“What kind of bad words did he say?”
The Countess asked in a gruff voice.
“He said, ‘Now people will appear and be kind to you.’”
The Countess and I were silent for a moment as Ayla spoke. He broke the treacherous silence of the good people by creating a situation where anyone would have to step forward.
“I see.”
Ayla hesitantly undressed. The Countess's hands trembled visibly at the sight of her exposed body, and she dropped the towel.
“What is this, what is this?”
It was because she saw the scars and bruises that were so severely engraved. Countess Ruben groaned and touched Ayla's wounds.
The scars that were visible at first glance were more serious than expected.
"Who did this? Tell me. My husband is a Supreme Court Justice, and I was a lawyer before we got married. I'll help you."
The Countess asked Ayla as if she were nagging her, but she just kept her mouth shut in embarrassment.
“Is she a princess?”
Despite my question, Ayla merely shook her head, her face utterly frightened. Resignation that it was all useless, fear of the other person, and terror.
The mentality of not being able to speak out for fear of harming even those who help you. This is a typical example of a victim oppressed and abused by someone in power.
“If it’s difficult to say, you don’t have to.”
I wiped her body with a somewhat cold voice and handed her the clothes I'd gotten from the maid. The Countess took her hand and gently soothed her.
"Miss Ayla Delson. If you need any assistance, please contact me or come see me. I'll write down my number and address. You don't need to send a visiting card or go through anyone else."
"...Thank you."
“Oh my, you put that kind of paint on such a gentle and kind face. How malicious.”
The Countess also seemed to guess that it was the Princess's doing.
“Miss Parsene, I’ll write it down for you, too.”
She took out a small notebook, tore off a piece of paper with an address on it, and handed it to Ayla and me.
"If you need any help in this regard, please contact me anytime. I'll do my best to help."
Despite her small, dwarf stature, her blue eyes shone with a powerful intensity. They were standard, upright, and perhaps even the eyes of others.
Erita snorted as she saw Ayla return, dressed neatly and with a makeup-free face, and gestured for her to go back.
Back at the party, while I was chatting with Countess Ruben at the dessert table, the Marchioness slowly approached me and smiled kindly.
“You are so kind to help a woman like that.”
At the Marchioness's words, the Countess smiled, running her graying hair back.
“How many upright men would dare to throw stones at that poor woman, Marchioness of Wales?”
“Yes, ma’am. May I ask you something?”
The Marchioness looked down at her with hard eyes and asked.
“Would you have thought the same if that woman had been Count Ruben’s mistress?”
“Oh, my lady.”
The Countess gently shook her head and spoke kindly.
"How could becoming a government official be a choice made solely by one person? If it were me, I would have divorced already. My husband simply didn't choose to have a government official because he knew I would do the same."
The Marchioness's elegant face twisted in displeasure at the stinging words.
“I see. So you’re saying my husband isn’t afraid of me?”
"That's not what I meant. Now that you've sorted things out, I'm sure he'll be more committed to his family. If he repeats his mistakes despite being generously given a chance, I trust you'll make a wise choice."
The tone was elegant and smooth. The Marchioness regained her polite smile.
“A wise choice.”
She quietly pondered the Countess's words, then raised her glass of champagne.
"Thank you for your advice, Countess. It's from someone with so much experience, so I'll take it to heart."
The Marchioness turned and disappeared, and the Countess and I continued our conversation. I was asking her for advice on the local law, just in case I needed to know something.
The wrinkles around her eyes were beautifully folded.
"I intend to help her. It's human nature to hurt others, and it's human nature to heal others. Miss Parsene, I have a history of representing victims of the Esat genocide."
I didn't really mean to do that. I smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.
“You also do international defense? That’s impressive.”
"It's nothing special. At the time, many people volunteered to help them. The common thread was that those in power all got away with it and shifted the blame to those below them."
The Countess's eyes turned slightly red, and she took out a lace handkerchief and rubbed her eyes.
"Even when that young lady was being humiliated and criticized, I didn't have anything to say, so I didn't step forward. I was even later than a child. I'm ashamed."
