Chapter : 11
I thought the original story was over, but—Episode 11
After running myself ragged all day and finishing dinner, I returned to my room and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
“Am I actually losing weight?”
…It kind of feels like my jawline’s gotten sharper. Or has it? Maybe it’s just my imagination.
Even though I look at myself every day, I can’t tell, so I collapsed onto the bed. My whole body throbbed with muscle soreness.
Lying there, sleep slowly crept over me. Just as I was about to drift off, someone knocked on my door.
“Miss Tina, may I come in?”
No. I’m tired. I need to sleep to grow taller.
…Though it’s a bit early to use that excuse. Checking the time, it was just around 8:30 p.m.
Normally, I’d be wide awake and having fun at this hour, but maybe because my body’s younger now, sleep came early. The growth period is scary.
“Mm.”
I answered while hugging my pillow and burying my face in it.
It was a small voice, but somehow they heard me. Soon, I heard the maid open the door and come in.
“Sorry to disturb you so late, miss.”
“It’s fine. What is it?”
Half-asleep, I replied to the maid’s voice by the bedside.
“An invitation arrived for you, Miss Tina. Since the date is tomorrow, I thought I had to deliver it to you right away.”
“…At this hour?”
“Yes.”
At her words, my half-asleep mind slowly woke up.
An invitation? What kind of rude nonsense is this?
A letter arriving at this hour meant someone sent it in great haste. And the invitation date being tomorrow?
Usually, when sending invitations, it was polite to allow at least a week—typically two. Nobles had many troublesome procedures to go through for even a single outing.
Sending an invitation for an event happening the very next day almost felt like they were deliberately trying to mess with me.
Or maybe they truly hadn’t thought it through. Or maybe they simply didn’t care.
As far as I knew, there was only one person around me who could get away with being this reckless.
“Don’t tell me…”
I examined the invitation I’d been handed. A golden imperial crest was stamped on it. The sender—just as I suspected—was Leopold.
…What on earth is this bastard thinking?
It felt like watching a crazed bulldozer charging ahead without a care for anything in its path.
The next day, I had to get ready as soon as dawn broke. Being summoned back to the imperial palace without explanation just two days after my last visit—had I done something wrong?
I wasn’t the only one flustered by this bolt from the blue. The maids at the estate were just as panicked.
“We don’t have a dress suitable to wear—this is a problem.”
“This one’s too plain for the palace, and this one you wore the day before yesterday—”
The viscount’s household had already been struggling financially by this point. Which was why, in the future, they’d sell me off in a match to a ducal house.
Staring blankly at my reflection in the mirror, I recalled what had happened at the palace the day before yesterday.
‘Your Majesty the Empress, may I invite her to the palace from time to time?’
Leopold had said that clearly, looking up at the Empress with a challenging gaze. At the time, I thought he was just using me in his power struggle with her.
But surely “from time to time” didn’t mean every other day like this?
If that were the case, the viscount’s household—already on the brink of ruin—would go bankrupt. And it would all be because of my dresses and jewelry.
What an ugly end for a noble house.
I had to do something.
To prevent my contract marriage with Asad five years from now, restoring the viscount’s finances was the most urgent task.
Back then too, I’d been married off to a ducal house because of money.
I was sick to death of political marriages. As the saying goes, you can’t make the same mistake twice.
Anyway, the political marriage was five years away. The immediate problem was that I had nothing to wear to the palace today.
Honestly, since the host was Leopold anyway, wouldn’t it be fine to go in my pajamas? That thought crossed my mind—but given a noble’s pointless obsession with appearances, that was impossible.
I absolutely couldn’t let it show that the viscount’s household was struggling financially.
Thanks to the maids’ all-out efforts, we managed to put together something passable.
Having finished preparing far faster than usual, I headed to where Russell was.
“Russell!”
But Russell showed no sign of emerging from the water. He seemed to be fast asleep.
“Sleeping?”
No answer.
Well, he had looked exhausted since the victory banquet the day before yesterday. Maybe he’d stayed manifested for too long.
Looks like I’ll be going alone today.
Giving up, I trudged out of the garden with the fountain and climbed into the carriage by myself.
