《The Extra Will Now Leave The Stage》 CH 1 Chapter 1 ¨C It¡¯s Finally Over! Translator: Lioness Being Alice Hamilton was funny enough, but what¡¯s funnier was that she was the Author of this Novel. Yes, she was exactly the Writer of this novel. She didn¡¯t love the world she had created and didn¡¯t want to get involved in it. Therefore, she waited for the character she possessed, Alice, to accomplish the last task. ¡®I¡¯ve been waiting for this day.¡¯ The situation was the first day of the Crown Princess¡¯s birthday which would last for five days and Alica just had to play her role well- throwing insults at the Crown Princess and making her cry. She had prepared a very beautiful dress just for this day and memorized all the lines she needed. Alice straightly stood inside the Banquet Hall as she was readying herself to say her lines, which would automatically come out after a ¡®Tuk¡¯ sound. The hem of her skirt fluttered as she moved and swept the floor of the Banquet Hall. ¡°Oh my, isn¡¯t that the Young Miss Alice of Marquis Hamilton?¡± ¡°I supposed so. Those black eyes aren¡¯t common.¡± ¡°I heard that she looked different from Marquis Hamilton¡ª¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? She¡¯s an adopted child.¡± She could hear the noises from the nobles, but Alice didn¡¯t bother to respond. That wasn¡¯t the matter she should deal with. What she did was to find opportunities to face the Crown Princess. Her opportunity comes after the Crown Prince left the Crown Princess in the Banquet Hall. She clenched her hands in impatience that she almost broke her nails. She was feeling tense, but she couldn¡¯t even describe it. In a frustrated mood, Alice swept her forehead but there was no sweat. ¡®Just when will he go out?¡¯ Alice impatiently asked herself, with her eyes fixed on the Crown Prince. It seemed to others that she adored the Crown Prince enthusiastically, when in fact she doesn¡¯t even know him. Indeed, all people who watched her were puzzled to see that she was staring at the Crown Prince intently. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to be ashamed of herself, does she? A mere noble girl.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit not correct to refer to her as noble when she¡¯s an adopted child.¡± ¡°But her blood is noble so she is a noble, isn¡¯t she?¡± It was not proper etiquette for a noblewoman to stare at a man for any length of time. Alice knew exactly the manner she was showing but she forgot it as she was very nervous. She looked around, scanning the situation, and there were eyes on her. She was flustered so she lowered her gaze; not noticing the people staring at her, or the man watching her curiously. ¡®When the hell will you go out?¡¯ As she repeated the same thing to herself, Alice paced back and forth impatiently. Even those who initially cared about her because of Hamilton¡¯s wealth drew little attention to her behavior, which was not aristocratic. The fact that she was not the real daughter of Marquis Hamilton, but his adopted daughter. The grand Chamberlain hurriedly ran to the Crown Prince and whispered something to his ears. And with his embarrassed face, he left the Crown Princess and the Banquet Hall. The current Crown Princess was from a Baron family. A cliched story where a lady from a lowly family fell in love with the Crown Prince, overcoming hardships together, and finally getting married. Just as expected. As soon as the Crown Prince left the Banquet Hall, Alice¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, look at that brazen face.¡± ¡°It is only natural that the Crown Prince would be seduced with that face.¡± ¡°She should have a pretty face. She was just from a Baron family anyway, isn¡¯t she?¡± People who lost interest in Alice began cursing the Crown Princess, who was left alone. Alice could hear and see those who were insulting the Crown Princess but she was just calm, which Alice noticed, too. ¡®Well, she was not usually like that. Nevertheless, that was the only way to be the heroine.¡¯ Stella Eirie, who won the Crown Prince¡¯s love as a baroness. No, the woman who was standing in the middle of the Banquet Hall with her face shining; Stella Eirie. On her neck was the diamond which Alice coveted, or should have coveted, to be precise. Today, if she finished insulting the Crown Princess with that diamond necklace wrapped on her neck, her role will end. The Crown Prince disappeared and no one approached her. Following the flow of the original novel, Alice took a careful step by step to her side. She was nervous, but she decided to relax since she¡¯d be finally free when this is over. ¡®Good.¡¯ Now, Alice stood before the Crown Princess and spoke to her. ¡°Greetings, Your Highness.¡± ¡°You¡¯re here, Miss Hamilton.¡± Alice¡¯s conscience was slightly irritated by Stella¡¯s bright smile as if she was very happy to have her here. But for a while, she was able to pull herself together. She had a task to complete to perfect the original novel. ¡°You have a beautiful necklace.¡± ¡°His Highness, the Crown Prince, gave it to me as a gift.¡± ¡°But, Your Highness, do you know that it was originally mine?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°It was originally my necklace. It was something I liked.¡± I never liked it. Alice already had a necklace around her neck which was her favorite for the past four years. She would say that she liked such a flashy, tacky necklace. Stella, who cast a glance at Alice with embarrassed eyes, couldn¡¯t speak and hesitated. ¡°Why are you not saying a thing?¡± Alice¡¯s voice echoed sharply through the banquet hall. The crown prince disappeared, and the nobles who were watching Stella gathered one by one by Alice¡¯s words. Stella couldn¡¯t answer and looked at Alice. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if you take someone else¡¯s necklace ¨C since you also stole someone else¡¯s man.¡± Her words startled the astonished people, but Alice raised her chin triumphantly. Tears dripped from Stella¡¯s eyes, and Alice turned and ran away. Of course, it was a bad word to say that she ran away quickly. Alice walked gently out of the banquet hall, looking around her. If Marquis Hamilton was here, she would have been immediately seized by the wrist and ordered to apologize to Stella. Alice, who had to leave the Imperial Palace without being detected by the Marquis, decided to escape through the garden without going out from the banquet hall¡¯s exit. ¡®I didn¡¯t mean to say nonsense. She didn¡¯t steal the necklace, but she did steal the man.¡¯ Tearing down her tingling chest, Alice hurried to the depths of the garden. ¡°Finally, it¡¯s over!¡± When she came out to the garden, she cried excitedly. What she felt right now was something she nothing could compare. Alice, who became the happiest person in the world, jumped excitedly on the spot. She possessed the character Alice Hamilton for four years. She had no intention of changing the original novel, no, no. No, she didn¡¯t want to change it. After confirming that the male and female characters were formed somehow, she wanted to quietly disappear from the scene. Her last role was to insult the Crown Princess. Then as Crown Princes returned to the banquet Hall and saw his beloved was crying, he immediately calmed her down and inquired what happened, yet the Crown Princess did not respond. Rather, she whispered how much she loved him. The original story ends with those words which decorates the ending of the novel. Because of Alice¡¯s words, Stella, the Crown Princess, vows to do better for the Crown Prince. Why? Stella is a good heroine who stole the love of others. ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go home now!¡± Alice didn¡¯t know that there was a man watching her walk back excitedly. ¡°This is making me laugh.¡± Lawrence Littenverk, the man who was watching Alice¡¯s one-man play, could not help but laugh. It was absurd for Miss Hamilton to insult the Crown Princess, and came out excited about it somehow. Her common sense didn¡¯t make sense. It was impossible for a nobleman to insult the royal family in her empire, Nakran. Lawrence was a member of the Nakran Empire, who had a close relationship with the Erha Empire. Therefore, he did not want to intervene in the affairs of the nobles in the Erha Empire. Furthermore, he had a task to find the Crown Prince¡¯s sister, a special mission given by the Crown Prince of the Nakran Empire. In order to fulfill that mission, no problems must arise during his stay in the Erha Empire. As he watched Alice move away, he suddenly had a strange idea. ¡®What could be the reason?¡¯ The daughter of the Marquis, Miss Hamilton, insulted one of the Royal Family yet she had no guilt over it. It was impossible. Alice¡¯s attitude was something that added why he couldn¡¯t forget her face- her expression of no regrets. If someone else saw that refreshing expression on her face, she would ponder what bad the Crown Princess did to her. ¡°Your Excellency.¡± Baron Flender, Lawrence¡¯s aide, called him from behind. ¡°What happened to the search?¡± ¡°I have compiled a list of young children with the same age.¡± Lawrence grinned as he read the papers that Flender had handed over. The face of the person whom he had seen a while ago was written on the paper. ¡°Alice Hamilton?¡± ¡°She was one of the candidates for the Crown Prince¡¯s lost sister.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°That kind of girl?¡± Lawrence looked back at his aide, wondering if he was mistaken with Alice, whom he had seen earlier. ¡°Indeed.¡± Lawrence nodded at Flender¡¯s remark. He thought something was going to be interesting. CH 2 Chapter 2 ¨C New Beginning (1) Translator: Lioness The Marquis of Hamilton had a lot of money. So much that in fact, Alice could have been entertained and fed for the rest of her life while the Marquis was resourceful in his business endeavors. Alice stayed at the Marquis¡¯s mansion and quietly pocketed the money. Her embezzlement went unnoticed as she assisted the Marquis in his work. Her end goal was to run away with the money she had stashed away and live a life of luxury. The incident that Alice caused was unprecedented, but she was certain that the storm after that would not be so great. The Crown Princess wouldn¡¯t open her mouth easily, and by the time the Crown Prince, the ruler of the empire, found out about it, Alice would have left the Erha Empire and gone to another empire, so it was useless to know. Even if the rumors were true, she could apologize to the crown princess before then. The angelic crown princess would probably accept her apology, and later, she¡¯d be able to talk the angry Crown Prince. ¡°Does the Young Lady know what is His Excellency going through now? Are you solving the problem you created?¡± The butler burst open the door into her room and shouted. Alice covered her ears in her loud voice. It has been this way for the past four years. Quietly staying at home, not socializing, and not even leaving the Marquis¡¯s mansion when she should be working to raise the Marquis¡¯s profile, Alice was already ignoring the butler, so the butler shouted again. ¡°He told me that you¡¯re prohibited from leaving your room until you have someone to marry.¡± ¡°Did Father say that?¡± ¡°Do you know how much the Marquis was sweating to fix what the lady did?!¡± ¡°I came here after being really quiet¡­.¡± ¡®It¡¯s a mess.¡¯ Despite her apologetic expression, the butler didn¡¯t care. She glanced at her watch and Alice confirmed that she still had a little time left until midnight. If she could blabber at the butler, she could have done so, but the original novel is not finished yet. After midnight tonight, the original story ends so she shut her mouth. Even so, she will not make a single mistake that will lead to marriage since she is good at twisting words. ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore, Gina! Gina!¡± At the butler¡¯s words, footsteps rushed toward her room. The sound stopped in front of her door and opened the door without knocking. ¡°Yes. Did you call me, butler?¡± ¡°Never let the lady go until His Excellency the Marquis gives an order.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡®What do these people think of me? No matter what, I am the only daughter of the marquis.¡¯ At that time, a bright smile appeared on her face as she stared at her watch. The bell rang and midnight passed. Now that the original story was over, she didn¡¯t have to hold her breath anymore. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Gina was about to leave her when Alice called her. ¡°Did you call, lady?¡± ¡°I will go out tomorrow.¡± ¡°Are you saying that amidst the situation?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°By the words of butler¡­ no, Miss cannot go until the Marquis says so.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I?¡± Gina¡¯s expression turned cold at her words. It wasn¡¯t just her butler who ignored her during the four years she was here, everyone did. ¡°You are strange today, Miss. I¡¯ll bring you some food.¡± Gina let out a sigh, shook her head, closed the door with those words, and left. She had a pitiful expression as if seeing an immature child creating trouble. It was said that she has been without a presence for four years, but she was the daughter of a marquis. ¡®I¡¯m not going to let you get away with this, really¡­¡¯ Even when she sat back in the gleaming chair, she couldn¡¯t see the beauty of it. Four years ago, she possessed Alice¡¯s body and was a writer in Korea. She loved both writing and reading, and she put several of her works out into the world, but they did not sell well. After many rejections, she finally wrote what the publisher asked her to write and brought it into the world. However, a problem arose afterward. The writings written according to what the publisher wanted were all plagiarized by famous content. The publisher¡¯s attitude toward her work changed like the flip of a palm. Branded as a plagiarist, no one was on her side, and it was no wonder her work was unloved. ¡®Why did I get possessed by Alice?¡¯ She had always been curious as to among many characters, why did it has to be Alice? And on the first day she entered this world, she heard that cold voice. She still couldn¡¯t forget that living voice. ¡°You are finally here.¡± It wasn¡¯t a voice filled with anticipation that the target he had been waiting for had arrived, but a voice full of life. That evening, Alice spent her night awake. Maybe that being was not a God. ¡®God, um. okay.¡¯ The largest temple in the world existed in Erha Empire, and there was a god in that temple. She wonders if she, the writer, is a god. If someone other than herself is a god, whom will the god resent? ¡°It is me, hmm. That¡¯s right.¡± With a little thought, the answer was obvious. If an author created this world and didn¡¯t love it, the gods would light up and make her find why she should love it. Alice bobbed her head up and down, thinking that if she could have killed him, and scream ¡°How dare you!¡± at the top of her lungs. It¡¯s not a god-dependent world, it¡¯s not a world with magic, it¡¯s not a world with great magic, it¡¯s not a world with magical swordsmen, it¡¯s not a world with great swordsmen, but a world with a bunch of so-so stuff. It¡¯s a twisted world that she wrote that had complex situations at the end to get the main leads to marry each other. ¡°Never, ever meet.¡± The shouting voice was quite a spleen. It would be best for her to go back to her original world, but Alice predicted early on that it might be impossible. And, she never actually went back. She needed to survive here in the future. She had to escape the Erha Empire in order to live a leisurely life without meeting God. Escape from the empire was essential if you didn¡¯t want to meet the god who sometimes spoke to her. It was also the reason she did not intervene in her original story. Because when the world changes, God notices and intervenes. Anyway, she calmly waited for the original story to be finished. Her last mission had been accomplished admirably, and she had seen the end of the novel, so there was no need to be modest, prudish, or hold her breath. ¡°It¡¯s finally over! Oh yeah!¡± She was so happy that it felt like she was n cloud nine. Preserving that feeling, Alice collapsed on the bed and stamped her feet to enjoy that feeling. **** When she woke up the next morning, Alice¡¯s fingertips, which always suffered from cold, felt cold. She felt so happy that she fell asleep without opening her hands which were tightly clasped. Looking at her whitened hands, she consciously opened her hands. Her palms were imprinted with deep fingernail marks. A mischievous laugh leaked out. Alice laughed again and opened her pocket hidden under her bed. The pocket under the bed was an enchanted pocket that only Alice could find. A magic pouch that she bought for ten gold coins. It was a bag that was enchanted with weight loss magic and attribution magic that belonged to the owner. Opening the pouch, Alice couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter. There were also shiny gold coins and certificates issued by banks guaranteed by the empire. It was her fortune, the fortune she¡¯d spent four years amassing behind the Marquis of Hamilton¡¯s back. ¡°Now I just have to pick it up and run!¡± She suddenly felt stressed so she moved her hand around but at that touch, the gold coins in the pocket clinked and fell. The door was opened by the sound of something falling. ¡°What are you doing? Miss?¡± ¡°No, nothing.¡± It was her maid who walked out with her head bowed, asking no more questions as she hurriedly hid her pockets. But there was a hint of annoyance in her eyes. It was clearly her eyes that disregarded Alice. Alice, as always, didn¡¯t pay attention to the look in her eyes. ¡°You came in as soon as you heard the sound.¡± She must have been spying on her right at her door. It seemed like it would be difficult to get out of here comfortably. After taking the gold coins, Alice looked out of her window- she was on the 4th floor. She wanted to sneak out, but it was impossible. ¡®Well, if I just jump down, I¡¯ll die.¡¯ There was nothing the possessed person couldn¡¯t do with magic or swordsmanship, but there were so many things Alice couldn¡¯t do. The only thing she was good at was counting money and making money. That was all. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to take this out the front door with a bang!¡± She somehow had to go to the banquet again if she was to escape this empire. She needed to go to the Banquet Hall and meet someone who could help her. She wants someone to take her to another empire. Her eyes twinkled as she looked at the mirror. Her red eyes were tinged with prominence. A spark burned in her willful eyes. As she straightened her tousled hair, she straightened her posture. Stretch her shoulders, pulled her chin in, and straightened her back. As she posed in front of the mirror, her elegant self was reflected. ¡°The original story is over, so I¡¯m going to run away.¡± That¡¯s right. Run away. CH 3 Chapter 3 ¨C A New Beginning (2) Translator: Lioness She opened the door with determination which flabbergasted the maid and tried to catch her. Momentarily, her piercing eyes looked at the maid and looking at those, the maid hesitation before saying, ¡°The Marquis said you¡¯re not allowed to go out¡­¡± ¡°Even if my father said that, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I am a noble. You¡¯re a commoner, but are you blocking the nobles¡¯ path now?¡± At her sharp words, the maid shuddered and opened the blocked path. The maid, frightened by the spirit emanating from her, involuntarily shrugged her shoulders. ¡®My lady¡­ Was she always like this?¡¯ She thought it was weird, but she didn¡¯t make the mistake of saying it out of her mouth. Alice walked down the aisle, passing by the maid, who hurriedly lowered her head and as she was doing that, the butler dashed to her. ¡°My lady! The Marquis said you must not get out¡ª!¡± ¡°Lead ahead.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go alone, I¡¯ll go with you, so take the lead.¡± She had to meet the Marquis. She had to meet him and convince him to let her go out on her own. Going to another country is hard enough, adding that she doesn¡¯t have any trustworthy men to escort her so she had to hire someone who could help her. ¡®An envoy from another country is here.¡¯ A slight interruption on their way back would guarantee Alice¡¯s safety. She moved right away after the calculation, and the moment she came out, she met the butler. The butler, embarrassed by her confident words, asked back. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is that all you can say, butler?¡± Even the butler was taken aback by her cold words. The current Alice right now is different. Looking at the hesitant butler¡¯s face, Alice opened her mouth again. ¡°Guide me to my father. After that, I¡¯ll take care of myself.¡± ¡°Absolutely not. What will you do outside¡­¡± ¡°Would you say that even if your salary was cut in half?¡± ?From the way the butler¡¯s shoulders slumped as she glared at her, Alice knew she had gotten her point across. This was the beginning. As Alice walked, she was lost in thought the whole time. She has to get out of this house. Fortunately, it was the day after the Crown Princess¡¯s birthday party. The royal family¡¯s birthday party was a five-day event. It was clear that envoys from other empires had not yet returned to their home countries. Alice decided to stake her all on it. ¡°It¡¯s only now.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± She ignored the question of the butler, who was watching her and Alice closely mulled how she could get hold of a pod. There was nothing good about mixing her words with the butler. Everything she says now will be reported to the Marquis. ¡°Miss. The Marquis¡­¡± ¡°I know. I said I came.¡± I saw two knights standing guard in front of the Marquis¡¯s office. The knights¡¯ eyebrows twitched at Alice¡¯s attitude of not pretending to hear even though she could hear what the butler was saying next to her. They say that she is the daughter of a marquis, but they were knights who quietly ignored Alice, who always tarnished the prestige of her successor. ¡®Hmph, but this isn¡¯t it.¡¯ Her knights, who took her money from the Marquis of Hamilton as her salary, were not to be acted upon by her. She is the only descendant of the Hamilton family. If nothing else happens, all the property of the marquis family will belong to Alice from now on. Of course, her plan was to run away before then, but they had no way of knowing. A word fell from Alice, who thought that her knights should pay tribute to her. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to?¡± The butler sighed as he watched Alice speak in a high-pressure manner. She shook her head at the ridiculousness of his attitude, but she put up with it for once. ¡®Does he really regard me as a noble?¡¯ It was a society with a strict caste system. Even though Alice is an adopted daughter, she is the one who is officially registered as Hamilton¡¯s only daughter. She is a noble and the successor of Hamilton¡¯s. Even if she was arrested for contempt of nobility for showing such an attitude towards her, she had nothing to say. Even though the butler¡¯s attitude is inconsiderate, the servants in the house are horrendous. Alice realized that she had been too hunched over all this time. Since the original story was over, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to shout according to her personality? ¡°You¡¯d better confess before you accuse me of blasphemy, butler. My patience is thinner than a fingernail.¡± The butler was taken aback by her words and he lowered his voice. Her knights standing in front of her office also looked at her with surprised eyes. As if Alice¡¯s changed attitude was not adaptable, her eyes grew colder as she watched them. Facing those cold eyes, the knights and butlers were embarrassed. It didn¡¯t seem like the Alice they knew. Her outward appearance was the same as hers, but her behavior and her eyes were completely different. Alice¡¯s cold voice resounded to them bewildered. ¡°Why, or should I formally hand it over to trial?¡± Anyone who has been knighted will, of course, testify for the nobility. The Marquis was a well-known merchant in the country and famous for his money. Many knights followed him because of the money, and for a time, they believed that Alice would be their lady. However, after entering the Marquis family, Alice was a child who was not good enough to become a lady of famous knights since she never had the qualifications an aristocrat must have. She doesn¡¯t come out of the room no matter if she was asked to come out, and she often asks the butler to give her money. So, none of her knights would make her their lady. ¡®It¡¯s all my fault. She had to pretend to be an aristocrat anyway.¡¯ She did not move in the room, compelled not to distort the original plotline. No, exactly didn¡¯t want to be away from the Marquis. Since she didn¡¯t show her aristocratic side, it was only natural that her servants looked down on her. ¡®Hmph, but now the original story was over.¡¯ So she didn¡¯t have to pretend anymore. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°All right.¡± The butler, who took a deep breath for a moment, finally spoke out. ¡°Marquis. Miss Alice asked to see you.¡± ¡°Let her in.¡± Again, the Marquess of Hamilton was a very wealthy man, video seat everywhere. With that kind of environment, he would have heard the commotion at his door, but he didn¡¯t open it. If he didn¡¯t like the commotion outside, he would have opened the door and yelled at her, but he didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t, which means he was curious about what she had come for. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to come out?¡± ¡°Staying out of the room is not the solution.¡± Seeing the Marquis not even inviting her to sit down, she quickly came up with what to say. If she said a few words wrong here, she would be imprisoned without even stepping outside the Marquis, but she couldn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s usually not difficult to go to fix what you did at the banquet hall.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to come in because you thought I could solve it?¡± Alice spoke proudly, pointing to the video seat right next to the Marquis¡¯s desk. In fact, that video seat reflected the situation in front of the office. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I have to listen to you.¡± ¡°Under normal circumstances, you will.¡± ¡°A normal situation?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have listened if it weren¡¯t for the situation where I was rude to the Crown Princess.¡± ¡°Do you act like that knowingly?¡± The enraged Marquis hit the desk violently with his hand. ¡®That will only hurt his hand¡­¡¯ ¡°I told you to stay in your room, so why did you go out?¡± ¡°Father. I definitely said no. But you insisted me to attend.¡± ¡®I had to leave even though no one told me to leave¡­¡¯ She felt sorry for the Marquis. He was the only one in the house who could be said to care about her. Even now, his eyes were filled with affection. ¡°This person!¡± The expensive-looking mahogany desk rang several times with a dull thud. ¡®After all, expensive is different. Even the sound is quite catchy.¡¯ Alice let go of the Marquis¡¯ nagging thoughts while thinking about it. The Marquis had no choice but to listen to her anyway. It was a disrespect committed to the Crown Princess, and to the person who was loved by the Crown Prince. In order to resolve it, the parties themselves must step forward, openly. The original story was finished, but it had to be repaired. Even if the prince didn¡¯t know the truth, he needed to keep other people¡¯s mouths shut. Only when Alice showed a sincere apology publicly could the marquis be safe. And going out was essential in order to escape to another country in the current situation, but it seemed that the Marquis would let her go if she at least pretended to apologize to the Crown Princess. ¡®No matter what happens, I have to continue participating in the imperial banquet.¡¯ ¡°So¡­ are you even listening?!¡± ¡°I can apologize.¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± The Marquis, who had a dumbfounded expression, asked Alice. She then sternly said to him, who asked if he misheard her. ? ¡°I said I would apologize.¡± ¡°Apologize?¡± ¡°Yes. Apologize to Her Highness.¡± At my words, she saw the marquis who was lost in thoughts- an important moment. The Marquis had to let herself out of the house, no, let her go to the banquet in the imperial palace in order to plan the next task. After a moment like ten years passed, the marquis opened his mouth. ¡°Why do you do something you can easily apologize for then?!¡± ¡°Well, that is highly possible but it was my fault, so I should apologize.¡± CH 4 Chapter 4 ¨C Preparing To Go Out Translator: Lioness Speaking in a deliberate brazen manner, the Marquis was at loss for words, sighing then opening his mouth with seriousness. ¡°How are you going to apologize?¡± At the words of the marquis, Alice held her hands tightly and whispered with her eyes sparkling. ¡°I will apologize to Her Highness, the Crown Princess, for being short-tempered and impulsive.¡± ¡°The Crown Princess was unwell because of you¡­¡± ¡°What about that¡­¡± ¡°Alice!¡± Her impudent attitude made the marquis roar again. Alice spat out her first words, covering her ringing ears. ¡°Even so, the Crown Princess will see me apologizing to her because she¡¯s a good person.¡± ¡°I bet she wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± If she had the personality of a crown princess, she couldn¡¯t help but accept Alice¡¯s apology. Of course, after accepting, she will weep again. The reason was not that she was a good person, but because Alice is the daughter of Marquess Hamilton. No matter what anyone says, the Hamilton Marquess was a rich family in name and reality. The imperial family of the Erha Empire could not ignore rich people. If all goes well, she should be able to enter the palace. If all goes well. ¡°So, I guess I must apologize. It¡¯s my fault, so I have to beg.