Mess 165

165.

At last, Peonia, who had remained silent until now, opened her mouth. Her voice, forcibly suppressing her anger, was cold and piercing.

All held their breath and listened intently to her words.

“As Your Highness says, it seems I lack the qualities to become the mother of a nation.”

That’s it!

Secretly clenching her fist in triumph, Seraphie cheered inwardly.

Peonia did not act according to the crown prince’s will. With poise and an unbroken dignity, she revealed herself as the proud, composed daughter of a duke—no different than she was on any other day.

“I am plagued with jealousy and, because of it, I have not hesitated to commit deeds so low they are hardly mentionable.”

“Are you saying you willingly admit your errors?”

“That is not so.”

A crease formed between the crown prince’s brows.

“I have long been aware of my own shortcomings.”

With utmost propriety, Peonia inclined her head. That modest, well-mannered display put pressure on the crown prince.

“……”

He ground his teeth almost inaudibly.

Though he had orchestrated all of this, he felt a humiliating sense of defeat before the woman who bowed her head to him.

“I understand Your Highness’s intentions well.”

Raising her head, Peonia met the crown prince’s eyes with unshaken composure.

“Therefore, acknowledging my own lack of virtue, I shall withdraw from my position as Your Highness’s fiancée.”

At last, the words the crown prince had longed for—“the annulment of their betrothal”—were spoken by Peonia herself.

---

The ballroom was gripped by shock.

It was as if everyone had been doused in freezing water; not a soul had expected such a tremendous scandal.

Nor had Seraphie, the very star of the evening, foreseen this.

“He really is despicable and vile!”

Yet inwardly, she was too busy cursing the crown prince’s underhanded schemes.

“Worse than my own father!”

She had barely finished a long string of silent insults when—

“How am I supposed to believe that?”

Glaring at Peonia with suspicion, the crown prince spoke.

By this point, Seraphie figured the lunatic had forgotten the gathering was a banquet and that all of Peonia’s fierce protectors were still present.

“How do I know you’re not plotting something behind my back?”

“All the illustrious personages present will serve as witnesses,” Peonia replied, maintaining her composure even as she shouldered such blatant falsehoods.

“At least it’s good you’ve finally realized your wrongdoing.”

Turning his back on Peonia, the crown prince approached Lilia.

“Lilia.”

With a tender smile, he greeted the woman he considered his lovely pawn, who stood rooted in a daze.

“Now, the person who troubles you—”

Smack!

And then—a sharp crash of breaking glass.

Somewhere, a champagne glass shattered, but nobody paid any mind.

Everyone, Seraphie included, could only gape, unable to close their dropped jaws.

“……”

The crown prince, his head turned to the side, blinked stupidly as if he could not comprehend what had just happened.

“…You villain!”

Lilia’s hand, which had slapped the crown prince’s cheek, still hung in the air. Her eyes, brimming with tears and fierce anger, finally let the tears spill down her cheeks.

“You despicable bastard!”

Lilia unleashed all the pent-up rage she had held back.

“You act as you please, jump to wild conclusions, and then sully the name of Lady Peonia like she’s at fault!”

Lilia’s fury filled the ballroom.

“The only reason Lady Peonia helped me was because she pitied me for being trapped by you! You’re the villain here; Lady Peonia is the kind and gentle one!”

Fuming, Lilia brushed past the crown prince’s shoulder on purpose.

“Lady Peonia!”

And, bawling, she ran to Peonia.

“Wahhh! Ahhh! Lady Peonia!”

“……”

“I’m so sorry! I startled you, didn’t I? What are we to do about these outrageous accusations against you, Lady Peonia?!”

“It was startling, yes…” Peonia gave a wry laugh.

She never imagined this dear child would have the nerve to strike the crown prince’s cheek. Worry and relief mingled within her.

All that endurance, just to witness something so satisfying up close.

…I really don’t love the crown prince anymore.

The lingering attachment at last cast aside, Peonia felt nothing but utter relief.

“Lilia.”

Peonia whispered.

“Do you remember what I said before?”

“M-me?”

“That we should leave together.”

“……”

Lilia, blinking her large eyes, soon broke into a bright smile and nodded.

“I remember…”

“You’ll come with me, then?”

“Yes!”

“Then let’s leave at once.”

“All right!”

At her spirited answer, Peonia offered a dazzling smile.

The two, as if to make a point, joined hands in plain view. They showed everyone just how close they were, disproving all the rumors that had been whispered about them.

“Serah.”

“Miss Seraphie!”

Then, they sought out Seraphie.

“D-don’t…!”

Before a startled Seraphie could defend herself, the two rushed into her arms.

A strangled yelp escaped Seraphie’s lips.