Thus, just two days later, I arrived at the imperial palace again. Any trace of the grand banquet from the other day had already vanished.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Guided by a palace attendant, I sat quietly in a guest reception room and waited for Leopold.
The lavish room for honored guests looked expensive down to every piece of furniture and decoration. On the table was a mountain of desserts—exactly to my taste.
“……”
I swallowed hard.
…Is this a test of my patience?
Lately, I’d been sticking to a healthy diet, avoiding sweet and stimulating foods. And now, suddenly, all these desserts.
And all of them were my favorites!
That strawberry tart—clearly made by the palace’s head pâtissier—was my favorite snack in my past life.
There was only one person in the palace who knew my tastes this well.
Leopold. You’re really testing me!
If this were the Leopold from the future, there’s no way he wouldn’t know I was on a diet right now.
You jerk. Heartless bastard. No matter how much you hate me, this is low—even for you.
I have to endure it. I really have to!
If I lose my composure here, at least a week’s worth of effort will go down the drain. And I’d be falling right into Leopold’s cruel trap.
Preparing something like this when he clearly knew I was dieting could only be interpreted as malicious. Honestly, whether then or now, he never changes—still hates me.
“…Ugh.”
Just as bad thoughts began to creep in, someone clicked the door open and entered. I froze in an awkward pose—back straight, hand stretched toward the desserts—and turned my head.
“……”
“……”
A beautiful silver-haired, gold-eyed boy—undoubtedly the most beautiful in the world—stared at me in fascination.
Even though Leopold was dressed far more simply than at yesterday’s banquet, his face alone made it look like formal attire.
The moment our eyes met, I plopped back into my seat as if nothing had happened.
“…Leo, what do you want from me?”
I asked bluntly, without even greeting him.
I’d only been alone for about five minutes, but in that time I’d grown utterly haggard.
If I stayed in this space any longer, my mind would be ruined. Whatever Leopold wanted, I wanted it over with quickly so I could go home.
Leopold stared at me for a moment, then sat across from me. With his characteristically indifferent expression—despite looking like a child—he spoke.
“Well, first of all… don’t rush. Eat.”
“What?”
Eat?
…This?
I looked down at the pile of desserts in front of me.
Is this a new kind of torture? Or bullying?
Once again, I realized just how much Leopold disliked me.
He didn’t have to make it so obvious.
“…Leo.”
“I’ll tell you after you finish eating.”
I looked at Leopold resentfully, urging him to just get to the point, but he was firm.
At his words, I stared blankly at the desserts before me.
Eat them all? All of this?
Since Russell had been managing my diet lately, I’d get severely scolded if he found out.
But still… even so…
Seeing me agonize over my favorite foods, Leopold suddenly spoke.
“…You look like you’ve lost weight lately.”
“Really? I think your eyesight’s gotten worse.”
Or maybe his facial recognition’s broken. Either way, it didn’t seem like good intentions.
I looked at him like he was spouting nonsense. He sounded exactly like the maids at my house.
‘Miss Tina, you’re too skinny!’
When I’d heard that, I’d been at the heaviest weight of my life. Flattery like that should be a crime.
Had Leopold conspired with our maids? Otherwise, how could he say the exact same thing?
Anyway, I resolved never to fall for such sweet talk again.
And besides, this was Leopold. Of course I couldn’t take anything he said at face value.
“……”
“……”
A brief silence fell between us.
I watched Leopold warily, while he maintained an unreadable expression on his chillingly beautiful face.
Hmm. I’d always thought his face was just cold and sharp, but now that he’s younger, he’s kind of cu—
No. I can’t be fooled by that appearance. With that face, you could never tell what he was thinking. That was Leopold.
“……”
I’d accepted today’s invitation so readily because I wanted to uncover his true intentions.
There was no way he’d genuinely invited me just to play at being friends. He had some other motive—political, perhaps.
I didn’t know why Crown Prince Leopold wanted to drag a collapsing viscount’s house into politics, but—
I’d make him reveal it.
“…What are you doing? Hurry up and eat. This too.”
“……”
Leopold’s voice sounded, to my ears, like a creditor demanding repayment.
Uncharacteristically gentle, Leopold placed a tart onto the plate in front of me.
