TVIOWHFW 71

Why…?

The surrounding noblewomen’s whispers grew louder. However, Liandro couldn’t hear any reactions from those around him.

“Estelle, why do you call yourself a villainess?”

“Is a villainess needed to have a reason?”

Estelle smiled sweetly.

“Because I’m a villainess, that’s why. You felt the same, didn’t you?”

The more Liandro heard the word “villainess,” the more his heart ached. He recalled the moment when he blindly condemned her.

“No, that’s not true.”

Liandro blurted out in frustration.

“I didn’t criticize you just to do so. I just wanted to trust those around me more…”

“Liandro! Stop it!”

The Marchioness Pelsis couldn’t bear it anymore and tried to stop him. She tried to pull him away, as if trying to escape from this situation, but she couldn’t force the knight with her noblewoman’s strength.

“Mother, please stay still. Isn’t this all your own fault?”

Liandro looked at his mother with contempt. Pale as if she was about to faint, the Marchioness Pelsis grew visibly white from his sudden outburst and accusatory tone.

“I… I was doing this for your future, Liandro…”

“Even if you say it’s for my future, you shouldn’t have manipulated things so maliciously.”

But Liandro’s anger pierced sharply through the Marchioness.

“If only it weren’t for you…”

“What do you mean?”

Estelle interjected between the two with a puzzled look.

“By the way, why are you acting so strangely? Are you expecting something from me?”

Liandro gulped.

“What I expect from you…”

At first, Liandro wanted to save the villainess Estelle. No matter how wicked she was, seeing her being toyed with by the malicious John was pitiful.

But…

This behavior was far from simple sympathy or a sense of duty as a knight.

All he wanted was…

Liandro remembered the moment he first met Estelle.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

That day was the day Liandro received his knighthood at the youngest age. But there was something more important to him than the ceremony.

It was meeting his first love, Yestella.

“Yestella. I’m coming.”

Liandro and Yestella had been engaged since childhood, but their shared memories were few.

When they were young, Yestella was often ill, and after growing a bit older, Liandro had to study swordsmanship abroad in the United Kingdom.

Still, Yestella was his first love that made his heart race.

“That’s not true! Liandro is wonderful. I can tell just by looking at how much effort he puts in,”

The girl who wanted to comfort Liandro’s wounds from their awkward first meeting.

“I’m glad that my fiancé is someone as great as Liandro. But I’m not feeling well… Maybe you have a better fiancé elsewhere, Liandro,”

Yestella, shining brightly like the summer sun, was the first to give Liandro a goal, just as her parents hoped.

“I will become your knight.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I will stay by your side forever and become an excellent knight who can even defeat death. Please wait just a little longer.”

It was a childish promise.

“I will wait for you, Liandro, who will become a great knight and come back.”

But Yestella sincerely believed in his vow, and that vow became his life’s promise.

Liandro trained desperately to keep that promise. Even the loneliness and hardships that suddenly arose felt worthwhile if they were for Yestella.

Thus, Liandro became the youngest knight, filled with anticipation of meeting Yestella again.

“How much has Yestella grown?”

Time seemed to pass quickly until the boy looked like a man.

Liandro proudly arrived at the Libertan Duke’s estate, wearing his knightly armor and holding a red rose for his lady.

But the reaction from the knight guarding the Libertan estate was one of confusion.

“Prince Pelsis? What brings you to Libertan all of a sudden…?”

“I’ve come to see my fiancée.”

The Duke of Libertan was quite surprised by the sudden visit.

“Please come inside for now. She seems to be in the garden, so I’ll have her come out to see you.”

He made him wait in the reception room for a while. Unable to contain his impatience, Liandro decided to go look for Yestella in the garden first.

It was a bright summer day.

The last time Liandro saw Yestella, it was also a warm, clear day like this. Filled with longing, Liandro spotted a girl in the beautiful pink rose garden.

“Yestella?”

He couldn’t see her face, only her back, but he was certain of her identity.

From the moment he sensed her presence, his heart pounded uncontrollably.

“Nabine?”

Just then, a yellow butterfly landed near the girl’s shoulder. When she turned her head, the butterfly gently settled on her index finger.

