“What? Could you speak louder?”
Elizabeth gathered up her remaining patience and spoke. I couldn’t understand what she said at first because she was just staring at her feet and mumbling to herself.
Judging from the flustered look on the countess next to me, I think he said something unpleasant… … .
I already didn’t like the woman, and now she’s being rude, so I felt a strong urge to hear what she had to say.
“What did you say a little while ago?”
“You can just accept a simple greeting, but you keep nagging at me… … .”
This time it was almost a whisper. Feeling frustrated, Elizabeth grabbed the hem of her dress and walked over to the side of the table.
Hermia’s shoulders rose, then she took a step, then another, and as the distance grew closer, her movements became more hectic.
When they finally reached her, Elizabeth’s expression became blatantly distorted. Hermia staggered violently and fell to the floor.
“Oh my! Hey!”
The countess shook her stepdaughter violently, but her eyes, stubbornly shut, refused to open despite her violent touch.
“There’s a person collapsed here!”
As soon as someone shouted, people gathered around them. Elizabeth was so flustered that she even dropped her fan.
‘What, what is it? It looks like you collapsed because of me.’
She only cared about people who looked at her strangely, not people who had fainted, because that was how she had been taught to do it.
This is the second time today that I have experienced something for the first time since I was born. My eyes blinked rapidly, looking around for someone who could solve the situation.
“Who are you harassing again, Liz?”
Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard through the crowd. Elizabeth’s face brightened immediately.
“Gerard!”
“Oh, my. I recognize that face.”
She had been delighted by the appearance of her fourth brother, but she froze again. This was because Gerard came out from the crowd and ignored her, and went straight to the fallen villainess.
After observing Hermia for a while, he let out a sigh of relief before hugging her.
“Excuse me. I need to take you to the doctor.”
Then, he started walking without hesitation. People who were bewildered and turned away stared at him, but he calmly walked into the villa.
The servant who had been following along in a hurry had to awkwardly turn around at the order to go and do some work. The fourth prince, who was carrying the fallen woman, had a cheerful expression on his face for some reason.
* * *
Gerard, who had come inside and gone to the nearest bedroom, opened the door with his foot as usual, went in, and closed it again in the same way. Then he carefully laid her down on the ornately patterned bedding and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Hermia’s eyelashes were fluttering.
“Do you know what all the girls who pass out at parties have in common?”
“… … .”
“Nine out of ten people have trouble breathing. They all tighten their corsets to the limit. The solution is surprisingly simple.”
Gerard looked down at Hermia with a strange gaze and said.
“They take off all your clothes.”
“I’m okay!”
She jumped up in surprise. Gerard pretended to be surprised and said, “Oh,” without being surprised at all.
I was so flustered earlier that I just pretended to collapse, but it was fortunate that I came to a place where there were no people.
Hermia sighed in relief when she confirmed that there was no one else besides the man and greeted him.
“I almost never saw the light of day again, thank you for helping me… … .”
The words of gratitude died down without a conclusion.
What is it? I think I’ve seen that bright blond hair and those facial features somewhere. The voice is also somehow familiar…
While she was absentmindedly thinking, she noticed red eyes of the same saturation as Elizabeth’s and quickly lowered her head.
‘Now that I think about it, the princess clearly called me ‘Gerard’ earlier.’
Gerard Muller. A familiar yet unfamiliar name. He was also a leading character in The Thief’s Young-ae along with Walter and Mel.
To be exact, he is the main character in a love triangle with Walter, who was his best friend, and they are engaged in a war of nerves over Mel.
At the same time, the reason it was strange was because it was my first time meeting him in real life as a prince… … .
‘Oh. Is this the first time?’
She squinted her eyes to gauge the situation, then suddenly came to her senses.
“Thank you for your help, Prince.”
“He rose from beggar to prince. It was glorious.”
His glory, his glory. Hermia, who had been furrowing her brow, paused and tilted her head to the side.
“…the poor?”
Suddenly she looked at the prince, and he was curling his fingers and holding them to his eyes like glasses. Hermia was sure she had seen that look somewhere.
Gerard frowned and grumbled.
“Fortunately, I’m not a beggar today. How about a cup of coffee to celebrate?”
“Who said that? It was a beggar pervert in a bookstore.”
Hermia covered her mouth and lashed out at the violent words that came out of her mouth without warning.
Even if it was a count couple, saying such rude things to royalty was a serious crime that could result in one’s death.
It was funny how she shook her head as if denying something she had said, but she did her best to deny it.
What should I do? Should I hit him? If I hit him on the head and knock him out, will his memory disappear? If he dies that way, it’ll be even worse.
Contrary to fears, Gerard responded to the verbal abuse with no particular concern.
