Chapter 9.

Aristie canceled all her afternoon appointments and rushed to Count Humpton’s residence.

After offering condolences to Count and Countess Humpton, she met Roselina with her heart about to burst.

Pale complexion. Purple lips. Eyelids that would never rise again.

“Ro, Rose! Sob……”

The moment she confirmed her dead friend’s face, her mind became hazy. The shock was immense because it was so unbelievable. Had the servants guarding the body not supported her, she might have collapsed and fainted.

“I’m fine…… let me go.”

Thinking she couldn’t cause trouble at a house of mourning, Aristie struggled to regain her composure. After taking in her friend’s appearance enough to remember for a lifetime, she staggered out of the room.

While walking down the corridor, she happened to meet the doctor who had been Roselina’s attending physician and asked him what had happened. According to the doctor, Roselina’s condition, which had been improving, rapidly deteriorated after coming to the capital.

He said it was still recoverable with sufficient rest, but she seemed to have died suddenly due to unknown factors combined with her illness.

He added that because it was such a rare disease, even he couldn’t determine what those factors were.

The doctor’s explanation only increased her regret rather than helping her understand the situation. If Roselina hadn’t come to the capital. If she had stayed in her territory. If she hadn’t met Aristie frequently. If she hadn’t gone out with her and overexerted herself……

‘Then Rose would have……’

Tears that she couldn’t hold back anymore rolled down, wetting her clothes. She felt guilty for neglecting her precious friend while focusing on her own affairs.

In fact, recently she hadn’t had time to visit Roselina due to Zephyros’s trial and the party at the Chelbon ducal family. She had been planning to visit her tomorrow.

‘I should have hurried to see Rose sooner. Even just one day earlier!’

Immersed in regret, Aristie, with a ghostly face, heard the funeral schedule from the Humpton family’s butler. She was certain there would be no greater shock and wound for a while.

But that wasn’t true. A shock exceeding this came sooner than expected and shattered something inside her terribly.

It was the day of Roselina’s funeral.

* * *

It rained from the morning that day. Aristie attended Roselina’s funeral wearing a simple black dress.

The number of attendees wasn’t very large. Considering Roselina’s situation, having undergone treatment for many years due to illness, this was understandable.

It was a funeral where the parents’ acquaintances far outnumbered the deceased’s friends.

The ceremony proceeded modestly in the drizzling rain. Everyone offered condolences to Count and Countess Humpton while holding umbrellas. Some shed tears during the eulogy, and when the coffin was buried, Countess Humpton fell on her knees, covered in dirt, and wailed.

Aristie watched the entire process with sorrowful eyes.

Even until the soil covered the coffin and the ceremony ended with people leaving one by one. Even after the nearly unconscious countess moved away with her husband’s support.

Aristie remained in place until the end, feeling that watching over Roselina was at least a minimal atonement. She heard Estelle’s voice just when the rain stopped and she was folding her umbrella.

“I knew you’d be here.”

“……!”

Aristie turned her head, startled. She thought she recognized the familiar voice, and indeed, Estelle was there.

She was flustered by the unexpected situation, then became angry. She was certain that not only she but also Roselina would have hated Estelle coming here.

No matter how much her goal was to torment me, to chase me to a funeral and cause trouble!

“Let’s do this another day. I’m not in the mood to deal with you today.”

When Aristie tried to ignore her and leave, Estelle spoke up.

“Follow me. I have something to tell you in private.”

“I said another day, didn’t I? No, I have nothing to talk about with you on any day!”

“Really? Even about your friend’s death?”

“What?”

About Rose’s death……?

“What do you……”

“That’s why I’m telling you to follow me. I’ll tell you the truth.”

Estelle turned her back and walked toward the forest path. Without looking back, she seemed confident that Aristie would follow.

Aristie glared at Estelle’s receding back and gripped her umbrella tightly. She was definitely a villainess skilled at drawing people in.

She always knew exactly what her weaknesses were and how to manipulate them. There was no way not to follow.

* * *

“This should be good enough.”

Estelle stopped walking after they entered the forest path and reached a secluded spot. Aristie maintained a suitable distance and urged her while glaring.

