Despite not wanting to get involved with my former fiancé who wanted to kill me, I supported his new love.

I didn’t particularly resent him for openly despising me, as that was my intention, nor did I feel bitter about him requesting to break off our engagement.

‘Well, it was the expected flow of the original story after all.’

If anything, I hoped everyone would live happily after my death.

Above all, isn’t he one of the protagonists of this world?

“We’ve arrived, sister.”

The carriage stopped, and Felitz announced our arrival.

Today, I’ve come with Felitz to infiltrate the Clarence Duchy.

As we got out of the carriage, the butler of the duchy approached us and greeted us.

“Welcome. I am Butler Alzen. Are you the daughter of Baron Serk?”

“Yes, I’m Jella Serk. This is my servant. Please, just call me Jella.”

“Jel… What an ominous name you have.”

Butler Alzen looked at me with extremely pitying eyes.

‘What’s wrong with my name!’

As I bristled at his openly sympathetic attitude, the butler smiled politely and said,

“The young lady is waiting, so let me guide you first.”

I followed the butler’s lead towards the young lady’s room.

After knocking and entering, we found Emily Clarence, the esteemed daughter of Duke Clarence, looking at us with a crooked face while drinking tea.

‘Ah, her!’

I recognized the young lady immediately upon seeing her face.

‘It’s Marquis Clarence’s daughter. Ah, the Marquis has become a Duke.’

During my time as the Emperor, I had encountered the Marquis’s daughter who had accompanied her father to Niel Alpenhayer’s birthday banquet when he was my fiancé.

Even then, Marquis Clarence was one of Niel’s close associates, and it seems his title was elevated by one rank after the revolution’s success.

‘She’s grown a lot.’

The small and cute girl who had been so stiff in my presence due to the notoriety of Tyrant Jella that she couldn’t even make eye contact.

Back then, she was barely tall enough to reach my chest, but now she had grown into a proper lady about to have her debutante ball.

“What is it, Alzen?”

“This is Baron Serk’s daughter, Miss Jella Serk, who will assist with your debutante ball during Lina’s absence, young lady.”

“What? Baron Serk’s daughter?”

Emily puffed up her cheeks in displeasure at the butler’s explanation.

“I’ve never heard of a Baron Serk.”

Of course not. It’s a fake name we made up just last night.

“They’re nobility with an estate in a distant southern region, so you probably haven’t heard of them before.”

“Then she should stay in the south. What is she doing here?”

“The Baron’s daughter is also preparing for her debut soon. I believe she’s here to learn by assisting with your debutante ball, young lady.”

“But how can a Baron’s daughter I’ve never even heard of become my maid?”

“Young lady, Miss Serk is right here. It’s not appropriate to speak like that…”

The butler looked uncomfortable and glanced at me.

“I don’t like it. If I attend the Foundation Day celebration with her, I’ll surely become a laughingstock. I’m going to be the Empress! Anyone serving me should at least be a Count’s daughter like Lina!”

“B-but young lady… The Foundation Day celebration is next week, and it would be difficult to find someone new…”

To openly disparage me right in front of me.

‘How cute.’

I couldn’t help but smile inadvertently.

If it were the past me, I would have drawn blood the moment someone unsatisfactory appeared before me.

‘The Clarence young lady has a tender heart.’

“W-what! Why are you smiling!”

Emily shouted, her face turning bright red.

“Oh, did I just laugh out loud?”

I only then realized that I had laughed.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“Laugh at you? How could I? I think I just smiled because you’re so cute, young lady.”

As I smiled brightly while speaking, Emily’s face turned even redder.

I’ve always liked small and cute things.

In my previous life, I had to maintain the dignity of an Emperor, so I couldn’t openly show my affection and had to be content with just keeping one cat.

Anyway, Emily Clarence was very small and cute.

‘He’s getting engaged to such a tiny child? Niel Alpenhayer, you have no conscience. You thief.’

There was a seven-year age gap between the now twenty-year-old Clarence young lady and Niel Alpenhayer.

Contrary to my initial intention of supporting his new love, Niel suddenly seemed very impure.

‘Does he think being an Emperor makes everything sweet?’

Of course, besides the power of being an Emperor, Niel also had an enormous amount of money, a great face, and an even greater body.

