That evening, after Rebecca returned to the House of Shadows.
Cedric and Bianca sat down for a slightly late dinner.
Maybe it was because she had returned home after a long while, or perhaps it was because of the unexpected conversation with Rebecca—
Bianca hummed a cheerful tune with a noticeably more relaxed expression throughout the meal.
“Bianca, you’re in quite the good mood today. But you should still finish your meal.”
“Ah, y-yes!”
Bianca hastily picked up her fork, but instead of focusing on her food, she simply stared blankly at Cedric’s face.
“Umm… Brother.”
“Hm?”
“Do you think Her Highness was sincere… in what she told me?”
“What did she say?”
At Cedric’s low question, Bianca blushed and lowered her gaze shyly.
“She said… that I’m someone worthy of being loved.”
As Cedric looked at her, a deep sense of pity slowly filled his eyes.
“Of course. Without a doubt.”
“R-Really?”
Seeing how genuinely happy Bianca looked, Cedric gave a small smile.
“I’ve never met a child as lovely as our Bianca.”
“Tch. That’s only because you’re my brother, Your Grace.”
Bianca gave her brother a playful scolding, though her smiling eyes showed how pleased she was.
Watching her like that only made Cedric’s heart heavier.
Despite all the abuse she had endured, a single kind word could light up her entire world.
How starved for warmth must she have been?
Cedric felt his heart ache.
“…The duchess has changed a lot recently. So, from now on, you can stay here comfortably.”
It was meant to comfort Bianca, but even Cedric couldn’t deny the truth of those words.
He had no choice but to admit it now—
Rebecca had truly become a different person.
And once he acknowledged that, only one question remained:
What in the world had changed her so drastically?
Just as Cedric was about to drift into quiet contemplation—
Bianca nodded enthusiastically as if agreeing with his thoughts.
“You’re right! Her Highness has changed so much! I could tell just by looking at her face!”
“…”
“She looks so much more at ease and super happy now!”
By “before,” she clearly meant the time before the divorce.
Cedric involuntarily recalled Rebecca’s smiling face beside Adrian.
His brows slowly furrowed.
What does that even have to do with me anymore?
Shaking the thought away, Cedric quickly changed the subject.
“In a few days, some noble ladies you were close with in the capital are coming to visit.”
“Ah, yes… I heard that too.”
For some reason, Bianca’s voice—so lively just moments ago—quietly dimmed.
“They’re good friends, aren’t they?”
“O-Of course! They’re really kind girls! Hehe…”
Cedric nodded absentmindedly and continued his meal.
But the moment his gaze shifted away, Bianca’s forced smile faded, and her expression darkened.
A Few Days Later
A letter arrived from Camilla, my maid—and the villainess of the original story—saying she would be returning to the North soon.
Upon hearing the news, I immediately summoned Adrian.
“Adrian, what’s the update on the additional art sales I requested?”
“I’ve approached a few more galleries. We’ll go with the one that offers the best price.”
“Good. Make it happen as quickly as possible.”
Camilla’s return meant one thing: that item would soon appear on the gift-trade market.
‘When Robelia’s husband, Henry, comes back from his affair with Camilla, he makes a killing in the gift-trade market. He flaunts that success and starts treating Robelia like trash.’
I planned to intercept Henry’s luck before it happened.
To win the bidding war against him, I needed plenty of cash on hand.
So, I decided to sell off some art to build up my reserves.
While I was finishing up my talk with Adrian, Mina walked into the parlor.
She was holding a large box in her hands.
“Your Highness, the toys you ordered have arrived! Would you like to see them?”
When Mina opened the box, four adorable dolls lay neatly inside.
“As expected of custom-made work—they’re beautiful. I’m sure the children will love them.”
“Of course! I bet Lady Bianca will be so touched when she finds out you prepared them yourself that she’ll cry!”
Since Bianca returned to the North, Mina had been providing me with all sorts of helpful information about her, knowing I was trying to rebuild our relationship.
One of those tidbits was that Bianca’s noble friends from the capital would soon visit.
So I immediately ordered custom-made dolls for Bianca and her friends.
And today was the day I would gift them.
“I heard the girls have already arrived and are enjoying a tea party.”
Just imagining the sweet little girls gathered together lifted my spirits.
“Of course, our Bianca will be the cutest of them all, right?”
I smiled to myself, picturing Bianca proudly showing off her gift in front of her friends.
“Let’s go. Where are they now?”
