Chapter – 32
“Miss!”
I could have stayed on my feet, but I let myself fall like this so the Crown Prince would be out of the way quickly.
I fell to the floor from the edge of the bed, and it seemed like Cassie, who had been waiting for an opportunity, rushed in immediately.
“Milady!”
Cassie called out like a scream.
“Miss, your forehead looks like it’s cut!”
Yes, Cassie.
I had deliberately fallen in a way that made the wound highly visible.
“W-We need a doctor! A doctor!”
“Marie, go fetch Teacher Herb quickly! Don’t waste a second. I’ll take care of Roa, and Cassie, you bring some warm water and a dry towel.”
Mother must have been waiting outside as well, because she came in like lightning.
Well, she must have heard repeatedly about the humiliations the Crown Prince had inflicted on me.
A bitter taste filled my mouth, yet my heart warmed with gratitude for these constant expressions of affection from those who had always cared for me.
“Oh, Roa!”
Mother looked at me, eyes crinkled.
“To have a wound on such a beautiful face…”
“Milady, I’ve brought the water.”
Cassie—were you a sword master in a past life? She came so fast!
Mother soaked a towel in warm water and began cleaning my forehead.
“M-Milady… a-a-and… blood is coming from the nose too!”
“I told you, I’m not in a state to see anyone! Who keeps insisting otherwise?”
The ‘who’ was probably the blonde man standing awkwardly behind us.
The nosebleed was likely an involuntary reaction to seeing the Crown Prince.
I had reacted this way even when the Crown Prince personally dealt with me or issued a public execution.
In the original novel, the so-called “villainess” Rosia was described as meeting her end at the hands of the male protagonists, but in reality, my fate was sealed solely by the Crown Prince.
“Mother, I can manage. I’m fine—cough.”
A sudden bout of nausea made me cough uncontrollably, and Cassie held a dry towel to my mouth.
“Milady, let me do it.”
Mother stepped back, her gaze fixed on the Crown Prince’s hands.
“Why are you holding the scarf Roa was wearing around her neck, Your Highness?”
“Ah, well… Lady—”
“Your Highness, I’ve known for a long time that you dislike Rosia.”
“Yes, of course. I cannot bring myself to like Lady Levián…”
The Crown Prince clammed up, probably recalling his own actions.
“Even if Rosia were humiliated in front of many, I refrained from speaking up, considering it a personal matter. You, Your Highness, would know this well, wouldn’t you?”
At the family level, this meant the Emperor had not formally protested the acts committed against me.
“But Your Highness, the actions you took—aren’t they too extreme for a patient?”
Mother’s voice was calm, but this was the tone she used when deeply angered. When enraged, she was even more formidable than Father, exuding a terrifying presence.
“Teacher Herb has arrived.”
The family doctor appeared, and the Crown Prince seemed relieved.
I coughed again, occasionally gagging.
“Cough, cough.”
“The patient is too agitated; it could affect her body. Perhaps it would be best to hand her over to someone else.”
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mother’s eyes flashed sharply.
“My brief assessment is that, Your Highness, you are too busy to wait until Rosia recovers.”
Her words essentially meant: “You look busy, so you may leave.” Not exactly “go away,” but close enough.
With a distorted expression, the Crown Prince left after a final word.
“I shall return… later.”
Mother briefly made a face that said, “Never come back, you wretched man,” but she quickly erased it.
“I’ll see him out.”
The Crown Prince had no choice but to leave, hurriedly stepping out of the room.
“Kyuuu! Kyuuuuu!”
The silver fox that had raced to the door barked furiously at the Crown Prince’s retreating figure, as if saying, “Don’t come back!”
Watching the silver fox, Cassie sniffled in admiration.
“This little one is not only cute, but also utterly charming in behavior.”
The silver fox ran over and jumped onto the bed, rubbing its head against my hand.
“Oh my, look at her, Milady! She’s showing affection!”
