YL 16

Chapter 16

“Maybe other people shouldn’t do it, but I can. Do you know how much trouble that man is going to cause me from now on? More than anyone else, I have the right to do this.”

Rose declared confidently that, considering everything she would have to suffer because of Enoch Chester in the future, this was nothing.

If anything, it was a very mild form of revenge.

In fact, compared to the misery awaiting her, this wouldn’t even scratch the surface.

Hearing that, Larisa simply nodded.

“All right. I’ll help too.”

“Perfect. If our famous Ice Knight simply says, ‘I’ve heard that rumor too,’ it’ll have an enormous impact.”

“And since Larisa is famous for never caring about gossip, people will believe it even more. Great. This is going to be fun.”

The three girls casually discussed ruining Enoch’s reputation as they walked out of the lounge together.

Only after they disappeared did Ruby finally come to her senses and hurry after them.

“Rose! What about the banquet?”

Rose answered without hesitation.

“Big Sis, if I go back in there, those women will tear me apart alive. I’d rather just leave. Mom and Dad will understand.”

“Honestly, if you went back now, you’d be dead ten times over. For your own safety, it’s better not to. Let’s just go home.”

“Right. Sis, could you explain it to Mom and Dad?”

Ruby sighed.

“…Fine.”

At last, silence settled over the lounge.

The moment the girls left, Heraise finally exploded.

“Hahahahahaha! E-Enoch Chester! Impotent! Ahahaha! My stomach! It hurts! I’m going to die laughing!”

Completely abandoning all dignity befitting a crown prince, Heraise rolled across the floor laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

Ignoring the pathetic spectacle behind him, Enoch stared silently at the door through which Rose had disappeared.

…Who exactly is that woman?

Three Days Later

Ironically, the hottest topic in high society wasn’t the lady who had danced with Enoch Chester.

It was the utterly ridiculous rumor…

That Enoch Chester was impotent.

Just as certain people had predicted, nobody actually believed the rumor.

But, exactly as predicted…

Everyone found it hilarious.

Women eagerly spread it among themselves.

Men repeated it after hearing it from their wives, laughing all the while.

Naturally, those who had suffered at Enoch’s hands enjoyed spreading it the most.

It was petty revenge…

But revenge nonetheless.

Whenever someone whispered behind Enoch’s back,

“You know… maybe there’s some truth to it. They say there’s no smoke without fire…”

the look on Enoch’s face was apparently unforgettable.

Everyone who witnessed it swore they would never see such an expression again in their lives.

As if that weren’t enough, somehow…

Someone had managed to record the moment on a magic recording crystal.

No one knew who had filmed it.

But copies were now selling at astronomical prices.

The moment Heraise heard about it, he immediately reserved one.

Just as Rose had predicted—

It was absolutely worth owning.

Knowing what Enoch would do if he found out, Heraise ordered everyone around him to keep quiet until the recording reached him first.

Unfortunately…

Every time he saw Enoch, he burst into laughter anyway.

“Kuh… Pwahahahaha! That young lady is a genius! She’s far too talented to rot away inside a mansion. We need to recruit her as a government official immediately! Hahaha!”

Heraise laughed uncontrollably, marveling at Rose’s brilliance.

She had cleverly buried the rumors about herself…

While simultaneously carrying out the perfect revenge.

Enoch’s face twisted into a scowl.

“Stop laughing.”

“I-I would… if I could! Ahahahaha!”

“If I could stop, I wouldn’t be laughing in front of you in the first place!”

Heraise rolled around clutching his stomach.

Watching him, Enoch clicked his tongue.

Hopeless.

Was supporting this fool as Crown Prince really the right decision?

The future of this empire already looks bleak.

Of course…

Heraise couldn’t have cared less.

He was enjoying the funniest moment of his life.

Leaving the laughing crown prince alone, Enoch calmly stated the real reason he had come.

“I’m going to have Rose Stacey arrested.”

“…Kuh… Huh?”

Heraise finally stopped laughing enough to look at him, though his shoulders were still shaking.

Seeing the incredulous look on Heraise’s face, Enoch repeated himself flatly.

“I’m arresting that woman.”

“For what crime?”

“Defamation.”

For a moment, Heraise wondered if he was joking.

Then he looked carefully at Enoch’s expression.

His face slowly turned pale.

He’s serious.

Immediately, Heraise tried to calm him down.

“Hey. There’s no proof she started the rumor. It’s just gossip. You can’t arrest someone over that. Do you have any idea what kind of chaos that’ll cause?”

Enoch remained unmoved.

“That’s not my concern.”

“There’s no evidence!”

“There is.”

“Where?”

“You.”

Heraise fell speechless.

