#4.
“Tsk. So you only called me here to save face. I wondered if maybe there was something more, since you summoned me first.”
The Duke looked at me with a reproachful gaze.
It was the first time since I’d entered the room that he actually looked at Amelia, but even that glance was merciless.
“Useless thing. It’s already been half a year since you got engaged to the Crown Prince. Yet not only has he failed to warm to you, he’s avoided you to the very end.
Don’t bother denying it—I’ve heard it all.”
I didn’t have much to say in return.
He wasn’t wrong.
The Crown Prince had gone horseback riding just to avoid Amelia’s daily visits… and that’s when the accident had happened.
Though really, what a joke. That same Crown Prince—who couldn’t even stand the sight of her—now shamelessly flirts with me just because he’s regressed?
Did the original Amelia never find that strange?
“Well then… what would you think about annulling this engagement?”
I expected the Duke to explode, but surprisingly, he remained calm.
He looked as if weighing something for a moment, then gave me a curious glance.
“That’s unexpected. I thought you were quite taken with the Crown Prince.”
“I’m well aware of that, Father.
But it’s not wise to keep chasing a hopeless cause.”
The Duke stared at me, his expression unreadable, before letting out a cold, amused scoff.
“When I first took you in, I told you—if you couldn’t win the Crown Prince over, I would cast you aside. Do you remember?”
He struck directly at one of Amelia’s deepest traumas.
“……”
Yes, he had said that.
And for Amelia, that fear had always been paralyzing.
To be cast out of the dukedom.
To return to the life of poverty she’d known on the streets.
That was Amelia’s ultimate nightmare.
That was why, beyond any love she might have felt, she clung to the Crown Prince with desperation.
And why, had it been the original Amelia, she would have broken down sobbing by now—pleading to stay.
But I stood calmly.
Seeing that, the Duke let out a short laugh.
“So now that I’ve threatened to throw you out, you’ve changed your tactics?
Well. Composure suits you better, I must say.
If only you’d been like this from the start… tsk.”
Of course, I already knew the Duke wouldn’t really cast Amelia out.
I’d read the novel.
Amelia’s appearance alone gave her too much value.
Come on, just say it—say you’ll call off the engagement with the Crown Prince. Hurry!
Under the weight of my pleading gaze, the Duke finally opened his mouth, as if granting a favor.
But what he said was completely unexpected.
“I’ll arrange a discreet meeting. You’re to meet the youngest son of the Marquis of Moulton.
If that works out, then—perhaps—I’ll consider annulling the royal engagement.”
“The Marquis of Moulton…? But before that, shouldn’t we inform the palace—”
“It’s simply a backup plan. A bit of insurance, in case things go south.
The Crown Prince is still the first priority, of course.”
The Duke had just told me to two-time the imperial family.
Just how little do you have to think of the royal house to suggest something like that?
Then again, it also showed how far the prestige of the throne had fallen.
I rolled the name over in my mouth.
Moulton… the Marquis of Moulton…
Suddenly, it hit me.
“Father!”
I called out in alarm.
In the original story, the Moulton family was one of the noble houses destroyed by the regressed Crown Prince.
Getting involved with them would only bring death sooner.
“Wouldn’t it be better to investigate the Marquis of Moulton’s household a bit more thoroughly first?
What we see on the surface may not reflect the truth.”
“Do you know something?”
The Duke narrowed his eyes at me, suspicious.
I was caught off guard for a moment—but quickly racked my brain and came up with something plausible.
“Remember the other day, that gathering of noble daughters?”
“The one where you caused a scene and stormed out?”
A bead of sweat rolled down my back.
So Amelia caused a commotion there too, huh?
And based on how hazy her memory was, it must’ve been so frequent it wasn’t even worth storing.
“Well, anyway… I heard something there.
A rumor that the Marchioness of Moulton sometimes disguises herself as a maid and sneaks into casinos.”
Of course, I’d never heard anything of the sort.
But come on—what duke is going to fact-check idle gossip from a ladies’ luncheon?
“It’s not exactly a disgrace for a noblewoman to frequent a casino.”
“But don’t you think it’s strange for her to go disguised so often? Why go to such lengths…?”
“Hmph.”
From the Duke’s reaction, it seemed the bait had landed.
Whether this was before or after the Crown Prince’s regression, this particular detail wasn’t central to the flow of events.