¡± At her grin, the Marquis looked at her with strange eyes. As the gaze reached her cheek, she rolled her eyes as it felt a prick on her cheek for some reason. After thinking for a while, he decided. ¡°The next banquet is tonight. Do you think you can go tonight?¡± ¡°No, today, Father had gone to fix the problem I created, and I have to talk to the Crown Princess, too. Well, I can go tomorrow.¡± ¡°You know well.¡± ¡°So, I want you to lift the curfew from today.¡± ¡°Why is that?!¡± ¡°I cannot go empty-handed while apologizing so please give me money to buy something expensive.¡± Alice raised her chin as she casually responded to the gaze of the marquis, who was looking at her with suspiciousness. She had to go out, unconditionally. Today was the second day of the banquet where more people wandered from other empires around the capital. ¡®Why?¡¯ Because it¡¯s a gorgeous day with the most things to see. The event to recognize the parade in the fireworks display was all today. So, of course, people from other empires would wander around. Among them, it was necessary to find someone who would help her escape from this empire. ¡°Do you mean to say that you were rude to the Crown Princess to use as an excuse to go out?¡± ¡°That is why I am going to solve it!¡± ¡°How are you going to solve it?! Ask for a lot of money? Aren¡¯t you trying to get money for a gift?¡± In fact, among the money Alice had collected, there was some money she received through that way. ¡®Still, it¡¯s unfair!¡¯ ¡°That is why if you had given me a lot of money then it¡¯d have been better.¡± ¡°How much do you think your allowance is? Don¡¯t you think that 100 gold coins for a month¡¯s pocket money are too much when you¡¯re not buying a dress or jewels!¡± Alice¡¯s mouth fell shut at the Marquis¡¯ words. She pouted her lips because it was true. Ten gold coins could feed a commoner for three months. Many commoners never saw a single gold coin in their lives, and Alice¡¯s pocket money was a hundred, and only for a month¡¯s allowance. The reason why she, who received so much money from him, accumulated money like a stickler, was because of variables. Because she never knew what would happen while she was on her way to another empire. Alice wanted to refrain from getting into trouble with money. When she was silent, the Marquis, who thought she was reflecting, spoke. ¡°That¡¯s okay, there will be people who recognize your face because of what you did yesterday, but what are you going to do with that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go disguised as a commoner, so I don¡¯t get caught.¡± ¡°What?¡± The Marquis¡¯s jaw dropped when she heard that a noblewoman like her would go out in a commoner¡¯s clothes. As Alice gazed at him, his widened mouth closed in its mouth as if a fly wouldn¡¯t be noticed if it went in. ¡°Hmm, hmm.¡± Her Marquis cleared his throat and asked her again. ¡°Why should I believe you and let you go?¡± ¡°You have to believe me. If something goes wrong, the Marquis will also be at stake.¡± It was. It would be the Marquis who would be at a disadvantage if Alice continued to create problems out there. That¡¯s why the Marquis was happy inside when Alice offered to apologize. ¡®I think he had become more alerted¡­.¡¯ Whether it was alright for her to go outside was another matter, but the Marquis decided to try it one time. ¡°Go with two knights.¡± ¡°Can I designate those knights too?¡± ¡°Do you even know the family knights?¡± ¡°Of course, I do, but I couldn¡¯t call for them for fear that they may be harmed because of someone like me.¡± ¡°Then you have to prepare a little earlier¡­¡± She could hear the click of his tongue, but she couldn¡¯t help it; she¡¯d only been dying for the original story to be finished, and he wouldn¡¯t believe her unless said in a pitiful tone. Still, knowing the affectionate concern in the Marquis¡¯s heart, Alice didn¡¯t let that falter her. ¡°Anyway, you know. Then prepare yourself.¡± The Marquis thought there would be no problem with sending the two knights along. Until now, Alice had only been stuck in the house, and she had never gone outside with a knight accompanying her, so the Marquis decided to trust the knights. The knights will stop her anyways if she did something wrong. He had also calculated that Alice, who had never been out of the house, would come back to the Marquis¡¯s house, shivering. The Marquis knew Alice well. Yesterday was the first time she¡¯d ever left the banquet, so it was natural for her to make a mess. The Alice he knew was a quiet, home-loving girl. And a girl who laves money, of course. ¡°Please attach Sir Benedict and Sir Lesir.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± As Nabut bowed and Alice left the room, the Marquis summoned a knight who was standing outside. At the Marquis¡¯ command, the knight went out and brought Benedict and Lesir in. ¡°We heard you called us, Your Excellency.¡± As the two stood in front of them, the Marquis sighed and said, ¡°You guys must have heard it too. You probably heard it on your way.¡± The Marquis, who noticed that the two had already heard everything from the silent appearance of the two, showed a determined attitude. As if otherwise the knights would ignore his words. ¡°The fate of our Marquis family is at stake. Only when Alice personally apologizes will there be a hole to survive. As long as Alice she would, just trust her.¡± ¡°Marquis. That doesn¡¯t sound like a very good idea.¡± Benedict was taken aback by Lesir¡¯s words and grabbed his collar, but Lesir opened his mouth again. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that Lady is willing to apologize for her actions until now. I have a suspicion that she was going to the banquet again to harm Her Highness, again.¡± ¡°Then what should I do?! There¡¯s no other way than for that child to come forward and apologize! What an insult to the imperial family!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she an adopted daughter? Adoption is also a way.¡± When Lesir spoke, Benedict opened his eyes wide in surprise, but he couldn¡¯t say anything in front of the Marquis, so he held it down. ¡°That can¡¯t be done.¡± Rather, Lesir raised his voice to the Marquis who spoke firmly. ¡°You have to decide for the Marquis. Do you know how much the reputation of the marquis has been damaged by this incident, my lady?¡± ¡°That still cannot be done.¡± ¡°The reason¡ª!¡± ¡°All right. Marquis.¡± Benedict stepped forward while interrupting Lesir, who continued to rebel. ¡°Then can we go out with the lady?¡± ¡°If you think he¡¯s going to cause trouble, knock him out and bring him back to the Marquis. It¡¯s my first time out on the streets of the capital, and I¡¯m a little worried.¡± ¡°Knocking her out?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to bring her to me by any means.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Benedict looked at Lesir, who responded quickly, with an absurd look. After his head hurt, the little boy gestured toward them and sent them outside. ¡°Ha.¡± Remembering a promise made a long, long time ago, the Marquis shook his head. He never thought in his dreams that a covenant made long ago would hold him back. ? ¡°My lady, I am ready.¡± Alice, wearing the light dress that commoners like to wear, raised her head at the butler¡¯s words. The butler smiled at the lively appearance, then corrected his expression. For some time, Alice always had a timid expression and a vain smile. People put her expression into her eyes rather than her beauty first. So she hadn¡¯t been told that Alice was beautiful. It also helped that she didn¡¯t go outside the Marquis. But seeing her look like that, she wondered if the most beautiful woman in the empire would change. ¡®What am I thinking¡­.¡¯ No way. The butler soon gave up on that idea because Alice was losing more than half of her beauty with her timid attitude. ¡°Where are the knights?¡± ¡°They¡¯re waiting for you to change into plain clothes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± CH 5 Chapter 5 ¨C Encounter (1) Translator: Lioness Alice stood up from her seat and took a step ahead. From the way she walked lightly, it was clear that she was the daughter of a noble family. ¡°I will see you.¡± As soon as her Alice came out, a single knight escorting her was seen. The other of hers was looking at her with her chubby face. ¡®The escort is Benedict, and the bad guy is Lesir.¡¯ Alice already knew all the circumstances of the Marquis and in fact, she did not go out because of concern of affecting the original story. Rather, she was afraid of the Marquis simply because he was her money line. After she had judged the two knights, Alice climbed onto the carriage, escorted by Benedict. I was nervous that I might hear voices, but I didn¡¯t hear anything as I passed through the Marquis¡¯ front door. My fears were unfounded. Alice said she was going to the largest jewelry store in the capital. Since she had a problem with the Crown Princess regarding with jewels, she thought it would be best to solve it with jewels. ¡®Then, money is the best Gems that can be exchanged for money are also the best. Isn¡¯t anything shiny the best?¡¯ Alice laughed briskly as she tapped her pocket hidden in her arms. With the money she received from the Marquis, she planned to buy a present for the Crown Princess and take the remnants. She looked around and saw the largest jewelry shop. She had a reason for going to the main street. A festival takes place near the jewelry store. Festivals were common among the nobles of the Erha Empire, but people from other empires did not. Among the events taking place throughout the capital, the biggest festival, the fireworks display, takes place in the center of the capital. ¡®If I go there, I can meet all the powerful people who can fly, as they say.¡¯ She was, of course, worried that people would show interest in her because of her yesterday¡¯s matter, but now that the original story was over, Alice, who had nothing to hesitate about, decided to move on without reluctance. When she wants something, she boldly approaches and gets it. That was Alice¡¯s plan. ¡°Do I know someone who can help me?¡± She had a hunch that she would be able to see someone wherever she goes. Inside the rocking carriage, her thoughts deepened. She even hypothesized that she will vanish from this world after the completion of the original story. Seeing that she was fine now, the hypothesis is deleted. Even if the original story was over, the story continues. The main characters became happy, and now the supporting characters will leave in search of happiness. The world wouldn¡¯t pay attention if only one of her moved in it. ¡®Therefore, I waited.¡¯ She let the original plot take its place. She waited patiently for four years. She didn¡¯t want to die Alice was well aware that when she was first possessed, the voice she heard in her ear was not normal, so she decided to live like a rat. That voice in her probably couldn¡¯t find where she was. She couldn¡¯t be heard unless she moved from the Marquis, so she shut herself up. But she couldn¡¯t stay still any longer now that the original story was over. She had to run away quickly. Before the heroine of that voice found her. She just felt like she should. The terrifying sound of that voice was powerful enough to bring her out of this empire. ? ¡®Somehow, I have to find someone who can help me by participating in the imperial banquet.¡¯ She had to find someone to take her to another empire. For that to happen, it is essential to apologize to the crown princess. ¡°Well, because I¡¯m sorry.¡± I couldn¡¯t forget the face on which her tears fell. Alice felt sorry that she made a woman who seemed mild-mannered, cry. She said that was her role and that her story would end only when she completed the mission, but Alice still felt a heavy burden of guilt on the side of her heart. The Crown Princess was too kind for her to pretend she didn¡¯t know. ¡°Yes, because I am a good daughter.¡± ¡®I must have wanted myself to be nice because I made everyone here just like that.¡¯ A sigh escaped her. As she continued to think about this and that, Alice, who had been sitting quietly, felt the carriage tilt with a ¡®thud¡¯. ¡°What is going on?¡± He heard Benedict riding his horse and asking the coachman. ¡°The wagon wheel turned to another direction.¡± ¡°The wheel?¡± ¡°Yes, I think we need to stop and do some repairs.¡± When she heard a rattling sound outside her, Alice couldn¡¯t stand it any longer thus she went outside. The commoners, who had come to watch the commotion, whispered in a rather loud voice that she could heard. ¡°What, she wasn¡¯t a noble lady?¡± ¡°I know. What is the point of a commoner riding a carriage like that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that it?¡± Benedict¡¯s shoulders twitched when he heard whispers about Alice. Alice, on the other hand was calm, but Benedict blushed as if he had been insulted. In contrast, Lesir rather raised his lips. As if Alice should have listened to her. ¡°Do not come out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s frustrating. I¡¯ll go to the bakery store over there for a second.¡± Repairing the wagon wheel seemed to take quite a while. ¡°I will come with you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can go alone.¡± Alice waved her hand at Benedict¡¯s words and walked toward the bakery without hesitation. Benedict, who kept a close eye on the bakery shop in the distance, did not take his eyes off it even after Alice entered the confectionary shop. Lesir was saying nonsense to the coachman. As Alice walked into the store, the clerk quickly recognized her and approached her. ¡°My lady?¡± ¡°Uh, how are you?¡± As Alice laughed, she replied. It was a surprise to everyone in the Hamilton family who knew her. How does Alice, who doesn¡¯t come out of the house, know the clerk at a confectionery shop on the outskirts of the capital? ¡°Thanks to the lady, I was able to show my mother to the councilor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it worked out.¡± Externally, the clerk who was known to have resigned from Hamilton Street was actually the one who Alice sent out with pocket money. She was too talented to work as the Hamilton family¡¯s servant, so Alice put her in one of the shops owned by the Marquis. ¡®It was a good choice.¡¯ Alice hadn¡¯t just been stuck around the house for the past four years, doing nothing. She had been at the Marquis¡¯ side, helping him with his papers while everyone else slept. When the Marquis realized she wasn¡¯t getting the respect she deserved from the house¡¯s servants, he nudged her to do something more visible, but she refused. ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Just leave it alone.¡± Under the Marquis¡¯ connivance, Alice worked alongside the Marquis from time to time and realized her talent. She had a knack for making money. The marquis, who first noticed her talent, tried to placate, tease and persuade her, but to no avail, Alice didn¡¯t get away from the Marquis. Because she was afraid to step directly into the original story and mess it up. She wondered if she was swept away by the original story and had problems. Alice then confined herself by the Marquis¡¯s side, and she finally saw the end. When she came out, the world was beautiful. And when she came out to hear that there was a problem with the carriage, Alice decided that she must stop by the bakery shop. ¡®The time has come to collect my money.¡¯ Among the stores run by the Marquis of Hamilton, there were quite a few that passed into Alice¡¯s possession. And in fact, all of those stores were making huge profits. However, Alice did not step forward and she moved behind the Marquis of Hamilton, so no one knew of her abilities except for the Marquis. The clerk who had greeted her earlier had no idea that the store belonged to her and that she would be signing the checkout papers. The owner didn¡¯t even look at her when she walked in, because he picked the loudest people and put them in front of the owner. It was the first rule of Alice¡¯s shop. Pretend you don¡¯t see her. ¡°What is the most delicious snack?¡± ¡°Please follow me.¡± Following the clerk¡¯s guidance, there were a variety of cookies, cakes, and bread on the display stand. Alice looked into the display case as her eyes twinkled. It wasn¡¯t long before she made up her mind to buy the one cinnamon cookie she had left. Alice beckoned her clerk. ¡°This¡ª¡± ¡°This one.¡± Someone jumped out and intercepted her words. ¡°Hey!¡± Alice spoke up at the thick voice heard next to her. Because she saw a man¡¯s hand. Where her man pointed was the cinnamon cookies she was trying to buy. ¡°Hey, Rani. Did you call me?¡± Alice opened her eyes wide in surprise when she saw the man¡¯s face. Lawrence Littenverk. He was the duke of the neighboring empire, the Nakran Empire, and a person who had visited the Erha Empire for the birthday party of the Crown Princess. A troubled look crossed her face as she recognized his face. It¡¯s been a while since she had an accident at a banquet hall, and she called the Duke from another empire using, ¡®Hey¡¯. Lawrence¡¯s expression did not change, but Alice noticed his displeasure. ¡®No, so what if he was a Duke?¡¯ No matter how duke he was, she couldn¡¯t let him take the sweets of her choice first. ¡°This is what I will buy.¡± CH 6 Chapter 6 ¨C Encounter (2) Translator: Lioness ¡°Clerk.¡± With his low call, a different clerk hurriedly took out the cookies from the display case which displease Alice, clenching her fists. ¡°I called the clerk first!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the clerk I called brought out the cookies first.¡± Alice found that his expressionless face is more of a reason to hate him so she stepped closer to him. ¡°Wasn¡¯t I the one who beckoned first?¡± ¡°Ri, right, Miss.¡± The clerk who guided her inside stuttered nervously and fortunately, there were no other customers than them so no one was there to watch as the situation unfolded. The owner of the bakery then approached them but Alice motioned him slightly and nothing missed Lawrence¡¯s eyes. ¡®They¡¯re acquaintances.¡¯ Lawrence had been keeping an eye on her Alice from the moment she entered the bakery shop. The reason she went to the sweets shop on the outskirts of the capital was because there was someone who liked cookies there. His aide, Plein, asked him to do so. ¡°Please, let¡¯s go get some snacks. Those cinnamon cookies are right there! How could something so delicious exist in the world!¡± ¡°Do your duty properly. How did you find the princess?¡± ¡°Haa, my brain as of the moment is not functioning as it lacks sugar, Your Highness.¡± Lawrence contemplated whether to shout at his aide, but he forced a smile as the attendants inside the Erha Empire were watching him. In the end, he decided to rationalize things as today ¡®Diamond of the Abyss¡¯ will be finished and he will go out eventually. ¡®Although they¡¯re not merely diamonds.¡¯ The Diamond of the Abyss was a very unique gem. It was a black jewel in the Nakran Empire, the same color as the hair of the imperial family, that was said to bring health and happiness to those who wore it. The jewel was strictly prohibited from being exported under the strict control of the Nakran family, so no one could find it. ¡®I can¡¯t imagine giving such a jewel to the crown princess of the Erha Empire.¡¯ Lawrence thought that it was a ridiculous plan but it was what he needed after hearing the Crown Prince whom he served. The jewel was a disguise to hide the Crown Prince¡¯s plan of searching for his sister. A trick to hide that Lawrence was searching for her lost sister. Although the Diamond of Abyss was a precious jewel, it was nothing compared to the bloodline of the Nakran family. Daniel Nakran, the crown prince, could have given anything more to find his younger sister, and it was here in the Erha Empire that he finally got a clue. That the princess is hidden in an aristocratic family in this empire. ¡°She has a necklace her mother gave her. You can tell by looking at that necklace on her. That necklace symbolizes the imperial family.¡± It was absurd to think that such a necklace would be worn around the neck of a noble lady of the Erha Empire. He added urgently to Lawrence, who was looking at Daniel with an absurd look. ¡°The necklace has a special device. There is a red jewel, the color of the imperial family, in the middle, and the pattern glows red when it meets it.¡± What Daniel handed over was the ring he always wore. Upon receiving his ring, Lawrence put it on his left fourth finger. He tried to put it on his little finger, but the ring was too loose. ¡°Please find her.¡± Lawrence bowed to Daniel who asked him since it was the real reason he came to Erha Empire. Lawrence¡¯s eyes, which had been watching each and every noble lady, turned to Alice again. ¡®This person was also one of the candidates.¡¯ He shook his head when he thought of the image as Alice laughed maniacally in the garden outside the Banquet Hall. Even if she was acquainted with the owner of this shop, the situation is entirely different. If Alice was a person who hides her true face and waits for the right time, he might need to change his judgements then. ¡°Young Miss, that doesn¡¯t mean that the snack I ordered first will be yours.¡± ¡°No, what are you talking about! Because I was going to buy it first!¡± Plein was standing beside Lawrence, silently watching the situation with an expression that says that his master will not stay still by the words that Alice just blurted. Lawrence took a step towards Alice yet that one step was powerful. Plein flinched by that powerful movement but Alice was different. She raised her proud chin, glaring at him with her piercing eyes. He deliberately did that to see her reaction and she was cute that she pretended that she was fine. ¡®She looks like a cat.¡¯ (TN: Well, another one getting whipped.) Her haughty and dignified posture was similar to the cat raised by Crown Prince Daniel. That cat who would stand up and hiss if she didn¡¯t like someone. ¡°Then can I loudly say that the daughter of the Marquess of Hamilton came dressed as commoner here?¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°It turns out that this store is run by the Hamilton Marquess?¡± Alice¡¯s expression changed at Lawrence¡¯s words. He was sure when he noticed the expression on her face that quickly cooled. Her expression passed for a moment, but he couldn¡¯t go wrong. ¡®Right.¡¯ He said it as if he knew the owner, but his prediction was right. ¡®This bakery shop also belongs to the Hamilton Marquis?¡¯ I had heard rumors that the Marquis of Hamilton had great talent as a merchant. There were many items brought in from the Nakran Empire through Hamilton. However, there were no rumors that his daughter was involved in running the store. ¡®It must have been hidden.¡¯ It was evident that he had moved from behind rather than deliberately. The words whispered in her ear were so small that only Alice and Lawrence could hear them. Alice looked around her, whispered, smiling as she closed her eyes. Her red eyes suddenly widened with a captivating light. ¡°Keep it a secret.¡± ¡°For free?¡± ¡°Haa, seriously.¡± Alice waved her hand as if it couldn¡¯t be helped. It started with useless stubbornness, but to show all the cards she had from the beginning. Alice bit her lip at her unexpected mistake. It was her mistake that she had been confined to her house for the past four years and that she was immature in dealing with people. ¡®I was too restrained.¡¯ Alice didn¡¯t come out of the marquis to the extent that she wondered if it was necessary. As if something happens when she leaves. ¡®It even happened.¡¯ Every time she went out, as if she had waited, something strange happened. It was a very minor thing, but Alice got on her nerves and waited until the original work was finished. Since the original story was over, she had to get out of this Erha Empire as quickly as possible. Alice, realizing her mistake and determined to make up for it, straightened up her expression in an instant. ¡°The cookie is done.¡± ¡°Young lady.¡± Lawrence called Alice who was about to pass by. Alice turned around, her face filled with irritation. ¡°Ah, why?!¡± ¡°Your calculation is wrong.¡± ¡°What calculation?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the cookie, so let¡¯s talk.¡± ¡°Talk? What business do I hav¡ª¡± ¡°That one?¡± Alice shut her mouth as Lawrence¡¯s eyebrows raised. It¡¯s been a while since someone caught her weakness, but she forgot about it. What if she finds out that Alice was connected to the Hamilton family business? If she goes to the next empire after that? Of course, nothing good could happen. ¡°Sit down.¡± There was also a space in the store where you could sit and drink cookies and tea. It was a space created based on Alice¡¯s opinion that it makes no sense that there is no place to enjoy teatime in a shop that caters to nobles. ¡®I never thought I would sit here.¡¯ The first time she went out, she became so tired. Alice wanted to get out of this store as soon as possible. ¡®Should I run away now?¡¯ As she continued to stare at the door, Lawrence winked at Plein. Recognizing its meaning, Plein approached the door and stood. As if she knew Alice would run away from there. ¡®Ah-oh.¡¯ Lawrence, who accurately grasped her intentions, tapped his fingers on the table and pointed to her to sit down. Alice took a deep breath and sat down. ¡°I am surprised that the young lady is the owner of this store.¡± ¡°I am not the owner.¡± Alice, who was afraid that anyone would hear her, answered with gritting teeth. It was still early, so it was fortunate that it wasn¡¯t crowded. If people find her, the daughter of the Erha Empire, sitting with her foreign duke¡­ ¡®Wait?¡¯ Alice was the one who wants to escape to another empire. That too to the neighboring empire, the Nakran Empire. ¡®Does this means that he might be able to help her?¡¯ Alice, who had cleared away her hesitation so far, pulled her chair closer. Lawrence was taken aback by the sudden change. Alice whispered as she brought her face closer to Lawrence, who was sitting still. ¡°So, what do you want to say to me?¡± Her changed demeanor left Lawrence speechless. He was caught speechless because he just wanted to have a conversation with a woman who might be the princess. That¡¯s why he had such an active attitude towards her. Lawrence, who flinched at her change, straightened his body as she was about to fall behind him on his own. She was completely different from when she came out defensive earlier. Alice twinkled her eyes; she knew what she wanted from him. What would a foreign daughter want from him? CH 7 Chapter 7 ¨C The Jeweler and Lesir Translator: Lioness ¡®No way she wanted him to be her escort?¡¯ She was the same person who insulted the Crown Princess yesterday in her coming-of-age ceremony therefore she couldn¡¯t participate again for the second day. There were only 4 days left for the banquet to end. ¡°It was not really of a matter just that I hear Miss grew up somewhere else and had been registered¡­¡± ¡°So it was really not of a matter.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°You said it was nothing but personally it is a big deal. I wouldn¡¯t want to say it casually as that.¡± He was speechless at her words and felt guilty as he watched her face turn hard and cold instantly which previously contained a bright and youthful smile. He tried to ignore the tingling in his chest but this expressionless face of hers seemed to be her real face. He was speechless and could not speak any further. Lawrence Littenverk, who skillfully handled nobles in the Nakran Empire, was left hesitant in front of a small Lady. Alice spoke first and looked at him and gave a weak snort. ¡°Listen. Why did you ask this question?¡± At that cynical tone, Lawrence couldn¡¯t open his mouth anymore. After much thought, only one word escaped his lips. ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t ask any further.¡± ¡°Then I will go first.¡± Alice, who had decided to ask Lawrence Littenverk to take another empire gave up in an instant. As soon as she got up from her seat, her hard face, the owner of the pastry shop approached her and held out something of her. Alice, who accepted it, roughly selected her sweets, calculated her bill, and left. Lawrence couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her back for a long time. From that precarious and sad back of Alice. **** ¡®If he¡¯s a Duke, he could do that? Let¡¯s see.¡¯ She was determined not letting go Lawrence off the hook after stabbing her sorely. The fact that she was an adopted daughter was unknown to everyone in the Erha Empire. However, she was the daughter of the wealthy Hamilton Marquess; the only one. There was no one who came up to her and asked her openly, ¡®Are you an adopted daughter?¡¯ I often heard gossip behind her, but Lawrence was the first to tell her openly that she was from somewhere else. Alice left the bakery store with a sigh, and confronted Benedict. She noticed that her face was not looking good, and he asked cautiously. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Something.¡± ¡°What happened to your face¡­¡± ¡°It was because I met a strange person.¡± Alice, who had roughly passed her purchase of sweets to Benedict, got into her carriage without her escort. Lesir approached Benedict and spoke to him. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but the lady¡­¡± ¡°What is the lady, an immature child? She went to the bakery shop and said she would be back soon, but what time was it already?¡± Benedict stiffened his mouth at Lesir¡¯s attitude of ignoring Alice while snorting at him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s go. With her expression, it¡¯s time for us to go.¡± Lesir, noticing her angry expression, quickly got on the horse. Benedict also looked at the carriage for a moment, then got on the horse. It was because he had to go further to get to the jeweler¡¯s shop in the capital that Alice said. Alice, who entered the carriage, couldn¡¯t stand her own pace and stomped her feet on the spot. ¡°Oh, I should have fired more attacks!¡± To just let go of someone who touched a painful wound. Alice, who had been confined to her room for four years and wondered if her personality had completely disappeared, came to her senses. ¡°I¡¯m doomed.