“No. It was a bit of a tricky situation to get out of.”
"Because she's already been hurt. It's a sad reality that we can only condemn someone after the tragedy of death, injury, and suffering has occurred. And Miss Parsene, your fiancée..."
The woman, who was about to say something cautiously, closed her mouth when she saw Noah approaching.
Noah looked at us and smiled kindly.
“My fiancée is innocent, so don’t cry and scold him, ma’am. It’s my fault.”
"I didn't scold him. You made a courageous choice to take responsibility for your fiancé's mistakes. If you become a couple, even if only one of you committed a mistake, you will share the burden of the same sin. So, I urge you to be careful going forward, Duke. No, now you're a Count."
It's not like it was anything special, but it's a little embarrassing. Did you two know each other before?
The Countess stared at Noah with a warning stare. I looked between Noah and the Countess with puzzled eyes.
She spoke gently, holding my hand in her finely wrinkled one.
"Please send me a wedding invitation, Miss Parsene. I'll be happy to go. Please send it under the name Maria Ruben."
“Thank you. I will do so, ma’am.”
After the Countess left, I finished the pudding I was holding. I gave Noah a bite, and he let out a small "yelp" because it was too sweet. Noah grabbed my hand, intertwined it with his own, and muttered a groan.
“I got scolded by that little Hessen. I heard he’s going to punish me severely by taking you away for three days.”
I couldn't help but laugh as I imagined Noah being scolded by a little boy with his hands on his sides.
“That’s great. When is the execution date?”
“I can’t accept it. I’ll appeal.”
Next to the arched staircase, I saw Daniel, fast asleep, carried on the back of a servant. How pretty.
“I guess I should go now. It’s already bedtime.”
Just as the Duke of Hessen was about to turn around and greet us, a not-so-welcome voice interrupted.
“Oh my, Young Master has grown up a lot.”
Erita looked down at the Prince carried on the servant's back and smiled faintly.
“Yes, Princess. He's grown a lot lately.”
"But I guess I need to teach him more etiquette. He didn't even say hello to me today."
The Duke of Hessen stroked his chin expressionlessly at her sharp tone.
“Yes. I will educate him well.”
“Well, it’s a shame his mother is absent, isn’t it, Duke of Hessen?”
It was a socially oriented attack, in which anyone could hear the child's rudeness, as if he had grown up without a mother. The Duke of Hessen's brows narrowed, and a stiff smile spread across his lips.
“He is a good kid.”
"People who didn't receive proper education in childhood are often known for their flaws. I believe Young Master wasn't like that."
Noah, who had been listening quietly, tilted his head, then turned the champagne glass he was holding in his hand and spoke to Erita.
“Is this a self-introduction?”
After hearing Noah's words, I tried to hold back my laughter, but the pudding got stuck in my throat.
Erita's face turned a deep crimson like autumn leaves. I stifled a laugh, trying to keep my expression in check.
It was because I was worried that Noah might be arrested on charges of lese majeste due to his rude and informal speech and actions, which were already a precarious situation.
No one heard anything except me, the Duke of Hessen, the servant carrying Daniel, and Erita. We could secretly give the servant some money to keep him quiet.
While I was trying to figure out a solution, Erita, who seemed speechless from being dumbfounded, opened her eyes wide and glared at me.
Why are you looking at me?
“Noah. Is that way of speaking due to your fiancée’s influence?”
Why are you tripping over me, you little punk?
“I told the truth, so what’s the problem?”
Noah smiled faintly.
Erita was strangely generous to Noah. Did she find a weakness? She didn't even know she wasn't a Princess.
She only got angry at his illogical remarks and outrageous behavior, but did not report them to the Queen or seek legal retribution.
This must be why Noah always acted this way. He felt free to expose her identity and drive her to the bottom at any moment.
"Princess, I will consider what you said to me today as a mistake and pretend I didn't hear it."
The Duke of Hessen looked down at Erita with cold eyes and spoke as if warning her. Erita twisted her lips into a sneer and wagged her finger at me.
