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Chapter 10
Inside the greenhouse where the tea party was being held.
‘Why isn’t she here yet?’
Aileen, dressed in a red gown that matched her fiery hair and even wearing rose perfume, looked like a single blooming rose.
But she wasn’t hiding her thorns—she was flaunting them. Just approaching her felt like you might get pricked. And yet, the noble ladies around her hid their fear and pretended to be close to her.
“Princess, you look even more beautiful today. It’s like we’re seeing a living goddess.”
“You wear such beautiful dresses even on ordinary days—how magnificent must your engagement dress be? I can’t wait for the engagement ceremony.”
“Please tell us at least the color of your engagement banquet dress. We’ll avoid it no matter what.”
“Yes, if we wear anything similar to the Princess, we’ll only feel ashamed of our ugly faces.”
They flattered her while openly insulting themselves.
Aileen did not relax her stiff expression.
‘I invited them, so why isn’t he here?’
As the wait for Valentine, who had not appeared at the tea party, grew longer, Aileen became increasingly irritated.
Not only had he invited her to a tea party at the palace without sending a royal carriage, but he hadn’t even come to greet her.
So she had been forced to step down from the carriage alone and walk all the way to the greenhouse like the other noble ladies.
They were soon to be engaged, and would marry next year—so why was she being treated so poorly?
He had clearly said he would come to see her a few days ago, yet he hadn’t shown up.
‘Ignoring me like this before we’re even married? Ridiculous.’
If she saw Valentine today, she intended to tell him—if he was going to treat her like this, then they should cancel the engagement altogether.
She had no intention of becoming the Crown Princess. The only man she wanted was Demian Craig.
The problem was that Demian not only ignored her completely, but had already married the daughter of a servant.
‘Clarissa… that hateful woman.’
Aileen burned with hatred for Clarissa, who had taken Demian from her, and waited for her chance.
She was also considering how to permanently remove Clarissa from Demian’s side.
“His Highness the Crown Prince Valentine has arrived!”
At the announcement, everyone in the greenhouse stood up.
And the moment Valentine appeared, all eyes surprisingly turned to Aileen.
Because he had entered alongside Clarissa.
‘He brought that woman instead of me, his fiancée?!’
Clarissa’s Perspective
‘Aileen Racton…’
As I entered the greenhouse with Valentine, I could feel Aileen’s piercing gaze stabbing into me.
True to Racton blood, she was more dazzling and intense than I had imagined—fiery red hair and a red dress, like a living flame.
And she knew it better than anyone.
Aileen was a genius swordswoman who had awakened aura before even reaching adolescence, proof of Racton blood.
No one here could defeat her in swordsmanship or physical strength. Even the imperial knights would struggle against her.
But her excellence only deepened Valentine’s inferiority complex—he could not wield a sword himself.
Despite that, Aileen never bothered to hide her strength or soften herself for him.
‘It’s not like she wants to be hated…’
I lowered my gaze slightly to avoid her stare.
Even brushing against Aileen’s gaze felt painful, likely because I remembered being slapped by her once and bedridden for days.
“Baroness. Shall we go?”
Valentine greeted Aileen briefly and then guided me toward the round VIP table where she sat.
There were several identical tables in the greenhouse, but Aileen’s was clearly the VIP seat.
“Let me introduce today’s guest. Baroness Clarissa Craig, wife of Baron Demian Craig. She helped me recently, so I invited her in gratitude.”
Valentine introduced me without mentioning the wolf incident or the horse fall.
“Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness. And greetings to all attending the tea party. I am Clarissa Craig.”
A strange tension swept through the greenhouse.
The gazes on me as I curtsied were full of displeasure.
‘So this is Aileen’s inner circle.’
Their eyes labeled me as something like: intruder, contaminant, someone to be removed.
“Since the engagement ceremony is approaching, I called you all here. If you have good ideas for the ceremony, feel free to share them.”
After Valentine spoke, ideas began to flow—some sensible, others absurd—but he listened politely.
“Baroness, what do you think?”
Suddenly he turned to me.
At that moment, Aileen scoffed.
