Episode 43
âMineâ
âItâs simple. Because I hate his Highness. Iâm tired of
it.â
Helenaâs face twisted as I answered bluntly. She got up clenching her little hands and glared at me.
Yeah, Helenaâs definitely going to be mad since sheâs human. Eris Misérian has been tormenting Helena for the crown prince. I would be angry too.
She looked like she wanted to say something, but her tightly bitten mouth didnât open and she turned red.
âAre you upset? Are you angry?â
âHow⦠in such a moment⦠just for that reasonâ¦.â
âYou can change your mind. I have the right and the power to do that.â
Now I rinsed my mouth with the cold tea and looked up at Helena with a smile on my face. Iâm not sure, but it looked very arrogant.
It was also intentional. I think Helenaâs desire to become the crown princess instead of me will go up in flames if she acts as a villain.
âIf you feel wronged, you learn. Iâll help you gain strength by raising your status.â
I got up and pushed Helena back onto the couch, then went behind Helena and tucked her hair behind her ears.
The two of us were reflected in the opposite mirror. placed my hand on the shoulder of a confused Helena and whispered in her ear.
âKeep in mind that once you have power, you can carry out your will, whether you want to take revenge on me or renounce your situation.â
I patted Helenaâs shoulder a couple of times, staring in the mirror, and then I reached out to her to teach her how to dance again. Even if Iâm mean, we still have business to do, right?
âIf you understand, letâs resume class. Iâm not going to hear you cry anymore.â
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Teaching someone was quite tiring. Itâs because I didnât know it properly myself and I had to be careful not to make a mistake in what I taught.
It was getting dark outside the window and I was about to finish class today, when someone knocked on the door.
âLady Misérian. Her Majesty is calling.â
âAnyway, I was just about to call it a day. Lady Antebellum, class isnât over, please review what youâve learned today.â
Leaving Helena alone, I followed the servant chief. As he was walking through the spacious corridors of the empressâs palace, he knocked on the biggest and most gorgeous door.
âYour Majesty, as you have ordered, I have brought Lady Misérian, the eldest daughter of the Marquis Misérian and the fiancée of the Crown Prince.â
âCome in.â
The empress had a tearfully noble face again today. Sheâs noble and elegant because sheâs left all the hard and troublesome work to me. I folded my twisted heart and laughed. Imagine you have a boss. Be patient. Be patient.
âWhat did you teach her?â
âI taught her basic greetings, dining etiquette, how to have a conversation according to the dances and the dance tunes of a ball, also an eye for choosing clothes and accessories.â
âItâs a long way from becoming a crown princess, but youâve managed to teach the most basic things.â
The empress glanced at the maid next to her to pour tea. I didnât want to drink a lot of it because I got sick of drinking tea while teaching Helena. When I refused, the empress sent the maid out and said,
âIâm going to introduce Helena at Kazarâs debutante ball, what do you think?â
ââ¦I think itâs the right time.â
It was good to send her out as soon as possible, to a party with as many nobles as possible in order to make sure everyone had a good look.
There were few families that could host a party of that size, and my coming-of-age ceremony was over, so if you missed Young Lady Kazarâs debutante ball, you might have to wait a long time.
There was a reason for the rush. Anyway, it had nothing to do with me. Because the empress was highly likely to entrust me with her education after that. It was also for a similar reason that I did not kill Helena yet, although Iâm with her.
I have to say that there are still parts of the original novel left. Helenaâs beautifully decorated first appearance and being admired by people were the prelude to her love affair and marriage with the crown prince.
Itâs been a long time coming, but now I remember. In the novel, Eris was not broken up with. It was only Helena who, with the permission of the emperor, became the crown princess.
Eris could not even break her engagement, and she had to watch Helena marry her prince in her stead. So Eris in the original story went crazy and hid in Helenaâs room.
Eris, who reassured Helena by saying that she was leaving to a foreign country, lured Helena by saying that she wanted to apologize for her misdeeds before going. Eris presented Helena with a poisoned teacup, and Helena was served tea with that teacup and drank it with Eris.
