Closet, who noticed the change, quickly continued with the next words.

“Come to think of it, I heard that Her Highness the Crown Princess is very interested in paintings?”

“I’ve heard that recently, famous painters are often being summoned to the imperial palace. Though it seems none of the paintings have particularly caught her fancy…”

“Recently, Antonio has seen a decent work. If it’s alright, shall we show it to Her Highness the Crown Princess?”

Ikelia, who seemed lost in thought for a moment, smiled brightly.

“Since it’s a taste approved by both the lady and the duke, I don’t think it would hurt to introduce it. I’ll speak to Her Highness the Crown Princess about it.”

At the affirmative response, Closet curled up the corners of her mouth and carefully raised her hand behind her back.

Roselia, who was grooming Jusid’s hair, immediately noticed Closet’s signal of carefully raising her thumb behind her back and smiled meaningfully.

Roselia walked out into the imperial corridor with a painting wrapped in brown paper packaging, her face filled with excitement.

Her flushed face was brimming with anticipation.

Of course, it was the anticipation of being able to sell the painting at a good price, but it was also excitement from another side.

The excitement and anticipation of being able to meet the female protagonist of the original novel that she had been obsessing over, even re-reading it ten times!

It had been exactly three years since she had been possessed into the novel.

The Crown Princess, who was the female lead in the original novel, was an extremely cold, calm, and charismatic woman.

The Crown Prince, the male lead, misunderstood her cold demeanor, but in the end, he regretted misunderstanding and resenting the Crown Princess, belatedly realizing his love in a typical regretful man romance.

In that process, she was just an extra who gave tension to the story and was oxidized away…

In any case, now things were flowing in a completely different direction from the original, so there was no need to worry.

Or was there…?

Come to think of it, there seemed to be about half a year left until the day Roselia died in the original novel.

Had she really changed the death route?

Just as uncertain doubts began to arise, her steps had already reached the front of the Crown Princess’s reception room, guided by an attendant.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, a servant from the House of Balthazar has arrived.”

At the attendant’s dry report, a calm voice was heard from inside the door.

“Let them enter.”

At the Crown Princess’s reply, the attendant silently opened the door and made way for Roselia to enter.

Roselia swallowed hard and stepped into the light-filled room.

“Welcome. Antonio, was it? I’ve heard about you from Ikelia.”

A woman with blonde hair and violet eyes was smiling calmly.

It was a beautiful and noble smile, neither excessive nor too dry.

Ivellionne de Lugbelzet. The Crown Princess of the Empire and the female protagonist of the original work.

Roselia, who had been staring mesmerized at Ivellionne’s admirably beautiful appearance, belatedly realized that she hadn’t even properly greeted her and hurriedly bowed her waist in surprise.

“Y-Your Highness! It is an honor!”

“That’s enough. Please raise your head. You’re the il domestico that Closet cherishes, aren’t you? Closet is like a younger sister to me, just as Ikelia is. I was curious because she praised you so much.”

“I-I am honored!”

Ivellionne gave a gentle smile at Roselia’s completely stiff appearance.

“You seem busy being both honored and humbled.”

“I-I am humb…!”

As Roselia, who was about to repeat the same words again, blushed and shut her mouth tightly, Ivellionne smiled with rare sincerity.

“I heard you have something you want to show me.”

Roselia, judging that opening her mouth further would not be beneficial, immediately unwrapped the packaging around the painting and placed it on the table.

Surprise flashed across Ivellionne’s expression as she looked at the painting laid on the table.

She, who had been staring blankly at the painting as if entranced by something, murmured in an admiring voice.

“Who is the artist who painted this picture…?”

“It’s an unknown artist named Abello Huntum, Your Highness.”

At Roselia’s answer, Ivellionne, who had been mulling over the name ‘Abello Huntum’, murmured in a calm voice, seemingly genuinely impressed.

“The painting… is so warm. Just looking at it, I feel like I can understand the feelings of the woman and girl in the painting.”

Roselia smiled back at Ivellionne’s warm appreciation.

She felt proud, as if Mr. Abello’s hard work was being rewarded.

“I’ll pay a fair price for the painting.”

Saying so, Ivellionne opened a box on the table and took out what looked like a check. Looking at the check after writing the amount and signing it, Roselia’s mouth fell open.

One, one thousand berang???

Surely in the original work, this was a painting bought from Abello for 500 berang…!

Faced with an unexpected amount, Roselia froze with a dumbfounded expression. The Crown Princess, who took her reaction as pure shock at seeing such a large sum, smiled gently.

“This is not just the price of the painting, but also my bribe to Antonio.”

“Bri…be?”

At the significant word, Roselia swallowed dryly and looked back at Ivellionne. Ivellionne, who was looking meaningfully at Roselia, interlaced her fingers on the table and calmly continued speaking.

“It’s a token of my request. I want to continuously sponsor the artist named Abello Huntum. To ensure he lacks nothing in his artistic activities. I’d like Antonio to procure those sponsorship funds.”

“Me…?”

The Crown Princess’s words meant that this was a service fee and she wanted to continue sponsoring Abello through her from now on.

