#16.
The moment I stepped back into the hall, I tilted my head at the sudden wave of murmurs rippling through the crowd. From the snippets I caught, it sounded like people were bracing themselves for “another scene.”
‘What’s going on now?’
As I moved toward the center of the commotion, a loud clatter was followed by the sound of someone hitting the floor. To my surprise, the person sprawled on the ground was none other than Diana Licke.
“Roena! *Waaaaah!*”
The second Diana saw me, her eyes welled up with tears, and she put on the most pathetic face she could muster. Standing before her was Archid.
Archid looked flustered when he saw me. I looked back and forth between the fallen Diana and the bewildered Archid. I didn’t need to see the replay to know exactly what had happened. I ran straight to Archid’s side.
“Lord Archid, are you alright?!”
“Pardon?”
“Did Diana bully you again?”
“No, I……”
I bit my lower lip as I watched Archid stand there like a fool, unable to get a single word out. I immediately whirled around to glare at Diana, who was still sitting on the floor.
*How dare she touch my precious boy?*
With eyes as fierce as a tiger’s, I snapped at her.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Ro—Roena! I didn’t do anything! If anything, the Young Grand Duke pushed m—”
Diana looked utterly wronged, clearly not expecting me to jump to Archid’s defense. But I had no intention of believing a single word that came out of her mouth.
“There is no way my husband would suddenly push you.”
“What?”
“You obviously did something wrong. Either that, or you just tripped over your own feet.”
Exactly. There was no way my sweet, gentle Archid would ever shove someone to the ground. Diana was clearly trying to frame him. When I took Archid’s side without a second thought, Diana clutched the fabric of her dress. The look of utter shock on her face was quite a sight to behold.
“H-how could you do this to me!”
As Diana began to tremble, her group of friends immediately began to rally around her.
“We saw it! The Young Grand Duke pushed Diana!”
“Yes! I wasn’t lying! Do you have any idea how terrifying your husband was being to me?”
Diana began to wail loudly, her movements exaggerated as if she were dying of indignation. At their persistent accusations, I stole a quick glance at Archid.
His face was set, and he opened his mouth as if to offer an excuse, but I turned back to Diana before he could speak. Then, leaning on one leg in an arrogant stance—just like the original Roena would—I spoke with icy disdain.
“So what?”
“What?”
“Why are you complaining to me about falling down? Who do you think you are?”
“How can you not take my side?”
“You’re talking nonsense. Why on earth would I take your side over my own family, Archid? We are essentially strangers.”
“S—strangers? We’re friends!”
“Technically, we *were* friends.”
“……!”
“But we aren’t anymore. I’m bored of hanging out with you lot. So stop bothering my husband and get lost.”
I flashed a brilliant smile and kindly pointed toward the door.
Roena had always been notoriously fickle. Diana had only lasted this long because she had been good at catering to those whims. Cutting ties a bit earlier than planned wasn’t going to be a problem. Besides, my reputation was already in the gutter; it didn’t matter how much Diana badmouthed me behind my back.
Her face flushed with humiliation, Diana shrieked, “Fine! We’re through!”
*Good. That’s exactly what I wanted.*
As I nodded with a refreshing smile, Diana shook with rage for a moment before jumping up and storming away. I gave a small wave to the group trailing after her.
*‘It’s been a mess, girls. Let’s never see each other again.’*
Then, I spun back to Archid.
“Are you really okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
How petty of them to gang up on one person like that. If I had known, I would have stayed glued to his side! I put on a gloomier expression than him, thinking about how difficult this must have been for him.
Archid looked at me with a dazed expression and asked, “What would you have done if I really had pushed Lady Licke on purpose?”
There was a hint of confusion in his eyes. He probably really hadn’t expected me to take his side. I took his hand and gave him a soft smile.
“Did you really push her?”
“No. I didn’t.”
“I knew it.”
My Archid wasn’t the type to go around being a thug for no reason. When I nodded instantly in trust, Archid gave me a strange look. He stared down at our joined hands and murmured.
“I wasn’t okay… but I am now. Because Roena took my side.”
As he spoke, he squeezed my hand tightly. He looked just like a large, loyal puppy. I was momentarily dazed by his perfect features, but then I processed what he had said and my eyes went wide.
“Wh—what did you just say?”
“I said thank you for taking my side.”
“No, before that. What did you call me?”
“You mean calling you Roena?”
Yes! That! I stammered, caught off guard by his sudden directness.
