Tea Party (2)

How much time had passed since Estelle dragged Lev away?

Standing around felt awkward, so I sat on a nearby bench. A cool breeze brushed past my face as it wound through the trees.

The strands of hair at my forehead fluttered, obscuring a corner of my vision.

Somehow, my heart settled into calm, and I closed my eyes slightly. As time passed, the sound of the wind gradually faded. When I opened my eyes again, a necklace embedded with a red gemstone suddenly came into view.

'Did he say there was magic on it?'

According to the Tower Master, this necklace was apparently enchanted not only with defense magic but also detection, teleportation—and even curse magic.

Even when I touched it lightly, I couldn't sense any trace of mana, which meant the spells must have been incredibly intricate.

'Abel...'

This morning, Abel had briefly touched my necklace. At the time, I'd genuinely thought he was just adjusting it, but it seemed that had been an excuse to cast the magic.

'Was he really that worried about me?'

Defense magic and teleportation magic were understandable, but curse magic? As much as I didn't want to admit it, I couldn't help but agree with the Tower Master—it was overprotective.

Though, if I considered my track record...

'He has every right to be concerned.'

At the auction house, hadn't I tried to take a mysterious knight's strike head-on to protect Lily?

During the hunting festival, hadn't I nearly plummeted to my death after being sent flying—shield and all—by a calamity-level monster?

Abel didn't know, but I'd died three times in the Imperial Library. Listing it all out like this, it finally sank in just how reckless I'd been.

From an outsider's perspective, it must have looked like I had a death wish.

"Sigh..."

Acting like I had multiple lives to spare—of course he'd be worried. I felt a pang of guilt for unintentionally causing him so much distress.

'I'll try to be more careful from now on.'

Click-clack.

The familiar sound of heels reached my ears. When I turned my head, I saw Estelle standing there with an awkward smile. Lev was nowhere behind her—perhaps she'd sent him away.

Not that it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a bad thing. Having the Tower Master linger at a tea party would only stir unnecessary gossip, and Estelle surely didn't need that kind of trouble.

"I'm sorry. Lev caused quite a scene, didn't he?"

I waved my hands dismissively at her deeply bowed head. It wasn't in my nature to hold onto such things, and besides, none of this was her fault to begin with.

If anything, the blame lay entirely with Lev, who had barged in uninvited.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind."

"That's a relief, but..."

Still looking apologetic, Estelle stood there hesitantly, her head slightly lowered. Uncomfortable with the sight, I lightly patted the space beside me.

"Would you like to sit? You must be uncomfortable standing."

"If you don't mind, I'd love to."

She nodded and gracefully settled onto the bench.

Silence stretched between us again. Estelle didn't seem particularly bothered by it, quietly lost in thought.

Just as the awkward atmosphere was becoming suffocating, she spoke first.

"What do you think of Lev, Lady Adel?"

"Think of him...? I don't know him well enough to say."

Truthfully, I found him unpleasant.

But I kept that to myself—I didn't want to engage in petty gossip. Whether she sensed it or not, Estelle fell into thought again. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"I see."

Her meaningful smile made me tilt my head. Had I given the impression I was interested in him?

If so, I wanted to correct that misconception immediately. But since she didn't press further, it probably wasn't the case.

Then why had she asked? No matter how much I pondered, I couldn't think of a plausible reason.

While I was still lost in thought, Estelle posed another question.

"What do you think of the Crown Prince?"

The Crown Prince.

The man the original Adel had loved.

And the trash who had schemed against me in every possible way.

'What happened to him in the original story again?'

The villainess, Adel von Este.

The only daughter of Duke Este and the Crown Prince's fiancée. When the Crown Prince fell for Estelle, Adel grew jealous.

That jealousy drove her to commit every manner of evil deed against Estelle without hesitation, cementing her role as the villainess.

Whether it was because of her actions or not, Duke Este was eventually demoted to Count. Stripped of her status and infamous throughout the imperial capital, Adel was banished from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠high society—until, in the end...

She made an extreme choice.

Far from pitying her, the Crown Prince openly mocked her in front of Estelle, calling her a fool who clung desperately to love.

A friend who had loved the original novel once told me that this was the moment she—who adored male leads—had come to despise the Crown Prince above all others.

'...How did Adel ever come to like someone like him?'

