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Chapter 19
As soon as I returned to my seat, Young Lord Stein approached me with a determined expression.
“Let’s do it. Join me.”
“Hey, Gades. My dear fiancé. Don’t say things that could cause misunderstandings if someone hears.”
“Ahem, it’s just—seeing a top-grade blue diamond after so long made me lose my composure for a moment… Let’s make a deal between our families, Lady Levian.”
“Understood, my lord. However, the empire’s distribution rights will belong to our family.”
“If you take that, what’s left for us! There’s no region that consumes as much as the empire.”
Young Lord Stein looked at his fiancée for help, but Stella merely stepped back, signaling that she wouldn’t interfere.
“Your answer?”
“…Fine. The Stein family will handle distribution outside the empire. Agreed?”
“Yes. I’ll speak with my father, so please send someone over. How long will you be staying in the empire?”
“I planned quite a generous schedule to spend time with Stella. I’ll send word soon.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Looking relieved, as though a toothache had been cured, Young Lord Stein and Stella soon headed to the dance floor, leaving only me and the Tower Master at the table.
The Duke seemed to have left, perhaps called away by some matter.
“It seems people want to talk to you, Tower Master, but they’re hesitant to approach.”
“That’s because I put up a barrier around us.”
“What?”
“I find it annoying when people come up to talk.”
So that polite façade was just that—pretend. Turns out, he really does find this stuff troublesome.
“By the way, Rosia, are you close with that man you danced with earlier?”
We were very close—multiple times, in fact.
But in this life, I can’t let that happen. And I definitely don’t want the Tower Master to grasp any of my weaknesses, so I dodged the question.
“Rather than close, I’d say he’s a family acquaintance. The Duke and my father are friends.”
“Hm, is that so?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because if I had to kill you, that man looked like he might get in the way. But since you’re not close, that’s a relief.”
This man… why does he keep saying he wants to kill me?
He looked like he might tell me the reason, but I could tell he never would, so I didn’t bother asking further.
“I’ll go chat with my friends for a bit. You can stay here if you like—or head home.”
“Shouldn’t partners stay together until the end?”
“You’re busy, Tower Master. No one will say anything if you leave early.”
“Then I’ll go.”
As if to say the only reason he had endured this boring event was me, the Tower Master yawned, covering his mouth with his sleeve.
“Goodbye.”
He tapped my hair, adorned with dazzling pins, and to my surprise, actually walked out the door.
Oh, right—since the imperial capital is covered by a protective barrier, you can’t just use magic freely here.
“Roa!”
With the Tower Master gone, the barrier that had kept people away must have vanished too—Pony rushed over to me.
“I heard from Stella about the Duke, but the Tower Master?! That’s even more shocking!”
My friend, ever the one fascinated by such things, had cheeks flushed red.
“Now, tell me everything I missed.”
Sorry, Pony. It’s not what you’re imagining.
I told her it wasn’t a big deal, but her eyes were blazing with curiosity, determined to get every detail out of me.
Thankfully, before she could press further, the Emperor and Empress rose from their seats.
“I shall take my leave. Enjoy the rest of the party, everyone.”
Their rising meant it was already quite late—and yet, something that should have happened hadn’t.
“Pony, did the Crown Prince dance with anyone?”
“No, not with anyone. But never mind that, Roa—what’s going on between you and the Duke?”
I glanced toward the Crown Prince, but he hadn’t invited Merina to dance even once.
Ah, that’s right. Because I didn’t fight with Merina this time, he had no reason to notice her.
In the original story, the male leads’ interest in the heroine, Merina, always began after she suffered because of me—the villainess.
Merina, who cried because of me… Merina, who endured pain because of me… evoked sympathy and curiosity from them.
But even if things are delayed, the Crown Prince will eventually grow interested in Merina. No need to worry about that.
Whenever I deviated from my “villainess” role, the story’s flow sometimes shifted—but the ending always stayed the same.
“As you can see, there’s nothing between us.”
“Nothing? Then why would the Duke of Lischians request a dance? That’s strange.”
“Maybe he was momentarily intrigued.”
Pony, unaware that the Duke had also asked me to be his partner at the party held at his mansion, kept mumbling, “That’s odd.”
If she knew about what happened in the Empress’s garden, she’d probably be squealing that the Duke must like me.
“Perhaps it’s just repayment for inviting him to my tea party.”
When I cut her off, clearly not wanting to talk about the Duke any further, Pony said, “I guess that makes sense,” seemingly convinced.
“Roa, did you enjoy the party? We’re heading home now—what about you?”
My parents soon approached, and I chose to go home with them.
Even if the Tower Master hadn’t promised not to kill me, I’d safely completed the deal, and I’d avoided conflict with Merina—so overall, it was a pretty successful night.
As soon as I got home, I handed Ted a small pouch of gold coins.
“Here you go, Tee.”
“What’s this?”
“An incentive. Thanks to you, I managed to come back alive from the Tower Master.”
“Hahaha, it’s only natural. As the lady’s secretary, it’s my job to gather information. I’d like to keep receiving my salary, after all.”
Fully immersed in his secretary role, Ted shrugged proudly.
“For the secretary of a marquis’ daughter, this is basic work!”
“Still, take it. You’ve got a ‘family’ to support, right?”
“…Thank you.”
I’d sent a few information guild members to the territory for employment, but Ted still had guild members depending on him. And with the guild’s building burned down, he had to rebuild it too.
Information is essential to efficiency—so this much counts as an investment.
“By the way, is it hard to find information on Blue Bird?”
“Yes, they’re a difficult target to track.”
“I see. Don’t rush. Just make sure it’s safe.”
Since the Duke of Lischians seemed intent on getting involved with me anyway, maybe I wouldn’t need the Blue Bird info after all.
Still, it’s better to hold as many cards as possible.
After bowing, Ted left my study, and I turned my gaze to the vase on my desk.
“What are you thinking, really?”
Inside was the bouquet the Duke of Lischians had sent that morning.
“If you don’t want your mother to face the executioner again, be careful, Rosia Levian.”
I plucked the flowers from the vase.
“These days, I’m so happy that you’ve been attending so many parties, my lady.”
Kathy’s cheeks flushed pink as she brushed my hair. The other maids looked the same—utterly delighted.
Their joy in dressing me up was so intense it was almost frightening.
“You said you’d wear a light-colored dress today, right?”
“Yes. The blue diamond needs to stand out.”
The maids brought out a silver-gray gown, and I gazed at it and the jewelry set with satisfaction.
Tonight’s event was being held at the Duchy’s embassy.
Young Lord Stein, practically a prince in his own country, was the guest of honor—this party celebrated his arrival.
Not long ago, he had sent an envoy to our family and even visited our territory in person.
He admired the size of our mines and the quality of our gems, and was equally impressed by our crafted jewelry. The contract negotiations had gone smoothly.
As the fiancé of my friend and now one of our major business partners, his party was one I had to attend.
And if I remember correctly, this is where the Crown Prince will begin showing interest in Merina.
Which means… there’ll be an incident where it looks like I’m bullying Merina again.
Well, Merina—
You’ll just have to play your role as a tool to help me buy time to find a perfect way to die.
“All done, my lady.”
Kathy stepped back, smiling with satisfaction after finishing my hair.
“You look even more beautiful than usual today, my lady.”
“What if, after the Duke, even the Crown Prince falls for you?”
While my maids chatted and giggled, the woman reflected in the mirror remained expressionless, her hand absently touching her neck.
“Oh, right—your necklace, my lady. Let me put it on for you.”
As the intricate piece of jewelry settled around my neck, the stinging, burning sensation there finally seemed to ease.
