Episode 2. She’s Seriously Crazy! Is She a Stalker or What?!
Every time I read a romance-fantasy novel, I always had one question.
How does the villainess always manage to show up at the most critical moments?
Every time the male and female leads meet, the villainess would appear as if she had been waiting for it.
Today, I learned that trade secret.
A report monitoring and recording the Emperor’s every single move…
Helena’s seriously insane! Is she a stalker or what?!
Sigh.
I let out a deep breath.
I must’ve taken this all too lightly.
This wasn’t something I could resolve just by deciding not to commit evil deeds anymore.
After all, there were already things the real Helena had set in motion.
Though, something like a report—she could’ve just been told to stop it.
“Your Majesty the Empress, we’ve kept you waiting!”
“Sniff! Please be happy! The task you longed for has finally been completed…!”
The problem was, there weren’t just one or two orders Helena had given.
Ladies-in-waiting suddenly popped up out of nowhere with bright smiles, proudly announcing their achievements.
“We slightly swapped the ingredients being delivered to the Crown Princess’s palace. By now, they must be running to the bathroom in chaos!”
“We quietly replaced Her Highness the Crown Princess’s cosmetics with low-quality ones. Once she finishes her current ones and starts using the new ones…”
“We tampered with the Crown Princess’s shoes. If she happens to go on a walk with His Majesty, the shoes will break and cause her trouble.”
They were simply following the real Helena’s orders—ones I had unknowingly inherited.
Wait a second.
Now that I thought about it, didn’t all of these incidents sound familiar?
Like the heroine getting food poisoning and the male lead staying up all night to take care of her.
Or the heroine’s face suddenly swelling one day and the male lead comforting her, saying it was nothing.
Or while walking in the garden, her shoe breaks and the male lead helps her walk…
Yes. They were all romantic scenes from the original novel.
I thought they just happened because the heroine was frail and delicate.
So that’s what was really going on?
Now I realized—all those scenes were the result of my maids’ undercover operations.
What am I supposed to do with this?
I pressed a hand to my throbbing forehead.
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
Just then, a voice called out to me.
“Is something the matter?”
The ladies-in-waiting asked with concerned voices.
They looked worried, probably afraid something had gone wrong with what they’d done.
Well, there is a problem…
But I couldn’t just scold them without reason.
If they were guilty of anything, it was diligently carrying out Helena’s orders.
Right. It wasn’t really their fault.
This was all on me.
Or more precisely, it was the fault of the villainess Helena who had used these innocent girls.
How did she convince them to be so loyal to her?
“If there’s anything you’re dissatisfied with, please let us know. We’ll fix it right away.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I just have something to think about. Would you give me a moment alone?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Understood.”
The maids bowed politely and exited the room.
Their gloomy expressions made it hard for me not to say something.
“You’ve all worked hard.”
“Yes!”
“Thank you for the compliment!”
They answered with bright smiles.
Now I really couldn’t bring myself to scold them.
That’s right. They had worked hard, so I’ll praise them for now and explain later why they don’t need to do this anymore.
It’s okay.
Things were more complicated than I thought, but I could untangle them one by one.
＊＊＊
“I heard the Crown Princess’s dresses were all torn up like rags.”
Cough, cough!
It happened during a meal with Jerome, the Emperor and my husband.
A sudden, unexpected comment about dresses.
Whew. That came out of nowhere.
I quickly took a sip of cold water to calm my nerves.
Then I looked across the table at Jerome with a surprised expression.
“The Crown Princess’s dresses were ruined? My goodness.”
“…”
“That’s terrible. Who would do such a cruel thing?”
“…”
Haha, there’s no need to stare at me like that.
I know. I’m being shameless right now.
“So… did you catch the culprit?”
I asked calmly, pretending to know nothing until the end.
“Not yet.”
Jerome, resting his chin on one hand, shot another sharp look at me.
“They were extremely thorough in covering their tracks.”
“My word.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
“Unfortunately, I have no clue at all.”
No. Actually, I knew exactly who did it, and that was the problem.
I could clearly picture Mari smiling innocently while holding a pair of scissors.
