Chapter 13
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In Elena’s memories, Pdea was often someone she had tea with or shared small talk with.
What was special was that Claire and Pdea were childhood friends, so Elena wanted to grow closer too.
But at some point, Pdea suddenly turned cold.
It felt like just yesterday they used to talk, yet it all disappeared in a moment.
Elena thought it was all because of her.
There were even rumors that Pdea was ashamed of Elena, and the young ladies around Pdea influenced her too.
<“Lady Elena, did you not hear the dress code? That outfit doesn’t suit this gathering.”>
<“I’ll only eat this much. Paying attention to one’s figure is basic, after all.”>
<“Yes, I should stop too. Lady Elena, you’ll keep eating, right? You look like you don’t care about such things, since you eat so heartily.”>
The girls around Pdea picked on Elena for the smallest things.
They exaggerated her little actions until Elena grew more and more withdrawn.
Still, Elena tried to restore her relationship with Pdea.
She polished herself up and tried to be kind to Pdea’s circle.
She believed then Pdea would look at her again.
But it had no effect. The more she tried, the more they ignored her.
Then one day, near Pdea’s birthday, Elena’s hair was yanked hard.
<“You took it. Elena, you—you…!”>
All Elena had done was ask if there was a gift she wanted.
But Pdea snapped and grew violent.
<“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?”>
Her eyes turned red, and she hurled harsh words at Elena.
The one who stopped her was Claire.
Claire warned Pdea never to speak to Elena again and wrapped an arm around Elena’s shoulder.
Elena clutched her pounding heart and secretly glanced at Pdea.
Her expression looked despairing.
That despair unsettled Elena.
If Pdea had just shouted in anger, it wouldn’t have lingered.
But the way she froze at Claire’s words was strange.
It was like someone who had everything, but whose world had just collapsed.
Yet after that day, as Pdea bullied her more, Elena forgot about that moment.
Whenever she saw Pdea, fear always came first.
‘But why… why am I remembering that day now?’
Elena’s tear-streaked face twisted.
After receiving an apology, that buried memory of Pdea’s despair resurfaced.
Why had Pdea frozen like that, with such a face?
After crying for a long time, Elena slowly pulled back from Pdea’s embrace.
She wanted to know if today’s Pdea also regretted apologizing and felt despair.
Even knowing her face was a mess, Elena looked at Pdea.
There was no despair—only something close to blankness.
“How is it that you still look pretty even when crying?”
Pdea gave her a small compliment, half joke, half truth.
Elena flinched at the warmth brushing her cheek, then instinctively turned her head away.
She worried her tear-streaked face was dirty.
But Pdea brushed her cheek and eyes again and again, as if dirt didn’t exist.
Elena turned back, and when she met Pdea’s face again, she thought she saw gentleness.
Her expression was the same as before, yet it felt different.
Elena bit her lip softly.
There had been times she resented Pdea, but she had also missed her.
Before their relationship soured, she knew Pdea had at least tried to reach out.
And Elena had been grateful for that.
Claire had said that after a certain incident, Pdea stopped caring much about others.
Elena trembled as she held Pdea’s hand that was wiping her tears.
“…Um, Grand Duke’s daughter.”
Her voice was shaky from crying.
She tried to steady it, worried Pdea might not understand her unclear words.
“Because of me, you couldn’t hold today’s tea party…”
Her weak voice embarrassed her, but she didn’t stop.
“…If you don’t mind, would you have one with me instead?”
Elena sniffled but spoke with determination.
“…A tea time, I mean…”
Since Pdea had apologized and reached out, Elena decided to be brave too.
If she only accepted the apology and left it there, Pdea would be isolated in society.
The other young ladies wouldn’t stay quiet—they’d spread stories, whether true or not.
Remembering the past, Elena didn’t really want to help…
But she couldn’t leave Pdea alone.
Being alone in society was unbearably harsh.
‘I know. I went through it myself.’
Elena too had suffered malicious rumors.
But Claire and Jay had been there for her, and she endured.
Without them, she might have never left her mansion again.
But Pdea?
Elena could imagine her suffering under rumors, but not anyone staying at her side.
Even Claire, her childhood friend, no longer wanted to see her.
So Elena felt yet another reason why she had to step closer.
There was no one else to help her.
And that was why Elena had come to the tea party today.
She had worried Pdea might be sitting alone.
Meanwhile, Pdea blinked in surprise.
Elena’s invitation was unexpected.
She had assumed that if they were to meet again, it would be because she herself begged for it.
‘…So this is why Jay was so shocked.’
Jay was also a kind soul, but Elena seemed even more so.
In fact, the novel described Jay being in awe of Elena’s kindness—calling it compassion beyond his own.
Even he could not embrace others as she did.
That was why, wanting to become better, Jay grew closer to Elena… and fell in love with her.
Pdea half understood Jay’s feelings now.
It wasn’t easy to approach someone who had tormented you.
‘And she must know too that staying away from me would be better for her.’
Pdea herself expected the young ladies to hold malice against Elena.
But that was also what she wanted.
If society buzzed only with talk of her, then Elena would finally be free of gossip.
And, along the way, news would spread that the Grand Duke’s daughter, Pdea, had changed.
She hoped Jay would hear it too.
So Elena could have just sat back and enjoyed watching Pdea be torn apart in society.
If that wasn’t enough, she could have exposed more of Pdea’s wrongs.
But instead, Elena chose the harder path.
She embraced everything and reached out to Pdea.
‘So the heroine is the heroine, after all.’
Watching Elena, Pdea thought—being the heroine wasn’t something just anyone could be.
And that was why Jay, no matter how hard he tried, could only ever be the second male lead.
“…Alright. I’ll wait for you.”
Pdea smiled and agreed.
There was no reason to refuse seeing Elena again.
Restoring their bond meant getting closer to Jay too.
But when Elena saw her genuine smile up close, she quickly lowered her head.
It was the first time she had seen her smile, and it was so beautiful.
If Pdea asked whether that alone was why she wanted tea time with her, Elena might spill every other reason too.
She bit her lips tightly, afraid she might really blurt it out.
That other reason was too ridiculous compared to the rest, so she wanted to keep it hidden.
Yet deep down, she felt it was the most rightful reason.
“I’ll send you a letter. …Let’s talk a lot then.”
Elena closed her eyes tightly and leaned carefully against Pdea’s chest.
She didn’t want to see that dangerously beautiful face again.
A soft sigh slipped from her lips.
Yes, Pdea was too warm.
Too warm to leave alone in the cold words of society.
Elena couldn’t leave her by herself.
That was the “ridiculous but rightful” reason she had found.
