Chapter 3
I walked back to my room in a daze, barely aware of my surroundings.
Rishima had poisoned herself.
The thought kept echoing in my mind.
And apparently, after what happened, the Duke had decided to speak to the Emperor.
He would ask him to arrange my engagement with Prince Enzo.
"Prince Enzo..." I muttered, my mind still trying to process it. I pushed open the door to my room and stepped inside. The moment I closed it behind me, I leaned against the door and let out a long breath.
"What the hell..."
I slowly walked toward my bed and sat down.
According to the novel, Rishima was already engaged to Prince Enzo when the heroine appeared.
That was when everything began.
Prince Enzo slowly became interested in her.
Rishima became jealous.
And from there...
Everything went downhill.
But then, a thought suddenly struck me.
I wasn't engaged to Prince Enzo yet!
My eyes widened.
That meant the heroine hadn't arrived yet.
I still had time.
Time to change my fate.
If I could prevent my engagement to the crown prince from happening, perhaps everything that followed could be avoided.
I immediately got up from my bed.
I had to stop it.
Before the Duke could speak to the Emperor, I needed to convince him to cancel the plan.
I hurried out of my room and practically ran through the corridors.
When I finally reached the Duke's office, I didn't bother knocking.
I pushed the door open.
"Father!!"
My voice echoed through the room.
But the moment I stepped inside, I froze.
Someone else was already there.
A young man stood beside the Duke's desk, dressed in an immaculate black military coat. His dark brown hair was neatly styled, and his sharp features carried an air of effortless confidence.
His deep blue eyes were striking against his pale complexion, carrying a natural sense of authority.
I knew that face.
There was no mistaking him.
Prince Enzo Sylvania--the second prince of the Empire.
According to the novel, he would eventually become the Crown Prince.
For now, however, he was simply the second prince.
And unfortunately for me...
He was also the man Rishima had been desperately trying to marry.
My heart nearly stopped.
Why was he here?
The Duke looked up at me, clearly surprised by my sudden entrance.
"Rishima?"
I couldn't move. Of all the people I didn't want to see right now...
It had to be him.
Prince Enzo slowly turned toward me, a smile appearing on his lips.
"It seems the lady has made a remarkable recovery," he said pleasantly.
Somehow, the way he said it made me wonder if he was genuinely relieved...
Or simply being sarcastic.
I stared at him for a moment before asking.
"Why are you here, Your Highness?"
Prince Enzo's smile widened slightly.
"Why, you ask?" He let out a quiet chuckle.
"Thanks to a certain someone, rumors about me have been spreading throughout the capital."
My brows furrowed.
He continued, his tone still strangely pleasant.
"Apparently, a certain lady's repeated attempts to get engaged to me drove her to the point of attempting to take her own life."
His smile remained, but there was a hint of irritation behind his words.
"Naturally, it hasn't done much for my reputation."
So that's why he came.
He wasn't here because he was worried about me. He was here because people were talking.
Since he was already here, this was the perfect opportunity.
I turned toward the Duke.
"Father."
The Duke raised an eyebrow, his attention shifting fully toward me.
"I changed my mind." His brows furrowed slightly.
"About what?" he asked, clearly confused by my sudden statement.
"The engagement." Silence filled the room.
The Duke stared at me for a moment, as though he wasn't sure he had heard me correctly. Even Prince Enzo seemed surprised.
I took a breath before speaking clearly.
"I don't want to be engaged to Prince Enzo anymore!"
My voice echoed through the room.
The Duke's eyes widened, and he looked at me in disbelief.
"You've been begging me to speak to the Emperor about this engagement, and now you don't want it anymore?"
He sounded genuinely stunned.
Before I could explain, Prince Enzo let out a quiet laugh.
"So that's what this is?" he said, his lips curling into an amused smile.
I looked at him, confused.
His smile remained as he tilted his head slightly.
"Is this another one of your schemes?"
He asked, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
I frowned.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.
"To make me accept your proposal?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
His words made my eyes widen. He actually thought I was doing this just to make him agree to marry me. I stared at him in disbelief.
"No," I said firmly, shaking my head.
"I genuinely don't want to marry you."
The room went silent.
