After Ilion falls for the saintess, Ravenne is offered to break off the engagement.

However, Ravenne cannot accept Ilion’s proposal and tries to poison the saintess, getting caught and executed.

In other words, I was scheduled to have my engagement broken off even if I did nothing and just waited.

The reason for hurrying like this is that the Emperor would not leave alone anyone related to a traitor, no matter if they were a former fiancée.

The strange title of this novel, ‘The Rose of the Empire Blooms Twice,’ was all related to the Emperor’s eccentricities.

There is a large rose garden in the imperial palace. In the well-manicured rose garden, roses bloomed once in summer and once in autumn.

It wasn’t that the roses bloomed twice a year because this world was strange.

The roses that bloomed in autumn were not roses but the blood of people.

Every year before the harvest festival, the Emperor gathered prisoners in the rose garden and held a battle royale.

The prisoners killed each other until only one remained, and the blood they shed stained the garden red. Just like roses.

Such a cruel Emperor would not leave alone a traitor or his entire family.

Even if it was a broken-off fiancée.

So, I had to escape from here as soon as possible and hide in a distant foreign country. Somewhere beyond the Emperor’s reach.

Preferably before the original story begins.

***

Since that day, I waited for Ilion to bring up the breakup, but surprisingly, it was quiet. The next day and the day after that.

It was so quiet that I often forgot Ilion was the owner of this mansion.

No one in the mansion cared about what I did, and three meals were served on time. They even gave me money to use as needed, making it feel like heaven.

On the fifth day since I came to the mansion, I found it too wasteful to let the unusually good weather go by, so I asked the maids to set a table in the garden and decided to have tea.

With a well-manicured garden, warm sunlight, and fragrant tea, I felt as if I were on a trip to a famous foreign hotel.

‘Ah, if I could live in a place like this forever, I wouldn’t mind being Ilion’s mistress…’

With lots of money, a nice house, and attendants who did everything I asked, it seemed that even if Ilion liked the saintess or the Emperor, it wouldn’t matter if I could continue living here.

But the future that was coming was too dire to remain in a sweet dream forever.

The feeling of being able to fly to the sky just moments ago crashed to the ground instantly.

‘Come to think of it, when does the original story start…?’

The novel began with the Emperor hosting a banquet after conquering a neighboring country and bringing the saintess. And about three months after that banquet was Ilion and Ravenne’s wedding. Calculating backward, it meant the original story would start in about two months.

Two months, that’s too short… If I keep being leisurely like this, I’ll really die.

“Miss!”

Realizing that I didn’t have much time left and pondering what to do next to annoy Ilion, I looked up at Lily’s shout.

“What’s the matter that you’re running in such a hurry?”

“A banquet invitation has arrived for you, Miss! It’s from none other than the Marquis of Lancel! Oh my!”

Lily said, catching her breath.

Marquis of Lancel? Who’s that?

This world’s setting had too many people compared to the characters in the novel. Since the saintess was practically confined in the imperial palace, it couldn’t be helped, but reading the novel didn’t help much with this!

Anyway, the marquis seemed to be an important person in this world…

“An invitation for a lady who hasn’t even had her debut! Miss, leave it to me. I’ll make you the most beautiful in the world!”

Lily, more excited than usual, shouted determinedly.

As she said, Ravenne hadn’t had her debut even though she was over 22 years old.

Considering that most noble ladies made their social debut around 17, it was late for a debut.

When reading the novel, I thought it was simply because the Count’s family was poor, but after spending a week in the Count of Rischefeld’s mansion, it seemed that wasn’t the only reason.

This is just my guess, but it seemed the Count and Countess weren’t very interested in their daughter. Ravenne’s room and belongings were shabby and old compared to her younger sibling’s.

Moreover, her younger sibling’s attitude towards her was far from that of a harmonious sibling relationship.

Given the era, daughters of poor nobles were often treated as emergency funds for the family and sold to rich old nobles when needed. Perhaps Ravenne’s family treated her that way too.

Is that why she clung to Ilion so much? Because she didn’t know where she would be sold if her engagement was broken off?

But Ilion had offered an enormous alimony. With that amount, she wouldn’t need to be sold elsewhere… Or was the amount offered unsatisfactory?

“Are you going to go?”

While pondering Ravenne’s actions for a while, Lily’s words brought me back to my senses. She reached out and held the invitation close to my eyes.

Reluctantly, I took the invitation and opened the envelope.

The paper, with a faint scent, had a long message written in elegant handwriting.

The preface was lengthy, but in short, it was an invitation to the Marchioness’s birthday a week later.