¡± She was now doomed because even if she didn¡¯t ask Lawrence to take her to Nakran Empire, she will need to use her connections at least. However, as her emotions got the better of her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to talk to him easily the next time. She hit her head in the carriage with a deep sigh. ¡°Personality matters.¡± This was also the reason she hadn¡¯t been to socialite banquets. She sees a lot of cases where she doesn¡¯t even have to do things according to her personality. ¡®Should I just stay home? No, I have to run away.¡¯ That chilly voice. The voice that she couldn¡¯t hear now but only heard in her ears seemed to hold a deep grudge against her. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be able to embrace such a cold and chilling life. ¡°What did I do wrong!?¡± If it wasn¡¯t for that voice, Alice could live comfortably in the Erha Empire. The Marquis of Hamilton had a lot of money with him and was the only one who recognized her, unlike the servants of the household. The troubled Marquis at first, too, as she began to help him in his work, he occasionally watched her Alice with his affectionate eyes. There was a time when she thought it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to live the rest of her life by the side of the marquis, but she gave up. She didn¡¯t want to live in the country where the original story takes place. It was annoying enough to step into a story she doesn¡¯t love, but to have to live there for the rest of her life? She couldn¡¯t do it. ¡®I must go to another empire. At least to Nakran.¡¯ Even though she had no voice, she didn¡¯t want to stay here. So, Alice waited until the original story was finished. And now that it was over, she only thought of moving from here and going to the Nakran Empire. ¡°Wait, now that I see it¡­¡± She went out, but nothing happened. Yesterday, when she decided to go to the Nakran Empire in earnest, since the story was finished, Alice¡¯s heart was at ease. Realizing that fact again, Alice recalled her decision. ¡®I have to go.¡¯ She wanted to get as far away from the original characters as possible. That way she could be comfortable. She also liked living according to her personality. She took a lot of money and she wanted to leave this empire and live in a place full of people who didn¡¯t know her. She wanted to live in a place where no one pointed their fingers at her as an adopted daughter, no one looked down on her for her lack of dignity or grace, and no one would call her timid. She felt that if she left this place, she would be able to live a freer and happier life. Otherwise, she didn¡¯t have to leave this empire. ¡°I was afraid that it would interfere with the original work, but I didn¡¯t.¡± The novel was over, and the main characters will live happily ever after. All Alice needs to do was to quietly disappear from here. All that remains was for her to be happy. ¡®Okay. That¡¯s the best way.¡¯ After finishing her thoughts, she looked outside with a slightly relieved expression. When the window opened, she met Benedict¡¯s eyes. Alice, who smiled lightly at his worried eyes, turned her attention to the scenery outside her. Everywhere she looked, there was always something new. There were various colors outside. Every building is built here. Buildings that look so strange that if they were built like that, it would be a building. The faces of the people in colorful clothes were bright. The festival energized people and those people running around in a hurry relieved her anxiety. ¡°I envy them.¡± A bitter smile formed on Alice¡¯s lips when she saw the faces of the people smiling brightly. As part of this world, they could live on whatever they wanted, but she couldn¡¯t. She could not get rid of the thought of being a stranger here in this world. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t move and didn¡¯t try to change anything from the story. There were times when she thought it was her ¡®courtesy¡¯ to this world. She thought for a while about what would happen if this world disappeared after the original story, but her worries were useless. Because her story was ¡®part¡¯ of this world, not ¡®all¡¯. ¡°I can go somewhere else.¡± She wanted to find a new life somewhere else where her story didn¡¯t reach. That was her only hope for Alice who couldn¡¯t escape this world. She didn¡¯t change her mind about running away. Because she thought she had to go somewhere other than this empire so she could live a decent life. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± As they entered the main street of the capital, Alice followed Benedict¡¯s words and got out of the carriage. She was dressed as a commoner, so she had to walk from here. She paused in an alley in sight of the jeweler, and Alice pursed her lips at Benedict and Lesir. ¡°I¡¯m going to go to that jewelry store and buy some jewelry.¡± ¡°Is that so, Miss?¡± Alice smiled, liking Benedict¡¯s polite words, and his face lit up. ¡°So, you two are watching from here.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± Lesir retorted in a low voice. ¡°You tell me to stay here without knowledge of what you¡¯re going to do there.¡± ¡®No, can¡¯t you trust me?¡¯ Of course, I knew they wouldn¡¯t believe her. It must be absurd that they trust the girl who was always confined to the corner of her room and sends her alone to shop. ¡®Still, I¡¯m the daughter of a marquis, and these guys are the knights who have to serve me, right?¡¯ If she was good, they¡¯d be subordinate, and if she was bad, they¡¯d be minions. They¡¯re employees in the Marquis¡¯s household. They say they had pride because they are knights, but she knew that pride will disappear if they had no money, so Alice¡¯s eyes grow cold. She purposely dressed in commoner¡¯s clothes and insisted they¡¯d escort her. She walked over to Lesir, who was more arrogant than Benedict, who said nothing. CH 8 Chapter 8 ¨C Incident Translator: Lioness ¡°Look at this outfit.¡± Benedict and Lesir stared at Alice. Realizing what was it, Benedict nodded his head. ¡°I, dressed in commoner clothes, will go there and cause a commotion? I am good if I don¡¯t make any of that sort.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When Lesir replied shyly, Alice showed a cold smile once more. ¡°So, you two will be staying watching me from here. I have something to buy alone and if you two are with me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to choose freely.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work though. I cannot let you go alone.¡± They said it couldn¡¯t be the same but for different reasons. Alice, who liked Benedict¡¯s words much more than Lesir¡¯s, smiled brightly at him. ¡°Thank you for worrying about me, but this is really important.¡± ¡°Did you say it was important?¡± ¡°Yes. I have to undo the mistake I made.¡± The two nodded as they exchanged glances as if they thought she wanted to apologize for the mistake she had made to the crown prince. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 10 minutes.¡± ¡°Five minutes is enough.¡± ¡®I¡¯ll go and buy the cheapest one that looks the most expensive.¡¯ Alice spun as he hummed into Lulu Lala. Lesir watched her suspiciously while Benedict shook his head at Lesir¡¯s continued attempts to stop her. ¡®It¡¯s good that I brought the two of them.¡¯ Hearing that there were two knights assigned by the Marquis and praising herself for not rejecting them, Alice left them waiting in the alley and hurriedly moved on to the shop. As Alice entered with a ¡®jingle¡¯ of the door, she called the clerk loudly. ¡°Welcome!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to look at expensive jewelry.¡± ¡®Oh, no. I should have said I came to buy them.¡¯ It had been such a long time since she went out, so the words came out in vain. ¡°The expensive jewels?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The clerk, who was tilting her head, guided her along with her exclamation of ¡®Ah!¡¯. ¡°Come this way.¡± There was a jewel that caught Alice¡¯s eye as she followed the clerk¡¯s guide. It was a hyacinth-shaped gem. Coincidentally, the language of flowers was also a flower with the meaning of an apology. ¡®Would that be okay? Were there any jewels like that in this world?¡¯ It was so flashy which made it look expensive and the perfect jewel to apologize to the Crown Princess. Just as she was about to call the clerk for the price, the clerk had already held out an item to her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you come to get this?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡®Coming to find something, what?¡¯ Alice swore to heaven that it was her first time coming her but the clerk had already pushed the box at her while looking around. ¡°You have to be careful with it. Because this is precious.¡± ¡°This, I will get¡­¡± ¡°It is expensive. Very.¡± Alice¡¯s eyes widened at the clerk¡¯s words. ¡®No, no.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t take anything she didn¡¯t pay for, no matter how expensive it was. Alice gestured to call back the clerk as she walked away, but she couldn¡¯t move as she was caught in the crowd of people pushing her from behind. Of course, the discount period had coincided, so people rushed in in an instant. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°This is not an event that comes every day! A special prize to commemorate the birthday! It¡¯s only for one hour!¡± At the clerk¡¯s cry, people rushed in, Alice was pushed behind her. A crown had come before her eyes and she wondered where did they come from? Alice, giving up on returning the goods, walked out of her shop. ¡®I¡¯ll have to wait a bit and return it.¡¯ The clerk said it was a one-hour sale, so she¡¯d come back in an hour, she thought, and as she walked out of the store, she noticed that Lesir and Benedict were in a strange mood. **** Two minutes after Alice entered the jewelry store, there was a scene in which she caught Lesir¡¯s eye. A rich man was threatening a weak woman. The woman screamed at the man, and Lesir, who heard the scream, told Benedict. ¡°Does it look dangerous over there?¡± ¡°Lesir. We¡¯re escorting the Marquis¡¯s daughter right now. Don¡¯t pay attention to anything else.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I always say that I didn¡¯t want to serve such a young lady?¡± ¡°Anyway, she¡¯s the daughter of the lord we serve.¡± ¡°She is a foster daughter!¡± ¡°Even if they are not related by blood, she is officially registered. So quit.¡± Lesir, who looked at Benedict with a frustrated expression, ran to the place where the incident had taken place and saved the woman in danger. Concerned that Lesir was surrounded by rogues, Benedict followed him. But Benedict still kept his eyes on the jewelry store. A person appeared in front of it. Karus Shellington. The only duke of the Shellington duchy in the Erha Empire, and the one with the right to succeed to the throne. Karus¡¯s mother was the emperor¡¯s younger sister, so he had the right of succession to him as well. If a problem arises with the crown prince, he becomes the first successor. Benedict and Lesir¡¯s eyes widened when they met such a tycoon on the street. ¡°Thank you for saving my sister.¡± ¡°I just did my duty as a knight.¡± When Lesir, who was surprised to see Duke Karus Shellington suddenly appeared, hurriedly replied, Karus did not take his eyes off him. Karus looked at Lesir and already found his skills. Karus looked at Benedict with the same gaze. Benedict was supposed to say something but he realized that he was being scrutinized. ¡°Would you like to go to our duchy?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Karus proposed to Lesir. ¡°I mean, would you like to become a knight of our duchy along with the knight over there?¡± Karus liked people with ability. According to what he looked at; the two knights were fairly skilled knights. ¡®Especially over there.¡¯ He coveted Benedict from a little distance more than Lesir in front of him. It was so amazing that he wondered how much-hidden skill he had in his sleeve. What he said to Lesir was just a means to attract Benedict behind him because he couldn¡¯t grasp Benedict¡¯s skill at a glance. ¡°I am already in¡­¡± ¡°Lesir, the iron-blooded knight. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to become the sword of the duke who protects the Erha Empire as a swordsman than serving a marquis who only has money?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°It will be a good opportunity for you. If you are interested, you can immediately wear this insignia.¡± Lesir did not have enough time to refuse him so Karus had seized that chance to attach it to Lesir¡¯s sword. Because of that, Lesir got into a situation where he couldn¡¯t refuse anymore. ¡®A knight from the Duke of Shellington would be better than the Marquis of Hamilton, who are called money bugs.¡¯ A knight who knows honor would not change his lord, but Lesir¡¯s eyes were not eyes that knew honor. His pupils wanted fame more than money, so Karus was willing to give Lesir what he wanted. ¡®Because I also need an escort knight for the Crown Princess.¡¯ Stella Eirie. She was now Stella Erha, the woman he must hold in his hands. Karus was aiming for her who became the crown princess. As he gradually seduces her and holds her in his hands, the imperial family will naturally come into his grasp. Once, he thought of putting a spy on the imperial family disguising as the escort of the Crown princess and just then, he got Lesir. He tried to take Benedict, but he had already said. ¡°I already have a lord I serve.¡± ¡°If you change your mind, come visit me at the Duke¡¯s residence.¡± After saying that, Karus took the girl and disappeared. And Alice opened the shop door and came out. Lesir¡¯s expression as she looked at her subtly changed. Noticing her strange aura, she approached Lesir. ¡°Is something wrong, sir?¡± ¡°From today I am no longer a knight of the Marquess of Hamilton.¡± ¡®What is he talking about?¡¯ A knight who was appointed a knight from the Marquess family and swore to serve the lord was not a knight of the Marquess family, then? Alice knew that perpetual vows were not so easily broken, so she looked at him with a puzzled expression. As if it wasn¡¯t a joke, Lesir gave strength to his eyes. ¡°I received an offer from Duke Shellington. He said that I am the most necessary person for the duchy.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡ª what? The Duke of Shellington?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡®Why is that person here?¡¯ Karus Shellington. He was a male supporting actor in the original story and a man who competed to the end to take over the crown prince and Stella. Of course, it didn¡¯t work out with him because Stella, the heroine, chose the crown prince, but he was a typical scheming man with his sword in her heart. ¡®A man like that could buy this Lesir?¡¯ Alice wondered if Lesir was such a great person. She thought for a moment, but her mind flashed at Lesir¡¯s words towards her. ¡°So, I will go to the Duke of Shellington.¡± ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Right now.¡± ¡®You¡¯ve been eating, sleeping, and accepting money at the marquis¡¯ family and leaving without saying goodbye?¡¯ Alice shot a sharp glance at Lesir, who was unaware of her grace. Lesir didn¡¯t pay attention to her menacing gaze, but rather raised his chin proudly. It was to the point where no one could see that Alice had done something wrong. ¡°Hey.¡± Alice¡¯s voice lowered. Lesir¡¯s thick black eyebrows wriggled at her call. Alice did not pay attention to the movement of his brows that seemed like it crawled. ¡°Are you ridiculing the Marquis family¡± ¡°What do you mean like that¡ª¡± ¡°We took you to become a knight off the street, clothed you, fed you, gave you a house, paid you, and now you¡¯re going to another Duke¡¯s mansion?¡± (TN: Criminal offensive side-eye. Geez, bro!) CH 9 Chapter 9 ¨C Reunion (1) Translator: Lioness ¡°My lady, that¡¯s too much to say!¡± ¡°What do you want me to do? If it feels unfair then try to be a noble, too!¡± ¡®What is this traitor talking about unfair right now? At Alice¡¯s sharp words, Lesir shot off his momentum. Benedict stepped forward to protect her before Lesir¡¯s energy could be changed to something dangerous. ¡°That¡¯s not wrong.¡± ¡°What are you saying now¡­¡± ¡°I said that the Young Lady was not wrong. You have damaged the knight¡¯s honor.¡± ¡®Yes, that¡¯s what I wanted to say.¡¯ Alice nodded her head wondering why she didn¡¯t say it out clearly. They said the same words, but Benedict¡¯s words were little more luxurious and elegant. She could have used this kind of aristocratic speaking, but she didn¡¯t want to as she didn¡¯t have to be elegant towards a traitor. The Marquess of Hamilton was not one to be ignored. He was the richest person in the Erha Empire. She was the one who had her father like that, so she heard a lot of words here and there. Even the servants in her household talked nonsense, and Alice would tolerate being ignored and neglected, but she would not let those who found fault with her father, the Marquess of Hamilton. She helped him in every way she could. ¡®Even if one feels that way, I could only do that.¡¯ She did not want to see anyone but herself swear at Marquis Hamilton. She knew how he suffered throughout the four years she had been living in his mansion, and gave him a little bit, just a bit of her heart. Thanks to her efforts, no one in the mansion could now ignore the Marquis. Even though they¡¯re actually strangers, Alice knew how he sacrificed sleep just to obtain that much money. And this traitor was ignoring him? It was uunbeliavable. ¡®He¡¯s a noble and Lesir¡¯s drinking from his money, and if the Marquis don¡¯t have money, it¡¯s over.¡¯ Money was the only thing that can buy one nobility and grace. She knew full well that without it, she would have to live a life of hardship before she could discuss nobility, and wanted to curse Lesir for going to the Duke of Shellington. ¡°Benedict! If you go with a woman like that, you¡¯ll be told that you¡¯re not good enough!¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I know what to do. It¡¯s none of your business as an outsider.¡± Benedict openly ignored Lesir. His face flushed red, and Alice felt she needed to intercede at this point. ¡°Go and explain the situation accurately to my father and let the Duke leave. Otherwise, I will show you how much money the Marquis has.¡± Lesir flinched at Alyssa¡¯s threat. He¡¯d been thinking, too. Despite what he had done, the Marquis of Hamilton¡¯s wealth could not be ignored, and if the family used its money to block his path, there would be nothing he could do. Of course, the power of the Duke of Shellington could not be ignored, but he doubted how much power he would use for a mere knight like him. ¡°If you hurt my father, I won¡¯t stay still.¡± Only then did Lesir remember the rumors circulating inside the Hamilton family. Rumor has it that at some point, people cursing the Marquis disappeared one by one. I thought it was just nonsense, but the look in her eyes convinced him. It wasn¡¯t gone, it was bound to be. Alice did just like that. ¡°Are you deceiving people all this time?¡± ¡°Deceiving, who?¡± Alice shrugged her shoulders arrogantly, but she couldn¡¯t help it. It was because of Benedict, who was looking at him with sad eyes. When Lesir, who had been frantic, disappeared toward the Hamilton Marquis, Benedict finally turned around and asked Alice. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± ¡°What should I do? It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been out, but I can¡¯t just return that fast.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you buy a present?¡± ¡°I bought it, but I bought it by mistake. So I¡¯m going to go and change it later.¡± ¡°Change?¡± Alice, who did not respond to Benedict¡¯s words, looked around. There was a three-story building right in front of the jewelry store. Serpentine Teahouse. ¡®I have to go over there and wait.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll have a cup of tea and go back to the jewelry store.¡± ¡°Go back?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself since it¡¯s this way anyway, and you Sir can wait in the teahouse.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be with you¡­¡± ¡°I am okay.¡± Alice shook her hand and entered the teahouse. Benedict shook his head helplessly and followed her. **** Karus entered the jewelry store, leaving her sister in the care of his escort driver. He had already heard that there was a ¡®Diamond of the Abyss¡¯ in this jewelry store, and he came to know that Lawrence Littenverk, Duke of the Nakran Empire, which is on par with the Erha Empire, entrusted the work of the diamond. ¡®I have to get my hands on that jewel.¡¯ The diamond of the abyss was just a black gem on the surface. It didn¡¯t matter if he steal. ¡®It would be better if a conflict broke out between the empires.¡¯ If that occurred, the Crown Prince¡¯s status would be shaken and he would take that chance to become more famous as he was because he was a swords master. Whenever there was a war, it has always been Karis who had the advantage and not the crown prince so he had no doubt he will be successful. Since he moved early, he assumed he could get his hands on the Diamond of the Abyss. Diamond of the abyss. The black diamond had a special legend. It was a legend that the jeweler would protect the health of the wearer and bring good luck. Nobles who had money made every effort to get their hands on the jewel, but failed. The jewel was already in the possession of the neighboring country, the Nakran Empire, and Lawrence, the Duke of the Nakran Empire, who came to form an alliance, who got the work.This jewel was to be presented to Stella, the crown princess. And Karus was planning to intercept this from the middle and give it as a gift. ¡®It would be nice for the crown prince to participate in a war with both sides.¡¯ He was feeling a bit sorry using Stella, but Karus was a man who prioritized his success over women. ¡°A maid has already visited.¡± ¡°A maid?¡± ¡°Yes, she has.¡± Karus knew Lawrence well. The two rivals have not been on good terms since they were studying at the academy. It was also the reason that Karus hated Lawrence one-sidedly for pretending to be nice. So, he couldn¡¯t believe that Lawrence had sent his maid to look for the diamonds. ¡®A man who trusts no one but himself sent a maid to retrieve that important object?¡¯ Karus turned around, saying that he would rather believe the words that Lawrence collapsed while practicing his swordsmanship. He passed by Lawrence, who had just entered the jewelry store. Lawrence belatedly asked the clerk for the whereabouts of the jewel, and he was told that it had also been passed on a maid. Remembering that Karus had gone out, Lawrence rushed out of the jewelry store and ran into Karus, who was getting into the carriage to leave. ¡°Karus Shellington!¡± ¡°Why are you calling me?¡± ¡°Was it you, again?¡± ¡°I hoped so too, but this time it was not me. You must have heard that she was a maid?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the maid you sent?¡± ¡°Think for yourself.¡± Karus climbed into the carriage and returned to the Shellington duchy. Lawrence couldn¡¯t move from the spot in a broken mood. **** Alice, who had spent a rough amount of time, hurriedly entered the jewelry store. Hearing the conversation between Karus and the clerk, who seemed to be asking about the whereabouts of the jewels, she stepped forward and tried to offer the jewel box, but she quickly hid herself in the self-talk that followed. ¡°If I find out who it was, I won¡¯t let her go.¡± Alice shuddered at Karus¡¯s tenacious nature and find a way to deliver the jewel to him without alerting him to her presence. So, she left the jewelry store, and another man came in. He was an acquaintance of Lawrence Littenverk. ¡°Nothing?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Excellency.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the jewel I entrusted you with? Who the hell took it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the maid¡­¡± ¡°A maid?! Why leave that important thing to the maid?¡± ¡°She said she will get the expensive item, she asked for it¡ª¡± ¡°I said so, but you guys know my face. Of course, you should given it to me, but you passed it on to someone other than me who was entrusted with that work? The jewel that no money could buy?¡± The talkative Lawrence was twice as scary as Karus. ¡®So, did I get the jewel Karus was trying to snatch? The original owner of the jewel was Lawrence?¡¯ As Alice slowly continued her thoughts, she remembered Lawrence¡¯s desperate expression. This jewel seemed more important to him than she thought. No matter what he said, she needs to listen. ¡®If I trade this with¡­¡¯ It seemed that she could safely cross over to the neighboring empire. After paying the bill, Alice rushed to the coffee shop before Lawrence left the jewelry store. Ignoring Benedict, who had come up to the teahouse and took a seat, and looked down at Alice with strange eyes, she kept her eyes on the situation outside. ¡®Also.¡¯ She saw Lawrence and Karus arguing. The jewels she had in her jewelry box were the cause. If so, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to go to the Empire of Nakran by using this jewel as an excuse? A thought passed through Alice, who was using her head wisely. Lesir. ¡°Did I send him out for nothing?¡± ¡°Are you talking about Lesir?¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± CH 10 Chapter 10 ¨C Reunion (2) Translator: Lioness She couldn¡¯t tell the details to Benedict, so she evaded his words. She didn¡¯t know what he was doing inside the teahouse, but it occurred to her that Lesir might have mentioned she had gone to the jewelry store to gain Karus¡¯s trust. ¡®I can¡¯t get caught.¡¯ It was such a good opportunity. If she played her cards her, going to another country was a piece of cake. In addition, she got Duke Littenverk behind her back, so she was going to hold onto this jewel. She looked down and thought. ¡®I can take revenge for what he did previously, too.¡¯ Seeing Lawrence standing still there, she borrowed a pen from the clerk of the caf¨¦ and write a few words on her handkerchief. Benedict watched her write in shock but said nothing all and once she was done, she handed her handkerchief to him, who was behind her, and said, ¡°Give this to him.¡± ¡°My lady, he is a Duke from another country.¡± ¡°I know. So please pass it onto him.¡± At Alice¡¯s resolute words, Benedict stared at her face. Red eyes filled with determination made him quit hesitant. As Benedict gazed at his dark hair blowing in the wind for a moment, words of permission flowed from Benedict¡¯s lips. ¡°I will do as you command.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Alice watched from above until Benedict, went downstairs to meet Lawrence. After receiving the handkerchief from Benedict, Lawrence looked up. Lawrence¡¯s blue eyes and Alice¡¯s red eyes collided in the air. Alice raised the corners of her mouth, returning her beaming smile to Lawrence, who looked at her with her eyes filled with doubts. ¡®I¡¯ve got my eye stamped, I¡¯m good to go.¡¯ She didn¡¯t need anything more. The situation had been prepared and what she had to wait for was the banquet day. It doesn¡¯t matter if Karus found out that she was the one who took the jewel. He wouldn¡¯t be able to take the jewel with Marquis Hamilton protecting her. ¡®Does he have proof?¡¯ It was enough to say double. The only person who saw her take the jewels was the clerk at the jewelry store, who wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize if her clothes was changed. No, even if she brought her up, she wouldn¡¯t be able to point her out. ¡°That jeweler, it¡¯s my family¡¯s.¡± Alice¡¯s smiling face shone brightly. When Benedict returned, Alice offered a seat in front of her. Her faithful escort knight declined her offer, but she could not overcome Alice¡¯s stubbornness. There were strange glances around her at the lady dressed as a commoner and the escort knight sitting opposite each other, but Alice didn¡¯t care. ¡°Miss.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Alice¡¯s smile grew wider at Benedict¡¯s question. Coming out of the Marquis House was full of fun. She had been living happily in her room before that, but when her original story was over, the whole world was beautiful. ¡°Just because.¡± ¡°Did you just say that?¡± ¡°I just wanted to.¡± ¡°To do so¡­¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be something I, Duke Lawrence Littenverk, would have to accept anyway, even if I wanted to?¡± Benedict¡¯s head nodded. The sunlight warmly embraced Alice, and the leisurely teatime with the friendly escort knight passed like that. **** Lawrence continued to look at the handkerchief as if he had been waiting for him when he was in trouble. He didn¡¯t look up until his aide, Flein, asked what was going on. ¡°What about diamonds, did you only bring a woman¡¯s handkerchief?¡± ¡°Because something happened.¡± He was in a bad mood, feeling like a joke right now. The writing on the handkerchief said that if he wanted to get what he wanted, he should be her escort for the third day of the banquet. It was written by a young lady from a noble family, someone Lawrence had heard of and seen. The woman he had just met. ¡®Alice Hamilton.¡¯ The culprit who humiliated the Crown Princess in public, made her cry at her birthday party, and now the culprit asked him to ask her to be her escort. His expression grew serious that his aide, Baron Flender shut his mouth. Externally, people knew him as good-natured, but few could guess his true intentions. He was an unpredictable person. And that was Lawrence Littenverk. ¡®Escort?¡¯ He was the one who had entrusted the jeweler to set the Diamond of Abyss and now the person who had taken it from him was making demands. It was unbelievable. Dumbfounded, Lawrence didn¡¯t dare tell his men that he¡¯d been taken advantage of. It was a matter of his pride. ¡®There was no way.¡¯ What was more serious was that he had no choice but to comply with such an absurd request. She was a person who would never give the diamond of the abyss if he did not grant her request. Didn¡¯t he see her in the garden? She was the woman who made the Crown Princess cry and laughed happily. Also, in the pastry shop. Just looking at her, she was above average. ¡®Plus, she could be the Imperial Princess.