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Chapter 53.
“Your Highness.”
Merina showed no hint of doubt that the Crown Prince would take her side.
If he had banned her from entering the imperial palace, it must not have been because he disliked her — there must have been another reason.
What on earth could that reason be?
Did the Emperor intervene?
Maybe the reason the selection for Crown Princess began earlier than usual was because the Crown Prince had fallen for Merina earlier than he did in the original story…
“The one who first gathered people to attack,” said the Crown Prince, “was Lady Merina.”
“What?”
At his next words, Countess Kett was left speechless — and my mind went completely blank for a moment.
“Merina interrupted Lady Levian first, and she also spread the claim that Lady Levian said things she did not, in fact, say.”
“Your Highness!”
Merina cried out, almost like a scream, but the Crown Prince only frowned.
Wait — the Crown Prince isn’t taking Merina’s side?
Merina tried to grab his arm, but he subtly avoided her touch.
“The Tower Master called Merina ‘foolish,’ yet Merina started telling people that Lady Levian was called foolish — spreading false rumors.”
Is he trying to give her medicine — or poison?
“At any rate, Lady Levian has done nothing wrong.”
The Crown Prince’s firm declaration left Countess Kett at a loss for words.
Then, as if she had been waiting for this moment, Violet spoke with a look of disgust.
“Could it be that she held a grudge after offending the Tower Master earlier?”
“So she couldn’t bear to lash out at him and instead took it out on Lady Levian?”
The sparks Violet threw began to blaze.
“They said the two didn’t get along — but maybe it was just Lady Ikel’s one-sided jealousy? Lady Levian has no reason to dislike her.”
“Exactly! Lady Levian could become Crown Princess if she wished — why would she be jealous of someone who’s merely the Empress’s younger sister?”
Merina’s reputation, which had already hit rock bottom among girls my age, was now sinking even lower in the eyes of the older noblewomen as well.
“Let’s not be too harsh,” said the Crown Prince, who had driven Merina into a pit himself. “I’m sure Merina didn’t mean any real harm.”
“Yes, yes. Lady Merina isn’t a wicked person — she’s just… a little lacking in etiquette. Hoho.”
Countess Kett forced a laugh as she tried to smooth things over, though even she had to admit Merina’s faults.
Merina, having stopped crying at some point, quickly fled the scene, and several young noblemen followed after her.
Countess Kett retreated, glancing nervously around, and when the spectacle was over, the onlookers dispersed as well.
The Crown Prince stood watching in the direction Merina had gone. After several deep sighs, he finally followed her.
Lexian approached me, who had remained behind.
“Are you all right, Rosia?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, Lexian. Having such a trustworthy witness saved me from trouble.”
I hadn’t expected him to step in so angrily.
Along with relief came a creeping sense of dread — as though this man had drawn one step closer to death.
“She’s quite persistent, that one,” he muttered. “To bother you again like this.”
“It’s exhausting to react to every little thing. So from now on, please don’t intervene in my matters, Lexian. I don’t want you wearing yourself out over something like this.”
At my firm tone, Lexian’s face darkened.
“If I could be sure you wouldn’t be harmed, then I wouldn’t intervene.”
But as always, his words meant that he would step in — whenever it came to me.
“I’ll protect Roa well, so you don’t have to worry,” said Shilla, stepping forward. “Come on, Roa — shall we go dance?”
“All right.”
I took Shilla’s outstretched hand, and Lexian could say nothing more.
Out on the floor, Shilla was smiling brightly.
“This is fun, Roa.”
“Aren’t you glad you came with me?”
“Mm-hm. You’ll keep calling me along, right?”
“We’ll see.”
“I’ll do better — much better than today.”
He whined playfully, pretending to move to the rhythm of the music, but I gave no answer.
The Crown Prince and Merina were nowhere to be seen.
They must have left the hall. What was he thinking?
He should have been angry at me, should have defended Merina completely…
“Don’t tell me—”
“Hmm? Is something wrong?”
