TVWD 11

Chapter 11.

It was my fifteenth life.

Splash!

The wine that the Crown Prince flung soaked my face and hair.

“How dare you look at Merina with those eyes?”

The reason I was humiliated today was because Merina, frightened by the look in my eyes, burst into tears all by herself.

The Crown Prince had always been hot-tempered, but when it came to Merina, his cruelty became excessive — so this was nothing new.

Still, I had always tried to avoid showing my parents such humiliating scenes, but in this life, I must have failed — I remember letting out a bitter smile with my shoulders drooping.

“Lady, what is that expression? Do I amuse you? Are you mocking me?”

My father, unable to hide his shock, stepped forward to intervene, but just then—

“What are you doing?”

An unexpected person took my side.

The man who stood between me and the Crown Prince’s tyranny was none other than Lexian Lysianshus.

“W–What is this?”

As the Duke of a powerful family — and the Empire’s only Sword Master — intervened, the Crown Prince shrank back like a dog that had been kicked.

“That’s enough, Your Highness.”

“What do you mean by that? Are you referring to how I treated Lady Levian?”

“Yes.”

“That woman looked at Lady Ikel like she wanted to kill her. The poor girl was so frightened that she cried!”

“I’m not sure that’s what happened.”

“What?”

The Crown Prince looked dumbfounded.

“As far as I saw, Lady Levian did nothing. It was Lady Ikel who suddenly burst into tears. In fact, I’d rather like to ask Lady Ikel why she made Lady Levian uncomfortable.”

“W–What are you saying?”

“And even if Lady Ikel were Your Highness’s fiancée — which she is not — humiliating another lady without just cause is wrong.”

When his blue eyes glared sharply at the Crown Prince, the man flinched.

The subtle but palpable killing intent radiating from a Sword Master was not something a mere prince could withstand.

At that moment, I thought the Duke had intervened simply because he valued propriety and couldn’t ignore a scene of injustice.

“Are you all right, Lady Levian?”

So when he offered me his handkerchief, I simply stared blankly at it.

His kindness felt too unfamiliar — I didn’t know if I was even allowed to accept it.

“You’re all wet.”

In the end, the Duke gently wiped my face himself.

His touch was warm…

I think I cried.

He helped me out of the ballroom.

Later, the Crown Prince, under pressure from the Emperor, sent me a letter of apology — but I burned it.

Merina never apologized.

I had once tried to change the outcome by seducing the male leads, but every attempt ended in failure.

Worse — the more I tried, the more horrific my deaths became.
So I eventually gave up on getting along with them.

But when a man — who should have stood by as a bystander or supported the heroine — stepped in to protect me, it felt as though the pendulum of a stopped clock had begun to move again.

Or rather, it really did begin to move.

And that flow of time brought me both joy and sorrow — over twenty-five times.

“What did you do to Lady Ikel?”

“W–What do you mean? I just—”

A sudden collapse had startled everyone, and when the Duke pressed her, Merina stammered in confusion.

“I’ll pretend I saw nothing today. But if you spread word of this incident, then I, too, will have to open my mouth.”

“What are you accusing me of? I just—!”

“You again tormented Lady Levian, didn’t you?”

“Tormented? Duke, you misunderstand—”

“Enough pointless arguing.”

Lexian examined Rosia’s pale face as he held her in his arms.

“What I want is simply this — I don’t want rumors that something disgraceful happened at a party I hosted. Understood?”

“……Yes.”

Merina barely managed to agree, and Lexian carried Rosia away toward the mansion.

He took a secluded path known only to the household, avoiding the garden where the party was in full swing.

“Master, the party is about to begin, but… that lady—?”

“Charles, fetch the physician. Now!”

“Yes, sir.”

The woman in his arms looked as though she might dissolve into air at any moment, and Lexian’s heart raced with anxiety.
He laid her down carefully upon clean sheets.

“Phew…”

Drawing a chair to the bedside, a shadow of worry crossed his usually bright face.

‘I hope she understood what I said earlier.’

Rosia seemed determined never to show weakness before others, which was why Lexian had spoken harshly to shut Merina up.

He hadn’t meant to be so severe — but seeing Rosia look as though she might stop breathing at any moment had made him lose control.

Even now, her breathing was so faint he feared she might not survive.

“Why are they taking so long!”

Unable to bear waiting any longer, Lexian threw open the door — only to find the startled butler and physician standing there.

“Why are you so late!”

“We assumed the lady was in the guest room, sir. We went there first — my apologies.”

Ah.

Only then did Lexian realize he was in his own bedroom.

His most private space — a place where no one else had ever been allowed to enter.

“See to Lady Levian immediately.”

The butler was shocked to see who lay on his master’s bed — none other than Rosia Levian, the celebrated beauty of high society.

Her beauty was well known, but so too were the rumors: that she was stubborn, hot-tempered, and prone to slapping people.

The butler had always thought his master, who detested impropriety, would avoid such a woman.

He’d assumed Lexian had asked her to be his partner purely for political reasons — yet here she was, in the Duke’s private chamber.

Maybe he had misjudged his master after all.

It seemed that spring had come early to the Lysianshus estate — the butler nearly broke into a happy dance.

“There doesn’t appear to be anything seriously wrong with her body,” the physician said.

“Then why did she collapse?”

“She doesn’t seem to have a strong constitution. Severe fatigue accumulated in her body, and she likely fainted because of it.”

“And the blood on her lips?”

“She bit the inside of her mouth.”

Lexian looked at the physician questioningly.

The man explained calmly, “The wound seems old, yet she kept reopening it — likely out of habit. Or perhaps… to stay awake.”

Lexian remembered how, at the Empress Dowager’s charity event, Rosia had carried a faint scent of blood.

She’d looked exhausted even then, forcing herself to attend.

She’d staggered, nearly fainting, even retching — so yes, the physician was probably right.

She must have wounded herself intentionally to keep her fading consciousness.

“I see. What should I do now?”

“It would be best to simply let her wake naturally.”

“All right.”

“I’ll prepare ointment and medicine for the wound inside her mouth.”

“Do that — and bring something to help her recover her strength as well.”

The physician bowed and left, but the butler remained.

“Master, what about the party?”

“Ah, right. I’ll announce the start — but Charles, I think you’ll be quite busy tonight.”

Even though his master intended to be absent for most of the event, Charles only bowed in silent understanding.

Rather than being troubled, he was moved. His rule-loving master was breaking protocol for someone — that could only mean one thing: love.

Unaware of his butler’s sentimental thoughts, Lexian quickly strategized.

‘Fortunately, no one besides my family knows I chose Lady Levian as my partner.’

After all, it had been a one-sided decision.

He strode swiftly back to the grand garden where the party was in full swing.

“Welcome to the Lysianshus estate. I hope you all enjoy tonight’s festivities.”

Raising his glass, he declared the party open. Guests bustled about, eager to explore the rarely opened Duke’s mansion.

“Thank you for inviting us, Duke Lysianshus.”

“Duke Belle, Marquis Maritni.”

The elder nobles greeted him warmly, but Lexian was in a hurry.

“My apologies, but something urgent requires my attention.”

“Haha, I thought so. I wondered what made you host a party out of the blue. Go take care of your business — we’ll entertain ourselves.”

With a nod, Lexian nearly ran back to his room — and found Rosia sleeping more peacefully than before.

“Phew…”

On the bedside table were the physician’s ointment and medicine, but for now, letting her rest seemed best.

“Rosia Levian…”