¡¯ There was a possibility that she was the princess, so he couldn¡¯t ignore it either. Wrinkles formed between Lawrence¡¯s eyebrows, and Plein, his aide, slipped outside. The superficial reason was to recheck the place where the knights were staying, but the real reason was that he didn¡¯t want to deal with Lawrence who was angry. ¡°Right.¡± He sat for a long time, tapping his fingers on his desk. It was Lawrence¡¯s habit when he was deep in thought. Feelings of arrogance and resentment swirled through hiim. But he was also intrigued, curious to know what kind of person the Young Lady was who had driven him to this point. ¡®She¡¯s a different person than how public evaluated her.¡¯ This was the rumor about Alice Hamilton. She was the bane of the Marquis of Hamilton. The only thing she had, worthy of her prestige as the cherished daughter of a wealthy marquis, was money. A reclusive daughter of the Hamilton family, who has the title of Marquis but was not treated as a noble by other nobles, either. However, the evaluation in the family was a little different. Before coming to the Erha Empire, Lawrence, who had researched all the noble ladies of the empire, collected information so as not to miss a single detail. The evaluation in the house were apparition. However, the young lady who received such an evaluation pushed him to an unavoidable proposal. ¡°Different.¡± She was a completely different person from what he had heard. ¡°It was just a trick¡­¡± Then the story was different. Lawrence, he also uses gossip as a gimmick. The appearance of Alice at the banquet hall was rumored, but even if her appearance was a trick, she was a great person. How can a person who uses other people¡¯s eyes to hide himself be normal? ¡°Is there anything a young lady would do that much?¡± The Hamilton Marquis family had some money and the title of Marquis, so it was a family that could play and eat for the rest of their lives. But why would a young lady from such a family do something to shame herself? As he thought again and again, the sun was setting before he knew it. The conclusion has already been reached. He couldn¡¯t pass by someone who piqued his curiosity to this extent. ¡°I need to meet her.¡± Normally, Lawrence would not listen to such outrageous demands. There were not one or two young ladies who challenged him as a duke. He pretended to be courteous and polite, but since refusal was the limit, he pretended not to have received the letters from the young ladies at all. The daughters of the Nakran Empire, ignorant of the facts, made Flein, his aide, a public enemy. Despite knowing all of this, Lawrence remained ignorant in public. Lawrence didn¡¯t care even though he knew how stressed Flein was when he couldn¡¯t stand the girls¡¯ annoyance. His day was too busy to pay attention to such things. Lawrence Littenverk was not as nice a person as the world was knew him for. Was it really a gain or a loss for him to show his interest in Alice and harden his heart to meet her? **** Alice stopped by another jewelry store to buy jewels for Stella, the crown princess, and arrived at the marquis¡¯s house in a happy mood. It was a forced outing with the determination to meet people from other empires, but the result was greater than expected. The man she met at the bakery shop and the jewelry shop! ¡®It¡¯s Lawrence Littenverk!¡¯ It was a success even ifs he met only a nobleman who had just participated in the banquet, but she asked Lawrence Littenverk as an escort. ¡°Is something going smoothly?¡± It seemed to be paying off her hard work for the past four years. She intended to attend the banquet with Lawrence and talk. Banquet partners can be together for a long time, so there was plenty of time to talk. ¡®He has to take me there somehow.¡¯ As soon as Alice came here four years ago, she asked the Marquis of Hamilton to set up a plan to open the Marquis¡¯ shop in the Nakran Empire. She recommended her to be in charge of the shop, but the marquis didn¡¯t bat an eye. Instead, he got angry and repeated that he couldn¡¯t let her go to the Nakran Empire. He didn¡¯t tell her why, and only kept repeating that she couldn¡¯t go, so Alice tried to find another way. However, there was no place in the Erha Empire that Marquis Hamilton could not see. For the day they left for the Nakran Empire, it took them to borrow a carriage or a horse. It took him to find money and hire mercenaries. Since she couldn¡¯t go outside himself, she had no choice but to collect money in her magic bag and buy things. So, she gave up and decided to wait. Until the very end of the original story. CH 11 Chapter 11 ¨C Lawrence Littenverk (1) Translator: Lioness ¡®There was only one way.¡¯ As the end of the novel came, she will now disappear and hides from the people involved in the story. It was her plan so she prohibited going outside but an opportunity befell. It was the Crown Princess¡¯s birthday and foreign envoys visits her. A chance to escape the eyes of the Marquis Hamilton and cross over to the Nakran Empire. And Lawrence Littenverk was the one to achieve her plan. ¡°Duke is really the key!¡± Her lips were shaped into a smile along with a roll on the bed. Those four years she was inside passed through her mind like a kaleidoscope and those suffering was already over. The reason why the Marquis wanted her not going to Nakran empire was unclear but now, there was nothing to worry. I will leave without regret. **** ¡°Alice! What the hell have you done!¡± The Marquis Hamilton burst open the door and entered. ¡°Oh, why are you screaming!¡± ¡°What the hell did you do that made Sir Lesir leave the Marquis family?¡± ¡°He left because of me, really?¡± Alice¡¯s sharp words pricked Marquis Hamilton. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was because of you.¡± ¡°Look at that! Was it not because of me?¡± ¡°Then why did he leave? After escorting you, he said he was leaving the family, but what was the reason if not you?¡± Alice waved her hand at the Marquis, who widened his eyes and tried to find fault. ¡°Because it was not really me. Go ask Sir Benedict!¡± ¡°Sir Benedict?¡± ¡°Yes. He will know better.¡± The Marquis Hamilton, who looked at Alice suspiciously, sighed. ¡°Did you buy a present?¡± ¡°I already bought it. Do not worry.¡± ¡°The Crown Princess said she would only meet you once.¡± ¡°That would be such an honor.¡± ¡°Alice!¡± He yelled at her for being unruly but she didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Father. I know how to do it.¡± ¡°You do know because you insulted the Crown Princess at the Banquet Hall?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, well¡­.¡± The Marquis glared at Alice, who was hesitant and unable to follow her words, then let out a bigger sigh and left her room. After checking his thumping back, Alice murmured. He glared at her who couldn¡¯t say her words. After letting out a deep sigh, he left her room and after checking that he really left, she murmureed, ¡°I can handle it on my own, don¡¯t worry.¡± Knowing that he was worried about me and saying that Alice gave a bitter smile. What would be his reaction if he got to know that she was not the real Alice? ¡®Should I go find his real daughter?¡¯ How could she find someone who has already disappeared? She thought for a moment, then Alice shook her head vigorously. It was a futile idea. There was no way she could find someone who had already disappeared. ¡®Was it because it¡¯s time to leave?¡¯ Why does she feel upset because of this? Alice couldn¡¯t sleep because of her thoughts. Four years was a long time than she thought. She had no affection in this world, to the point where she had no one to give her affection. Contrary to her dizzy mind, the sun rose steadily today. Dark circles sat under Alice¡¯s eyes, who had stayed up all night with her eyes almost open. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± Alice, who fell on the table, blinked her eyes. She felt sleepy and to attend the banquet, it was time for her to dress up all day long, but her desire to sleep was like a chimney. ¡®Let¡¯s sleep.¡¯ She closed her eyes to sleep for a little bit, and when she opened her eyes, there was a fuss in the household. ¡°¡­ Miss! Miss!¡± Someone called her in her sleep and it was Gina, her maid. Because of that, she jumped up, surprised, ¡®Ugh, sleeping¡­ it¡¯s ruined.¡¯ Alice wiped the saliva from her mouth and raised her head. She had blurry eyes and paled face. When the face she had been seeing for the past four years turned to Gina, Gina hurriedly put a cold cloth over Alice¡¯s face. Only then did she come back to her senses, and Gina shouted loudly. ¡°My lady is in trouble!¡± ¡°A big trouble?¡± ¡®Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s something big going on in this family. It¡¯s not like the Crown prince wants to catch me¡­.¡¯ Alice, alerted to her passing thoughts, opened her eyes wide. ¡°Will the Crown prince hold me captive me for a long time?¡± ¡°No, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± ¡°Then?¡± Gina whispered with a serious face at Alice¡¯s attitude which looked like she doesn¡¯t give a care at all. ¡°The Duke of Littenverk is here.¡± ¡°No, why is he here already?¡± ¡°What do you mean already, is that how you talk to someone who has come to ask to meet with you? Get up, get up, get up!¡± Gina frantically pushed Alice. The reason was that she couldn¡¯t keep such honored and respected guest waiting long. Alice shouted that she was also a precious person, but Gina didn¡¯t pretend to listen. As she rolled around, a gorgeous noble lady was standing in front of the mirror before she knew it. ¡°Looking at it like this, I¡¯m pretty, too.¡± ¡°You are originally pretty. It¡¯s because that pretty face and her personality are completely different.¡± Alice laughed at Gina¡¯s remark that if she hadn¡¯t been confined to her family, she would have dominated the social scene. She knew she had a pretty face. However, it was a face that was not affectionate. The only thing she can look at is her black hair, which was similar to hers before possessed this body. Alice shook her head hastily at her deepening thought. ¡®Was it because I couldn¡¯t sleep?¡¯ Why do you feel so useless? Recalling her former self, which she hadn¡¯t thought about in four years, Alice closed her eyes and opened them. She wanted to refrain from becoming more depressed. It was enough for her to stay up all night lost in her thoughts. ¡°Is he down there?¡± ¡°Yes. He is in the living room.¡± ¡°My father?¡± ¡°The Marquis has left early in the morning and was not here.¡± ¡°Then who was received the guest?¡± ¡°The butler¡­¡± ¡°This.¡± Alice hurriedly tidied up her clothes and went outside. She hurriedly followed even past her movements. A duke of a country came to visit, and the reception was like this. She had nothing to say even if she was cursed at. Just as expected. The butler stood in front of the living room, restless. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°The Duke told me to leave.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡®I¡¯m going to swear at him for saying I was a foster daughter!¡¯ There was still time until the banquet. It was social etiquette for the escorting male aristocrat to visit the young lady¡¯s house right before the banquet began. It was obviously Lawrence¡¯s fault for ignoring such etiquette and coming early, but no one pointed it out. ¡®The rank of this thug.¡¯ Because no one can say to a duke, especially a duke from another country, ¡®Why did you come so early¡¯. Except for Alice. ¡°Why did you come so early?¡± Her words came out sharply since she couldn¡¯t see the ¡®beauty¡¯ in him. If the purpose was to embarrass people by coming to the Marquis family, he succeeded. In fact, everyone around her was panicking. Except for Alice, obviously. Lawrence¡¯s eyebrows twitched at her calm expression. ¡°I have something to ask Miss Alice.¡± ¡°To me?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Alice pouted at Lawrence¡¯s chin gesture as if to sit down. ¡®I don¡¯t know whose house it is.¡¯ Lawrence, who sat and greeted her as if she were his master, had no manners of his own toward her, noble lady. ¡®Weird. I do not remember anything setting this kind of thing?¡¯ When Alice set up Lawrence, she was set up as a man who was kind and even had a beautiful personality. She did, but his attitude was different. Was it because the story was over? ¡®Right, it might change.¡¯ Since she came in and changed Alice, of course, a person could also change. After all, in the original novel, he was a supporting actor rather than a leading actor, and he was a person who did not appear so much that it would be embarrassing to call him a supporting actor. ¡®And what does it matter? No matter what personality he has, he just needs to get me out of this Empire.¡¯ His changed personality didn¡¯t matter. The most important thing for her was whether or not Lawrence could take her and escape this Erha Empire. For now, her goal was to get out of this empire, and she stared at Lawrence while he paid no attention to that gaze. ¡°What about diamond?¡± ¡°I said I would give it if you escorted me.¡± At Lawrence¡¯s words, which went straight to the point without saying hello, she couldn¡¯t help but feel her momentum. She showed him her firmness so she could never give up now. ¡°Miss Alice, do you know what that is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but the thing that came into my hands was exactly what His Excellency needs.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine anyone I know behaving like this.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just give away something that came into my hands, whether it was a mistake or not. I still haven¡¯t forgotten what occurred in the bakery shop.¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyebrows moved slightly at her firm words. Steam was still rising from the teacup on the table. At least that meant Lawrence had to change the tea had changed his tea multiple times. ¡®Fussy.¡¯ ¡°What Miss Alice accidentally got is called the diamond of the abyss.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± ¡®What is that?¡¯ To Alice, who couldn¡¯t understand at all, Lawrence explained it one by one. ¡®To put it simply, it¡¯s an expensive item, but apparently, the Marquis family doesn¡¯t have the strength to afford it, that¡¯s what it sounds like.¡¯ So, give it up. Between the aristocrat¡¯s way of speaking round and round, the words Lawrence wanted to say rang in her ears. Alice, who understood correctly, lifted her chin slightly. ¡°I do not want to?¡± CH 12 Chapter 12 ¨C Lawrence Littenverk (2) Translator: Lioness ¡°What?¡± ¡°I do not want to, why would I?¡± He closed his eyes, trying to hide his bewilderment, then opened them. Even after calming himself, nothing changed as Alice certainly had the attitude of being uncooperative with him. It was no use telling her that what was in her possession could result in blood. At this point, even if he didn¡¯t want to know, he couldn¡¯t help but know. That Alice Hamilton wants something from him. It might not have been a coincidence that she had the Diamond of the Abyss in her hands. Unable to shake the feeling that she had stepped into her well-laid plans, Lawrence looked at Alice suspiciously, however, he couldn¡¯t figure out anything. ¡®I don¡¯t think she was cheating.¡¯ As he told her the details of the Diamond, she admitted that she had no knowledge of it. Thus, if she was indeed an acquaintance, she wouldn¡¯t have looked at him innocently. It would be his fault if she pretended she did not know, or if he did not find any fault in her performance. The crime of being a duke of another empire while being played by a noble lady from another empire. The sin of looking at the wrong person even though he was sitting in a high position. ¡®Thinking about it again, I didn¡¯t know.¡¯ Nonetheless, since she did not steal the item unlike what Karus did, he could compromise. But it was evident that he created this stage to get something from him and not the diamond. ¡°Be honest with me. What do you want?¡± He asked her plainly, tired of wasting more time. Thereby, her expression changed in instant since she indeed wanted something from him. But originally, she wanted to act slower but since he initiated, she had no choice but to spill it out. Just as he expected. She opened her mouth with a determined look plastered on her face. ¡°His Excellency, the Marquis of Hamilton has arrived.¡± Lawrence frowned mercilessly at the words of Plein, his aide, who announced the return of the Marquis outside. With that angry look on his face, Alice quietly shut her mouth. She looked at Lawrence because she wanted to refuse the spark after opening her mouth for no reason. Then, when the door to the living room opened, Lawrence¡¯s face instantly changed to a mild expression. Alice¡¯s shoulders twitched at the silent change. In her merchant¡¯s life, she had invited many strange people into her home, but Lawrence Littenverk was the best of them all. ¡®He¡¯s not an easy kid either.¡¯ Looking closely, it seemed that there were no normal people in this novel. Alice thought again about whether the choice she had made was the right one. Would it be right for her to ask Lawrence to take her to her other empire? Lawrence¡¯s aristocratic appearance flowed from his side as he calmly exchanged greetings with Marquis Hamilton and explained the purpose of his visit while she thought of her own. The Marquis couldn¡¯t help but praise his gentleness throughout the conversation. ¡°You are truly aristocratic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too much praise.¡± ¡°No. It is an honor just to see someone who is said to have the blue blood of an aristocrat.¡± ¡®As if he was not a merchant.¡¯ Alice pouted her lips at the words of Marquis Hamilton, who complimented Lawrence smoothly as if his tongue was greased. It was a secret action so that the Marquis could not witness her, but Lawrence, who averted his gaze, met her eyes, and saw it. The sharpness of the man she just experienced was washed away with his noble-like and elegant appearance. ¡®Eww.¡¯ Alis stroked her arm, feeling his coldness passing over her arm. Lawrence lifted his chin at her as if he had seen her. Like if you want to do it, do it. ¡®Do you think I can¡¯t do it?¡¯ Previously, the original story was not finished, and her character could not be revealed, but now the situation was different. The Marquis of Hamilton, noticing the sharp change in her eyes, called her urgently. ¡°Alice.¡± Her head turned to make a whooping sound. The Marquis she met was smiling with a happy face. ¡®I made a mistake.¡¯ She was caught watching Lawrence closely by the Marquis of Hamilton. Her knowing gaze radiated from Marquis Hamilton¡¯s face as he smiled at her. Unlike when she said rude words to the Crown Princess, Alice broke into a cold sweat when she saw his eyes as if praising her to have such a good friend like him. She smiled. ¡°There are days like this in life. You¡¯re familiar with the Duke of Littenverk.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know him¡ª¡± ¡°I asked Miss Alice to be her escort for the third banquet.¡± Alice looked at Lawrence, who cut her words and opened his mouth, with a puzzled expression. She wanted to slap those lips that casually spit out his lies, but she couldn¡¯t get her fist in front of the Marquis Hamilton. ¡°Did you say escort?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When the astonished Marquis asked back, Lawrence gave him the definite answer. Alice didn¡¯t know what to do at the expression that seemed to double in an instant. Irrespective of her fidgety attitude, the marquis smiled broadly at Lawrence. ¡°Then I will only trust you, Your Excellency.¡± ¡°Thank you for entrusting me the Young Lady.¡± Alice hurriedly opened her mouth to Marquis Hamilton, who stood up after a casual greeting. ¡°I-I haven¡¯t finished dressing up yet, so I too¡ª¡± ¡°Oho! A guest has come, but what are you trying to do? Dressing up is something you can do later.¡± The Marquis¡¯s eyes were fierce as he spoke in a gentle voice. Alice averted her gaze as he warned her that he would not leave her alone if she strayed. She had brought him here, but the Marquis preferred him. The Marquis¡¯s steps were light as he left the room. Alice who had been staring at the Marquis¡¯s back as he walked away, swaying and humming, tried to catch up with him, but Lawrence¡¯s piercing glare deterred her. ¡®Ugh, really.¡¯ As soon as the Marquis opened the living door and left, Lawrence¡¯s expression disappeared. ¡°Ms. Alice.¡± ¡°Yes? Ah yes.¡± Alice¡¯s expression became serious at the nuance that seemed to continue her story. She couldn¡¯t tell Lawrence her reasons, but she too was eager to leave the empire. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Please take me out of here.¡± ¡°Would you like to leave?¡± ¡°Please take me to the Nakran Empire!¡± Alice, who closed her eyes tightly, spat out her words. After spitting out that one sentence, she felt so relieved. Alice, who had become her most refreshed expression, stared at Lawrence. At her words, Lawrence stiffened. He couldn¡¯t hide his absurdity, his expressionless face did not show it on the outside, but on the inside, he was greatly embarrassed. ¡®I want you to take me to the empire.¡¯ Who would believe that a Young Lady from an aristocratic family like her, from the Erha Empire, want to leave and settle down in the Nakran Empire? The Hamilton family is a family that could do anything they want in the Erha Empire. As long as she didn¡¯t lust for power, she could live comfortably. The crown prince who will inherit the throne of the Erha Empire is a mild-mannered man, much to the satisfaction of the Nakran Empire. ¡®You¡¯re trying to leave a place like that?¡¯ Lawrence couldn¡¯t believe it either. Maybe she¡¯d come to the Nakran Empire to do something, to settle down. ¡®Why does she dare to break away from a wealthy marquis family?¡¯ Marquis Hamilton was a person with skills that the Nakran Empire as well as the Erha Empire envied. Does the Marquis know that the sole heir of his family wants to escape from the family? Lawrence asked Alice, tapping the table in the seat with his index finger. ¡°You want me to take you? To the Nakran Empire?¡± ¡°The Nakran Empire.¡± ¡°My empire?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± There was no sign of fear in Alice as she nodded her determined expression. She wasn¡¯t the one who had been startled and taken aback by his changed expression a moment ago. Desperation was evident, like a person who risked everything to get what he wanted. ¡®Desperate?¡¯ Lawrence couldn¡¯t figure out why Alice was acting so nervous. Feeling like she was going to hang on for dear life, Lawrence slid his hand down to rest on the table. If he thought he saw a wistful glance, he was probably mistaken. ¡°I have to leave this Erha Empire and go to the Nakran Empire.¡± ¡°What are you going to do in the Nakran Empire?¡± He was curious. What would the only daughter of the wealthy Hamilton Marquis want to do when she came to where he lived? Lawrence slowly took a look at Alice¡¯s face, lost in thought without answering. ¡®Black hair and red eyes. Red¡­ Wait, red eyes?¡¯ The eyes were the same color as the princess he was looking for. The red eyes, the symbol of the Nakran family, were a color that was not commonly seen. Red eyes that few people can see even in the Erha Empire. So, there was a woman like this. It was like destroying the features of the princess he was looking for. Lastly, if she even has a necklace that the crown prince gave her, she was undoubtedly the princess of the Nakran Empire. It was when Lawrence, who had been looking at Alice with shaky eyes, opened her mouth. After finishing her thoughts, Alice¡¯s lips opened. ¡°I am not going to do anything, though?¡± ¡°As expected, the Marquis of Hamilton¡­ what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything.¡± CH 13 Chapter 13 ¨C Lawrence¡¯s Suspicion Translator: Lioness He initially speculated that she will open a new merchant company in Nakran Empire under the Marquia Hamilton name but it shattered. Bewilderedly, he looked at her, but he couldn¡¯t see any lie in her eyes. Feeling that her twinkling eyes were burdening him, he shifted his eyes from her. And ignoring his movement, she blurted, ¡°I¡¯m not really going to do anything. I¡¯ll just live quietly. So, take me there.¡± ¡°If that is so, you can live here in Erha Empire. Why bother going to our Empire?¡± ¡°I want to get out of here.¡± Alice¡¯s face darkened. Lawrence held his breath involuntarily at the sudden change in her expression. ¡®There¡¯s something wrong.¡¯ The Young Lady who used to always be in the crowd disappeared somewhere, and the same person who had a shift of expression went to his Empire; Nakran Empire. He was curious about her circumstances somehow. What could be the reason for wanting to settle in Nakran Empire? ¡°Is it because you made a mistake with the Crown Princess?¡± ¡°No, not like that.¡± In response to Lawrence¡¯s question, Alice bit her lip. Because she didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡®It¡¯s hilarious to say that this world is inside, and I have to escape.¡¯ She didn¡¯t have to go deep. Alice, determined, her eyes lit up. ¡°Will you take me?¡± ¡°If I take you, would there be no problem?¡± To Lawrence¡¯s question, Alice thought for a moment before answering. The Marquis will probably search for her so she will write him a letter after her arrival there. ¡°I will tell is to my Father.¡± Thinking that she could get away with it and make amends, Alice lied without changing her expression. Lawrence noticed that and smirked. ¡®This is a lie.¡¯ Then Lawrence, who judged that her reaction was true until then, decided to listen to Alice¡¯s request. ¡°Then, I will grant you that request.¡± Upon hearing Lawrence¡¯s words, Alice smiled brightly. It¡¯s not a smile that seems worried somewhere, but a bright smile in relief. Seeing that smile for the first time, Lawrence looked away from her. She struggled while she thought of something else. ¡®Because it¡¯s better to stay close and keep an eye on her than to keep suspecting.¡¯ Of course, his intention is not that all clean. **** The third day of the birthday party of the Crown Princess. It was time for the 3rd banquet of the 5-day banquet to begin. Alice was waiting for Lawrence at the Marquis¡¯s estate, ready to apologize to the Crown Princess. ¡®Why is he still not here?¡¯ She woke up early in the morning, dressed up, but yet to hear any news from him. Ten minutes had passed since she went to the drawing room, and she was also tired. She felt the annoyance of the glances from the maids as they came in. ¡°What is she doing there?¡± ¡°I heard that someone will escort her?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°They say he¡¯s the Duke of the Nakran Empire who came before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The servants were arguing how did Lawrence became her escort, spitting various words. ¡°Here you are.¡± The servants who were talking about him were surprised and scattered after hearing him, who leaned against the door, coming into the drawing room. Her face reddened with shame. It was not because of excitement, but with embarrassment. She really couldn¡¯t keep such an image of a noble lady. ¡®I should have yelled at them.¡¯ Although she doesn¡¯t have to put up with ugly attitudes of the servants, it was not that easy to change her habit of the past four years overnight. She then decided that she would do what she wanted without hesitating. She straightened her expression and stood up. ¡°You arrived?¡± ¡°You told me to come, so I did.¡± At the tinge of nonsense in his voice that said, ¡®You asked me to come¡¯, she steadied her expression, which was about to turn sour. ¡®I can¡¯t say anything.¡¯ He wondered why he came all the way here when he pretty dislikes her. Nevertheless, the Diamond of the Abyss was a very important item for him. ¡°What about the diamonds?¡± ¡°Do not worry. I hid it.¡± ¡°When will you give it to me?¡± ¡°What if I write a contract?¡± ¡°Contract?¡± ¡°A contract containing you will take me safely to the Nakran Empire. I am preparing it, so please wait a bit.¡± ¡°I wonder if you¡¯re still the Marquis¡¯s daughter¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to be thorough with anything.¡± Alice didn¡¯t care about Lawrence¡¯s words. Going to Nakran Empire was the most important thing to her. Maybe more than she apologized to the Crown Princess. Today¡¯s escort was to ask Lawrence to take her to the Nakran Empire, but he had already said that, so there was no need. ¡°I can go alone.¡± ¡°You already told the Marquis, so there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡± She inwardly applauded Lawrence¡¯s determination to keep his word, even though it wasn¡¯t what she wanted. She already had a plan. The Marquis would think it strange if she went alone and apologized, so she would use Lawrence as an excuse. ¡®A duke from another empire invited me to apologize, so won¡¯t you accept it?¡¯ It stung her heart a little at the thought of leaning on Lawrence¡¯s authority and apologizing, but Alice had to take advantage of whatever was available. ¡°Shall we go?¡± Still expressionless, Lawrence held out his hand. Alice put her hand on top of his. After leaving the marquis¡¯ residence, the two climbed into the carriage and headed for the imperial palace. ¡°It is very big.¡± Alice muttered as she got off the carriage with Lawrence in front of the banquet hall of the imperial palace. Recognizing her low voice, he asked again. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been here before?¡± ¡°The size didn¡¯t catch my eye back then.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°I have work to do¡­ Wait, why am I saying this?¡± Alice, who had almost unknowingly told Lawrence the reaspm, asked in a pointed voice. ¡°What a waste.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It was a chance to find out the secret.¡± ¡°Th, there are no secrets!¡± Alice shouted, not hiding her flushed face. Attention was drawn to her loud voice. She could hear the people in the banquet hall whispering. ¡°Shameless.