#089. Then, Buy My Time Very Expensively
Even though I could hear it so clearly, the statement still made me doubt my own ears.
…This person is truly unique. I thought blankly to myself as I asked,
“Did you hate Young Master Mastera?”
It could have been possible. Intense love often turns into intense hatred.
Lady Melek took a step back and shook her head.
“No, not really. Everyone misunderstood, but I didn’t oppose the broken engagement because I loved Ellend either.”
Everything she said seemed designed to surprise people.
If it wasn’t love, then why would she bother opposing the engagement? Lady Melek could have easily found another man with better conditions.
“Then, why?” I asked.
“Isn’t it annoying? I couldn’t voice my opinion when the engagement was decided, nor when it was broken, yet Ellend thinks he can break it on his own. ─That’s why I opposed it. If the engagement were broken according to his will, it would seem as though he held the upper hand in our relationship over me.”
I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen someone like her, but it had been a long while.
She was the type to be more sensitive to the benefits others gained than the losses she herself suffered.
People like her either end up dragging others down and failing themselves, or they push others aside to climb higher. There’s usually no middle ground.
“Does that upset you?”
Lady Melek raised her eyebrows and looked at me.
Upset? Normally, yes, I probably should be. After all, it was her refusal to break the engagement that caused everything to escalate, during which Young Master Mastera attempted a double suicide and ended up executed due to Princess Starte’s retribution.
From a conventional perspective, being relieved that the engagement ended not by someone’s will but by death could be seen as deserving criticism.
Perhaps Lady Melek was subtly confessing this as she gauged my reaction.
But I had already seen far worse while navigating battlefields and political arenas.
Even if Lady Melek had personally attempted to assassinate me and framed an adulterous couple for it, she still wouldn’t rank among the most shocking people I had encountered.
“I…”
So, like in my previous life, I considered Lady Melek’s personal value.
“I think Lady Melek is destined to become someone great.”
Some people sink first while holding others back, while others rise by pressing down on others. In my view, Lady Melek was the latter.
“Huh?”
Perhaps she was confused because I answered about her future rather than her current feelings. Her blinking eyes gave her an innocent air.
“And I believe that minor flaws in talented people should be overlooked.”
Talented people are rare. If you dismiss them just because they’re slightly twisted, nothing is left. A slightly crooked personality doesn’t matter much. Even His Majesty wasn’t perfect in character.
“Ahahaha…”
Whether it was my answer or something else, Lady Melek laughed brightly.
Well, laughing is better than whining, crying, or demanding the dead be revived. I stood quietly, waiting for her laughter to subside.
“To hold me in such high regard… I’ll have no choice but to live up to your expectations.”
After laughing and bending at the waist for a while, Lady Melek finally stopped. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and straightened up.
“Your support when Ellend strayed, the results of this trial, and even the kind words you offered… I will repay it all. So, if you ever need my help, just say the word.”
A debt. I quickly calculated in my head.
Debts are best left to accrue. The longer you wait, the more interest builds. Give quickly, collect slowly—this is the most profitable approach.
The problem was that I needed a reason to draw a line with the royal family immediately.
So, I decided to forgo the interest and collect Lady Melek’s debt right away.
“Then, buy my time very expensively.”
If I stayed cooped up in the palace as before, I couldn’t avoid entanglements with His Majesty. Avoiding him would spark rumors of conflict; meeting him would make me seem like an unannounced fiancée.
In other words, I had to fill the floating time before entering the academy with other activities. Enough that my busyness could excuse any rumors of intimacy with His Majesty.
“Half a year until the academy enrollment season. I will sell my time to Lady Melek for that period.”
Of course, if I just wanted to appear busy, I could have relied on Panya or other acquaintances I had built friendships with. They were all young and naive enough to follow my plans willingly.
But after breaking off the engagement with His Majesty, my position was unstable. Spending time with naive children now would only hurt their reputations. I didn’t want to harm those who had shared their friendship with me.
“Yes, the engagement’s been broken, so it’s hard to rush into another, and I’m happy to assist Your Highness.”
Lady Melek complied with my request without hesitation.
Good. That gave me an excuse to kill time for six months. The remaining task was to ensure that going to the academy alone wouldn’t feel awkward.
Perhaps I should speak with the Kingdom of Lamore as well, I thought as I shook Lady Melek’s remaining hand.
After the poisoning attempt, the relationship between Blanche and Melchizedek became ambiguous.
From an outsider’s perspective, not between the parties themselves.
They made no attempt to redo the canceled engagement.
Before the hunting festival, the princess, who had attended dinner with the Emperor, Empress, and Grand Duke, used her long illness as an excuse and stopped attending dinners afterward.
It seemed that the Grand Duke’s favor toward Princess Blanche had ended.
Yet they continued to have weekly tea time, as before.
Princess Blanche moved freely in and out of the palace, using a carriage with the Grand Duke’s insignia when traveling. She was still under the Grand Duke’s protection.
How should one interpret this ambiguous relationship? Was she a prospective Grand Duchess, merely a playmate of the Grand Duke, or a peace envoy of the Kingdom of Lamore?
Amid all the confusion, one person could not tolerate the ambiguity.
“You seem busy lately. Aren’t you a bit thin? Are you eating properly?”
It was the Empress of the Empire, Liana.
Thanks to Berken’s dedicated efforts, she had the least information despite being at the eye of the storm and therefore didn’t hold back.
She first invited Blanche to resume attending dinners with the Emperor and Empress, but when Melchizedek’s side declined, she went directly to Jasper Palace.
Naturally, the Emperor’s dinner companion that day was only the Grand Duke.
The Emperor and Grand Duke, the Empress and the prospective Grand Duchess, and the foreign princess whose status was now unclear—split into two separate dinners. Liana didn’t care how it appeared to outsiders.
If asked directly, she would claim to care deeply for Blanche. She didn’t concern herself with the whispers of cowards who couldn’t ask directly.
“…Thank you for your concern. Thanks to your care, I am healthy now.”
Blanche smiled gently and followed Liana, picking up her fork.
While eating appetizers, Liana asked about preparations for academy enrollment, her new friendships, and whether she needed anything. Once the main course arrived, she asked a more direct question.
“So, Blanche. Do you not want to marry Melchi? Or do you want to postpone the engagement announcement?”
The abrupt shift nearly made Blanche choke. Using all her effort to swallow without coughing, she deliberately made her voice tremble.
“I… I’m not sure…”
“Or is it Melchi’s problem? From the outside, it seemed like you had changed, so I came to ask you. Did I pick the wrong person to ask?”
Wow. Truly intimidating intuition.
Blanche clicked her tongue in her mind. Normally, since Melchizedek’s rank was higher, and becoming playmates or being chosen as prospective Grand Duchess was his decision, any relationship issue would be assumed to be his choice.
Considering Liana didn’t know about the poisoning attempt being Blanche’s own doing, her intuition became even more formidable.
Knowing that half-hearted lies wouldn’t work, Blanche decided to confront the truth.
After stripping away the facts, what remained was emotion.
“Actually… I’m scared.”
