My child 11

 Chapter 1. She was dumber than I thought

    ****

    It had been two weeks since I met Gran.

    Nothing much had happened; Gran was still in the Remzi Empire, and Henderson had been quiet.

    I’m not sure if he didn’t know it was me, or if he did, but he's pretending not to.

    But it seemed like a good thing.

    I didn't want to see Henderson again.

    For the past two weeks, I had been preparing to leave. First, I'd saved up enough money to live with Eddie.

    These were small jewelry items that I could carry lightly.

    They would be easy to convert to cash, and I wouldn't be tracked by my father.

    I also found a doctor to take a pregnancy test in another two weeks from today.

    As I was preparing to leave, my wedding to Gran was being organized.

    The Remzi Empire was pleased with our marriage. It was as if they had been waiting for it.

    From what I had heard, Gran had little influence in the empire, as he's long since renounced his claim to the throne.

    They didn’t really care who he married.

    If he were to marry me, I could see no reason to object, as it would strengthen the alliance between the empires.

    The wedding was set for two weeks from today, the day after I was supposed to leave.

    That afternoon, my requests to the Backstreet Guild were answered. I read the documents that were written about Helena.

    The eldest daughter of an earl, graduated at the top of her class at an academy in the Remzi Empire, good with her hands...... and then I saw what I wanted to know.

    The part I wanted to know was how and when Helena and Henderson knew each other.

    <Her first love was Henderson Graham, and they studied at the Academy.>

    When I realized they had known each other for so long, I wondered if there might be a bond between them that I couldn't break.

    I'm not sure how long Henderson has had Helena in his heart.

    What I do know is that he didn't like her when he was dating me.

    On the contrary, it was clear that she had always liked Henderson.

    I recalled a rumor that I'd heard a lot in social circles lately.

    “Princess Riley has a promiscuous night life. Many men have been seen entering the same room as her at a masquerade ball.”

    The same rumor had circulated in the past.

    I didn't think much of it, even though I vaguely heard the source of the rumor was Helena.

    I figured it was unlikely that Helena, who had a reputation for being chaste, would do such a thing, and since I wasn't chaste, I didn't think it was worth paying attention to.

    In reality, the rumor only lasted a short time before it vanished in a puff of smoke and was forgotten.

    But when I got to know Helena's real name, I realized that she must have been the source of the rumor.

    Helena had seen me enter the same room as Henderson, and it was clear that she had been blinded by jealousy and had started the malicious rumor.

    ‘I'm not going to let you get away with it this time.’

    I called out to Matilda.

    "Matilda, are you outside?"

    Matilda entered my room and bowed her head.

    "Yes, princess."

    "I'm thinking of hosting a tea party tomorrow. Will you forward the invitations to the people I'd like to invite?"

    "Yes, princess."

    I wrote the names of the people I wanted to invite to the tea party and handed them to Matilda.

    After Matilda left, I looked at the rest of the items from the guild.

    There were forged IDs and tickets for a ship to the Remzi Empire.

    ***

    The next day, I invited some of the more powerful nobles in the society to the imperial palace for tea. 

    It was billed as a "tasting of teas from the West," but in reality, the gathering was meant to humiliate Helena.

    "Do you all like the tea?"

    Vanessa, a Marquis’s young daughter, who was sitting across from me, nodded.

    "It's very fragrant. You said it came from the West. I know you must be busy with wedding preparations, but thank you for inviting me."

    I gave her a pale smile.

    It was the most perfect smile I'd had in a while.

    I looked at each person in the room.

     Vanessa, whom I knew well, my brother Francis, the Crown Prince, the Duke and Duchess of Bernard, the socialites, and.......

    "...."

    I looked at the one seated not far from me.

    Helena, the main character of the day.

    Our gazes met, and Helena smiled.

    "Princess Riley. Thank you for inviting me as well."

    As soon as I heard her voice, I felt sick to my stomach.