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s fortunate that Your Grace is kind.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that, would I have been able to attend this banquet?¡± Not only the women but also the men who attended the banquet made fun of themselves. It was felt that each of the nobles who saw Lawrence¡¯s eyes shut their mouths. ¡°Was it always like this?¡± ¡°Nobles are people who feel strongly that I shouldn¡¯t be in commerce.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s more to it than that?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m also an adopted child.¡± ¡°Oh, right, an adopted child.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± But Lawrence¡¯s heart was not comfortable listening to her. Last time, he coughed in vain, thinking that he had said something unnecessary because it was Alice who had a sad expression on the subject. ¡°It¡¯s nothing so I am okay.¡± ¡°Why is it nothing?¡± ¡°I heard so many things¡­ My father saved me.¡± ¡®Was that why you want to leave?¡¯ Lawrence, suspicious of her not knowing that she had such a situation, openly looked at the whispering nobles one by one, feeling sorry for her. The nobles fell silent at his sharp gaze, and the surroundings became a little quiet. ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­¡± ¡°They were the one who offended you, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Answering without even looking at Alice, Lawrence looked at the ballroom door. The appearance of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess was delayed. ¡°You¡¯re coming in late today.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was an indispensable principle of the novel that the main character appeared late. But today it was too late at the latest. Even the emperor and his wife were at the banquet hall, and the Crown prince and the Crown Princess were even more late than them. It was something that could go up and down in the mouths of nobles. In particular, to the nobles of the opposite faction who did not like the crown prince. A typical example was Duke Karus Shellington, watching Alice from afar. ¡°Why are the two of them together?¡± ¡°There was no contact, but¡­.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°They were spotted together at a bakery store.¡± ¡°A bakery shop? That Lawrence Littenverk went to the confectionery? A person who hates sweets?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Karus narrowed his eyes at the aide¡¯s words. The Lawrence he knew was not one to be kind for no reason. Curious, Karus moved towards them to see the situation for himself. ¡°Was there a noble woman with whom the duke of the neighboring empire was close?¡± ¡°None of your business.¡± All the nobles in the banquet hall knew that Lawrence and Karus were enemies because their bad relationship was famous. After graduating from the same academy, not only did they fight for the top and bottom seats, but they both used swords similarly. If one was a wizard, the situation would have been different, but unfortunately both had excellent swordsmanship, so if Lawrence won once, Karus would win the next. Moreover, since they were dukes of two bordering empires, their relationship was even worse. Adding the incident of Diamond of the Abyss in which Karus¡¯s attempt of stealing is has never erased in Lawrence¡¯s memory. ¡°My name is Karus Shellington.¡± ¡°I am Alice Hamilton.¡± Alice couldn¡¯t pretend she didn¡¯t know what the duke of the empire was saying, so Alice reluctantly showed her nobility. The jealous glances at her as she shared greetings with the dukes did not disappear. ¡®I¡¯m going to choke to death.¡¯ Alice, who received those gazes, held her breath because of the sparks between Lawrence and Karus. ¡®Why are they doing this before my eyes?¡¯ She complained inwardly, but the situation did not change. CH 14 Chapter 14 ¨C Apology at the Third Day of the Banquet Translator: Lioness Rather than intervening the fight of the two men, she looked at the banquet hall, judging it. Chandeliers of crystals gorgeously scattered above her head, emitting light. And with that light, the colors of the dresses of the Noble Ladies were reflected. ¡®It¡¯s not good.¡¯ For her, who had lived in Modern times, this is way too old-fashioned. Nonetheless, she had never been to a banquet, so she thought nothing of it, however her dress was heavy and dull. Her dark-colored dress and men¡¯s shirt with excessive frills made Alice¡¯s eyes suffer. Thinking she¡¯d rather see Karus and Lawrence sharpening her gazes at each other, she turned her eyes to find them both staring at her. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Miss Alice, has someone decided to escort you at the next banquet?¡± Karus¡¯s voice was filled with coldness but his eyes were playful unlike Lawrence who was intensely staring at her as if want to create a hole on her face. ¡®It would be a big problem if I answered wrongly.¡¯ This was a white knight who could see right through her. She was not fooled by the obvious ruse. She was not so foolish as to be swayed by Karus¡¯s words. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fixed, already?¡± ¡°He are by my side.¡± ¡°Lawrence again?¡± ¡°Yes, why?¡± Alice muttered her words as she glanced at Lawrence¡¯s face. Fortunately, he kept his mouth shut. It was the moment Alice, who gained her confidence, was about to say something. ¡°His Highness and Her Highness, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have arrived!¡± She heard the loud voice of the attendants and Alice¡¯s eyes moved quickly. The eyes of the Crown princess who entered while holding the Crown prince¡¯s hand passed Alice. ¡®Weird? I thought she was glaring at her?¡¯ Alice tilted her head. ¡®Did I see it wrong?¡¯ The character of Stella she set up was very gentle and kind. So she knew Stella could never glare at her. Alice, who lightly passed her doubts momentarily, noticed the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince, who were seated in the banquet hall. Lawrence noticed her situation and whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to go?¡± ¡°I am trembling.¡± ¡°You even have the time to talk nonsense about yourself?¡± ¡°Sounds like nonsense?¡± ¡°If not, then?¡± The preparation of the Crown Prince who will succeed the throne. Saying mean words to such a person means that she would give up living in this empire or turn her back on those who have powers. Alice, who acted casually throughout those years, found it funny. And Lawrence found a change in her attitude. ¡®Was there a reason?¡¯ Lawrence¡¯s eyes narrowed at the attitude that was so different from the time she treated the Crown Princess carelessly. She wanted to ask Alice, who seemed to have a problem, but Karus was by their side. Karus, who watched Alice, opened his mouth. ¡°Ah, come to think of it, did Miss Alice hate the Crown Princess?¡± ¡°What do you mean hate? Absolutely not.¡± As Alice¡¯s voice grew louder, the attention of the other nobles was drawn. Her voice could even be heard in the ears of the Crown prince who was talking in the middle of the banquet hall. ¡°No?¡± ¡°Yes! no. I was blinded by jealousy and did something lame like that, but absolutely not.¡± Alice¡¯s voice resonated resoundingly. He spilled his words deliberately to embarrass her, but he smirked as his strategy didn¡¯t work. ¡°I think I heard the story of the Crown Princess.¡± The Crown prince quickly approached and intervened in the conversation. There were nobles who didn¡¯t like the Crown prince¡¯s attitude, but they were more curious about how Alice will react, so everyone watched the situation. ¡°You¡¯re, Your Highness.¡± When Karus greeted him, Alice and others bent before him. Lawrence, too, could not ignore the crown prince, a member of the royal family of another country, so he greeted him roughly. The Nakran Empire and the Erha Empire had similar powers, so they always had an so-so relationship. The two empires pretended to be good on the outside, but changed when problems arose. So, he didn¡¯t even have to say hello properly. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t even have done it if there was no one next to me.¡¯ Besides, the Crown prince was someone who was incompetent. Bowing down to such a person was not tolerated by Lawrence¡¯s pride. He was born with good lineage and timing and became the crown prince because he had no competitors. ¡°Right. Speaking of which, do you have something to say to the Crown Princess?¡± Alice didn¡¯t say anything, but the Crown prince said as if it were natural. At his words, Lawrence¡¯s complexion changed. No matter how mistaken he was, he was now the one who attended the banquet under her escort. Persecuting her Alice was like looking down on him. As Lawrence¡¯s face hardened, the Crown Princess pulled the Crown Prince¡¯s collar. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Your Highness, that¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, that Ms. Alice is afraic.¡± There was life in Lawrence¡¯s eyes. ¡®I thought he was stupid, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be this much.¡¯ The aristocrats, who had been watching the situation for fun, slowly drifted away from Lawrence¡¯s eyes. It was such a serious atmosphere that other nobles noticed, but someone who couldn¡¯t even grasp the situation was in the position of the crown prince. ¡°Your Highness. Please forgive my previous rudeness. This is a small gift prepared by me.¡± Alice stepped in and mediated the situation. She took out a gift from a jewelry store from a small pouch she was holding in her hand. When the box was opened, a glittering gem was revealed. The eyes of the nobles who were watching also widened. ¡®As expected.¡¯ Alice, who internally praised herself for choosing the jewel saying that glittery was the best, held out the jewelry box. ¡°It¡¯s for Your Highness. I was so rude. I did it because I was upset.¡± Alice urged the Crown Princess, who stared at her jewelry box but did not extend her hand. Beside her, Lawrence was also watching her, but the Crown Princess did not move. As the confrontation continued, Alice was not the only one who felt a strange atmosphere. ¡®Why was she like this?¡¯ Stella was supposed to be flushed with sincerity, if not tears, as she was supposed to be good as an angel, but she just stared at the jewelry box. Even the Crown prince winked at her as if to ask why she didn¡¯t take it, but the hand of Stella, the crown princess, didn¡¯t move. ¡°Seeing how embarrassed the Crown Princess is, I will take it.¡± The Crown Prince stepped forward and took Alice¡¯s jewelry box. ¡®As expected, an ignorant guy,¡¯ Alice internally cursed at the Crown prince. Stella was not accepting it because she was building her pride, but now that the Crown prince accepted the gift, Stella¡¯s appearance became ridiculous. Alice witnessed Stella¡¯s change of expression and was taken aback by the cold feeling that passed by the nape of her neck. ¡®Could it be that the settings have changed?¡¯ No, it couldn¡¯t have been. Then the situation had to change, but didn¡¯t the original novel end safely? Alice struggled to laugh, hiding her doubts. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Are you okay, Stella?¡± ¡°Yes. As long as your Highness is okay, everything is fine.¡± ¡°Tell me. Call her by her name.¡± They were like a pair of cockroaches. Alice swiped at the goosebumps and turned to Lawrence. His lips pursed as she watched her with a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while.¡± She pushed the whispering Lawrence away slightly, pressing him close to her. ¡°So, I deliberately made it vague.¡± When Alice held out her jewelry box, she did not hold out towards Stella, but she held out her hand halfway between the prince and Stella. So, she must have thought that the crown prince also had a right to it. She thought it didn¡¯t matter if either Stella or the Crown prince received it. But she didn¡¯t expect Stella to turn out like this. ¡°So, is this resolved now?¡± ¡°Almost?¡± Karus¡¯ gaze was still on them. Stella¡¯s eyes did not leave Alice either. The bizarre atmosphere of accepting Alice¡¯s apology as the Crown prince stepped forward. ¡®Is Stella looking at me like that?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t get past the look in her eyes. It was even more so because Alice knew the original story. Alice couldn¡¯t take her eyes off Stella either, so Lawrence grabbed her hand and dragged her along. ¡°Where¡­¡± ¡°If you come to the banquet, you should dance.¡± As Lawrence went out into the middle of the banquet hall, the band played a tune. Alice looked around as she unconsciously moved her body to the flowing music. ¡°Focus.¡± ¡°No, why did we come here?¡± ¡°Then you want to stay there?¡± As he turned around, he glanced at the place where the prince, Stella, and Karus were. It was such a fleeting moment that only Alice could notice it. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°You seemed to be in trouble, so I led a hand.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± A smile spread across Lawrence¡¯s face as she responded quickly. ¡®He¡¯s handsome.¡¯ Lawrence Littenverk is the son of Duke Littenverk, known for the family of beauty. His appearance was famous in Erha Empire, and what was more was he a man of outstanding abilities. He was one of the best swordsmen among knights who use swords. So, not only the Erha Empire, but also the daughters of the Nakran Empire showed interest in Lawrence. Alice, who appeared with Lawrence as her escort, became the public enemy of all noble ladies in the banquet hall. And at the center of those people was Stella, the Crown Princess. (TN: Oh¡­ wow.) CH 15 Chapter 15 ¨C Her Highness, the Crown Princess; Stella Translator: Lioness ¡°How can she have no shame at all?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Can you look at that shameless face after making such a fuss at the last banquet?¡± ¡°How did she seduce the Duke of Littenverk?¡± Stella laughed at the whispered words and interjected. ¡°What kind of stories make you have that much joy?¡± ¡°Your Highness.¡± Stella looked down on the people who were paying respects to her as royalty. Now that the original story has been completed, she doesn¡¯t need to hide her true identity. Stella was determined to throw off her mask of innocence and show her true self. ¡®I even cried while acting out of character in order to have a happy ending, and I deserve that happiness after the ending.¡¯ Another person whose soul possessed Stella¡¯s body. At first, she was very puzzled by the situation but eventually found out that she was the female protagonist and moved on. ¡®Because I also have my own side of story.¡¯ Originally, she was only a mere reader of the novel, but she found it difficult to remember the story once she finished it. So, whenever she got stuck, she would visit the temple and talk to God, and that was the end of the story. The gods of this world guided her through the story. ¡®Now I¡¯m going to do it my way, but who the hell is she? Extras should be stuck somewhere else.¡¯ She didn¡¯t know where the young lady came from, but she was an embarrassing extra who slapped her on the cheek at the end of the story. She knew through God that such a person existed. In the last episode of the story, there was a Young Lady who slapped her cheek, which she had to endure unconditionally. After that, even when she told she didn¡¯t care what the Young Lady did to her, the Young Lady appeared with the Duke of Littenverk. ¡®Annoying.¡¯ Stella felt annoyed at Alice, who even caught Karus¡¯s attention. She thought that now that she had become the Crown Princess, she would be able to wield all the power at will, but the Crown Prince was a scarecrow with a good appearance. Actually, it was Karus who had the power to run the state affairs. Following the original story, she pretended to like the Crown prince, but she gave her coy eyes to Karus, whom she actually had in her heart. ¡®It¡¯s all right.¡¯ She was the heroine in this world, loved by everyone, thus her she was confident on getting Karus. ¡®Let¡¯s deal with him first.¡¯ Stella, who had decided to win Karus¡¯s heart after making Alice disappear before her eyes, spoke the chattering aristocratic ladies. ¡°Miss Alice is really amazing.¡± ¡°She is great?¡± ¡°It¡¯s to the extent that all the high-ranking people in this banquet hall pay attention to her.¡± It was a slippery word, but she was heard by all the young ladies present. Stella was confident that all she had to do was wait now that she could see the expressions of the young ladies who had changed in an instant. ¡®I don¡¯t need to get my hands dirty since everyone else does it for me stead.¡¯ This was the taste of power while staring at the two, Duke of Littenverk and Alice, who were dancing in the distance. **** Alice shivered at the gaze that fell on her back. ¡°Your enemies have increased.¡± His voice who was teasing her smirked, making fun of his feet. Alice wanted to step on his foot but he knew it and dodged every time. Losing her target, Alice sprained and was about to fall, but he wrapped one hand around her waist. As her back was thrown back, he whirled her around. A voice of admiration came from behind her, but Alice could not hide her stern expression. ¡°It hurts.¡± ¡°You tried to step on me foot.¡± ¡°If a woman wants to step on your foot, you must be stepped on! Isn¡¯t that being a gentleman?¡± ¡°I am not a gentleman; yet a duke.¡± (TN: Makes sense.) His low whispered words reached her ears. ¡°Move closer.¡± ¡°If you stick closer, the young ladies will harass you more.¡± ¡°Are you going to be like this?¡± She hated Lawrence for making fun of her while the Diamond of the Abyss was still in her hand. Isn¡¯t that why she even turned the Young Ladies into enemies? ¡®Oh, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ She even beat up Stella, the crown princess, and asked Lawrence to escort her, too. Come to think of it, it wasn¡¯t Lawrence¡¯s fault, but hers. But Alice, who didn¡¯t want to admit it, raised her chin. ¡®Her posture has changed.¡¯ Alice¡¯s demeanor changed, and the mood quickly shifted. He was leading the dance, and now she was the one leading it. It was a subtle change, but the nobles in the ballroom noticed at once. There was no way that the nobles around the ballroom didn¡¯t notice what Lawrence had noticed. ¡®She is the daughter of the Marquis Hamilton.¡¯ She was a woman who know enough to dance. It didn¡¯t make sense that a woman like her couldn¡¯t dance properly. So, he provoked her deliberately. Alice¡¯s gait and behavior were that of a properly educated noblewoman. But she acted deliberately lax. Even though she walked according to manners, she intentionally messed up her steps and he confirmed something. ¡®It means everything was planned.¡¯ Realizing that every one of her actions, every move she made, was intentional, Lawrence was completely taken aback. Elegance was essential for a noble lady. There were also manners that fit the etiquette. But why would he act to ruin her own reputation? Other nobles noticed that Alice was not just an immature child, but a noble lady who could gracefully perform her dances. In addition, as the wealth of the Hamilton family increased, she came as a pretty attractive young lady. ¡°Hmm, indeed she is a Hamilton.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Her personality is not yet that elegant, but she was still young, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Yes. It may change later.¡± ¡°Anyway, isn¡¯t that duke going back to his empire?¡± The words of one of the Young Ladies came to the ears of the men of the nobility inside the party hall. Hamilton¡¯s power was so mighty that no nobility could follow. The one and only. The place where the emperor went was Hamilton. The family¡¯s only successor is Alice. She¡¯d had an unfortunate run-in with the Crown Princess, but it could have been chalked up to a mistake at the first ball. The eyes of the male aristocrats turned to stare at their tempting prey. Lawrence, quick to recognize the change in mood, narrowed his eyes. ¡°Duke?¡± Her eyes widened at him who hadn¡¯t let go of her hand when the song was finished. His emotionless eyes met hers to which she involuntarily held her breath. Since the song was done, it was time for them to bow at each other however he didn¡¯t move. ¡°No, nothing.¡± Shaking his head slightly, he bent her back toward her Alice. Alice also responded to the most elegant greeting. Alice, left alone, moved slowly as he went around the banquet hall and disappeared among the other nobles. ¡°Miss Alice? Pleased to meet you. I am Vesena, Marquise of Mialle.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Vesena stepped closer and greeted her, and Alice returned the favor. ¡°The atmosphere in the ballroom is a little off, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A lot of people didn¡¯t like you, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡®I also don¡¯t know.¡¯ She will leave soon so it doesn¡¯t matter if people here hated or liked her. Rather, she was amused why Vesena approached her. ¡°Didn¡¯t Miss Vesena hate me?¡± ¡°Did you forget?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°The Marquis of Mialle.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Only then did I realize The Marquess of Mialle was the closest family to the House of Hamilton. He was also a business partner and had a personal acquaintance with the Marquis. Alice, too, was visited from time to time by the Marquis of Mialle, and he had seen him drinking with the Marquis of Hamilton. ¡®He said he had only one daughter.¡¯ She finally remembered the words the Marquis told her to come and play at the Marquis Mialle¡¯s house sometime. The look of the girl who was the only one in that house, looking at her was pitiful. Alice smiled brightly at the face of Vesena, who looked exactly like the Marquis of Mialle. ¡°I guess you do remember now.¡± ¡°Yes, the Marquis of Mialle came to our house from time to time.¡± ¡°My dad asked me to tell Miss Alice if ever you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Am I? It¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Was that on purpose? The last time?¡± Referring to the incident that made Stella cry, Vesena whispered in her ear. ¡°She¡¯s really a seductress. Was it possible that a baroness like her, who pretended to be pitiful while being pretty like her, became the Crown Princess?¡± ¡®That was not really the case, but¡­¡¯ Alice remembered that there were quite a few of the young ladies who liked the Crown prince, stared at Vesena. She had a smile in her eyes. She genuinely seemed to like Alice. ¡®Was she saying this only to say Stella only has a pretty face?¡¯ ¡°You were close before.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing good about being close to them.¡± ¡°Who cares, my family can afford them.¡± How much money did she bring to the imperial family and how much did she think of taking a woman like that as the crown princess? She heard that in order Vesena to become crown princess, Marquis Mialle investes a lot of money, but when Stella became the crown princess, their relationship with the imperial family was slightly strained. ¡°Dad says it¡¯s okay, but I¡¯m not.¡± The look in the woman¡¯s eyes, wounded by her pride, was menacing. Facing her eyes directly, Alice shook her shoulders. It was best for her not to get involved in the love fight. At that moment, she suddenly heard a voice in Alice¡¯s ear. ¡°Were you here?¡± CH 16 Chapter 16 ¨C The Voice Translator: Lioness The voice which seemed to be from afar was what she heard from a long time ago. It was the voice she heard when she first came here. ¡®I haven¡¯t heard it from since then, so why¡­¡¯ ¡°I was waiting.¡± She couldn¡¯t find the voice that seemed whispering into her ears from afar. Her face turned pale because of the presence of the voice. Vesena who was in front of her pursed her lips in embarrassment due to her change. ¡°Miss Alice?¡± Alice couldn¡¯t answer that question. It was because she was still engulfed with the cold voice that went through her head, unheard by others. Vesena then held her hand, who shook her body. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Do, don¡¯t touch me.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling well¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± Alice, who could barely say her answer hurriedly left the Banquet Hall, yet the voice didn¡¯t fade away. It harbored poison, haunting her mind. ¡®I have to leave the imperial palace.¡¯ As she quickened her pace and said to that she will never coming here, there were nobles who tried to chat and approach her, but she neglected them and moved on her way. She was stomping her feet, nervously waiting for the carriage. The voice now whispered was very close. Alice bit her lip as she heard the words of waiting over and over again. She thought she was fine, but she was not at all, by any chance, fine. She covered her ears with both of her hands, but it didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Then Lawrence¡¯s voice was heard. The surroundings became quiet. There was no sound, and Lawrence¡¯s voice pierced her ears clearly. Tears flowed from Alice¡¯s eyes, relieved by his voice. The tears that ran down her cheeks glistened in the moonlight and her pitiful eyes turned to him. As he opened and closed her mouth, unable to utter a word, Alice let out a loud cry. ¡°Where have you gone¡ª sob, sob?¡± ¡°I was talking to other nobles for a moment¡ª¡± The tears, once shed, could not stop. Lawrence panicked and reached out to her back, awkwardly patting it, but she continued to cry. He awkwardly patted her on the back and even hugged. She buried her face in his jacket and the carriage did not arrive until the jacked was already wet. **** ¡°What? No fun at all. That¡¯s the end?¡± Stella, who was watching Alice from afar, asked the voice. The identity of the voice that left a dreary echo on Alice was the god of the Erha Empire. Exactly the one who brought Alice into this world and Stella into this world. ¡°This can¡¯t be the end.¡± He was the god of this Erha Empire, but he had clear limits. That he could not go beyond the authority granted by Alice, who was the writer. The only place he could influence was the people mentioned in the original work, even in the Erha Empire. Hence, God pushed the original soul of Stella away, then put another soul into it. She put her in this world so that she could avenge him who was abandoned. However, it was difficult because the HaMilton mansion was actually never mentioned in the novel. The Marquess of Hamilton was a place where the power of God was difficult to reach because Alice had not made any special settings for that. Alice¡¯s decision not to leave the house so as not to interfere with the original story made God even more anxious. ¡°Then what can I do now?¡± ¡°Anything you want.¡± ¡°The way you want?¡± ¡°But bring that, Alice Hamilton, to me.¡± ¡°Why? Do you like her?¡± ¡°No way.¡± A terrifying voice penetrated her ears and Stella stroked her arm, which gave her goosebumps. ¡®He¡¯s going to harass her.¡¯ She didn¡¯t like the idea of God taking an interest in someone other than her, but she welcomed the attention because she was going to harass Alice, too. If they work together, they can do anything, Stella whispered to him. ¡°I have a good plan; would you like to hear it?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if she heard her whispers, but Stella was sure. That God will move according to her word. *** Benedict¡¯s mood subsided after seeing Alice in Lawrence¡¯s arms, wrapped around her, and climbed up to the carriage. He clenched his fists, but she had no special feelings. It was Benedict who first noticed her crying. The marquise¡¯s carriage was right nearby, and it would stop right in front of her when Benedict ordered it. But he did not instruct the coachman. It was because he couldn¡¯t move from the spot when he saw tears streaming down Alice¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t breathe properly. The tears that flowed down her white face illuminated by the moonlight shone like jewels. The sadly drooping eyes stimulated his heart to the point that anyone will feel sorry for heer. The water drops that filled her red eyes changed from rubies to diamonds. His heart pounding like crazy didn¡¯t stop. After seeing only, the mischievous and stubborn faces, Alice¡¯s sorrowful face struck his heart mercilessly. It was the first time I had such feelings. ¡®What do I do?¡¯ Benedict always wore a mask; everything he had in the Marquis of Hamilton was not his. He didn¡¯t hold on to the Marquis because he knew he¡¯d have to leave it behind one day and go back to where he came from, but then there was something he wanted. ¡®Alice Hamilton.¡¯ He wanted her. As he watched Lawrence¡¯s carriage driving away, he climbed into the carriage and concluded that after seeing her, these feelings will be clearer. **** Alice smacked her pillow with her fist. ¡°You must be crazy, really!¡± After waking up and remembering what had occurred last night, she threw the pillow with wrath. It was Lawrence who soothed her loud crying, and in the end, took her to her house. She couldn¡¯t even remember how she returned to her room. And the more importantly, the nobles who came in and out of the Banquet Hall witnessed that scene. ¡°Haa.¡± just as expected while Alice blamed herself inside her room, hitting the pillow, the aristocrats of the Erha Empire were infested with rumors of infidelity. There were rumors that Lawrence Littenverk had a deep relationship with Alice Hamilton. Alice¡¯s reputation was ruined when people said that she went to the empty bedroom in the imperial palace and went to the garden together. He was excited by the prospect of opening new trade routes with the Nakran Empire, the Marquis felt like he was being dragged down a rabbit hole. However, he came running after hearing such rumors. The Marquis of Hamilton already had close ties to the Nakran Empire, handling intermediate trade, but the Marquis wanted greater wealth. That¡¯s why he was so excited when Alice said she knew Lawrence, but this happened. ¡®You can¡¯t go to Nakran Empire.