Chapter 36: Tea Party (2)

 

How long had it been since Estelle dragged Rev away?

 

Standing around waiting felt awkward, so I decided to sit on a nearby bench. A cool breeze passed through the trees, brushing against my face.

 

My bangs fluttered, momentarily obstructing part of my vision. Somehow, the peace calmed my heart, and I closed my eyes for a moment.

 

Over time, the sound of the wind grew softer. When I opened my eyes again, a necklace with a red gemstone caught my attention.

 

‘Didn’t he say this was enchanted?’

 

If what the Tower Master said was true, this necklace was enchanted with not only defensive magic but also detection, teleportation, and even curse magic.

 

I lightly touched it, but I couldn’t sense any mana, which meant the enchantment was incredibly intricate.

 

‘Abel…’

 

Abel had briefly touched my necklace earlier this morning. At the time, I thought he was merely straightening it, but it seems that was just an excuse to cast some magic on it.

 

‘Was he really that worried about me?’

 

I could understand the defensive and teleportation spells, but curse magic? As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the Tower Master was probably right—this was overprotective.

 

But then again, considering my past behavior…

 

‘I guess he had every reason to worry.’

 

At the auction, I recklessly took on a knight’s mysterious attack just to protect Lily. During the hunting festival, I was nearly crushed to death after being pushed back by a monster, even with a shield.

 

Abel didn’t know this, but at the Imperial Library, I nearly died three times. Looking back, I finally realized how reckless I had been.

 

From a third person’s perspective, it must have seemed like I didn’t care whether I lived or died.

 

“Haa...”

 

It was no wonder Abel was worried. Acting as if I had multiple lives to spare, I must have made him anxious without meaning to. A pang of guilt hit me.

 

‘Let’s try to be more careful from now on.’

 

Click-clack, click-clack.

 

The familiar sound of high heels approached. Turning my head, I saw Estelle standing there with an awkward smile. Rev was nowhere to be seen—she must have sent him off.

 

Well, keeping the Tower Master around at a tea party wouldn’t do much good. From Estelle’s perspective, she’d want to avoid any unnecessary gossip as well.

 

“I’m sorry. Did Rev trouble you?” Estelle asked, bowing deeply.

 

I waved my hand dismissively. I wasn’t the type to hold grudges over such things, and it wasn’t her fault anyway. If anyone was to blame, it was Rev for barging in uninvited.

 

“No, it’s fine. Really.”

 

“That’s a relief...”

 

Even so, Estelle still seemed embarrassed, standing there with her head bowed. The sight made me feel awkward, so I patted the empty space on the bench beside me.

 

“It must be uncomfortable standing there. Why don’t you sit down?”

 

“If you don’t mind, then gladly.”

 

Nodding, she gently took a seat beside me.

 

Silence followed, but Estelle didn’t seem to mind. She sat quietly, lost in thought. The awkward atmosphere began to suffocate me, but just as I was about to speak, she broke the silence first.

 

“What do you think of Rev, Miss Adele?”

 

“What do I think... I don’t know him well enough yet.”

 

To be honest, I didn’t have a favorable impression of him.

 

But I wasn’t the type to badmouth others behind their backs, so I kept that thought to myself. Whether she noticed my hesitation or not, Estelle nodded and fell back into contemplation.

 

“I see.”

 

Her enigmatic smile puzzled me. Did she think I was interested in Rev? If so, I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding immediately.

 

But since she didn’t press further, it didn’t seem like that was her intent.

 

So why did she ask in the first place? I couldn’t figure out her reason no matter how much I thought about it.

 

Before I could dwell on it any longer, Estelle asked another question.

 

“What about the Crown Prince?”

 

The Crown Prince—original Adele’s love interest.

 

And to me, nothing more than a piece of trash who toyed with my life.

 

‘How did the original story go again?’

 

Adele von Este, daughter of Count Este and the Crown Prince’s fiancée. She became jealous when the Crown Prince fell for Estelle, leading her to commit numerous misdeeds and earn the title of villainess.

 

As a result, the Este family was demoted to a Countship, and Adele was exiled from society, her reputation ruined. She ultimately made a tragic choice, and instead of pitying her, the Crown Prince mocked her in front of Estelle, calling her a fool who clung to love.

 

A friend who loved the original story told me that this was the moment they began to hate the Crown Prince, the only male lead they couldn’t stand.

 

‘How did Adele ever fall for someone like him?’

 

I’d never know the answer. No matter how many times I called out to the original Adele after my transmigration, there was no response.

