CHAPTER 4

After hearing what I said, Yonas looked at me with a blank face. A thought had been boiling within me for the twelfth time already—I came here for nothing—I shouldn't have come. If I don't succeed, I'll be forced to wake up tomorrow. Tomorrow's lunch is honey porridge.

My eyes shone brightly as I tried to regain my spirit again. I looked at him with pathetic eyes. Yonas averted my gaze with a bewildered look on his face. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

"So, you know."

"..."

"I mean."

Damn it. It's really hard to say. It's lira. My sister is working so hard for you.

“Please take one day off for my sister.”

Good. So far, I’ve been able to keep my composure.

"And after that, please pretend I don’t exist."

My tone and statement don't match, but I feel confident.

At my words, His highness The Crown Prince, blinked. He squinted his eyes at me and opened his mouth.

"Young-ae, I’m not sure what you’re talking about."

"My sister likes you, so I’m asking you to spend time with her for one day."

In the end, you're making me say something so blunt, Your Highness the Crown Prince. To be honest, I feel like I'm about to die of embarrassment.

The word “date” is used between mother and daughter as well as between friends. So why am I so embarrassed to say it? I shouldn’t feel guilty.

As I tried to internally rationalize my request, the quiet man rose from his seat.

"I'm sorry, Young-ae. I don't think that's going to work."

No, I thought you would, but you can't.

I quickly got up and stretched out my hand to catch him as he was about to leave.

"Your Highness, wait a minute—"

But at that moment, my feet got twisted. My center of gravity shifted.

His face got close. I tightly held his arm while trying to keep my face from hitting his.

When I get home, I'll take this dress off and burn it.

* * * *

I blinked. I could not believe my eyes. It can't be real. It's a dream.

There's no way this coincidence can happen. There was already a lot going on around us and I just had to trip infront of him. How did this end up in a romantic scene?

I can’t zone out and dangle on him like I'm doing right now.

His white cheeks began to gradually turn red. No, upon closer inspection, it's not just his cheeks… But why?

…It’s because I'm strangling him.

Bang!

"Your Highness, are you alright— Young-ae?!"

"Argh!"

I must be crazy. I hurriedly tried to collect myself. I instinctively screamed and my body shook. A servant with a surprised face stood at the door that was just opened. He was the servant who greeted me earlier. Because of the loud noise, the maids started to gather one after another.

The man turned his back on the maids and servants that gathered, he squinted as if he had seen something he could not unsee. With frustration and anger, he managed to spit out words.

"Are you choking the Crown Prince right now...?"

No it's not like that. It may look like it, but it’s not.

My face turned pale. If only Yonas was around I could apologize, but there were too many eyes in the room. If I apologize here, then I’m admitting that I tried to strangle him. No, it's right to strangle you, but it wasn’t my intention.

"Dion, it's not like that."

"Your Highness! What do you mean it's not like that?! Oh my God! You were grabbed by Deborah Young-ae earlier, and this time your neck...!"

Viscount Enrith, strode towards us and looked at me with fierce eyes. Having committed a crime, I quietly averted my eyes. No...No. That’s not what happened. I need to explain.

"Viscount Enrith. It's not what you're thinking."

"Hwizna Young-ae. Attempting to murder the crown prince is a felony."

I know. I know that. Why would I kill the crown prince out of the blue? There's no reason to kill him. I would never!

"No, that’s not what I intended. I mean, it just so happens that—"

"How did you end up in such a position then?"

His sharp tone spread through the open door. I bit my lip out of frustration. Viscount Enrith, the maids and servants of the royal family are all aristocrats. This means that they engage in social activities.

Suddenly I felt my mind go blank. I was being accused of attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince. The people who are here to witness this would spread this story.

This makes everything worse.

"It’s really a misunderstanding. I tripped while trying to get up, fell down, and reached out my hand. That’s what happened. I am also a noble of the Raiganian, why would I try to assassinate the Holy Crown Prince."

I said in a pathetic voice. At the sound of my voice, Viscount Enrith narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"A simple mistake? But how do you—"

"There are many mistakes and coincidences in the world. If I wanted to assassinate the Crown Prince, I would have invited him to Hwizna Manor. Why would I do such a thing at Tehina Palace?"