    "I've always wanted to get acquainted with the Princess...... I hope today will be a good opportunity."

    There was no contact between us until Helena became Eddie's tutor.

    Apart from that, Helena seemed to have a way of saying the most insincere things as if she meant them.

    She acted as if she was desperate for my friendship, when she was the one spreading unflattering rumors about me.

    In the past, I would have been fooled, but not now.

    "Actually, I called you because I wanted to tell you something."

    Helena's eyes narrowed.

    "To me?"

    "Yes."

    I flashed a bright smile.

    I hadn't been able to say anything to Helena before, just let her do it to me.

    But I faced her again, stronger and more prepared.

    This time, I was confident that I wouldn't give in to her.

    "There's a strange rumor going around about a masquerade ball I attended not long ago."

    "......I'm not sure what the rumors are about."

    As soon as I said the word rumor, Helena stirred slightly.

    She didn't seem to expect me to mention anything to do with the masquerade.

    "Someone must be starting a vicious rumor, that I'm a debauched woman."

    "...."

    "You're deliberately spreading vicious rumors to discredit me, a princess. I can't stand it."

    I made a clicking sound with my tongue, and Helena replied as if she knew nothing.

    "I don’t know."

    "So I, a member of the royal family, took it upon myself to investigate."

    "....!"

    Her face rippled, and the smile on my lips deepened.

    "I found out who's been spreading the nasty rumors."

    It wasn't hard to figure out the source of the rumor. It's just that in the past, I'd let it slide.

    Helena was probably more aggressive because she knew that I was trying not to make a big deal out of it.

    But I was different then.

    "Lady Helena. You were the one who started that rumor. Why did you do it?"

    Helena's face went white, as if she hadn't expected me to ask her outright.

    She twitched her lower lip and avoided my gaze.

    The tables had been turned.

    In the future, I had the same reaction to Helena's affair as she did.

    I had prepared myself for any excuses she might offer, and the questions I would ask next.

    That someone was impersonating her and insulting her, that it wasn't her------, or anything else.

    I even had witnesses to make sure she couldn't get away with it.

    Everyone fell silent.

    No one moved their lips, only their eyes.

    Unexpectedly, it was Helena who broke the awkward silence.

    "Even if I did, it doesn't take away from the fact that Princess Riley enjoyed the night. Aren’t you sorry to the Prince of the Ramzi Empire?”

     

    I honestly didn't expect Helena to argue.

    But then again, she'd been shameless in the past, straight up admitting her relationship with Henderson.

    'You've always been a shameless person.’

    She didn't apologize, but rather defended her behavior. She was even more stupid than I thought.

    Maybe she resented me for taking Henderson away from her, and I acted rashly without realizing it.

    I answered her calmly, not wanting to panic.

    "That...... lady Helena has a bad habit of speaking ill of others to cover up her own ugliness."

    "I was just telling the truth."

    "Do you have any proof that I enjoyed a clandestine night out? And Young Lady, you speak so casually to me, a member of the royal family, it's downright rude."

    Helena seemed to realize her mistake.

    "Princess Riley. I didn't mean to imply that......."

    I looked at my brother Francis.

    "Brother Francis, I'm supposed to be married soon....... and I'm really upset that I've been insulted like this."

    I frowned, giving the impression that I was about to burst into tears at any moment. It wasn't hard to fake sadness. I just had to think of Eddie, who had a wrongful death.

    My brother, who had remained silent and neutral, finally opened his mouth.

    He gestured to the two knights standing near the doorway.

    "I want you to take Lady Helena into custody right now."

    My brother's voice seemed to have a pleasant melody overlaying it.

    It was for Helena.

    "Lady Helena, your offense is an offense against the royal family. As Riley's brother, I cannot stand by and listen."

    Oh, I was supposed to look sad, but I was smiling. I quickly covered my mouth to display my struggle to hold back tears.

    ****

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