“Serah, we owe it all to you!”

“You, Count Validus, are my savior! I found the courage thanks to you!”

“We were both helped by Seraphie.”

“That’s right! Had it not been for you, I would have gone on killing myself inside.”

Their heartfelt thanks poured out in a rush.

“……”

But rather than feeling pleased, Seraphie was busy sweating.

“Of course—she’s my friend!” Runi, meanwhile, bounded over and joined in.

“This wonderful woman is my best friend! And my boss!”

The four—though more precisely, the three not including Seraphie herself—displayed a fiery friendship.

…Oh, damn.

I’m finished.

The crown prince stood, his head still turned as before, and even as people watched him cautiously, they kept sneaking glances at Seraphie’s group, curiosity evident.

Seraphie could already see what was in store for her.

From now on, whenever people recalled what had happened today, they would naturally remember Seraphie as the one responsible. “I heard it was thanks to Count Validus,” they’d say, and the rumors would grow all the more.

My fate…

Someone appeared in Seraphie’s drying gaze.

“Serah.”

Even at a distance, Seraphie could clearly read Orchis’s lips.

How had this happened?

It was as if he were growling into her very ear.

“……”

Lacking even the strength to reply, Seraphie simply shut her eyes.

She wished she would just faint, but her improved constitution would not allow it.

---

In the original, the spring banquet had been a special event in honor of the crown prince’s achievements.

But now that Seraphie had upended the source material so recklessly, it had become a celebration of her own merits instead.

Looking back, it all seemed rather odd.

Seraphie stared blankly at her teacup. The milky tea within steamed gently.

She slouched gracelessly on the sofa, simply staring at it. She had not the strength to so much as move a finger, nor the will to do so.

She simply let her thoughts drift in and out.

No matter what I do, in the end everything goes the same way as in the original story.

For all her efforts, the broad flow of events remained unchanged.

The only difference was that all the rewards and glories reaped by the crown prince in the original had now become Seraphie’s instead.

Why is that?

It was stranger than strange.

Surely it was the original itself that was odd.

But if so, why had things turned out this way?

What is the difference between the original and the present?

Lost in escapist thoughts, Seraphie’s mind only grew deeper, the answers seeming near yet always blurring—and somehow, enveloped in a peculiar sense of comfort.

Perhaps it was all right not to know for now.

“…My lady.”

It was her butler, watching with a worried gaze, who spoke up with care.

“Um…”

He had served the Validus family for decades and thought himself prepared for anything, but even he found the moment difficult.

“Butler.”

Seraphie gave a faint, almost imperceptible shake of her head.

“Just go now…”

“……”

“Don’t say anything…”

Show me only silence for your sympathy.

In the end, the butler quietly excused himself, not forgetting to bow with perfect courtesy though Seraphie did not look up.

Left alone, Seraphie—

“…Uwaaaah!”

Clutched her head with both hands and let out a bizarre groan.

“Ahh! Aaargh!”

Then she collapsed onto the sofa.

“What a cursed fate is mine!”

“Shouting like that won’t solve anything.”

Thud—a weight dropped on her head. A large palm gently unwrapped her hands, then stroked her tangled sky-blue hair as if brushing it smooth.

“……”

Seraphie quietly sat up, straightening herself on the sofa.

“I believe you know why I’ve come.”

Orchis sat right beside her, exhaustion heavy in his own voice as well.

“Penny fled in the night at dawn today.”

Seraphie squeezed her eyes shut.

“Let’s not run from reality any longer.”

Orchis produced a letter from his pocket.

“Penny asked that I give this to you.”

“Can’t we say it was lost in a natural disaster?”

“The situation is far too serious for that.”

As Orchis forced the letter into her hand, he sighed repeatedly.

Even so, Seraphie—who thought the face of her man looked two years more mature overnight—could not help but admire him.

But he was right.

Yesterday’s events could not simply be dismissed as a mere accident.

The crown prince had insulted a noble family, a mage from the Tower had struck him, and now Validus was entangled, too.

“Because you made a hasty exit from the banquet last night, I’ve come personally to deliver the emperor’s message.”

“Ugh…”

Seraphie hid her face in her hands and sniffled.

“It’s all because I make the worst friends…!”

“And I suffer for having the worst sibling.”

Orchis stood, picked Seraphie up in his arms, brushed away her fake tears, and deftly dressed her in the coat he had earlier fetched from a maid.

He also gently put on the scarf and hat he had brought for her.

“There is an imperial command for you to come to the palace at once.”

Though Seraphie had meddled again and again in the original, she had never felt such chilling dread as she did now.

…I’d better read this later.

Seraphie slipped the letter into her pocket.