Even Mother, who had just driven out the Crown Prince, smiled happily at the fox’s actions.
This cunning little silver fox had, in just half a day, won over everyone in the household.
“Kyu!”
Its look of pleading made me laugh as well.
After the Crown Prince left, my condition stabilized almost immediately. Mother, who had seen him out, looked at me with concern.
“Roa, you never said anything, but I hear and I understand everything. I know exactly how the Crown Prince behaved toward you.”
She took my hand.
“I didn’t speak up because I sensed you didn’t want to make a scene, but now I cannot remain silent.”
“I’m fine, Mother.”
Truly, I was. Even though my body reacted negatively to seeing the Crown Prince, there was no resentment toward him.
Without expectations, there can be no disappointment.
“Roa, I understand your concern for the family, but many people were outraged by the incident at the Duchy embassy.”
“I see.”
“Even the ambassador from that country mentioned it.”
Had they noticed? Or maybe Stella told her fiancé, and it reached Mother’s ears.
“Now that even foreign nations are aware of the Crown Prince’s flaws, it will be difficult for the Emperor to continue ignoring it. We also cannot continue to overlook his misbehavior.”
Mother’s gaze moved to my neck, where the skin had darkened slightly.
“Your father works hard not just to uphold the family name. Of course, the legacy of our ancestors is important…”
Mother, who had been holding my hand, now began gently stroking it.
“But he works for the sake of everyone currently living in this family.”
Our family was famously industrious, but beyond generous welfare and salaries, Father’s principle of treating employees respectfully was also a key reason.
“Of course, that includes you, my daughter.”
Her gaze was full of warmth.
“So don’t worry about the family, Roa.”
The Crown Prince’s abuses didn’t anger me, but I was grateful for Mother’s words and smiled.
Mother’s hands gently cupped my cheeks, and she smiled as well.
“Stella and Pony have arrived. If you’re too tired, they’ll leave, but what will you do?”
“Please tell them to come to my room. I really want to see both of them.”
“Very well.”
Shortly after Mother left, familiar faces appeared through the doorway.
“Roa.”
“We’re here!”
“Welcome.”
The maids prepared seats for them.
Cassie brought refreshments, far more plentiful than what had been served when the Crown Prince came.
“You hid when you heard the Crown Prince was here, right?”
“Since we had already entered the mansion, we didn’t encounter his carriage. That was lucky.”
Pony, who had come with Stella from the Maritney Marquisate, shook her head.
“The Crown Prince? He didn’t say anything like, ‘I shall take away the glory meant for Merina from you!’ did he?”
“Thankfully, no.”
“Anyway, I’ve decided not to receive visitors all week. So when you came, I was sleeping the whole time. Just tell them that.”
“Got it.”
“Roa, are you really okay? An assassin? I couldn’t sleep thinking maybe it was your fault.”
Stella’s under-eyes were dark. Come to think of it, she wasn’t even eating grapes.
“Right, Stella caused quite a ruckus when she came to our house, didn’t she?”
“Hmph, Pony, you were bawling like a mess, weren’t you?”
“During the hunting contest, did I really look okay?”
At my words, Stella raised her eyebrows, and Pony’s eyes went wide.
“What! She really is so careless about herself! Pony, remember how pale Roa looked?”
“Yes, yes. She looked close to collapsing, and her neck was darkened—I thought she’d been hit by some spell or something.”
Though I did look unwell, it probably wasn’t that bad.
“In the East, there’s… what’s it called? A hidden warrior? A knight? Someone like that exists. Shouldn’t we hire one and assign them to her?”
“Right, I’ll ask Gades. The Duchy frequently interacts with the East, so they’d know best.”
My friends were already drawing up plans to assign a secret bodyguard. With their resources, it could have been possible, but finding a hidden warrior was near impossible, so I let them be.
Just as Stella and Pony’s discussion heated up, the door suddenly burst open.
