PET 03

Chapter 03

 The First Step Toward Changing the Future

After announcing that she would attend the party, Stella began preparing in earnest with Ella.

Though “preparing” was a generous term.

Unlike Camilla, Stella possessed very little.

Because of Ister’s attention, Camilla lacked for nothing.

Dresses, jewelry, shoes—

She had everything.

Ister spared no expense on material things so that Camilla would never feel the absence of the late Duchess.

He even personally summoned boutiques for her.

The problem was that those people never came for Stella.

The Duke, along with everyone else in the ducal estate, focused solely on Camilla and paid no attention to Stella at all.

So whenever Stella needed something, her one and only maid, Ella, had to personally seek out the butler and ask for money.

And the butler always handed over an absurdly small amount.

Even so, Ella busied herself tirelessly for Stella’s sake.

Only for the young lady she served.

Because of that, it was inevitable that Stella’s belongings could never compare to Camilla’s expensive things.

Whenever Stella attended parties like this, Ella alone handled all of the preparations.

Stella was always grateful toward Ella—

And at the same time, sorry.

There had even been times when she wondered if Ella would have lived a better life serving Camilla instead.

But not anymore.

Now that she knew Camilla’s true nature, Stella was simply thankful Ella was by her side.

Today as well, Ella was doing the work of several people by herself.

She skillfully arranged Stella’s hair, neatly braiding it into one long braid for the occasion.

Watching her, Stella spoke up.

“Ella. Could you sweep my bangs back today?”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yes, please.”

If anything, Ella welcomed the request even more enthusiastically.

She had always wanted to trim away the suffocating hair that blocked Stella’s vision.

There was no time for that now, so simply brushing it back would have to do.

But even just revealing Stella’s forehead and eyes completely transformed her atmosphere.

And after a light touch of makeup, vitality returned to Stella’s face.

Enough to remind one of Camilla herself.

“Young Lady, you’re truly beautiful.”

At Ella’s words, Stella did not avoid her reflection in the mirror.

The lifeless eyes she once had were shining now.

And little by little, confidence had begun appearing in them too.

Stella no longer turned away from her true appearance—

The self she had once hated and even resented at times.

Instead, she faced it directly.

Even though her party dress was the same as before, Stella’s changed demeanor allowed her original beauty to finally show through.

After giving herself one final inspection, there was only one thing Stella disliked.

I’ll have to do something about this hair color too.

For now, she decided to leave that problem for later.

Once Ella finished helping her prepare, Stella headed toward the garden where the party was being held.

No one had arrived yet.

Passing by tables overflowing with desserts, Stella looked around the garden when she suddenly heard a faint chirping sound somewhere nearby.

Following the sound, she soon discovered a baby bird chirping helplessly on the ground.

Stella picked it up and looked toward the nearby tree.

Soon, she spotted a nest high among the branches.

“Did you fall from up there?”

As Stella stared up at the tree in thought, she heard someone calling for Camilla behind her.

Naturally, Stella ignored the voice.

Then suddenly, she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder.

“Lady Camilla.”

What?

Only then did Stella turn around.

A boy around her age stood behind her.

Orange hair.

Ash-gray eyes.

And the gentle way he addressed Camilla.

Stella knew exactly who he was.

The only prince of the Luka Empire.

And the same person who had stood beside Camilla even in the future.

They even danced together at the coming-of-age banquet.

His name was Radin Luka, wasn’t it?

“So you’re not Camilla.”

Radin had mistaken Stella for Camilla simply because of her pink hair from behind.

Leaving behind the slightly embarrassed Radin, Stella looked back up at the tree.

After locating the nest again, she tucked the baby bird carefully into her pocket, grabbed a branch, and placed her foot against the trunk.

“What are you doing right now?”

Ignoring Radin’s startled question, Stella climbed the tree without hesitation.

She safely reached the nest and gently returned the bird to its family.

“Don’t get separated from your family again.”

Holding onto the branches, Stella carefully climbed back down.

Then she glanced at the distance below and measured it with her eyes.

