Chapter 5
The banquet was in full swing.
The nobles gathered at Ateon Hall came nonstop to greet the Duke of Mont, Litia’s older brother Ellar Bazenti, and Litia herself.
“Litia.”
When there was a brief lull in the greetings, she turned her head to catch her breath—and Ellar called out to her.
She quickly composed her expression and looked up.
Despite the five-year age gap between them, they looked remarkably alike—both with silver hair and blue eyes. Facing each other, they could easily be mistaken for twins.
“Yes?”
“If you’re tired, you can rest. Want me to take you to the lounge?”
Unlike the Duke of Mont, Ellar’s voice was filled with genuine concern.
Litia smiled and shook her head.
“No, Oppa. I can still manage.”
The rumors that she had attempted suicide by jumping into the lake had already been circulating for over a month. She’d practically been dragged here to prove she was alive and well, and Ellar was clearly unhappy about it.
“You always say you’re fine…”
“Hm?”
“…No, never mind. Then how about we step outside for some fresh air, at least?”
She glanced toward the Duke of Mont. He was completely absorbed in conversation with others—half of it clearly boasting about her.
Once again, Litia shook her head.
“No. It looks like those young ladies are just waiting for a chance to talk to you. Shouldn’t you pay them some attention?”
Ellar’s gaze followed hers before returning.
“It’s fine—”
“I’m not fine, Oppa. I’ll tell Father and rest for a bit.”
When she kept insisting she was fine, Ellar finally nodded reluctantly.
Though she’d been brought here to serve as the Duke’s prized display, Litia honestly wanted to leave as soon as possible. The hall was full of strangers, and everyone who met her eyes seemed eager to strike up a conversation.
In the end, she used the excuse that she wasn’t feeling well and hurried toward the lounge. Even so, it took over ten minutes just to reach the corridor—people kept getting in her way like obstacles. Once she finally made it out, she followed the escort guiding her to the lounge.
“Tia!”
She had just quickened her pace, wanting to be alone, when someone called her name and rushed toward her. The guard stepped in front of the man, but the moment Litia gestured that it was fine, he grabbed her arm roughly.
The man had wavy blond hair cut just short of his ears. His clothes were flashy to the extreme, and his features were striking—more ostentatious than Litia had expected. With his hooked nose, he looked like the type with a difficult personality at a glance.
“Ah.”
She frowned as pain shot through her arm.
“Didn’t you get my letter?”
And on top of that—his tone was blatantly rude. Pure arrogance.
Litia knocked his hand away sharply and lifted her head.
She’d never met him face to face before, but she knew exactly who he was. He’d appeared briefly in the diary, and in the novel she’d read, there was mention of a lover who flaunted his looks and slept around. It had been written that this was one of the reasons Litia felt even more lonely and isolated.
Someone who loved flashy things, cared for himself first, and was completely unreliable.
Jit Tresh.
The man who claimed to be this body’s lover—though not for much longer.
Her arm had already turned red. He’d grabbed her hard, even if only briefly.
“I got it.”
“Then why didn’t you contact me? How dare you make me wait?”
Annoyance was written all over his face. He must have heard the rumors about her, yet concern didn’t even cross his mind—what mattered more was that he felt ignored.
If she hadn’t contacted him for a month, shouldn’t he have come to see her at least once? He’d sent one letter and waited, then had the nerve to get angry. It was ridiculous.
Why had she ever accepted this trash’s confession? It was obvious she hadn’t been able to refuse and had drifted into a relationship. The diary had said as much.
“Didn’t you hear I nearly died?”
At her icy tone, Jit finally seemed to realize something was wrong. His expression faltered as he stepped back and looked her over.
“…You looked fine. And what’s with the way you’re talking…?”
Litia let out a scoff. The original Litia would have trembled and apologized—but she was already gone. Only the new owner of this body knew that.
Besides, this was ending today anyway. Formal speech hardly mattered.
“Now that you know, could you step aside?”
“Why didn’t you contact me at all? If you woke up, you could’ve sent word!”
“And why should I?”
“What?”
Jit stared at her, dumbfounded.
“There was no reason to. After nearly dying, I realized who actually cares about me. And you weren’t one of them.”
