Betrayed by My Fiancé, I Changed My Role from a Viscount’s Daughter to a Lady-in-Waiting to the Quee

Then, just before dawn on the fourth day after my abduction, I jumped out of my slumber at the sound of birdsong reaching my ears.

I looked around and patted my chest to make sure no one was there but us. Then, looking up at the only small window, I felt a small tug of strength leave my shoulders at the sound of birds singing again.

※※※

「Good morning! Today’s breakfast is freshly baked croissant with lots of butter and special corn potage soup…?」

Yance’s cheerful voice broke off in mid-sentence as he brought breakfast, just as he had yesterday. I am sure it was because he thought something was wrong when he entered the room and I didn’t even turn around.

「…Miss?」

A voice calls out to me from behind me, but still I do not turn around. My gaze remains fixed on the woman lying there, buried in the cushions.

「…Are you angry that I didn’t take your side about the dress yesterday? I can’t do anything about that. The Boss wouldn’t let Miss wear it. There’s no way I can go against the Boss. I’ll put you in a better mood… ah…」

As Yance approached me with a muffled excuse, he finally realized why I was not turning around.

「…Haah, this is no good…」

And so he pontificated.

「Don’t say inappropriate things!」

「That said, from the looks of things, today is the day.」

Yes, the woman I had been desperately nursing was breathing thinly as the sun rose, and her condition had deteriorated to the point where she could have died at any moment.

「I feel sorry for her, though…」

Yance muttered in a small, sad voice, and I could feel the blood rush to my head.

「What kind of a mouthful to say you feel sorry for her!」

「…Miss.」

「You told me yesterday. You said yesterday that you never laid a finger on her. So it’s not your fault. It’s not my problem, that’s what you’re saying!?」

It’s a very other person’s way of thinking. Sure, maybe it was someone else who did this to her. But I don’t think Yance is responsible for anything. Because if you feel so much『pity,』you should stop the barbaric acts committed by your allies.

「That’s not what I meant…」

「Then what did you mean by that!」

You don’t feel『sorry』for them lightly, without stopping them.

「Hey-hey, what’s all the fuss about so early in the morning?」

Rio appeared out of nowhere, biting back a sigh, looked at me, Yance, and the woman, and gave a small nod of approval.

「Ahh, I see… Well, you know what? Don’t get too discouraged.」

He comes close to me and brushes my hand away as hard as he can as she tries to hug my shoulder to comfort me.

「Aww… Aren’t you relentless?」

It made quite a noise, so it must have hurt a lot. But despite his mouth, Rio’s expression is contorted with joy.

「You deserved it.」

It was irresponsible and extremely inappropriate. I glare at him with a snap and emotion.

「I deserved it…? I don’t understand why you are so uptight about this woman. If you say she deserved it, then she deserved it.」

「What did you say?」

Rio said with a thin smile.

「I mean, how good-natured can you be to feel sorry for someone who set you up? I know that myself. This woman gave false testimony to set you up. Did she think she wouldn’t be found out? You’d have a shot if you looked into it.」

「…Did she say so, that she lied in her testimony?」

「Of course. She was yelling a lot. She was shouting something about『for the Princess』but what’s for the Princess? Don’t blame the others.」

Rio’s eyes are filled with contempt as he looks at the woman lying on the cushion.

「Then, of course, when they found out, she ran away. Then she was betrayed by the people she was running away from, and they sold her to us and tortured her.」

“Haha,” Rio chuckled dryly.

「You see, it’s a great self-inflicted wound, isn’t it? If you take the stupid rumors seriously and destroy yourself, you’ll never be able to take care of yourself, will you?」

「…Rumors…」

「Yeah. She said that your presence is not necessary for the secret love story between the Princess and the Captain of the Kingsguard. They don’t want you in their noble and innocent love story.」

The hand that I just brushed off touches the handkerchief used to bind my hair.

「But, you know, it’s just a rumor that the Princess and the Captain of the Kingsguard are secret lovers. Even if she was royalty, I wonder if such a thing is allowed. Or what, are you saying that it is officially approved by the royal family?」

“Hey, what about that part,” he laughed wryly, and the handkerchief slipped off and fell into Rio’s hand.

「…That…」

I am at a loss for words.

What comes back to my mind is that scene ten years ago when my own fiancée was kneeling and pledging her love to another woman. It was indeed a reality that had happened to me, a past that could no longer be undone. And it was also a fact that I could never have forgotten.

「……How can such a fact be true?」

It was all I could do to keep my voice from shaking and to maintain my composure.

The only people who know of this fact are myself and my family, Their Majesties, Douglas-sama, Ryniel-sama, Mary, and the parties involved, Raul and the Princess, and her husband, the Prince. Raul’s parents believed me at first, but now they were skeptical about how I had convinced them.

All the fuss around him is just a self-imposed assignment of him to a romance novel called『Man of Tragic Love』and there is nothing between Raul and Princess. That is ostensibly what is known.

I would be lying if I said that I did not feel resentment. But there was nothing I could do about it.

「Right, there’s no way that there is.」

It’s not that he doesn’t notice my upset. And yet Rio pretends to be exaggeratedly convinced.

「Then why aren’t you married to your fiancée?」

「…Eh?」

「Your fiancée and the Princess have nothing to do with each other. Then why are you refusing to marry him if you have no problem with it?」

Rio said this in an amused and jolting manner, and this time I was speechless. Rio, seeing me in such a state, twisted the corner of his mouth in amusement.

「Hey, you’re mad at us, but maybe you’re actually the cause of it.」

「………Eh?」

「So, because you don’t marry honestly, more and more people will believe the rumors and do stupid things. Am I wrong?」

I don’t know what you are talking about. Maybe I just didn’t want to understand. I desperately searched for words, but I just couldn’t find them.

「In other words, you’re the one who ruined this woman’s life in the first place.」

“Do you hear me right?” Rio laughed.

「It’s no—…!」

I wanted to deny it, but I couldn’t say it all the way through. I was going to say that was just a stretch and an accusation.

I felt all the blood in my body drain away in an instant.