Chapter 3

After being examined by doctors to the point of being annoying, on the day I performed a bed sweeping, I asked my maid.

As expected, there were no flowers or letters of慰问 from Nicholas.

Usually, I would have stormed over to confront him on the spot, thinking that I had the upper hand.

I laughed at myself, somewhat self-deprecatingly, and told the maid to leave. Her visibly relieved face provided a small comfort.

Since the rumors of our engagement being on the verge of breaking off and my subsequent self-destructive behavior, I had been visiting Nicholas almost every three days. Stopping these visits left me with an abundance of free time.

I had received an education to become a lady, but Martina had been so focused on improving herself for Nicholas that by the time she turned 17, there wasn't much left to learn.

What to do with this newfound free time?

The first things that came to mind were reading and embroidery. There were also tea parties with friends, but that seemed unlikely.

I had no friends to call my own. I used to have some, but I had stopped associating with them. I couldn't bear to hear others speak ill of Nicholas, so I had put them on a shelf.

Recently, Martina, who had been disrespectful to the second prince, was being looked at with disapproval, and no one was eager to deepen their friendship with her.

Since my time in the capital wouldn't be long, it didn't matter much, but it might be good to think about the future.

I didn't know what would happen to me after retreating to a remote village.

It was a rural area, so I would probably be involved in agriculture. But as a marquise's daughter, I doubted that would be the case. What if I was so poor that I had to do it to survive?

Knowledge is never a bad thing, I thought, and headed to the library, but I didn't find any convenient books on agriculture.

I considered reading something else, but the library was filled with academic and religious texts, and there were no popular novels or entertainment books.

I realized I had never read such books before. Probably, the printing press hadn't developed enough for such entertainment at the time.

I was bored. I wanted to do something.

If I did nothing, I would start thinking about Nicholas, and the poison I had been suppressing would seep in from the inside.

To change my mood, I went to the garden. There, a beautiful rose garden spread out.

As I wandered aimlessly, I saw a gardener-like person diligently tending to the flowers.

Gardening. It looked nice and soothing.

"Hello."

The gardener turned around. He was younger than I expected, a boy who looked like an apprentice, probably around 13 or 14, not much different from Martina.

He recognized me and, abandoning his work, knelt down, looking flustered.

"Oh, I'm sorry for disturbing you. I'll rest in the gazebo, so please continue your work."

However, even after I retreated to the gazebo, the apprentice boy kept glancing at me, seemingly concerned.

Perhaps my appearance was not good.

At 17, I was well-built and full-figured, with wavy ice-blue hair and deep purple eyes, and I still wore deep purple lipstick.

I could have stopped, but it felt like a symbol of Martina, and I kept it as a reminder, giving me a regal air at such a young age.

After a while, the master gardener returned to the apprentice and, having heard the story, hurriedly came to greet me.

I cut the formalities short and, somewhat forcefully, obtained permission to observe their work.

At first, he was quite tense, but after I relaxed in the gazebo, drinking tea and enjoying the view, he seemed to realize he wasn't being ordered around and relaxed.

When their work reached a natural pause, I called them over as they were about to leave the estate.

"I would like some seedlings that I can grow myself. They can be small, delicate flowers. I will provide the pots, so could you prepare some good seedlings for me?"

Regardless of the content, a request from a marquise's daughter was quite unreasonable, but I decided to push for it.

I didn't care what I got, but since it was a young girl asking, I didn't expect anything too unusual.

After the gardeners left, the maid who had been waiting nearby had a look of something to say.

Directly speaking to commoners and tending to flowers were not things a lady should do.

However, since Martina had been a strong-willed woman, as long as her actions didn't deviate too much, they were somewhat tolerated.

So, I decided to push through with this as well.

The next day, the seedlings I had ordered were delivered, already transplanted into the intricately carved pots I had prepared.

They were perennial plants with firm buds, and I knew from my past life that they would bloom in about a week.

I laughed at the well-prepared setup for a beginner. They must have anticipated that I would get bored or kill the plants and prepared accordingly.

Of course, I thanked them for their consideration, even though I noticed it.

If I could make these flowers bloom, I might try growing them from seeds next. No, that might be too soon.

I could already imagine the troubled face of the gardener if I asked for seeds.

