Chapter 12

Isabella did not return to the manor until late evening. Selly, who had assumed she had only been out attending an afternoon tea party, hurried over and took her bag.

“Miss! Did you have a good time?”

“Mm. It was… fun, for a change.”

Despite her words, Isabella’s face was clearly worn out. Selly followed her as she walked toward her bedroom.

“Shall I skip dinner preparations tonight?”

“Yes. I’ll just rest today.”

“Yes, Miss. Please get some good rest.”

Even refusing a bath attendant, Isabella quickly washed away the sweat clinging to her hair and body. After her first-ever grueling day of cleaning work, every muscle in her body felt stiff and sore.

“This should count as mission success, right?”

She sat down heavily on the bed, towel-drying her still-damp hair, then pulled out her smartphone. Ever since her meeting with Kairus, she hadn’t had a single moment to check it properly.

Because the mission required her to use her unique ability, she had spent the entire day scrubbing and cleaning the vast imperial palace. Her shoulders throbbed painfully as she tapped the dark screen.

But as she read the newly appeared notification, her eyes began to tremble. The towel slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.

『 First Mission: Remove “Contamination” 』

Mission status: On Hold due to non-compliance

Please use your “unique trait” to eliminate “contamination.”

Not success—on hold? Even after working herself to the bone cleaning, it was considered a failure in mission conditions?!

Isabella’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

“That can’t be right! I cleaned everything all day long!”

Unable to accept the result, she opened the system interface. What had she missed?

She tapped on her unique trait window, and a noticeably improved level appeared.

『 Unique Trait level increased through usage! 』

<“All stains, grime, and dirt—whether on people or objects—vanish completely~!” Lv. 5>

“What exactly was missing?”

She tilted her head, recalling the instruction to use her trait during Princess Elena’s birthday party.

Was it because I used it in the wrong place?

But that couldn’t be it—after meeting Kairus, she had left the annex, cleaned Gloryum Hall where the party was held, even scrubbed parts of the main palace before returning to the manor.

Then a word from the system stood out in her mind—contamination.

Why did it emphasize that word so much?

Isabella replayed the day’s events. She had moved through multiple sections of the palace, thoroughly using her ability. By all logic, she had fulfilled the requirement more than enough.

“Then what went wrong?”

Just as she sank into thought, a knock came at the door.

“Miss, may I come in?”

“Huh? Wait a moment!”

She quickly tucked her phone into the bedside drawer and picked up the fallen towel. Selly entered just in time, holding a silver tray with a letter.

“A letter addressed to you, Miss.”

“A letter?”

“Yes. I’ll leave it on your bedside table.”

“Alright, thank you.”

As Selly turned to leave, Isabella’s gaze narrowed. Dark ash and soot stained Selly’s hands—likely from cleaning the fireplace.

What if “contamination” includes people too…?

Acting on the thought, Isabella stopped her.

“Wait, Selly.”

“Yes, Miss?”

She held out her hand as instructed. Isabella took the damp towel and gently wiped Selly’s hand.

“Is something on my hand?”

Selly glanced at it, confused.

“Mm. There was dust.”

“I see! Please rest now, Miss!”

The moment Selly left, Isabella retrieved her phone again.

She opened the system and tapped her trait level display. A yellow progress bar appeared.

But contrary to her expectations, nothing had changed. Slightly disappointed, she began walking around the room, wiping away dust she could find.

A soft notification chimed.

The level had increased—but only by a tiny amount.

“…So it really has nothing to do with people?”

She stared at the trait window in confusion, tapping the screen absentmindedly. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t find the reason the mission had been marked as incomplete.

With a sigh, she turned off the phone and set it aside. There was simply too little information to solve the problem.

Then she reached for the letters on the table.

Come to think of it… who would even send me letters?

For ten years as Ikanuel’s fiancée, she had frequently received invitations from those trying to curry favor with the House of Lasseres. But after rumors of her broken engagement spread, they had stopped.

So why now?

As she examined the envelope, she noticed a luxurious golden wax seal.

The imperial crest.

Her lips parted slightly.

The same seal appeared on the second letter as well.

“…No way.”

She quickly opened one.

Inside was a gilded invitation card.

A brief message requesting her attendance at a “rabbit hunt” hosted by Princess Elena. At the bottom, her name was clearly written.

Isabella Ledia

Her vision darkened slightly.

Of all people—it was from Princess Elena.

She traced her name on the invitation.

“Why would she invite me now?”

It was no secret that Elena had long held feelings for Ikanuel. Had it not been for their grandfathers’ arrangement, Isabella would never have been his fiancée.

The rabbit hunt was known as an event where Elena invited those she favored to build social connections.

So why invite her—someone practically a rival?

A headline she once saw resurfaced in her mind:

“Princess Elena, who loves Lasseres Duke’s heir Ikanuel, versus the so-called Cinderella Isabella—whose love will the goddess favor?”

She let out a small sigh.

“This isn’t a rabbit hunt… it’s a hunt for me.”

Exhausted by the thought of becoming social prey again, she shook her head.

Ikanuel? I don’t even want him anymore. If the princess wants him, she can take him.

She almost wanted to reply immediately.

“I already have too much to do, and no good reason to refuse…”

If her so-called fiancé had ended things properly instead of dragging it out, she might never have been dragged into Elena’s event.

With a sigh, she opened the second letter.

“I will wait here as long as it takes. I sincerely hope you return with a positive answer.”

Kairus Rosencild.

Just reading the neat handwriting made her sigh again.

“Become my special aide, and I will grant everything you desire.”

If she accepted, she could cure his magical overload, resolve her broken engagement faster, and even earn the enormous dimensional travel fees she needed.

But something about it didn’t sit right.

A scandal with Ikanuel had already plagued her for ten years—what if another rumor arose with Crown Prince Kairus?

After a moment of hesitation, she shrugged.

“So what.”

For years, she had lived carefully, trying not to burden Ikanuel or her family.

But not anymore.

Once her mission was complete, she would be leaving for Korea anyway. Rumors would fade quickly.

She didn’t have time to waste on unnecessary worries. Every second mattered—she could already imagine indulging freely in her hobbies back in her homeland.

As she returned the letter to its envelope, Kairus’s eyes suddenly came to mind.

When they met in the annex, his gaze had contained something like… recognition. Warmth, even.

But she was certain.

She had never met him before today.

“…We definitely met for the first time.”

She placed both letters on the table and lay back down. As the soft blankets wrapped around her, exhaustion finally washed over her like a tide.

Without knowing what awaited her next, Isabella drifted into a deep sleep at the end of a long day.