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Chapter : 05 That’s the One!
In the original story, Fay was a delicate heroine with a pure appearance and a kind heart.
You know, the type who would always forgive the villainess?
The heroine who endured hardships and bore everything patiently, no matter how unfair the situation.
― Actually, my dress was completely ruined not long ago.
Whenever she saw Helena, Fay would tremble so much that even speaking a single word to her was difficult.
― But it’s fine. I couldn’t catch the culprit, but thanks to that, His Majesty gave me such a beautiful dress as a gift. I almost feel like I should thank him instead.
…Right. That’s definitely how it was in the original story.
Am I the only one who finds this situation weird?
Fay had clearly acted as if she didn’t know anything about the rumors in front of me.
She had even brazenly shown off her dress, and hadn’t she said that the culprit who tore her dress had not been caught?
And yet…
― I told you the Empress tore all of your dresses.
― Ah, I’m really fine. Thanks to that, His Majesty bought me a new one, didn’t he?
It seemed she had already heard everything from Jerome.
Then why act as if she didn’t know?
By now, I was confused.
Was she so understanding that she could pretend not to know even though she did? Or was she secretly enjoying it with a smile on her face?
It was a strangely unsettling feeling.
Could it be intentional?
If so… that’s genuinely creepy…
At that moment, I heard voices that seemed to be thinking the same thing as me.
“Oh my, my! How utterly creepy!”
“My goodness, how can someone be so shameless?”
“Having prejudice against someone’s origin is uncultured behavior, but this time, it’s truly intolerable.”
Hmm?
The maids’ reactions felt off.
“Hasn’t something like this happened before? Laughing while gossiping about the Empress?”
Excuse me?
Who was gossiping about whom?
“Oh yes, exactly. And look at how her expression changes completely when His Majesty the Emperor comes.”
“She sure knows how to play innocent!”
Playing innocent…?
I asked, bewildered:
“So… you’re all talking about the Empress, right?”
“Of course! Who else here would be that creepy?”
The maids nodded as if it were obvious.
Uh…
Even me, the one ordered to stalk the Emperor, seems pretty creepy in comparison.
Anyway, that wasn’t the important part right now.
The comments the maids were making about the heroine were completely different from what I had read in the original story.
“Uh… I heard she’s usually very weak physically and mentally.”
“Excuse me? That woman—no, Your Majesty the Empress?”
“Isn’t that the case?”
“No way. If she’s weak, then I’m a walking hospital!”
Their responses were fairly intense.
“But even though she’s of commoner origin, people say she’s innocent and straightforward…”
“If she’s innocent, then I’m an idiot!”
Wait… even idiot?
The maids spoke with a sense of indignation.
“Of course, as Your Majesty the Empress said, most people think of her that way.”
“They all fall for that pure smile of hers instantly!”
What on earth is going on?
I barely held onto my sanity as it drifted.
First Jerome was acting strangely, and now Fay too?
Both of them felt very different from the original story I knew.
Perhaps some parts weren’t expressed in the novel?
Or did something change because I possessed the body…?
I was lost in thought when I heard a trembling voice.
“Your Majesty the Empress…”
It was Marie.
Her eyes were full of tears, ready to fall at any touch.
Come to think of it, she was the one who had torn the Empress’s dress.
“Because of me, Your Majesty the Empress had to suffer this humiliation…”
“You don’t need to apologize. I’m fine.”
“But…”
“It’s all in the past now. I don’t mind.”
I took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears.
Gasps of surprise echoed around, but I ignored them.
What’s wrong with the Empress wiping a maid’s tears?
I had been an ordinary commoner not long ago.
“Your Majesty the Empress…”
Marie’s eyes changed as she quietly accepted my touch.
Then, as if making a decision, she said:
“I was actually afraid of Your Majesty the Empress all this time.”
“Really?”
Of course, I could understand that.
‘Helena’s personality is fiery.’
Having lived a life of elegance and dignity, Helena never cared about others’ opinions.
She always had to do whatever she wanted and have whatever she wanted.
It was natural that Marie, Helena’s maid, had been afraid of her.
“But I realized I had misunderstood until now.”
No, it wasn’t really a misunderstanding.
Helena really was a terrible person, wasn’t she?
“I’ve decided. From now on, I will sincerely follow Your Majesty the Empress! For life!”
Marie clenched her fists and declared:
“I will live if the Empress tells me to, and die if she commands it!”
With that, she knelt down.
I hurriedly stopped her.
“You don’t kneel in front of others like that. Stand up at once.”
“I wanted to show you my resolve.”
“I understand your heart, so stand up now. And don’t say you’ll die so easily.”
“This life would have been lost if Your Majesty hadn’t protected me. I wouldn’t regret giving it up for you.”
“That was all done for me, wasn’t it? So there’s no need to thank me.”
Come on, stand up.
I reached out and helped Marie to her feet.