But I couldn’t just confess that out loud.
Mari, the young lady of Baron de Bon’s family, had a complicated backstory.
Although she held a noble title, she was practically the head of her household—raising her younger siblings after her parents ran off at night, leaving behind gambling debts.
Punishing a girl like her would be too cruel.
Besides, she wouldn’t have done any of this if Helena hadn’t ordered it in the first place.
I’m sorry, heroine.
I was just thinking I should send the Crown Princess a dress from a famous salon sometime…
“Do you really not know?”
Jerome asked again.
He even set down his fork and knife.
His crimson eyes were blazing fiercely as he stared at me.
He was clearly convinced I was the culprit.
At this point, I truly felt wronged.
Why do I have to be on the receiving end of that look?
It’s not like being reincarnated into a villainess is a crime!
Feeling strangely indignant, I snapped back as if angry.
“Are you seriously suspecting me right now?”
“…”
“Come on now. Why would I rip the Crown Princess’s dresses? I haven’t even stepped outside the Empress’s Palace.”
I pleaded my innocence.
And I wasn’t lying.
Except for coming here to eat with him, I truly hadn’t left the palace.
Why bother wandering around when the Empress’s Palace was so cozy?
Though I defended myself strongly, Jerome didn’t seem convinced.
“Then who else could’ve planned something like this?”
“How should I know? Maybe someone else out there holds a grudge against the Crown Princess. Or maybe a rat did it?”
Of course, it was a ridiculous excuse.
Who would dare to tear the Crown Princess’s dresses out of malice?
Search the entire imperial court and you’d find just one person.
Helena.
The heroine had a pure and delicate image.
She was kindhearted and always treated everyone gently.
So naturally, everyone adored her.
Yes. It made sense that Jerome would suspect me, the Empress.
But I couldn’t just admit to it.
It had only been one day since I vowed to stop doing evil.
In times like this, I needed to double down.
“So do you even have any proof that I did it?”
“Isn’t everything you’ve done so far enough? Do I really need more evidence?”
“Well…”
I faltered—because I had done plenty of bad things.
But that was before I got reincarnated into Helena.
“So what you’re saying is… there’s no solid proof it was me.”
I said casually, as if it didn’t concern me.
“Again—I’m telling you, I didn’t do it.”
“…Shameless.”
His expression turned cold.
“If you really can’t trust me, then why don’t we just get a divorce? I’m tired of these pointless accusations.”
It wasn’t just a joke—I meant it.
Helena had committed a mountain of sins, sure, but I couldn’t blame her alone.
Even if it was a political marriage…
What woman could sit idly by while her husband was fixated on another woman from the beginning?
Even if choosing me as Empress was just a way to bring the Crown Princess into the palace…
Whatever the reason, this marriage had been a mistake.
Now that the Crown Princess was here, I could back out anytime.
“Divorce?”
At my bold declaration, Jerome’s entire demeanor changed.
His previously cold and composed eyes suddenly flared with a chilling energy.
Maybe that was why…
The chefs and guards quietly exited the dining hall.
It was only natural for them to vacate the space when the Emperor and Empress argued.
Even the attendants left, leaving only Jerome and me in the spacious hall.
The realization that we were alone in such a large space made me uneasy.
Scrape—
Jerome pushed back his chair and stood up.
Then he walked toward me with steady steps.
His face was expressionless, making him look even more like a sculpture.
A masterpiece sculpted with great care by an artist.
I could now understand why Helena had been so obsessed with him.
But no matter how handsome a statue might be, it’s a different story if it approaches you filled with murderous intent.
I swallowed dryly without realizing it.
Jerome was now right beside me.
He raised his hand.
Was he going to slap me?
I squeezed my eyes shut.
But his hand didn’t touch my cheek—it landed on my shoulder.
“I was worried when you said strange things before. I’m glad you’re okay.”
A soft voice brushed against my ear.
“…!”
My eyes shot open in shock.
Jerome, who had placed a hand on my shoulder, was already walking out of the hall.
“…What the heck?”
Why’s he acting like that all of a sudden?
I stared at his retreating figure in utter confusion.