"It is also your duty to teach Young Master to be selective in his associates. How can you allow him to associate with such a baseless woman?"
"I will take care of my son's education. Miss Parsene is a perfect companion for my son."
I pounded my chest, feeling as if the pudding I had just swallowed was going to come back up, and I even retched.
“Ugh.”
Noah, seeing me with my mouth shut, quickly came to my aid. Erita's face twisted into a fierce grimace at the sight. Then, she let out a desperate scream.
“No way, you!”
Am I misunderstanding? The Duke of Hessen's red eyes are wide open, looking this way.
“Honey, I told you not to push yourself too hard.”
Noah stroked my head and blurted out words that only further entangled me in the swamp of misunderstanding. I gazed at the two men in a tense standoff, then leisurely lifted my chin.
"We're going now, Eden. See you on the wedding day."
The Duke of Hessen nodded, and Erita's eyes, glaring sharply at Noah, grew bloodshot. Perhaps it was a desperate look. Her clenched fists were pale, trembling.
“I loved you for who you are. That woman doesn’t know anything about you.”
“What is my original appearance?”
"If she knew the truth, she would definitely abandon you. I'm the only one who understands you."
I feel suffocated again, whether it's because of Erita filming a tearful monodrama alone or because of the pudding that almost spilled over.
“Well, I don’t know. What do you understand about me?”
Erita looked straight at Noah, who had a completely clueless expression on his face.
"Noah, you didn't tell her, did you? It's your biggest flaw, so even if you knew, you didn't tell her."
Erita, watching Noah's face become increasingly expressionless, bit her lip with a hardened expression. From a distance, the Marchioness of Wales, holding a wine glass, stared blankly in our direction.
“Princess, I think it would be best to stop. Aren’t they already a couple about to get married?”
Erita gave a bitter smile at the Duke of Hessen's persuasion.
"If she's going to get married, she needs to know the past of the man who will become her husband and father."
Noah, his expression completely blank, stared at Erita without moving.
The Countess asked in a gruff voice.
“He said, ‘Now people will appear and be kind to you.’”
The Countess and I were silent for a moment as Ayla spoke. He broke the treacherous silence of the good people by creating a situation where anyone would have to step forward.
“I see.”
Ayla hesitantly undressed. The Countess's hands trembled visibly at the sight of her exposed body, and she dropped the towel.
“What is this, what is this?”
It was because she saw the scars and bruises that were so severely engraved. Countess Ruben groaned and touched Ayla's wounds.
The scars that were visible at first glance were more serious than expected.
"Who did this? Tell me. My husband is a Supreme Court Justice, and I was a lawyer before we got married. I'll help you."
The Countess asked Ayla as if she were nagging her, but she just kept her mouth shut in embarrassment.
“Is she a princess?”
Despite my question, Ayla merely shook her head, her face utterly frightened. Resignation that it was all useless, fear of the other person, and terror.
The mentality of not being able to speak out for fear of harming even those who help you. This is a typical example of a victim oppressed and abused by someone in power.
“If it’s difficult to say, you don’t have to.”
I wiped her body with a somewhat cold voice and handed her the clothes I'd gotten from the maid. The Countess took her hand and gently soothed her.
"Miss Ayla Delson. If you need any assistance, please contact me or come see me. I'll write down my number and address. You don't need to send a visiting card or go through anyone else."
"...Thank you."
“Oh my, you put that kind of paint on such a gentle and kind face. How malicious.”
The Countess also seemed to guess that it was the Princess's doing.
“Miss Parsene, I’ll write it down for you, too.”
She took out a small notebook, tore off a piece of paper with an address on it, and handed it to Ayla and me.
"If you need any help in this regard, please contact me anytime. I'll do my best to help."
Despite her small, dwarf stature, her blue eyes shone with a powerful intensity. They were standard, upright, and perhaps even the eyes of others.
Erita snorted as she saw Ayla return, dressed neatly and with a makeup-free face, and gestured for her to go back.
