Chapter 100
I watched the reunion of the two with quiet satisfaction.
Truth be told, I hadn’t planned to bring them together this quickly.
I only hastened things once I learned that Edwin and Pierre were close friends.
My worries proved needless; Summer blended in with the Magia group almost instantly.
She was the sunny heroine, after all—of course she would.
Just then, Summer turned to Lottie with a warm greeting.
“We meet again. Thank you so much for your help at the banquet the other day.”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
Lottie startled, as though she had never expected to be addressed directly.
“Hmm?”
Intrigued, I gave Lottie a playful nudge in the ribs.
“What’s this? You two already met at the banquet?”
When I flashed a mischievous smile, Lottie launched into a rapid-fire explanation.
“Lady Clopen’s dress had caught on some jewelry. I thought it might tear if left alone, so I helped her out.”
I hadn’t even accused her of anything.
Her unexpectedly strong reaction left me a little dazed.
“Ah. I see.”
She must have hated the idea of a dress she had made herself being ruined.
All the gowns I had sent to Summer were Lottie’s creations, after all.
“Some people are simply fated to meet, I suppose.”
There had been no need for me to orchestrate anything; the encounter had happened naturally.
It might not have been as dramatic as in the original story, but it was enough for them to feel goodwill toward each other.
Just like that—quick as flash-frying beans over lightning—we had Summer fill out an application to join, and we stepped outside.
Summer glanced around, then spoke in a low voice.
“Lady Rodellia, there’s something I think you should know.”
She drew me aside with careful caution, as though about to share a secret no one else should overhear.
“What is it?”
“Well… I felt you ought to be told. There’s a strange rumor going around among the young ladies lately.”
Summer’s lips moved hesitantly, as if the words were difficult to say aloud.
Gossip of every sort always circulated in high society.
Jessica had already twisted the events of eight years ago into something more palatable for herself.
“What is it? It’s all right—tell me.”
Contrary to my casual reassurance, Summer’s words were rather shocking.
“They’re saying you’re two-timing.”
“What?”
What sort of absurd nonsense was this?
As if I would ever meet another man behind Alferen’s back!
I was too stunned to speak, but Summer continued her explanation.
The more I heard, the more outrageous it became.
“A pink-haired woman has been seen frequently entering and leaving Prince Cesare’s palace, and the rumor is that it’s you, my lady.”
“Who’s spreading such insane lies?”
Me, secretly meeting Cesare? I had gone out of my way to avoid him!
At my sharp question, Summer hesitated.
She looked deeply uncomfortable repeating society’s backbiting.
“It’s fine. Tell me. I want to know exactly who’s spreading this ridiculous rumor.”
Urged on, Summer sighed and answered.
“…It’s Lady Jessica Miranda. I happened to attend an academy gathering recently and overheard it.”
You again?
When people are utterly flabbergasted, they really do fall silent.
Jessica, whom I had briefly forgotten amid Alferen’s confession, was once again grating on my nerves.
When I remained quiet, Summer added,
“As soon as I heard it, I objected—said you would never do such a thing. But Lady Miranda insisted she had seen it herself.”
“Hah.”
What sort of bizarre scheme was this?
It was a vulgar rumor not even worth dignifying with a response.
I had let things slide for too long, and now she had grown bold enough to invent stories from whole cloth.
“I should have settled the score properly at her birthday banquet.”
I had been distracted by romance and pushed the matter aside; that had clearly been a mistake.
Anger was beginning to simmer when Summer spoke again.
“Unfortunately, since Lady Miranda is currently courting Prince Cesare, the rumor is spreading even faster.”
“What? Jessica Miranda is dating Prince Cesare?”
What an astonishing pairing.
“All the people I despise have paired up—couldn’t they just mind their own business and leave me out of it?”
My expression must have grown increasingly murderous, because Summer pulled a worried face.
“There’s even talk of an engagement. Because of that, public opinion toward you isn’t good right now. I thought I should tell you before it gets worse.”
I swallowed a bitter laugh.
Empress Rosaria would never give her son to the daughter of a mere border count.
“In the original story, there were plenty of families who were used for their sweetness and then discarded.”
Jessica really was unlucky. Of all the factions, she had chosen the Empress’s side…
Well, one villain being punished by another villain was cause for celebration on my part.
I smoothed my features into a bright smile, as though the anger had never existed, and summed up the situation.
“So Jessica Miranda is going around telling everyone she’s the official consort and I’m the concubine?”
“Cough, cough!”
Summer’s face flushed scarlet at my blunt summary.
“This isn’t some old Baekje folktale. If you’re going to make up lies, at least make them believable. As if I’d be mad enough to meet Prince Cesare behind our Alferen’s back.”
“R-right, of course.”
Summer nodded vigorously even though she had no idea what a Baekje folktale was.
“Thank you, Summer. I had wondered why invitations have dwindled lately—apparently this rumor has been circulating behind my back.”
“Are you all right?”
“What is there to not be all right about? It isn’t even true.”
Of course, it was still a headache.
I didn’t care if rumors flew about me, but my family certainly would.
“If Alferen finds out, things will only get bigger.”
So it was better to quash the rumor myself before it grew.
Either avoid a larger scandal or eliminate the source altogether.
Having settled on a rather frightening plan in my mind, I gently patted Summer’s shoulder.
“By the way, are you still getting those threatening letters?”
“No. It’s been strangely quiet. I think everyone finally understands—that the young lord and I aren’t like that.”
Her words sounded relieved, but her expression was glum.
“That was my brother’s doing…”
From her face, she clearly had no idea Adrian had taken care of it.
He really was the scheming male lead through and through—handling it so perfectly that even the heroine remained unaware.
“What’s this? Could they still only be flirting?”
My brother, so swift in every other action, was inexplicably slow when it came to romance.
“He should have left just enough trace to make it obvious, not handled it so cleanly from the shadows!”
At this rate, I worried Summer might sort out her feelings alone and let it end.
Feeling a twinge of anxiety, I gently broached the subject.
“Who knows. Maybe someone helped you because they like you.”
“Me?”
“And they were jealous of those threatening letters because the two of you look so good together.”
“N-no, that’s not it.”
Summer’s face turned crimson in an instant. She reacted so readily even to the idea of looking good together—it was rather adorable.
“If my brother had seen this, he might have launched a full confession attack.”
Unfortunately, the brother in question wasn’t here, so Summer’s cuteness belonged entirely to me for the moment.
After seeing Summer off and climbing into the carriage, I gave Mei instructions.
“We need to find out who this pink-haired woman is that’s been visiting the prince’s palace. Don’t you know a good investigation agency?”
“Of course. Leave it to Mei!”
“Tell them to start with the high-class pleasure houses. She’s definitely an elite courtesan.”
In the original story, Cesare was a degenerate who couldn’t go a day without that sort of thing.
Yet he was obsessively careful with his own body, selecting only the finest courtesans.
He was so possessive that he forbade them from taking other clients while seeing him.
My mood soured by these villains, I suddenly missed Alferen terribly.
“My daily Alferen quota is running low.”
I had been heading toward the Peris residence, but I abruptly changed my destination.
“To the Magic Tower.”
The lower one’s spirits, the more one should seek out a handsome man.
I set off toward the one person I most wanted to see in this moment.
