~Chapter 37~
“Ugh…”
I rubbed my swollen eyes open. The room was already bright. I moved my heavy body like starting an old motorcycle.
Then, an unwelcome voice rang out.
“Get up.”
I jerked upright at Étienne’s command.
What the…? I got up automatically without a single thought.
Humiliating. Am I Pavlov’s dog or something?
A long-buried sense of pride suddenly sprang up inside me.
I was boiling with anger.
After what happened last night, he threw me to the floor?
Unbelievable! And now he’s giving orders the moment I wake up?
“Sleep well?”
“No? How could I, after being kicked off the bed and sleeping on the sofa…?”
Huh? Wait, why is the sofa here?
I looked around. I was sitting on the bed, wrapped in a blanket.
I scratched my nose.
When did I get here?
No matter how I thought about it, I had no memory of moving to this place.
Does Dalia sleepwalk? No. Even if I had sneaked in, Étienne wouldn’t just let it happen.
“You snored a lot for someone who didn’t sleep well,” Étienne said nonchalantly, almost teasing.
He looked perfectly put-together as if he’d just woken up. Even that annoyed me.
So you slept soundly in the bed, got up early, and even tidied yourself. Ha!
I quickly smoothed out my messy hair.
It stuck out in all directions as if I’d been headbanging to a fast drum rhythm all night. My hair always did this on days like this!
As I pressed down the strands that kept springing up, Étienne placed a plate right in front of my nose.
“Eat.”
The plate held lightly grilled pancakes, plump sausages, and fresh fruit.
Despite the tempting appearance, I had no desire to eat. Surprisingly, it felt very uncharacteristic of me.
As I stared blankly, Étienne plucked a grape and placed it in my mouth.
Just yesterday, he had thrown me out at will.
I bit into the grape he had entered my mouth without permission. Sweet and tart, but it didn’t improve my mood.
“Something wrong?”
No. I’m fine. Thank you.
I wanted to respond, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“…Did you really hate it that much?”
“Hate what?”
“That I touched your face a little. So much that you kicked me out. You could have just told me.”
I couldn’t look at him, so I kept crumpling and smoothing out the blanket.
I shouldn’t be saying this. I’m not in a position to. So why does my mouth keep moving on its own?
“Are you calling that talking? Don’t ever do that again. Are you fearless, or thoughtless? Do you do this to others too? To Versus?”
“Why is Versus being brought up here? Fine! I’m neither fearless nor thoughtless! Does a little touch ruin your face? I’m terribly sorry! That I, a lowly person, dared to fondle your precious face! Hmph… If you hated it that much, you should have just given me a separate room from the start! So petty!”
“Petty?”
Étienne’s eyes widened as if he had just heard the most absurd thing.
You’re the only one with big eyes! Mine are bigger!
I matched his gaze, widening my eyes.
“Yes! Petty! Stingy! Flea’s hind leg!”
His hand trembled in shock.
This isn’t right. I might have gone too far. Calm down, mouth!
But once my words started running wild, they wouldn’t stop. I fired another shot before he could respond.
“Fine! I’ll personally ask for another room starting today! Perfect! I was supposed to act out a fight anyway, but now I can pour my real feelings into it. Hmph!”
I stomped my feet deliberately and left the room.
“Ah! Am I crazy?”
Less than thirty minutes after leaving the room, I was tearing at my hair, pacing the garden back and forth.
Technically, I had been the one to bother Étienne first while he was sleeping.
And he had only given me a month. So I was absolutely subordinate. A small mistake, and I could be divorced immediately…
But why can’t I control myself like this…? I’m so angry. Why? It’s not like Étienne has only done this once or twice. I’ve heard worse things before…
In my hand, an innocent flower petal crumpled.
If I wanted to avoid divorce, I should go apologize immediately.
But I didn’t want to! Ugh, this is driving me insane.
Was my pride really that strong? I’m not the type to value pride over survival.
Then why was he being so nice to me? Why did he keep me by his side every day? Why did he insist on sharing the same room? Making people misunderstand…
I guess deep down, I hoped he might have grown attached to me, or even developed feelings beyond that.
I knelt down and hung my head. A butterfly gently landed on the hair that had slipped over my shoulders.