Looking at Radin, who was simply staring at her in shock, she spoke calmly.

“If you stay there, you might get hurt, Your Highness.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m about to jump down.”

At those words, Radin quickly stepped aside.

And Stella leapt down in one smooth motion without the slightest fear.

Landing safely, she straightened her dress and looked toward Radin.

He appeared completely stunned.

“My apologies if I startled you, Your Highness.”

“My lady, you just climbed down from—”

As Radin pointed toward the tree Stella had descended from and began to say something, someone suddenly interrupted between them.

“Your Highness, so this is where you were.”

“Lady Camilla.”

At Camilla’s appearance, Radin greeted her warmly with a wave.

Stella also turned toward Camilla and soon noticed another girl standing beside her.

Stella quickly searched through her memories for information about her.

She was Rosia Garen, the daughter of a marquis.

Her luscious red hair was neatly tied up, and her brown eyes matched it perfectly.

Both in the past and future, she had always been especially close to Camilla.

She stuck right beside Camilla at that banquet too.

Ignoring Stella entirely, Camilla approached Radin and spoke brightly.

“Come on. Everything is ready now.”

Watching Camilla follow after Radin, Stella quietly followed behind them herself, though no one bothered to include her.

“What? Why is she here too?”

“It’s supposed to be a fun party today, so I invited her.”

“Camilla, you really are too kind.”

Hearing Rosia and Camilla’s conversation nearby, Stella found the situation so absurd she could not even laugh.

Then again, Rosia’s reaction was perfectly natural.

Among the nobility, Stella was already known as:

The girl who envied Camilla and copied everything she did.

Of course, Stella knew very well that Camilla herself had spread those rumors.

But Stella no longer cared about such things.

Because there was something far more important right now.

Though the gathering was small for something called a party, the children all looked cheerful, and the lively atmosphere continued pleasantly.

And no one there paid any attention to Stella.

Which, from Stella’s perspective, was something to be thankful for.

Yet for some reason, Radin—the same boy she had briefly spoken with earlier—approached her while she stood alone.

“I apologize for not recognizing you earlier, Lady Stella. I was surprised by your agility back there. As expected of a daughter of House Adin.”

At his words, Stella nearly laughed despite forgetting for a moment that he was the prince.

Perhaps because of Duke Ister’s influence as commander of the Imperial Knights, Stella had never struggled with physical activities like climbing trees.

Whether inheriting even that from him was fortunate or unfortunate, she did not know.

Instead of responding directly to Radin’s praise, Stella simply said:

“You’ve mistaken me again, Your Highness. I’m not Camilla.”

“I know that now. There’s no reason to confuse the two of you anymore.”

“But earlier, you failed to recognize me, didn’t you?”

“Well, that was…”

Watching Radin become speechless, Stella accepted it naturally.

Well, I suppose it makes sense.

From behind, there were barely any differences between herself and Camilla.

“Then next time, I’ll make sure not to mistake you.”

Although they were technically the same age, Radin’s determination sounded childish to Stella.

Without realizing it, she smiled.

Radin did not understand why she was smiling, but for the first time, he truly examined Stella carefully.

Unlike Camilla, Stella rarely appeared in public, so this was his first time seeing her this closely.

Looking carefully, she resembled Camilla yet felt strangely different.

Black strands—her original hair color—showed faintly in places.

And most of all, her golden eyes, completely unlike Camilla’s, gave her an entirely different atmosphere.

“Now that I’ve actually spoken with you, you’re completely different from what I heard, my lady.”

Of course.

What the prince heard were the stories Camilla spread.

Just then, Camilla once again interrupted the conversation between Stella and Radin.

“Your Highness, why are you over here? Come quickly. We prepared something amazing.”

In truth, she just doesn’t like seeing the prince talking to me alone.

By now, Stella could clearly see through all of Camilla’s hidden intentions.

Normally, Camilla would never have paid Stella any attention at a gathering like this.

“Lady Stella, you should come too.”

As Radin walked alongside Camilla, he turned back to call Stella.