‘Has she grown up similarly to before?’

Though slightly different from what he imagined, the girl was still his first love.

Her slightly more fragile figure, her beautiful platinum hair that now looked almost white, and her exquisite features—she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Just as Liandro was about to approach her, feeling like he was in a pleasant dream,

“Miss Estelle, the master is calling you. He says there’s something important to tell you.”

A servant who had come to fetch her took her away.

The butterfly that had been near her disappeared in an instant. Liandro stood in the garden, stunned, as if woken abruptly from a sweet dream.

“Prince, why are you in this garden…?”

“Who is that girl?”

Liandro hurriedly questioned the hesitant servant to get the answer he wanted. The response he received was shocking.

“Actually, Miss Yestella has already passed away due to an incurable disease. The girl you just saw is Miss Estelle, who was recently adopted in Libertan.”

“But then, why does the engagement between Libertan and Pelsis still remain?”

“…It’s an alliance between noble families. Perhaps, even if she’s gone, Lord Pelsis wants to continue the engagement with Miss Estelle as a stand-in for the late Yestella.”

The shocking death of his first love, replaced by a girl who appeared to take her place.

“How could he think of such a terrible idea?”

“I’m sorry. Miss Estelle has always been very ambitious…”

Liandro felt repulsion toward himself for confusing Yestella with Estelle. Even if it was just for an instant, he couldn’t believe he had mistaken her for true love.

But once the intense emotions had risen, they didn’t fade easily.

‘…She probably pretended to be Yestella on purpose.’

Thinking about it, Estelle was wearing the dress Yestella had worn in the past. Once he realized that, it made sense how he could have mistaken her for Yestella.

‘It was a trap to deceive me.’

Since she was so determined, he had mistaken a completely different girl for Yestella.

‘Did she even want to take Yestella’s place as fiancée that badly?’

Her attempt to maintain the engagement without even revealing Yestella’s death, and her actions—Liandro found all of it disgusting and contemptible.

‘Even insulting the dead should have some limits.’

As if justifying his feelings, Estelle was notorious as a villainess in Libertan.

‘She’s utterly unforgivable.’

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

Looking back now, Liandro realized he hadn’t actually mistaken Estelle and Yestella. The more he thought about it, the more he saw they were two very different people.

All he did was fall in love the moment he met Estelle.

He couldn’t admit that he had fallen for the beautiful girl in the pink rose garden, watching the butterfly.

“What I… what I expect from you.”

Liandro’s eyes reddened. His lips trembled.

“I want to ask one thing. If I hadn’t broken off the engagement back then, if I hadn’t… wouldn’t things be different now between us?”

Even if he wanted to call her ‘Yestella’ and seek the truth, or if he tried to meet her again before she married the Duke of Blanchèt.

Countless what-ifs piled up from the past.

“Now, we’re not even related, but if we had…”

“We wouldn’t have been anything to each other.”

“That’s not true! If I hadn’t broken the engagement, we would have married naturally.”

Estelle smiled at him, with the same look as when she crushed his roses.

“Even if something had changed, our relationship now would still be the same. Because you are the same person now as then.”

Liandro couldn’t understand her words. Estelle looked at his face and smirked.

“You see? You don’t understand anything. That’s why you’re no good.”

Liandro bit his lip and answered.

“I can’t understand. You never gave me a chance to understand you. You should at least give me a minimal opportunity…”

“I don’t want to.”

Estelle grinned mockingly.

“You never listened to my circumstances either.”

“I…”

“Countess Pelsis. Do you really think your son is doing well after all this?”

Estelle called out to the almost fainting Marchioness Pelsis.

“From now on, it would be better for you to educate your own children before advising others. Honestly, your current behavior—”

Estelle looked kindly at Pelsis and Liandro, who were standing side by side.

“Is disgraceful.”

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

Estelle left the charity event with Diana, who had returned.

“Countess Pelsis, are you alright?”

The noblewomen approached the now disheveled Marchioness Pelsis only after things had settled down.

Her foolish son had gone out lost in thought, and when she finally regained her composure, the Marchioness was left alone, abandoned in this place.

