“It’s alright. I trust Leonard.”

“……You seem quite confident, sister?”

“Well, yes? To be honest, it feels a bit awkward to say this since it sounds like I’m badmouthing myself, but who would cheat with such an indecisive and unremarkable man? ……Unless they’ve gone crazy from loneliness or can’t find a romantic partner through normal means because no one loves them.”

I continued, mixing in a bit of laughter. I didn’t forget to observe Danae’s expression.

“Of course, he is a bit gentle…… If he didn’t have even that, I wouldn’t have found him attractive either, right?”

This time, Danae’s shoulders flinched. I inwardly sneered as I saw Danae’s hands holding the teacup trembling with indignation. After struggling to take another sip of tea, Danae spoke with quivering lips.

“Th-that’s a bit harsh, sister.”

“What’s wrong with saying it between us? It’s not like you’re going to relay these words to Leonard. Why? Are you planning to tell him?”

“……Ah, haha. Why would I say such things? I wouldn’t even meet with the Young Viscount alone without you in the first place.”

“Right. That’s true. A pretty and kind girl like you wouldn’t do that. If a group jealous of you were to spread false rumors about ‘a woman seducing your sister’s fiancé’, your social reputation would plummet. That would be to your disadvantage, wouldn’t it?”

I responded to her words with a smile. Danae’s face, unable to manage her expressions at all, was truly a sight to behold.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching her face. Just then, Danae suddenly stood up and spoke with a trembling voice.

“……Sister. I should get going now. Let’s have tea another time.”

“Why? Stay and play a little longer.”

“I-I forgot to reply to Crown Princess Meradith’s letter. I was supposed to send a response by tomorrow. ……I’m sorry. I need to go.”

“Alright. Take care on your way back. Let’s chat another time.”

I looked up at her and said goodbye. Danae roughly opened the reception room door and left without properly responding to my words.

With a loud bang, the door closed and I was left alone in the reception room. Only then did I let out a feeble laugh before muttering in a cold voice.

“……What did you and your father do to me and my father in your past life, that you can’t even endure this much? How will you stoically withstand what’s to come?”

What can you do? This is just the beginning.

I put down the cooled teacup and stood up. It was time to return to my bedroom, send a letter to the Duke, and plan how to put Danae and the Duke in a difficult situation.

[This is the timeline separator]

Meanwhile.

Danae, who had rushed out of the reception room, walked with her cheeks flushed red with anger.

Stomping her feet as she entered the garden, she glared at the reception room of the annex with sharp eyes and muttered.

“……That damned girl. Just because I call her sister and treat her well, she doesn’t know her place. Without our father, she’d be worse off than a minor noble.”

Danae ground her teeth and ruminated on what Christine had said earlier.

‘What, gone crazy from loneliness? Can’t find a romantic partner through normal means because no one loves them?’

The more she dwelled on it, the more her anger boiled. It felt like her brain was boiling with rage.

Because of her father and the family’s interests, she couldn’t tell her arrogant cousin sister that her fiancé was already hers, which was unbearably infuriating. Not only that, but her plan to sneak a look at Christine’s bedroom under the pretext of wanting to chat had also failed.

Danae nervously bit at the soft flesh of her fingertips as she thought.

‘That unnecessarily meticulous and cunning woman isn’t staying in her bedroom and reducing her outings for no reason. She must be planning something.’

Whatever that plan was, she had to find out. Her keen instincts were warning her so.

Christine chewed on her mangled fingertips.

“Hey, Luna! Let’s go together!”

“Alright, May.”

Just then, two maids came out carrying large baskets. They were the maids in charge of cleaning Christine’s bedroom.

Danae glared at them with an annoyed gaze as they crossed the garden, giggling with their heads close together. She couldn’t understand what was so enjoyable when she was feeling this bad.

Since she was already angry because of their mistress Christine, she might as well take it out on those maids.

As Danae was about to step forward with that thought, one of the maids suddenly spoke as if remembering something.

“Oh right, May. Did you finish attaching the buttons to the young lady’s robe? Annie told us to have it done by this afternoon.”

Hearing those words, suspicion began to fill Danae’s eyes. Danae immediately hid behind the shadow of the building.

The maids’ conversation continued, unaware of Danae’s presence.

“Ah, right. I forgot.”

“Oh, you scatterbrain! Hurry up and do it! Don’t get scolded by Annie again!”

