Chapter 19
It was very strange. I tried to lift Shabelle up.
“Come on, stand up Young Lady Float.”
“Princess, are you forgiving me?”
“I was the only one who did an impolite thing that day. I’m sorry, Young Lady Float.”
Shabelle’s eyes widened at my words.
My apology didn’t seem to give her any satisfaction, instead, it looked like she felt fear.
Originally, Shabelle was such a simple minded character. She was so naive that she seemed like an idiot.
So I thought that if I apologized, she would accept it right away, but I furrowed my eyebrows as it didn’t go the way I intended.
And then she asked me again and again.
“Princess, are you apologizing for accusing me of being disrespectful on that day?”
“What?”
“Are you not?”
“N-No, that’s right…”
In fact, I rolled around on the floor and contemplated not apologizing, but listening to her words, I should have apologized sooner because I was the reason why many persecuted Shabelle.
But I was embarrassed because I didn’t think Shabelle would speak so sharply.
While I hesitated, my followers began to criticize Shabelle again.
“Young Lady Float. How much more disrespect will you show to Miss Inalia?”
“Yes, Miss Inalia was so shocked she became bedridden! But you think you deserve to complain. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to show my face because of the embarrassment.”
The sight of the ladies talking nonsense to the future empress Shabelle made my expression darken slightly.
I waved my hand again and asked them to be quiet.
“Everyone, I don’t believe Young Lady Float meant to be disrespectful. Young Lady Float, I’m truly sorry. All this happened because everyone adores me so much.”
“Princess, should I understand that those young ladies persecute me because they adore you?”
‘I don’t think so, but what can I do about the hidden nuances of noble speech?’
It’s normal to twist your words when you’re nobility, but openly questioning a person using their own words is foul play.
“I didn’t mean to force them to do something. I meant to apologize for them because I was partially responsible for them doing it.”
Shabelle frowned and murmured at my words.
“Why won’t the princess get mad at me when I talk back to her?”
It sounded like a quarrel, but Shabelle seemed very suspicious about my attitude.
If I had been the same as before, I would have already turned this situation around.
I was getting anxious now.
The heroine is too smart.
Shabelle was not a character who pointed out subtle things one by one.
“I’m the one who did the worst to you. How can I get angry at you? I’m sure I accidentally stained your dress that day, so I would like to give you a new dress as a present.”
“If you are talking about a mistake, do you mean when you spilled a drink on my hand and knocked me onto the floor?”
Shabelle wasn’t just mildly arguing with me, she was fighting.
‘Why the hell is Shabelle fighting me?’
I looked at Shabelle because I didn’t know what to say, and she looked nervous when I didn’t respond.
Even my followers kept saying oh my, indicating that Shabelle’s attitude was absurd.
I couldn’t believe it even when I watched her, who didn’t have a strong backing, fighting against me.
Shabelle, with whatever the hell she actually wants, is now starting to blame me.
“Princess, that harassment was intended for all to see. I wasn’t going to attend at first, but you drove me to the point where I should’ve attended without an invitation…?”
Shabelle was cut off.
A man suddenly cut in between me and Shabelle.
“Sorry for the intrusion, ladies.”
He had an elegant speech pattern and a soft voice.
The man looked back at me slowly, asking for patience out of courtesy.
The crown prince. The male lead of the original novel.
Although I worked hard on socializing as a duke’s daughter, this was basically a practice social event where young children gathered.
This type of social event is filled with lower level aristocrats and it is a good environment for me to build up my followers.
So I have rarely met Crown Prince Radiov, since we had quite an age difference.
I see him at the royal banquet a couple of times a year.
I invited him to my engagement ceremony as a courtesy, but that day the crown prince went as an envoy to the neighboring kingdom and was not in the empire, and my engagement was congratulated by the empress instead.
Today was my first time seeing him since I greeted him last time at the New Year’s banquet.
Why are you here?
As I was confused, I slowly became horrified as Shabelle and the crown prince glanced at me.
Shabelle is twelve years old.
The crown prince is twenty years old.
What’s worse is that the two will start flirting in only a few months.
What I realized was something I didn’t even think of when I was reading the novel.
‘The crown prince is not sane.’
When I looked at the crown prince with contempt, this man began to appease Shabelle.
“Young Lady, I know your wounds are deep, but the princess seems to truly feel sorry, so why don’t you give her a chance to heal your wounds?”
Shabelle replied so submissively that it seemed as though she wasn’t the one who had just said something so sharp to me only moments ago.
“Yes, I will.”
The prince smiled softly at her response and looked back at me.
“Young Lady Krenberia.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Would you give me a moment?”
“Of course.”
The twenty-year-old prince looked rather young for his age, but his status was still scary.
In fact, the image of the emperor behind him was scarier than the actual crown prince.
I tried placing my hand on the one the crown prince held out to me, but someone grabbed my hand first.
I was startled and pulled back my hand. But someone grabbed it back as soon as I let go.
This time, I wasn’t surprised because I already knew who it was by then.
It was Karpel who caught my hand.
He spoke dryly, looking at the prince with a rigid face that did not show any emotions.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I think we should get going.”
I looked at my hand being held tightly, and the prince was completely unmoved by the sudden appearance of Karpel.
“Is that so? Then I’ll see you next time.”
At the crown prince’s words, Karpel pulled me away in a hurry, and so I followed him.
It wasn’t possible for me to prepare a suitable explanation, so I bid goodbye to the prince by lifting only the hem of my salposhi dress.
The crown prince looked at us with a smile.
‘Why did the crown prince come to a children’s gathering? Perv… Is he here to watch the children?’
I became wary of the crown prince because I thought he might be looking at the children with impure eyes.
I kept staring at Radiov and Karpel held onto my shoulder.
Karpel, who is three years older than me, moved in front of me and completely blocked my vision.
I was trying to observe this “new” male lead, but instead, I ended up looking at Karpel, who had a face full of resentment.
And when I saw his face, I could only look ahead quietly.
Karpel’s face was horribly distorted.
Crown Prince Radiov.
To me, he was only the male lead of the novel, but to Karpel, he’s the son of an enemy.
I felt sorry.
It was because he had to drag me out of there and I had made him face his enemy’s son.
As I walked calmly toward the carriage, Karpel, who was pushing me as if to hurry, slightly matched my pace.
As I walked slowly, my surroundings began to catch my eye.
If we move in a hurry like this, I was afraid we might attract a lot of attention, but everyone was focused on what they were talking about as if we were invisible.
But it was not just one or two of them, it was all of them. Besides, they were still children who struggled to hide their inner thoughts.
So since I could see that Karpel and I were wary of where to move.
I clutched at Karpel’s sleeve, who was standing beside me.
I shouldn’t have come.
Next time I’ll just invite a couple of the ladies to the mansion.
I climbed into the carriage with the help of Karpel.
I just got here and now we’re already on the way back to the mansion. I glanced at Karpel’s stiff face and spoke.
“I’m sorry…”
Karpel paused.
He slowly opened his mouth, then shut it as he was about to say something.
I fiddled with my hair and made excuses for no reason.
“I didn’t think that His Highness, the crown prince, would be there.”
Karpel looked sideways at me and sighed. It was like he pitied me.
Damn. He doesn’t seem to like anything I do.
[e/n: Seems like someone is getting kinda jealous. ~Hey guys, sorry about the unexpected break, the TL had some stuff going on. Thank you for your patience, and we should have releases probably every week from now on~]