Mistaken for a Wicked Woman!

『Marquis Bright’s runaway daughter, is caught drunkenly rampaging in a hotel and is subdued by security guards who have been called… Young Lady Bright goes on a rampage, slapping Young Master Mo for insulting her.』

The content of the articles was even worse than the title. Some of the articles explained why she did what she did, but most of them were full of accusations and ridicule. Some were so bad I’m embarrassed to call them newspapers, they were more like gossip pamphlets.

『Is there no Noblesse oblige for the Young Lady Bright, in the case of the dismissal of her coachman, who had accused her of throwing a teacup at a patron in the salon of the Countess Olette. Servants who were unfairly dismissed because of her reveal their stories…. Hmph.』

The more I read the article, the more my eyes glazed over. If this is all true, then Young Lady Bright is the one who bullied someone worse than herself. I stopped reading the newspaper and looked at the crown prince, demanding answers.

“Did it really happen?”

“Yes.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that.”

A noble who should be practicing Noblesse Oblige in her daily life bullies the weak. I could understand what happened to Countess Olette and the others for a reason, but this was absolutely unacceptable.

『The Fall of the Villainess, Interview with Guard A, who arrested Young Lady Bright who was causing a disturbance at the opera theater… Mr. B, a famous jeweler in the capital, lists Ms. Bright as his number one customer…』

I give up.

I can’t read anymore.

Whether it was true or not, my eyes would rot if I read any further. I put the newspaper down and pressed my brow. I had only read a few articles and my head hurt.

What a waste of real paper. A waste.

“Is this what newspapers are supposed to be like?”

“Because it sells.”

“What kind of
idiot consumes this piece of sh—! Whoa, wait a minute.”

I cringed for a moment and almost swore without realizing it. I stirred, unable to contain my boiling anger, and the crown prince poured me another cup of tea as if to calm me down.

“Young Lady Bright must have been a pot belly for the newspaper.”

“Well, almost a goose that lays golden eggs.”

“Is the article all true?”

“Half true, half false.”

“Haha.”

I laughed in disbelief. It was clear to me now why the crown prince said that she was both the perpetrator and the victim. The newspapers had taken the lead in creating the rumors, but what made it impossible to defend Young Lady Bright was that half of it was her own doing. Injecting herself at a party, injuring people, being arrested for a disturbance in a shop, climbing a steeple to commit suicide — what she had done would be looked down upon in the noble society that valued honor and decency. The only thing she did right was to almost drown Count Olette in a pond and slap that Young Master for insulting her.

“Did the Bright family really let this happen?”

If it was me, and someone wrote something wrong about me, I would have chased them down with a sword and beaten them to a pulp that day.

“It’s not like they were sitting on their hands. The Duke went to a few newspapers and complained, and the Marquis introduced legislation to sanction newspapers that persistently spread fake news, and the Press Guild issued a statement saying that the pressure was unwarranted.”

The Prince found a few commentaries and articles in the stacks of newspapers that criticized the Bright family and showed them to me.

“Did public opinion stop them?”

“Most of them sided with the newspapers.”

“No matter where it was… In the empire, the nobility was the pinnacle of power, but their numbers were invincibly small. The commoners, on the other hand, were overwhelmingly numerous. If public opinion turned sour, protests would break out, and if they were severe enough, rebellions could erupt, so even the most powerful people in the empire could not help but take notice.”

“And the nobles?”

“The nobles were more excited than the commoners.”

“It was a chance to defeat the Bright family.”

“Was the Duke or the Marquis so unpopular?”

Considering the fiery personality of the Duke of Bright, it seems likely that he would have many enemies, but after all, it was his honor that ended the Thirty Year War. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t help but grimace. After a moment of thought, the Crown Prince spoke up.

“It’s not that he’s unpopular, but… There are so many forces that do not like the rapid growth of the Bright Family and want to keep them in check.”

“Why?”

“It’s a nightly battle. Power is limited because there are so many enemies.”

“Most importantly, the Bright family is not a recognized state family.”

“They may be one of the most prestigious in the Empire, but they’re more of an emerging nobility. The Bright family only became a duke when they got married into one of the past emperors immediate family.”