“I should put my wallet in my underwear from now on. I don’t mind being a pervert, but a beggar is a bit of a hit.”
“Sin, sin, damn it.”
I screwed up. I was going to say sorry.
Far from running away to a foreign country, I’m going to die this evening. I was just going to hide quietly and then go back, but where did things go wrong?
Even Gerard looked surprised at the last words.
Hermia, who thought it was all over, muttered in vain as she hugged her knees.
“I haven’t even cleared my name as a villain yet, and yet I keep talking nonsense whenever I open my mouth. Why is life like this…?”
“… Bullshit?”
Gerard’s eyes changed as he spat out his grumbling, “Let it be as it is.” He asked sharply, his face suddenly free of playfulness.
“What does that mean?”
Hermia didn’t notice it and continued to pour out her words like a person who had given up on herself.
“What are you saying? I’m finished now. Even if the writer is caught and explains himself, if I say one word, the villainess will be resurrected. That’s what I’m saying.”
“Tell me more. In more detail.”
“What? I don’t know. How would I know when my tongue suddenly broke overnight?”
Instead of making a puzzled expression as if asking what she meant, Gerard leaned a little closer and listened earnestly.
Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? Hermia, who had been watching cautiously, said, “It doesn’t matter, of course,” and continued. However, she didn’t know enough to explain it in detail, so she could only explain it simply.
“It was yesterday, and I can’t lie. If you ask me now, I’ll probably gain weight.”
“no way…….”
“Don’t ask me that. It’s annoying. Oh! See? Am I right? This is the situation.”
I won’t kill you because you told me honestly. I tried to think as positively as possible, but Gerard got up.
He paced around the bed, slowly stroking his chin. He seemed to be deeply absorbed in his own thoughts.
Hermia, who had been watching the scene from afar, soon looked around for her watch.
I was planning to just sit there for a while and then go out and have a chat when the tea party was over. Then, even if people scold me for pretending to be sick, they won’t say anything useless.
“Hey, can you think about it outside? I appreciate you bringing me here, but I feel like you’ve been staying here too long.”
Although she was engaged to Walter, she still had the last name Bahnsen, so technically she was single.
The prince standing there alone and serious is also not married as far as I know.
Unless she planned to add the rumor that Walter was not enough and that Gerard was also being seduced, it was natural for Hermia to avoid the current situation.
She boldly asked Gerard to leave the room, even if it meant revealing her secrets at the risk of death.
“I’m sorry, but the prince is closer to the door… … .”
“Miss Hermia, I would like you to promise not to tell anyone what I am about to say.”
Instead of leaving, he came back to the bed and came closer than before. Hermia pushed away, but blurted out what was on her mind.
“He is as handsome as a peacock.”
“…Thank you for that.”
“It wasn’t my intention just now. No, I was thinking about it, but… … .”
“Wait a minute. Let me speak first.”
He raised his hand to stop the talking, then opened his mouth heavily.
* * *
Hermia trudged over to the table where the Countess was sitting and sat down.
The countess, who had been drinking tea alone, smiled brightly and came over to me, sitting flush against my chair.
“Hey, what were you doing just now? Did you fall down on purpose? I thought you would talk nonsense in front of the princess, and my blood ran cold! What on earth are you thinking?”
“… … .”
When Hermia remained silent without answering, he whispered even more quietly this time.
“Where have you been until now? That prince from earlier, Gerard Muller, right? The Fourth Prince! Did you know him too?”
“…yes.”
The countess’s eyes widened as if they were lanterns at the thoughtless reply. Her dry, branch-like hands trembled with anticipation, as did her surprise.
“Oh, how did you… … . Oh my god. Did you seduce her too? Wow, that’s amazing? Wait a minute… … . What’s better, a duchess or a princess? Doesn’t the duke have more money?”
“What have you been talking about? Please be quiet for a moment so I can think about it.”
Even though he was speaking with a serious expression, the countess was already lost in her own world. Hermia looked at her with a face that seemed to be tired of her, then picked up the teapot and poured the tea into the cup in front of her.
After drinking the cooled black tea, I calmly recalled what I had heard earlier. My sense of reality had not yet returned.
‘I think the symptoms that Miss Hermia is experiencing now are similar to what I am experiencing.’
‘What? The prince has a knife in his mouth too?’
‘No, no. I’m a little different. It seems like each person is given a different curse.’
“A curse,” Hermia said, laughing.
Isn’t that a word that only appears in fairy tales set in the days when the ancestors of the duke’s ancestors were called lords rather than dukes?
When I looked at Gerard with a slightly offended expression, he crossed his arms as if he understood.
‘I know it’s ridiculous, of course. But what I actually experienced… It can’t be explained at all unless it’s the curse the author mentioned.’