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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Boldly Calling Out the Bullies
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Imperial Consort Isabel, who had been waiting for me to point the finger at Crown Prince Luciano as the ringleader, froze in evident confusion.
Betty blinked vacantly, clearly not expecting to be the one singled out.
My tattling had shocked everyone that much.
Even kids who get bullied usually can't bring themselves to confess in a situation where everyone is watching.
Tattling is even further from their minds.
Most of them swallow their shame and embarrassment, enduring it in silence.
Their pride keeps their mouths shut, too.
That was how normal children behaved.
Especially those raised as nobles—they could never admit it outright.
Imperial Consort Isabel knew this, which was why she'd pressured me with bullying in a setting without any guardians present.
"Isolated children can't think straight."
She must have intended to position herself as my sole protector and manipulate me as she pleased.
What they didn't know, however, was that I wasn't really nine years old, and I had no noble pride to speak of.
"Betty bullied me."
I was wise enough to seize this situation and declare it boldly!
Crown Prince Luciano's inscrutable gaze prickled my cheek like a sting.
"W-When did I ever bully you!"
Betty finally snapped out of it and shot to her feet, shouting.
"You ignored me when I called out to you earlier."
"Th-That was!"
Betty glanced nervously at Imperial Consort Isabel.
She seemed flustered at being forced to take the full blame for simply following orders.
"Still too young to hide her emotions, huh."
Imperial Consort Isabel belatedly realized her mistake and stepped in.
"Surely it's a misunderstanding on Espin's part? Betty wouldn't bully her on purpose, would she?"
"I think deliberately ignoring someone is bullying."
I replied to Betty's aggrieved expression with a blank face.
"Think about it carefully. Betty must not have heard Espin."
"Right! I didn't ignore you on purpose! I just didn't hear you!"
Betty quickly latched onto Imperial Consort Isabel's defense.
"See how honestly Betty speaks? It must be Espin's misunderstanding."
Imperial Consort Isabel backed her up again.
They were really trying hard to cover for each other.
"Is that so?"
"Of course. Betty wouldn't do that. Espin, think again. Hasn't anyone else bullied you?"
Imperial Consort Isabel still couldn't let go of her hope that Crown Prince Luciano was the culprit.
"Anyone else?"
"Yes, someone other than Betty."
"She really thinks sweet-talking me will get the answer she wants?"
I glanced briefly at Crown Prince Luciano, and Imperial Consort Isabel's face lit up.
I barely suppressed a laugh at her blatantly obvious reaction, as if that were the right answer.
"Come on, tell us. Who bullied Espin?"
Her expression brimmed with confidence that she'd finally get the response she desired.
I nodded slowly and pointed at someone else with my finger.
"Him! He ignored me too!"
This time, my finger pointed at Catherine.
Catherine's eyes went wide as saucers at being singled out.
Imperial Consort Isabel's eager expression slowly hardened, then turned icy.
"W-When did I!"
Catherine protested vehemently.
But
"You ignored me earlier."
I replied calmly.
"No, I didn't! I didn't hear you either! I didn't even know you said anything!"
Catherine, smarter than Betty, used our recent exchange to counter.
"Oh, really? Why does everyone keep not hearing me? My voice isn't that quiet."
"It happens sometimes!"
"You all must have bad ears. And you're already like this at such a young age—trouble ahead."
I mocked them in a tone of serious concern.
Betty and Catherine glared at me, fuming in disbelief.
"Teasing kids is just too easy."
"You!"
"Right now!"
As Betty and Catherine both burst out almost in unison.
"Enough!"
Imperial Consort Isabel shouted, cutting them off.
At her icy demeanor, the two clamped their mouths shut and glanced at her nervously.
"It seems Espin has misunderstood both of them."
She put on a gentle face again, as if she hadn't just been stern.
But if you listened closely, it concluded that it was my fault.
Pushing further here would be a bad move.
"I still can't stand against Imperial Consort Isabel's power yet."
"I'm sorry. It must have been my misunderstanding."
I apologized quickly and backed down.
"So there's no one bullying Espin, then?"
Imperial Consort Isabel pressed one last time, refusing to give up.
"Yes, unless it was them—then no one's bullying me."
"Then why did you collapse in the palace before?"
Imperial Consort Isabel hit me with a sudden question.
She knew about that humiliating incident?
She must have thought it strained things between me and Crown Prince Luciano, so she orchestrated this.
"I-I'm the one who collapsed?"
Flustered, I stuttered without thinking.
Seizing on it like she'd caught my weakness, Imperial Consort Isabel pounced sharply.