“My feet hurt a little.”
“Really? Then let’s leave the floor right now.”
“That would draw too much attention. Let’s finish this song first and then rest.”
“As you wish,” he said with a smile.
From a distance, I could feel someone’s gaze fixed on me, not dancing — just watching. I ignored it and smiled back at Shilla.
While I was on the floor dancing, Countess Kett approached the Empress.
After the Countess whispered something, the Empress pressed her forehead as if she had a headache.
She must have just heard about the commotion.
The Empress rose from her seat, and soon after, Count Ikel followed her.
“What are you watching so intently?”
“The Empress and Count Ikel just left. Our family will likely receive a formal apology soon.”
“So those two still have their senses?”
“They’re relatively sane. Honestly, it’d be hard to find someone more unhinged than Merina.”
Shilla laughed, clearly amused.
Soon, even the Emperor stood up, and the energy of the ball began to die down. I had achieved all my goals for the evening — there was no need to stay longer.
“Shall we go too?”
“If that’s what you want.”
Sir Calvin, who was on patrol duty today, hadn’t been able to attend the ball. After greeting my parents, I left the venue.
To my surprise, Shilla escorted me all the way to the front of my mansion — to explain something related to the formula I’d asked about earlier.
“That question you asked me — where did you get it?”
“That’s a secret. You’re not planning to keep the answer from me, are you?”
“I’d rather not tell you, but since I promised to find out, I guess I have no choice.”
He pulled a manuscript from his coat and began explaining each illustration.
“This marks a certain hidden place in this world. It shows the path leading to it.”
A golden apple tree, a narrow swaying bridge, a river of fire, and a forest so cold it freezes breath itself.
The place with the golden apple tree — I knew where that was. So, was the bridge nearby?
It was exciting to have found the path to Delphoi, but there were now even more mysteries to uncover.
“Shilla, have you ever heard of the place at the end of this path?”
“I’ve heard of it. But it’s just an old legend — some ancient fairy tale.”
“A legend…”
“Yeah. It might not even exist. Even if it does, they say there’s nothing to gain from going there.”
For a man who was bored by everything, it was strange how little interest he showed in such a mysterious place. I looked straight into his eyes, wondering if he was telling the truth.
His golden eyes stared back, unflinching.
“By the way, Roa — if you’re interested in magic, why not get your mana tested? Learning magic could help you protect yourself.”
“I already requested a mana test from the Tower once. They said I have so little mana it’s almost shocking.”
Shilla broke the awkward silence that followed. I played along, pretending to know nothing.
“It’d be nice to have some mana, but I’m just a poor creature — weak in body and utterly devoid of power.”
That’s me — Rosia Levian, the villainess.
I smiled bitterly, and Shilla didn’t ask any more questions.
After seeing Rosia home, Shilla hurried back to the Tower.
“I once asked the Tower to test my mana, but they said I had none at all.”
“That’s strange. When I looked into her background, there was no record of that.”
Wondering if he had misremembered, he combed through twenty years’ worth of the Tower’s request logs.
“Nothing.”
His memory hadn’t failed him.
Rosia Levian wasn’t the kind of person to spout nonsense, yet she had naturally mentioned requesting the Tower’s test.
“How strange…”
It wasn’t the sort of thing one could easily mix up — which meant she was telling the truth.
Something in the facts didn’t line up.
“And that map to the Center of the World — where on earth did she get it?”
He had downplayed it as a mere legend, but she had looked dead serious. She always did, but today, she’d seemed utterly humorless.
Sitting back in his plush chair, Shilla replayed the events of the day.
The Crown Prince, who was supposed to hate Rosia, had taken her side.
The woman, Merina, who seemed to bind him tighter with some strange force every time she drew close.
“Hm…”
Clearly, there was something he didn’t know — something hidden beneath it all.
“Rosia Levian… you’re much more interesting than I thought.”
His golden eyes gleamed.
