Chapter 28

“Excuse me for the intrusion, but I have something important to say. Could I have a moment of your time?”

As soon as I saw Dahlia standing there confidently in her elegant cream-colored dress, I found myself at a loss for words.

Not that I was particularly interested in what she had to say.

‘Actually, I am really curious.’

Evelyn was always so cynical, so I tried to emulate that demeanor. But I knew exactly why Dahlia had come to see me so boldly. There was only one reason: she was going to share the news about her progress with Ulysses!

‘Please tell me you’re engaged. Please say you’re engaged.’

I muttered to myself like an old lady from the countryside. And, as if on cue, Dahlia, her face beaming with happiness, spoke.

“Very soon, Sundrium will be buzzing with good news.”

“Is that so?”

I barely managed to keep the corners of my lips from twitching upward, pretending to be uninterested. Dahlia’s smile grew even wider.

“It’s all thanks to the Marquis of Celestian. I would really like to thank him in person. Since he’s your fiancé, I thought it would be appropriate to express my gratitude while you’re present. Where might the Marquis be?”

…She wanted to thank Raphael in my presence?

My right eyebrow twitched.

There was no way Dahlia didn’t know about the rumors that Raphael and I were about to break off our engagement.

As much as it irritated me, everything was going according to plan, so I decided to be generous, just this once, and let Dahlia’s sly fox-like behavior slide.

I turned my head away with a cold tone.

“There’s no need for that. I’ll pass on the message myself.”

“Oh, but I wouldn’t want to trouble you like that. It would seem as though I’m treating you like a messenger.”

And yet, getting all cozy with my fiancé is just fine?

I shot Dahlia a sharp glance and responded indifferently.

“Then try your luck next time. Raphael isn’t attending the party today.”

“Is that so? In that case, the next time you’re with the Marquis, please call for me. I’d love to thank him personally.”

Dahlia put on an innocent expression as she said this.

It was so transparent that I couldn’t even muster a laugh.

She wasn’t here to thank Raphael—her true aim was to rile me.

I relaxed my lips.

‘I suppose I understand.’

Right now, everyone’s saying that I’m in a worse position than Dahlia. And since Dahlia already harbored an inferiority complex toward me, of course she’d be thrilled to see me down.

Though neither Evelyn nor Dahlia had done anything good for each other, being treated like this by her didn’t feel great.

“……”

Perhaps Dahlia misinterpreted my silence as a sign of discomfort because she quickly covered her mouth with a look of regret.

“Oh, have I upset you again? I’m so sorry. I only wanted to share good news with you…”

Her eyebrows drooped so dramatically, but to me, she only seemed insincere.

I was going to let it go this time, really.

“Oh, by the way, congratulations to you both on your engagement. You two really make such a perfect—”

I couldn’t take it anymore.

My patience had reached its limit.

“Young Lady Hebe.”

This time, I didn’t need to pretend to be cold. I was genuinely angry.

Dahlia flinched at my harsh tone, though her pride seemed too wounded to admit it, as she chirped back like an offended sparrow.

“Wh-why are you calling me?”

“You really are such a kind soul, aren’t you, Young Lady Hebe?”

“Excuse me?”

“For someone who’s the lover of the Crown Prince’s fiancée, to personally come all the way here to share such good news—if that’s not kindness, I don’t know what is.”

I smirked as I stood up from the sofa. For every step I took toward her, Dahlia took a step back.

I stopped right in front of her and wiped the smirk off my face.

“But you seem to be lacking in manners. Before news like this spreads any further, it’s probably not wise for you to meet with my fiancé.”

“I-I was just trying to show my gratitude. I didn’t mean to offend you. Perhaps we could meet together next time and—”

“What I mean is this, Young Lady Hebe.”

I smiled sweetly.

Dahlia swallowed hard, sensing something amiss. She looked flustered but kept quiet, waiting for me to finish.

“Forget the gratitude. Just enjoy your current happiness. If rumors start spreading that you’ve met with Raphael, especially with talks of our engagement ending…”

I trailed off, lowering my gaze to meet Dahlia’s. She was trembling now, no longer the confident woman who had barged in here earlier.

I couldn’t even laugh. Instead, I leaned in close to her ear and whispered softly.

“Can you handle what happens next?”

“……!”

Dahlia’s face hardened. Her bright yellow eyes flickered with fear, though anger soon followed.

I grinned and patted her on the shoulder.

“Take care of your good fortune, while it lasts.”

It was friendly advice, really.

I may not be exceptional, but I’ve always cherished my own luck. After all, Ulysses is Dahlia’s golden ticket to rising in status.

“Got it? I’ll be waiting for your good news.”

Dahlia’s face flushed with humiliation. She looked like she was about to say something sharp when—

“Dahlia!”

Yet another unwanted guest barged into my terrace.

Terraces were supposed to be private spaces for whoever got there first. But apparently, this couple thought it was their own personal living room.

The moment Dahlia saw Ulysses, her tearful expression transformed as she cried out in desperation.

“Your Highness!”

‘Damn it.’

I knew exactly how this was going to play out. Ulysses would inevitably throw a fit, accusing me of still having feelings for him…

“Dahlia, what on earth are you doing?!”

‘Wait, what?’

It wasn’t just me who was shocked. Dahlia blinked, utterly confused, before speaking.