¡¯ The Marquis still remembered it vividly. The words she blurted while holding her hands. By accepting her, he gained wealth and a beautiful daughter, but darkness still resided in the corner of his heart. ¡°This child must not leave Erha Empire, not even setting foot.¡± There was nothing left to say so Alice left his office and stayed with him. He couldn¡¯t tell her the facts, thus strongly objected when she wanted to go to Nakran empire. ¡®No matter what happens, I will prevent her marriage with Duke Littenverk.¡¯ The Marquis opened Alice¡¯s door without knocking and shouted out loud. ¡°Are you insane!¡± ¡°If not crazy, then what?!¡± With her pointed cry, the feathers from the burst pillow scattered, and the Marquis of Hamilton, alarmed at the sight, hastily closed the door. ¡°What is this?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. Because I am regretting it now.¡± ¡°Really, with the Duke of Littenverk¡­!¡± ¡°No, what are you talking about!¡± Alice, who was hitting the pillow with her fist whether or not the Marquis came in, raised her head at those words. The marquis frowned at her sad blue eyes. It was Alice who had never revealed her personality to the servants in the house. But the only exception she made was the Marquess of Hamilton, and sometimes even the Marquis could not handle her character. ¡®It¡¯s fortunate that she¡¯s interested in business. Someone¡¯s was taking that temper of hers.¡¯ The Marquis, who had been anxious about what would happen if Alice married Lawrence and moved to the Nakran Empire a little while ago, saw her eyes and changed her mind. ¡®Who said it was a good idea?¡¯ People never know, but at least Lawrence didn¡¯t seem to fall for Alice. ¡°No?¡± ¡°Never, never ever!¡± The Marquis returned a hearty smile to Alice who answered with gritted teeth. ¡°Uhm, of course, because you are my daughter!¡± ¡®What kind of situation is this?¡¯ He was different from what she thought. Contrary to what she thought that he would be angry with Lawrence due to the spreading rumors about infidelity, the marquis seemed to care about her relationship with Lawrence. ¡°Father. You¡¯re hiding something.¡± Throwing away the pillow she was holding, Alice jumped up from her bed. Walking as she was, she approached the Marquis of Hamilton and asked softly. The Marquis could not answer that question and rolled his eyes here and there. ¡°Hi, hiding something. N, never!¡± CH 17 Chapter 17 ¨C A Wavering Heart Translator: Lioness Alice was convinced that he indeed was hiding something when his face turned red and stuttered. The Marquis had no talent for deceiving others. He was too honest with the managing, often to his detriment. A man must also know how to properly conceal a lie in the truth, yet the Marquis was too naive. ¡®He¡¯s too soft.¡¯ He was a good man ever since she stepped forward and worked with him. Although, he changed little by little, he was at the top, but previously was such unremarkable. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± The Marquis¡¯s eyes shook at Alice¡¯s determined words. ¡°What are you hiding?¡± Alice couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity at the sight of the Marquis who continued to show his uneasy face. The marquise, who kept his mouth shut, seemed unwilling to answer her, but she did not give in. ¡®I¡¯ll hear it somehow.¡¯ ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It is nothing!¡± The words he said right away as he was sweating profusely were more suspicious. Alice¡¯s eyes twinkled and the Marquis swallowed his dry saliva. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°Then, I will ask the Duke.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My father says it¡¯s nothing, so I have to meet the Duke of Littenverk.¡± ¡°Why are you meeting the Duke?¡± Alice ignored the Marquis¡¯ words and prepared to go out. The Marquis continued to speak next to her, but she ignored it. ¡°Are you going to stay? I¡¯m going to change clothes, though?¡± When the Marquis, frightened by her unrestrained behavior of changing clothes, rushed out of her room. So, she was left alone in her room, giving her a chance to think calmly. ¡®Strange.¡¯ The Marquis¡¯s demeanor and expression, which she had never seen since she possessed this body, restored his coolness after shuddering with embarrassment. The fierce reaction of the Marquis, whom she had never seen before, disturbed Alice. When a bright light poured out of the open window, she stared at the light and was lost in thought. ¡®It¡¯s like hearing a voice that I haven¡¯t heard in a while¡­¡¯ The plot was over so why did she hear that voice? As if that voice had been waiting for her for a long time. ¡°It disappeared when Lawrence approached.¡± The voice followed her all along, but died the moment Lawrence came to her side and spoke to her. At that moment, voice died down. ¡®If this is the case, I have no choice but to go further. To Nakran.¡¯ ¡°I need to meet him.¡± She must meet Lawrence Littenverk and ask him to get out of here immediately. Alice pulled out her pocket which contained the diamond of the abyss, which she had hidden in her jewelry box. Looking at it with her determined eyes, she went out of her bedroom but her nose stumbled a man¡¯s upper body. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Sir Benedict!¡± Alice¡¯s face lit up as she looked up at Benedict. She thought that if she went with Benedict, the Marquis wouldn¡¯t stop her either. ¡°I have to go out.¡± ¡°The Marquis told me not to let you go out.¡± ¡°I must go out.¡± ¡°You must not leave.¡± ¡°Then Sir Benedict can go with me.¡± Benedict¡¯s eyes narrowed as he lowered her eyes and whispered softly. ¡®Does she know how she looks like to me now?¡¯ Casual wear that looks lighter than the banquet dress, her red cheeks without face. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was the blush or the excitement of going out, but her pink cheeks looked good. Benedict licked his lips, hiding the corners of his mouth from rising involuntarily. It was fortunate that Alice kept her head down. If she had seen the look in his eyes, she would have tried to run away from him. ¡°Will it be different if I go with you?¡± ¡°At least my father will be relieved.¡± ¡°Relieved?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the Duke of Rittenberg.¡± **** Plein reported next to Lawrence, who was flipping through the papers. ¡°I researched each one.¡± ¡°Hmm. Is this all about Alice Hamilton?¡± ¡°Investigation about Hamilton was difficult.¡± ¡°Investigating was hard when you had already investigated the Imperial Family of Erha EmpirE?¡± ¡°Hamilton was a bit strange.¡± ¡°Weird, you say?¡± If Plein had to choose, then it must be the Hamilton family that was the most difficult one to investigate. He had never encountered such a tight-lipped servant, and unbeknownst to him, they were all loyal to Marquis of Hamilton. ¡°It¡¯s because their mouths are heavier than the knights of the imperial family.¡± Lawrence¡¯s hand, which had been flapping the papers as he listened to Plein¡¯s words, stopped moving. His head turned and their eyes met, and Plein swallowed his dry saliva. ¡°Since when has my aide been so incompetent?¡± ¡°Your Grace. I am serious. They are impenetrable.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you can¡¯t?¡± His eyes were cold staring at her and realizing that if he said no, he might be kicked out of the Nakran Empire and hit by a mountain of work, Plein hurriedly lowered his head. ¡°I will find out.¡± ¡°Asap.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Plein fled the room, Lawrence threw away the papers he was holding. He felt uncomfortable for some reason. The movement of his fingers as he tapped his index finger on the table stopped. ¡°Upsetting.¡± He thought he would calm down if Plein fled but he didn¡¯t get what he wanted. He sighed. After meeting Alice, nothing went according to his plan. In the bakery shop, to the entrusted jeweler. She was the person who intervened his plans. ¡®That¡¯s Alice.¡¯ Maybe she was the ¡®Princess¡¯ he was looking for. That was why he was even more irresistible. If there was any chance, he should have taken her when she asked him to leave the empire and go to Nakran. ¡°If I was sure.¡± Lawrence listened to the words that came out of his mouth. Somehow, Alice¡¯s tender eyes, which were trembling and shedding tears, occupied his mind. He had been like this after seeing her in that state, and taking her home. Her face was stuck in his mind. Lawrence slapped his hand down in frustration. He seemed to come to his senses a little as his tingle ran up his palms. He was doubtless that he will never heed women, but what the hell was this? ¡®She was not even from Nakran.¡¯ To be interested in a woman from another empire, one with whom he was not very close. Lawrence¡¯s eyes lit up with a cool light. He pondered hard about what could be the reason he was interested in Alice was that she might be the Princess he was looking for. ¡°The other women have already been checked.¡± It¡¯s already been two weeks since he entered Erha Empire. The duty to find her princess was continuing, and all the young ladies who were nominated for that were checked. Although they looked similar, their origins were clear, so they couldn¡¯t be princesses. With such, Alice was the only one left. There were only two banquets left for the crown princess. After those two, he would have to return to his empire, Nakran. He didn¡¯t want to go home having accomplished nothing; he couldn¡¯t disappoint the Crown Prince who had entrusted him with the task and given him the Diamond of the Abyss. ¡®The empress is already targeting her, but it can¡¯t be done.¡® The situation in the Nakran Empire was also complicated. The legitimate successor was unable to use his strength due to the power of the empress. He needed the imperial family to give him strength. So, the Crown prince wanted to find her younger sister who had been lost ever since she was a child. Partly in search of her blood, the Crown Prince needed her as a means of rallying the forces he needed. An arranged marriage to someone powerful. And that someone was yet to be determined yet. He had to be sure that Alice was not the Princess so these strange feelings will be at ease and wiped away. The dizzy feelings were eating away at his heart before he knew it. He brushed her hair wildly to wash off Alice¡¯s face, which was haunting his mind and as a result, his clean and tidy hair became unkempt. ¡®S*it.¡¯ He thought it was no big deal. His job was to find a woman; a Princess and take her back to the Empire. In the process, he never expected to meet a woman who made him feel strange. What would happen if Alice was the younger sister the crown prince had been looking for so much? ¡°It won¡¯t be.¡± His voice filled the room he was in, but somehow it was powerless. Should he hide her existence from the Crown prince who was looking for her for an arranged marriage? Startled by the sudden thought, Lawrence shook his head vigorously. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be.¡± His distraught mind continued to waver, and even he could not comprehend his mind. His gaze shifted to the scattered papers on the floor. And strangely, they represent his heart. Lawrence frowned and studied the papers. The shaking paper was the same as his heart. ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡± Lawrence denied his heart. He assumed that his interest in Alice was due to her chance of being the ¡®Princess¡¯ which was because of his important task, and not his personal selfishness. CH 18 Chapter 18 ¨C Benedict¡¯s Identity Translator: Lioness ¡°Your Grace!¡± Plein burst open the door without knocking, interrupting his thoughts. ¡°Miss Alice has come to visit!¡± ¡°¡­ Why is that?¡± She had no reason to visit him, so he narrowed his brows when he heard the news even though he was already disturbed. He was showing an expression that didn¡¯t want to meet up with Alice but Plein didn¡¯t comprehend him so he said again. ¡°She said she wants to see Your Grace. She wants to thank you for yesterday.¡± Plein¡¯s face was full of joy as he spoke with a smirk. However, he couldn¡¯t understand his joy, who looked like he was benefitting something from his relationship with Alice. ¡°Plein.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Did you know that Alice Hamilton is the only one left?¡± ¡°Ah, I know.¡± ¡°Then you also know that she is likely the candidate as a Princess¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Lawrence sharply looked at Plein¡¯s serious eyes. ¡°When everything becomes clear that she was the Princess, she must be taken care of.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled anymore.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Let her in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Plein went out, Alice came in. Lawrence was the first to speak as she arrived, not alone but with an escort. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°I came to say thank you for yesterday.¡± ¡°Sit down.¡± Lawrence, who had given Alice a chair in front of her, ordered Plein to bring them tea. Lawrence¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the face of Benedict standing behind Alice. ¡®Why is His Grace here¡­¡¯ Upon receiving the handkerchief, he was fixated on the handkerchief, so he didn¡¯t recognize his face. He was then convinced when Benedict put his index finger on her lips. He was someone he knew. Benedict Flenas. The Duke of Flenas of the Nakran Empire. He was a member of the Ducal family, but he heard that he left the family because he was fed up with power struggles. ¡®To think that he was by Alice¡¯s side, who might also be the princess.¡¯ Can this really be a coincidence? Lawrence¡¯s confused face hardened. Embarrassed by his hard expression, Alice hurriedly opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about yesterday.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I am thankful that you were there, otherwise, I would have been crying nonstop.¡± ¡°You would have cried there the whole time?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She really would have done that since she didn¡¯t know what to do. If had not been for him, she would have just stood there foolishly until her carriage arrived. She doubted if the carriage arrived, would she have any energy left? ¡®Because if it wasn¡¯t for Lawrence, that voice wouldn¡¯t have disappeared.¡¯ ¡°Then now-¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Lawrence raised his hand to stop Alice. Nevertheless, just in case Benedict misinterpret something while escorting her, he glanced at him and asked her. ¡°Can I really tell you that even with the presence of your escort?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Alice, who was in a hurry to talk about the contract in a hurry, kept her mouth shut. ¡°Sir Benedict. You may leave now.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that because I¡¯m an escort.¡± ¡°This is a safe place, you can leave.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that where people from other empires are?¡± Lawrence laughed out loud at Benedict¡¯s words. ¡®You¡¯re from another empire, aren¡¯t you?¡¯ Lawrence¡¯s cold eyes turned to Benedict, who was brazenly discussing lies, but he did not move. ¡°Even if I am from another empire, we are close friends.¡± At Lawrence¡¯s words, Alice stared blankly at him. ¡°Was it not?¡± ¡°Ah yes! Yes, that¡¯s right. We are closer than anyone else.¡± An incredibly grateful man. That was her assessment of Lawrence, and she bobbed her head up and down at his words making Benedict¡¯s expression twisted, but not in Alice¡¯s eyes. Lawrence is a precious person who will take her to the Nakran Empire. So rather than traveling alone, her journey with him would be smoother, and would be powerful. ¡®Of course, we¡¯re close!¡¯ As she nodded, she raised her face from a chill she felt somewhere. Benedict was looking at her with fearful eyes. Alice flinched at that gaze and averted her gaze, pretending not to know, and opened her mouth again. ¡°That¡¯s why, you can go out in relief.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes. Really.¡± After staring at Alice in silence for a while, Benedict went outside without hiding his angry expression and Alice shrugged at the door closing with a bang. ¡°Your escort knight has no manners.¡± ¡°Still, Sir Benedict is a good knight.¡± ¡°A good knight? He is a person who does not show an example of a good knight.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know Sir Benedict.¡± Still, as her escort knight, Alice sided with him. Meanwhile, Lawrence¡¯s heart ached at Alice¡¯s innocent words. She was even unaware of what gaze he used while looking at her, as if saying that she was for him. ¡°That man was for Miss Alice?¡± ¡°Since he is my escort knight, of course¡­¡± ¡°I am not saying that. Nothing in the world is for granted.¡± Despite his firm words, Alice still only blinked her eyes. It was as if she was wondering why this person would say this to me. ¡®Haa.¡¯ However, as it turned out, the four escort knights cannot be said to be the direct lineage of the duchy that disappeared from the Nakran Empire. Lawrence only sighed in her frustration. ¡°Duke.¡± ¡°What?¡± As a result, his answer to Alice¡¯s words came out unevenly. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡®Something must be wrong with you, not me.¡¯ He wanted to ask her why she was crying, why she was disturbing people so much, and why she was showing up with Benedict, but he couldn¡¯t get the words out of his mouth. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Because I want to thank you¡ª¡± ¡°Is there any other reason besides that?¡± Alice¡¯s expression turned playful. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled as she rolled her eyes. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°You have the same expression as when you proposed to me with the Diamond of the Abyss.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m here because I have something else to say.¡± Seeing Alice¡¯s serious face in an instant, Lawrence also straightened his back while sitting. When his expression faded from his face, he whispered. ¡°Before giving this, could you write a contract for me?¡± She pulled out her little pouch and placed it in her hand. Lawrence could easily guess what was in the pocket. ¡®Diamond of the Abyss.¡¯ It was an item he entrusted with that jewelry shop to which Alice took, but instead of looking to her pockets, he stared right into her eyes. ¡°It wasn¡¯t on purpose that I took this.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°The clerk almost threw it at me and gave it to me¡­ Later, I needed this.¡± ¡°You needed it?¡± ¡°Yes. I have to go to the Nakran Empire.¡± ¡°Ms. Alice.¡± Before Lawrence made his decision, she had something to ask her. ¡°Are you really going to go to the Nakran Empire and not do anything?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Not even sell things or trade?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then can¡¯t you just stay here?¡± ¡°No.¡± Alice sighed and continued her words. ¡°That¡¯s not it. I have a reason to leave this place.¡± Lawrence wondered if Alice knew what she was. But when she looked into her eyes, she didn¡¯t look like that. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. So, I must leave this place.¡± ¡°Why is it the Nakran Empire?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the largest and closest place to the Erha Empire. When I get there and settle down, you can go somewhere else.¡± ¡°Maybe you can go somewhere else¡­¡± ¡°I will go to the Nakran Empire because the first person I asked for a favor was the Duke, and if it was anyone else, I would have gone with his country.¡± At Alice¡¯s words, Lawrence¡¯s head tingled with shock as if he had been hit in the back of the head. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t me, she could have followed someone else?¡¯ It was something he hadn¡¯t even thought of. Alice nodded her head as if there was no lie mixed in. She didn¡¯t mean to provoke Lawrence since she was sincere. ¡°Still, there were only a few options when it came to choosing the safest place, and after choosing the largest country, it became the Nakran Empire.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t necessary for the Nakran Empire, there would be no reason to sign a contract with me, right?¡± ¡°Yes, there was.¡± ¡°There was?¡± ¡°Yes. But not now.¡± Alice had to make a pact with Lawrence and flee to the Nakran Empire. For some reason, she heard the voice again but it vanished when Lawrence appeared, that was why his presence is more important now. The only thing that can protect her from her creepy voice was him. Lawrence Littenverk. She couldn¡¯t give up on him until she got out of this Erha Empire. She had to hide by his side and avoid that voice. ¡®I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason I started hearing that voice again.¡¯ The reason is probably to harm her, but Alice had no intention of taking the matter lightly. Because the original story was already finished. CH 19 Chapter 19 ¨C The Revelation of Truth Translator: Lioness Ever since she said she just couldn¡¯t give away the Diamond of the Abyss, he already drafted out a contract. He looked at her firm face then pulled out the paper. ¡°Read it.¡± The content was simple; she will give the Diamond of the Abyss to him, then he would take her to the Nakran Empire safely. This was the crux of the contract, no more no less, not even details. A contract with only two lines. It was a contract that was perfect for Lawrence¡¯s dislike of hustle and bustle. Alice, who was reading her contract, asked him. ¡°I have a question for you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How are you going to take me?¡± ¡°There are two ways.¡± ¡°Two ways?¡± ¡°First, I become a duke who fell in love at first sight and ran away with you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Second, you are an immature lady who fell in love with me and followed foolishly. Which do you prefer?¡± ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?!¡± As soon as Lawrence finished speaking, Alice shouted. ¡°Neither of them is good.¡± ¡°Escaping through love is classic, but it does its miracles.¡± He was also anxious about taking an unmarried woman to his Empire, the Nakran Empire. But he couldn¡¯t find better way than that one to take her successfully so he could only ignore her protests at the moment. He didn¡¯t care about reputation since in the Nakran Empire, he was the best groom there was yet he doesn¡¯t take an interest in marriage. There was no one in his sight and he also got tired of people trying to take the ducal from him. It was proof that he cared for Alice deeply enough to give her a seat next to him. Alice doesn¡¯t know that. ¡®Maybe this thing was almost certain.¡¯ A necklace could be seen between Alice¡¯s thin neck and collar. ¡®All I have to do is take that out and check the pendant.¡¯ One of his men had already searched her room for a necklace representing the imperial family. They checked all of her jewelry boxes but the item he was searching for was not there. He couldn¡¯t tell his men to search another lady¡¯s room because he was already tired of the hindrance. Looking at her, he was certain. At the last banquet, she was wearing the same necklace, but it was not uncovered so it doesn¡¯t show how pretty or precious it was, even though she wear it every day. ¡®There¡¯s a story just by looking at it.¡¯ After her thoughts, Lawrence hurried her Alice. ¡°Sign.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Sign the contract.¡± ¡°Why am I going to run away because of love!¡± ¡°Then was there any other way? Is the daughter of a marquis powerful enough to follow the Dukes of other empires?¡± Alice closed her mouth at Lawrence¡¯s question. Watching her chew her lips, Lawrence did not hide his disapproval. ¡®Was he saying that I was not good?¡¯ Even after that, he was the most popular man in the Empire. A woman who wanted to stand by him lined up, and that kind of reaction. Alice¡¯s lips, which she thought would not come off, slowly opened. ¡°Then what will happen to me when I arrive in the Nakran Empire?¡± ¡°I will help you until you settle down in the capital of the empire. After that, let¡¯s go our separate ways.¡± ¡®Of course, if you were the princess, things would be different.¡¯ Lawrence whispered deftly, hiding his true feelings. Relieved by his words, Alice took a deep breath and took up the quill in front of her to write her name. The neatly written name shone through. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°The Magic Parchment.¡± Lawrence replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Upon receiving the contract, he rose from his seat and held out his hand to her. Disguised as a formal post-contract handshake, he pulled her arm hard as Alice stood up and reached out to take her hand. Alice, who lost her balance, nearly fell, and propped her arm on the table. Watching her staggering movements, Lawrence didn¡¯t miss the string of her necklace protruding out of her dress and pulled the necklace pretending to support her. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Ah, excuse me.¡± There was a clicking sound as her necklace slipped out. Lawrence couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the necklace studded with red jewels. It was a crest symbolizing the royal family of the ancient Nakran Empire, which was now handed down only to the imperial family. Now, the crest symbolizing Nakran was much more complex and sophisticated than the previous crest. It was the will of the former emperor who thought that was the way to straighten up the authority of the imperial family. People slowly lost the original symbol of the Nakran Empire, and only a few remember it. ¡®It was the same as the one the Crown prince showed me.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t have noticed if it wasn¡¯t for the picture of the necklace the Crown Prince showed him. No, the final confirmation remains. Against the red gem of the exposed necklace, Lawrence clinked the gem of the ring on his fourth finger. It was so fleeting that Alice didn¡¯t realize what he¡¯d done. A brighter light arose than the light from the parchment earlier. It was red. Alice stared down at her necklace, and Lawrence fixes his eyes on it with a darkened gaze. ¡®She was the princess?¡¯ Lawrence¡¯s hand, which was supporting the bewildered Alice, stopped. Was she really a princess? She had an intuition, but it was as expected. When he had confirmed that she was the princess, Lawrence became more distraught. Unable to control his turbulent thoughts, Lawrence simply watched. Rather than paying attention to his unmoving body, he could barely pay attention to Alice, who was staring at the necklace strangely. While he was genuinely puzzled. ¡°How did this happen?¡± Alice¡¯s self-talk was overheard by Lawrence. Alice, who did not hide her embarrassment, held her necklace and did not know what to do. Fortunately, she seemed to have completely forgotten why the necklace came out of her clothes in the first place because she was not paying attention to the necklace. The red light gradually disappeared, and Alice¡¯s confused expression returned back to normal. Lawrence regained his senses and was now sure. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± It was only then that Alice came to her senses when she answered the self-talk he had unknowingly spit out. Lawrence looked at Alice with an incomprehensible expression. Looking at it this way, she seemed to resemble the Crown Prince a little bit. ¡®Her red eyes and black hair. And even the necklace with a pattern that symbolizes the imperial family.¡¯ She was the adopted daughter of the Marquess of Hamilton, which was perfect. All other options had already been eliminated. ¡®The problem is, how did she become the adopted daughter of the Marquess of Hamilton¡­¡¯ The princess of the Nakran Empire was kidnapped as a child. There was no way to know her life or death, and as a result, Empress, who suffered from her illness, set off on a path of no return. After her death, a new empress entered her palace, and from then on, his position as Crown Prince gradually diminished. ¡°Duke?¡± ¡°Oh, give it to me.¡± Lawrence received the papers Alice had finished. Lawrence¡¯s goal now was to take Alice and escape from the Erha Empire as quickly as possible. The Diamond of the Abyss was out of his interest now. In the first place, he brought the national treasure of Nakran to move a little more comfortably in this empire, but there was no need to give it to him now. It was a change of pace, but Lawrence didn¡¯t care. The Diamond of the Abyss was too precious. It was too precious to give away to a neighboring nation, a nation with which he was not on good terms. ¡®I guess the princess just needs to hold it.¡¯ Now that it was clear that Alice was the princess of the Nakran Empire, she was better off with the diamonds. ¡°This.¡± Putting her necklace back into her clothes, Alice handed him her pouch. Lawrence, who had been staring down at the bag without accepting it, tapped it with his hand. At his gesture, the pouch slid back toward Alice. Lawrence dropped the pouch in front of Alice and opened his mouth. ¡°Take it and give it to me when we arrive in the Nakran Empire.¡± ¡°Oh, wasn¡¯t this a gift?¡± ¡°It was a gift, but not anymore.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Not anymore.¡± Every time he said it was important, he heard a mumbling voice saying that he would see all the strange people, but Lawrence was genuinely happy. Regardless of his heart, his mission here was accomplished. The Princess wanted to go to Nakran Empire on her own accord. Finding the princess was also a problem, but what followed was more of a problem. The spies who are watching him revealed her true identity and take her to her Nakran empire. There were people from the Erha Empire watching over him, so the truth could come out someday and things could go wrong. ¡®That¡¯s good.¡¯ It was a conclusion I really liked. A woman, who accidentally entangled with him, was the princess. Now all he had to do was coax her into the empire, and even that was very easy. Lawrence laughed wholeheartedly at the fact that it was so easy that he wondered if it was really that easy. Alice, who was watching his smiling face with a tired face, vigorously shook her head from side to side. She asked in a low voice as she lightly slapped her cheeks with her palms as if trying to come to her senses. ¡°Then what can I do now?