He must be worried about the atrocities he committed at dinner.

I sat at the foot of the bed while slightly crumpling my nose.

Today, you did a lot of commendable things, so Ill let you go. But this shouldnt happen again. Unfortunately, sweet potatoes and onions are not allowed to touch my tongue. Theyre not good food.

Aedis seemed like he had a lot of things to say, but he decided against saying anything.

***

The day of departure was just one day away. Gilbert was dead quiet, and I still had work to do.

I wrote a letter to invite Monica Elaine to the Grand Dukes Estate formally. I requested her to come today since the time was right, and Monica stormed in less than an hour after I sent the letter.

It was almost like she knew Id call her today.

She must have been preparing to go out, even before receiving my letter.

I didnt say anything that would hurt her too much.

Im sorry, Monica. I cant attend the birthday party.

..

Immediately, Monicas complexion turned cold.

I held out a pink star diamond necklace and earrings without waiting for Monica to open her mouth. This was something Monica always wanted to have.

I wanted to give you a gift in person as an apology. Will you accept it?

..

Monicas lips trembled. It wasnt hard to tell she was unhappy with the way things we were unfolding.

Dont you like it? How about this one? I asked, cocking my head to the side.

This time, I showed her a small but meaningful statue filled with gold.

Ive already told you the only thing that I want. I dont need anything else, Monica said ferociously. Her face made it seem like she wanted to throw the golden statue away but was holding it in.

Monica didnt even look at the gifts I gave her. She clenched her fists and expressed her anger.

Oh, thats how it is.

I know what you meant. Theres one last gift that I havent taken out yet, but I dont think the result will change even if I show it to you.

Huh, Monica snorted.

I raised my hand. Sarah, take it all away.

Sarah approached. Monicas eyes went wide open as if she wasnt expect anything like this.

Come on, hold on. Are you going to throw it all away?

They were prepared for you, but since you dont like them, theyre useless.

Monica fixated her gaze on the set of jewelry and the gold statue that Sarah was about to throw away at any time now. Her expression was complex as if she were bearing all the troubles of the world alone.

What is your last gift? Monica asked with a deep sigh.

My favorite doll.

What What?

Eventually, Monicas expression became out of her control as she vigorously rubbed her ears. She thought she heard me wrong, but no, there was nothing wrong with her ears.

I opened the package hidden under the table and showed Monica the contents. It was a teddy bear with a cute black nose.

I grabbed the bears paw and gently shook it, making the doll greet Monica. It looked like it was saying hello.

Unexpectedly, a smile formed on her lips as I played with the doll.

Its pretty old, right? When I was young, I never let it go from my arms. Hes a very precious friend to me. So I tried to bring it to the North. But it might be too poor of a gift to give to you

Please.

Give it to me right now. If you give it to me, Ill forgive you for not attending the birthday party.

Monicas was determined, and her face lacked a joking smile. She was serious.

Whether I was looking to run away or not, Monica felt threatened. She got up from her seat, eyes sparkling, and reached out her hand.

Hey, what is this?

She refused the jewelry and expensive ornaments she liked so much and wanted someone elses doll.

This doll was something I genuinely had since I was young. And, of course, it was rather odd to give it as a birthday present.

Hurry up!

I handed over the doll, but the shock still lingered.

Monica, didnt you hate me?

What are you talking about? I dont hate you. I dont dislike you, either, Monica said, hugging my favorite doll tightly.

No, your words and actions are entirely contradictory.

In Esmeraldas Crescent Moon, Monica Elaine was a villain. Gilbert once said she would have killed Maevia. Everything about Maevia got on her nerves, so she cant stand it.

Before having an affair with Gilbert, Monica hated Maevia. But now, Monica seemed much different than how she was supposed to act.

I had never seen Monica smile that much.

Was it because I was a different Maevia than the one in the novel?

Of course, it wasnt like everyone had been affected by my behavior. Right now, parents still took care of their children as they had done before.

