Chapter 1

Now I understand.

She simply loved him so much, to the point of being overwhelmed.

He possessed abilities that were far weaker compared to his elder brother, the prince.

"I don’t expect him to be like his brother. At least he shouldn’t be a disgrace to the royal family."

"At his age, he still can’t even write. Prince Albert had already completed his studies long ago. How can there be such a difference between brothers?"

"Poor thing. It’s because of her lowly bloodline. It’s not entirely her fault."

Such malicious exchanges were a daily scene, and the young 'her' swallowed the poison spewed by the adults without any doubt.

The first time the unfortunate second prince and the marquise's daughter 'her' met was at a garden party in the royal palace, where the upper nobility, centered around the royal family, gathered.

This party, prepared as a small social gathering, naturally had children clustering around the princes and princesses.

Except for the second prince.

Perhaps they had been told by their parents, or perhaps they took the whispered gossip seriously, the children's attitudes were very clear, and the same applied to 'her,' who was invited as a marquise's daughter.

She had no intention of getting involved.

It just so happened that her gaze fell upon him.

He was sitting alone at a round table, reading a book.

She realized he was the second prince because, despite wearing royal attire, no one was around him. She also noticed him among the whispers.

His hair and eyes were a common brown, but unexpectedly, he had a beautiful face, which only increased her interest. The more she observed him, the more she was drawn to his gestures as he turned the pages and the air of melancholy that surrounded him.

She couldn’t stay in one place for long, so she moved from one viewing spot to another, always keeping her eyes on him. As the party was about to end, she couldn’t stand it anymore.

She decided to at least ask what book he was reading and approached the second prince’s table, but something unexpected happened.

He turned to look at her, as if sensing her presence, much sooner than she expected.

The moment their eyes met, her head spun, her thoughts went into overdrive, and she completely panicked.

"Is it true you still can’t read? I can’t believe it. What kind of picture book is that? It looks like a baby’s book."

The words that came out of her mouth were the poisonous words she had grown accustomed to.

Her voice, strained with tension, probably sounded like mockery.

Her appearance was also unappealing.

She had rich ice-blue hair and deep indigo eyes.

Moreover, Martina, thinking it suited her, had applied indigo lipstick to match her eyes. While it did suit her, it made her look perfectly suited to deliver such arrogant remarks.

The room fell silent, so everyone must have heard.

Soon, giggles and snickers could be heard.

He bowed his head in pain, clutched his book, and ran out of the room, leaving the stunned 'her' behind.

Afterward, the fact that she had publicly humiliated a prince caused a problem, but her parents made excuses, saying it was a child’s mistake and that she hadn’t realized he was a prince, and the matter was left unresolved.

From then on, 'her' could no longer listen to adults without question.

She learned that the blatant slander against the second prince was due to his mother being a concubine with no backing and, unfortunately, being only five months younger than the first prince, the legitimate son of the queen.

Still, 'her' tried to apologize to him at the next garden party.

The first poison she had uttered was bitter and lingered on her tongue, and she wanted to erase it somehow.

But he only furrowed his brow slightly and completely ignored her.

She was hurt as a child.

She immediately forgot that she had hurt him in the same or even worse way, and her wounded young heart immediately sought revenge.

"Hey, why can’t you learn to read? It’s not that hard. Why can’t you do it?"

"Where are your friends? Why don’t you play with all these kids?"

"Hey, why don’t you say anything? Are you mute? Are you sick?"

She knew the other children were listening, but she couldn’t stop.

Since he had hurt her, she thought he should be hurt even more.

She expected a fuss, but nothing was said, and she felt a sense of unease. This unease was soon resolved when she realized it was due to the queen’s intervention.

From then on, 'her' and he began to see each other more often, as if it had been arranged. However, she became stubborn and deliberately spread more poison, as he continued to ignore her completely.

There was one thing she couldn’t do to him, though.

Comparing him to his brother.

She knew that comparing the second prince to the first prince was the most effective way to hurt him and had actually started to say it a few times.

However, she couldn’t bring herself to speak of another man in front of him, so she couldn’t say it.

Gradually, other children began to join in, taunting the second prince for fun.

Eventually, the second prince stopped attending the garden parties, as he was considered a bad influence on the children.

Not long after, the marquise’s daughter 'her' was proposed as a marriage candidate for the second prince.

But she soon realized it was a form of harassment from the queen, who detested the second prince, and cried herself to sleep that night.

The only thing that improved was that, as his fiancée, he could no longer completely ignore her.

On the day of their first meeting as fiancés, he greeted her with a perfect fake smile.

His eyes were cold, like a dagger piercing through her.

He hates me.

It was so obvious that she wasn’t particularly shaken.

The murky poison wouldn’t disappear immediately, but perhaps it could be filtered out over time. She had some hope for this.

Time would solve everything. In a year. In two years, three years, four years... after they were married.

Her sweet plans only consumed time.

Meanwhile, his elder brother, the first prince, was appointed as the crown prince.

The first prince began to protect his younger brother, the second prince, at the risk of his own life, and openly opposed his mother, the queen.

The deadline was approaching.

She would likely be informed of the cancellation of the engagement soon.

After all, she was a fiancée chosen to harass the second prince by the queen.

In the end, she couldn’t change anything.

She might never see him again. She might be forgotten.

Or perhaps she would remain as a bad memory from childhood. She wanted to remain. In any form, she didn’t want to be erased from his memory.

So, she made a last desperate attempt.

Being hated was better than not being thought of at all, so she chose to end things by being hated.

She began to taunt him even more viciously than before.

As an adult, she couldn’t insult the second prince in public. If she did, she would be punished immediately, and her time with Nicholas would be reduced.

So, she played the part of a proper lady in public and, when no one was around, continued to spew her poison in a devious way.

She still couldn’t compare him to his brother, so she particularly criticized his personality.

His introverted and difficult personality helped her in this.

Many people looked at Martina, who had suddenly become docile, with white eyes, but she didn’t care.

When I played the game, I only recognized 'her' as a minor character, a mere stage prop. But when I relived her experiences, I couldn’t help but feel nauseous.

What a terrible woman.

So immersed in her own poison that she was dissolving herself, yet taking pleasure in her own decay. What an ugly woman.

Selfish, egotistical, and beyond redemption.

Even if she really did like him, no one would believe her now. What a foolish woman.

'Her'—Martina Olbrant, the marquise’s daughter, who was supposed to have awakened as a different personality—couldn’t stop crying.

Now I understand. 'Her' feelings.

I feel the same. I like him. I like him, but...

I am also infected with the same poison as the noblewoman.

I wanted to write something trendy.

*Content slightly revised on 9/23*