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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: True Colors
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“By the way, how was the tea party? I heard Mera reassured the other maids that the young lady's etiquette and refinement are perfect.”
“Ugh! It was fine! This is the seventh time I've been asked, but it was really fine!”
My cheeks burned, feeling awkward about receiving so much positive attention.
Rose asked with an amused expression.
“Cheria, are you blushing? Your face is as red as a tomato.”
Ugh...
I glared at Rose and chewed on the piece of bread Kivrin had buttered for me.
It was impossible for me not to love the people of the duchy who cared for me so much.
Fortunately, Cesar steered the conversation back to the topic of House Ingram.
I thought about the actions of House Ingram as described in .
Because his wife had died giving birth to Sabrina, Marquess Ingram doted on her immensely.
He gave her anything she asked for and would even go into debt to buy her whatever she wanted.
As a result, though he lost his position as a vassal of the duchy, the Sabrina in the novel grew into a villain who wasn't satisfied unless she had everything in her grasp.
She especially coveted what her older sister had.
But there were some things that even Marquess Ingram couldn't buy for her.
Like the special dress her sister had worn for the festival.
It would have been better if she had accepted reality and given up then... but the Sabrina in started down the path to a bad ending.
This is what happened.
Sabrina stole a sacred relic that her sister was keeping as the Saintess.
The incident paralyzed the Temple's operations for several days, and her sister tracked down the culprit without sleeping.
Since the male lead actively helped, the culprit was quickly identified.
Afterward, her sister exposed all of Sabrina's misdeeds at the imperial ball.
The young ladies who had been bullied by Sabrina also took her sister's side.
It was only natural that Sabrina became a disgrace in high society.
The Temple also insisted she pay the price.
Then, cornered, Sabrina conspired with a curse-caster to kidnap her sister, driven by a desire to take her down with her.
She had crossed a line from which there was no return.
Mhmm, of course, her sister returned perfectly fine.
Even closer to the male lead.
Having finished his meal, Cesar stood up.
“I will go and inspect the castle, as much as I am permitted, just in case.”
Kivrin, who could hear Marquess Ingram's voice even from beside me, spoke up.
“He's, he's contacting the duchy with the communication stone. My parents are asking again if I'm, if I'm really not going ba-back to the capital.”
I tapped my fingers on the table.
“Doesn't it seem like the Marquess is only doing suspicious things? Would it be a problem for him if my parents-in-law were in the ducal territory?”
“Well. I'm not really... interested in that...”
Kivrin said it as if all that mattered was answering my question.
This isn't someone else's problem, you know!
Rose, who had been nonchalantly tapping her foot regardless of whether Marquess Ingram was suspicious, suddenly lifted her head.
“That's right, you need to take your medicine.”
“Ugh.”
Ignoring my booing, Rose took out the medicine.
After forcing down the medicine, I leaned against Kivrin and protested.
“But listen, if I'm Del, why am I so weak? Come to think of it, even when the sealing spell was broken, my body didn't become absurdly strong. It was just enough to avoid the side effects of warping.”
“Isn't that obvious? You said you didn't eat well before you came here, right?”
“But Del's basic physical abilities are supposed to be...!”
Rose gave me a look that said, ‘What kind of shortcut are you hoping for?’
“Del gained those abilities by eating and sleeping well, too.”
No way!
I narrowed my eyes.
“So, anyone who eats and sleeps well can become the strongest in the world? I'm not falling for that.”
“Whether you fall for it or not, you still have to eat and sleep well.”
Rose stubbornly put on airs.
Who's treating whom like a child here?
My sulky glare at Rose was brief.
Suddenly, I became curious about what Rose was thinking when she dealt with me.
Rose had waited for Del for a very long time.
Was Rose disappointed when Kivrin told her I was Del?
Because I'm so fragile I can't even get by without medicine?
Kivrin's past self, Jaehae, had recognized my true identity immediately, something even I hadn't known. He had been so certain.
