Chapter 3
“This is seriously too much.”
When the administrator saw my face twist in anger, he grabbed the documents with trembling hands.
His fingertips were shaking.
Only the rustling sound of paper filled the quiet office.
I even heard him swallow hard.
“Th-the diamond mine was given to Your Highness by Duke Jeyan, and the villa in the resort was gifted by Marquis Briard.”
“A duke and a marquis?”
My eyes widened, then I froze as Blanche’s memories merged with mine.
Ah.
The puzzle pieces in my head clicked into place.
As soon as I realized the important truth, my mouth fell open.
The tip of my tongue went dry.
That was it.
Now I understood why Phetra, who had pushed me this far, still could not finish me off and kept trying to solve everything through assassination.
I slowly straightened my body after leaning over the administrator’s desk.
It felt like each bone in my spine was unfolding one by one.
Then I turned my head and looked out the window.
In the dusty sunlight, the trees in the royal garden swayed in the wind.
The leaves rippled like waves.
Once I sorted out my thoughts, the answer became clear.
Duke Alpest Jeyan.
My maternal grandfather.
He was a powerful duke who controlled the southern part of the Snow Kingdom.
Of course he would not easily bow to Phetra, who was aiming for the throne while his granddaughter was still alive.
…
And Marquis Sefri Briard was the head of a noble family that had loyally served the Snow royal family for generations, ever since the founding of the kingdom.
Quietly sorting through Blanche’s memories, I gave a small smile.
“Blanche… so you did remember who was protecting you.”
The vassals of Duke Jeyan and Marquis Briard must have supported me as well.
And Phetra probably had not been able to win them over either.
Since things were not moving in her favor, she had chosen the extreme method of assassination.
“I understand, Administrator.”
I changed my attitude completely and smiled kindly.
“Please continue managing the property under my name well from now on.”
The administrator flinched.
After seeing me lose my temper, he now looked at me with caution when I suddenly smiled.
He lifted the stack of documents and hid half his face behind them like a shield.
Only his eyes peeked out as he watched me.
“O-of course. I will continue protecting it as I always have—”
“No.”
I looked straight into his eyes and raised one finger, shaking it side to side.
“My wealth is going to increase rapidly from now on, so make sure you record everything properly. Understood?”
“Ah… y-yes.”
He answered in a dazed voice.
Then he looked at Andy again as if asking with his eyes, Why is the princess acting like this today?
But Andy just shrugged and avoided answering.
We left the royal administration office.
As Andy followed behind me, I let out a sigh.
“There was a lot I didn’t know.”
Our footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Each step struck the marble floor with a sharp sound.
“That’s because Your Highness never really took interest in anything before.”
She answered calmly.
I turned my head and asked her quietly,
“The administrator keeps wondering why I’m acting strange, but why don’t you suspect me?”
When I stopped walking, Andy stopped too.
“Do I really look like Blanche to you?”
Andy grumbled as if asking, That question again? and let out a long sigh.
“You’re not acting strange.”
She folded her arms.
“I just think you’re finally doing what you should have done long ago.”
“…That’s all? You don’t think my personality changed suddenly?”
Andy gave a small snort.
“Outside, you always act kind, timid, and gentle. But inside your room, I’ve watched you get angry and lose your temper unpredictably for the last ten years.”
Then she added,
“So what’s so new about this?”
She even said she was glad.
It seemed to her that I had finally stopped pretending and decided to live like a real princess.
I stared at Andy blankly.
So that meant…
Blanche’s original personality was not exactly ordinary either.
Since the novel was written in third person, it never really showed what Blanche was thinking or how she acted in private.
It only showed her suffering under Phetra again and again, enduring everything until the male lead finally saved her.
“As expected, you never know the full story until you open it up.”
There would definitely be many unexpected situations I didn’t know about.
“I need to be careful.”
As I walked while thinking deeply, Andy asked,
“Still, I’m curious why you suddenly wanted to check your wealth.”
She tilted her head.
“You never cared for luxury, Your Highness. You lived just fine on the monthly royal allowance.”
“Andy.”
