My options were limited.

Fortunately, Lady Marilyn managed to recover, but she had to rest. Actually, the word—fortunately—didn’t really fit the current situation. Lady Caitlyn was still shaking in fury, while Lady Elise was standing there in a daze, so she still had to be in shock. It was natural for them to react that way since one of the people they enjoyed having tea time with was badly injured. I also felt bitter. Even though I hadn’t really paid much attention to Lady Marilyn, we still had a bond, and I felt bad seeing her suffer like this. During all this, the thought that was taking over my mind was how I was going to fix this issue.

‘What’s there to fix? Shit…’

The problem had no answer. These were the people contemplating returning to Charlia’s faction, and we needed them in our faction since there was an ongoing geriatric sleazy party. They could be considered real nobles, as their territories were close to the Republic’s borders. They were the central force among the eastern aristocrats, and there was a powerful military force behind them. They were completely different from the gramps who only knew how to lie down with their mouths wide open, hoping that they could get some benefits. So, Charlia was not only rude to these important guests, but she even threw hot water at them. As such, there was no way to fix this. I was sure that they now thought badly of me as well because I urged them to join Charlia’s faction. And unfortunately, it seemed that a reconciliation was impossible.

I also had to choose between Lady Caitlyn and Charlia. The sleeping Lady Marilyn was still holding onto my hand, and that was when Lady Caitlyn started talking. She must have noticed how bad I felt because it seemed like she was trying to comfort me.

“There’s no need to feel bad, Brother Lee Ki-Young.”

“I’m really sorry,” I said.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. Even if I were in your place, I never would have imagined that something like this would happen,” she told me.

“I’m ashamed of myself,” I added.

“No, you shouldn’t However…” she paused.

“Yes?”

“I understand what you’re thinking and your plan, but I think it’ll be difficult for us to walk down the same path as you, Brother Lee Ki-Young,” she confessed.

‘Damn it…’

I knew it. If they told me that they would remain with me despite what happened, I would have called them saints, rather than nobles.

“I know you’ve been taking care of us. You made a place for us and helped us in many different ways, but…” Lady Caitlyn stopped talking.

“I understand, Lady Caitlyn, Lady Elise,” I responded.

“For your sake, we won’t join the second princess’s faction. However…”

I was sure there was something else aside from not joining the second princess’s faction. And no matter how much they badmouthed Charlia, I was sure it wouldn’t help them feel better. However, even if she was a member of the imperial family, there was a limit to her actions. If the nobles heard of today’s incident, they would destroy Charlia, and to make things worse, the sleazy gramps may even leave her faction.

After all, who would want an empress who would cause them harm?

After sighing, Lady Caitlyn continued talking.

“However, the first princess must take responsibility for this incident. We’re going to submit an official report to the emperor about this, and we’ll make sure the first princess receives a fair punishment.”

“I fully understand. I also… I will also do everything I can to make sure the first princess receives a fair punishment,” I told her.

I had no other choice because if I didn’t take their side right now, they might pair me up with her and label me as their enemy. I was more than grateful that they had decided to remain neutral and Lady Caitlyn must have liked my answer because she nodded and continued talking. This wasn’t a fight between factions. She was sincerely giving me advice.

“Brother Lee Ki-Young, I know you’re smart, but as someone older than you, I’d like to say one thing. Being with the first princess won’t do you any good. It’s best if you withdraw when you have the chance. I thought that the first princess had changed, but through this painful experience, I realized that people don’t change that easily. She’s a vicious person with anger management issues. I trust that you’ll make the smart choice, Brother Lee Ki-Young.”

“I’ll make sure to keep that in mind, Lady Caitlyn,” I said.

That was all I could say…

‘Damn it. Damn it.’

Count Castlerock would hear about Lady Marilyn’s injuries sooner or later, and I was worried about what he would do since he really cared for his daughter. I was also anxious about Charlotte taking advantage of this opportunity to attack, as well as the emperor’s reaction, who would surely think of Charlia as a lost cause once more.

‘All she had to do was drink tea…’

Rather than drink, she threw it. Charlia seemed to have thought that her position had already changed significantly.

‘Stupid bitch! Piece of trash!’

“We’ll look over Lady Marilyn, Brother Lee Ki-Young. You should go back—”

“It’s fine,” I said, interrupting her.

“You don’t have to worry. The first princess is by herself in the living room, and she’ll need someone who can handle this issue responsibly. To be honest, we don’t have the courage to see her again. We leave it to you,” Lady Caitlyn confessed.

“I understand.”

I felt bitter. After squeezing Lady Marilyn’s hand one last time, I bid goodbye and returned to the place where the incident happened. And what I saw was a complete mess. Broken—fallen decorations were everywhere, and an empty potion bottle was rolling on the ground. Charlia’s group of maids also showed the same symptoms. Aris, who always reported to me, had swollen red cheeks. Unable to contain her anger, Charlia must have gone on a rampage because Aris was cleaning outside while crying.

“Lady Aris,” I called out.