As Lily said, it was an overly generous invitation for Ravenne, who hadn’t even had her debut and was well over twenty.

I folded the invitation with a complicated expression. It was definitely an uncomfortable place for someone who didn’t know proper noble etiquette. It was obvious I would become a beehive under the sharp gazes of the nobles if I made a mistake.

“Should I say I’m sick?”

“What are you talking about! You must go! There are already many people who look down on you, Miss. You must show them that you are the mistress of Celestine!”

Lily , who’s usually quiet, opposed fiercely, raising her voice.

Wow, Lily. Why don’t you marry the Duke instead of me?

With that kind of spirit, you could do anything!

Looking at Lily with admiration, she sighed.

“There are so many bad rumors about you, Miss, that I haven’t told you because I didn’t want to upset you…”

“What rumors?”

At my question, Lily hesitated and then shared the rumors she had heard.

“They say you seduced the Duke into bed, or that you’re getting married because you’re pregnant. People really say anything with their open mouths…”

“Don’t pay attention to such nonsense.”

It was something to hear with one ear and let out the other, but not for Lily. She clenched her fists and burned with determination.

“As a maid serving you, Miss, I can’t let that happen! So let’s show them this time. Let’s show them that the Duke really loves you and decided to marry you!”

You really… kill me twice with your innocence.

I didn’t know what to say to this pure girl who believed Ilion liked me.

To think I was receiving such excessive attention that there were even rumors about me being pregnant. I didn’t know that.

Well, I could understand the jealousy and envy towards a poor young lady who suddenly became Cinderella, but if they knew Ilion, they would know how absurd those rumors were.

It wasn’t about Ilion’s chastity, but a very simple reason that he couldn’t show his body to anyone.

The original story didn’t go into detail, so I didn’t know the full context, but Ilion had been cursed by a witch when he was young. And because of that curse, his whole body bore the marks.

To keep that fact hidden, he insisted on wearing tightly buttoned shirts even in the midsummer training grounds. The idea of him in bed was ridiculous.

So Ilion would never…!

…No. Even if he was my favorite sub-male lead, I can’t tarnish his honor like this.

Resolving myself, I looked at Lily with determination.

“Let’s go to the banquet.”

“Miss…!”

Lily’s face lit up with emotion at my decision.

“You’re right. I need to show them clearly who I am.”

Yes. I need to show them how unfit I am to be Ilion’s fiancée.

***

Sebastian was a man just past middle age and the butler managing this mansion.

He was also the only person in this mansion, besides Lily, with whom I felt comfortable talking.

People’s attitudes towards me usually revealed what they thought of me, but Sebastian was always kind and polite.

Moreover, he came to ask about my well-being every morning.

If it was all calculated behavior, it was something to be acknowledged in its own right.

Visiting his office, I sipped the tea he offered and stated my purpose.

“Actually, I received an invitation to a banquet.”

“Ah, I heard. It was an invitation from Marchioness Lancel, right?”

“Yes. Should I get permission from the Duke?”

“If it’s an invitation addressed to you, Miss, you don’t need to get permission. But you should inform the Master.”

It seemed I didn’t need Ilion’s permission. That was good information for me.

“I’ve never been to a social gathering, so I’ve always wanted to attend one. Since the Duke doesn’t seem to like me visiting his room, could you tell him for me, Sebastian?”

“He likes your visits, Miss.”

…Oh, Sebastian. You can lie without batting an eye. Is this an act?

Feeling embarrassed that my intention to avoid meeting him and have Sebastian do it instead was caught, I cleared my throat awkwardly a couple of times.

“Then I’ll go and tell him myself. And by the way, I don’t have anything to wear. Can you get me something?”

“Hmm, it might be a bit tight to have a dress made in a week… I’ll contact a tailor I know and ask them to bring some samples for you.”

As expected of the Duke’s butler. He knows exactly what I need without me having to say it.

Satisfied with Sebastian’s response and enjoying a cup of tea, I headed straight to Ilion’s office.

I consoled myself with the thought that if I had to drop a bomb, it was better to do it quickly.

After knocking briefly on the office door a couple of times, Ilion granted me permission to enter.

“Hello, Duke!”

I greeted him brightly as soon as the door opened.

As they say, once you’ve been hit, you get used to it. Having endured his deadly gaze once, it was much more bearable today.

Ilion glanced at me once, then turned his eyes back to the documents as if I were a bother.

“It’s been a while, Duke. Has it been three days?”

“What do you want?”

I hinted that it was hard to see his face, but he lightly ignored my words and asked for my business.

“Do I always need a reason to come? Can’t I just come if I want to see your face?”

“Well, you’ve seen it, so you can leave now.”

“…”