…He had a point.

If the Crown Prince of the Empire testified, who would dare question his credibility?

Whether true or false, his testimony would be treated as fact.

Heraise couldn’t help admiring Enoch’s quick thinking.

Still…

There was one flaw in the plan.

“I don’t remember agreeing to testify.”

That was the biggest problem.

Heraise had absolutely no intention of becoming a witness.

Rose had given him the greatest entertainment he’d experienced in years.

There was no way he was going to ruin her over something like this.

Besides…

He still had a conscience.

And more importantly…

His own fiancée would inevitably get dragged into the matter as well.

There wasn’t a single advantage for him.

Enoch merely smiled arrogantly.

“You’ll testify.”

What the hell…

For the first time since deciding to become Crown Prince, Heraise nearly cursed aloud.

The arrogance of this man…

He probably spoke to the Emperor the same way.

The worst part was how natural that arrogance seemed.

It was infuriating.

“Forget it. First of all, permission won’t be granted anyway. Now get out.”

“You can’t sue every single rumor in the Empire.”

Enoch replied without missing a beat.

“I’m Enoch Chester.”

…Son of a—

Heraise almost swore.

“I don’t care if you’re Enoch Chester. Cases like that aren’t even accepted. I have actual work to do.”

Then his eyes suddenly sparkled.

“…Unless you’re volunteering to help.”

“If you are, I’ll even give you your own desk.”

Enoch glanced toward Heraise’s desk.

Because the current Emperor cared only about wine and women and neglected his duties, the moment Heraise had become Crown Prince…

Virtually all imperial work had been dumped onto him.

The Emperor apparently couldn’t even be bothered stamping documents anymore.

Even the Imperial Seal now rested neatly on Heraise’s desk.

Seeing it, Enoch clicked his tongue.

If stamping papers is too much trouble… why even sit on the throne?

Then again, if he were capable of asking himself that question… he wouldn’t be this Emperor.

He’s probably asleep in some woman’s arms right now.

After confirming that depressing reality, Enoch silently turned and walked away.

“Huh? Wait! You’re leaving? Seriously? You traitor! You only stick around when you need something!”

Aren’t you one to talk?

Enoch ignored Heraise’s desperate shouting without so much as looking back.

Meanwhile…

Ironically, while Enoch was searching for the culprit…

The mastermind behind everything was incredibly close to him.

“Welcome, my lady. How may I assist you?”

“Could you tell me where the sections on magic and theology are? Once I know that, I can find the rest myself.”

She was inside…

The Imperial Palace Library.

After spending several enjoyable days at the Jestiya Marquisate, Rose had practically moved into Marguerite’s residence.

Considering that people might storm the inn looking for her at any moment, it was a wise decision.

No one was foolish enough to barge into the residence of Marquis Jestiya—the central figure of both high society and imperial politics.

Thanks to that, Rose was able to relax despite everything she had stirred up.

Eventually, however, everyone became busy again.

Marguerite, as the queen of high society, had to attend social functions.

Larisa, as a knight of the Imperial Guard, had to report for duty.

Since staying alone at the marquis’s mansion felt awkward, Rose decided to accompany Larisa to the palace.

Larisa headed to the training grounds.

Rose came to the library.

“It’s right this way, my lady. This entire section contains books on magic and theology. Is there anything else you require?”

“No, this is plenty. Thank you.”

The librarian bowed and left.

Because magic and theology were fields scholars had studied for centuries, the shelves were packed with an overwhelming number of books.

Simply sorting out which books she had already read in her previous life and which she hadn’t would take considerable time.

Still…

Rose patiently began searching.

In truth…

Rose had never liked studying.

If anything, she disliked it.

Even back when she had been Seo Ye-eun, her grades had always been average.

But she loved books.

She loved stories.

Even if she hated studying, reading itself brought her joy.

Even the textbooks in this fantasy world felt like fantasy novels to her.

But…

That wasn’t the only reason.

Desperation had simply become a habit.

On the surface, she looked carefree.

Inside, she was anything but.

How could she be?

She had suddenly been thrown into a world she knew almost nothing about.

A world where she was destined to die.

Worse…

She didn’t even know exactly when.

The original author, Shin Jia, had never finished The Duke’s Cinderella.

She had already decided Rose would die and had written up to the events leading toward that ending—

But Rose had never seen the completed manuscript.

The novel had still been in progress.

She didn’t know how she would die.

Or when.

That uncertainty was terrifying.

Some might say not knowing was better…

But she didn’t know nothing, either.

Knowing only fragments while remaining completely ignorant of how this world truly worked filled her with constant fear and anxiety.

So she read.

Desperately.

One book after another.