Chapter 11
“Wendy. Stop it. At this rate, it'll really look like we came here just to bully Reina.”
“But Isabel, she was the one who first—”
“I said stop. Are you ignoring what I just said?”
At Isabel's icy question, Wendy clicked her tongue and reluctantly stepped back.
Reina stared silently at Isabel.
Like Reina, Isabel was holding a lantern.
The only difference was that Isabel's lantern was burning much more fiercely.
Isabel took a step forward and smiled gently.
“If I frightened you, I'm sorry, Reina. I only wanted to talk to you.”
“…”
“To be honest, I'm really hurt, Reina. I had to hear about your marriage from someone else. We're sisters living in the same palace. How could you be so heartless?”
At first glance, it sounded like a sister expressing her disappointment.
But her eyes were colder than ice.
Suddenly, Reina remembered the days before she had returned to the past, when Isabel constantly bullied her.
It was the day Isabel finally told her why.
“You asked why I bully you? The reason is simple. Because I'm stronger than you. The weak are nothing more than toys for the strong. That's why you're bullied, Reina. Do you understand now?”
That day, Isabel had pretended it was an accident and set Reina's dress on fire.
She had done it knowing it was the dress Reina's older brother had given her before he disappeared.
As a result, Reina suffered burns on her leg that left permanent scars.
But more painful than the injury itself was losing the last gift from her brother.
Remembering that day, Reina's eyes turned cold.
“You really haven't changed. You're still a horrible person.”
At this very moment, Isabel was clearly trying to burn her again, just like before.
Smiling brightly, Isabel moved closer.
“Horrible? That's so unfair. This is all your own fault. The bad one isn't me. It's you for being weak.”
How could a smiling face be so terrifying?
As memories of the past flooded back, Reina's body began to tremble.
Get a hold of yourself, Reina. You're not the helpless girl you used to be anymore. She's still just an immature child.
Feeling her body shake on its own, Reina repeated those words to herself.
Just as Isabel was about to "accidentally" drop the lantern onto her—
Reina snapped back to her senses.
Using Kaiden's coat, she swiftly knocked the lantern aside.
Thwack!
Whoosh!
Instead of falling toward Reina, the lantern changed direction and flew toward Isabel.
Unfortunately for Isabel, it landed right on the skirt of the lavishly puffed-up dress she had taken so much care preparing.
“Aaaah!”
The moment her dress caught fire, Isabel let out a scream.
Everyone nearby panicked and instinctively backed away.
After all, they were all wearing bell-shaped gowns. If the flames spread, it could become disastrous.
Seeing that no one was helping her, Isabel stomped her feet and screamed desperately.
“Put it out! Hurry! I-It's burning! Aah! Please!”
It was a shrill, desperate voice unlike the calm and elegant Isabel everyone knew.
Seeing Isabel crying like a frightened child, Reina suddenly came to her senses.
If this continued, Isabel might suffer severe burns all over her body.
Of course, Reina didn't particularly care whether Isabel got hurt or not.
After all, Isabel had attacked first.
But tonight's party had been prepared by the Emperor for her and Kaiden.
She had no desire to create a disturbance and offend the Emperor.
More than anything, Reina wanted to leave quietly for the North.
This situation was far from ideal.
Ah!
At that moment, her eyes landed on the fountain.
That much water would be enough to extinguish the flames.
Gathering all her strength, Reina shoved Isabel into the fountain.
Splash!
Isabel fell into the fountain in an utterly undignified heap and cried out like a drowned rat.
“Cough! Pwah! W-What do you think you're doing, Reina?!”
Fortunately, the fire had already gone out.
Unfortunately, her appearance was beyond saving.
Taking a step back, Reina said calmly,
“You asked someone to put out the fire, so I helped you. Maybe you should've been more careful with your lantern.”
“What?”
“Why were you so careless that you dropped your lantern? I almost caught fire too.”
“Maybe you should've taken better care of your dress. Why were you standing there so stupidly that it caught fire? I almost caught fire too.”
Those were the exact words Isabel had once said to Reina.
Caught completely off guard by the sharp counterattack, Isabel could only stare blankly.
“Y-You...!”
Fortunately, because she had been wearing several layers of petticoats, she hadn't been burned.
But the shock to her pride was greater than ever.
Just then—
“Pfft.”
Someone in the distance finally burst into laughter after struggling to hold it in.
His shoulders shook as he walked toward them, unable to suppress his amusement.
Wendy recognized him first and gasped.
“Duke Crensia?”
Kaiden?
Only then did Reina realize who it was, her eyes widening.
She had no idea how much he had witnessed.
From what he had seen, it could easily be misunderstood.
If Isabel pretends to be the victim here...
Almost as if she had the same thought, Isabel immediately burst into tears.
“Reina, you're so cruel. How could you do something like this? I only wanted to congratulate you.”
As expected, Isabel didn't miss the opportunity.
Just as Reina hurriedly tried to explain—
“Kaiden, this is—”
He had already walked over.
Gently brushing the soot from her cheek with his hand, he asked,
“Did you enjoy playing with fire?”
There was an unmistakable smile on his face.
As though he had just watched a wonderfully entertaining performance.
Meanwhile...
As soon as Reina left the ballroom, Kaiden noticed a group following behind her.
They were the same people who had been watching her throughout the entire party.
According to Ben's report, they were also the ones who had bullied her for years.
It was obvious they had been waiting for a chance to catch her alone.
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue at their transparent intentions, Kaiden quietly left the ballroom as well.
He had followed because he was worried Reina might get into trouble.
But the scene before his eyes was completely different from what he had expected.
Far from looking like a victim of bullying, Reina wore an expression of utter boredom.
She calmly refuted every accusation, cornering her opponents one point at a time.
It was as though she had anticipated this situation all along.
Kaiden watched her with growing interest.
Unlike the shameless woman who had boldly proposed marriage to him, she never relied on him.
Whenever he showed her kindness, she only became suspicious of his motives.
It was almost absurd.
She looked like a woman who had long since grown accustomed to solving every problem by herself.
“Why were you so careless that you dropped your lantern? I almost caught fire too.”
Even Kaiden hadn't expected the princess to throw the lantern.
Yet before he even had the chance to intervene, Reina had already resolved the situation herself.
After witnessing the entire scene with his own eyes, he couldn't help laughing.
“Pfft.”
She truly was impossible to predict.
Only after hearing him did the others realize he was there.
He paid them no attention.
His eyes remained fixed solely on Reina as he slowly approached.
She looked genuinely startled by his sudden appearance.
She was probably worried that he had overheard her rather aggressive remarks.
I wonder how she'll react if I tell her I heard everything.
Will she blush in embarrassment?
Or will she pretend nothing happened and deny it?