“Brother Lee Ki-Young!” Aris exclaimed.

“Your face…” I pointed out.

“This is nothing. By the way… the princess has been urgently looking for you,” she informed me.

“Before that, you should get treated first. You’ll feel better if you keep it in your mouth,” I instructed her.

H-How could someone like me receive something so precious…” she stuttered.

“It’s fine. I’m repaying you for helping me earlier. Right now, is the princess…” I paused.

“Ah… well… she’s extremely angry. She must have gotten really shocked when you neglected her and ran off. She ordered us to find you as soon as possible. Did you not run into any other maids?” she asked.

“I didn’t. We probably missed each other,” I replied.

“You should hurry and go to her. I’m sure she’s very sad,” Aris suggested.

I was certain she was trying to say that Charlia was a mentally ill woman in the nicest way possible.

I continued to offer her a potion, and Aria eventually poured the potion into her mouth and kept it there despite feeling burdened. When her cheeks puffed up and she started moving her mouth, I was certain that the injuries in her mouth had healed.

“Actually, I’ll lead you there,” Aris offered.

“No, it’s fine. I can go by myself,” I declined.

“But…”

“You just need to clean this place with the other maids. I’ll try to comfort the princess,” I ordered.

“Ah, okay.”

I honestly had no idea how I should comfort her.

I had an idea about what happened. While I was gone, I was sure the ladies had been talking about me, and the topic excited Lady Marilyn so much that she couldn’t stop talking about me. I had no idea what she said exactly, but she may have brought up the engagement story from back then. She could have also talked about the letters we exchanged and about what happened at Castle Rock. She didn’t show it on the outside, but Lady Marilyn was like a girl in her teens following her favorite singer around. Unable to suppress her anger, Charlia threw a teapot at her. And that was probably the whole story.

I thought about the possibility that Lady Marilyn might have provoked her, but it was unlikely. After all, she was kind of weird, but she wasn’t crazy.

When I strode and opened the door wide, I saw Princess Charlia, and it was ridiculous how she looked at me as if she had been wronged. I was at a loss for words when I heard what she said.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young! You’re here.”

“...”

“Did you hear from Lady Caitlyn or Lady Elise about what happened? I-I don’t know what they told you, but that idiot Marilyn kept saying strange things…” Charlia said.

“...”

“She kept on saying ridiculous things like she might get engaged to you, Brother Lee Ki-Young. I just couldn’t stand it when she kept saying absurd things like how you two exchanged a lot of letters. I-I wanted to protect your honor, so my hand unknowingly…” she stopped talking.

“...”

“I didn’t expect the situation to become this serious, but that bitch deserved it. She’s just a count’s daughter… and she didn’t know her place…” she added.

“She’s not just a count’s daughter, Princess Charlia,” I commented.

“It’s fine. I understand what you’re worried about, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. However, our boat won’t sink just because we can’t obtain the power of the small aristocrats on the outskirts. We have gathered a lot of forces already…”

Not only did the boat sink, but it already sank into the Earth’s mantle. Riding a boat with this woman was more dangerous than riding a boat with Jung Ha-Yan and even though I had realized it a bit too late, I was now certain of it.

“Count Castlerock is not a small aristocrat. He’s one of the loyalists who protected the empire from the threat of the Republic for the past decade, and Lady Marilyn is his most precious daughter. The size of their territory is small, but the symbolism of the Castlerock Family and the amount of trust the citizens have in their family is unimaginable, Princess,” I explained.

“I-It’ll be fine. Even so, a crazy bitch like her…”

Charlia was completely out of it. Rather than talking about how to fix this situation, we had to talk about whether she was okay or not first. She had done it intentionally, but she wasn’t aware of just what exactly she had done. When I saw how she cooled down and quickly made excuses, I felt pathetic trying to turn someone like her into an empress. I felt ashamed just imagining Princess Charlotte looking down on me.

“It’s the same for Lady Castlerock and Lady Elise. They’re more valuable than the scums who joined your faction,” I told her.

“Ah… But… Then, how about we find a weakness…” she suggested.

“They’re not idiots either. They’re going to submit an official complaint to the emperor, and you’ll receive punishment from His Majesty the Emperor. Even if you’re the emperor’s daughter, you can’t just treat a devoted noble of the empire like that. It’s not a matter of whether they’re going to join your faction or not. They might even completely turn their backs on you,” I informed her.

“W-We did well until now, so I’m sure…” she stuttered.

“We have done nothing so far that can help fix this. Things that are easily built are bound to collapse easily. You haven’t achieved anything great, Princess. You’re just about to start from the starting line, yet you have already destroyed the tower we were going to continue building. And with this incident—”

“I-I told you it’ll be okay!” Charlia exclaimed.

“What?” I asked.

“I-I told you before that it’s okay. Once I become the empress, I-I can fix everything!”

The way she was shouting was so ridiculous, and she must have surprised herself as well because her eyes widened. It felt like she was telling me that she didn’t want to hear me nag anymore, so not only was I surprised, but I even felt like laughing.