The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 36
I quickly turned my head towards the entrance of the palace. From the top of the banquet hall staircase, the empress, Princess Leticia, and a young girl were slowly descending, capturing the attention of everyone.
I covered my mouth with my hand.
Though it may appear somewhat plain, her brown hair, subtly twisted with golden threads, was exquisitely elegant. Her emerald eyes, reminiscent of a refreshing summer garden, and her delicate figure that could be held with one hand, were exactly as I had imagined Adelia while reading the novel.
As she followed behind the empress and princess, she couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated by the gazes directed towards her. The expression on her face, unsure of what to do, was undeniably adorable.
‘Ah! Author-nim, very nice!’
The heroine is so beautiful! I wanted to give a thumbs-up to the author, who must have been smiling proudly as she wrote the novel. I barely managed to grab the hand that was about to send a double thumbs-up gesture into the air and suppressed a witty remark. I watched as the empress turned towards the emperor.
“Oh well. Dancing will have to wait for now.”
The Crown Prince released my hand with a disappointed expression. Judging by his unwavering gaze towards Adelia, it seemed he had fallen for her at first sight, just like in the original.
‘Oh dear, now you’ll start suffering too.’
I sympathetically thought about Jarvis’s future, who would be tormented by not being able to capture the heart of the female protagonist despite meeting numerous women.
‘And he lived his whole life thinking he was the only handsome and rich man, only to find out there’s another leading man on the other side as well, who will give everything, including his liver and gallbladder, to Adelia…’
I turned around and was startled. Contrary to my initial thought that he couldn’t take his eyes off her since there was a set-up for him to fall in love with Adelia at first sight, Diart was still sulking in the same spot with his arms crossed.
Diart met my gaze and walked towards me with confident strides. In a situation where everyone’s attention was fixed on Adelia, he stood out as he walked between us alone. Even Adelia, who had been following behind the empress hesitantly, turned her head to look at him.
“Your Highness.”
The crown prince turned his gaze towards Diart at his call.
“Since Her Majesty the Empress has arrived, I shall take my wife.”
“Wife…”
According to etiquette, the first dance at an imperial banquet was in the order of royalty. Since the Empress was present at the banquet, the Emperor had to start, and Diart was pointing that out. The crown prince tilted his head, the corners of his mouth curling up. He looked intrigued by the situation.
“I can’t believe rumors are so unreliable.”
Diart narrowed his eyes as if asking what he meant.
“Aren’t you two on the verge of divorce?”
“Your Highness, there is no need to concern yourself.”
Diart, who usually didn’t show much expression, seemed noticeably unhappy at this moment. The sudden mention of the divorce was enough to make him feel like his privacy had been invaded.
“Well, something is bothering me.”
As he said that, the crown prince looked down at me. His face was smiling, but his tone was challenging. Diart’s face grew even colder. And I anxiously watched the tense exchange between the two that I couldn’t understand.
Today was the day of the historical event where the fateful first meeting between the two male leads and Adelia would take place. Diart, who was trembling with nervousness, would have to ask Adelia to dance for the first time in his life, while Jarvis would have to ponder on the sinking feeling of watching the two dance.
‘Why are they acting like this here?’
The protagonist you should be paying attention to is over there!
I wanted to give their backs a good smack and remind them that now was not the time for whatever they were doing between themselves.
‘Did Milto go to plant tea or something. Why isn’t he coming!’
If only Milto would show up and interrupt the flow of this situation, it would be great, but he was nowhere to be seen. Lambert was also standing far away, covering his mouth with his hand and watching this side with great interest.
I resentfully glanced at Lambert as if he were enjoying popcorn while watching a movie in 3D.
Then a familiar voice interrupted.
“Roeni.”
It was Princess Leticia. She approached me with a pleased expression after exchanging greetings with the nobles in the banquet hall. I quickly greeted her.
“The little star of the Empire, Your Highness, I am honored to meet you.”