The Duke looked between us in confusion, while Prince Enzo's smile slowly faded.
Somehow, I had a feeling I'd just made things even more complicated.
I needed to be careful.
I couldn't let them suspect that I wasn't the same Rishima they knew.
If I suddenly acted completely different without an explanation, they would start asking questions.
And I had no idea what would happen if they discovered the truth.
Well....... maybe I did.
I'd probably die.
And knowing this story, I might even die earlier than the original Rishima.
Yeah, I definitely didn't want to test that theory. So I needed to be careful.
I had to give them a reasonable explanation for my sudden change---something believable enough to keep them from becoming suspicious.
I took a small breath.
Now, what excuse could possibly convince them?
"I... realized something while I was hovering between life and death."
The words came out slowly as I tried to organize my thoughts.
"When I thought I was going to die, I realized how precious my life actually is." I continued, lowering my gaze.
"I realized that I didn't like the person I had become," I continued quietly. "The way I treated people, the things I did, and the way I only thought about myself... I don't want to be that person anymore."
"I spent so much of my life chasing after something that wasn't worth losing everything for," I said quietly.
My fingers tightened around the fabric of my dress.
"Prince Enzo isn't worth dying for."
The room fell silent.
The Duke's expression froze. His violet eyes narrowed slightly as he studied me, clearly trying to understand what had just come out of my mouth.
Beside him, Prince Enzo's expression had turned unusually serious. His brows were slightly drawn together, and he looked at me as though he were seeing me for the first time...
Neither of them seemed to know what to say.
I couldn't blame them.
After all, the Rishima they knew had been willing to do almost anything for Prince Enzo.
And now I had just said he wasn't worth dying for.
Prince Enzo was the first to speak.
"Are you certain, Duke, that she's really fine?" He paused, looking at me with concern.
"Did the physicians examine her properly? Perhaps... they should check her head again." My eyes widened.
"Excuse me?"
Prince Enzo quickly raised his hands.
"I meant no offense, my lady."
The Duke's eyebrows lifted slightly as he glanced at Prince Enzo, then back at me. A hint of confusion crossed his face before he let out a quiet sigh.
"Your Highness," he said calmly, "I believe the physicians have already done everything necessary."
I stared at both of them in disbelief.
Did they seriously think the poison had damaged my brain?
I had only tried to give them a reasonable explanation!
Hah! I knew it. They didn't believe me.
This is it. I'm going to die. T_T
I was already preparing myself for the worst when the Duke suddenly spoke.
"Very well." I blinked.
"Very well?"
The Duke nodded.
That was it? He wasn't going to argue with me?
He wasn't going to lecture me about how foolish I was being?
Most importantly, he wasn't going to force me to continue the engagement?
I had prepared myself for a long explanation, perhaps even an argument. Instead, he had simply accepted my decision as though it were that easy.
I couldn't believe it.
The Duke glanced at me before continuing.
"If you truly wish to repent, then perhaps spending some time at the temple would do you good."
The temple.
My eyes widened. The temple...
Wait.
That wasn't such a bad idea!
In fact...
It was brilliant!
A sudden realization struck me. If I remembered the novel correctly, the heroine would eventually become the Saintess.
And where else would I have a better chance of meeting her than at the temple?
If I could become friends with her before everything in the novel happened, perhaps I could change the future.
Maybe if I treated her kindly instead of becoming her enemy, things wouldn't end the way they did in the original story.
This was perfect.
For the first time since waking up in this world, I felt like I had found a real way to survive.
"YES!" The word burst out of my mouth far louder and more enthusiastically than I intended. They both stared at me.
I froze.
...Oops.
I immediately coughed into my hand and lowered my voice.
"I mean... yes, Father. I think that would be a wonderful idea."
The Duke raised an eyebrow.
"There will be a charitable event at the temple in a few days. Do you agree to attend?"
I nodded quickly. "Yes." A little too quickly.
I forced myself to calm down, reminding myself that I couldn't keep acting strangely.
"If it will help me repent and become a better person, then I am willing to do it."
The Duke studied me for a moment before finally nodding.
"Very well. I will make the arrangements."
My heart nearly leapt out of my chest.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
.
.
.