From that day on, I started visiting the garden frequently, engaging in light conversation with the gardener and the apprentice, and asking for cut flowers like roses.

About a week later, when the delicate pink buds were about to bloom, the gardener told me apologetically that he had received a summons from the palace and had to finish the estate's maintenance quickly, so he wouldn't have time for idle chatter anymore.

I was very disappointed. I had wanted to show him the flowers when they bloomed.

But his livelihood was at stake, so I couldn't keep him.

I admired the blooming flowers alone and stayed in my room to avoid causing trouble, but the gardener and the apprentice came to say goodbye when the garden work was finished.

At that time, the apprentice boy gave me flower seeds.

What a clever businessman. This meant I would have to hire them again to check on the garden and the growth of the flowers.

I accepted the seeds gratefully, thinking it was a half-joke.

Having found a new hobby in growing flowers, I still had a lot of free time.

Even if I decided to stay in the estate until the time came, spending that time was a challenge.

I started thinking about things I didn't want to think about.

I hoped Nicholas would care a little about my not visiting him, but I hated myself for having such expectations.

I even considered sneaking out to the city, but that was stopped.

Instead, I came up with a way to pass the time by enjoying the struggle between those trying to stop me from going out and those trying to get out.

This was quite enjoyable. For the servants, it must have been a nuisance, but perhaps adults enjoy a game of tag more.

I spent my days aimlessly, but after about a month, my parents found out I had been staying in the estate.

The current environment around the second prince was delicate, and they gave me a strict order to attend the palace's invitation to solidify my position.

It was the annual founding ceremony hosted by the kingdom, which Martina had attended every year since becoming the second prince's fiancée.

I had planned to feign illness and decline the second prince's escort, but with the strict order from my parents, that became difficult.

It was strange how quickly the day came when I had been struggling to pass the time.

I was polished and beautifully adorned, waiting like a gift to be presented, for the arrival of the guest.

Even though it was a gift of harassment, I had to wait, and a sigh of melancholy escaped me.

Eventually, the appointed time arrived, and Nicholas came to pick me up at the estate.

I hadn't seen Nicholas for over a month.

He had ordinary brown hair and eyes, but his delicate and ethereal appearance was striking. Today, however, he was dressed in a dignified formal outfit for the ceremony.

But his face was adorned with a cold, dismissive smile.

Despite his shyness and aloofness, he wore a mask of a smile in the world of nobles, but his eyes were very honest when he looked at Martina.

Usually, I would have let out a sarcastic remark, but I bit my lip and suppressed it.

We exchanged no proper greetings, and Nicholas led me to the carriage like a routine task.

It was usual for Nicholas to say nothing about my elaborate appearance, but it was the first time Martina said nothing in response, and the unusual silence made the carriage ride feel strange.

After being guided to the palace ceremony hall, I was forced to accompany the greetings of influential nobles until the king's ceremony began.

After the solemn ceremony, a luncheon was held, followed by a ball in the evening.

The ball began with a dance by the crown prince, Albert, and one after another, the hall was filled with dazzling couples.

Nicholas had been driven to dance by Martina until last year, but as the second prince, he had no obligation to dance. He was free to invite and be invited.

To avoid restricting his actions and to avoid seeing him dance with someone else, I made up an excuse and slipped away to the balcony, mingling with the crowd.

On the way, I felt a mix of disappointment and relief that no one had spoken to me.

With the current situation favoring the crown prince, who had sidelined the queen, and the second prince, whom the crown prince protected, being belittled, Martina was increasingly isolated in society.

Especially from the crown prince's faction, it was whispered that the engagement would be broken off soon, and everyone kept their distance to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Since I would be sent away soon, it was pointless to make close friends, but I felt a bit lonely.

Alone on the balcony, I was lost in thought about when to return, when I suddenly sensed someone's presence.

Turning around, I saw a man in his early twenties with a faint smile.

"I'm intruding. What a beautiful moonlit night, isn't it?"

"...Good evening."

I replied without any warmth, judging that if someone was talking to Martina in the current situation, it couldn't be for a good reason.

"Are you here alone? What a waste, for someone as beautiful as a noble lady."

He said this with a light tone and closed the distance.

Why was this person trying to flirt with me?