Back at the party, while I was chatting with Countess Ruben at the dessert table, the Marchioness slowly approached me and smiled kindly.
“You are so kind to help a woman like that.”
At the Marchioness's words, the Countess smiled, running her graying hair back.
“How many upright men would dare to throw stones at that poor woman, Marchioness of Wales?”
“Yes, ma’am. May I ask you something?”
The Marchioness looked down at her with hard eyes and asked.
“Would you have thought the same if that woman had been Count Ruben’s mistress?”
“Oh, my lady.”
The Countess gently shook her head and spoke kindly.
"How could becoming a government official be a choice made solely by one person? If it were me, I would have divorced already. My husband simply didn't choose to have a government official because he knew I would do the same."
The Marchioness's elegant face twisted in displeasure at the stinging words.
“I see. So you’re saying my husband isn’t afraid of me?”
"That's not what I meant. Now that you've sorted things out, I'm sure he'll be more committed to his family. If he repeats his mistakes despite being generously given a chance, I trust you'll make a wise choice."
The tone was elegant and smooth. The Marchioness regained her polite smile.
“A wise choice.”
She quietly pondered the Countess's words, then raised her glass of champagne.
"Thank you for your advice, Countess. It's from someone with so much experience, so I'll take it to heart."
The Marchioness turned and disappeared, and the Countess and I continued our conversation. I was asking her for advice on the local law, just in case I needed to know something.
The wrinkles around her eyes were beautifully folded.
"I intend to help her. It's human nature to hurt others, and it's human nature to heal others. Miss Parsene, I have a history of representing victims of the Esat genocide."
I didn't really mean to do that. I smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.
“You also do international defense? That’s impressive.”
"It's nothing special. At the time, many people volunteered to help them. The common thread was that those in power all got away with it and shifted the blame to those below them."
The Countess's eyes turned slightly red, and she took out a lace handkerchief and rubbed her eyes.
"Even when that young lady was being humiliated and criticized, I didn't have anything to say, so I didn't step forward. I was even later than a child. I'm ashamed."
“No. It was a bit of a tricky situation to get out of.”
"Because she's already been hurt. It's a sad reality that we can only condemn someone after the tragedy of death, injury, and suffering has occurred. And Miss Parsene, your fiancée..."
The woman, who was about to say something cautiously, closed her mouth when she saw Noah approaching.
Noah looked at us and smiled kindly.
“My fiancée is innocent, so don’t cry and scold him, ma’am. It’s my fault.”
"I didn't scold him. You made a courageous choice to take responsibility for your fiancé's mistakes. If you become a couple, even if only one of you committed a mistake, you will share the burden of the same sin. So, I urge you to be careful going forward, Duke. No, now you're a Count."
It's not like it was anything special, but it's a little embarrassing. Did you two know each other before?
The Countess stared at Noah with a warning stare. I looked between Noah and the Countess with puzzled eyes.
She spoke gently, holding my hand in her finely wrinkled one.
"Please send me a wedding invitation, Miss Parsene. I'll be happy to go. Please send it under the name Maria Ruben."
“Thank you. I will do so, ma’am.”
After the Countess left, I finished the pudding I was holding. I gave Noah a bite, and he let out a small "yelp" because it was too sweet. Noah grabbed my hand, intertwined it with his own, and muttered a groan.
“I got scolded by that little Hessen. I heard he’s going to punish me severely by taking you away for three days.”
I couldn't help but laugh as I imagined Noah being scolded by a little boy with his hands on his sides.
“That’s great. When is the execution date?”
“I can’t accept it. I’ll appeal.”
Next to the arched staircase, I saw Daniel, fast asleep, carried on the back of a servant. How pretty.
“I guess I should go now. It’s already bedtime.”
Just as the Duke of Hessen was about to turn around and greet us, a not-so-welcome voice interrupted.
“Oh my, Young Master has grown up a lot.”
Erita looked down at the Prince carried on the servant's back and smiled faintly.
“Yes, Princess. He's grown a lot lately.”
