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Chapter 52.
“Excuse me, but who might you be?”
Even with that unmistakable golden hair identical to the Emperor’s, it would’ve been easy to guess the man’s identity as the Crown Prince — yet Silla pretended not to recognize him.
She was most definitely doing it on purpose. You could bet all the gold in the Imperial Palace on that.
“I am Jacques Rigrid, Crown Prince of the Empire.”
“Ah, so you’re the Crown Prince. I’m Silla Bernstein.”
Silla treated the Crown Prince as though he were her subordinate, and though he frowned for a moment at the audacity, his expression quickly returned to its usual composure.
“We meet again, Lady Leviang.”
“I greet the Radiance that lights the Empire.”
He probably wanted to vent his frustration on me, but with the Tower Master beside me, he wouldn’t dare.
Even the Empress and Merina had just been troubled by her presence — the Crown Prince wouldn’t risk irritating the Tower Master.
Of course, since his usual role was to find fault with me, I couldn’t be entirely sure.
And besides, Merina was watching us from behind.
Was she still unable to let go of her attachment to Silla? Or was her target the Crown Prince? Perhaps both.
Certainly, since I was separated from Lexian, she’d shown no interest in him.
It pained me to see Lexian’s expression darken when I partnered with another man, but at least it freed us from Merina’s attention.
“I have something to discuss privately with Lady Leviang. Could you excuse us for a moment?”
“I don’t think I can do that.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said, I don’t want to move aside.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes widened in disbelief that anyone had just refused his request — and the sight was deeply satisfying.
“Is there some problem with me not wanting to yield my place?”
“No, there isn’t.”
Except, of course, that his pride was probably wounded. Who had ever refused even his requests, much less his commands?
“Then it seems we’re done here. Roa, shall we go over there?”
“Sure.”
“Lady Leviang.”
Just as I was about to leave him behind, the Crown Prince persistently stopped me. I gave Silla’s hand a slight tug, silently asking her to wait; if the Crown Prince came visiting my father’s estate again, it would be a nuisance.
“Speak, Your Highness.”
“I… I behaved rudely before.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I visited you while you were ill — my behavior then. I’ve been meaning to apologize for a while, but the opportunity never arose. I can only do so now.”
Slap.
I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard — that the Crown Prince had apologized to me in public — so I slapped him across the face.
“Roa!”
Silla clutched my hand in alarm, though her twitching lips betrayed her amusement, and that’s when I realized this was real.
“Was my apology so unpleasant to you?”
“It’s not that, Your Highness. I just couldn’t believe that you would ever say sorry to someone like me.”
The Crown Prince’s cheeks quivered as he pressed his lips together; Silla also tightened her lips, for a different reason.
Even if the Emperor himself ordered him to apologize, the Crown Prince would usually delay and give only a perfunctory word. But today, he seemed genuinely sincere.
“I truly am… sorry. I wanted to tell you that.”
I had no idea why he was acting like this, but refusing his apology wouldn’t change anything. Best to settle it cleanly.
“If Your Highness says so, then I’ll forget that day’s incident. And thank you for sending your knights to protect me — twice, no less.”
When I gave a polite bow, the Crown Prince looked visibly relieved.
“That was only my duty—”
“Your Highness.”
There was only one person who could call the Crown Prince so affectionately.
As if she’d forgotten she’d nearly caused a bloodbath earlier, Merina appeared.
“Forgive me, Lady Ickel,” the Crown Prince began, “but this is a private conversation, so—”
“I wasn’t speaking to you, Lady Leviang.”
Her voice was sharper than usual. But then she smiled sweetly at the Crown Prince as if she hadn’t just snapped, and that smile was promptly shattered by Silla.
“Roa, in the Empire, is it proper for a count’s daughter to interrupt a marquess’s daughter like that?”
“No, it’s against etiquette. But I’ve experienced it often, so I don’t mind.”
“Well, stupid people wouldn’t understand even if you told them they were stupid.”
“Are you calling me stupid?”
Merina, who always caught on quickly when she was being insulted, clenched her fists.
