Instead of Escape, I Prepare Your Downfall

By the afternoon, the interior of the Count’s residence had grown quiet and empty. Everyone had gone out to the garden for the farewell party.

The guest of honor, Ailie, was busy getting ready with the help of the maids.

She wore a splendid crimson dress, a gift from her brothers. She wore white lace-trimmed gloves. She wore ruby earrings to complement the dress’s rich hue. She also wore a ribbon choker adorned with white frills. Her pale golden hair fell long, with just one side lightly plaited and tied with a white ribbon.

Ailie turned this way and that before the mirror, examining herself. Even in the imperial palace, she only dressed this extravagantly for major events. It felt unfamiliar — even embarrassing.

When she had finished getting ready, she finally opened the door leading to the garden.

“…What is all this?”

Until yesterday, the garden was bare, but now it was in full bloom.

Flowers of every color adorned the tables and chairs lavishly and covered the entire garden. A soft, rich floral scent drifted through the air, creating the sensation that early spring had arrived overnight.

Ailie stared at her family gathered around the tables, her expression dazed.

What on earth had happened? It was winter — there shouldn’t have been a single flower, only bare trees stripped of their leaves.

“It was worth keeping it a secret. Just look at how surprised our Ari is.”

“Exactly. Seeing her reaction makes all the effort worthwhile.”

The Count and Countess of Erdei spoke with warm laughter.

Before they could explain, Ailie tried to solve the mystery herself. Where had all these flowers come from?

There were a few in the glass greenhouse, but nowhere near enough to fill the entire garden. Even if they had bought every flower from every shop in Erdei, it would still not have been possible to gather so many.

Had the flowers been brought in from a warmer region? No — if that were the case, some of them would have wilted along the way. Yet every bloom was flawless, vivid and alive. Any land warm enough for flowers to bloom at this time of year would have been too far away to reach without sustaining damage.

No explanation seemed to fit.

Ailie looked from one family member to another, silently seeking an answer. As though she had been waiting for that very moment, her mother finally spoke.

“Ari, have you ever heard of a magic garden?”

“A magic garden?”

Caught off guard, Ailie shook her head. She had never heard of such a thing.

“I suppose the rumors haven’t reached the capital yet. It’s a flower shop nearby—quite popular these days. They sell flowers that have been magically treated.”

“Magically treated? Is that why they bloom even in winter?”

“That’s not all.”

As if he’d been itching to speak, her father cut in and added.

“They’re flowers that never wither.”

Flowers that never wither?

Ailie’s eyes widened at this seemingly impossible claim. Could all these flowers really never wither?

Was such a thing even possible? Enchanting each one individually would be no mean feat, but casting a spell on them might be feasible.

‘Just like that theft incident…’

Has magic become more about quantity than quality lately?

Such a frivolous thought even crossed her mind.

“More importantly, Ari—since we’ve prepared the flowers, will you take the bait as well?”

At that moment, her third brother, Claren, called out to her.

All three brothers were seated at one table. In the center of it sat a small, familiar box.

Ah—the ruby brooch.

“If you had arrived any later, I might have got angry.”

“Sorry. But we wanted to give it to you on the day of the party.”

“And I even chose the ribbon color with excellent taste.”

Emond added shamelessly, subtly boasting about his choice.

Holding back a laugh, Ailie walked over to her brothers’ table. Then, playfully lifting the hem of her skirt, she greeted them.

“Thank you, brothers. I’ll gladly accept the gift I’m receiving after a full twenty days.”

“Mm. It would’ve been nice if your leave had been longer.”

Paulo responded with a bright grin, taking the teasing in good humor.

Just how long had they planned to keep it from her?

Ailie accepted the box from Claren and carefully opened it.

As expected, a ruby brooch lay inside.

The gem shone with such vivid brilliance that it immediately drew her gaze; its deep red was offset perfectly by a white ribbon. The ruby earrings she was wearing were excellent quality, but these were on a completely different level — several times more luxurious.

Any lingering resentment she had felt about them keeping the gift from her until now melted away in an instant.

“Well? What do you think, Ari?”

Paulo urged eagerly, his voice full of anticipation.

Ailie looked at the three pairs of eyes waiting for her answer, then let out a small laugh. No matter how perfect the gift was, weren’t they staring a bit too intensely?

“It’s beautiful. Far more than I deserve.”

“That can’t be true. Compared to you, it’s nothing.”

“Exactly.”

“Of course—it’s our Ari.”

When Emond spoke, Claren and Paulo nodded in agreement. Their utterly serious expressions made her cheeks flush.

Ailie took out the brooch and fastened it to her dress. Just beneath her collarbone, the ruby shimmered softly, and the color of the ribbon matched that of the deep crimson gown perfectly. She had thought her attire was extravagant enough, but with the brooch in place, it felt complete.

After giving her brothers a moment to admire the dress and brooch, Ailie quickly excused herself, slipping away before the inevitable flood of praise could begin.

