Chapter 15
High society was sensitive to change—but never immediate in its reactions.
There were people like Lady Warrington, who would rush to catch every passing trend, but those were rare.
Most preferred to observe from a safe distance, whispering and watching the situation unfold.
“She’s awfully quiet today, isn’t she? Must be because she entered with His Highness.”
“I’d say she’s watching her step. Her family’s already fallen, and if even His Highness abandons her, she’ll be a completely worn-out shoe.”
“How long do you think that calm demeanor will last?”
“Hmm, a month?”
“I bet on half that—two weeks.”
“Honestly, what’s left of her without the family name?”
“Then would you say this is His Highness’s final act of mercy toward her?”
“When you put it that way, it does seem rather pitiful. She must’ve gone to great lengths to prepare that dress, too.”
The voices fell one after another, dripping with mockery and malice.
For me—someone who had possessed Laura’s body—it was all too familiar.
But for Asel, who had never been a social creature, it was quite a shock.
His clenched fist trembled slightly, and even the sound of his teeth grinding carried fury.
“Were you… always listening to things like that?”
He asked it like he could barely bring himself to believe it.
I forced a light laugh.
“You’re asking so suddenly, I’m not sure what you mean.”
But to him, this wasn’t a light matter at all.
“Always… alone…”
Ah. So that’s what he meant—was I enduring such talk alone all this time?
I stayed silent on purpose. Asel’s eyes darkened.
After a long, blank stare into space, he bit his lower lip, as if coming to some decision.
And when he made to step toward the whispering nobles—
“Leave it.”
I caught his arm.
“There’s no point in reacting to every comment like that. It’ll only make me look foolish. They’d twist it and say I was the one picking a fight during their innocent conversation.”
It was a common enough tactic, so I spoke calmly.
“You…”
Asel murmured, the words low, almost like a groan.
He must’ve been imagining how many of Laura’s past scandals had started this same way.
Most of the incidents he remembered were genuinely Laura’s fault, but if he wanted to misunderstand, I wasn’t about to stop him.
“By the way, don’t you have work today?”
“Why do you ask?”
“It just seemed like you always had urgent matters to attend to.”
I said it without any hidden meaning—just that if he was staying because of me, I’d feel guilty.
But—
“I’m staying.”
His expression crumpled like I’d just insulted him.
“Pardon?”
“I said—I’ll stay with you today.”
That… was surprising.
It had been a long time since I’d seen Asel lingering beside me at a social event. That used to happen before the curse.
Didn’t expect to see that again so soon.
I couldn’t help but smile faintly, and when our eyes met, he startled—then turned his head away sharply.
The silence that followed was… awkward.
Thankfully, something happened to break it.
Oh?
“Um… if it’s all right with you…”
Princess Marienne, who had been standing against the wall like a decorative flower, approached Asel and asked him for a dance.
Since Asel and I had already shared the first dance, I thought it polite for him to accept at least one invitation from her out of courtesy.
But then—
He’s… coming back?
After a brief exchange with the princess, Asel returned almost immediately to my side.
I looked up at him in confusion, and he lightly took my hand—as though to escort me.
“Didn’t I say I’d stay by your side?”
His voice was lower now, with a faint, almost stubborn emphasis.
So that’s what this is.
That curt tone—it was his way of showing annoyance that I’d doubted him.
The quiet music, the murmuring voices, the stares gathering from all sides—
And in the middle of it all, beside me, stood the man who had made me fall in love with this world.
“You’re right.”
And because he was right—what else could I do?
All I could do was trust him once more.
The banquet welcoming the foreign delegation varied in size and form depending on the delegate’s rank and the nation’s standing.
Arietta was a small kingdom, but since Princess Marienne herself had come as its representative, the event lasted three full days.
For those three days, Marienne did everything she could—lavish outfits, dazzling jewels—but as time went on, fewer and fewer people paid her any attention.
Everyone could see that Asel would not choose her. And even those curious to see her in person had already had their fill.
