~Chapter 40~
“Lady Belmang, we meet again. But about what you just said—are you implying that they are filth, and I am garbage?”
“Oh my, is that how you took it? Even the Crown Princess is human after all—seems your conscience is pricking you.”
So that’s it. She’s saying, if it hurts your conscience, then it must be true, huh?
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Sophienne, emboldened, pressed on.
“I’m only saying this out of concern for you, Your Highness, so please don’t take offense. I’d hate for you to come to serious harm by coveting another woman’s man.”
So now she’s pretending to be kind? Planning to slap another bad reputation onto me?
Petty. Earlier it was brute force—now she’s trying to bury me socially?
I wasn’t backing down. You picked the wrong person to provoke. I’ll make you regret starting this in front of everyone.
I covered my mouth with both hands, sucked in a sharp breath, and shouted in an agitated voice.
“Lady Belmang! Are you calling me a vile, filthy woman who lusts after another’s man?”
“W‑what?”
What’s wrong with her? Sophienne scanned me from head to toe, bewildered. I doubled down on the performance.
“So now you’re cursing me to ruin and a miserable end? How dare you say such things to me, a Crown Princess?”
“Ah…!”
I staggered, clutching my head. The surroundings erupted into chaos.
Between me—someone already burdened with nasty rumors—and Sophienne, who was openly insulting the Crown Princess, the crowd seemed unsure who to believe.
Then I’d better make it very clear: I’m one of them—and she isn’t.
Sophienne was from Belmang. I was a citizen of the Empire, just like them. Wherever you go, the power of shared identity always works.
People are always more lenient toward wrongdoing committed by their own side.
“When did I ever curse you? I only meant that such promiscuous—”
Nope. No time for her to finish.
“Promiscuous! Ah! This is too shocking—I’m faint with distress. How could you utter such vulgar slander? This is an insult to the Imperial family!”
“I’m merely stating facts. Just earlier, weren’t you walking around with a young man at your side?”
“Oh, I see now. Is this all because of Belmang? Are you acting out of vengeance, maliciously trying to drag down the authority of the Imperial family? Promiscuous, you say!”
I deliberately repeated her word.
I beat my chest with my fist, and several unfamiliar ladies rushed over to restrain me. Sophienne’s face twisted in fury. I subtly stepped back.
Belmang was a sore spot for her—one that made her fists itch.
But if she threw a punch here, she’d turn everyone against her without excuse.
Thinking I was dizzy, several women supported me.
“Your Highness, please calm yourself. Don’t let the words of such a lowborn woman sway you.”
“Yes, it must all be made up.”
I shook my head slowly.
“No. You all know this already, don’t you? Even His Majesty the Emperor has three consorts. Ah—so what she really meant was that His Majesty, who took three wives to ensure imperial heirs, is promiscuous!”
I smoothly redirected the insult aimed at me—straight onto the Emperor.
Anyone who thought about it for even a moment would realize how absurd my logic was. But I didn’t give them time to think.
“How dare she call His Majesty promiscuous!”
“Are all women of Belmang like this?!”
“Shouldn’t she be arrested for lèse-majesté?”
As the uproar grew, Sophienne’s face flushed red. She screamed in outrage.
“This is absurd sophistry! You were clearly with Ves—!”
“Crown Prince Vessus, you mean?”
I widened my eyes as though eagerly awaiting her answer.
But Sophienne clamped her mouth shut. She couldn’t say it.
If she implicated me with the Crown Prince, she’d damage not only my reputation—but Vessus’s authority as well.
And Sophienne, who loved his status even more than the man himself, would never allow that.
She realized too late that she’d trapped herself. Her mouth hung open stupidly. I walked toward her slowly.
“It’s all a misunderstanding. So please stop insulting our Empire. And one more thing.”
I smiled faintly—so faint only she could see it.
Then I reached out and gently closed her jaw for her.
“Close your mouth. A lady should behave with elegance.”
Wow. I’m so considerate—I even close mouths for people.
Sophienne slapped my hand away. I leaned in and whispered into her ear.
“And this—I truly mean it. Even if you gave Vessus to me, I wouldn’t take him. So don’t come whining to me. Keep an eye on your precious Crown Prince instead.”
Sophienne glared at me.
Her round cheeks were flushed crimson. She spoke in a sharp, cutting voice.
“Fine. No one believes me. But what about Lord Étienne? He knows everything. Are you so confident even before him?”