“As you know, the noble society is deeply conservative, especially the Great Houses, which have held a monopoly on power for the past few hundred years. The Bright family would be an eyesore to them, a threat to their power.”

“I see. The Duke is the current leading figure of the military, and has become very powerful over the past years of war as well.”

“Yes. Indeed you’re very clever.”

The crown prince smiled, as if praising a child for a correct answer.

“Anyway, the conflict between the Press Guild and the Bright family was only put to rest after the Emperor himself intervened in the conflict. The newspapers refrained from reporting on it, but by then, the Bright family’s honor had fallen to the ground.”

“I see.”

My questions were answered, but my chest felt even more tight than before. I looked down at the newspaper, frowning. I stared at it intently.

There was an article about Young Lady Bright throwing a Parasol at the guards and it was even accompanied by a black-and-white illustration of what happened. But it didn’t stop there, it also had a detailed description of her face, including the color of her eyes and hair. Other newspapers did the same. Some illustrations were even colored. It wasn’t as good as the portrait I’d seen at the Marquis, but it was good enough to make her recognizable to anyone with an eye for detail.

That explains why everyone I met mistook me for her. This is how people have been seeing her face in the newspapers for the past few years. Unless you’re not a regular newspaper reader or someone with poor eyesight It was even more strange not to recognize Young Lady Bright.

“I think I know why she collapsed.”

People would recognize her wherever she went, and they would have pointed fingers at her after reading what was written in the article, and that’s it. The newspapers would say unspeakable things about her, and people would see things through tinted glasses that weren’t her fault.

Even her family hasn’t been much of a shield. No one believed her when she begged them not to, and that was only for a few days.

I’m shaking in my boots, but I can’t imagine how she had suffered all these years.

“This is too much.”

I said in an exasperated voice.

A groan escaped from my throat.

“This is too much.”

I’m not trying to defend Young Lady Bright or anything. She was clearly in the wrong. But she really didn’t deserve it. I felt my solar plexus burning with impatience. I sipped the lukewarm tea, feeling the calm finally return.

The crown prince said nothing. He silently refilled my now-empty teacup. I drank the tea as he gave it to me. I emptied my teacup several times, but unfortunately, the supposedly soothing tea did not help me at all.

“Thank you for today.”

It was some time later when I finally decided to leave the cafe.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

I forced my lips into a smile at his concerned question. As much as I wanted to pretend I was fine, I couldn’t help but bite my tongue to keep the anger from rising.

“Again, I’m sorry about today.”

The crown prince pursed his lips and then carefully apologized.

“It is not for you to apologize, Your Highness,”

I said, “For I am also somewhat responsible.”

The crown prince lowered his eyes with a sullen expression. He is obviously nothing compared to his brother, the crown prince is really more of a saint than that stone-faced prince.

“You don’t have to feel sorry for me, the real bad guys are out there. Thanks to you, I know who the real enemy is.”

Let’s see. Count Olette and the second prince, the damn newspapers, and the Empress…

As I mulled over my thoughts, I suddenly remembered the advice the crown prince had given me earlier. He had perhaps foresaw this situation.

“If I stay in the capital instead of returning to the estate, It will continue to be noisy in the future, won’t it?”

“Perhaps.”

“Hmm.”

I hated being bothered, and while I didn’t intend to strike first, I don’t intend to take it lying down either.

“You shouldn’t worry too much about Pavel, he’s been raised in the Empress’s skirts and doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

“You’re being disparaging.”

“It’s true. Pavel is nothing but an accidental puppet.”

The crown prince sourly criticized his half-brother.

“A puppet… means the real enemy is the Empress.”

“You must be very careful of her.”

The crown prince’s expression turned serious.

“I’m sure what happened today has already reached the ears of Her Majesty the Empress, right?” If I was seaweed hair, it would have reached out to my mother by now.

“Do you think the Empress will try to keep me quiet?” I asked, half-convinced.

“If you get into trouble because of what happened today, I will take responsibility and help you.”

The crown prince met my gaze with a determined look. He seemed to feel responsible for my encounter with the second prince.

“I hope nothing happens, but if it does, I’ll ask you to help me.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll do my best.”