“…I appreciate the sentiment, truly.”

Nevertheless, it was mortifying.

After catching her breath, Ailie looked at another table.

Ricciardo was seated with Liton and already looked tense in the presence of his superior. His shoulders were stiff and his smile stretched so tightly that the corners of his mouth trembled. By contrast, Liton appeared perfectly at ease, speaking without pause.

Stepping in between them would be… far too much.

Careful not to draw attention, Ailie quietly skirted around their table.

Further inside, at the largest table, sat the Count and Countess of Erdei. Two empty seats remained, as though they had been waiting for her. It seemed this was where she was meant to sit.

Since it was her last day in Erdei, spending time with her parents felt like the right choice. She slowly made her way towards the inner table.

Only now, having been distracted earlier by the flowers, did she truly notice the food arranged on each table. It was immediately clear how much care the head chef had poured into the spread, which was as lavish as any imperial banquet.

Looking more closely, she realized that, just like the luncheon on the first day, most of the dishes were foods she had loved since childhood. When she spotted a lemon cake that looked exactly as she remembered it, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

Still smiling, Ailie reached the inner table.

“…Huh?”

A sharp sense of unease flashed through her mind.

Her pale rose–colored eyes trembled with anxiety. Ailie quickly turned her head, searching for the person who should have been there.

Only then did it occur to her, she hadn’t seen that person all day.

‘Where is Breni?’

Breni, who had been chattering away and joking just yesterday, was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t the kind of person to disappear without a word…

Her heart began to pound rapidly with growing unease.

“Ari, what is it?”

Her mother asked, concern etched across her face.

Ailie scanned the garden once more, then finally voiced the anxiety she could no longer suppress.

“Breni… she’s gone.”

***

“Your Majesty, I’ve come to escort you.”

As dusk fell, the coachman arrived on time.

He loaded Ailie’s luggage, which had been packed earlier, onto the carriage one item at a time. They were due to depart at dawn the following day. Exactly as arranged. This coincided with the date of Benate’s return to the imperial palace.

Yet Ailie hesitated before the carriage.

Could she really return to the palace, leaving Breni behind? Breni’s whereabouts were unknown.

“Ari, don’t worry too much. Once we find her, we’ll bring her to the palace ourselves.”

“Yes…”

“Go inside and rest. We’ll be leaving at dawn—you need your sleep.”

Emond tried to comfort his sister. The other brothers had left the estate to search for Breni. Ailie and Emond had only just returned to the Count’s residence themselves.

The farewell party, which had been carefully prepared by many people, had ended in quiet disarray. The celebration had been cut short and everyone was searching the house, the garden and the surrounding grounds for Breni.

But even as night fell, she was still nowhere to be found.

“Your Majesty… I’m sorry.”

Liton, who had gone as far as the mountain behind Erdei, shook his head with a grim expression. It seemed he had found nothing.

Ominous thoughts began to spiral one after another.

Where could Breni be? And still—

‘Is she… alive?’

The memory of Breni’s betrayal before the regression was still vivid. The day Breni—whom Ailie had believed was on her side—had screamed that everything was merely Ailie’s delusion.

She had never forgotten it. Not for a single moment.

And yet—

“Miss, the plan will succeed. And even if it doesn’t…”

“…Even if it doesn’t?”

“That won’t be your fault.”

That, too, had been Breni.

With her sparkling, brown eyes and constant chatter, she was an old friend who had been by Ailie’s side since childhood. She was so absent-minded that it felt unsafe to leave her alone.

Ailie could not bring herself to leave her without her.

“I’m sorry, but we’ll have to delay our departure.”

She spoke to the coachman. Startled, he jumped down from the carriage in the middle of what he was doing. Before the hesitant coachman could respond, Liton answered in his place.

“Your Majesty, I understand your feelings, but the Emperor expressly ordered that you should not be delayed prior to departure. We cannot postpone it.”

“Our schedule has already been disrupted. We can’t help it. I can’t leave Breni behind.”

“That is not for Her Majesty the Empress to decide. The Count of Erdei will take care of—”

The moment she heard those words, Ailie’s usually rosy eyes wavered.

A memory from before the regression resurfaced.

It was the third autumn in the imperial palace, when her body and mind were completely exhausted. Back then, she ran away every day, desperate to avoid medical examinations.

She couldn’t leave the palace grounds, only wandering endlessly within them.

But eventually, Benate discovered that, too.

“The Empress only needs to listen to me. Don’t think about anything else.”

She had heard those words before.

“Is this really so difficult? Why can’t you even manage that?”

A cold gaze had been driven into her, as though she were nothing more than a pest that irritated him at every turn.

“Why do you keep trying to step outside the fence?”

The Emperor had scolded her icily. All the Empress had to do was obey him without question. Why couldn’t she manage something so simple?

At the time, Ailie hadn’t been able to utter a word.

She knew it would be useless.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I spoke out of turn…”

Liton was flustered and apologized repeatedly; he was clearly at a loss.