She was still young, yet had gone through such harsh experiences.
I heard she also took care of three younger siblings.
And after all the evil Helena had done…
This girl was moved to tears by just a few kind words.
Feeling a strange warmth, I gently stroked her head.
“If something troubling happens in the future, always tell me.”
I looked up after comforting Marie and saw the other maids watching with impressed expressions.
I felt strangely embarrassed under their gaze.
If I stayed silent, something awkward might happen again.
I needed to redirect their attention.
Fortunately, there was a suitable reason.
“Speaking of which, Jerome said there’s an intruder, right? His Majesty suggested it’s best to leave here, so we should head quickly to the Empress’s palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”
And so, I led the maids, who followed carefully behind me.
Their cautious footsteps somehow gave me a sense of reassurance.
＊ ＊ ＊
Jerome had spoken the truth—there was indeed an intruder.
In no time, soldiers and knights filled the sunlit garden.
Security was tightened, and checkpoints were set up at key areas.
The tense atmosphere alone made it clear that this was not an ordinary situation.
One thing that puzzled me was the maids’ calm demeanor.
I asked Countess Chloe:
“Does this happen often?”
“You mean intruders in the palace?”
“Yes. It looks serious, but none of you seem particularly surprised.”
“Not often, but it happens occasionally.”
Hearing that, Marie was the one who flinched.
“An intruder in the palace? Then shouldn’t we evacuate quickly to the safe Empress’s palace?”
“It seems Miss Marie is still new to the palace and startled,” said Countess Chloe calmly.
“No need to worry. Most cases involve people who got lost or were simply curious and caused some trouble.”
“But what if someone has truly bad intentions?”
“Even then, there’s no need to worry. The palace has many highly skilled knights.”
“Knights?”
Marie’s eyes sparkled with interest.
Clearly, she was still a young girl.
“I’ve heard there are many brave and excellent knights in the royal court.”
“Ah, so you’re interested.”
“Yes. We often talk about the knights when the young ladies gather.”
Marie spoke about this knight doing amazing things, that knight achieving great feats, listing their accomplishments.
Then, she clasped her hands tightly and said:
“But the most famous of all is him!”
Her voice rose.
“The one who struggled to protect a remote village from monsters, or cut down an ancient tree that no one else could fell.”
“That was before he became the commander of the knights.”
“There were many other feats, but the most famous is how he chased a high-level monster that abducted a child from the orphanage for two full days and nights until he finally defeated it and saved the child.”
“That’s not entirely accurate.”
“Huh? Isn’t it true?”
“He did save the child, yes. But there wasn’t just one high-level monster—there were five.”
“Five? I thought even a single high-level monster required an entire regional knight force to fight it.”
“That’s why he’s so incredible.”
“Indeed.”
“So rest assured. As long as he remains the commander, the palace is completely safe.”
Countess Chloe explained the knight commander’s feats to Marie with pride and calm assurance.
He must be an incredibly skilled individual.
‘A knight commander capable of defeating five high-level monsters…’
I vaguely remembered reading about that in a book.
A mysterious figure, masterful in swordsmanship, highly educated, and indomitable in any challenge.
‘His first appearance was probably very striking.’
When the heroine accidentally fell from the third-floor balcony during a banquet, he had appeared like the wind.
And had caught the falling heroine effortlessly…
At that moment:
Crash—!
A sudden loud noise echoed from above.
Startled, I instinctively looked up.
A dark shape flew across the clear blue sky like a hawk.
‘What? Could it… be a person?!’
Two people were jumping down, breaking through the third-floor window.
The man on top caught my attention with his red cape.
Bang—!
The two tumbled violently into the fountain below.
The fountain that had been elegant moments ago was now gone, destroyed completely.
The black figure rose slowly from the water.
Tall and imposing.
Calm and piercing eyes.
His soaked uniform clung to his well-toned, solid muscles.
And another person.
Dressed in black with a black mask, suspicious even at a glance, struggling under the man’s feet.
The maids panicked at the sight, but the man standing above remained unnervingly expressionless.
Shing—
He drew his sword.
Then, he plunged it into the enemy’s chest.
Thunk!
There was no hesitation.
Dark red blood spurted like a fountain.
Blood from the chest soaked his face, hair, and uniform.
“Ah…”
Only then did I realize…
The cape draped over the man’s shoulder was originally blue.
A chill ran down my spine.
Yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the horrifying scene.
Wet with… no, now soaked in blood, his black hair.
Beneath it, icy blue eyes shone brightly.
The fountain decorations were now destroyed.
But a far greater work of art had taken their place.
A creation so meticulously sculpted, like a god’s masterpiece.
As beautiful as a statue, yet surrounded by a dangerously deep crimson.
A shocking sight, etched in my mind forever.
He wiped the drops of blood from his lips with a rough hand.
A faint, languid smile spread across his blood-stained lips.