‘I can’t believe I suffered such a great humiliation…’

The Marchioness, who had never been humiliated in high society before, blushed with embarrassment. She forced herself to appear refined, brushing her hair back, but it was already too late.

‘What will everyone say about me now?’

Thinking about what had happened today made her head spin.

In high society, it’s okay to talk behind someone’s back, but if your reputation is damaged in a formal setting, it’s a huge scandal.

The Marchioness had already been exposed through her son’s words, revealing her faults plainly.

“But, madam,” one of the noblewomen who had been subtly probing her, asked worriedly, “Did you have some misunderstanding with Prince Pelsis? Seeing you quarrel, I feel so sad for both of you.”

“Oh.”

“I hope you and Prince Pelsis reconcile soon. May I ask what exactly happened? Everyone would like to hear your honest feelings.”

The Marchioness blushed, caught between women who only aimed to undermine her.

“Ugh, I think I’m too exhausted today. I’ll leave now, I’m not feeling well.”

As she hurriedly ran away, the noblewomen nearby whispered among themselves.

“I never thought Countess Pelsis was like that. I knew she cared for her son, but spreading rumors without proof—that’s too much.”

“Exactly. I’ve heard quite a few things from her, and now it looks like all that was caused by her son.”

“Even if she treasures her son, I’m disappointed. For someone who emphasized dignity as a noble…”

If today’s incident became known throughout society, it would cause a huge shock.

Then, a noblewoman who had been quietly pondering suddenly spoke up.

“So, does that mean all the rumors about Duchess Blanchet were just slander?”

“Looks like it. I heard that from Countess Pelsis herself.”

“But, she never saw her directly, right? Then who started that story first?”

The nobles began to be curious about the widespread infamy of Estelle, and the true origin of that reputation.

“Come to think of it, Miryou Juuti, the victim who claimed she was hurt…”

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

The Royem Kingdom rented a large banquet hall to officially announce the broken engagement. Nadia, who attended the event with her mother, looked around in shock.

“There are so many people.”

Perhaps because the news was so shocking before the wedding, many nobles were present.

“What crime could Miryou have committed against Royem?”

Nadia became even more curious, expecting that this would also be announced today.

Ding—

The bell signaling the start of the announcement rang, and Isabella, the representative of Royem’s royal court, appeared slowly on the stage.

“Thank you all for gathering here.”

Isabella spoke with a blank expression.

“As you have heard, the royal marriage arranged by Royem has been canceled. Normally, we wouldn’t make such an announcement, but since the wedding was imminent, we thought it proper to explain the situation to everyone who had been preparing and waiting.”

Behind Isabella, she saw the sad-faced Hesen and Miryou, bowing their heads like culprits. Their relationship seemed intact, as they were holding hands warmly.

“Hesen, it’s your turn.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Crown Prince Hesen stepped onto the stage, holding Miryou’s hand.

Suddenly, someone tapped Nadia’s shoulder and brushed past her. She turned her head, grabbing her shoulder, and saw a woman covered in a white veil, looking surprised.

“Hey, you’re just going—”

At that moment, a knight appeared from behind the woman, blocking Nadia as if to protect her.

“Excuse me. Please understand, it’s an urgent situation.”

The knight, speaking bluntly, guided the woman away. She nodded slightly and slowly headed toward the stage.

‘Who is she that she’s so confident, not even apologizing?’

Her striking blonde hair, blue eyes, and the elegant white dress looked noble at a glance.

‘No way—’

The woman gracefully lifted her dress at the front and bowed elegantly.

“Greetings, Royem nobles.”

“Who are you? No one whose identity isn’t confirmed can enter.”

Queen Isabella showed displeasure at the mysterious visitor. Then, the knight in front of the woman shouted toward her.

“This is the noble Saintess Stella, who has appeared in the empire for the first time in 100 years.”

The sudden appearance of the saint caused a stir among the crowd. This was the first official appearance of the saint at such a major event.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“I came for this reason…”

The saint, who had been walking gracefully, took Miryou’s hands.

“I hope Royem doesn’t lose its precious blessing. Because she is now blessed by the Royem royal family.”

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

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!!