“Y—you just called me by my name, right?”
“Yes. That’s right, Roena.”
Archid smiled faintly and toyed with the back of my hand. Was it just my imagination, or did he look happy? What was this? What sudden change of heart made him call me Roena?
I liked the title “My Lady,” but being called by my name was surprisingly thrilling. It felt like I was being truly acknowledged. They say names exist to be called by others; hearing mine come from Archid’s lips felt like a tidal wave of emotion crashing over me.
When I was too moved to speak, he leaned down to meet my level, his eyes dropping slightly as he asked, “Does it upset you? Should I stop?”
Was it my imagination, or did I hear a faint, pitiful whimper? I shook my head vigorously.
“N-no! Please call me that! ‘My Lady’ is fine, but ‘Roena’ is good, too!”
Fearing he might never say it again, I made a huge fuss. He let out a grin as if he had expected that reaction.
“Yes, Roena.”
A heart-stopping smile was right there in front of me.
—
Meanwhile, the noblewomen were engrossed in a game of chess at the Hadelus villa. Elena was just about to use her bishop to topple the king.
“*Waaaaah*, Mother!”
Diana Licke burst into the room, sobbing, and threw herself into Countess Licke’s arms. The Countess abandoned the game and cradled Diana’s face.
“Dana! What happened to your face? Who bullied you?”
“*Hic*… Roena… the Young Grand Duke…”
Diana gasped for breath, unable to finish her sentence. Elena stared at Diana, who had interrupted her just before checkmate.
The names Roena and Archid had caught her attention. Countess Licke, mindful of Elena’s presence, quickly tried to quiet Diana.
“Doing this in front of all these adults…”
“Did something happen?” Elena prompted with a gentle, yet sharp smile.
Recognizing her, Diana let out a loud hiccup.
“*Hic!*”
“Oh dear, you must be quite startled. May, bring the child some water.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
The maid assisting Elena poured a glass of water and handed it to Diana. Diana gulped it down.
“Now then. What on earth happened that you mentioned the Young Grand Ducal couple?”
“Please don’t mind her, Your Grace. Children will have their squabbles,” Countess Licke interjected with an awkward laugh, but Diana’s mouth was already open.
“Roena said she was bored of me and told me to get lost. *Sob.*”
Diana told the story entirely in her own favor. Unaware of the truth, Countess Licke’s face hardened instantly.
“What?”
It was clear she was offended that someone had told her precious daughter to “get lost.” Elena, still holding her bishop, murmured softly.
“I should have known it was nothing.”
Then, as if it were of no consequence, she used her bishop to flick over the Countess’s king.
“Checkmate.”
At the maid’s confirmation, Elena gave a light nod and rose from her seat.
“Your Grace, are you leaving just like this?” the Countess asked.
“Didn’t you just say that children have their squabbles?”
“Well, yes, but for the sake of their education…”
“It’s rather pathetic for adults to get involved in children’s fights, don’t you think?”
When Elena showed a complete lack of interest, Countess Licke spoke more firmly.
“Even so, if they aren’t disciplined from a young age, they grow up reckless. No matter how childish it is, using such disrespectful language should be met with a stern—”
“Countess Licke.”
Elena stopped mid-way through putting on her wrap and scanned both the Countess and Diana. Diana stopped crying and gaped at Elena’s stunning platinum-blonde hair. They said she had imperial blood, and indeed, that hair shone as brightly as the sun.
Elena furrowed her brows. “Advice is something given by someone in a position to give it.”
“……”
“It seems to me that the one acting recklessly here is you, Countess Licke.”
“Your Grace!”
“Let us end this. My chess opponent was so dull I can’t bear to stay any longer.”
With that, Elena walked toward the door with an elegant stride. Just as she reached it, she paused and turned back, as if she had suddenly remembered something.
“Ah, Countess Licke.”
“Yes, Your Grace?” the Countess replied, swallowing her humiliation.
Elena flashed a brilliant smile. “I’ll handle my own children. So, perhaps the Countess should focus on keeping her own child’s mouth shut first?”
“Excuse me?!”
The Countess jumped up, unable to contain her fury. But Elena had already vanished from the room.
“Hic!”
Terrified by the look in her mother’s eyes, Diana’s hiccups returned with a vengeance. Countess Licke’s face turned a deep, angry red, and her frustration immediately shifted toward Diana.
“Can’t you stop those damn hiccups already?!”
It was as if everything, suddenly, was the fault of those hiccups.