The decisive blow came during a conversation with a noble lady who managed a merchant company based in the Marceline territory.
“So you’ve come to negotiate a trade agreement with the Empire?”
“Yes! The Empire is such a large country. I thought opening trade with a nation so rich in goods would be greatly beneficial to our kingdom.”
“I see. And what exports is your kingdom considering?”
“Seafood, handicrafts, and gold.”
“Those are quite varied items. How do you plan to handle the logistics?”
Logistics?
Why would she need to plan for that?
Marienne wanted to ask, but too many eyes were on her, so she forced a smile and fumbled an answer.
“Well… we’d load them onto ships, I suppose…”
“I mean, seafood can spoil easily—were you considering drying or salting it for preservation?”
“Salting? You mean, soaking fish in salt? But then it’d be too salty to eat, wouldn’t it?”
The air turned cold.
Even someone as self-absorbed as Marienne could feel it.
The other woman gave a short, polite explanation and quickly moved the topic along.
But then came the real trap:
“Earlier, you mentioned exporting gold. Has this been approved by His Highness, the Crown Prince?”
That question shoved Marienne straight into the mud.
“Approved…?”
“Well, flooding the Empire’s market with gold all at once would devalue it. And since the Empire operates on a gold standard—”
“Gold standard?”
Marienne’s mouth snapped shut, but it was too late. The way people looked at her had already changed.
Uneducated as she was, she had no idea how to recover.
All she could do was watch as people quietly drifted away.
And before long, she was once again a wallflower.
What does any of that even matter!
She fumed internally, but nothing changed.
Marienne lingered in the ballroom, not because she had reason to stay, but because she had nowhere else to go.
Even then, she couldn’t manage to hide her anxiety.
What am I supposed to do now?
For the entire three days, Asel had remained by Laura’s side—and that only made Marienne more desperate.
I can’t go back like this.
She knew what had happened to her half-siblings who’d failed the king’s missions.
They simply… vanished.
No word of death, no exile—just gone.
That was even more terrifying.
If I don’t want that to happen, I’ll have to do something… anything.
She gripped the hem of her dress tightly.
“Are you all right, Your Highness?”
Someone still cared enough to approach her.
A flicker of relief crossed her face—only to vanish the moment she saw who it was.
It was Sir Angel, the knight commander Asel had assigned to her.
He handed her a drink, eyes filled with concern.
But to Marienne, his very existence was an insult.
A commoner.
When she hadn’t known that, she’d been grateful for Asel’s consideration.
Now it just felt like mockery—proof that no matter what she did, she could never surpass the man standing in Asel’s shadow.
And now that man was pitying her?
Is he joking?
“I’m fine,” she snapped.
There was no way she’d take a commoner’s hand.
Marienne turned away.
Unbelievable.
Angel’s jaw tightened.
To treat me like that…
He wasn’t just a knight. He was Asel’s closest aide—his sworn brother in all but blood.
Yes, he was of common birth, but he had long stood beside Asel, both in court and in battle.
Anyone with even a passing understanding of imperial politics knew better than to dismiss him.
At least, they were supposed to.
But she did.
He remembered their first conversation—
[“Sir Knight, may I ask what house you’re from? I’m not familiar with the Empire’s nobility…”]
And when she’d learned he was a commoner, her tone had changed instantly.
Angel wasn’t arrogant enough to demand noble treatment, but as Asel’s representative, he at least expected basic respect.
Yet Marienne hadn’t shown even that.
And her knowledge is abysmal besides.
It was obvious to him that if this woman ever became empress—though thankfully she wouldn’t—she would be no help to the Empire at all.
She lacked even the most basic understanding of the world.
Angel’s irritation faded, replaced by quiet admiration.
My lord truly sees through people.
With only a few short conversations, Asel had already judged Laura as the better choice—and Angel wholeheartedly agreed.
If Marienne had become Asel’s fiancée, the Empire would have become a far more troublesome place indeed.
