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Chapter : 03
This time, I’ll change the male lead.
“Father, just a moment.”
“And who might you be?”
Carl grabbed my wrist as if to snatch it away while I tried to follow behind my father.
“The one who escorted the young lady to the mansion last night.”
“…….”
But already dazed, I couldn’t properly hear Carl’s voice.
No. No, this can’t be. Even in the original story, Kaela and the Crown Prince have no connection whatsoever.
No matter how I thought it over, there was only one answer.
Whether it was because of the Duke family’s overprotectiveness or the personality of the original Kaela, she never appeared in public enough to earn anyone’s mocking, “For a duke’s daughter….”
Moreover, even I, who had entered this world, had avoided social events, and the Crown Prince was commanding the battlefield, so there should have been even less chance of interaction.
Then… what are these letters, and what personal friendship?
“What do you mean by a letter from the Crown Prince? That lunatic—why!”
“Lord Carl, mind your words.”
I scolded Carl, who was strangely agitated.
Again, my favorite in The River of Oblivion wasn’t the male lead—it was the Crown Prince Hyperion.
“Ah, yes. Today at the meeting, His Highness said to give this to you.”
Only after my father returned did Carl let go of my hand.
No way… yesterday’s dream wasn’t real, right? Ugh.
Still, seeing the red wolf seal that symbolized the Crown Prince’s palace made my heart pound.
“To the infinite glory of the Sun of the Empire.”
“Glory.”
I made a proper bow as I had been taught, and Carl reluctantly mirrored me.
“…Huff.”
As soon as I opened the letter, my breath caught.
“What is it, Ella?”
“Is something wrong, Your Ladyship?”
Seeing me turn pale, they both asked at once. Carl’s face looked stiff, almost unfamiliar.
“It’s nothing. Really.”
Anyone could tell it wasn’t nothing, but I couldn’t let it show.
“Father, I’ll see you at dinner. I had a long conversation with the Marquis and got tired, so I should go upstairs.”
I smiled faintly at my father and turned to leave, because my legs were shaking too much to stand.
“Ella!”
“Let her be. She must have something on her mind.”
Thanks to my father stopping Carl from following me, I was able to escape safely.
[Your fiancé, Marquis Carl Bate, will attend the royal dinner tomorrow.]
The thought filled my mind as I struggled up the stairs.
My hand holding the letter trembled, cold sweat forming.
[You’ll come too.]
Only after reaching my room did I collapse to the floor.
[If you’re going to have an affair, do it properly.]
There was only one thought on my mind now:
The red eyes that had curved toward me in the dream, the radiant golden hair.
And…
[Of course, this isn’t a suggestion—it’s an order, princess.]
Ah, crap.
That evening, the house was chaotic all because of the Crown Prince’s letter.
As expected, the one causing the most commotion was Raphael Veritas, second son of the Veritas Duke family—in this life, my twin older brother.
“That madman, why would he—why would he do this to you?!”
“Master, how is your academy class going that you’ve come home already?”
“Is that important now? How does Hyperion even know you?!”
Raphael stuttered as if he had run straight there upon hearing the news.
Well, it was Hyperion, after all. A reasonable reaction.
In the world I’d possessed—the Empire of Light, Ignis—the royal family symbolized the sun.
Over its long history, only three emperors had golden hair and red eyes. Only they could use the middle name “Sol,” symbolizing the sun god.
The current Crown Prince is Hyperion Sol Lucius—shortened to Leon Lucius.
The master of the sun, born once in hundreds of years, flawless by design.
Because of his preference for only the best, he had become my favorite despite being a villain.
No wonder the heroine in the original story had been in love with him for so long.
“Four years ago at the hunting festival, he slew monsters in a single stroke. Wow, even killing a person, not a flicker of the eye. That madman!”
Raphael shook his head in disbelief.
“Don’t worry, Master. Though His Majesty may go mad, the Crown Prince has the saintess, so he’s fine, isn’t he?”
The saintess the butler referred to is Lethe Phoebe, the original heroine, blessed with the moon’s power.
The moon’s authority could temper the sun’s madness, so she lived her life by Leon’s side.
Yet Leon never even glanced at her…
—Tell me once. Did you ever love me?
—No. Not even once.
He even made her turn dark.
And the paladin protecting her, the male lead, was my fiancé, Aaron Anteras, who is also Carl Bate, Marquis.
I… must have died suddenly.
Was the male lead killing him off because he clung too much? Even as a secondary heroine dealing with stress, sudden death seemed suspicious.
“Ahhh.”
“Ah, so that’s why my brother…”
After reading the Crown Prince’s letter, Raphael looked at my hand knowingly.
“Kaela, he said you must wear that ring tomorrow. Never take it off, even for a moment.”
“Ring?”
Looking at my hand, the ring on my right index finger gleamed.
Since possessing Kaela, it had been a unique pentagonal ring.
“I never took it off anyway. But this ring… it’s unusual.”
Not flashy, but somehow captivating.
“That ring was specially made for you. I think there’s only one like it.”
Raphael nodded.
“You’ve rarely appeared in society, and with the Crown Prince attending, it’s to make sure you don’t look out of place.”
“I’m just attending as Carl’s fiancée. No point.”
Publicly, I was still Carl’s fiancée. There was no point in making an effort.
“You’ll break off the engagement anyway.”
“How do you know?”
Raphael seemed to already know.
“That bastard cheated, didn’t he? I always felt his gaze was off. Didn’t listen well, and now serves him right.”
Enoch and Raphael had disliked Carl from the beginning. In the Empire, they were the only ones who did.
Is he a ghost? He seems to know everything about Kaela.
I realized just how overprotected Kaela had been in the Duke family.
Comparing her with my past self always left a bitter taste.
“It’s for the best. Go ahead and announce your breakup with Carl first.”
They had already noticed things I had missed in this world.
I had been too relaxed, accustomed to warm people and a peaceful life.
“But Father’s birthday banquet is coming soon. I don’t want him to be embarrassed by this.”
At the very least, I wanted my father’s birthday to pass quietly.
“Is that your fault? That bastard’s just reckless. How dare he do that to the Veritas family…”
Raphael grimaced, unable to restrain his anger.
“It’s fine. No need to panic.”
“Carl isn’t the problem.”
I clenched the ring tightly.
A more serious problem than breaking off the engagement had appeared.
I never thought I’d face my favorite like this.
Thinking of Hyperion, my heart felt ready to explode.
Ah, not from excitement, but fear.
To have confessed in front of that Lucius… would I even survive?
“Did the Crown Prince… no, His Highness personally invite you?”
“That’s what he said.”
Carl, sitting beside me, had asked the same thing for the fifth time.
“Kaela, wait.”
Even after seeing the letter Leon Lucius sent me, he couldn’t believe it.
“Who does the Crown Prince personally invite? Since when have you two been close?”
I glared at Carl whispering persistently. His forced smile only made him more irritating.
“With so many watching, maintain your manners, Marquis Carl.”
“I’d like an explanation first, so I can understand. Lady Kaela Veritas.”
Even though he’s the male lead in the original story, does he have to be this petty?
“I asked what your relationship is with the Crown Prince.”
Carl bit his lip, trying to add more, but I ignored him.
Instead, I tried to recall if he had been this persistent in the original.
He’s different.
Certainly, the version of Aaron Anteras shown only to the original heroine and Carl Bate in public were completely different.
Even I, knowing the original story, wouldn’t have guessed my fiancé was the male lead.
“Phew.”
“Everyone, please rise.”
A weary sigh, and then the steward’s voice:
“His Highness, the Crown Prince, requests your presence.”
Finally…
