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Chapter : 32
Lina carefully entered the princess’s room after confirming that the princess had gone to the temple.
Though she was now relegated to the outskirts, Lina had previously served as a senior maid in the Crown Prince’s palace.
If it were the real Crown Princess, she might hesitate—but entering the temporary residence of a woman with the “prospective” title was a piece of cake.
“Surely she left a letter…”
Lina murmured as she paced around Kaela’s room.
There was no reason for her to take a letter with her, and it was awkwardly sized to pack up, so Lina was confident she must have left it behind.
Where could she have left it…?
“Lina, you were sent to the outskirts for cleaning recently, right?”
“Temple maiden… what brings you here?”
“The Saintess has been worrying about you. How did it come to this?”
“Truly, the only one who cares about us is the Saintess. This is unfair. The princess clearly dislikes me and is plotting against me.”
“Don’t worry. The Saintess has decided to bring you into the temple as a temple maiden.”
“R-Really?”
“Well, would the noble Saintess lie?”
“The Saintess is truly kind. Only she could become the Crown Princess of Ignis.”
“But… Lina, there is something you must do for the Saintess first.”
Lina recalled recent events and marveled again at the Saintess’s benevolence.
Kaela’s punishments for minor pranks by the maids were on a completely different level.
Therefore, Kaela was unfit to be the lady of this palace, let alone the Crown Prince’s companion.
“All of the Saintess’s actions are for the peace of the royal family and His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
So, whatever the Saintess commanded Lina to do was clearly blessed by divine favor.
After all, any malicious people must be removed from the Crown Prince’s palace.
“Ah, she really did leave it behind.”
Lina found a letter from Countess Reyta on the vanity table—though, in reality, it was a forged letter made by the temple maiden—and let out a small laugh.
The magic used to duplicate it had perfectly copied the countess’s seal and handwriting.
“Truly naive.”
She tore the letter into pieces on the spot.
Once the scraps were burned outside, everything would truly be over.
That way, there would be no evidence that Lina had brought a forged letter, and no proof to clear Kaela’s name.
If Kaela questioned her, Lina could simply cry and claim she was wronged.
“Now, let’s head to the temple for the Saintess.”
The temple of Ignis, solidly built over thousands of years, and the adjoining royal palace—there was no room there for an outsider like Kaela.
This was the will of the god they believed in.
“By the way, I have a letter from Countess Reyta.”
I fumbled in my sleeve and put on a troubled expression.
“Did I leave it in my room…?”
Of course, I had never actually brought the letter, so there was nothing to be caught for.
“Of course, Lina remembers, right?”
Still, I asked Lina as if I knew nothing.
“Huh? What do you mean…? You know best, Milady.”
Her voice trembled with indignation as she spoke.
“You personally sent me to the outskirts… How could I have delivered a letter to you?”
The way she looked up at me with tears in her eyes made her seem pitiful and innocent.
“Oh my, not only stealing the name of the tutor but also blaming it on a maid.”
“Indeed… I wonder if she has a guilty conscience…”
Meanwhile, whispers among the crowd grew louder.
“She even seems to mistreat the maid.”
“The two sons of the Veritas dukes are truly excellent. The duke himself is the Minister of Finance. Yet the princess….”
“Then surely the Veritas duke must have been hiding something all this time.”
The situation was turning against me.
Not only had I been in the tower with my ex-fiancé, but now I had also allegedly forged a letter and threatened a maid.
‘People really don’t like me, do they?’
The cruel stares of countless people had only one reason: someone had dared to claim the position of Crown Princess before the Saintess herself.
“Don’t cry, Lina. The princess just had a fall. Perhaps she was momentarily confused.”
“Sniff… Saintess.”
The contrast between the Saintess and me, standing among the crowd, was striking: one was kind and warm, the other tormented a maid and framed her.
“Let me ask you one last time, Lina.”
Yet for me, this was perfect. A story is more interesting with a twist, after all.
I almost felt grateful to Lina for giving me this opportunity.
“Did you ever deliver Madame Reyta’s letter to me?”
“No. I have no memory of receiving the Countess’s letter or bringing it to you.”
Lina met my gaze firmly. That pitiful, pleading expression she had shown earlier was all a lie.
“You don’t remember?”
I took a step closer and whispered.
“Then… do you remember the letter that was on my vanity?”
“…!”
“Ah, of course, you must have destroyed it yourself, so you wouldn’t remember, right?”
Lina’s sobbing immediately stopped.
Perhaps something might happen… I should swap the letter.
Before leaving for the temple library, I placed one of the letters from Countess Reyta I had collected on the vanity.
Since envelopes used by noble families were only sold in a few luxury stores, I could easily find one identical to the one Lina supposedly gave me.
It was worth collecting all the letters Countess Reyta had sent.
This way, if anyone tried to find or destroy a letter in my room, they would be easily mistaken.
“Jeong Suji, today is the annual family gathering. Even grandmother will attend, yet you ignore my advice to stay home quietly?”
“No… I came here because I received a letter from Father! My brother surely told me it was an invitation from Father…!”
“Me? What nonsense. I wouldn’t call you here and shame our family unless you were out of your mind.”
“How dare you blame my brother? Go away!”
Recalling memories from my past life made my teeth grind.
The countless humiliations they had given me were unexpectedly useful.
“Lina, the letter you found on the vanity…”
Her face turned pale as my smile grew warmer.
“It was fake.”
“W-What!”
“Just because it looks identical doesn’t mean you should trust it immediately. You should have checked thoroughly.”
Tsk tsk, even if you’re stupid… I added, clicking my tongue.
“Princess!”
“You haven’t forgotten my warning that there wouldn’t be another chance, have you?”
“W-well…”
I left Lina frozen and turned to the Saintess.
“Saintess, Lina remembers nothing. I suppose she needs to see it herself to recall.”
“Are you saying Lina attempted to frame the princess?”
“Something like that.”
“No! I don’t know anything! Please forgive me, Saintess!”
The Saintess looked down at Lina, who clung to my dress and begged.
“Well… until the letter is shown, we can’t recklessly accuse Lina.”
“Oh, now I remember where I left that letter.”
Who knows what could happen upstairs? It’s safest to hide it where only I can find it.
Through experience in my past life, I had become accustomed to being extremely careful.
I thought I could forget this meticulousness while living as Kaela Veritas… how bitter.
“I’ll retrieve it myself.”
I placed the letter inside a lamp on the temple stairs. As I turned to leave, remembering the location, a low, calm voice cut through the crowd.
“Are you referring to this letter?”
A tall man in a black robe appeared.
As his hood slowly lifted, the temple’s golden light revealed his face.
“My goodness…!”
The crowd gasped, splitting into two.
‘Could it be…?’
His hair and eyes were as dark as moonlight on a night sky, standing in stark contrast to the all-white main hall.
“Oh, how did you arrive so soon? Was your prayer finished?”
“There seems to have been some commotion.”
“N-no, that’s not it!”
At his words, Phoebe’s face showed shock.
“It’s truly an honor to see you in person.”
Even among those overwhelmed by his presence, a few bowed. Most who recognized him were high-ranking nobles.
“I happened to find it on the way back to the temple…”
But he ignored their greetings and walked toward me.
His sharp yet languid eyes were fixed solely on me.
“Seems you were looking for this, princess.”
He stopped in front of me, holding the letter between his fingers and smiling slightly.
“I knew I left it in the temple.”
He was none other than…
“Thank you, Counselor.”
Deyron Lutas, the Counselor of Ignis.