 

Although I now inhabited her body, I had no interest in the Crown Prince whatsoever. Things only changed when I tried to get closer to Estelle.

 

“I... don’t feel much about him anymore.”

 

There was a time when I resented the Crown Prince.

 

When I tried to approach Estelle, he schemed to drive me to my death over and over again. I even hated him as I writhed in the agony of those deaths.

 

But during the first banquet I attended with Abel, I saw the Crown Prince’s childish antics and realized something.

 

Why did I ever waste my energy hating someone so pathetic?

 

The turning point was something Abel had said.

 

‘He’s just a fool.’

 

He was right. Objectively speaking, the Crown Prince was a fool. His sword may have been intimidating, but his clumsy swings were no better than a child’s.

 

Thanks to Abel, I could finally see it clearly. Without him, I might have kept fearing and resenting the Crown Prince.

 

All that for a mere tantrum-throwing child.

 

“I’m glad to hear that. I was a little worried.”

 

“Worried?”

 

Estelle fiddled with her wrist for a moment before slowly opening her mouth in response to my question.

 

“I’ve come to know what the Crown Prince did to you.”

 

She sighed, a faint bitterness in her expression, her amber eyes meeting mine. In those eyes, I saw a mixture of worry and guilt.

 

“His actions were truly cruel.”

 

Cruel.

 

She wasn’t wrong.

 

There were countless assassination attempts, frequent poisonings, and even attempts to erase me using bands of mercenaries.

 

Of course, most of it became undone as I repeated regressions. But that didn’t mean the scars I bore vanished.

 

“I never imagined his idea of ‘protecting me’ would involve that.”

 

...So he’d told Estelle that.

 

What an absurd thing to say. Was it because he didn’t want to be hated by the person he loved?

 

“I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

 

Only now did I understand why Estelle had been so kind to me. Though unintentional, someone had been put in mortal danger because of her existence.

 

The wariness I had held toward her began to ease.

 

“No, there’s no need for that.”

 

This was a matter between me and the Crown Prince. It wasn’t something she could—or should—apologize for.

 

“An apology doesn’t mean anything unless it comes from the person responsible.”

 

“…You’re right. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

 

Her amber eyes widened momentarily at my words, but she quickly nodded in agreement.

 

“It’s all right. None of this is your fault, Estelle.”

 

I shook my head, reassuring her, but she simply smiled faintly without saying more. Was she feeling guilty on my behalf?

 

The person who should be feeling guilty was the Crown Prince, not her.

 

The silence returned. Estelle seemed lost in thought, quietly mulling something over.

 

To shift the atmosphere, I decided to ask a question first.

 

“Um... what do you think of His Majesty the Emperor?”

 

“His Majesty...?”

 

Her expression tensed slightly, and for a moment, I flinched.

 

Who would’ve thought my attempt to change the topic would land on a minefield?

 

Just as I was about to redirect the conversation, Estelle looked at me again.

 

There was something strange in her amber eyes.

 

It wasn’t quite anger—it was too calm for that.

 

It wasn’t hatred—it was too serene.

 

Nor was it sorrow—it was too quiet.

 

Her expression was laced with an ambiguous emotion that I couldn’t quite place.

 

Before I could gather the courage to ask, she spoke first.

 

“Do you know where His Majesty is originally from?”

 

“I’m not sure,” I replied honestly.

 

“The capital of the Kingdom of Prilecha, Arc.”

 

The name sounded familiar. I was sure I’d heard it in a history lesson.

 

“That kingdom... could it be...”

 

“Yes, it was destroyed long ago by the Arie Empire.”

 

The fragmented memory returned. I recalled hearing during one of Allen’s empire history lessons that the Kingdom of Prilecha was once the most powerful kingdom outside the Arie Empire.

 

If I remembered correctly, the Kingdom of Prilecha fell in the Imperial Year 1014, twelve years after the current emperor’s coronation in Imperial Year 1002.

 

Suddenly, something felt off.

 

The current emperor’s birthplace was the Kingdom of Prilecha. But the kingdom was destroyed by the Arie Empire twelve years after he ascended the throne.

 

“Did you figure it out?” Estelle asked, her smile faint but unmistakable.

 

A chill ran down my spine at her expression.

 

“…What are you saying?”

 

The emperor destroyed his own homeland with his own hands? For what reason?

 

No—how did someone born in the Kingdom of Prilecha even become the emperor of the Arie Empire in the first place?

 

“Surely not...”

 

“Shh.”

 

“…Estelle?”

 

“Did that help you figure out anything?” she asked, her smile deepening as she spoke.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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