”
“I’m so unfair! Mother, you’ve been watching me all along. There’s no problem with my background. Don’t be swayed by such lies.”
Diana shouted at Miryu, incredulous.
“So what’s that lie? Why are you suddenly saying such nonsense? Who are you even talking about?”
Miryu’s head went completely blank.
‘Then what was she saying?’
“We were just talking about the misunderstanding during the apology party. The Duchess kept defending your inadequate response.”
Diana frowned and glared at Miryu.
“But it was a staged scene, and about her background…”
“Ah, no. I—”
“What kind of nonsense are you saying? And what do you mean you hated me? You told me we’re close. Were all your words a lie?”
Miryu stared blankly at the furious Diana and the stiff Queen Isabella, then met Estelle’s gaze.
“I didn’t expect you to misunderstand me like that. I thought I had cleared everything back then.”
Estelle bit her lips sadly.
“Were you really hating me?”
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
