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Chapter 04
The Betrothed Crown Prince
Good deeds. It was a word that was both too abstract and frustratingly vague.
From where to where did “good deeds” even apply? What did you have to do to be called a good person? What was the definition of a good person, anyway?
This isn’t philosophy class. There’s no point in thinking too deeply about it.
Cutting off the thoughts that were about to spiral, Lerial nodded to herself.
What mattered right now was proving that she was someone who didn’t fit into this family.
To do that, she first needed to spread rumors—so that everyone in the world would know that Lerial Tenebris had changed for the better.
And to make that happen, the most effective method would be…
When was the last time the whole family ate dinner together?
And so, in midwinter, she resolved to become the “kind” Lerial Tenebris.
She put her plan into action almost immediately—and it caused quite a stir.
Words, after all, could travel a thousand miles without legs. Despite Anwen’s efforts, the rumors quickly escaped the ducal residence and spread across the entire kingdom.
“…What did you just say?”
“Well, apparently the young lady of House Tenebris has suddenly become kind…”
Naturally, it didn’t take long for her fiancé—the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Trian, Peric Trian—to hear the rumors as well.
“That woman?”
Listening to his aide’s report, Peric let out a scoffing laugh and rubbed his chin. Even the slight furrow of his brow made him look strikingly handsome.
Indeed, he was handsome enough to have been chosen as a husband by that notoriously high-standard executioner of a saint.
Running a hand through his slightly disheveled, faded blond hair, he muttered,
“There’s no way that’s true…”
Lerial Tenebris becoming kind—was there a more ridiculous story than that?
At such utter nonsense, Crown Prince Peric Trian pulled the corner of his lips up into a lazy smile. Yet his dark red eyes, like inlaid garnets, didn’t bend in the slightest.
Funny or not, it left a bad taste in his mouth. News about Lerial was always unpleasant to Peric—unless it was an obituary.
“What are you plotting, Lerial?”
As if asking her directly, Peric murmured to himself.
She wasn’t the type to do anything without a purpose. Every action, every word—even the expressions she wore—were calculated.
Peric knew that better than anyone. It was a certainty he’d had ever since their engagement had been forced through.
—
“By this declaration, we proclaim before all present that Lerial Tenebris and Peric Trian have sworn to walk together into the future.”
—
That day, the authority of the royal family fell to the ground.
That day, to suppress—even a little—the unruly authority of the nobles, he had been sold like a commodity.
—
“Well, I do like your face, at least.”
—
On that damned engagement day, Lerial had said that to him, smiling in apparent satisfaction.
How could he ever forget that smile—vicious yet beautiful, brazen enough to make him want to kill her?
A faint grinding of teeth echoed through the office.
“I’ll have to see it with my own eyes.”
That was why Peric decided he had to meet her.
He needed to find out exactly what she was scheming. People didn’t change overnight like flipping a hand over—there had to be another reason.
And as it happened, he had the perfect excuse.
Calling his aide over at once, Peric asked,
“Miller.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“There’s a court banquet scheduled for next week, isn’t there?”
“Yes. Last month it couldn’t be held due to the engagement ceremony, so it was postponed to the last day of this month.”
After confirming the schedule once more, a smile settled on Peric’s lips. This time, even his eyes curved with it.
“House Tenebris has confirmed their attendance.”
“Y-Yes…? Of course. It’s a royal event, after all. And given the engagement, it would be awkward for House Tenebris not to attend…”
The aide answered nervously, glancing at Peric’s expression.
But Peric had already heard enough.
That was all the justification he needed to see her.
There was no way House Tenebris would pass up a banquet like this. All he had to do now was wait.
“Very well. You may go.”
As Peric waved his hand to dismiss him, something caught his eye with a brief glint.
The engagement ring on his fourth finger.
—
“Groom, place upon the bride a ring symbolizing your sacred vow.”
—
Suddenly, Peric recalled the feel of Lerial’s hand when they’d touched.
There had been no affection for her fiancé in her grasp—only the satisfaction and thrill of obtaining what she wanted.
—
“Next, the bride shall place upon the groom a ring symbolizing your sacred vow.”
—
When Lerial slid the ring onto his finger…
Peric had to suppress the urge to rip it off and throw it to the floor.
Yet Lerial, unbothered, had taken his stiff, rigid hand and slipped the ring on, whispering softly with a bright smile.
—
“Shh. Behave yourself. This is my engagement ceremony. If you ruin it, I won’t let it slide.”
—
That was not something one said to a future spouse bound by promise. It was closer to the tone used to discipline an unruly dog.
Either way, it was utterly humiliating treatment for Peric. And now she was pretending to be a good girl?
Hah. Impossible. She’s definitely got something else planned.
Clenching his ringed hand tightly, Peric cut off his memories.
He didn’t know what she was thinking or why she was pulling this stunt—but to find out, he had to meet her.
Had it been a month since the engagement?
As the questions swirled in his mind, the retreating aide closed the door, the dull thud sounding like a sealed-off future.
But Peric had no intention of staying still and trapped. If she had dragged him down by the ankle, then he had every right to do the same.
No matter what ambitions you’re harboring, I’ll stop you, Lerial.
Pathetic though the royal family might be—politically and in authority—compared to the nobles, dragging her down to the same level should still be possible.
Thinking about facing her for the first time since the engagement made Peric’s heart race—for a different reason. He wanted to see her, and soon. To witness the moment her mask finally came off.
That was the only thing Peric wanted from Lerial.
Honestly, she’d thought that acting kind a few times would get her disowned in no time.
Servants who treated a good-natured protagonist like a sucker. Parents so rotten they didn’t take pride in such a child, only resentment.
In stories like this, the label “kind” was usually portrayed that way.
But… what is this?
Lerial had underestimated House Tenebris—ignored the sheer weight of twenty years’ worth of accumulated villainy.
After living as a villainess for so long, a few days of good behavior weren’t enough to suddenly change how people saw her.
Instead, her good deeds were conveniently twisted into calculated cruelty and spread in that form.
“I hear Lady Lerial’s been treating the servants kindly these days?”
“She’s just taking care of her own people. That’s how House Tenebris has always been. Those who swear loyalty are rewarded—those who don’t don’t even get scraps.”
“My, how cold.”
As such rumors spread, even Anwen and Roblin—who’d been briefly flustered—soon felt reassured. They even summoned Lerial and said,
“At first, we were taken aback… but I see. You had your reasons.”
“Really, what’s the point of bullying servants? You’d only earn a reputation for being difficult. It’s better to reward loyalty and show there’s no mercy for the rest.”
That’s not it at all…
On top of that, her younger brother Hable looked at her with eyes full of admiration. The gaze was so burdensome that Lerial had to subtly turn her head away.
“As expected of you, Sister! Since you’re destined to rule not just House Tenebris but the entire Kingdom of Trian, you’re starting early by managing your underlings!”
That’s not it either…
Praising her as if he’d learned a valuable lesson, her brother soon began imitating her, treating the servants more gently himself.
The servants, unable to adapt to their masters’ sudden change in attitude, grew increasingly cautious instead.
Watching the dark circles deepen under their eyes day by day, Lerial realized she needed to make some major revisions to her plan.