“They’re in the orangery out in the garden!”
Meanwhile, at the Orangery
Despite the Northern cold, a warm breeze flowed around the hexagonal glasshouse filled with blooming spring flowers.
Around a white table at the center—
Eight- and nine-year-old noble girls from the capital were gathered, curiously admiring their surroundings.
“This is amazing! Just using mana can make a place warm even in this cold!”
“Right? It’s freezing just a few steps outside, but here it feels like spring!”
Erika, Mary, and Judith chattered excitedly, watching the petals fall from the trees.
Bianca gave a small, awkward smile as she watched them.
“I’m really glad you all like it…”
Her voice was small and lacked confidence.
Judith—heir to the Montelan Duchy—was a pretty girl, but she carried an unmistakably smug air.
She eyed Bianca quietly.
“Bianca, why do you look so down? Aren’t you happy we came?”
“W-What? O-Of course I’m happy…”
Judith’s gaze pinned her in place, and Bianca hung her head lower.
The other girls added their comments with bored expressions.
“Maybe, but Bianca’s always been timid.”
“Yeah. It’s not like it’s anything new.”
Judith tapped her chin with a pensive look.
“No, she’s especially down today… Oh! I know why!”
The girls’ eyes turned to her.
“What? What is it?”
“Tell us, Judith!”
Judith’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“Bianca must be upset about leaving behind the civilized capital for this backwater North!”
“Eh? Really?”
All eyes turned to Bianca.
Bianca was used to subtle insults from capital nobles.
But hearing them mock her hometown—where she and her family were born and raised—was too much to bear.
Gripping her skirt tightly, she shut her eyes and raised her voice.
“T-That’s not true! There are lots of great things in the North—!”
But her brave defense was immediately drowned out by her so-called friends.
“Well, Judith does have a point. The North feels a bit backward.”
“B-Backward? But most of the capital’s famous new tech comes from the North…”
“….”
“If anything, the South and capital are more outdated. The North is ahead…”
Though her tone lacked confidence, Bianca made her point clear.
Her words hit home, and Judith and her friends fell silent.
But as soon as the awkward quiet stretched, the girls scrambled to shift the mood.
“S-So what? The North is close to the Demon Realm!”
“Yeah! Being near demons is creepy!”
Bianca’s face stiffened in panic at their sudden aggression.
Meanwhile, Judith calmly regained her smug smile.
“Mary, do you really think Bianca would be scared of demons?”
Then, with a flick of her blonde hair over her shoulder—
“Bianca is a half-demon, after all. Not a blessed human like us…”
At that, Judith hurriedly covered her mouth.
“Oh my! I’m so sorry, Lady Bianca!”
She feigned guilt, but it was obviously an act.
Bianca simply bit her lip to hold back tears.
The atmosphere turned tense, and the girls glanced at one another nervously.
“L-Lady Judith didn’t mean it, Bianca.”
“Yeah, if you take it too seriously, it’ll just make you look petty.”
“And honestly… Judith wasn’t entirely wrong.”
“Right… My mother says the same thing sometimes.”
Those were things no real friend would ever say.
Their so-called friendship existed only because their parents had forced them to befriend Bianca—to curry favor with Cedric and the Emperor.
There was no real affection among them.
Only a stage where roles were played—queen bee, sidekicks, and the girl to bully.
“Honestly… maybe His Grace dislikes Bianca because she’s a half-demon.”
“I think so too. It’s hard for any human to be truly open-minded about that.”
Bianca gripped her stuffed rabbit tighter.
“N-No… His Grace said I was someone lovable…”
She tried to explain, but bit her lip again.
Was… was that really why he avoided me? Because I’m half-demon?
Bianca lowered her head, fighting tears.
And at that moment—
A silken voice cut sharply through the air.
“My, my~ Aren’t our little ladies having quite the interesting conversation?”
The moment they turned to the voice, the girls’ faces turned pale.
“Y-Your Highness!”
“Gasp—cough, cough!”
Standing there, walking slowly toward them—
Rebecca.
She was smiling, yes—
But her eyes held a chilling glint, like a predator preparing to strike.
Before they could react, Rebecca gently draped her arms over Judith and Mary’s shoulders.
“I’ve been listening for a while… and it seems you’ve been having very interesting conversations?”
Though she was smiling, a terrifying pressure filled the air.
As the girls stood frozen and trembling—
Rebecca’s voice dropped, ever so slightly.
“So then… who would dare to make my Bianca cry?”