Before the regression, Duke Wentworth eventually discovered everything on his own.
He lent money to the Moulton family at extortionate rates, bled them dry, and eventually swallowed their entire estate.
After the regression, the Crown Prince—seeking to cripple the Duke’s growing power—exposed the Moulton family’s illegal gambling den and tore it down. That led to even more horrific truths about them being revealed. But none of that mattered just yet.
After a moment of contemplation, the Duke rang the bell on his desk.
Shortly after, the butler, James, entered and bowed.
“You summoned me, Your Grace?”
“Bring in Viscount Alfred Layton.”
“Yes, right away.”
Alfred Layton was one of the Duke’s most trusted aides—a man of information.
Summoning him meant the Duke wanted to verify the truth of what I’d said.
“If your claim turns out to be false, we’ll proceed as originally planned.”
I appreciated that he even considered it.
But it also meant the engagement wouldn’t be broken off.
Is that it? Is this really the end?
Wasn’t there something—anything—that could push the Duke toward calling it off?
While I lingered, unsure whether to leave or push harder, the Duke spoke again.
“Wait.”
I looked up at him.
Was I too reserved? Should I have acted more like the original Amelia—more emotionally?
“On your way out, summon Aiden.”
At the mention of Aiden, the corners of my mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.
It wasn’t important, but maybe I could use the opportunity to start planting seeds for something troublesome down the line. Today, I’d just toss out the bait.
“Oh—Aiden oppa? I’ll let Kate know to fetch him.”
“Kate? The maid? She’s not even your assigned attendant. Why her?”
“They seemed unusually close, that’s all…”
The Duke’s expression briefly twisted into a grimace.
He likely wouldn’t think much of it now.
But when he eventually sees them together, this moment might come back to him.
I was just about to excuse myself—when suddenly, the butler James burst back into the room.
“Your Grace! Your Grace!”
“I told you to fetch Alfred Layton. Why are you back so soon?”
“Someone has arrived from the Imperial Palace!”
“The palace? Bring them in.”
The moment the word palace left his mouth, a wave of dread washed over me.
I deliberately remained in place to see how things would unfold.
Soon, a royal attendant entered the room and offered formal greetings to both the Duke and me.
The moment I saw that—my anxiety only deepened.
“What is this about?” the Duke asked.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has asked me to personally deliver this letter to His Grace the Duke.”
While the Duke opened the letter and read, I instinctively began backing away, step by step.
I already had a good idea what it contained.
I just never imagined he’d send it so soon—the very next day.
When the Duke finished reading, a smile tugged at his lips.
It only made my stomach twist harder.
“I suppose it’s best to have Amelia take up residence in the Crown Prince’s palace.”
“Yes, sir. His Highness has ordered that she be escorted there as soon as preparations are complete.”
The Duke’s and the attendant’s eyes both turned to me at once.
I reached for my head and swayed dramatically.
“Aah… suddenly, I feel dizzy…”
“Milady?”
“Amelia!”
Summoning every image I’d ever seen of a fragile, fainting heroine from film and fiction, I launched into the best performance I could manage.
There was no other way.
There was no way I was going to walk into the Crown Prince’s palace like this—completely unprepared—to face a regressor consumed by vengeance.
“Amelia, are you all right? You look terribly pale.”
The Duke approached with a starkly different demeanor from moments ago, now glancing at the attendant as if to show concern.
Regardless of the truth, he had to appear like a loving father entrusting his beloved daughter to the Crown Prince.
I leaned weakly against him, nodding with feigned effort.
“I’m… not well… I don’t think I can go now… cough!”
“Oh dear, Lady Amelia. In this state, it would indeed be difficult.”
Thankfully, the royal attendant bought my act.
To really seal it, I amped up the performance.
“Cough, cough! Please tell His Highness… I am… deeply sorry… cough, cough!”
With a few more dramatic coughs, I let myself collapse forward, practically keeling over.
“James!” the Duke called out urgently. “Take Amelia at once and lay her in bed.”
“Y-yes, right away!”
James hurried over and lifted me into his arms, while the Duke turned to the attendant and said,
“As you can see, Amelia’s health is quite poor. I’m afraid it would be impossible for her to move into the palace immediately.
Please relay this to His Highness.”
“Understood. I shall deliver the message.
Lady Amelia, I wish you a swift recovery.”
Nod, nod.
And with that, James carried me out of the room and back toward my chambers.