The person who could have answered that question had long since disappeared. No matter how many times I called out to her in my heart after taking over this body, no voice ever answered.

Though I had inherited this body, ironically, I'd never harbored any interest in the Crown Prince.

Though the story changed slightly after I approached Estelle to befriend her.

"Now... I just feel indifferent."

There was a time when I had resented the Crown Prince ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠too.

When I tried approaching Estelle, he schemed relentlessly to drive me to my death. As I writhed in the agony of dying, I even nurtured hatred toward him.

But during the first banquet I attended with Abel, when I witnessed the Crown Prince's tantrums again, I realized—how could I have wasted hatred on such a pathetic creature?

The decisive moment that made me think this way was a single remark Abel had made.

'What an utter fool,' or something along those lines.

Objectively speaking, the Crown Prince was a fool. The sword he wielded was the only threatening thing about him—his swings were no different from a child's.

Thanks to Abel, I came to understand that. Had it not been for him, I might have continued fearing and resenting the Crown Prince.

All over someone who was, at best, no different from a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.

"That's a relief. I was a little worried."

"Hm?"

At my questioning tone, she hesitated, lightly touching her wrist before slowly speaking.

"I found out about what the Crown Prince did to you."

With a slightly bitter expression, Estelle let out a sigh. Her amber eyes turned toward me, filled with what looked like worry—or perhaps guilt.

"He was truly cruel."

Cruel.

It wasn't wrong.

Assassination attempts were the bare minimum. Poisonings were frequent. In extreme cases, he even tried using bands of mountain bandits to erase all traces.

Of course, most of those incidents had been undone through repeated regressions. But that didn't mean the wounds I'd suffered had vanished.

"I never imagined that when he said he would protect me, it would be in that way."

...Had I really said that to Estelle?

What an absurd thing to say. Had I just not wanted to be hated by the person I liked?

"I'll apologize in his place."

Only now did I understand why Estelle had shown me such kindness. Though unintentional, because of her, someone else had been threatened with death.

The wariness I'd felt toward her faded slightly.

"No, there's no need for that."

But this was a matter between me and the Crown Prince. It wasn't something she could apologize for—nor should she.

"An apology made by someone else holds no meaning."

"...You're right. I was mistaken."

For a moment, Estelle's eyes widened slightly in surprise before she slowly nodded.

"It's fine. None of this was your fault."

When I shook my head and said that, she only smiled faintly, offering no further words. Was she feeling guilty on my behalf?

The one who should feel guilty was that Crown Prince. Silence stretched between us again. In the awkward atmosphere, Estelle seemed quietly lost in thought.

To shift the mood, I decided to ask a question first this time.

"Um... Estelle, what do you think of His Majesty the Emperor?"

"His Majesty... the Emperor?"

The way her expression twisted slightly made me flinch. I'd meant to change the subject, but it seemed I'd stepped on a landmine instead.

Just as I was about to hastily backtrack, Estelle met my gaze.

Her amber eyes held an emotion I couldn't quite place.

Too calm to be anger, too serene to be hatred, too quiet to be sorrow.

Caught in that strange, inscrutable emotion, I couldn't bring myself to speak—until Estelle broke the silence first.

"Do you happen to know where His Majesty the Emperor's hometown is?"

"I'm... not sure."

"The capital of the Prilecha Kingdom—Ark."

The name was familiar. I was certain I'd heard it in history class.

"That kingdom... could it be—"

"Yes. It was destroyed by the Arieh Empire long ago."

I vaguely remembered hearing about it during the imperial history lessons Allen had given me. Among the nations outside the Arieh Empire, the most powerful had been the Prilecha Kingdom.

If my memory served me right, the Prilecha Kingdom fell in Imperial Year 1014. And the current Emperor ascended the throne in Imperial Year 1002...

Suddenly, something felt off.

The current Emperor's hometown was the Prilecha Kingdom. The Prilecha Kingdom was destroyed by the Arieh Empire twelve years after the Emperor's coronation.

"Did you notice?"

The slight smile on Estelle's face sent a chill down my spine.

"...What?"

The Emperor had personally destroyed his own homeland? Why?

No—before that, how had someone born in the Prilecha Kingdom even become the Emperor of the Arieh Empire?

"Don't tell me—"

"Shh."

"...Estelle?"

"Was that a helpful hint?"

The smile on her face remained as she spoke.