"But I guess I need to teach him more etiquette. He didn't even say hello to me today."
The Duke of Hessen stroked his chin expressionlessly at her sharp tone.
“Yes. I will educate him well.”
“Well, it’s a shame his mother is absent, isn’t it, Duke of Hessen?”
It was a socially oriented attack, in which anyone could hear the child's rudeness, as if he had grown up without a mother. The Duke of Hessen's brows narrowed, and a stiff smile spread across his lips.
“He is a good kid.”
"People who didn't receive proper education in childhood are often known for their flaws. I believe Young Master wasn't like that."
Noah, who had been listening quietly, tilted his head, then turned the champagne glass he was holding in his hand and spoke to Erita.
“Is this a self-introduction?”
After hearing Noah's words, I tried to hold back my laughter, but the pudding got stuck in my throat.
Erita's face turned a deep crimson like autumn leaves. I stifled a laugh, trying to keep my expression in check.
It was because I was worried that Noah might be arrested on charges of lese majeste due to his rude and informal speech and actions, which were already a precarious situation.
No one heard anything except me, the Duke of Hessen, the servant carrying Daniel, and Erita. We could secretly give the servant some money to keep him quiet.
While I was trying to figure out a solution, Erita, who seemed speechless from being dumbfounded, opened her eyes wide and glared at me.
Why are you looking at me?
“Noah. Is that way of speaking due to your fiancée’s influence?”
Why are you tripping over me, you little punk?
“I told the truth, so what’s the problem?”
Noah smiled faintly.
Erita was strangely generous to Noah. Did she find a weakness? She didn't even know she wasn't a Princess.
She only got angry at his illogical remarks and outrageous behavior, but did not report them to the Queen or seek legal retribution.
This must be why Noah always acted this way. He felt free to expose her identity and drive her to the bottom at any moment.
"Princess, I will consider what you said to me today as a mistake and pretend I didn't hear it."
The Duke of Hessen looked down at Erita with cold eyes and spoke as if warning her. Erita twisted her lips into a sneer and wagged her finger at me.
"It is also your duty to teach Young Master to be selective in his associates. How can you allow him to associate with such a baseless woman?"
"I will take care of my son's education. Miss Parsene is a perfect companion for my son."
I pounded my chest, feeling as if the pudding I had just swallowed was going to come back up, and I even retched.
“Ugh.”
Noah, seeing me with my mouth shut, quickly came to my aid. Erita's face twisted into a fierce grimace at the sight. Then, she let out a desperate scream.
“No way, you!”
Am I misunderstanding? The Duke of Hessen's red eyes are wide open, looking this way.
“Honey, I told you not to push yourself too hard.”
Noah stroked my head and blurted out words that only further entangled me in the swamp of misunderstanding. I gazed at the two men in a tense standoff, then leisurely lifted my chin.
"We're going now, Eden. See you on the wedding day."
The Duke of Hessen nodded, and Erita's eyes, glaring sharply at Noah, grew bloodshot. Perhaps it was a desperate look. Her clenched fists were pale, trembling.
“I loved you for who you are. That woman doesn’t know anything about you.”
“What is my original appearance?”
"If she knew the truth, she would definitely abandon you. I'm the only one who understands you."
I feel suffocated again, whether it's because of Erita filming a tearful monodrama alone or because of the pudding that almost spilled over.
“Well, I don’t know. What do you understand about me?”
Erita looked straight at Noah, who had a completely clueless expression on his face.
"Noah, you didn't tell her, did you? It's your biggest flaw, so even if you knew, you didn't tell her."
Erita, watching Noah's face become increasingly expressionless, bit her lip with a hardened expression. From a distance, the Marchioness of Wales, holding a wine glass, stared blankly in our direction.
“Princess, I think it would be best to stop. Aren’t they already a couple about to get married?”
Erita gave a bitter smile at the Duke of Hessen's persuasion.
"If she's going to get married, she needs to know the past of the man who will become her husband and father."
Noah, his expression completely blank, stared at Erita without moving.
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