A lot of doubts were cleared from his eyes by my unwavering voice. The murmurs from the people around were getting on my nerves. Rumours in society have always been annoying and harsh.

I bowed my head to Yonas and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace. I was impatient and dared to touch your body."

".....No, don’t worry."

His tone was as if he was unsatisfied.

I quickly lifted my head, bowed again, and left the waiting room. The servants split in half and made way for me, it was an unpleasant exit. I had to listen to their whispers and gossip, they were looking at me as if they were dissecting me.

'I'm doomed.'

Mother is going to kill me.

Bang—!

When I arrived at the mansion, I opened the door without even knocking. My mother was pouring tea for herself. She asked me as she opened the same blueprint as me.

"Oh my, Sasha? What are you doing here? I heard from Libby that you visited the Crown Prince."

"He'heuk! Yes. I know I did, Mom."

"Oh, my God. How long have you been running?"

She approached me with a worried look and wiped the sweat on my forehead. Her gentle touch made me feel even more guilty. No, It was an accident. A huge accident.

"Why is your face so pale? What happened when you went there? Hmm? Baby, talk to your mother."

My mouth was closed up like a clam on a good-looking face. I tried to peer away from my mother's gaze.

I don't know how to sum it up. I went to see the Crown Prince but ended up being accused of strangling The Crown Prince. That’s a terrible summary.

"Uh, So..."

I began to tell her the long version of the story.

* * * *

"Sigh..."

"..."

In the quiet parlor. The temperature was definitely warm, but I don't know why it began to feel so cold. Perhaps it's because Mother is in front of me is smiling and sighing at the same time.

My mother, Cinderella's stepmother, Yechaterinael Hwizna, seemed to be completely different from the stepmother in the original book. If the stepmother in the original work had a dark aura, my mother has a white aura.

Well, not to say she never has a black aura. Mother is gentle and kind. She's always nice, but when she gets angry, she becomes the scariest person ever.

My mother, who was happy with me visiting the crown prince despite my transgression, became more and more stiff as I continued to talk, and now her smile was completely gone. In front of her I felt like I was sitting on a thorny sofa. After being silent for a while, my mother asked me.

"......So, you strangled him?"

"No, he. I didn’t mean to strangled him, but he's got a handprint—"

"That's what I'm asking."

"Yes."

My rebuttal was immediately dismissed. Tap, tap. My mother hit her nail on the desk and asked me again.

".....How?"

"H-How did it happen?"

Our lives don't always turn out the way we expect, Mother. M-my... My handwas being controlled by a spirit, and it just so happened to land on the Crown Prince's neck.

—I can't say that because I'm afraid I'll get hit.

My mother, who had not answered for a moment, asked kindly, covering her mouth with a fan.

"Did you kick his crotch?"

The fan is in my mother's hand, and I feel like I've been hit in the head with it. I answered with a firm grip.

"I didn’t."

"I wasn’t there but I'm really curious as to why the Crown Prince's face was red. I definitely didn't teach you to use self-defense for something like that."

I didn't hit his crotch, I just accidentally strangled him— It was a waste of life to say even that.

My mother smiled brightly at me and began to speak. Her voice was gentle but with a hint of sarcasm. It’s amazing for a mother to have such a skill. I remained silent and bowed my head because this situation was not in my favour.

"Sasha."

"Yes..."

"Why don't you answer me properly?"

"Yes, mother."

She took off the glasses that she was wearing and pressed down her forehead. Her silvery eyelashes frowned. Waiting for my mother to make a verdict, I tried to analyze her innermost thoughts.

Her second daughter went to the imperial palace and caused a scene. We have to fix it. Then he hit her with his fist. She must have been hurt

Now, let's think about the worst possible outcome here.

The rumor is spreading in society. There will be rumors that Young-ae hit the crown prince. Is it considered defamation? No, but actually, this is fine. My status will be what it is. I don’t even care if I’m not able to get married because of this scandal.

The Marquis has three daughters. In that case, there are two ways to do it. Picking up a son-in-law, or having a daughter as the head of the household.

The Raiganian Kingdom does not discriminate against women. Though it’s not common, women were allowed to manage the household as they pleased. My mother has three daughters, she doesn’t want someone from a different bloodline to become the head of the family.

