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chapter 21
“I-I just said it because it matched, that’s all,” Caroline hurriedly explained, her expression pleading for me not to misunderstand.
“Would the princess really set those colors as the dress code? Of course not—I know she wouldn’t…”
“But then she’d call me foolish for even suggesting it after hearing you say that,” Caroline added.
“…!”
“Haah, Caroline. Why on earth did you come here?”
I pressed my temples as a throbbing headache built up, and Caroline bit her lower lip tightly. Just then, Becky arrived with tea and cookies, pausing our conversation.
Caroline stayed silent, still chewing her lip as if deep in thought. After a moment, she seemed to have made up her mind and looked at me.
“The princess… stole Your Highness from me.”
I blinked. Stole?
“My prince clearly chose me as his hunting festival partner… but…”
“Your Highness said that?”
I interrupted her, sensing that Caroline was on a verbal runaway train, ready to say everything without filter. I had to step in.
I didn’t know exactly what had happened, but if this continued, Caroline would end up as the villain of the story rather than a supporting heroine.
How could she think that Pere had taken Lloyd from her? He was never hers to begin with.
“That’s not it… but I know it—Your Highness definitely thought of me as his hunting festival partner.”
“Oh, Caroline. What are you saying right now?”
I covered my face with both hands and sighed deeply, stunned beyond words.
“It’s true. Don’t you believe me?”
“This isn’t about believing you, Caroline. Unless the prince explicitly said he would take you as his hunting festival partner, what you’re saying is just a misunderstanding.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding! Your Highness… he—”
“Then why did he choose Pere? Directly?”
Of course, I had influenced the choice behind the scenes, but Caroline had no way of knowing that.
“So the princess must have interfered behind the scenes!”
Caroline shouted in frustration, convinced that Lloyd would have chosen her as his partner. But when he chose Pere instead, she became incapable of logical thought.
I told her to calm down, then asked seriously:
“What do you think Pere did to become the prince’s partner?”
“I don’t know that. But I’m certain of this: if the princess hadn’t interfered between me and Your Highness, why else would he have chosen her over me?”
“Why not ask him directly?”
I cut her off. Caroline was too irrational to reason with.
She stared at me.
“Ask him yourself. Ask why he chose Pere over you. He’ll give you an answer, won’t he?”
Of course, Lloyd wouldn’t explain everything. He’d either use a handkerchief as an excuse or simply say he wanted to—nothing more. In both the original story and in this world, he wasn’t the type to share his personal reasons.
“How could I ask? If I did, he’d think I’m just a naive young lady who doesn’t understand anything.”
“Oh, so you’re saying it yourself? Huh… you actually understand the situation better than I expected. That’s a relief.”
“…What?”
“Exactly what you said: right now, you do look like a naive young lady who doesn’t understand anything.”
Caroline bristled.
“Elly!”
“I don’t understand why you’re talking like Pere stole from you. She never did. Your Highness was never yours to begin with.”
“…!”
“I don’t know what made you think the prince had chosen you as his hunting festival partner…”
“But everyone said so! Everyone! You’re the only one who says otherwise! They all said I’d be the prince’s partner!”
She was furious. Truly furious. Her sharp temper reminded me of the villainous older sister from the original story.
…And yet, why did I still find her cute?
Perhaps I have a weakness for mischievous, spoiled types.
I watched Caroline stomp and fume, then let out a short sigh.
“Just because everyone says so doesn’t make it true, Caroline.”
Cute or not, she was flailing helplessly in her misconception. I needed her to regain her senses.
Once adults and villains appeared in the story, this girl would eventually join the main and secondary male leads to save the empire. That would be a huge contribution, and she should be grateful for it.
This world is where I’ll live until I grow old and die, so I hoped the changes I intervened in wouldn’t ruin Caroline’s previously good image.
“But I have intuition. I can sense things. I don’t just go by what others say…”
“Your ‘intuition’ is telling you that Pere stole your man? Then throw that lousy intuition away.”
“…!”
“Even before Pere was born, there were marriage discussions between the Emperor and Duke McKenzie. If you look at it strictly, you’re the one who came between a potential childhood engagement.”
“That’s because the princess was born as the princess…!”
Caroline shouted indignantly. She still felt insecure about being from a poor baron family. I had suspected this when reading the original story, and this situation confirmed it.
“That’s right. God allowed Pere to be born as a princess,” I said.
Caroline froze. She had no retort. I had avoided touching her baron-class status, but pointing out that Pere was divinely chosen left her speechless.
“That too is God’s choice.”
It felt a bit extreme to invoke God, but Caroline was too worked up for anything else to sink in. Her light-attribute power was believed to be closest to a divine ability, so she would react to such words.
Caroline also considered herself chosen by God for her light-attribute power.
“So don’t feel resentful that Pere was born a princess,” I said.
“…I—”
Caroline bit her lip, clearly trying to hold back a protest. She wanted to say she wasn’t resentful, but couldn’t lie, so she stayed silent.
“In any case, Caroline. Unless the prince specifically offered you the hunting festival partner role first, don’t think Pere stole him from you.”
Caroline looked at me steadily. Her expression made it impossible to tell if she fully understood, but I was confident she wouldn’t spout nonsense about Pere stealing her prince again.
But then…
“Elly, you feel… different,” Caroline said suddenly.
“Hm?”
“You feel nothing like the person I knew.”
“We haven’t known each other long enough for you to know me completely.”
“At least I know how you were before you bought your barony title as a commoner.”
“….”
“Though I’m from a baron family lower than a marquis, before you started accompanying the princess, you treated me as a noble above anyone else.”
Ah… see that?
“But now, you treat me like someone of a lower rank than you, lecturing me as if I’m the one who needs guidance.”
So basically, Caroline was saying: “You bought a barony as a former commoner, and now you act as if you’re equal to the princess, lecturing me, born a noble?”
“Elly, I say this out of concern—don’t think that being with the princess makes you equal in status to her. I’m just worried about you,” she said, holding my hands with an innocent, caring expression.
Ho—well, look at that…