“Your Highness, what did you just say…?”

“Dahlia, how could you behave like this on the lady’s private terrace? You promised not to cause trouble today!”

“I-It’s a misunderstanding! Anyone could see I was the one being threatened by the lady!”

Dahlia looked genuinely indignant. And to be fair, I *had* just been threatening her, so I was a bit taken aback myself.

‘Has he lost his mind?’

I quickly realized what was going on. Ulysses, exasperated, scolded Dahlia.

“And you think making her cry was the right response?”

*Crying?* Me? Why would I cry?

I was baffled until I remembered what had happened earlier.

I had shed a tear while thinking of my cat, Geumhee. And before I could clean myself up, Dahlia had stormed in.

Seeing my slightly smudged makeup and the rumors of my broken engagement, Ulysses had likely jumped to the conclusion that Dahlia had made me cry.

‘But why does he care if I cry or not?’

Could it be because of the Praviche name?

Even the Emperor shows deference to the Praviche family.

I couldn’t understand why, but if word got out that Dahlia, Ulysses’ lover, had made the youngest Praviche daughter cry…

‘No way!’

Dahlia’s only hope for securing her future lay in currying favor with the Emperor. But if he heard that she had made me cry… her chances would be ruined. That’s why Ulysses was scolding her so severely.

Before Ulysses could blow things further out of proportion, I quickly stepped in.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding, Your Highness. Young Lady Hebe didn’t do anything wrong.”

“See, Your Highness? I told you, I didn’t make her cry!”

“Lady, no matter what Dahlia said, it’s all my fault. Please, I beg you to forget about it.”

“Your Highness!”

Dahlia let out a shriek of betrayal, but Ulysses silenced her with a stern look.

“Dahlia, please. I’m asking you to stay quiet!”

“……!”

Dahlia bit her lip, tears welling up. I was just as bewildered as she was. Why was *he* acting like the wronged party?

As I racked my brain trying to figure out how to make him believe me, Ulysses looked at me with a pleading expression.

“Lady, please, I beg you. Whatever you want, I’ll do it. Just let this go.”

‘…Whatever I want?’

Huh. This could be useful, couldn’t it?

Having a little leverage never hurt. As I was about to seize the opportunity, Dahlia’s voice rang out.

“How could you do this to me, Your Highness?!”

I’d never heard Dahlia scream so loudly. Honestly, my eardrums nearly burst. Even an evil villainess like me wasn’t prepared for *that.*

Thankfully, neither Ulysses nor Dahlia seemed to notice my momentary lapse as they were too busy glaring at each other.

Dahlia began sobbing uncontrollably.

“No, really, it’s not what you think! Even the lady said so—why won’t you believe me?!”

“Dahlia, I beg you, please be quiet!”

This was bad. They were starting to fight each other. If they didn’t make up soon, the Emperor might start eyeing me as a potential daughter-in-law again! 

The situation was spiraling out of control.

“Am I so untrustworthy, Your Highness? Are you really so scared of the Emperor that you can’t even believe me? This isn’t fair!”

“You promised you’d behave today, Dahlia. But you broke that promise!”

Dahlia cried louder, and Ulysses continued to scold her. Honestly, how did they have such strong voices? 

If they kept this up, the Emperor would hear about it, and my whole plan would fall apart.

I needed to intervene before things escalated further. But just then, a butterfly flitted past my vision.

‘Ugh, get out of the way.’

I tried to swat away the annoying insect, but two butterflies settled on my ungloved hand. My head started to pound painfully.

Something was wrong. I felt disoriented.

‘What’s happening? Did I drink too much?’

No, it wasn’t the alcohol. I hadn’t even drunk half of what I usually did, and there was no way the effects would hit me now.

I staggered back, clutching my head as I leaned against the sofa. But my vision continued to blur, and nausea began to set in.

“Dahlia, you’re so quick to forgive yourself but not others. Why is that?”

“I swear I didn’t do anything! Yes, I came to see the lady on my own, but I never made her cry!”

The pain in my head intensified. Their bickering only made it worse.

I wanted to get away from the noise, so I started backing away.

‘Please, just be quiet.’

One step, two steps.

With every agonizing throb in my head, I stumbled further from them, unable to even see the ground properly.

“Hic… How could you treat me like this, Your Highness…?”

Just then, I felt something hit my waist. It was the railing.

“Ah.”

I let out a small, unconscious gasp. Ulysses and Dahlia both turned toward me with startled expressions.

“…Lady!”

“Ahhhh!”

Both of them screamed simultaneously.

And then I understood why. I was falling over the terrace railing.

Their shocked faces quickly disappeared from view as I plunged toward the ground.

Ulysses rushed forward, desperately reaching out for me, but it was too late. I was already hurtling upside down through the pitch-black night sky.

*Thud!*

“Lady!”

“What is this commotion… Evelyn?!”

Above me, chaos erupted. Led by Asil, a group of people gathered at the terrace, horrified by my fall.

But strangely enough, I didn’t feel any pain. Something far more pressing held my attention.

A swarm of butterflies was once again fluttering through the night sky, heading straight toward me. They gently landed on my neck, arms, and shoulders, one by one.

My head was burning. My vision blurred again.

I felt the last butterfly softly land on my blood-soaked forehead before I finally lost consciousness.