Chapter 4

"Margaret, I heard a rumor that you were surrounded by the daughters of the Duke of Canaan yesterday. Are you alright?"

I felt dizzy at Prince Keith's worried question. The daughters of Duke Canaan apparently couldn't tell anyone that "they tried to push Margaret into the pond, but water fell from the sky" (even if they did, no one would have believed them), so the only rumor that spread was that I had been surrounded by them and taken somewhere.

"Prince Keith, thank you. We just had a little conversation, so there's no problem."

Satisfied with my answer, Prince Keith smiled. "That's good. If anything bothers you, I want you to tell me. I'll always be on your side, Margaret."

That smile was the same as the one he had when we first met. I had always thought it was so radiant, but now, even while lying, he could still manage to smile. It didn't look sparkling at all to me now. I had learned in my princess education that it was necessary not to show one's emotions, but even so, to not help me and to lie with a smile, even as my fiancé...

I felt the admiration and the faint affection I had for Prince Keith freeze and disappear.

Even after Prince Keith left, Lewis Morgan, the eldest son of the Prime Minister and one of the future candidates for his aide, who was always by the Prince's side, continued to look at me.

"Lord Lewis? Is something the matter?"

"Miss Margaret, may I have a word with you?"

"Of course, Lord Lewis."

"Why are you leaving the friends of Lady Canaan alone?"

"Um, why are you asking me this...?"

"She is already famous in the academy for speaking out against the daughters of the Duke, regardless of their status. It will be a topic of conversation in the social world as well."

Lewis took a breath, adjusted his glasses, and then continued. "As a noble lady and a duchess, don't you have the responsibility to correct her? If they continue like this, they won't find suitable husbands. And what about Prince Keith? Why don't you try to be closer to him? You always seem to be somewhere else, looking down on others."

Lewis's words hit me hard, both mentally and emotionally.

'I hate those glasses.'

'Margaret is so mean, I hate her.'

'How about I make your glasses rainbow?'

"Miss Margaret? Are you going to be silent again?"

With a look of disdain, one I knew all too well, Lewis said, "Why are you the only one I'm telling this to?"

"Um, what do you mean?"

"Shouldn't you be telling Lady Canaan this?"

"..."

"You know that no one in the ducal family will take me seriously, and that's why you're telling me, right?"

"Hey, what are you talking about?!"

"If you had criticized Lady Canaan's friends, it would have certainly angered her and her family."

"No! I'm not afraid of that!"

"No, I understand. Your expression just now was exactly the same as my stepmother's and Lady Canaan's when they look down on me."

Lewis looked very surprised and said, "W-well, I'll take my leave today," and hurriedly moved away from me.

'Margaret is so cool.'

'The glasses ran away.'

'How about I remove the prescription from your glasses?'

Ignoring the fluttering fairies in my head, Lewis's words kept running through my mind. Perhaps from everyone else's perspective, I always seemed to be in my own world, talking to the fairies. I had always believed that the fairies would help me whenever something happened, and maybe I had thought of myself as special.

'Margaret, what's wrong?'

'Are you going to get back at the measuring lady?'

'How about giving her a face full of pimples?'

As I started to lose consciousness, I managed to use my last bit of strength to prevent my stepmother's face from exploding with pimples.