CHAPTER 05
The wrist wasn’t all that important.
Judging by how much Kallian hated me right now, it wouldn’t be strange if I were beheaded tomorrow.
It wasn’t just because of my deal with Sylvester. I had to win Kallian over if I wanted to protect my own neck.
But it wouldn’t be easy. Ophelia had done far too many terrible things.
What on earth should I do?
After spending the whole night lying awake and thinking about it, I finally came up with an answer.
‘I’ll do what the heroine did.’
In the original story, Kallian fell for the heroine because she saved him.
But that wasn’t the only reason he came to love her.
The heroine had done many things that made Kallian fall even harder for her.
There were several particularly memorable ones, and I intended to do those exact same things.
‘If I do that, the original story will change, right?’
But did I care?
I had to survive first.
For now, rebuilding my relationship with Kallian was my priority.
And to do that, I thought that particular action would be the best place to start.
“Irene.”
I spoke to Irene, who was pouring my tea.
“Do we have an invitation from Countess Cardel?”
The House of Cardel was an old and wealthy family.
On top of that, they had been favored by the former Empress, Kallian’s mother.
Which meant they possessed the last letter the former Empress had left for the Crown Prince.
‘Of course, they don’t know about it.’
The former Empress, who loved playing pranks, had hidden it very well.
I intended to find it and give it to Kallian.
Then perhaps Kallian would see me a little differently.
Pleased with my plan, I smiled proudly.
But Irene’s expression was strange.
I tilted my head.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-No. I was just a little surprised that you mentioned Countess Cardel.”
“Why?”
“You two don’t get along.”
Irene answered cautiously.
“To be precise, you dislike her. You always say that she has nothing but money and yet pretends to be refined.”
“Oh my goodness… Did I really say that?”
“Yes. That’s why whenever an invitation arrived, you ordered us to burn it…”
Ophelia really had been a fiery woman.
Hahaha.
I gave an awkward laugh.
“So, does that mean there are no invitations left?”
“None have arrived since you poured water over Countess Cardel’s head at the last imperial ball. The countess has been terrified of you ever since.”
“Haah.”
A sigh escaped me.
My head began to throb.
“Are you planning to visit the count’s estate?”
“I’d like to, but I can’t go without an invitation.”
“Hm?”
Irene tilted her head again, looking puzzled.
“You said you didn’t need invitations, my lady.”
“What?”
“You said that if you just walked in, they’d welcome you themselves…”
Instead of answering, I pressed my lips together.
Then I muttered,
“Right. So I really was that rude.”
I was way too much of a proper, old-fashioned person.
Maybe I could afford to be a little more shameless.
“Can you prepare everything? I need to go to the count’s estate.”
Irene looked as though she was thinking, Of course, and helped me to my feet.
As luck would have it, Countess Cardel was holding afternoon tea.
That was what it was called, anyway.
In reality, it was an occasion for her to show off a necklace crafted from the shed scales of a young dragon.
“Oh my, look at this color.”
“How beautiful!”
“Look at that fire ruby in the center. What a perfect necklace!”
“It suits you so well, Countess.”
“Exactly. Who else could pull off a necklace like this if not you?”
The young ladies close to Countess Cardel took turns speaking.
“Your husband really is incredible. To find something this precious for you!”
“Indeed. I hear the two of you are such a loving couple. Everyone in the capital is talking about it.”
“Oh, I’m so jealous. Please tell us how to have such a happy marriage, Countess.”
“Hehehe.”
Countess Cardel seemed pleased. She raised her chin proudly and flared her nostrils.
“I suppose I must look the most beautiful to my husband.”
“Only to the Count? Of course not! We all think so! There isn’t anyone in the Empire as beautiful as you!”
“That’s right!”
The young ladies chimed in.
In truth, Countess Cardel was a lovely woman, with a pale complexion and faint freckles that added to her charm.
But as for saying that no one in the Empire was as beautiful as her… Well, that was debatable.
For one, there was Countess Fleur, a classic beauty with dazzling blonde hair and lovely pink eyes.
And although I hated to admit it, there was also the villainess, Duchess Ophelia—a woman who always wore a cold-blooded smile.
In terms of appearance, Duchess Ophelia was actually the most beautiful woman in the Empire.
She just happened to have a terrible personality.
But neither of those women was here.
So the young ladies continued showering Countess Cardel with praise.
“I really envy you, Countess.”
“You even have such a beautiful necklace!”
“And such a loving husband!”
“I want to live like you, Countess. Truly.”
Puffing up with pride, Countess Cardel’s shoulders rose higher and higher.
That was why she had invited these young ladies.
She wanted to hear their praise and boost her self-esteem.
One of them—Lady Jasmine—was unusually quiet and sat looking rather gloomy, which bothered the countess a little.
But it was fine.