“It’s quite disappointing to have such a formal greeting between friends.”
Leticia raised her eyebrows as if she were genuinely disappointed. I quickly took her hand in a friendly manner.
“Your Highness, no, Leticia, I’ve been wanting to meet you. I attended today’s banquet just to see you.”
“Really? I was worried that you might find me bothersome with all the letters I’ve been sending, but hearing those words puts my mind at ease.”
Honestly, it was a bit bothersome. Having letters come flying every day made writing replies quite a task. But now, I genuinely felt happy to see her.
“Leticia, it’s not that I find you bothersome. It’s just that I lack promptness, so it may have given you the wrong impression. How about we sit over there and have some macarons while we catch up on our missed conversations?”
I took Leticia’s hand as she exchanged formal greetings with Diart and moved away from them. Fortunately, the two didn’t stop me.
“Roeni, this looks delicious.”
As Leticia handed me a strawberry cream macaron, I turned my gaze to Diart and Jarvis, who were still engaged in conversation. I could feel the tension in the air around those two.
“Are the Duke and the Crown Prince always on bad terms?”
“If it’s that person, it’s not surprising for him to hold a grudge against anyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got stabbed in the back while walking down the street.”
“Is that…so?”
I turned to Leticia, wondering if I had misheard. She tilted her head as if asking why and smiled gracefully.
Did she just mention something about a knife on her back… Did I mishear?
“I’m more curious about how Roeni has been doing rather than the gentlemen’s affairs. By the way, it seems like you’ve lost some weight, haven’t you?”
“I went on a diet.”
I couldn’t exactly say that I died and came back to life due to a curse, so I brushed it off vaguely, but Leticia looked concerned.
“Where else is there for you to lose? You’re so thin that you could fly away with a gust of wind…”
“……”
Who would dare harm someone who has a waist that looks like it’s not even a handful. I turned my gaze in the direction of Diart and the Crown Prince. Diart was nowhere to be seen, and the Crown Prince was engaged in conversation with other nobles.
‘He should be dancing with Adelia by now. Where did he go?’
I watched Adelia, who was refusing the nobles’ requests for a dance with an embarrassed expression.
“Do you have an interest in Lady Adelia?”
Leticia followed her gaze and asked, as if she had noticed that I had been discreetly observing.
“I’m curious because I’ve never met her before. I heard she used to be Count Holton’s servant.”
“Yes, that’s right. My uncle took her in as his daughter because she resembled the daughter he lost when she was young. But…”
Leticia paused for a moment and smiled brightly.
“She’s not someone you deserve to worry about, Roeni.”
Is it because of the mood? It seems like her feelings towards Adelia are not very favorable. It was strange because, in the original work, Adelia was a beloved character by everyone.
“More importantly, Roeni, your wrist looks delicate, and I’m worried. Please try this.”
Leticia offered me various foods as if trying to feed me. It was embarrassing to have someone take care of me because my wrists were thinner than hers, but her expression was sincere.
Throughout our exchange of letters, I had felt it several times, but she seemed to genuinely like me, her newly made friend. Even now, when other noble ladies approached her, they only exchanged formal greetings, and she didn’t show the same familiarity as she did with me.
Actually, I liked her too. It was a bit difficult to receive letters so frequently, but it felt like I had gained a close friend that I had never had before. Contrary to my first impression, she had an unexpected playfulness, and sometimes when I read Leticia’s letters, it felt like I was transported back to my middle school days.
That was the problem. I had developed an affection for Leticia, and as a result, the guilt I had barely managed to bury resurfaced.
Is it right for me to know how this person will die and not say a word? Can I just pretend not to know my friend’s future and laugh as if nothing is wrong?
Of course, even if I say something, there’s no guarantee that they will believe such absurd nonsense, and above all, it’s unlikely that it will change the original story… Wait a minute.
Hasn’t the original story already been altered? Diart, who should have asked Adelia to dance, has completely left his place.’