Drizzella's could not be bothered and Cinderella gave up her right to succession to marry the Crown Prince. As a result, I was being educated as the heir of the Marquis of Whizna.

That means I don't have to get married. In addition, there were relatively less scandals to manage compared to other noble ladies. That means less damage.

However, The problem is that the official decree comes from the royal family.

It is a felony to touch the crown prince's body. Of course, there was an excuse. It’s not like I randomly attacked the crown prince on the street. If a trial was actually held, I’d have to say, ‘It was an uncontrolled reflex. The person who taught me self-defense is bad.' I can't say that.

No. No. Thinking of the pros and cons would be meaningless. If the rumor spreads, the royal family won't just let it slide. They can’t give me special treatment just because I’m a Hwizna, they’ll likely have to impose some sort of punishment.

Ah, I'm screwed.

There was no way to avoid the rumours. Even if I had immediately apologized in that situation, the story would still be passed down and misinterpreted. There’s no way that any of the witnesses would clear up the misunderstanding.

If I were a noble trying to tell the truth, I wouldn’t even need to fabricate a story. I am afraid that the mistake of touching the crown prince's neck instead of letting myself hit the floor would be misinterpreted as a slap in the face. This would be the most likely story to spread.

"Baby, I told you. If you can't solve it then just leave it be."

The eerie remark made with a radiant smile made me convulse and smile. My body was moving backwards on its own. I’m scared. It's scary. Mother, just kill me. It's all my fault.

"Sigh. What should I do about this….."

My mother, who had been muttering, made eye contact with me again and smiled. With a smile that melted away, I unwittingly relaxed my body that was stiffened. All of the sudden, both of my cheeks were grabbed.

"M-Muder!" (Mother!)

"What should I do about this, baby? I've told you so many times to fix that short temper. Hm?"

No, I didn't hit the crown prince out of anger, it was a mistake— But you have to let me go so we can talk about this!

"Hurrrr!" (Hurts!)

"Hurt? Sasha. It hurts? Are you talking down to your mother?"

No. How can I use honorifics when you grabbed my cheek?! Tears welled up in my eyes, whether it was because of the unfairness of the situation, or because of the hand that grabbed my cheek. My mother casually clenched my cheek as if nothing had happened.

“Why did I grab your cheek? His Majesty the Crown Prince would have flown away if you had hit him for self defense. Are there any marks left on his neck?"

My mother’s empathetic words hit me. I quietly swallowed my tears at the words that touched me deeply. No, Mom. I was the first to make a mistake, but what’s sad is that Mom is right. Well, he didn't fly away…

Long after I whined that my cheek hurt, my mother let go of my face. My mother said with a serious face, as I was barely recovering from my tattered body and mind.

"Seriously, what should I do? Under the current circumstances, it seems that it is almost unavoidable that an official notice will come from the royal family. Well, it would be nice if we only end up getting fined"

"Can't mother persuade His Majesty the King?"

"Will he hear what I have to say?"

Mother, who spoke in a peaceful manner, fiddled with her fingertips. On the contrary, I was incredibly embarrassed. My mother replied indifferently to me.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid someone's gonna come in and make a mess out of things?"

Mother laughed as if she had heard a funny joke even though she's the one who said it.

"Sasha. When I was a kid, I had a hard time catching three birds at the same time. It’s impossible."

No, I know. How can I not know the story that has been left as a legacy to the Hwizna family for generations. I kept my mouth shut.

I quietly shut my mouth and looked at my mother, who was tapping her nails. It's not like I caused trouble and ran away to find help from a stranger. Mother is the only one I can trust.

Are you going to send a bribe disguised as a gift from the Marquis to the royal family? Or directly to the Crown Prince?

If you don’t want to send it, then we shouldn’t send it. I don't think I'm the type of person to take bribes for my silence either.

"Baby."

"Yes?"

As I finished gathering my thoughts, my mother, who tapped the desk with her fingernails, smiled brightly at me.

I looked at her bright smile and waited patiently for what she's going to say next.

"Go back, get on your knees and make up for everything."

"......Are you kidding me?"

"I'm serious."