Even if I was the fiancée of the second prince, it was incredibly rude to try to flirt with Martina, who was known to be problematic.

Or did he not know who I was? I had always thought I was famous, but perhaps not in the countryside or border regions.

But the man's attire, which was in line with the capital's fashion, didn't look like a recent change.

I suddenly realized something.

As a marquise's daughter, Martina was a problematic person with a questionable character.

Moreover, as an inexperienced girl, I might be a suitable target for someone to toy with and discard.

Seeing through his ulterior motives, I couldn't help but laugh at his obvious advances.

But I was also confused. I didn't know how to deal with such a person.

Just as I was thinking about what to do, I heard a small scream from the hall.

Looking in that direction, I saw people moving hurriedly, confirming that I had indeed heard a scream.

Approaching the glass door, I observed the situation. At the center of the crowd was Nicholas.

He was looking down, staring at his right hand—blood was flowing from it.

Before I could do anything, someone rushed over and applied a cloth to the wound.

Perhaps he was clumsy and had knocked the glass against the table.

Watching anxiously, I saw Nicholas move with someone I didn't know, and at that moment, our eyes met.

My body stiffened. It was a brief moment, but I was definitely glared at.

I watched his departing back, feeling frozen.

He glared at me. Why? I had been quietly staying out of the way.

"......"

Perhaps my behavior was so different from usual that it seemed like I was plotting something.

Or maybe it was wrong to stand there blankly while he was injured.

Lost in these thoughts, Martina returned to the estate alone in the carriage.

Even after a night of brooding,

I thought about how his injury would affect his daily life, and whether he needed help changing clothes, and what he might be doing during his work.

These unnecessary worries only made me more exhausted over the next few days.

The get-well gifts were sent in Martina's name by her parents, and I imagined Nicholas throwing them in the trash, which only made me feel worse.

I knew the truth. I was so aimlessly worrying because I had nothing to do.

Doing nothing until the time came.

That's why I had too much time to think about things I didn't want to think about, and why Nicholas looked at me strangely.

Then, I should take the initiative, but I didn't know what to do.

Even if I did nothing, Martina would be ostracized from society.

What could I do in such a situation?

...Ostracized from society?

A method came to mind, and I swallowed hard.

For example, what if I accelerated the conclusion that Martina was supposed to reach and was quickly sent to a remote village?

I realized it wasn't that difficult.

To avoid reducing the remaining time I could spend with Nicholas, I had stopped spouting venom in public, but I just needed to start again.

It would be better to create a situation where there was no turning back.

Naturally, I should choose a place with many people, and preferably a place with many of Nicholas's supporters.

Unable to contain my excitement, I hurriedly searched through the letters delivered to Martina.

I found it surprisingly quickly.

Among the invitations my parents had pushed on me during my brooding, it was there.

About a month later, the Duke of Oudelle, a retired noble, was hosting a garden party.

I knew about this garden party.

It was an unveiling of a giant maze garden created with excess money and time, aimed at children but also inviting unmarried men and women to use it as a place for meeting.

—What a perfect opportunity. The rising nausea from the rising venom was overwhelming.

This was the event where Nicholas would meet the heroine.

If my past life's memory was correct, the game's heroine, Lilia Aurelia, would get lost in the maze, get injured, and be found by Nicholas, who was also lost. They would work together to escape, becoming close quickly.

It felt like there was no other day for this to happen.

The reason Nicholas, who had a fiancée, was invited to this garden party was that the Duke of Oudelle had become the guardian of the second prince, who had no backing until now, and was attending as a guest of honor.

As his fiancée, Martina was also invited.

So, I would confront Nicholas, who had ignored his fiancée and supported the injured Lilia Aurelia, and declare that I had had enough and was cutting ties.

I would need to use foul language at that moment. I would act out in front of the guardian and the gathered crowd to ensure that I was charged with disrespect. It was necessary.

The relationship between Martina and Nicholas would be clear to the heroine, and she would surely comfort me. It would be a happy ending.

The problem was my mental preparation.

To ensure the plan went smoothly, I needed to simulate it thoroughly.

I had a month, so it would be fine.

It would be fine.

It would be fine.

The second prince, who still hadn't spoken a word, was getting to me.

*Note: The content of the first chapter has been slightly changed, so there may be some inconsistencies. Please bear with them.