¡± ¡°We have to start a rumor.¡± ¡°A rumor?¡± ¡°A rumor about you being in a relationship with me.¡± Hearing Lawrence¡¯s words, Alice¡¯s ears turned red. It was because Lawrence¡¯s eyes curled up when he said those words, creating a picturesque smile. (TN: What I love in this novel was that it is fast paced, giving us fresh and new things every other chapter it unfolds! I am so excited now.) CH 20 Chapter 20 ¨C Karus¡¯ Plan Translator: Lioness After the meeting with Lawrence¡¯s assurance of taking her to the Nakran Empire, she had been in a good mood. And he had been working their plan. Alice laughed out loud when she heard the rumors floating around in the social world. She didn¡¯t even hear the words of the marquis screaming about what had happened. The main content of the gossip was that Lawrence, who fell in love with Alice at first sight, was courting her. ¡°My lady, the Duke of Littenverk has arrived.¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°He is in the drawing room.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be down soon.¡± She laughed out loud knowing that he seized the chance of visiting her while the Marquis was away. With the appearance of the powerful man, the attitude of the servants around her became more polite but she did not change. As she entered her drawing room, Lawrence smiled broadly at her. ¡°Alice.¡± The sound of his voice gave her goosebumps, making her brush her arm. She thought he had a handsome face, but with that face, it was a face that no one could help but fall in love with. The tenderness that overflowed from his blue eyes made her heart pound. His bright golden hair gleamed in the wind, and his flawless face was like a sculpture. The smile on her lips was so graceful that anyone could say he was beautiful. The drawing room lit up as he smiled on his face, which properly blended the elegance and nobility of an aristocrat. ¡°Duke.¡± ¡°You were supposed to call me by name. Call me by name, my dear.¡± (TN: The amount of sugar I ate is choking me now¡ª cough, cough¡­) ¡®Since when did you say that?¡¯ Alice held out her hand as she swallowed the words she couldn¡¯t bear to get out of her mouth. The back of her hand heated up when Lawrence¡¯s lips touched it. ¡°La, Lawrence?¡± ¡°I needed to be patient because I missed you early morning, my dear. You are not angry that I did, my dear?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be. I am also glad that Lawrence is here.¡± ¡°I heard that beauty sleeps a lot in the morning, but my dear really have a big heart to make time for me.¡± Alice, who caught her expression on the verge of collapsing at the moment, struggled to keep her smile. She had no idea he would be of this kind. Although he said it was to bring her safely to the Nakran Empire, he was the kind of person who would stop for nothing. ¡®Was the contract that important? Or the diamonds?¡¯ She was told that it was important, but she had no idea what the Diamond of the Abyss was supposed to be for, so she couldn¡¯t guess. What would happen if the diamond didn¡¯t reach to Stella, the Crown Princess? **** Karus hit the desk after hearing the aide¡¯s report. When the bang sounded, the eyes of the aide who was reporting next to him trembled. ¡°How did this happen? Alice Hamilton?¡± ¡°Ye, yes.¡± Karus suspected that Lawrence¡¯s stepping into the Erha Empire wasn¡¯t just because of the birthday party of the Crown Princess. Thinking that there must be some other reason, he tried to intercept the Diamond of the Abyss that Lawrence was supposed to give as a gift. But the diamonds are gone, and Lawrence is gone. And for what? ¡°Is he crazy?¡± ¡°I heard that he visited the Hamilton Marquess this morning as well.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t go there for no reason.¡± ¡°He said it was love at first sight.¡± ¡°Ridiculous.¡± He was Karus, who knew Lawrence better than anyone else. He was never that blind about love at first sight. Asking if Lawrence was insane was actually already a stupid thing to say. ¡°There must be a reason.¡± He wasn¡¯t the type to move without any gain. Karus¡¯s thoughts reached Alice therefore Alice Hamilton has something. ¡®Could it be that she has the diamond?¡¯ Was he trying to seduce the woman and steal her diamonds? Karus, who suddenly made a guess close to the truth, jumped up from his seat. ¡°I have to go.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I need to meet Alice Hamilton.¡± ¡°Your Excellency! The next schedule is to meet Her Highness the Crown Princess¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of my business to meet the Crown Princess.¡± The person who wanted to meet in the first place was also the Crown Princess, not him. The power of the Erha Empire had already shifted to Karus. Even if the crown prince had noticed, it would be difficult for him to regain the power that had already been taken from him. Under these circumstances, it was obvious that the crown princess would request a private meeting with him. ¡®I¡¯m sure she would ask to take good care of the crown prince.¡¯ Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t even ask him to meet her. After drawing a rough conclusion, Karus concluded that it was more important to go see Alice. ¡°Your Excellency!¡± As he left the office, he felt a knight follow him. Iron-Blooded Knight Lesir. He was a knight of the Marquess of Hamilton, and after becoming a knight of the duke¡¯s family, he was out of the duke¡¯s family. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Please give me a task!¡± ¡°A task?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He came to the duchy with the ambition of stepping into a new world, but the only job he was entrusted with was to stand guard for the duchy. Lesir could not accept his situation and confronted Karus but Karus walked away without even looking at him. ¡°Not now, but next time.¡± ¡°Did you say next time?¡± Karus, who was waving his hands as if to drive away a nuisance, opened his mouth to Lesir again with a sudden thought. ¡°Ah, you. You were in the Hamilton Marquess, right?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Then follow me.¡± Since he was on the way to the Marquis Hamilton, he might as well gain some information about it, so he gestured to him. Karus, who was accompanied by Lesir talked about this and that, but it was only useless information. He was fed up with the vague remarks about being a money-grubber or having a bad personality, closed his mouth, and Lesir, feeling the changed atmosphere, also shut his mouth. ¡®I thought he was useful and brought him in.¡¯ Reputation on the battlefield may have been great, but it was meaningless now without war. Bringing him was supposed to look better than to have him next to the Marquis who was only crowned with money. ¡®Oh, no.¡¯ Karus remembered the idea he had when he first brought Lesir. From the beginning, Lesir was intended to be used for other purposes. In the meantime, he had forgotten Lawrence¡¯s whereabouts and analyzed it, but he did it anyway. ¡°Sir Lesir.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Excellency.¡± ¡°Will you be loyal to the work I will entrust you with?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Well then, fine. wait for now I¡¯ll go back to the duchy and tell you what to do.¡± Karus was pleased to hear Lesir¡¯s words. He was growing tired of being in charge of the duchy. He had no pride in being a marquis, but he was paid well, and he was not a duke. The Duke¡¯s House was a place where knights were paid differently if they were not in charge of important work. Lesir, accustomed to the opulent paychecks of knights, could not keep up with his spending and, later, might have to borrow money from a moneylender. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have moved if I knew the salary would be this low!¡¯ It was a situation where he had already borrowed money from the knights of the Marquis family he had worked with before, and he was gradually pushed to his limit. It was also the reason he caught Karus today. ¡®It¡¯s fine though. Since he will entrust me with an important task.¡¯ If that happens, he will be the one who holds both money and fame. Lesir¡¯s imagination added delusions. Karus¡¯s horse slowly headed towards the Hamilton Marquis. Lesir, who was familiar with the way he was going, asked him. ¡°Where are you going, Your Excellency?¡± ¡°The Marquess of Hamilton.¡± It was an answer he had already expected, but when Karus answered, Lesir¡¯s expression crumpled. ¡®No, no. I¡¯m more successful than the knights there.¡¯ There were many people who would mistakenly believe that he had become an escort knight for the duke if he were to enter the family of a marquis with Karus. He seemed to be returning with success, so Lesir, who considered it fortunate, opened his chest wide. It looked like a clumsy duke was proud, but at least Lesir¡¯s expression was full of pride that he had become a knight of the duke¡¯s family. The knight guarding the front gate of the marquis looked at Karus and asked. ¡°What are you here for?¡± ¡°You know who this is! This is Mr. Karus of the Duke of Shellington!¡± Lesir stood up and shouted at the polite question of a knight who his colleague once. At his shout, the eyes of the people around him gathered, and the face of the knight of the Marquess of Hamilton heated up. ¡°A Duke. Please show me your seal to prove your identity.¡± The knight was taken aback but he had to do his duty, so he calmly responded however, Lesir raised his voice more. ¡°To not know the face of the person who leads this country¡¯s only ducal family! Are you still a knight of the Erha Empire?¡± Karus did not stop Lesir from talking nonsense. Even if he didn¡¯t step forward, he wouldn¡¯t hurt Karus. If he made a mistake, it would have been something to draw the line saying that Lesir had done it alone. The knight of the Marquess of Hamilton continued to stand there with a red-hot face. Seeing him not stepping aside, Lesir shouted again in a loud voice. ¡°Are you getting out of here right now? How dare you not recognize the duke!¡± Joy flashed in the eyes of Lesir, who was screaming loudly. In the meantime, the persecution of the ducal family for being a knight who betrayed his lord flashed through his mind. ¡®I just made the wrong choice.¡¯ From the beginning, the Marquess of Hamilton did not have the dignity to be his lord. The moment Lesir, who did not know such a person and wanted to erase his past as his master, opened his mouth again, he heard a thin but firm voice. ¡°Hey, what are you doing here?¡± CH 21 Chapter 21 ¨C Approach Translator: Lioness Hearing that there was chaos outside, she hastily went out of the drawing room, adding that she felt quite uncomfortable with being around Lawrence in the same space. ¡®It¡¯s unbelievable that he kept on looking at her.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t adapt to the stare he uses as if he liked her. She also noticed that Lawrence and Benedict were following her, but she kept silent, afraid that the same thing would happen again. The sight that she saw was pure absurd. Lesir, who had betrayed the Hamilton family, was in front of the gate, so she spat her words. But Lesir did not recognize that she was talking to him. ¡°Where are you looking at, I was talking to you.¡± When Lesir was still a knight of Hamiton family, he was treated well. However, he was the one who let go of the good seat and Alice, does not deal with non-human beasts. ¡®Even beasts know grace, let alone him.¡¯ Standing proudly with his arms folded in front of the knight guarding her front door, Alice looked at Lesir arrogantly. Lesir¡¯s face instantly heated up at that unstoppable action. ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re still sane, besides, is there anyone apart from you?¡± She didn¡¯t like to step down on people by using her title, however, today, she wants to show him how she could push people so that they won¡¯t be able to climb up again. She opened her mouth while he looked at her dumbly. ¡°What happened to your mouth? Weren¡¯t a chatty person?¡± ¡°Your words are too harsh!¡± ¡°Where are you talking loudly? This is the Marquess of Hamilton.¡± After she pointed her hand at the artist¡¯s building. As befits the richest family in the empire, she smiled heartily at the mansion that stood proudly. It was worth spending money this time. Even those who ignore the Hamilton family are surprised by the scale and size of the mansion once they come to the family, and were surprised twice by its splendor once they enter. Finally, they were surprised three times by the expensive decorations in the drawing room, all of which were decorated by Alice. ¡®It¡¯s a rich family. It¡¯s money that runs the world.¡¯ Alice never believed that the basis for ruling the country was the Imperial Family because even they, whenever lacking of financial, they got straight to Marquess of Hamilton. So, how dare a mere knight like Lesir look down on Marquess¡¯s family? ¡°If I had money in my hand, I can just do nothing.¡± Looking at Lesir¡¯s ever-changing expression, it felt like the stress she had received from Lawrence was relieved. ¡°Is it natural to block the Duke¡¯s way of going in the Marquis¡¯ house?¡± ¡®Look at this?¡¯ Dealing with her would cause him loss, so he seemed to be mean to drag the Marquis¡¯s knight after being complacent. Alice opened her mouth, thinking he was the worse one. ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural to make a fuss in front of the marquis at the subject of the duke¡¯s knight? Are you the Duke? Why did you come out when he was still at the back?¡± Alice asked, widening her eyes. Everyone who watched her looked at her in admiration as she innocently tilted her head as if she didn¡¯t know. In particular, the servants of the Marquis family cheered Alice inwardly. She was a young lady who lived confined to her house and didn¡¯t go out much, but when outsiders persecuted Marquis¡¯s people, she responded immediately. ¡®We¡¯re thanking Lady Alice!¡¯ Karus, who looked at Alice whose eyes were twinkling, stood there with a subtle smile. At her words, Lesir looked behind her and Karus was standing behind, to which he didn¡¯t even notice. ¡°It seems that Sir Lesir was too harsh. But since he was doing it out of loyalty to me, Miss Alice will you understand?¡± Alice¡¯s eyebrows twitched when Carus said that he acknowledged Lesir¡¯s rudeness, but that he did nothing wrong because it was for me. I don¡¯t know why that man came all the way here, but I couldn¡¯t tolerate the attitude of making a fuss at the front door of the marquis family and trying to pass it off with words. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why so?¡± This time, Karus¡¯s eyebrows rose to the sky. Alice faced him and quickly noticed the changes in his eyes. ¡®As expected, he has a personality.¡¯ Here, Alice quickly changed her attitude, thinking that if she dared to say anything, she might end up facing an assassin in the night. ¡°Understanding is not something I do, but a knight of our marquis family. Isn¡¯t that right, Sir Scar?¡± Scar, the knight guarding the front gate of the Marquis family, was taken aback by Alice¡¯s words. He never expected her to call him by his name since there were dozens of knights who joined the Hamilton Marquess family. Does she really know his name even with that crowd? Scar was moved to tears, but received Karus¡¯ gaze and straightened his posture. ¡°I¡¯m fine as long as Sir Scar wasn¡¯t uncomfortable.¡± It didn¡¯t matter if she bother herself understanding a knight as long as the knight won¡¯t betray her. This situation could be better but she didn¡¯t want to forgive Lesir at all. ¡®What¡¯s so pretty about a guy who quickly betrayed the marquis family?¡¯ Scar¡¯s forgiveness of Lesir was between knights and knights, so she didn¡¯t turn it into a family quarrel. However, if she forgave Lesir, she would forgive a knight for being rude to a noble lady, so if he did something wrong, she could rise and fall into the ranks of society. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Sir Scar says he¡¯s alright.¡± Alice smiled and looked at Karus and his sharp eyes were directed at her. As the confrontation continued, Lawrence intervened between the two. ¡°What brought you to the Marquis family?¡± ¡°Is there any reason for me to tell you that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lawrence lifted his chin. ¡°Because the place you are going to visit is where my woman is.¡± Alice felt her downy hair rise at his softly flowing words. As she swept her arm, he took her hand and lowered his lip to it. ¡°Your presence in my woman¡¯s place means that you might take a special interest in her. Shouldn¡¯t that be prevented?¡± ¡°My girl? Special interest?¡± ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t you know, that we are in a serious relationship?¡± ¡°Well, the word is out in social circles.¡± However, even if he was saying the opposite, Karus couldn¡¯t read Lawrence¡¯s face. Karus was here to confirm the rumor, so he scanned Lawrence up and down. ¡®Lawrence isn¡¯t easy either.¡¯ Alice lamented inwardly, asking Karus and Lawrence, why are there no proper characters in her novels? Alice, who was watching the confrontation between the two, smiled brightly at Lesir, who had stepped back from Karus. However, the cool light in her eyes was not something that could be hidden. Having received her gaze, Lesir took a step back with a stubborn face. He snorted at him, as if resentful that Alice¡¯s eyes had pulled her back. ¡®He is nothing.¡¯ As she lunged forward, she wanted to block her opponent and call him out, but Lawrence wouldn¡¯t let go of her hand. With so many eyes on her, it was hard to pull away, so Alice meekly let go. As she withdrew her power from her hands, Lawrence glanced down at her, but Alice gave her nobility to Karus with her nonchalant face. ¡°It¡¯s late to say hello. Greetings, Duke Shellington.¡± ¡°It was I who kept Lady standing for too long. I am Karus Shellington.¡± ¡°It is an honor to meet you.¡± ¡°Forgive me for the sudden rudeness.¡± She didn¡¯t want to forgive, but Alice was just a marquise¡¯s daughter. ¡®A duke of this country, a duke with power beyond the authority of the imperial family, tells me to forgive, so I must.¡¯ She muttered the dissatisfaction inside her, but could only pout her lips and smile brightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What did you come for?¡± She didn¡¯t even tell him to come in, so Karus didn¡¯t go over. Alice only wanted him to say his business and go. ¡°Are you trying to kick me out of the front door without a cup of tea?¡± ¡°Ah! Look at my mind. Come in.¡± Alice deftly took a step to her side. Lawrence muttered, not letting go of her hand. ¡°This is enough to go back. Don¡¯t you notice?¡± It was a voice so loud that Karus could hear it. The servants of the Marquis Hamilton¡¯s family were perplexed and could see that they were confused. Alice let out a sigh and opened her mouth to Duke Karus. ¡°The butler is over there. You can go where the butler directs you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going with me?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it my father¡¯s job to welcome guests?¡± Karus¡¯ face hardened at Allis¡¯ scolding as if saying he knew no manners. When he heard that the Marquis of Hamilton was not in the Marquis, he opened his mouth again. ¡°Marquis is not here?¡± ¡°He will be back soon.¡± Alice narrowed her eyes at Karus. There was no way the Marquis would let the news of Lawrence¡¯s arrival at the Marquise go unnoticed. She spotted a carriage kicking up a cloud of dust in the distance and shot Lawrence a meaningful glance. ¡°Then shall we go to a separate building?¡± ¡°However you want.¡± CH 22 Chapter 22 ¨C The Truth of Stella Translator: Lioness Lawrence couldn¡¯t hide the happiness; he was smiling widely, pleased with Alice¡¯s response to Karus. He had to take her to Nakran Empire, so he might as well ingratiate himself with her. Lawrence believed winning Alice¡¯s heart would speed going to Nakran Empire as if the reap of all his efforts. However, Karus stared at her back as she disappeared from sight. ¡®It was an insect-bitten expression.¡¯ It was the same expression he had back when he was at the Academy during dungeon practice. It was also the class he almost failed. A survival test where he had to provide his own shelter, food, and clothing. Lawrence spread a radiant smile at the same expression she had at the time when she had to run out of food and had to support himself. Alice noticed his expression and asked, ¡°Are you in a good mood?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Are you on bad terms with the Duke of Shellington?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you witnessed it?¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyes curled at Alice who asked her out of curiosity. ¡°Well, it seemed that way back then.¡± ¡°Back then?¡± ¡°At that jewelry store¡­ Oops!¡± ¡°Jewelry Store?¡± The first time he saw her was at the banquet which was because he was watching. And the place where their eyes met was on the first floor of the teahouse, the jewelry store. ¡°Was it planned?¡± ¡°No, absolutely not!¡± ¡°Then?¡± At this moment, he doesn¡¯t care if she did it unintentionally or not as long as he had confirmed that she was the missing Princess of the Empire Nakran. He had to take her back where she belongs. ¡°It¡¯s not like that, the clerk really passed it onto me without knowing.¡± Lawrence¡¯s gaze, which had been thoroughly examining the bewildered face of Alice, went down. He glanced at her as he checked the necklace around her neck. ¡°Come to think of it, that necklace gave off a strange light?¡± He had taken the necklace for verification but he pretended he didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t question her any further, and only a shallow sigh from her was heard, holding the pendant of the necklace. ¡°I kept walking around with it all along, but it was the first time something like that last time.¡± ¡°Did you keep walking around with it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The conversation he had with the Crown Prince passed through his mind. ¡®A fool was here.¡¯ There was a person here who wore the crest representing the Imperial Family of another Empire. And no matter how simplified the crest was, a high nobleman would have known. ¡°A high-ranking nobleman?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyes flashed. Come to think of it, the Marquess of Hamilton also belonged to a high-ranking aristocracy. It wasn¡¯t as good as the Shellington duchy, but it was good enough to be second in the Erha Empire. Wasn¡¯t the reason why he was able to rise to the rank of Marquis because he made a huge donation to the royal family? ¡®When was the first time the Hamilton family rose as a Marquess?¡¯ In the first place, Hamilton was not a wealthy family. However, they suddenly stepped into commerce and worked hard. According to the obtained information, after Alice started to pursue the work, the wealth of the Marquis family increased exponentially. Her talent was considerable, and she expanded their business here and there, all of which were successful. The Hamilton family suddenly emerged as a marquess, and more people tried to extort money from the Hamilton family. ¡®What if the Marquis received money as a condition of hiding the princess? No, what if he had helped the kidnapped princess from the beginning?¡¯ A puzzle was put together in Lawrence¡¯s head. The princess who disappeared one day, and the Hamilton family who suddenly became rich, and the registered young lady. ¡®I can catch the one who kidnapped the princess.¡¯ His sunken, and dark eyes turned towards Alice, who was still looking at him with confusion. For a while, he carefully scanned her face. ¡®Her eyes resemble His Majesty, and her mouth resembles the Crown Prince. Her hair belongs to Her Majesty.¡¯ They all look so similar, why didn¡¯t anyone notice? Fortunately, she didn¡¯t come out of the house, otherwise, someone would have really noticed and exposed her to danger. ¡°I¡¯m glad you were always at home.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± That surely was a relief. If it wasn¡¯t for that, someone who noticed her could have informed Her Majesty in the Nakran Empire. If the Crown Prince was the first heir to the throne, then the princess was the second heir to the throne. If that happens, the now empress¡¯ biological son, the second prince, will be pushed out as the third heir to the throne. There was no way the empress, full of her lust for power, would let the situation go as it was. ¡®They would have sent an assassin.¡¯ Alice was dying of embarrassment at Lawrence¡¯s silent gaze. She was nervous to see him talking about something to himself. ¡®I wasn¡¯t supposed to bring up the story of the jewelry store!¡¯ It was too late to regret it, said Alice, looking at Lawrence. She still don¡¯t know what he was thinking about. ¡°Duke.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Lawrence Littenverk!¡± When Alice called his full name, Lawrence¡¯s eyes turned to her. Although he was startled by his serious gaze, which was different from before, Alice asked him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I heard you said it was good that I stayed at home.¡± ¡°Ah, that.¡± Lawrence who pulled her into a hug made her open her mouth awkwardly. His hot hand was on her waist, making her eyes waver by th sudden touch. As her red pupils swayed, the flames within them seemed to flicker. Lawrence, who had been staring into her eyes for a moment as if possessed, lowered his lips to her ear. ¡°You¡¯re so pretty I don¡¯t know who will take you.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± A low voice rang in her ears, whether it was conscious of the stare around her or it was a joke. Alice¡¯s face blushed as the sounds of wonder from the servants lodged into her ears after words and words. ¡°Why is her face blushing at the words of the people around her rather than at my words?¡± ¡°Because I know the Duke was joking.¡± ¡°If it was not a joke?¡± ¡®What is he saying now.¡¯ Recently, he had just said that he was the one who ¡®fell¡¯ in love with her in order to take her to Nakran Empire. And it would be nonsense to say that his feelings had drastically changed during that time. She then whispered proudly. ¡°It was not.¡± ¡°What if my feelings were real?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s not.¡± Saying not to talk nonsense, Alice walked away. Lawrence looked at her back as she quickly walked away. The tips of her ears were burning red. **** A loud noise was heard, and the ladies-in-waiting busily cleaned the room. The ladies-in-waiting close to the Crown Princess were dying trying to match Stella¡¯s changed personality these days. Words of her, who suddenly became demanding various things every day, were coming out. It was like that today, too. Stella, who had been lavishly dressed since early morning, suddenly changed when her guest, who was supposed to come to the palace of the Crown Princess, unilaterally broke her promise. Furious at the tip of her head, she mercilessly threw things in her room. ¡°I had a prior agreement with him, where did he go?¡± ¡°T, to the Hamilton Marquess¡­¡± The maid¡¯s face turned pale after answering. Not once, or twice, but often lately. The maids who served her looked almost dejected. ¡°The Marquess of Hamilton. To the girl who embarrassed me? And that ygirl who threw me a cheap jewel and apologized? Did he go to her house?¡± ¡°Your Highness, please calm down¡­¡± ¡°Do I look calm now?¡± Stella rolled her eyes and shoved the maid, so the maid fell to the ground with a thud. Her hand was bleeding from a shard of broken glass. Since Stella¡¯s pride was more important that hurting the maid, she slammed the door and stormed out. The sound of the crown princess¡¯s maids yellig and chasing after her made her feel a little better. No matter what, she was the highest person in the palace and the soon-to-be empress of this country. ¡®That Alice Hamilton!¡¯ She was a girl hated by the gods of this world. Her plan to punish her for embarrassing Stella was going smoothly, but a problem arose. The problem was that Alice Hamilton did not come out of her house. She wasn¡¯t even showing her face at tea parties or shopping. She couldn¡¯t work her plans because Alice didn¡¯t come out. Each day that passes, she was nervous and when she was informed that Karus had cancelled his appointment with her and headed to Hamilton, she couldn¡¯t hide her rising irritation. ¡°Why are you so angry?¡± ¡°Your Highness.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®Your Highness¡¯, you should call me by my name.¡± She wanted to distance herself. Stella, who hadn¡¯t called her name before, smiled shyly. ¡°Gail.¡± Gail Erha. He was the crown prince of this country and a man who had no ability, but only a well-born bloodline. He had a smooth face, but even that face was a squid in front of Karus. For the progress of the original work, she seduced him with all her heart and soul, but all that remained was a wound. Gail was just a stupid guy. A typical royal family who doesn¡¯t even know how to understand a woman¡¯s heart. He was the kind of man who wanted everything to fit him. He didn¡¯t have charisma like Karus, and he didn¡¯t have the resourcefulness. ¡°Look at you. How beautiful you are when you smile.¡± ¡°I was really upset.¡± ¡°What is the problem?¡± Stella¡¯s eyes sparkled at Gail¡¯s question. He had the expectation that at least if he had the title of crown prince, he would be able to punish Alice. ¡°Alice Hamilton.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Miss Alice of the Marquess of Hamilton.¡± ¡°Oh, that woman.¡± ¡°She said I am greedy.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She said it was the reason why I don¡¯t suit as the Crown Princess¡­ what should I do?¡± Gail¡¯s expression changed when he saw the tears welling up in Stella¡¯s eyes. (TN¡¯s reaction: shrug, blushing, anger, anger, knife and kill!) CH 23 Chapter 23 ¨C The Crown Prince¡¯s Call (1) Translator: Lioness Alice was taken aback by the words of the Marquis Hamilton. ¡°T, the Crown Prince?