Eris, who prompted Helena to pick the poisoned teacup, laughed frantically when Helena drank the poison and collapsed.
How great it would be if the far-distant end could be moved a bit forward with this. I secretly sighed and spoke to the empress.
âIf you have nothing more to say, Iâll be leaving.â
âCall Madame and choose Helenaâs clothes yourself.â
ââ¦â¦All right.â
No matter how much Eris said she gave up, the empress was also cruel for making her choose clothes for her ârivalâ. Well, if Helena chose a childish dress, was in trouble, so I ended up saying yes.
If I had seen my horoscope, my luck today would have been the 12th. I made eye contact with the crown prince on the way back. It was tiring to yell and get annoyed, so I tried to ignore him.
Alecto held my wrist and turned me around.
âYouâre determined to ignore people now, arenât
you?â
ââ¦I guess Iâm tired and my vision has narrowed, Forgive my rudeness.â
As I bowed my head gently, I could see the crown prince panicking. He paused for a moment to see if there was anything to pick on.
Either way, I havenât eaten properly all day and Iâm tired from teaching Helena. No matter how young Eris was, her nerves were tattered and she wasnât particularly healthy.
In a moment, I was dizzy and staggered, and my body went out of balance. I could see Alecto reaching out
towards me, but it was quicker for someone to grab me from behind.
âAre you okay?â
Ah, this voice again. Why do you keep showing up? I angrily slapped Jasonâs hand off my shoulder. Alecto wrinkled his eyebrows and looked at the two of us.
âWhat kind of trick is this?â
âDonât do that and lean on me, Lady Misérian.â
Alecto and Jason spoke at the same time. We looked at each otherâs faces as if we were surprised by the contradiction, but to be honest, I was just annoyed at both of them.
Even if the two draw swords and fight a duel right now due to a difference of opinion, itâs not my business, so Iâd like you to let me go.
âAnakin, come here.â
After a while, Anakin appeared around the dark corner as if rising from a shadow.
Come to think of it, Anakin has seen both of them before. He must have seen Alecto at the inauguration ceremony and Jason in the Rundol region, but the former looked at Anakin as if he was wary of strangers. He was almost like a beast that had invaded his territory. Well anyway, Iâm going home.
âDid you call?â
âHold me, Anakin. Your Highness, you donât want to see me so Iâll go back first.â
The crown prince tried to say something, but I didnât want to listen so I started first. Originally, winning first is an eternal truth.
Anakin gently hugged me as usual and turned around, nodding silently to the two men who looked somehow dissatisfied.
Leaning on Anakinâs chest as we left the Imperial Palace, the gazes of the servants poured in. Change happens very quickly and naturally. At first, they showed a look of bewilderment, but after a while they displayed clear hostility on their faces.
Even if you think sheâs not good enough to be with the crown prince, it seems you donât like Eris being in the presence of another man. I really donât know which rhythm to keep up with, but I decided to withdraw from the marriage with the crown prince.
âIf you think youâre going to hate me, say it as soon as you feel that way. Try to understand at least.â
Being hated is not a very pleasant feeling. Still, wanted to show off in front of Anakin. I didnât want to show him a weak side.
Anakin just walked forward without looking at my face. He replied quietly when a carriage was seen in the distance.
âHave you forgotten? I have already sworn allegiance and obedience to you. I said that no temptation or hardship would yield me.â
He put me in the carriageâs seat and knelt down. Just like when he first took the oath of knighthood. A purple necklace shone from his neck.
âIf you wish, I will add one more oath now. Even if the day comes when I hate you⦠I will not let go of you.â
Iâve never had a single âmineâ. It was the same with things and people. There wasnât anything I could do with ease. Because I didnât have anything handed to me, so I had to save and save.
Now I know. Others might point their fingers at this thought, but⦠I needed someone to treat me carelessly. A person who doesnât have to worry about discovering this twisted me.