Though Radin did not notice, Camilla briefly made an expression of displeasure.

Of course, Stella saw it clearly.

In an instant, Camilla’s expression returned to a smile as she spoke sweetly.

“Yes, Stella. Come with us.”

“Alright.”

I’ve been waiting for this exact moment.

When they approached the prepared table, they saw what the servants of the ducal estate had arranged:

Wine glasses filled with colorful drinks stacked into a triangular tower.

The children’s attention was immediately captured by the structure.

Rosia stood beside Camilla, speaking excitedly.

“It’s so pretty. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“It was specially prepared for today. I wish your older brother could’ve come see it too.”

“Sorry. He had other matters to attend to today.”

Radin was just as fascinated by the glass pyramid.

As he stepped closer to inspect it, he noticed Stella staring at it as well.

But unlike what Radin assumed, Stella was looking at it for an entirely different reason.

In the past, it collapsed on its own. But this time…

Staring at the towering stack of glasses, Stella’s hands became slick with sweat.

Actually carrying out the plan she had prepared proved far harder than she expected.

Am I really hesitating?

The thought that so much would change because of one small action filled Stella with anxiety about the future.

So she merely stared at it.

But the longer she hesitated, the more vividly she remembered her horrible ending.

At last, Stella steeled herself.

Without another moment of hesitation, she reached out and touched the tower.

The instant Stella disturbed the very bottom glass, the entire structure collapsed uncontrollably.

And by coincidence—

Camilla stood on the opposite side.

The tower crashed loudly onto the floor, shattering glass everywhere.

The table and surrounding area became a mess of spilled drinks and broken shards.

Fortunately, a nearby servant quickly pulled Camilla away before she could be hurt.

Startled maids rushed over immediately to check on the children.

“Are you alright?”

Camilla appeared genuinely shaken, her body and voice trembling.

“I’m okay. But how did it collapse like that? It was so scary.”

At Camilla’s words, everyone’s eyes turned toward the person standing opposite the fallen tower.

Toward Stella.

“Lady Stella…”

As everyone’s attention focused on her, Stella—who had been waiting precisely for this opportunity—pretended to realize her mistake and spoke with a guilty expression.

“I’m sorry, everyone. I was so curious that I touched it just a little…”

Radin, who had witnessed the entire scene by chance, could not understand Stella at all.

Because from what he saw, Stella had intentionally knocked it over.

She must have known this would happen… so why?

Though Stella outwardly looked apologetic, inwardly she was celebrating.

In the future she had seen, the glass pyramid had collapsed on its own, and despite doing nothing wrong, Stella had still been blamed simply because she happened to be standing nearby.

But things were different now.

This time, Stella had done it deliberately.

Naturally, every accusation was directed at her.

Exactly as Stella had planned.

“Someone could have been seriously hurt because of your carelessness.”

It was only natural that the party ended immediately afterward.

Returning to her room alone with her head lowered, Stella finally smiled in satisfaction.

“I thought they were going to catch on. Ah, that feels refreshing. Though I didn’t expect it to collapse toward Camilla.”

No… actually, that’s even better.

If the Duke hears Camilla nearly got hurt, he’ll want to throw me out even more.

Having heard what happened in the garden, Ella rushed breathlessly into Stella’s room.

“Young Lady Stella! Are you alright? Were you hurt anywhere?”

As expected, Ella first checked Stella’s condition before anything else.

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”

Watching Ella relax in relief, Stella suddenly spoke seriously.

“Ella… because of this incident, I might get thrown out. If that happens, will you come with me? Of course, the choice is yours. I’ll do everything I can to make sure at least you can stay here.”

Though Ella still did not fully understand the situation, she placed her hand over Stella’s without hesitation.

“Of course I’ll follow you, Young Lady. I always want to stay by your side.”

“Thank you for saying that. I suddenly feel much stronger now.”

Even in this place where she believed she had no one on her side—

Stella truly did have someone.

And that alone gave her courage.

Then, the time for judgment rapidly approached.