“Your Highness, you heard that, didn’t you? Lady Leviang insulted me!”
“Wow, she’s really strange. I’m the one who called her stupid — why is she dragging you into it, Roa?”
“I don’t know. I even asked Silla to forgive Lady Ickel’s rudeness earlier. What could possibly be wrong?”
I drooped my shoulders and half-covered my eyes, feigning exhaustion, and Merina faltered in confusion.
“Lady Leviang, I’m sure Merina didn’t mean it that way.”
Just as expected, the Crown Prince spoke up — but his tone was gentle.
“She did mean it that way! The Tower Master called me stupid, and Lady Leviang didn’t deny it!”
Merina looked around, searching desperately for allies.
“What’s going on here?”
Her remaining followers, along with a few curious onlookers, took this as their cue to approach.
Merina’s reputation had fallen sharply, but she was still the story’s heroine.
It took me great effort to engineer such scenes, while she could turn the situation around with a single wave of emotion.
“I can’t believe you’d say such things to me, Lady Leviang!”
“What exactly did you hear? Don’t cry, Merina.”
The Crown Prince stayed silent, and Silla’s icy stare kept things from escalating further.
If the Crown Prince suddenly got angry at me and sided with Merina, everything could change — so I was nervous.
“What’s happening here?”
Just then, that familiar deep voice cut through the air — the kind that made your eardrums tighten.
Even the Commander of the Knights, who never intervened in social quarrels, had arrived.
Everyone watching seized the chance to circle around us.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Lexian said, folding his arms, “but it can’t be helped.”
He glanced between Merina and me.
“Are you harassing Lady Leviang again, Lady Ickel?”
“That’s outrageous! Lady Leviang was the one who started it!”
“Were you present from the very beginning?”
The young count’s son whom Lexian pointed at opened and closed his mouth soundlessly.
“I’ve seen this kind of situation before,” Lexian continued coldly. “Lady Ickel — at the Duke of Rishiansheus’s party, didn’t you push down the ailing Lady Leviang?”
“Wh-when did I—”
Merina, who had been sobbing with her face buried in her hands, snapped her head up.
“And after that disgraceful behavior, you had the nerve to ask Her Majesty the Empress to let you attend the ball with me as your partner!”
Lexian looked genuinely furious.
“How could you think I would ever associate with someone so ill-mannered and spiteful?”
“H-how could you say such cruel things…!”
Merina began to sob again, and two young men stepped forward to comfort her.
Strangely, the Crown Prince took a few steps back from her.
“Lady Ickel always cries after picking a fight first,” said Violet, who’d been watching her like a hawk waiting to strike.
“She tried to pull the same thing when she pushed Lady Rosia too, didn’t she?”
“There was another incident besides what the Duke just mentioned?” asked a middle-aged countess nearby, startled.
“Yes,” Violet replied quickly. “At the tea party held at the Leviang Marquisate.”
Sensing her moment, Violet explained rapidly.
“It happened among peers, so Lady Rosia wanted to let it go, but I can’t keep silent anymore.”
“Explain what happened in detail.”
“Lady Ickel called Lady Rosia aside to talk, then suddenly claimed she and Duke Rishiansheus were ‘special,’ and pushed Rosia. She fell so hard that grass stains ruined her dress.”
“Lady Merina would never do such a thing.”
The interruption came from Countess Kett, a much older woman who was a close friend of the Empress.
“I’ve known Lady Merina since she was a child — she’s far too sweet for that.”
“So you’re saying I’m lying?” Violet shot back, undeterred by the new opponent. She clearly hadn’t forgotten the humiliation she’d suffered last time.
“And that means I’m lying as well?”
Now Stella stepped forward to add her support.
Countess Kett bit her lip but released it quickly. Still, she couldn’t abandon the Empress’s sister so easily, so she tried again.
“Even if Lady Merina made mistakes, it’s cowardly for all of you to gang up on her like this, isn’t it?”
“Wait a moment.”
At last, the Crown Prince — who’d been silent until now — opened his mouth.
