“…!”

“I’ll let the librarian know in advance. You can visit at any convenient time and simply mention my name.”

The Imperial Library.

The thought had certainly crossed my mind before. After all, it was the central repository of all information in the Empire.

There was even an archive where every newspaper article ever published had been carefully compiled.

If I could gain access to that place, I wouldn’t just be able to gather information about the current social scene, I could also find out what happened after my death.

However, as Prince Louis had mentioned, not just anyone could enter. Permission from a member of the imperial family was required.

Blushing, I lowered my head and whispered softly.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll definitely visit.”

“Then, until we meet again, my lady.”

With a gentle smile, Louis turned away.

He approached Iris and said something in a low voice. Much to my surprise, Iris lowered her head and sniffled as she disappeared, comforted by the other ladies.

***

During the entire journey back in the carriage, Daisy chattered non-stop, worried that I might be hurt.

“That nickname, ‘marriage-crazed’, was made up by Lady Iris and spread by her friends. You were just staying at home, working hard on your embroidery to earn money!”

From what I heard, it seemed that Brianna Elwin had been given that nickname quite unfairly.

“She’s been even more on edge lately because of the upcoming Spring Ball!”

Daisy continued to fume with frustration.

The Spring Ball.

The imperial family hosted seasonal events throughout the year.

When I was Diana, I could only observe these grand occasions from afar.

The Spring Ball was the grandest of all, and it held special significance.

It was said to be the most romantic event of the year, when many couples formed.

“I’m really fine, Daisy.”

I forced a smile and gently reassured her.

“But still, I was quite surprised at how calmly you handled everything today, my lady.”

“Hm?”

“Normally, you’d be the first to throw a punch — or at least pull someone’s hair. While it would have been satisfying to watch, it could have led to rumours that would have turned against you. That’s what worried me.”

What kind of personality did Brianna have, exactly?

I let out an awkward laugh, then finally asked the question that had been on my mind since earlier.

“Daisy, since I can’t remember anything, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“Yes, my lady. Please, feel free.”

“Why does Iris Mahen hate me so much?”

“Ah, well…”

Daisy hesitated for a moment before continuing her explanation.

“I don’t know all the details, but I heard that when you were younger, you visited the imperial palace and got into a fight with Lady Iris.”

I was surprised to learn that Brianna had even been to the imperial palace.

How could a mere baron’s daughter have had the opportunity to visit it?

“A fight? What happened?”

“You and Lady Iris knew each other from childhood. Lady Iris liked you and often took you along to various parties.”

Ah, so it was Iris who brought her there.

Given how vain she is, Iris probably enjoyed showing off her connections to her friends.

I can easily understand that.

“So you’re saying the two of them used to get along?”

“That’s right. You were about ten years old on the day of the fight. It happened during a tea party for noble ladies at the Imperial Palace. Lady Iris specifically asked the Marchioness of Mahen to bring you along too. But on that day…”

“That day?”

“That day, Lady Iris bullied someone. I think it was Princess Diana.”

I flinched in shock when I heard my name mentioned — it was the last thing I expected.

But Daisy, not noticing my reaction, continued.

“Apparently, you stopped Lady Iris from bullying her. And you ended up getting burned in her place.”

The moment I heard Daisy say this, I could vividly picture the memory, like a sudden flash of flame.

I was at a tea party in the imperial palace, attended by noble ladies and their young daughters.

I had always stayed inside the secluded palace before, but that day I had been brought out to join the gathering.

I remember how excited I was to finally go out after such a long time.

But that excitement didn’t last long.

Iris Mahen played a dangerous prank on me to humiliate me that day.

She tried to set off a small fireworks device — one that she had boasted about importing — right over my teacup.

‘And then…’

I hadn’t expected her to set it off so close to my teacup.

If I hadn’t acted quickly, I would have been seriously injured.

However, the young blonde girl beside me threw herself forward to shield me, sustaining a minor burn to her arm instead.

Iris was severely reprimanded for what she did that day.

Even more shocking was that the young blonde girl didn’t shed a single tear despite her burn.

Instead, right in front of me, she pointed a finger at Iris and said boldly,

“Bullying is bad, Iris!”

Before I had the chance to ask her name, she was taken straight to the infirmary. I later learned that she had been Brianna Elwin all along.

“…”

“My lady?”

For a while, I couldn’t speak; I was overwhelmed by shock.

Daisy called my name a few more times before I finally came to my senses.

“So that’s what happened.”

I could feel my heart pounding.

The burn on her arm…

This thought flashed through my mind as I hurriedly checked the inside of my own arm.

There it was — a small scar from the burn remained.

“Yes, that scar.”

Daisy added, noticing my actions.

“That’s the one you got that day.”

“…”

A flood of indescribable emotions surged inside me.

Despite her young age, Brianna Elwin had thrown herself into danger without hesitation to protect me, a worthless and abandoned princess.

She was a righteous young lady.

Tears threatened to rise, but I forced them back, not wanting Daisy to be surprised by my reaction.

Although I had never spoken to Brianna, the more I learned about her, the more admirable she seemed.

And so, my desire to bring her back only grew stronger.

Even if it cost me my own life.

***

“Your Grace. The Spring Ball is approaching.”

Hans the butler asked Claude a question, but he remained silent, staring out of the window.

“Will you be going alone again this year?”

The butler asked again, his voice filled with concern.

Claude put his glass down on the table and answered briefly.

“Of course.”

“But…”

The worry on Hans’s face deepened.

He’s drinking again.

Perhaps he was already half-drunk.

Hans knew that his master had stayed up late playing cards with other noble sons the previous night.

‘Why… why does it seem to only get worse as time goes on?’

Hans served the head of the Cassel household, who had been a perfect leader ever since childhood.

He seemed born to lead the family.

The household’s expectations of him were always high, and he could achieve anything.

At the time, Hans often wondered how his young master could remain so calm.

After all, anyone with a heart was bound to experience a wide range of emotions.

“Mother!”

“Claude, my beloved son.”

Hans vividly remembered that day when his young master had just begun to cross into adulthood.

Claude’s mother was Florine von Amalis, Lady of House Cassel.

Her health had begun to deteriorate day by day.

Though she had once been so strong, she had suddenly fallen ill with a mysterious, incurable disease after her marriage.

The estate had employed the most renowned healers and physicians, but none of them could help her.

In the end, she died far too young.

“Mother will always be by your side.”

Those were her final words before she closed her eyes.

As she took her last breath, Claude, who was watching at her bedside, sobbed uncontrollably.

That was the last time Hans ever saw his master shed tears.

Then came Heinz, Claude’s father, whose presence was colder than his wife’s lifeless body.

“There’s no need to mourn something like this.”

That was all he said.

With that, he ceased to mourn his wife.

This was one of the many memories Hans had of Claude’s childhood.

At the time, Hans, the maids and Claude’s nanny were deeply worried about how hurt the young heir had been by it all.

But Claude overcame his mother’s death.

Although no one knew how deeply he was suffering inside, the young heir never broke down in front of others.

There were times when Hans felt relieved watching Claude play the role of a perfectly gentle husband and thinking that he had finally moved on.