Chapter 51
“Why is that a problem?”
Marien screamed.
“If you love someone, isn’t it natural to want to protect them? To shield them? Isn’t that kind of feeling normal…?”
These weren’t crocodile tears, not an act of pity.
She cried the way only someone who realized they had truly hit rock bottom could cry—desperate tears soaking her cheeks in ruin.
“I couldn’t help it. I didn’t have the strength to escape my father on my own… That’s why…”
Asel responded coldly.
“So what you’re saying is: the Princess is someone who can only survive with the help of others?”
“Of course—”
“Do you think someone like that has what it takes to be the Crown Princess?”
Asel’s merciless question silenced Marien.
“What do you think the role of Crown Princess is? Just a beautiful doll sitting next to a man of power in the Empire?”
“……”
“No. That’s not what I need.”
Asel’s voice was firm.
“I want someone who can see what I see, say what I say, someone who thinks for themselves and has intelligence.”
He wasn’t looking for a decorative figure, but a partner.
That’s when Marien broke completely.
She had lived her whole life in the kingdom being told to obey.
And Laura?
Laura thought for herself, fought for herself, and clawed her way to Asel’s side.
They were different from birth.
‘How could I ever beat someone like that…?’
That’s when Marien finally realized:
‘I was destined to lose from the beginning.’
From the moment she was Marien, and Laura was Laura—this was already decided.
Asel looked at the collapsed Marien and called the knights.
“There’s nothing more to say. Take her away.”
After the knights were gone.
Left in the quiet hallway, Asel let out a long sigh.
“I’m ashamed. You’ve suffered so much because of the Princess.”
“……”
“I understand if you resent me. I couldn’t protect you.”
Even if it was due to diplomatic reasons, the truth was Laura had suffered because of that woman.
Asel apologized, but Laura’s concern was elsewhere.
“Your face… Are you okay?”
Marien had struck him with full force, and his cheek was severely swollen.
“Well, at least I was the one hit. Now we can use this to negotiate better terms with the kingdom.”
It was a reasonable statement.
A royal princess striking the Crown Prince was a massive scandal.
Still…
“When did you become so… calculating?”
Was this really the man she knew?
“Calculating? I’ve always been like this. I move for the Empire’s interest.”
He said it shamelessly.
But with his swollen cheek, even his defiance didn’t seem dignified.
Laura was speechless but knew Asel was only saying this to ease her burden. Because of that—
“Thank you.”
More than any complicated words, she conveyed her most sincere feelings.
And Asel—
“…Yeah.”
He replied after a long pause, his neck red with emotion.
Slowly, the sun began to set.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the eastern estate, the Duke slammed his desk upon hearing the report.
“That woman dares to ruin my plans again!”
The desk cracked under the force of his rage. Items scattered, and the sample treatment given to Marien shattered, staining the documents.
It wasn’t just that Laura had survived the epidemic zone—what infuriated him was the shift in public opinion.
Laura not only created a cure but also turned the entire situation in her and Asel’s favor.
The Duke couldn’t stand it.
He had set a trap, but they had turned it against him.
“……”
After venting his anger, the Duke asked his aide about Marien’s whereabouts.
He planned to dispose of her—useless pieces needed discarding.
“She’s dead?”
Marien had already died.
“Someone else did it?”
“No, sir. It seems she took her own life.”
Despite her crimes, Marien was still a foreign royal.
Asel had sent all her crimes—including the assault—back to her father, the King of Arrieta, and requested their response.
The King asked that she be returned to their country for punishment, separate from any reparations due to the Empire.
Upon hearing that, Marien made her fatal choice.
“A royal so afraid to return home—it’s laughable.”
The Duke scoffed.
She had been confident walking into the investigation room, yet couldn’t bear returning to her homeland.
What could be so terrifying in Arrieta?
Of course, it was no longer his concern. Marien was dead, and couldn’t speak anymore.
More bothersome now was the other side.
Sensing his master’s mood, the subordinate cautiously asked:
“Shall we send an assassin to Lady Lweyze?”
It was an option the Duke had considered many times.
Eliminate the problem at its root.
“Not yet.”
Laura wasn’t just protected by Asel now—she had the support of the people.
Assassinating her in this climate would be too risky.
‘Still, it’s fortunate. With Marien dead, our spy in the palace won’t be exposed.’
The Duke stared at the report, then flipped to the next page.
Marien hadn’t come to the Empire alone.
She had brought her maid, another citizen of Arrieta who was set to return home.
He tapped the maid’s name with a fingernail.
‘Perhaps…’
The Duke stopped his thoughts and handed the document to his aide.
“Find out what happened to this maid.”
There was likely more than one card Arrieta had played.
* * *
“Master.”
Knock knock.
“Master?”
“……”
“May I come in… no, I’m coming in anyway.”
Angel’s butler, after knocking several times, finally opened the door.
His master sat in the same position as yesterday, staring blankly at the desk.
Even though he was on leave, he still wore his imperial knight uniform, buttoned to the top.
In the corner, last night’s dinner remained untouched.
The butler sighed as he picked up the tray.
The food was completely untouched—no sign it had even been sampled.
Angel had been like this for four days.
He had returned home like usual, then suddenly filed for leave and turned into a lifeless statue.
Not working, not resting.
He was like a broken man.
“Please, at least eat something. You’ll harm your health.”
“I will.”
At least he responded. That was something.
The butler swallowed another sigh and quietly left the room.
Only after the door closed did Angel exhale and shut his eyes.
He knew he was being irrational—but couldn’t stop.
–A part of your memory is returning.
That voice echoed in his mind.
[Is it so important that I’m not the villainess? That I’m not who you thought I was?]
[You always saw me as a villain from the beginning.]
[You treated me like I was some parasite feeding off your lord.]
[I didn’t say this to get an apology. It’s not about whining over pain.]
[It’s just… Sir, I’m tired. That’s all.]
Like remembering a long-forgotten childhood memory, the fragments of her voice tormented him.
He was confused, drowning in regret over the image of a girl he had tried to forget.