Anyway. It seemed too precious to give away such a small and cute young lady.

“You’re only temporary! As soon as Lina comes back, I’ll replace you!”

Emily acted prickly like a cat.

She was just like Blackie, the cat I used to keep in the imperial palace.

“Yes, of course. I understand.”

It worked out well for both of us since I didn’t plan to stay here for long anyway.

“I’ll serve you perfectly until your debutante ball.”

I smiled even more deeply at Emily, whose face was still red.

***

As Niel had said, Emily had a few cute pimples on her face.

“Oh, these pimples won’t go away. At this rate, I won’t even be able to have my first dance with His Majesty.”

Emily sighed deeply while looking in the mirror.

“Why, young lady? Even the pimples are cute.”

“Don’t make fun of me!”

“I’m not making fun, I’m serious. And is a man who won’t dance with you because of a few pimples really worth impressing?”

“You, you don’t know anything!”

Emily finally started to cry and get angry.

“You wouldn’t understand, being born with good skin and pretty like you!”

“Pardon?”

“And don’t speak ill of His Majesty!”

She even defended Niel in front of me, getting upset.

“I, I truly love His Majesty!”

“……”

After trying to take her side, this is too much.

‘Well, fine. If they like each other.’

It was a useless thought for me, a third party, to think one side or the other was too precious.

“…Actually, young lady. I have a secret for my skin.”

Instead, I seized the opportunity and casually brought it up.

“A secret?”

“Well… There’s a very skilled pharmacist far in the south who makes excellent skin medication.”

“Skin medication! Only Tyrant Jella would make and use such things!”

Emily exclaimed in horror.

“If rumors spread, I’ll become a laughingstock! If it reaches His Majesty’s ears, he might come to dislike me!”

“……”

Originally, there was no concept of taking medication for beauty purposes here.

But in my previous life, when I was the Imperial Princess, I had created and popularized beauty medications among the noble ladies.

Back then, everyone was delighted that a single medication could remove pimples.

‘The name Jella isn’t some horrible plague, why do they hate it so much.’

Anyway, perhaps because it was Tyrant Jella who first ordered the development of skin medication, people now consider using skin medication to be extremely dishonorable.

That’s probably why Niel made a secret request through the underworld.

To avoid unnecessary rumors that might hurt Emily’s feelings.

‘What a love story of the century.’

I still saw him as a thief, so even his thoughtful consideration made me feel oddly cynical.

“If I purchase it discreetly under my name, no one will know, right?”

“There are so many people in the mansion. If the servants were to find out…”

“Then we can say I bought it for myself.”

“…But that would damage your reputation.”

“For the sake of your perfect debutante ball, young lady, this much is nothing.”

I said with a grin, and Emily looked at me with grateful eyes.

Anyway, for that reason, I was busy flipping through books and making skin medication to complete the 3 million gold mission.

“This is strange……”

I narrowed my eyes and stared at the flask containing the medicine I had just completed.

The color was off.

It should have been a milky pink, but what I made was a dull navy blue.

“Is this really a skin-improving medication?”

I brought it to my nose and sniffed, but the smell was foul too.

“Ugh, it smells like poison… No, good medicine is supposed to be bitter, right.”

I stared intently at the suspicious result I had produced, then decided to taste it as a test.

“Gah!”

As soon as I took a sip, my throat began to burn and then…

“Cough! Cough, cough…!”

I ended up coughing up blood.

“I, I, I, I’m crazy… I might end up killing someone at this rate.”

I muttered as I wiped the bright red blood trickling down my mouth with the back of my hand.

I could feel my esophagus burning hot.

Fortunately, I spat it out immediately and protected my body with magic. If I had swallowed it all…

“I’m sure I followed the book’s instructions, why did it turn out like this…?”

As I was staring at the suspicious navy liquid in the flask, unable to understand, Felitz, who had come looking for me, was startled by my appearance.

“Sister, it’s me, Felitz… Gasp, sister! Are, are you alright?”

“No, I’m not.”

I answered grimly, coughing up blood once more.

“What on earth happened?”

“…I.”

I answered in a serious voice, hardening my expression.

“I think I’ve made poison.”

“…?”

Felitz tilted his head with a question mark floating above it.

“Didn’t you make that often?”