I stopped walking and looked at her seriously.
Her brown eyes looked straight at me.
There was curiosity in them, but also worry.
“After dying and coming back this time, I realized something.”
I lowered my voice.
“If I stay still, I might die again. So now I have to move too.”
“I don’t want to die.”
“…You’re right.”
Andy’s expression changed.
A sharp killing intent suddenly appeared in her eyes.
Her cute round eyes instantly turned cold and fierce, like a peaceful cat suddenly showing its claws.
Before I could recover from my surprise, Andy spoke.
Her voice dropped by an octave.
“Then I won’t hold back anymore either. I’ll kill everything that lays a hand on you, Princess.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Kill?”
“Yes.”
Andy nodded lightly.
She was serious.
The corners of her lips were slightly lifted. She was smiling, but her eyes were not smiling at all.
Kill?
How exactly?
I found it very strange, but I assumed she was only exaggerating to show her loyalty, so I returned to my room.
But while sorting through the noble registry, I realized Andy had not been exaggerating at all.
She had meant it.
“She was serious…”
The Glanse Count family, a famous swordsmanship house.
The people of Glanse were born with excellent physical ability and a natural sense for the sword.
They trained hard, and because of that, many of them became knights or even Sword Masters.
…
Blanche’s birth mother—the late Queen Mary—had personally visited Glanse House right after I was born.
At that time, Andy had been ten years old.
Queen Mary had chosen her herself.
Andy had outstanding sword skills, a brilliant mind, and great wisdom.
So the queen had asked her to enter the palace and become my maid when she turned twenty.
“Andy was a swordswoman?”
It was so hard to believe that I almost shook my head—
but then I looked at my desk.
And froze.
There was an apple sliced perfectly in half.
The cut surface was so smooth it gleamed like a mirror.
Even the seeds were split evenly down the middle.
Because I kept doubting her, Andy had brought a real sword and an apple earlier and proven it herself.
The sound of the blade cutting through the air.
The sharp swish of wind.
Then the sound of the apple splitting and falling apart.
That sound was still ringing in my ears.
I didn’t ask Andy for details, but I had a feeling Blanche had survived this long thanks to terrifying Andy.
I called her.
“Andy, send this letter to Duke Jeyan’s estate.”
Andy took the letter I had written with great effort and looked puzzled.
“You wrote to the Duke? That’s unusual.”
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she turned the envelope around in her hands.
“The Duke kept asking to see you, but you always avoided him, didn’t you?”
“I avoided him?”
“Yes, you did, Princess.”
Andy looked at me as if asking, Then who else would I be talking about?
I blinked.
Why had Blanche even avoided her own ally—her grandfather?
All of Blanche’s memories had merged into me, but I still could not know her true feelings.
…
I didn’t know if this was just how transmigration worked, or if Blanche had deliberately hidden her heart, or if there was another reason.
But that was not important right now.
What mattered was that I wanted to stand proudly and survive against Phetra.
And for that—
I needed to strengthen my relationship with the few people who were still willing to protect me.
It didn’t matter why Blanche had avoided them before.
I would survive no matter what and drive my enemy out of this palace completely.
Avoiding Andy’s gaze as she kept staring at me for an answer, I said casually,
“I suddenly missed my grandfather.”
“…Suddenly?”
Andy narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Ah, anyway, just send it quickly.”
Maybe I sounded too empty and unconvincing, because Andy narrowed her eyes even more.
Getting annoyed, I snapped at her for no reason.
But instead of being upset, Andy smiled.
The corners of her lips curled up playfully, as if she had seen right through me.
“That’s good, then.”
She tapped the envelope lightly.
“The grandfather you miss just happens to be in the capital right now.”
Oh, nice timing.
My heart started pounding.
I jumped to my feet.
The chair slid back with a thud.
“Where is he? I’m going to see him right now.”
Ignoring Andy’s grumbling about why someone who stayed in her room every day was suddenly running all over the place today, I strode out of the palace with confidence.
Outside the window at the end of the hallway, the sky was turning the color of sunset, orange light spreading across the clouds.