That hit home.
In truth, Étienne didn’t seem pleased about my involvement with Vessus. And we’d argued just this morning.
If he sided against me now, I’d lose whatever trust I had left.
I glanced toward where Étienne had been standing.
Huh? Where did he go?
“I suppose you’re curious about my opinion.”
At the sudden voice, the crowd instinctively parted.
He walked forward. Though standing at the center of the storm, he hadn’t lost a shred of his noble aura.
“Prince Étienne. Yes, I’d like to hear your thoughts. Do you truly believe my words are lies?”
Relief returned to Sophienne’s face. I fidgeted, watching Étienne anxiously.
Please don’t doubt me. Please.
“I want to kill you.”
The hall fell dead silent at the murderous declaration.
…Please spare me.
I nearly dropped to my knees on the spot.
If I insisted it wasn’t true, would he believe me? Would he even listen? Still—wanting to kill me was a bit much, wasn’t it?
“Dahlia is not someone you may suspect or insult at will.”
His voice was cold enough to freeze the air.
And everyone realized then—those words weren’t directed at me, but at her.
The suspicious gazes that had been fixed on me vanished instantly.
Not my husband? So what? I’ve got nothing to hide!
Étienne pulled me toward him, drawing me close, his arm wrapping around my waist.
Sophienne looked back and forth between us. Confusion flickered in her lovely golden eyes.
After a moment, her lips twitched. She bowed her head.
“…I was mistaken. I apologize.”
With Étienne clearly on my side, she must have realized there was nothing to gain by continuing.
Whew. It’s over.
I calmed my racing heart.
I really am terrible at fighting.
But even as relief washed over me, my thoughts grew tangled.
Étienne protected me again. Does he truly trust me?
Instead of joy, fear crept in. I was afraid I’d start leaning on his kindness again.
“Apologize to Dahlia.”
Étienne adjusted his grip on my hand.
I stared at it blankly.
Oh right. Now’s not the time to stand around.
My plan.
“Étienne, that’s enough. Let go of my hand.”
I spoke as coldly as I could.
With everyone’s attention focused on us, it was the perfect moment to carry out what we’d agreed on.
Maybe that was why he’d appeared now in the first place.
No—not maybe. Almost certainly. That was the nature of our relationship. Always had been. Always would be.
“I told you not to interfere in my affairs. Why are you doing this? Please don’t cross the line!”
I deliberately raised my voice so everyone could hear.
Gasps sounded around us. It was only natural—publicly humiliating a prince like this was unheard of.
I quickly signaled with my eyes.
Now. The plan. Time to draw out my accomplice.
But whether he understood or not, he only looked at me with calm, sunken eyes.
“Dahlia.”
Go on. Insult me. Show everyone that what we have is worth less than a rag.
“Are you okay?”
His voice was low and steady. My head rang.
Why say that? In that tone—like he was genuinely worried?
The resolve I’d forced into place wavered again. It felt like someone was poking at my heart.
No. Don’t. Think of last night. Don’t expect anything. In the end, it’ll mean nothing again.
“Don’t concern yourself with me! You hate me, don’t you? So stop pretending. You know it—I didn’t marry you because I wanted to. If I could, I’d disappear from your sight this instant. So let go of my hand.”
I pulled my hand free.
Maybe I’d gotten too immersed in the act. My eyes stung with tears.
I guess I really do have talent for acting.
I forced myself to think lightly, to change my mindset.
“I’m sorry.”
I looked up in shock.
Étienne’s deep blue eyes were trembling. It felt as though the turmoil in his heart was spilling out toward me.
For a moment, I was speechless.
Why… why are you apologizing? Why now? What about our plan?
My head filled with question marks.
I didn’t know what he was sorry for—but now wasn’t the time to ask.
Suppressing my racing heart, I decided to carry out the rest of the plan on my own.
I’d already shown that our relationship was strained. All that remained was to let slip the part about the magic document.
The document proving that Vessus wasn’t of imperial blood—that his silver hair was fake.
Others wouldn’t understand its significance. But my accomplice would.
I deliberately raised my voice.
“I’ll return the magic research document to Étienne as promised. So you don’t need to treat me like this because of it.”
Before my words had even finished, someone stepped between Étienne and me.
Étienne’s face darkened.
“Étienne, stop it. Dahlia is hurting.”
It was Vessus.
