In this Chaotic World, I Am Doing Fine - Chapter 7

Acelia’s physical training continued.

After running two laps around the garden and catching her breath, Gale approached her side.

“No progress, no progress. Why are you so weak?”

“Huff, huff. But, haven’t I improved from before?”

“Not at all. It’s exactly the same.”

Acelia glared at Gale, who was teasing her instead of encouraging her with praise.

The <Sickly> trait was more severe than Acelia had thought.

‘At this rate, when will I become a normal person?’

Now she didn’t even hope for health.

She just wished to be average.

The reason she couldn’t give up despite the distant reality was because she was an ISTJ. A severe realist, second to none in persistence.

At that moment, Gale asked as if he had just remembered something.

“Are you going to the eldest brother’s birthday banquet?”

‘If he’s the eldest brother to Gale, does that make him my big brother?’

“I… guess so?”

Though she didn’t know his name, if it was an imperial family member’s birthday banquet, it must be a big event, so she would probably have to attend.

“Then I guess I’ll have to go too. Ah~ just thinking about how strict the head maid will be about the attire makes me itch already.”

Then don’t go…

As Acelia clicked her tongue, she felt something odd.

‘But he’s talking as if he doesn’t have to go…’

Did she say the wrong thing by saying she’d go?

If the roulette acts up in such a crowded place, it would be a disaster.

Recalling how she had cracked Liam’s head with a frame, Acelia shuddered.

But it was already spilled milk, and the nanny had overheard their conversation.

“Your Highness, are you planning to attend the First Prince’s birthday banquet?”

“Why? Can’t I go? Did I say something wrong?”

“Not at all. Then I will make the necessary preparations.”

Gale stayed for lunch at the Princess’s palace before disappearing somewhere again.

He was coming and going from the Princess’s palace as if it were his own home.

The next day, the imperial tailor came to take Acelia’s measurements.

The servants were bustling about, applying strange things to her skin and hair and giving massages.

Acelia, whose stamina was far below that of an average person, had to endure a hard time.

‘Do we really have to go this far?’

Acelia felt doubtful as even her sleep schedule was strictly managed.

But thanks to that, on the day of the First Prince’s birthday banquet, Acelia was able to shine like never before.

“Is this… me?”

Muttering like the female protagonist of a romance fantasy novel, Acelia stared intently at the mirror.

She was so absorbed in her own appearance that she couldn’t even hear the maids fussing over how beautiful she looked.

A sky-blue off-shoulder dress embroidered with silver thread, something she had never worn in real life.

Jewelry made of platinum and sapphire adorned her neck and ears, and on her wrist shone a bracelet imbued with holy power that the nanny had procured.

Her skin was so glossy it seemed almost untouchable, and her naturally flowing platinum blonde hair gave off a fragrant flower scent with every movement.

‘Living as a princess might not be so bad after all…’

Acelia, who was thinking that being a princess might suit her, suddenly came to her senses.

‘Gasp, no. I have to return to reality!’

Thinking of the oppas — idols — she left behind in the real world, Acelia clenched her fists.

No matter how pretty the clothes or expensive the jewelry, as long as the roulette existed, this world was doomed.

“Prince Gale has arrived.”

Gale, who had slicked back his usually messy honey blonde hair, was dressed splendidly in red-toned attire.

As soon as he arrived, he sprawled out on the couch.

The clothes he had dressed up in for once were all wrinkled.

“Ah~ I don’t want to go…”

“Why are you like this after getting all ready? Seriously? Get up quickly.”

Conscious of the head maid from the Third Prince’s palace who had accompanied Gale, Acelia slapped his back repeatedly.

“Oh, Angelica. You look quite pretty today?”

“When will you ever call me by my proper name? It’s Acelia. Gale, you look decent too.”

The siblings looked at each other and giggled. It seemed they had grown fond of each other without realizing.

Due to Gale’s dawdling, they finally arrived at the banquet hall long past the scheduled time.

“Third Prince Gale Hedwig and Princess Acelia Hedwig have entered!”

As the two appeared, the nobles already in the banquet hall started whispering.

“The Princess has come out after a long time. Is this the first time since last year’s Founding Day?”

“Probably. But she came with Prince Gale. Could that rumor be true?”

“What rumor?”

“Well, you know how Prince Gale’s temperament is a bit… you know.”

The voices leaking from behind fans were quite malicious.

“I heard he deliberately went to pick a fight with the quiet Princess. Then something happened and the Princess got badly hurt, so His Majesty the Emperor sent the Grand Chamberlain to smooth things over. They say even the High Priest went to the Princess’s palace?”

“Oh my. Surely Prince Gale wouldn’t have done that?”

“It seems they entered together deliberately to quell the rumors of discord. Otherwise, why would the two of them come together?”