Its pink color, similar to the flowers, made it sway among my strands.
I laughed to myself.
“Yeah, this butterfly and I are the same. Étienne can’t give me honey anyway. I had unrealistic expectations.”
I shooed the butterfly away. It fluttered and returned to a nearby flower.
Seeing that calmed me down.
“Yeah, I need to apologize. He’s the one supporting me, so there’s no reason to be upset. I just need to stay by Étienne’s side and eat steak… But I’ll eat a lot. Expensive ones. Sirloin, tenderloin, ribeye, chuck roll!”
With that resolution, I stood up.
I couldn’t linger here forever.
The Empress’s birthday banquet was tomorrow, but today had its own party: the eve celebration.
Every year, they made a fuss over the birthday.
But the nobles, having no hardships, lived for these parties. So, in a way, it was their form of welfare.
Sigh. I should get ready. We had to attend.
Then, someone suddenly appeared behind me.
“Dalia, what are you doing here alone?”
“Versus?”
I hesitated and stepped back. Versus had a gentle expression.
“Did you rest well yesterday?”
Ah, right.
Memories of the embarrassing night flashed through my mind.
Thanks to Étienne’s strange words, Versus probably thinks I bathed with Étienne! And spent the night in the same bed!
In reality, I was thrown far away just for touching his nose.
I tried to shake off the bitter feeling.
“Well, so-so.”
“Dalia, you’re sensitive at night and can’t share a bed with someone else anyway.”
…How does he even know about other women’s sleeping habits?
“The carriage ride must have been tiring.”
I laughed awkwardly.
“Do you want me to prepare a separate room today?”
I hesitated. I didn’t want to ask Versus that. But I didn’t want to share a bed with Étienne either.
I nodded.
Versus reached out and patted the back of my head. Like praising a dog.
Should I push him away? Or not?
While I was pondering, a round face appeared beside Versus.
A woman with neatly braided blonde hair.
She studied me with her large eyes.
I stared back, dumbfounded. Why… she was so beautiful.
Can someone really have eyes that big?
Her small, oval face had huge golden eyes sparkling brightly.
Her skin glowed softly, like dusted with pearl powder, and her plump red lips were full of life.
An unreal beauty that disrupted all sense of balance…
I recognized her immediately.
The heroine, Sophienne.
Wow. Incredible.
My chest swelled with excitement.
And that dress she was wearing!
I know it!
A pale pink party dress with a subtle sheen, like it had stepped out of a novel.
The dress crafted by Natan would make Sophienne’s presence shine at tonight’s eve party.
And I’d rake in the money, hehe.
“Versus? Who’s this?”
Sophienne smiled, revealing her perfectly aligned teeth.
Even her voice was beautiful.
I suppressed my fangirl excitement, clasping my hands together.
Sophienne was a polarizing character. Those who disliked her couldn’t get past the first episode, while those captivated followed her until the last.
She was called the “Unique Madwoman of the Heroine World.”
Despite her princess-like appearance, her behavior was bold.
If she wanted something, she never held back. Her approach to Versus was a calculated scheme to regain lost power.
She was ruthless to the so-called “villains 1, 2, 3” approaching Versus. Scenes where she kicked anyone’s shins regardless of status or age were satisfying enough to make me cheer uncontrollably.
Fans who survived the early episodes became known as “Sophimoms.”
I was one of them.
“This is Dalia. We’ve talked before, right?”
Versus? Talking about me? To Sophienne? I’m overwhelmed!
“Dalia, this is Sophienne Belman.”
Sophienne bowed slightly in response.
Versus didn’t add any explanation. Her name said it all.
Belman was a neighboring small kingdom.
Belman had a more advanced culture than Ledona, but ultimately couldn’t resist Ledona’s dominance and surrendered.
In short, she was a princess of a fallen kingdom.
“Nice to meet you.”
I couldn’t hide my excitement and smiled brightly.
Honestly, I was more thrilled than when I met Étienne or Versus.
I took the opportunity to observe Sophienne closely.
Ah, so pretty. So cute. How is she like this? Even more perfect than in the book!
If the word “princess” took human form, it would be her.
Versus has high standards. No wonder he’s immune even to me…
“…Yes, nice to meet you.”
Sophienne spoke with a stiff expression.