He'd even confessed his feelings so directly that I clearly felt I was being favored.
Well, that was still the case now.
But with Rose, we hadn't been able to talk openly, and we were in a strange situation where we both treated each other like a child.
Hah. I flinched.
“Rose, until now, I thought the Young Lord's mental age was higher than yours.”
“Do you have a death wish?”
Rose snapped.
I laughed along with a chuckling Kivrin and asked.
“Rose, when you mistook the Young Lord for Del, you said you'd run away with him once the sealing spell was broken. Are you going to do that with me, too?”
At my words, Rose's eyebrow twitched.
“I don't think *that* Young Lord would just stand by and let it happen.”
“Of course not.”
Kivrin agreed.
Hmm. I kept my eyes on Rose.
Rose snapped for a second time.
“Why do you keep staring at me? If you have something to say, just say it.”
I shrugged lightly.
“Nothing. I was just wondering if you were disappointed that I'm Del, and not the Young Lord.”
If I were her, I think I would have hesitated a bit if the guardian I'd waited so long for was in this state.
Rose practically shouted.
“Of course not! It's because I'm pathetic for not recognizing you!”
It seemed she hadn't shown it, but she'd been blaming herself a lot internally.
Rose ruffled her own hair frantically.
“I never imagined that coming to the duchy meant coming here through marriage... No wonder I kept paying attention to you even though you seemed like an ordinary human...”
Panting in frustration, Rose pointed a finger at Kivrin.
“And you, Kivrin! You traitor! If you noticed first, you should have told me right away! You have the ability to do so!”
“You sh-shouldn't have insulted D-Del in front of Lady Ch-Cheria. You should be th-thankful I told you at all.”
“Ugh, that's...!”
Just then, someone knocked on the door from outside.
Both Kivrin and Rose looked at me, so I gave permission to enter.
An auburn-eyed maid opened the door and bowed.
“Your Grace, I am here to assist you with your bath.”
Mmm, it doesn't seem like we can return to Crescent Moon Castle right away, so I suppose I should go.
I just grabbed my coat and put it on.
“You two, don't fight while I'm gone.”
At my words, the two of them shut their mouths with sullen expressions.
The maid was holding a set of Sabrina's clothes.
Huh? I have a feeling Sabrina won't like that very much.
My prediction was correct.
Sabrina, who had followed the maid, shouted from the hallway.
“Those are my clothes!”
“B-But we don't have a dress that fits Her Grace right now, so the Marquess ordered...”
The maid stammered, her shoulders trembling.
What's this? Isn't she being a little too scared?
It was strange, especially when I remembered how the maids at the duchy would proudly boast to my parents-in-law about how many centimeters I'd grown.
Sabrina gritted her teeth.
“How dare you talk back to me? Have you already forgotten that I'm your master, not my father?”
The maid bowed her head low, and Sabrina looked like she was about to grab her by the hair.
I spoke up.
“Stop.”
Sabrina turned her head.
She can glare all she wants, but compared to her sister—a Saintess with the 'villainess' keyword—she's not scary at all.
“This doesn't seem like the proper way to behave in front of a guest. Why don't you maintain your dignity?”
Sabrina's fists trembled.
...She's not going to grab my hair, is she?
I was two handspans shorter than Sabrina, so she could easily grab it.
Just as I was about to flinch involuntarily, a reluctant apology came.
“My apologies..., I was rude.”
But Sabrina couldn't hide her indignation.
“Still, my actions were justified. If someone tried to wear your clothes, Your Grace, you would have reacted the same way, wouldn't you?”
“I wouldn't react the same way, and I won't be wearing your clothes, so don't worry.”
My desire to wash up vanished completely.
It's not like I'll die from not bathing for one night.
When I answered in a nonchalant tone, Sabrina's face contorted.
“Are you saying my dresses are nothing but rags compared to the one you're wearing? But until recently, Your Grace, you were wearing dresses far worse than this. Aren't you showing your true colors a little too quickly?”
