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Chapter 35
“Thank you so much for inviting me.”
At that moment, Chloe sat in the Empress’s garden, her eyes sparkling. Right in front of her were the Empress and the Crown Prince—people she had only ever heard about.
“A new person has joined the House of Ameron. As members of the imperial family, it’s only right that we welcome you.”
At the Empress’s bright, smiling expression, Chloe felt as though she might burst into tears.
Unlike the House of Ameron, where no one welcomed her, the imperial family was warm. And on top of that, the Crown Prince beside the Empress was looking at her with gentle eyes. It finally felt like she had come to where she truly belonged.
“By the way, I heard your mother was a commoner?”
“Yes. My mother was the most beautiful woman in the village. That’s why my father fell in love with her at first sight.”
One corner of the Empress’s lips curved upward.
“So that’s why you’re so pretty, my lady.”
“Oh no. Compared to my mother, I’m not pretty at all.”
“How modest. So, how is it living with the House of Ameron?”
“The House of Ameron?”
To be honest, she didn’t like it very much.
No one welcomed Chloe, and even the duke himself was indifferent and showed no interest in her. No one ever listened to what she had to say.
And worst of all were the family members. The Duchess of Ameron, Flaria, and Haren all looked at her with eyes filled with disgust, as if she were a bug.
They were directing all their hostility at her, even though she had done nothing wrong.
“It seems your relationships there aren’t very good.”
“Yes. No one likes me… even though I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Oh dear. How unfortunate. So that’s why no one’s been taking care of you.”
The Empress slowly looked Chloe up and down.
Following her gaze, Chloe looked at her own attire. The dark navy dress, with its old-fashioned and gloomy design that didn’t suit the imperial palace at all, was something hastily obtained in the Ameron duchy—and it was the only dress Chloe owned.
“Ah, it’s just that I haven’t been able to buy a dress yet. I’m sorry.”
Chloe was terribly embarrassed. She had heard that nobles chose their outfits depending on the place, the people they met, and the purpose of the invitation. Yet she only owned a single dress. The fact made her feel ashamed and miserable.
“There’s no need to apologize.”
“No matter what dress you wear, you’ll be beautiful, my lady.”
At the Crown Prince’s words, Chloe lifted her head and met his eyes again.
“Still, the House of Ameron is being too careless. You could at least share Flaria’s dresses. They seem far too indifferent toward you.”
Chloe recalled the gorgeous dress Flaria often wore. Even at a glance, it was clearly expensive.
They were both daughters of the House of Ameron, yet only Flaria wore such beautiful dresses.
Chloe felt a hint of resentment.
“Still, for the imperial banquet, all eyes will be on you. For the sake of the House of Ameron’s reputation, I hope you’ll come wearing a beautiful dress.”
“The imperial banquet?”
“Yes. The imperial banquet. Come to think of it, this will be your first time attending one, won’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Hm…”
As the Empress studied Chloe’s face thoughtfully, her gaze shifted to the Crown Prince.
“What do you think about attending this imperial banquet with Lady Chloe as your partner?”
“Me?”
Chloe blinked in disbelief. It was common knowledge—even among commoners—that Flaria was the Crown Prince’s designated partner.
“Yes. Now that the House of Ameron has two daughters, it’s time we reconsider the Crown Prince’s partner as well.”
At the Empress’s words, the Crown Prince nodded, then turned his gaze to Chloe.
The Crown Prince, with hair like captured sunlight. A man who held the power to shape the empire as he pleased. He smiled at Chloe.
“At this banquet, I will make you the star of the evening.”
At his words, Chloe’s heart raced.
That’s right. I am the protagonist of this world.
“Flaria, are you okay?”
At Flaria’s request to meet for a moment, I came out right away.
The place she called me to was the dress shop.
“No, I’m not okay at all.”
Muttering a curse so quietly that no one else could hear, Flaria bit her lip hard, as if her anger still hadn’t subsided.
Fortunately, because people were spaced far apart, it seemed no one else had heard her.
“Is it really okay for you to be out here? We could’ve met at home.”
“No. Home is even more irritating. And if I come out like this, people will think that what happened isn’t a big deal to me.”
For some reason, her words carried weight.
Aware of how others might see her, she never cursed in front of people. Even though she couldn’t help swearing behind their backs, in public she never used harsh language at all. She seemed far more conscious of her role as a lady of the House of Ameron than I had expected.
“So, is the Duchess all right?”
“No. She’s practically bedridden right now. I think the shock was too much.”
That made sense. In the novel as well, the Duchess of Ameron was so shocked by Chloe’s appearance that she didn’t show herself for days. It was probably the same now.
“With someone at home making such a spectacle, of course Mother’s heart would be turned upside down.”
Flaria let out a deep sigh.
“Making a spectacle?”
“Yeah. Apparently, Her Majesty the Empress invited her to dinner last night. She went around bragging about it nonstop.”
Just as Flaria pressed a hand to her temple, as if her head were throbbing, the door of the dress shop opened and someone walked in.
“Oh my, welcome, my lady. Please come inside.”
“Is it all right for me to come in?”
“Of course. Please, come right in.”
Chloe entered the dress shop, dragging along a dress that clearly didn’t fit her. The luxurious-looking gown was getting dirty at the hem.
And the owner of that dress—one that looked far too long on Chloe—was obvious at a glance.
“That’s my dress.”
It belonged to Flaria.
Unlike how she usually flushed red with anger, her face went cold. Her eyes were fixed on Chloe.
This scene was in the novel too.
Back when Chloe was living as a commoner, she had no suitable clothes to wear. The duke had simply told her to get clothes made at the dress shop, then left without giving her anything new to wear. Thinking she would be looked down on if she went wearing commoner clothes, she had taken a discarded dress from the mansion.
That dress had been Flaria’s.
“Oh!”
Spotting Flaria, Chloe approached her with an expression of delight.
“That dress—”
“Oh, you know how I had to come out in a hurry yesterday and couldn’t prepare any clothes. Father told me to get a dress made, but I couldn’t just wear anything.”
“That’s my dress. You wore it without permission.”
“Oh, really? I thought it had been thrown away…”
“That’s impossible. It’s one of my favorite dresses. And it was a gift from Father, so there’s no way I’d throw it away.”
“But it really was left behind in the mansion… Should I take it off now?”
Tears welled up in Chloe’s large eyes and began to fall, drop by drop.
“Ha…”
Watching Chloe like that, Flaria let out a hollow sigh. She wanted to tell her to take it off right then and there, but she couldn’t leave her standing around in just her undergarments. Yet she couldn’t exactly tell her to keep wearing it either.
Flaria couldn’t say anything, and Chloe continued to cry in front of her.
To anyone watching, Flaria clearly looked like the villain.
This kind of scene can’t keep piling up.
If Flaria gained a reputation as a villainess, the person who would be labeled one alongside her would be Espin—me. The more bad rumors about me that spread, the more obstacles would appear in my future.
People were already murmuring, and if rumors spread the wrong way, it would be a real headache.
I’d been trying to avoid getting involved with the female lead whenever possible, but…