She could scold her later.
Countess Cardel thought this to herself as she placed a hand on the necklace box.
“Shall I try it on?”
“Oh! Yes!”
“I think it’ll look wonderful on you.”
“It’ll be perfect!”
Satisfied with their reactions, Countess Cardel slowly took the necklace out of its box.
That was when it happened.
“Huh? Wh-What?”
One of the young ladies pointed behind Countess Cardel.
“T-There…”
There?
Countess Cardel slowly turned around.
And the moment she did, she saw her.
“Duchess Ophelia?”
It was Ophelia Rigen.
“Oh, my…”
A gasp escaped Countess Cardel.
Today, Ophelia was wearing a dazzling white dress.
It went beautifully with her brilliant silver hair, but that only made her look colder.
Just like the expressionless face she wore.
“It’s been a while.”
Ophelia gave a slight nod toward the people staring at her in horror.
“How have you all been?”
Everyone, including Countess Cardel, was momentarily speechless.
But she was the hostess.
She was the owner of this house.
She had to pull herself together.
Countess Cardel lifted her teacup with trembling hands and forced a smile.
“W-Well, Duchess… I’m afraid we don’t have an extra chair, so I don’t think we’ll be able to properly receive you.”
In other words, Please leave.
Ophelia tilted her head to one side.
In a flat voice, she asked,
“Are you telling me to stand?”
The atmosphere instantly turned icy.
What should we do? What are we supposed to say?
The young ladies exchanged anxious glances, carefully watching Ophelia.
“M-My seat! Please take my seat!”
At that moment, Lady Jasmine abruptly stood up and offered her chair to Ophelia.
Ophelia gave her the faintest smile.
“Thank you.”
She sat down naturally, as though the chair had always belonged to her.
Then she looked down at the necklace on the table.
“So this is the dragon necklace I’ve heard so much about.”
Countess Cardel finally regained her composure.
She lifted her trembling teacup and took a sip.
“Yes. It is extremely expensive and exceptionally rare.”
There was a hint of pride in her voice.
But she had every right to be proud.
The necklace really was extraordinarily rare.
Ophelia slowly raised her gaze from the necklace and looked at Countess Cardel.
“It’s pretty.”
She genuinely meant that.
But everyone else interpreted it differently.
She means, ‘It’s pretty, so give it to me.’
Gulp.
Countess Cardel swallowed nervously.
“I-I can’t give it to you.”
She summoned whatever courage she had left and answered.
The other young ladies hurriedly backed her up.
“Y-Yes. The Count went to great lengths to obtain it for his wife.”
“Even if it looks like it would suit Your Grace perfectly, that doesn’t mean you can have it.”
Ophelia slowly blinked.
‘What are they talking about?’
She had been nervous ever since entering the house.
She kept wondering if it was really okay to simply walk into someone else’s home like this.
So she had smiled the entire time.
She had made a genuine effort to look friendly.
And somehow, she’d suddenly become someone trying to steal a necklace.
Ophelia decided she needed to clear up the misunderstanding immediately.
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding…”
She reached out her hand.
The moment she did, Countess Cardel let out a strangled gasp and recoiled.
In the process, she dropped her teacup.
Crash!
The teacup shattered, and tea splashed everywhere.
“Oh dear.”
Ophelia looked down at her damp hand and clicked her tongue softly.
“Tea got on the necklace and on my hand.”
She let out a long sigh.
“What am I supposed to do about this?”
She simply meant that she needed something to wipe it with.
But apparently, everyone interpreted her words differently.
Countess Cardel stared blankly at the tea that had splashed onto Ophelia’s delicate hand.
If this had been the old Ophelia, she would have raised her hand and slapped her own cheek the moment the tea touched her.
But she wasn’t doing that now.
Why?
‘Could it be…?’
Did she want the necklace?
Was she desperately restraining her temper because she wanted it so badly?
“But…”
Countess Cardel looked at Ophelia as though she were about to cry.
Ophelia continued staring at her with the same cold, indifferent expression.
Eek!
Countess Cardel instinctively hunched her shoulders.
If she refused to give Ophelia the necklace now, Ophelia would surely seek revenge.
She had heard that Ophelia’s curse magic was terrifying.
Apparently, even treatment from a high-ranking priest couldn’t easily break her curses.
I don’t care if I get cursed.
But if the curse falls on my husband, the Count…!
Countess Cardel lowered her head.
Then she slowly pushed the box containing the necklace toward Ophelia.
“Take it…”
She spoke in a weak voice.
“I’ll give it to you…”
Ophelia silently stared down at the necklace box in front of her.
Everyone thought she was truly ruthless.
Even after receiving such a precious gift, she hadn’t changed her expression even slightly.
But in reality—
‘What the heck is this?’
Ophelia was completely and utterly bewildered.