Even the crown prince didnt shave his head and fan the noble lady for two hours. But, it seemed as though Monica was beyond my expectations.

In the novel, Monica hated the existence of Maevia Morgana herself, so I didnt put much effort into Monica.

If there was an apparent reason for someones dislike, I could fix it. But I couldnt do much if someone just didnt like me.

Trying to improve my relationships had become apart of my unconscious daily routine. I always tried to take the upper hand in the arguments that came my way.

Still, Monica certainly wouldnt bother me as badly as she did in the novel, so I thought it would be okay if she wasnt next to Gilbert.

But the result is rather

Monica, what do you like so much about me?

Monica, still excited, squeezed the teddy bears cheeks, which was stuffed with fresh cotton. First of all, Maevia, no matter how angry you are, you hardly ever raise your voice. I wish I could ignore it, but you never yelled at me. You welcomed me even if I was crappy.

Monica looked a bit embarrassed for a moment and then hurriedly blurted, In fact, thats why I thought Maevia wanted to be friends with me. But you treated Charles, who you had only met once, similarly to me, whom you met ten times already. Remember the Harvest Festival party? You couldnt find a partner, but you paired up with him.

Suddenly Monica cried. It turned out I was being treated similarly to Charles, which meant that even though Ive been bothering you so far, Maevia wasnt interested in me at all. I wasnt a friend, nor an enemy, nor anything.

If youre dissatisfied with my behavior, will you hate me?

When asked seriously, Monica quickly hid the doll behind her back.

No, no, thats not it! I got your favorite doll, but I hate it! Im going to change it. Oh, but dont get me wrong. You were so indifferent to me, so I wanted to draw some attention. It wasnt because I liked you.

..

I nearly sighed, but I managed to withhold it.

Good job, Maevia. Murder is bad.

As I swallowed my sigh, Monica muttered in a less powerful voice, And Maevia, honestly, you dont even like me. Sometimes it feels like youre looking at me like Im nothing more than a stone on your feet.

Hey, be glad I dont despise you.

I have a conscience, and I look back on my past actions. Do you remember what I said when we first met? I said that picking cherry water on your greedy red hair will turn it to my hair color.

Monica had flaming red hair. On the other hand, my hair was pigmented like pink leaves.

We clashed from our first meeting, although it wasnt mentioned in the novel. Monica said that she was offended because my hair looked like I was copying her. She used all kinds of verbal abuse until we got separated. Charles couldnt stand it, so he tried to intervene.

Morgana, Elaine, and Morgoz are the swords of the empire aimed at the imperial family. Since the three families were closely related and often called together, the successors, Monica, and Charles also naturally met.

What started as a light afternoon tea party became a regular meeting.

Monicas poison also became more diverse day by day. Monica changed the target to Charles if I responded insensitively. I remember that Charles began to be more careful after she suffered from hair loss due to stress.

Fortunately, from time to time, Charles was in the south more rather than in the capital.

There was more time to practice the sword.

So the meeting was disbanded, but Monica suddenly came to the Marquis of Morgana.

There were many times she criticized me as blindly as before, and there were times when her eyes seemed to be blowing fire, although she was simply sipping tea.

That was all to draw attention. It was absurd that I had no idea.

Did you remember?

Monica looked at me with a burning face.

This is serious. There is no way to fix it.

I stood up, so she would stop talking.

Whats the point of arguing about the past now? Thats enough, the next time we meet, Id like you to call me Grand Duchess. The marriage has already been established on paper.

I dont know why, but this time, Monica was shocked.

But what about the wedding? What about the vows? You havent announced the marriage in front of the nobles yet.

I skipped it.

You cant do that!

Monica.

As I got up, I approached Monica.

She gently overlapped my hands with hers.

Think of that doll as me and cherish it until we meet again. Can I trust you?

Monica didnt shake my hand even though she flinched. Soon a small answer came back. Well Of course.

Are you shy now?

Good.

When I leave the capital, I have to bury my bones in the north.