“Now, tell me. What is this truth you mentioned?”

“Hmm, seems you’re quite curious?”

“If you keep stalling, I’ll leave.”

“So impatient.”

Estelle clicked her tongue and looked around. After confirming no one was there, she fixed her gaze on Aristie with a superior smile.

“I’ll tell you, so brace yourself. You’ll definitely be surprised despite this warning, hehehe.”

Aristie composed her expression to appear unshaken by whatever she might hear. However, her composure crumbled instantly.

“Roselina’s cause of death wasn’t her illness.”

With that single sentence, the blood throughout her body surged.

“She died from poison. She was poisoned.”

“What……?”

Her heart throbbed painfully. Aristie asked with trembling lips.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I killed her. I obtained a poison perfect for naturally killing a sickly woman.”

“W-What!?”

Everything went dark before her eyes. Not just her lips, but her hands and feet began to tremble.

“Why…… Why on earth……”

She barely managed to make a sound, her throat quivering.

“You don’t know? You’re dumber than I thought. Even with things this bad, you haven’t figured anything out.”

“Speak clearly!”

Aristie shouted while desperately holding onto her consciousness that felt ready to slip away. The corners of Estelle’s mouth curved up grimly.

The “surprise event” she had once warned Aristie about. This was the moment it unfolded.

“Roselina was the female lead.”

“……!”

“The protagonist of the novel I mentioned before. Roselina, who had the Empress herself as a close friend, would soon meet the Emperor and they would quickly grow close. They had many opportunities to see each other thanks to the Empress.”

Estelle gently recited the novel’s plot, which was also the reality that would have unfolded in the future.

“The foolish Empress would eventually bring Roselina into the palace annex. Under the pretense of providing companionship and helping treat her illness. After becoming such a gullible fool, she would belatedly realize that she had connected her husband and friend with her own hands.”

Aristie blinked slowly. She felt she was endlessly falling without a ground beneath her.

What is she saying…… this crazy woman.

She dared to kill Rose and now claims she was the female lead in a novel……?

“Husband and friend. The betrayal and jealousy toward two people who were precious! Ah, what would the poor Empress have done?”

When her consciousness, which had been sinking to her feet, suddenly rose like wildfire and burned through her mind, Estelle’s voice drilled into her eardrums loudly like that of a clown.

“Naturally, the Empress would come to hate Roselina, who monopolized her husband’s love. And she would try to poison her, just like I said before.”

“That’s impossible……”

“But she would ultimately fail and be dethroned. The despairing Empress would choose death and exit the stage! And the Emperor and female lead lived happily ever after!”

“Shut up!”

Aristie shouted almost screaming.

Her chest tightened completely, making her heart feel ready to burst.

“You hate hearing this? But that’s the future of this world that I saw. So I killed the female lead before she could meet the Emperor, nipping it in the bud. Because I should be the protagonist.”

Ignoring Aristie’s despair, Estelle was solely engrossed in revealing her secrets.

“His Majesty is quite pitiful. He’s completely fallen for the murderer without knowing that the deceased Roselina was his destined match, hehe.”

“I’ll expose everything, your evil deeds! And I’ll find anything that can serve as evidence!”

“It’s useless. Would I have come to find you if I’d left any evidence? And don’t underestimate me. I’m a veteran actress who’s been called a genius since childhood.”

Estelle snorted mockingly and continued.

“People will believe me if they believe anyone, and no one will listen to your absurd claims. Think about it. The Saintess and Roselina had no connection or relationship whatsoever. Right?”

“……”

“If you don’t believe me, go tattle to the Emperor like before. He’ll surely believe you. Instead, he’ll get tired of you, thinking you’re making ridiculous accusations.”

What kind of life must one live to become so evil?

‘……I want to eliminate her.’

Murderous intent rose in Aristie’s heart. She wanted to lunge at her. At that demonic woman.

The umbrella in her hand felt like a weapon. The temptation to close her eyes and rush forward to stab her, solving everything, intensely wrapped around her mind.

She was able to resist such impulses only because she realized that today was Roselina’s funeral day, and this place was near her grave.