Faced with this unexpected development, Roselia asked again with a flustered expression.

In response, Ivellionne elegantly lit up her violet eyes and smiled gently.

“As you know, I’m not free to move about. I’m saying this because I trust Antonio, who knows the artist, more than sending an imperial servant.”

As the Crown Princess said, even in the original work, she had managed to sneak out with difficulty and luckily met Abello.

Although Roselia was flustered, she slowly nodded her head reluctantly.

“Of course, starting with this, if you bring paintings from other excellent unknown artists, I’ll pay a sufficient price each time. I’m trusting Antonio’s eye. What do you think?”

This, somehow it seems I might be able to pay off my debt faster than expected?

Having quickly calculated beyond her surprise when money became involved, Roselia unknowingly smiled a capitalistic smile.

“Of course!”

“Pardon? Oh, of course?”

“I meant to say you can count on me.”

“Ah! I see! Of course!”

Seeing Ivellionne repeating her words with a fresh smile, Roselia made a touched expression as if deeply moved.

It was then.

Suddenly, without warning, the door burst open.

“I heard a servant from the House of Balthazar had come.”

The one who had barged in opening the door was a man with the same dazzling blonde hair and sun-like golden eyes as Ivellionne.

Someone who could enter the Crown Princess’s room without notice.

The psycho male protagonist who troubled the female lead, the Crown Princess, until the end of the original novel, only to regret and grovel at the very end.

And the man who sent the original Roselia to the gallows.

It was Crown Prince Esteban Vandeloup de Lugbelzet.

If Klaus had provided the cause for Roselia’s death, Esteban was the one who directly killed Roselia.

Although it wasn’t something she had actually experienced, facing the man closest to Roselia’s death that she knew from the original work, her whole body stiffened.

As if such a Roselia was of no concern to him, Esteban glared at Ivellionne with distaste and sneered.

“What scheme is the Crown Princess plotting now, meeting a servant from the ducal house behind my back?”

Roselia, who knew his reckless personality very well from the original work, quickly hid the thousand berang check in her bosom without anyone noticing.

The Crown Princess, also worried that the painting might be harmed due to the violent Crown Prince’s temperament, naturally put the painting down under the table and turned her head calmly.

“Scheme? Your Highness. I was merely exchanging greetings with Closet.”

“You’re saying you called a duke’s servant just to hear a mere lady’s greetings? Do you expect me to believe that?”

At the Crown Prince’s unreasonable words, Ivellionne hardened her expression coldly and asked back.

“And if you don’t believe it? What exactly are you suspecting?”

At Ivellionne’s cold yet calm question, Esteban gave a self-deprecating smile.

“Who knows. Perhaps the Herden Marquis family, with the highest standing among the nobles, and the Balthazar Duke family are joining hands to plot behind my back.”

“Your Highness!”

Ivellionne, unable to hold back any longer, called out to the Crown Prince in protest.

As anger flashed across Ivellionne’s expression, the Crown Prince, seemingly satisfied, approached with a sneering attitude and snatched her wrist.

“Or, just as my mother hanged herself under pressure from the nobles, do you plan to drive me to the brink as well? Unfortunately, I’m not that weak.”

“Your Highness, please…!”

The Crown Princess’s expression contorted in pain, as if her wrist caught by Esteban hurt.

Seeing the Crown Prince’s misunderstanding deepening, Roselia reluctantly approached them.

Or rather, she tried to approach.

Until Klaus, who suddenly entered through the opened door, pushed her aside and stepped forward.

Pushed aside like an obstacle by the duke who suddenly appeared, Roselia had to look at Klaus with a bewildered expression.

Klaus, who had somehow appeared, looked very angry.

“Stop it, Your Highness.”

“Oh, Duke Balthazar. They say speak of the devil and he shall appear. Isn’t this exactly that?”

“Let go of that hand.”

The duke, who usually didn’t show his emotions, was unusually displaying visible anger.

The blatant hostility Klaus was showing seemed to provoke the Crown Prince even more, as madness flashed in Esteban’s golden eyes.

“Are you giving me an order now? Duke Klaus de Balthazar.”

It felt like standing in the middle of a thunderstorm.

How did she end up standing among the protagonists of the original novel…

Only Roselia, standing blankly in the corner like a sack of borrowed barley, became perplexed.

“Stop it! Your Highness! If you keep doing this, I won’t attend the next face-to-face meeting regarding the Lapelios Treaty!”

The treaty with the Lapelios Empire had mostly been proceeding under the Crown Princess’s lead.

This was also a part where even the Crown Prince, who hated the Crown Princess, highly valued her diplomatic abilities.

With the next 3rd Lapelios Treaty not far off, Esteban had no choice but to back down, albeit with a very displeased expression.

“How remarkable, for a country’s Crown Princess to threaten the Crown Prince with a treaty.”

“……”

While showing his displeasure fully, the Crown Prince silently walked out the door, and the Crown Princess let out a deep sigh watching him. As Roselia sighed at the same time, the duke and Crown Princess’s gazes suddenly fell on her.

“Why are you here?”

At Klaus’s suspicious glare, Roselia was momentarily at a loss for words.