“Alright! ……Geez, Annie always makes me do these trivial tasks! Why can’t she do them herself! She’s always busy running around outside these days.”

“Maybe she’s got her eye on a servant from another mansion?”

The maids grumbled as they left the garden.

Once they were gone, Danae emerged from the shadow of the building, looking around cautiously. She spoke to herself with a meaningful expression.

“The buttons fell off her robe? ……How did that happen?”

Danae was lost in thought.

‘Buttons don’t just fall off by themselves. That means she had occasion to wear the robe?’

In other words, it meant that Christine had secretly gone out somewhere wearing that robe.

‘But recently, that girl has been staying in her bedroom, using the excuse of being sick all the time, hasn’t she?’

Danae tilted her head. Then she soon let out an “Ah” and muttered softly.

“……Looks like she went out secretly, avoiding others’ eyes. That cunning girl.”

Her face turned vicious as she drew this quite reasonable conclusion. Thinking about it this way, everything seemed to fall into place. Where on earth did she go, avoiding everyone’s eyes? Was it because of something her father ordered? If so, there would have been no need to make excuses about being sick. The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became.

‘She must be up to something shady behind my back and father’s. I should pick a day to search that girl’s bedroom.’

Danae’s red eyes burned even redder with suspicion and malice towards Christine as she made her decision.

[This is the timeline separator]

After leaving the reception room and returning to my bedroom, I immediately wrote a letter to be sent to House Haven.

After asking Annie to deliver the letter, I was left alone in the bedroom and wiped my neck with a wet towel. This revealed a stark blue bruise mark that looked like a band wrapped around my neck. I took out an ointment from the drawer and thickly applied it to the bruised neck.

“……Ugh.”

While I didn’t care when the wounds on my arms healed, this wound on my neck needed to recover quickly. I finished applying the ointment and waited a moment for the medicine to dry. Soon, I buttoned up the collar of my dress to the very top of my neck.

For a moment, I listened for any signs of movement outside the bedroom, silencing even my own breathing. When I heard nothing, I slumped onto the high-backed vanity chair. Then, resting my chin on my hand, I became lost in thought.

What aspects of the future plans should I discuss with the Duke? As I was deep in contemplation, my gaze suddenly turned to the locked vanity drawer.

As if entranced, I opened that drawer. Inside was a neatly folded handkerchief with a star sapphire brooch placed on top. Seeing it, I let out a small gasp.

‘Right. That’s right. I said I would get a new handkerchief for the Duke at that time.’

I took out the handkerchief and brooch from the drawer. After carefully placing the brooch on the vanity, I examined the handkerchief closely.

Although it had been meticulously washed clean, faint traces of blood stains remained that couldn’t be completely removed. Although Duke Haven had declined, saying it was fine, I still thought it would be better to give him a new one as a gift instead of returning this.

Knock knock.

“Young lady!”

Just then, Annie, who had returned from delivering the letter to the Duke’s house, made her presence known outside the door. I hurriedly put the brooch and handkerchief back in the drawer and locked it before calling out.

“Yes, Annie! Just a moment!”

Only after thoroughly checking my appearance in the mirror did I let Annie enter. Annie looked at my slightly flushed face from the hurried movement and said,

“It seems a bit hot in the bedroom. Shall I open the window?”

“No, it’s fine. But you’re a bit late today? Did something happen on the way?”

I asked while fanning myself. Annie shook her head and held out a letter to me as she answered.

“They said they would give a reply right away at the Duke’s house. Here’s the reply.”

“I see, thank you.”

I immediately opened the letter. It was short and concise.

[Regarding the matter of the Princess, I would like to meet and discuss countermeasures before next week’s regular palace meeting.

I plan to stay at the mansion tomorrow and the day after without any particular external schedules, so feel free to visit anytime.]

After confirming the contents, I habitually tore it into small pieces. Then, gathering those pieces in my hand, I turned to Annie and said,

“Annie. I think I’ll need to borrow a carriage tomorrow or the day after. Can you arrange it again so that it doesn’t attract attention?”

“Yes, of course.”

Annie replied in a reassuring voice. I looked at her with affectionate eyes for a moment before standing up.

Walking to the fireplace, I threw the finely torn letter pieces into the fire and spoke again.

“I wonder when Uncle will return home today. Annie, could you please inform the main building that I’d like everyone to have dinner together tonight after a long time?”