Helene stood before Count Queensguard, seeking another path.
She believed there was still something to bargain with, as he hadn’t lost his appreciation for the value of lineage.
However, contrary to her expectations, the Count only responded with utter coldness.
“Why would I, when there’s an excellent replacement for you?”
Count Queensguard was a man interested in nothing but his own gain. He only showed patience as a privilege to his daughter.
Helene steadied her wavering heart and lifted her chin, while the Count scanned his daughter with indifferent eyes.
“All I can offer you is a remarriage in a distant foreign land, or finding you a well-equipped monastery.”
‘Does he not care that I could expose Cynthia’s secret?’
Helene forcibly swallowed the words that threatened to escape her lips.
Threats would be useless against his coldness, and she might not even leave the Queensguard estate safely.
“Father, why wasn’t it me? You were going to give Carlos the position of head of the family, and the Duke the authority of a monarch. You were going to give Edford a place in the oil business, weren’t you? Why am I just a tool to be used in a marriage deal?”
She was furious that her situation was no different from Cynthia’s, but the Count remained cold and ruthless.
“Because you are clever, yet the most incompetent.”
Could cleverness and incompetence coexist in one person? Helene felt a lump forming in her chest.
“Even though I gave you more, you don’t know how to use it. As a result, you’ve become a foolish person who was defeated by a maid.”
The Count, having explained why she was useless, continued.
“Whether the royal bloodline is real or fake, it doesn’t matter. You failed to gain recognition from the world even with the most advantageous conditions.”
She felt as though her last line of defense had crumbled. The taste of iron filled her mouth as she bit down on her lip.
“The one who destroyed the royal family was the Princess’s father. The Queensguard knight wanted Princess Margarita so badly. Sounds like a fairy tale, doesn’t it? But reality is a tragedy.”
Helene, recalling Capitano’s words, gave a hollow laugh.
“I am my father’s daughter, so I must be like him too.”
Helene knew instinctively. The method of destroying and taking away, inherited from her father.
“No.”
Count Queensguard shook his head.
“You’re just like your mother.”
Mother?
Helene, who was about to leave, paused.
To her father, Princess Margarita was a sacred and inviolable being.
Most who dared to criticize her in his presence did not fare well.
But had her father ever made such an unpleasant expression when talking about her mother?
‘Well, the way he never met another woman after her death and packaged it as a love of the century must be fake too. That man has the ability to make the fake seem real.’
She brushed aside the fleeting sense of unease and left the study.
Ironically, she felt a strange sense of liberation.
She no longer cared about the pride or dignity of a princess that she had maintained all along.
‘This isn’t the end. I hold a card that can destroy everything.’
She thought that her enemy might have been her father from the beginning.
***
I was on a train with Masera, heading to Nox.
We were going to meet Count Hert, a local power in Diem.
As time passed, the scenery outside the window became monotonous, and an endless snowfield spread out like a blank canvas.
“Lady Cynthia, are you feeling alright?”
Dahlia, who had followed me, was very worried about me. She thought I was living a perfect life, with passionate marital bliss with Masera at night and enthusiastic tennis practice during the day.
Masera, who had been focused on the newspaper, glanced at me.
“Are you not feeling well?”
He pretended to be indifferent, but there was concern in his eyes.
Recently, he had been acting like his old aloof cat self, but he was subtly hovering around me, watching me, or waiting for me to speak to him first.
I smiled, pretending not to notice.
“What? I’m fine.”
He rustled the newspaper and nodded.
“I just thought you were overdoing it with tennis practice lately.”
“There’s someone I want to beat.”
There was a snort-like sound from behind the newspaper.
“Are you trying to get a wish ticket? It won’t be easy.”
His tone implied that he was absolutely confident he wouldn’t lose.
Couldn’t he let me win?
I glared at him resentfully and bit into the sandwich that the kitchen staff had carefully prepared.
Afterwards, we transferred to a car sent by Count Hert and soon arrived in Nox.
I had thought it would be nothing but a desolate wasteland, but it had already taken the form of a decent town.
No, it was closer to a small new city. Every building was a work of art.
“Wow, they built this so quickly?”
I leaned out the car window, looking around.
“They could build a royal palace in a year.”
Masera said, pressing down on my fur hat, which was about to be blown off by the wind.
Their technology is no joke. The fact that the buildings in the capital were unharmed even during the recent major earthquake was all thanks to their technology.
We were getting closer to the town when it happened.
[♥Welcome Princess of Luck and War Hero♥]
I covered my mouth when I saw the banner hanging at the entrance of the town.
“Wh-who did such a thing…”
Who on earth planned such a shameful event?
I glanced at Masera, who quickly averted his eyes.
The residents who had successfully settled in Nox gathered and began to welcome us.
“Princess, we were able to avoid the avalanche and stay safe thanks to you.”
“We were worried about where to go after being driven out of Diem, but thank you so much.”
They kept handing me food through the open car window, and my lap was soon filled with steamed corn and sweet potatoes.
“Ooh, thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
An old woman stuffed my mouth full of egg bread, and I waved to the residents with my cheeks bulging.
***
When we arrived at Count Hert’s residence, the Count and his wife greeted us. Their first impression was that of a kind middle-aged couple.
“The mansion isn’t fully built yet, so it’s humble, but we’ve done our best to prepare everything so that your stay is comfortable.”
Unlike the excessively ornate mansions of ordinary nobles, Count Hert’s residence was neat and practical.
The aesthetics of restraint, truly befitting a family of renowned architects, ahead of their time.
We had a dinner banquet with Count Hert and his wife, expressing our gratitude and discussing Nox.
The rapid generation of oil revenue in Nox was also thanks to the residents and Count Hert.
After the conversation related to the business ended, Count Hert cautiously brought up a topic.
“I once thought that Princess Helene might be the true heir to the royal family.”
The Count’s eyes sank low, as if he had experienced great heartbreak and disappointment.
The Count’s wife placed her hand on the back of his hand with a sorrowful expression and spoke instead.
“We had a sense of pride that only ‘Diem people’ have. Long ago, the people of Diem helped the Snow Queen build the barrier and defend against enemy countries. Diem was recognized for its contribution to the victory and became a royal demesne, not subject to the rule of a lord. That day’s victory was our glory that would be remembered far into the future.”
‘What they lost wasn’t just their homeland. Helene erased their long-standing pride and glory.’
I carefully chose my words and smiled.
“I believe that people are more valuable than gold. Someday, I will help you regain your glory.”
The Count and his wife looked at me with surprised eyes. There seemed to be many thoughts passing through their minds during the brief silence.
“…Thank you.”
After dinner, Count Hert came to the guest room where we were staying.
“There is something I would like to give to the Princess. Originally, I was going to give it to the Duchess…”
In his hand was a luxurious music box, bearing the marks of time.
“It was a gift that my ancestor gave to the young Crown Princess long ago, and the last owner of the music box was Princess Margarita.”
He stroked the music box once.
“Before the revolution, Princess Margarita entrusted it to me. It was broken.”