So that kind of rumor had spread.

But why are these people whispering as if they want everyone to hear?

Acelia unconsciously glanced at Gale.

As if used to such situations, he was looking straight ahead with an indifferent expression.

Then, feeling her gaze, he turned his head.

“What? Angelica.”

“Um. Maybe because it’s been a while since I attended a banquet, I’m not sure what to do first.”

“Why think about such things? Just eat delicious food and dance, that’s all.”

Gale grinned.

‘Poor guy.’

Acelia felt sympathy for Gale.

He acts a bit foolishly and unpredictably, but he’s not bad-hearted.

‘I should treat him well from now on.’

But Acelia’s ordeal was just beginning, leaving her no room to worry about others.

“Count Liam Wade Felix and Lady Ensia Monium have entered!”

‘My goodness, are there nobles who arrive later than the imperial family?’

As she clicked her tongue, Acelia suddenly felt something odd.

The names sounded familiar.

Seeing Liam’s smug face as he entered proudly, arm in arm with some noble lady, Acelia realized.

‘Right. That bastard was my fiancé.’

She had completely forgotten about him. The last she saw of him was being dragged away by knights, but it seemed he was quickly released thanks to his strong backing.

The next moment, Acelia was overwhelmed by an instinctive sense of crisis.

‘If it turns out like this…’

Sure enough, as the Princess’s fiancé entered as the partner of another lady, people started whispering.

“Count Felix and Lady Monium? What’s their relationship?”

“I saw them getting close recently. Lady Monium has a bright and friendly personality, so she seems to get along well with the Count.”

“Since the Princess is so introverted, I suppose she and the vigorous Count…”

“Since she rarely shows herself in social circles, perhaps Count Felix didn’t know the Princess would be coming today?”

“Looking at them like this, they make a well-matched pair. The young folks look so lovely.”

‘No! He’s the one who cheated, so why do I have to suffer the consequences?’

People’s strange gazes went back and forth between Liam and Acelia.

Unlike Acelia, who was boiling with anger, Liam seemed to be enjoying the attention.

Otherwise, he couldn’t be smiling so smugly, pretending to be cool.

‘Now he’s openly flaunting his affair!’

It was clearly an action meant to spite her, for anyone to see.

His words about apologizing were indeed lies.

And it was absurd how these people, who had been rolling around in high society for so long, weren’t pretending to be oblivious, but were actually covering for the Count and the Lady’s relationship as mere friendship while blaming Acelia’s personality.

The eyes carefully gauging her reaction were annoying.

‘Who is that woman?’

Who is she to take his side like that?

Ding!

[You have been assigned the setting <I trusted my cousin as much as I trusted my fiancé…>!]

‘What? That woman is my cousin?’

Acelia felt as if she had been hit on the head with a hammer.

It was like a twisted family tree.

“Acelia, isn’t that the bastard who tried to hit you?”

“It’s Angelica. Ah, no. Why are you suddenly calling my name correctly?”

Gale elbowed the dazed Acelia in the side.

“You were telling me to call you properly earlier. Anyway, isn’t it him? Wow, it’s really funny to see that jerk who was acting so nasty pretending to be normal.”

For once, Gale said something right.

Thanks to that, Acelia came to her senses and managed her expression.

‘It’s amateur to be flustered here.’

Her sky-blue eyes took on a cold light.

Her mind was racing.

What kind of act should she put on here to get back at them?

First, she needed to find out what kind of woman this so-called cousin was.

After various calculations, Acelia put on the mask of an innocent and oblivious person and approached the two.

Liam visibly flinched, apparently not expecting her to approach.

“Liam.”

Acelia called his name more sweetly than anyone else.

What happened at the Princess’s palace was only known to the two of them anyway.

She spoke as if whispering, but with clear diction, as if for the people around to hear.

“Is your head alright? I was so worried after you left like that that day. Because you hurt your head when the frame fell… Even though the High Priest treated you, it must have hurt a lot.”

“Uh, huh?”

It was difficult for her to imitate ‘Acelia’s’ solemn way of speaking.

After all, she couldn’t suddenly gain the dignity of royalty when she was just a commoner pretending to be a princess.

It was just awkward, like a child wearing their mother’s clothes.

But it was easy to pretend to be a sweet lover in front of the nobles who didn’t know much about ‘Acelia’ anyway.

“Acelia, what are you talking about?”

“What do you mean? I’m worried about you, of course.”

Acelia smiled innocently, her eyes crinkling.

Faced with her attitude that was 180 degrees different from before, Liam was at a loss for words.

With those words, Acelia achieved two effects.

She showed people that her relationship with Liam wasn’t as bad as it was known to be, and she quelled the malicious rumors about Gale.

‘Gale, just trust me.’