¡± ¡°You insolent child. You should call him His Highness or His Highness, the Crown Prince.¡± Her insolence was pointed by the Marquis, who did not matter if Alice was called, but the fact that she was called by the Crown prince. Even if she asks the Marquis who has a big smile on his face, it¡¯s hard to receive a proper explanation. ¡®Why is he calling for me?!¡¯ The place of Imperial Palace is where she doesn¡¯t want to go. Ever since she heard that ¡®voice¡¯ in that place in her head, she had become more reserved. But noticing that her complexion had darkened, he looked at her strangely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. It seems Her Highness liked the gift you gave.¡± ¡°Was it because of my gift?¡± ¡°They praised the gift you gave to Her Highness, the Crown Princess. You said you want to talk to her, now is the time which may result to opening up a new market.¡± ¡®No, not at all.¡¯ Now, the business of the Marquess of Hamilton took up a larger amount of business with the Duke of Shellington than with the imperial family. She tried to expand his business into the Nakran Empire, but the massive expansion failed because of the Marquis objected her suggestion directly. ¡®At least I made a branch.¡¯ The scale of the international business, which was more than just trading in the capital of Nakran, led Alice to look inside the Erha Empire, and the power of the Duke of Shellington in opening up markets inside the Empire. It was then that Alice realized that the Empire was held together by the power of the Duke of Shellington, not the Imperial Family. ¡®The first setting wasn¡¯t like this¡­¡¯ Things ended up like this since she didn¡¯t want to put the Crown Prince in a difficult spot so she had no choice but to answer the Marquis, who was still waiting for her. ¡°When should I go?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a visit to the imperial family, so you¡¯ll need to prepare. How about three days later?¡± A sigh was heard after hearing that she had to go. Her head felt rolling realizing that she could never leave this empire without visiting the Imperial palace. She pondered how she could leave this Empire without having to visit the Imperial palace but no answer came out. If she disappeared without a word, the remaining Marquis Hamilton would be stressed. She could not afford to put the Marquis in that spot since she was the one who made him rose from the brink to the top. After a while, she nodded her head. ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Then I will write a reply to Her Highness.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Marquis offered to do the trouble for her so does not need to refuse, and gladly accepted his kindness. The Marquis was satisfied, so there was smile radiant on his face. He went out and now she was alone, and right after, she pulled her hair, making it disheveled but it didn¡¯t matter for her. ¡°Why!¡± She wondered why the crown prince had called for her, but she couldn¡¯t speak out loud in case someone outside heard her. She beat her chest in frustration, but it didn¡¯t solve anything but pain. ¡®If I go out for no reason and hear that voice again¡­¡¯ It was a big problem, and it was not a place she could go with Lawrence. It¡¯s a private space of the Crown Princess, Stella. ¡®Couldn¡¯t it be because of what I said at the birthday party for the Crown Princess?¡¯ The setting was that she was an angelic person. As long as the setting didn¡¯t change, Stella was supposed to be a beautiful heroine forever. Her head might be empty, but she was a beautiful heroine loved by everyone. But Alice, albeit only for a moment, witnessed Stella¡¯s lifeless gaze. She was a good-natured heroine but her gaze held a malice she never showed before. ¡®Has it changed?¡¯ Alice Hamilton changed after she possessed this body, which means Stella might have the same case. Alice¡¯s goal was to leave this empire and safely arrive at Nakran Empire. However, her eyes narrowed at the thought that Stella might block her way. She barely escaped the voice, but now the heroine grabbed her by the ankles. ¡®No, the voice didn¡¯t disappear. I still can hear it again.¡¯ She didn¡¯t know what had happened, and the feeling that everyone she knew had changed in an instant gave her goosebumps. It was Lawrence who pulled her out of the room, pacing and fidgeting. When Gina told her that she was visited by Lawrence, Alice hurriedly walked to her parlor. Duke Lawrence was busier than expected, so there were days when he didn¡¯t visit the Hamilton Marquis. However, the servants of the Marquis family became busy with her appearance almost every day. ¡°You must look very nice, my lady!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Duke of Littenverk fell in love with the lady at first sight!¡± ¡®Fell in love, nonsense.¡¯ She thought the play turned out good so she bluntly answered, ¡°Does it look like that?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Over time, the Marquise¡¯s servants began to treat her differently. This was not the case even when she had made a fortune running her business and paid them generous salaries. The title of Duchess of Littenverk was well deserved. ¡°And the Duke of Shellington. He said he wanted to see the lady!¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes! But he said the Marquis said no.¡± The corners of Alice¡¯s eyes rose to the sky at Gina¡¯s chattering words. It was an unexpected situation for her. ¡®Why do dogs and cows show interest in me!¡¯ (TN: At least you have them, wanna give me one? *wink*) She had to be free of people¡¯s attention if she was to pass safely to the Nakran Empire. She could not escape to the Nakran Empire without anyone noticing when she was blatantly in the spotlight. ¡°You are late.¡± As she thought about this and that, before she knew it, she was in the drawing room where Lawrence was. Gina, whom she had been walking with, was nowhere to be seen, and the servants in the room had already left, too. ¡°Why did they go outside?¡± ¡°Are you asking because you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s for our private time.¡± ¡°What nonsense¡­¡± Alice, who had responded to Lawrence¡¯s remark with a bold statement, jerked back in embarrassment at his approaching face. He had been sitting at the table, sipping his tea quietly, and now he was on his feet, right in front of her. His hand slipped around her waist again, and she turned. ¡®Why do you always hold my waist?¡¯ She knew in theory that a standard escort move was to hold hands and hold her waist, but this was too awkward. When she tried to pull away, he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. Their lips were close enough to touch, and she tried to tilt her head back. ¡°The Crown prince called?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I can know everything.¡± Laughing mischievously at her and letting go of her back, Lawrence sat back in his chair across from her. He urged her to sit down as if he was the owner of the house and she gazed at him angrily. Alice, who did not want to start talking until she sat down, let out a light sigh and sat down. Lawrence opened his mouth first without waiting. ¡°Go with me.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll solve that problem when we go to the crown prince¡¯s palace together.¡± Lawrence was right. Going with him made her feel relieved. Above all, the biggest advantage was not being able to hear his voice when he was by his side. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to have me next to you?¡± For some reason, she was relieved by his words that penetrated her inner feelings. She didn¡¯t know why the Crown Prince was calling for her, but entering the palace was stressful for her. At this time, what could be the reason for calling her when she was about to escape? ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Alice¡¯s head moved up and down. ¡°So, let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t bring just anyone to an imperial summons, you know that, right?¡± It was reassuring, but etiquette was etiquette. In particular, imperial etiquette could not be ignored. Unless Stella was a good girl and a baroness, there was no way she was going to be embarrassed in a ballroom. That¡¯s how strict the Erha Empire¡¯s etiquette was. ¡®It was also a frustrating part.¡¯ ¡°A fianc¨¦ is possible.¡± ¡°¡­ I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°Are you pretending not to hear it?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it, that¡¯s so absurd!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lawrence rather criticized Alice. ¡°I will use every means and method available to bring you to the Nakran Empire. To do that, you have to reduce the variables.¡± ¡°Variables?¡± ¡°Walking to the Erha Empire with the knowledge of knowing what would happen.¡± Those words, which fell low, rang in Alice¡¯s heart. That was right. It was also the part she was most worried about. ¡°Isn¡¯t it right?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Alice¡¯s eyes changed. She had been too careless all this time. As Lawrence said, she should have moved regardless of means and methods, but she didn¡¯t. Escaping from the Erha Empire had been her long-held goal, but when her goal was right in front of her eyes, she needs to sacrifice herself. ¡®I have to change.¡¯ Otherwise, the situation will not change. Her personality, which had been dormant for a long time, was awakened. She said that she would stick to her original personality after the original story was finished, but her personality that had been suppressed for years did not return in an instant. Alice realized after this incident that it could be her loss if she had to hide her plaque under unknown circumstances. ¡®Since when did the Crown Prince was above the Hamilton?¡¯ He was a member of the royal family without any powers. While Alice earned money to die to avoid this. Because if one don¡¯t have money, you¡¯ll be ignored. ¡°How much money did I pour into the imperial palace?¡± CH 24 Chapter 24 ¨C The Crown Prince¡¯s Call (2) Translator: Lioness Alice didn¡¯t set out to make money from scratch; her first real business venture was when debtors took over the Marquess of Hamilton. She could no longer stay in her room as the house was stripped of its ornaments and furniture, one by one. Servants in the house were clamoring for their wages, and the knights were in a frenzy for lack of supplies. She went to the Marquis¡¯s office and looked through all the papers of her business. That he was almost out of business, adding that her money was also small, not making him sell her goods. ¡®I should have developed something that didn¡¯t exist.¡¯ Fortunately, this country was full of flowers. She developed a perfume by extracting the scent of flowers, and the perfume became a necessity for aristocratic women. In the Erha Empire, there were only scent bags that dried flower petals and carried around, and there was no concept of perfume. Having developed her perfume, she dedicated it to the Empress, the highest woman of the Erha Empire, and the Empress fell in love with her fragrance, stopped debtors from visiting the Marquis. Although the range has grown, it was still the Marquise of Hamilton¡¯s job to present new scents to the empress when they are released. ¡°You paid?¡± Lawrence, who heard her muttering, asked back. ¡°Of course.¡± Alice¡¯s mouth watered as she recounted all the things she had done to get the Marquis of Hamilton to this position. One of those things was the imperial court. The first thing she did after paying off her debtors was to give money to the imperial court. ¡®I got a good one.¡¯ As she spoke her words, Alice casually praised the empress. She said that because the empress used their perfume, the value of their product went up. Pleased with that, the empress asked the emperor to elevate the Hamilton to the rank of marquesses, which they are today. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Even if Lawrence asked, no, she couldn¡¯t tell even if the Marquis of Hamilton asked. Perfume was the main product of the Hamilton family, and the sales generated there were substantial. Alice shut her mouth as she was just telling the sales figures. Even the Marquess of Hamilton did not know the exact amount. He only knew that she was giving money to the imperial palace. As an aristocrat to the bone, the Marquis took his tribute to the imperial family for granted, and Alice didn¡¯t mind. ¡®Wait, come to think of it, there was an empress?¡¯ As long as she offered money and perfume, there was an empress who would stand by her side no matter what. She didn¡¯t know what the Crown Prince thought of calling her, but if it there was a problem, it could be solved by the empress. Because no one wants to slit the goose she lays gold on. In particular, if the gold was given to the empress, she would be all the more on Alice¡¯s side. ¡°I don¡¯t think Your Grace should go with me.¡± Her eyes sparkled and Lawrence persisted despite her momentum as she seemed to have found her solution. ¡°No. We have to go together.¡± ¡°No, I really think I can go alone.¡± ¡°Then, I will wait outside the Crown prince¡¯s palace.¡± Lawrence came up with a way to make sure that if something happened to Alice, he would move in the shortest way possible. ¡°May I ask why you are doing that?¡± Eyes full of questions turned to him. For a moment Lawrence couldn¡¯t make a sound as if someone had blocked his mouth. It was because Alice¡¯s face, which filled her field of vision, captured his heart. Just like the tearful face he once saw. ¡°¡­ Because I have to get the diamonds.¡± ¡°I can give it to you now!¡± ¡°Did you ever think that giving me that diamond could change my attitude?¡± The corner of his mouth twitched up at Alice, who shoved her hand back into her pocket. Alice pouted her lips in displeasure, but Lawrence didn¡¯t even pretend to hear her. ¡°Don¡¯t trust the contract too much. There are many powerful people in this world who can turn a contract into a piece of paper.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± It was a fact Alice was well aware of. A similar thing happened frequently in dealings with the Duke of Shellington. There were cases where the quantity and amount specified in the contract did not match, and when arguing, the agent she sent would return empty-handed every time. So, she would deliberately set a high price in her dealings with Shellington. That was how she got the price she wants. She did not forget the tyranny of the high-ranking nobles. But Lawrence didn¡¯t feel like a high-ranking nobleman. ¡®Just by looking at it, he is a model of a high-ranking aristocrat¡­¡¯ The occasional clumsy appearance lowered her vigilance. She couldn¡¯t carelessly talk to him about the lofty atmosphere and the sense of intimidation that emanated from standing still. His blonde hair and blue eyes that glistened in the light were the symbols of the Duke of Littenverk, and his sculpture-like face overflowed with sternness. However, his flirtatious personality and caring nature made him seem more human. He did, at least to Alice. It was nice to visit her like this and check her condition when something difficult happened. ¡®No one has ever been worried about me.¡¯ Although the Marquis Hamilton occasionally looked at her with worried eyes, she said nothing. Alice took it as a sense of distance because she was his adopted child. No one cared about her properly in this household of his. It was not that she didn¡¯t understand aristocratic society. How many years have she been in this world? However, she still could not adopt. For her, who lived a free-spirited life, this place was too stuffy. When she was at lost at her thoughts and no answer came to him, he spoke to her. ¡°Just say thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She replied hastily since she was grateful. Their first encounter might be unlucky, but he had helped her in many ways until now. He was very benevolent to her after all of her struggles in this world. ¡°So, when is the date you enter the palace?¡± **** The Crown Prince¡¯s palace was busy from morning. Stella had been visiting since early morning and she was disrupting the drawing room of the Crown Prince¡¯s palace. ¡°The flowers are over there!¡± At her gestures, the attendants and maids moved busily. She had already changed the location of the flowers several times. Everyone who knew the reason why the drawing room was decorated with such fervor and soul knew. The fact that Stella, who was disgraced by Alice at the banquet hall, was grinding her teeth spread widely throughout the imperial palace. The people in the imperial palace held a grudge against Alice, saying that Stella¡¯s personality changed because of Alice. After all, this situation made Alice tired. ¡°What are these curtains!¡± A shrill voice echoed through the drawing room. The attendants hurriedly climbed up and draped a new cloth. White, purple, pink. Stella, enjoying the colorful feast, crossed her arms and lifted her chin. ¡°The first one was better.¡± The attendant, who almost missed the cloth in an instant, barely maintained her expression with her superhuman endurance. Her hand holding the cloth trembled, but Stella, who immediately turned her head away, didn¡¯t notice. ¡°I don¡¯t like the tablecloth. Decorate it with gold thread at the end.¡± The ladies-in-waiting picked up the cloth on the table and worked diligently with their hands. The moment Stella, who had been watching her, was about to open her mouth again, the Crown Prince appeared. ¡°You look good today.¡± ¡°Gail.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor to hear you call me by name.¡± Cheered by Stella¡¯s call, Gail puffed himself up and bowed ridiculously. It was a bit much for a lady¡¯s greeting, but the servants and maids turned their heads as if they didn¡¯t see it. ¡°Since you like it this much, I think it was a good thing to call the daughter of the Hamilton family.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know Gail thought of me that much.¡± ¡°This, Stella. You mean you thought of me that way? I can¡¯t be without you.¡± (TN: I wanna poke this Stella so bad¡­) As if they were in love of the century, the two of them whispered whispers like a pair of cockroaches. However, while Gail¡¯s eyes were full of intense affection, Stella¡¯s eyes were infinitely cold. ¡°You should have told me if you were that angry.¡± ¡°How could I do that? His Highness accepted an apology on my behalf already.¡± ¡°Ah, I did. What about that? We are royalty, Stella. Nobles are subordinates, so of course I do as what I please.¡± The aide who was guarding his side lowered his head at the words of Gail, who was speechless. He had a hunch that things would get bigger if the Duke of Shellington knew that a Crown Prince had such thoughts. Even in the imperial palace, there were many eyes and ears that Karus had planted. Those eyes and ears ran to Karus and conveyed Gail¡¯s words. What happens after that was a future that has yet to come. Alice¡¯s visit was right in front of her eyes. ¡°I want you to come soon.¡± Stella muttered as she looked at the lavishly decorated drawing room. Her enchanting voice was so sweet that it would make anyone happy to hear it that made Gail smile beside her. Gail exclaimed, delighted that Stella was in such a good mood. ¡°Give rewards to the attendants and maids who decorated the drawing room!¡± ¡°Your Highness! That¡­.!¡± ¡°Get off!¡± The imperial treasury was dwindling because of Gail. The Empress had put a stop to his distribution, but Gail, in his euphoria, didn¡¯t remember and opened the treasury again. The aide¡¯s expression grew darker and darker, but Gail, intoxicated by his mood, didn¡¯t realize it. ¡°Your Highness, Miss Alice was said to have entered the palace.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Next to Gail, who smiled and nodded, Stella¡¯s eyes shone cruelly. However, the expression on his face changed after that. ¡°But they said she went to the empress¡¯ palace!¡± ¡°What?!¡± (TN: Well~ ) CH 25 Chapter 25 ¨C The Crown Prince¡¯s Call (3) Translator: Lioness The empress¡¯ palace was splendid; it was full of d¨¦cor and precious jewels as if proving that it was the place where the noblest woman stayed in the Erha Empire. The furnishings placed in it were also unusual and along with the paintings and vases decorating the corridors were among the most expensive in the empire. They stunned her, making her mouth open. ¡°Wow.¡± She thought she had seen a lot of pretty and wonderful things, but the world was indeed big and there were still things she didn¡¯t know existed. She didn¡¯t know that this place was where all those luxurious and pretty things were placed. ¡°There were many better things in the Imperial Palace of the Nakran Empire.¡± Lawrence whispered to Alice who was looking around. ¡°Can I go visit the Imperial Palace of Nakran Empire?¡± Lawrence asked back to Alice, who was in an atmosphere of wanting to go if he could just show it. ¡°You want to go?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I asked if you want to go.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯d open the door.¡± As she nodded and laughed, he tightly held her hand as if to keep his word. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that.¡± At his low voice, her ears perked up. It became red and he pretended he was unbeknownst to it. When the ladies-in-waiting saw them, they happily smiled at them. When they arrived at the drawing room of the empress¡¯ palace, the lady-in-waiting informed her inside. ¡°Miss Alice has arrived.¡± ¡°Let her in.¡± The empress, who was savoring the scent of tea with a languid expression, looked at her and was delighted with her. ¡°I had never seen you before, this¡¯d my first time since you always sent letters.¡± ¡°I greet the Empress, Her majesty.¡± Alice greeted the Empress by spreading her skirt, and Lawrence bowed down beside her as well. ¡°I am Lawrence Littenverk of the Nakran Empire.¡± ¡°I know. You are the main character of the romance that made the empire lively, but it was unbelievable the moment I heard it.¡± The empress watched the two of them with coyish eyes which Alice caught and could only smile awkwardly. The empress, who had welcomed Alice, who came with Lawrence, offered them seats. As soon as they sat down, the empress pointed out. ¡°Alice. You¡¯re not going to follow that man to the Nakran Empire, are you?¡± ¡°Even if I go, I will not forget Her Majesty¡¯s grace.¡± Alice¡¯s voice resonated resoundingly in the audience room. The empress, who liked her answer, replied with a bright smile. ¡°It sounds like you are leaving the empire.¡± ¡°Anyway, the woman has to follow her husband.¡± She had no intention of marrying Lawrence, but she couldn¡¯t get her out of the way. To minimize her shock that the Marquis Hamilton would receive her when she disappeared, it was good that she gave off a nuance that she might be leaving for the Nakran Empire. ¡°If you go, what will I do? Sometimes you lose a person you correspond with.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be, Your Majesty. Even if I am far away, I will always occupy my mind to think of you. We will continue to develop new products.¡± The Empress was very pleased with her answer. With the amount of money Alice Hamilton had brought to the imperial family, she could not leave the Erha Empire. The Empress was one of the few people who knew of Alice¡¯s involvement in the Marquise Hamilton¡¯s commerce. ¡°Despite being a woman, you have such ability that you are my favorite child.¡± ¡°That is right.¡± Lawrence responded with a smile to the empress¡¯ words to which Alice laughed awkwardly between the two of them, while she eagerly flattered the Empress. ¡°There is a perfume coming soon, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, really.¡± ¡°As always, I will give it to Your Majesty first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always looking forward to it.¡± The empress¡¯ nostrils went up. The perfume developed by the Marquis of Hamilton was out of stock. Only limited quantities were produced, and once all of them were sold, they were not reproduced. The empress was the only person in the Erha Empire who could have all of those perfumes. That¡¯s why she loved the Hamilton Marquess. Especially Alice. ¡°I heard you were called by the Crown Prince. What is going on?¡± ¡°I also have no idea, Your Majesty. It was a sudden call.¡± ¡°He may be my son, but I loathe that he is being controlled by a woman.¡± The empress whispered in a strange tone echoing in the room as she spoke softly as if she were speaking specifically to Alice. ¡°A baron at best. I set the daughter of Shellington¡¯s duchy as his candidate for Crown princess, but he kicked that blessing.¡± The empress¡¯ voice was full of regret as she clicked her tongue. ¡®Uh? This feels strange?¡¯ Stella was loved not only by the Empress but everyone in the Imperial Family. Yet the empress expressed her dissatisfaction with Stella. ¡®What happened?¡¯ It was strange since it could be a problem after the original story had ended. She also have no idea how to adjust to the people that had changed. She don¡¯t know if the Empress was aware of her confusion or not, but the Empress did not reap any complaints. ¡°Her treasury is empty because of that girl.¡± ¡®It¡¯s telling her to hand over the money.¡¯ She wondered why the Empress was telling this secretly so she pretended not to know anything and innocently nodded her head. She comprehended her wholly but didn¡¯t express herself until the story was finished. ¡°Of course, the empty national treasury can be filled with taxes, but the Crown Princess spent more money than me as the empress. That shouldn¡¯t be like that.¡± Anger lingered in the empress¡¯ voice as she gritted her teeth and whispered. Alice only nodded her head up and down as she stroked the back of her hand giving her goosebumps. Lawrence, who had been watching from her side, placed his large hand over hers. She felt relieved when the warm feeling came through. Alice found it difficult to adjust to the changed circumstances. Why did this happen? It didn¡¯t matter if the world changed, but if the changed situation harmed her, it could be a big problem. ¡®I¡¯m just an extra.¡¯ The fact that she was mentioned in a single line, and then summoned to the imperial court, was evidence that things were going wrong. ¡®I have to leave this empire quickly before anyone notices.¡¯ The empress raised her teacup and asked Alice, who lowered her head due to nervous. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°I was delighted to be invited to the Imperial Palace and could stop by your palace, Your Majesty. But I remembered that the Crown Prince, His Highness might be already looking for me.¡± ¡°To stop by the Crown Prince¡¯s palace must just be a trick.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Alice was confused whether she had heard her words coming out of her empress¡¯ mouth. At this point, she hated Stella. Sensing that the empress¡¯ mood had deteriorated in an instant, she forgot that Alice had taken her hand from Lawrence, and she put her hand over it. Lawrence¡¯s gaze turned to Alice, feeling her sweaty hands. Alice, not recognizing his gaze, looked at the empress with her awkward smile. The empress, staring at her, waved her hand. ¡°Fine. I will call the crown prince.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes?¡± ¡°Chief Maid.¡± The lady-in-waiting next to her immediately responded to the gesture of the empress. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Go and call the Crown prince.¡± The Empress¡¯s words surprised Alice; what she wanted was not to summon the Prince here, but to deliver the perfume to the Empress on the way to the Crown Prince¡¯s palace, in the hope that the Empress would call her back. ¡®No, did I just dig a trouble for myself again?¡¯ Alice held her breath, not knowing what Stella would turn out to be. The empress, who confirmed the tension in her face, smiled benevolently. ¡°Why is that?¡± Alyssa pursed her lips at the Empress¡¯s knowing question, but she couldn¡¯t answer; if she spoke ill of the Crown Prince, she could be accused of insulting the royal family and hauled away. ¡°You are too much, Your Majesty.¡± Lawrence voiced out. ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± ¡°The Crown Prince must have called her for a good cause.¡± The empress¡¯ face hardened at Lawrence¡¯s words that if it were not for that, there would be no calling for her. The empress, who had read his hidden will that he would not stay still if Alice had been summoned to the palace because of her bad business, looked at Lawrence with her sharp eyes. Passing her gaze casually, he enjoyed the scent of tea her lady-in-waiting poured out. Fearing that Alice might say that she would not go to the Nakran Empire because she could not withstand the threat of the empress and the crown prince, Lawrence tried to stop the situation with all her might. ¡°Of course, it was. If it wasn¡¯t for that, there would be no need to call our Alice.¡± There was no way the empress would hate Alice, who offered her valuables every time. However, the empress was displeased with Lawrence who appeared with Alice. She feared that if she went to the Nakran Empire, she would cut off the royal family¡¯s money. Sensing her concern, Alice assured her that this was not the case, but the Lawrence before her was no pushover. As the head of one of the most powerful ducal families in the Nakran Empire and a loyal servant of the crown prince who would become the next great emperor, he could not be underestimated. She muttered that she would not let the crown prince do anything against the empress¡¯ intentions, and she listened to the sound the empress heard outside her. ¡°Your Majesty, His Highness, the Crown Prince and Her Highness have come.¡± ¡°Let them in.¡± At the empress¡¯ words, the door opened, and Gail and Stella entered. She couldn¡¯t sit still, so Alice rose from her seat. When Lawrence and Alice got up, she had no choice but to get up from her seat. ¡°I greet Your Majesty.¡± The empress smiled kindly at the crown prince and his wife who spoke at the same time. ¡°Come in. Did you call Alice?¡±