A princess living in the laboratory.

The embarrassment was entirely on my part.

“I was too busy in the laboratory to have time for rumors.”

“But being in the laboratory all the time made you more famous. A princess who lives in the laboratory.”

“I’ve never heard of that…”

The nickname was new to me.

“Mikael, have you never heard of it?”

I turned my gaze to Mikael.

He, too, was from the same academy.

Although I sent letters under the name of Casian, I first exchanged letters with him inside the academy.

“Um… yeah.”

A momentary pause followed Mikael’s reply.

“Have you heard of it for real? You really told all kinds of stories without me knowing.”

“If I had known who your friend was, I would have spread the rumors even more.”

Kamael teased, enjoying the situation.

“It’s not that big of a deal. Let’s stop talking about the academy.”

Just as the tension was rising, Mikael intervened.

“We have a guest who is a friend from the academy. Do we have to discuss boring family matters while having a meal?”

“Brother. If you’re done eating, get up.”

“Now you want to kick me out just because I’m the younger brother and the heir?”

“If you don’t want to be kicked out, let’s just have a quiet meal like usual.”

Once again, the two started bickering over trivial matters.

Indeed, finding affectionate brothers was a more difficult task.
At that time, the door opened, and a middle-aged woman entered.

“The Grand Duchess has arrived!”

It seemed that the butler who was leaving the dining room had conveyed my status.

“Are you Lady Balosone?”

The lady’s smile reached from ear to ear.

“Yes, I am Lady Balosone.”

The lady, with her dress trailing behind, swiftly took a seat next to me.

The scent of alcohol filled the air.

Mikael also caught a whiff of the alcohol and immediately stood up, taking my mother’s arm.

“You’ve had too much to drink. Let’s go inside and rest.”

“Let go of this!”

She coldly shook off his hand.

Due to that, her sharp fingertips accidentally scratched Mikael’s face, causing blood to trickle down.

“Mikael… Are you okay?”

Mikael nonchalantly wiped the blood with a handkerchief, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

“Your Grace, thank you very much for coming here.”

The lady showed no concern for Mikael’s injury.

She simply held onto my hand as if it were the last lifeline.

“Have you come to correct the improper actions of our Marquisate?”

“Hmm?”

“Our Marquisate is on the verge of ruin due to the bloodshed between the brothers.”

Once again, the lady’s sharp fingertips pointed at Mikael.

It seemed she didn’t like Mikael becoming the successor.

In this world, the eldest son succeeding was the basic principle.

Regardless of the child’s abilities, it was common for the firstborn to inherit the title.

However, Mikael, being the youngest, becoming the successor was a significant deviation.

Of course, regardless of the circumstances, I couldn’t interfere.

“For now, please calm down, Lady Marquess.”

“I’m sure you received something from the Crown Prince in return! Otherwise, there’s no way the Crown Prince would have directly intervened and cut off our Kamael!”

Her words poured out like a scream, filled with thorns.

“Annette, you don’t need to listen to what she says. She’s drunk.”

I wasn’t sure whose words to believe.

I didn’t want to doubt Mikael, but it was challenging to simply overlook the lady’s words.

“Mikael.”

At that moment, Kamael, who had been silently observing, elegantly wiped his mouth and stood up.

“I know you don’t have good feelings towards us. But is it right to label even my mother as insane?”

With a dignified voice, Kamael silenced both Mikael and the lady.

“What falsehood has my mother concocted?”

“It’s probably because I suddenly became the successor. She must want to find something to hold onto.”

Kamael burst into bitter laughter.

“So, because of that, you’re mistreating your own family? Don’t you act like a fool, spreading rumors that my mother is in
“I understand that you don’t harbor positive feelings towards us. Is it right to portray even my mother as someone insane?”

Even Mikael and the lady fell silent at the weighty tone.

“What lies has my mother fabricated?”

“I suppose you want to grab onto anything you can since I suddenly became the successor.”

Kamael let out a bitter laugh.

“So, are you mistreating your family because you feel unjust? You’re not so foolish as to spread rumors that my mother is insane without knowing she did that behind your back.”

“Both you and mother are the same. Don’t make up stories.”

Mikael turned away as if my words were not worth listening to.

“Annette, I’ll take you. Let’s go.”

And he reached out his hand to me.

I stared at that hand from a distance.

Naturally, it was the right choice to take the hand of my most precious friend.

I came here because I wanted to believe his words, which were carefully written in the letter.

‘Why does it keep feeling like Mikael is lying?’

“Annette.”

There was discomfort in the voice calling me.

“Mikael, I… But the answer mixed with concerns never came to an end.”

Crash!

The sharp sound of breaking dishes made my back tremble.

It was the Marquess Lady behind me who had broken the dishes. She picked up the fragments from the floor and pressed them against her neck.

“Your Grace! Please listen to me!”

The sharply split pieces touched her delicate skin, drawing a crimson line on the white dishes, creating a ghastly sight.

“Lady, please, don’t do this.”

My voice didn’t come out well because my throat was choked.

“I simply attended the meal as Mikael’s friend.”

“Still, you are Your Grace! You can ask the Crown Prince!”

To others, it seemed like I and Serdis were close friends.

“I am a person of the Duke, not the Prince.”

“So, are you going to avoid responsibility and turn away from us like that?”

The lady spoke with a sob, looking so desperate.

‘Is this a drunken lie?’

Although I wanted to prioritize Mikael’s words, the current situation did not match what I saw.

“Annette, go up first. I’ll take care of my mother.”

He reached out his hand with an uneasy expression.

In this situation, Mikael, instead of dealing with it, was trying to send me out first, turning away from the Marquess Lady. He looked more concerned about me than the lady.

“Your importance lies in my rescue.”

He couldn’t hide his anxiety, and he spoke with a trembling voice.

Mikael tried to send me out first, completely turning his back to the Marquess Lady.

Was I the only one who found this situation strange? Mikael was more concerned about me than the lady.

“Lady Marquess, please lower your hand. I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”