"Espin, think carefully. I'll help you, so don't be scared. Tell me what happened. Why did you collapse?"
Huh?
"She knows I collapsed, but not the details of what happened that day?"
I glanced at Crown Prince Luciano, who sat expressionless.
Just earlier, I'd thought his attitude was cold.
Now, his indifference brought a strange sense of relief.
Somehow, he'd cleaned up my blunder for me.
I was grateful he'd covered up that disastrous incident.
I decided not to drag this out any longer.
I gave Imperial Consort Isabel an awkward look.
"You must have misunderstood, Your Consortship. No one was bullying me or anything. I just got greedy with food."
"Greedy... with food?"
Her voice rose as if she'd heard something absurd.
I acted even more sheepish.
"Yes. The muffins I brought were so delicious. I even ate Crown Prince Luciano's share and got a stomachache."
"You mean you collapsed from eating too much?"
"Yes. I love eating. I don't know the meaning of moderation."
I smiled brightly, feigning shyness, and her face twisted mercilessly.
She looked disappointed that it wasn't going the way she'd imagined.
"Who told her to jump to conclusions alone?"
She'd tried to use me to question Crown Prince Luciano's character, but it fizzled out. Her mood soured.
"I see. I worried over nothing."
She spat it out coldly and withdrew all interest in me.
"Hazel, speaking of which, you had some good news recently, didn't you?"
"Yes?"
Hazel made a startled noise at the sudden call.
"Marquis Royce praised your swordsmanship talent."
"Ah, yes. I received undeserved praise."
"Marquis Royce is quite discerning. For him to say that means you have remarkable talent. Congratulations."
"Thank you. I'll work harder."
Imperial Consort Isabel chatted amiably with the others, treating me as if I didn't exist.
I sneaked a peek at Crown Prince Luciano, but he'd withdrawn his gaze from me and sat calmly.
He seemed unlikely to pay me any more attention, so I passed the time blankly.
"Boring. I wish this tea party would end soon."
I sat there dazed for about an hour.
"Oh my, has it gotten this late already? Shall we wrap up for today?"
I nearly cheered at the moment I'd been waiting for.
"Yes, let's end it here."
"It's not just today, after all."
"I hope we get another good chance next time."
"Thanks to you, we had a wonderful time."
"Then take care, and next time, let's gather with our close friends."
Imperial Consort Isabel gave a meaningful smile to certain children.
Those kids' faces lit up upon receiving her gaze.
They seemed to think they'd been chosen.
Imperial Consort Isabel and Prince Steven left first.
Since things hadn't gone her way, she ignored both me and Crown Prince Luciano to the end.
"Ugh, adults can be so petty right up to the last second."
Not wanting to stay in this place any longer, I hurriedly stood.
Sitting still had been exhausting.
"I need to get home and lie down soon."
As I was about to leave, I noticed Crown Prince Luciano still seated.
Should I just go, or say goodbye?
He'd probably ignore me anyway.
Negative thoughts won out, but I steeled myself. A greeting wasn't hard.
Instead of approaching, I curtsied from where I stood.
"I'll take my leave first. It was nice seeing you again. I wish glory upon Your Highness's future."
I looked up after my polite bow and flinched.
I'd expected him to ignore me, but Crown Prince Luciano was looking at me.
I waited, thinking he might have something to say, but he didn't open his mouth.
"He's really impossible to read."
"I'm really leaving now."
I gave a final farewell and departed.
The prickling on my back must be my imagination.
Still, I'd cleared a major hurdle.
No more palace visits from now on.
Our territory is down south somewhere—maybe visit there.
To rest and recover.
The exhausting tea party finally came to a complete end.
* * *
For a while, I lounged idly at home.
There was nothing to do except for the constant visits to Crown Prince Luciano's palace, which had stopped.
I enjoyed peaceful days at the mansion to my heart's content.
But that peace shattered with a single letter.
[Come at 2 p.m. tomorrow.]
The sender was none other than Crown Prince Luciano.
Staring at the terse note—bluntness seeping even from the characters—I pinched my cheek.
"Ow, it really hurts!"
I'd pinched too hard without realizing.
I gently rolled my plump cheek in my palm, but the pain didn't subside.
The ache proved it was real, yet I still couldn't believe it.
"Nanny, I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Huh? What dream all of a sudden?"
"Look at this."
Nanny approached, checked the letter, and gasped in surprise.
"Oh my, Miss! Crown Prince Luciano invited you first?"
Seeing her joy confirmed I wasn't dreaming.
Over a year since I first met Crown Prince Luciano.
Today, I finally received an invitation from him.