“Does Clarissa even have thoughts? Before her marriage, she was basically someone who folded my undergarments and cleaned up after me. And after marrying, she never attended social events, so she probably knows nothing about the world. Isn’t that right, Clarissa?”
Clarissa had once been slapped by Aileen and cried while still finishing her chores before returning home.
Being the daughter of a servant, she had no choice but to serve properly.
But this was not Aileen’s bedroom in the Racton estate.
If she thought she could destroy my self-esteem with words like that, she was more foolish than I expected.
‘Stupid Aileen. At least pretend to be decent in front of Valentine.’
I folded my hands neatly and spoke.
“I think it would be lovely if a charity fundraising event were added to the engagement banquet—so everyone can witness Lady Aileen’s generosity as the future Crown Princess. Donations could include essentials such as underwear and diapers for the poor.”
At my words, Valentine glanced at Aileen, then smiled at me.
“That is an excellent idea. We will include a charity event at the engagement banquet as the Baroness suggested.”
At his immediate approval, Aileen trembled with clenched fists.
After the Tea Party
“Aah… I’m exhausted…”
Leaving the greenhouse later, I stretched.
I had only been sitting there for a short while, yet I felt completely drained. I wanted nothing more than to go home, bathe in warm water, and sleep.
The carriage was heading back toward the Middletown estate when—
“Uwaaaah!”
The carriage suddenly stopped, and I was thrown forward.
“Madam! Are you alright?!”
Miranda rushed to me, shaking my shoulder.
“Ugh… I hit my forehead… what is going on?”
Before I could even understand what had happened, the carriage door was ripped open violently.
A white hand grabbed my hair and yanked me out.
“Aaaah!”
Dragged outside, I saw Aileen gripping my hair.
In the middle of the capital’s main road—she was attacking me openly.
Her eyes were wild with rage, as if she had forgotten she was the Crown Prince’s fiancée.
“Are you having fun stealing other people’s men? First Demian, and now even His Highness Valentine?!”
She shook my hair violently.
“Ahh! People are watching!”
“So what? I am Aileen Racton!”
Then a cold, familiar voice came from behind her.
“Craig greets Lady Aileen Racton.”
Demian had arrived.
Startled, Aileen released my hair.
I quickly smoothed my disheveled hair, too embarrassed to look at him.
‘Why did he have to show up now…’
I looked up as I fixed my hair.
Demian stood with his hands behind his back, glanced at me briefly, clicked his tongue, then smiled calmly at Aileen.
“What seems to be the problem? Surely my wife must have done something wrong—otherwise you wouldn’t be grabbing her hair in the middle of the street.”
As expected—he was not on my side.
“Demian! Clarissa is flirting with the Crown Prince! Even after marrying you!”
Aileen cried dramatically.
“It seems my wife has made a serious misunderstanding.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding! Look at the imperial carriage! He even sent her a royal carriage! He must be planning to take her as a mistress!”
“A mistress?”
Demian smiled lightly, still with his hands behind his back.
“You think she’s having an affair?”
“I might already be!”
His gaze briefly landed on me before returning to Aileen.
Yet I could hear his confident voice as if directed at me.
You only see me. You only love me. You’d die for me if I asked, right?
Even though my forehead was bleeding and my hair had been torn, he didn’t even ask if I was okay.
That made something inside me ache painfully.
Aileen continued.
“You must believe me! Valentine looked at Clarissa with affection! He never looked at me like that! You can’t possibly keep living with a woman like that!”
“I’m more concerned about you, Lady Aileen. You are blocking the main road and causing a crowd. Let’s continue this over tea.”
“Ah… should I?”
“I will escort you. Milon, clear the horse.”
Milon moved to remove Aileen’s carriage from the road.
Demian then offered his arm.
“I will escort you, my lady.”
“Thank you, Demian.”
Aileen smiled brightly and took his arm.
Left alone, I watched them walk away.
As I tried to get back into the carriage, pain shot through my entire body.
Not only my forehead—but my whole body felt bruised.
Demian… Aileen… I will make you regret this day.
