chapter 6
“…!”
Philios’s eyes shook violently as he recognized Etius.
With a cold expression, Etius leaned slightly closer and spoke in a low voice.
“What are you doing?”
No matter how much of a “puppet prince” he was, Etius still held a higher status than Philios.
If Philios injured him, it would count as assaulting royalty.
Grinding his teeth, Philios replied,
“I was merely having a private matter with my fiancée.”
“In that case…”
Etius tightened his grip on Philios’s wrist, making his brow twitch in pain.
“Is this how you resolve such matters?”
Among Oswell nobles, using fists instead of a sword was considered disgraceful.
And for a man to strike a woman—it was an act of cowardice.
Philios’s lashes trembled as he finally pulled his wrist free.
Then, glaring at me, he spoke through clenched teeth,
“This does not concern Your Highness.”
Now it was my turn to step in.
“No, anyone with a sense of honor would interfere.”
I looked straight at Philios as I spoke.
Maybe because I had transmigrated, my fear had dulled—I wasn’t even that scared of someone who had just tried to hit me.
“…Katrin!”
“And someone truly just would step in even more so.”
I could feel Etius’s gaze on me.
Ah… dazzling.
“Unlike someone who’s not only ugly, but also a womanizer.”
“…!!!”
Comparing him directly to Etius made Philios’s face turn bright red, as if he were about to explode.
But standing beside me was Etius—broad-shouldered, clearly stronger—so Philios could only tremble with clenched fists.
Coward.
In the end, he spat out a threat,
“You’ll regret this, Katrin.”
Then he turned sharply and stormed off.
Even the way he walks is ugly.
Shaking my head, I wondered how Katrin had ever agreed to marry someone like that.
“….”
Then—
I heard a faint, breathy huff beside me.
My shoulders flinched, and I looked at Etius.
I couldn’t see his full expression, but the slight upward curve of his lips…
Was he… smiling?
In Katrin’s memories… had she ever seen Etius smile even once?
I stared blankly at him, but soon he turned back to me, his face returning to its usual cold rigidity.
‘Was I imagining it?’
Ah… but just looking at him felt like my eyes were being cleansed.
Cool, sharp eyes. Deep blue irises. A high, elegant nose.
A tall frame—easily around 190 cm—with broad shoulders.
Seeing my favorite in person, this close…
“Katrin Elemore.”
His cold voice cut through my thoughts.
“You haven’t changed. Remarkably so.”
Ah—so he meant, you still have that hellish mouth of yours, right?
Well… I had attacked him with that disastrous confession before.
Beneath his slightly furrowed brows, his blue eyes seemed filled with complicated thoughts.
Silence stretched between us.
A cool breeze passed, stirring my silver hair.
“Don’t misunderstand. I had no intention of helping you.”
Oh? That’s kind of cute.
Well, considering my—no, Katrin’s—past, it made sense he’d draw a line.
“Of course. Your Highness has always been a just person. Consistently so.”
I spoke calmly.
Eti, you’ve always been my definition of justice.
Honestly, I wanted to throw myself into his arms and ramble—my savior, my love, and all that nonsense.
But that would probably terrify him.
My goal was to quietly support him and return safely, after all.
So I held it in and said just that.
“…Even your sarcasm is impressive.”
My brow twitched.
Sarcasm?
That wasn’t my intention.
But it seemed that the tone and expression ingrained in Katrin’s body made everything sound like mockery.
“Ah, if it came across that way…”
I lowered my head slightly, then turned away.
“I have nothing more to add.”
In the end, I chose silence.
Etius would never know.
That my heart beat only for him.
That my unwavering resolve turned fragile only in front of him.
“I have matters to attend to, so I’ll be going.”
It was frustrating—this body could only express hostility and contempt.
And I couldn’t exactly be honest either.
“…But you.”
At that moment, his voice hooked around my ankle like a snare.
My heart dropped.
Calm down.
I turned back with an even colder expression than usual.
His brow twitched slightly, as if thinking, Is she glaring at me that intensely?
After a moment, he spoke in a low, shadowed tone—
On the way back in the carriage, I pressed a hand over my still-racing heart and muttered,
“…I hit the jackpot today, didn’t I? Just for talking to him…”
At the end, Etius had even called me back and said, with that meaningful gaze:
—“Don’t you have something to say to me?”
Oh, I had plenty to say.
Eti is the best my heart’s going to explode you’re so cute my baby you’re insane every time I see you it feels new you’re the most handsome from every angle—
All of it swirled in my head.
But what I actually said was—
—“I told you, I don’t.”
In the coldest, most arrogant tone possible.
“My lady.”
Heros called out to me as I sat there grinning.
“Hmm?”
I answered—but his reaction was odd.
Ah… wrong expression?
“Ah—what is it!”
I corrected my tone sharply, raising my brows and glaring at him.
“….”
“…Ah….”
Wait, that was definitely the proper “Katrin” response.
Why is he looking at me like that again… and why are his ears red?
As I tilted my head, he flinched and snapped back to his senses.
“…Ah, well. How was your conversation with Young Marquis Philios? Did he, perhaps, ask you for support again…?”
“We broke up.”
I stretched casually as I said it.
Heros’s eyes widened in shock, his shoulders jerking.
“…Pardon?”
“I said we broke up. I told him we’re ending the engagement.”
“Th-that… how… why…?”
He looked genuinely stunned.
“Why did you do that, my lady?”
Well, that reaction was expected.
Marriage—and breaking it—were matters of family interests.
To him, I probably seemed reckless.
Especially since I had broken an engagement my late father had approved.
“Philios Regalo is a man with neither talent nor knowledge, yet pretends to pursue art—a pathetic pretender.”
But insults? That was Katrin’s specialty.
“His exterior may seem decent—no, not even that—but his insides are worse. Bringing someone like that into the family would only drain our wealth.”
‘He’s ugly’—just said in a longer form.
“…Ah….”
Heros’s brown eyes flickered.
“And I don’t need to explain such calculations to you in detail.”
I continued coolly,
“So don’t overstep by questioning my personal decisions.”
Heros would soon be free—from me, from the Elemore family.
Once I fled to the principality with my wealth and the revolution succeeded, the Elemore house would fall.
He would no longer be bound.
So drawing a line like a proper “villainess” was necessary.
“I apologize, my lady. But I did not mean to question you. Rather…”
Lowering his head slightly, his face fell into shadow.
“…?”
When he looked up again—
I flinched.
His face was slightly flushed.
“…I’m glad.”
His voice startled me even more.
“…What?”
“…I…”
His eyes wavered as he spoke.
“I believed that man was unworthy of you, my lady.”
“…Ah…”
I nodded awkwardly.
That was unexpected.
…Or maybe not.
As a butler, he probably didn’t like seeing his lady tied to a man who wasted money.
“For someone as strong as you, my lady… a gentler man, like a tame companion…”
His voice trailed off as he lowered his gaze.
Then, with a faint smile, he looked at me and asked,
“…What would you like for dinner, my lady?”