“If I’d known, I would’ve come!”
He stepped closer, raising his voice threateningly.
“You’re saying you didn’t know?”
“Well… yeah.”
“Everyone else knew, but you didn’t? That’s funny. Perfect, actually. I was planning to tell you anyway.”
“Tell me what? If you’re apologizing for being late, do it now. I didn’t know your situation either, so I’ll be generous and accept it.”
At his audacity, Litia smiled faintly.
“There’s no need to understand. Who are you to decide whether you understand me or not? We’re done—starting today. So don’t ever show up in front of me again. I don’t need people who don’t value me.”
Before he could grab her again, she ordered the guard to stop him.
“Don’t let him come near me. Unless you want Father to hear about this.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Tia! Stop right there!”
Jit shouted as the guards restrained him.
Litia waved lightly without looking back and headed for the lounge.
Behind her, Emilia clapped both hands over her mouth in awe.
“M-Miss! I’ve never seen you like that before!”
“…Was it strange?”
“No! It was amazing! I always wished you’d be like that, but seeing it in person was even better!”
Emilia looked so moved she was on the verge of tears.
In truth, Litia had been extremely tense inside. Even in her previous life, she wasn’t one to raise her voice, and she hated clashing with people.
After being ill for so long, she’d grown even more inclined toward quiet and peace. But she’d seen enough messy relationships to know that being vague only made things worse. Cutting it off cleanly was the best choice.
The fact that he’d demanded an apology—while knowing she’d nearly died—had instantly killed any lingering attachment.
She was still incredulous. How could he expect an apology after something like that?
Either way, now that he was out of her life, she felt relieved.
While Emilia went to fetch tea, Litia sank into the sofa to rest.
Even during her brief time in the hall, she’d noticed plenty of condescending looks—despite being from the family that produced the most Tenias, and despite being a leading candidate herself. They were likely the same people who had tormented Litia before her death. Too cowardly to touch the family directly, they’d chosen the weakest target instead.
Noise erupted outside the door again. It sounded like Jit was shouting, trying to force his way in.
Litia ignored it and leaned back into the sofa.
About thirty minutes later, the Duke of Mont sent for her.
She had been resting so comfortably she’d nearly fallen asleep, but she sat up at the call.
Even if it was exhausting, she had no choice. She had to remain compliant—she couldn’t risk being confined again.
When she returned to the banquet hall, the atmosphere was completely different.
The surroundings were dimmer, but the warm orange lights glowed more intensely. The light party drinks from earlier—fruit juice and low-alcohol ale—had been replaced with brandy and dark wine.
Perhaps because of that, the overwhelming attention from before had eased, making it easier to breathe.
“Did you rest well?”
The Duke’s expression was pleasant, as if no unpleasant conversations had occurred while she was gone.
“Yes, Father. But where’s Oppa?”
Now that she thought about it, Ellar was nowhere to be seen.
“The Crown Prince has arrived, so he stepped away. He wanted to greet you as well—when you see him later, be sure to say hello. Even if you don’t remember now, you were close since childhood. You’ll feel comfortable quickly. Make sure to hold on to him.”
She knew that much already.
She also remembered reading that one of the times she’d been humiliated had happened after attending an event at the Crown Prince’s invitation.
Childhood friends—no further explanation was needed.
But hold on to him?
For now, she decided to respond as her father wished and figure out what he meant later.
“Yes, Father. I will.”
When she answered obediently, the Duke smiled even more in satisfaction.
Lowering his voice while no one was nearby, he spoke quietly.
“Until the Tania Oracle is revealed, make sure the Crown Prince’s heart doesn’t wander elsewhere. Even if you do nothing, he approaches you first, doesn’t he? Just accept him appropriately.”
At first, Litia didn’t understand what he was saying.
“What do you mean…?”
“If you don’t become Tania this time, then the position of Crown Princess will be yours. Of course, I firmly believe you will become Tania.”
Only then did she fully grasp his meaning.
So he’d already prepared a Plan B—
and that plan was becoming the Crown Prince’s consort.
Litia clenched her fingers slightly.
The Crown Princess…
