Since my body was relatively healthy – although Liam disagreed – I was able to leave the bedroom after a week. Marx and Benjamin often came to visit me.

Marx was quite a cheerful person. Thanks to him, I wasn’t bored in the bedroom.

He told me what had happened while I was unconscious.

“We decided to treat this matter seriously. Poisoning Princess Ormia right after the Empire invited her! This is deception against the Empire!”

“Goodness, they kept the Princess standing in the reception room all day? A daughter? I know about Princess Ormia, but to speak of such acts so casually, they have no shame!”

“Information just came in that they gave infertility drugs to the Princess? The King of Glisia is said to be God’s representative, yet he allows a father to give infertility drugs to his daughter.”

“We can’t keep the Princess in Glisia’s royal palace any longer. I’m worried about what other drugs they might give her in the future.”

“Are you trying to deny it when there’s already a precedent? We clearly saw how the Princess was treated when the chandelier fell at the previous banquet.”

“From now on, the Empire will protect the Princess.”

Liam stormed in and caused a commotion with the King.

All rudeness was wrapped in the name of love. They say he couldn’t be blamed because it was an angry man in love acting for the woman he loved.

“Stop it.”

Liam, who had been looking elsewhere, finally spoke.

“Why, you’re enjoying it.”

“I’m fine. I like it when it’s crowded with people.”

The gazes of the three in the room all turned to me at once.

“Three people is crowded? Bustling?”

Marx frowned while stroking his chin, and Benjamin groaned ‘Urgh!’ and turned his head away.

Liam, half-lying on the long sofa next to the bed, called for a servant.

“Bring desserts. A variety.”

An awkward silence fell.

Benjamin strangely kept glancing at me, and when our eyes met, he would tremble his chin and turn away. He also pressed his eyes tightly.

Ahem, Benjamin cleared his throat and suggested.

“Since we’ll be leaving Glisia soon, shall we go sightseeing in the capital?”

“The Princess must know the famous places well.”

“Ah, I haven’t been to any places.”

Come to think of it, my first life was relatively free.

Marx asked with a sour expression.

“Even though you’ve lived in the capital all along?”

“Marx, please shut up! People avoid her, calling her God’s denial, how could she have gone around properly?”

Marx hit Benjamin’s mouth, whose eyes had turned red.

“And you say such things in front of the person concerned.”

“Hap! I’m, I’m sorry, Princess.”

Liam got up leisurely and rolled his neck around. There was a sound of joints cracking.

“We need to practice moving. The knights will arrive in a week. We need to build up stamina for riding in carriages.”

“Before that, you should be able to attend the royal banquet.”

“Before that, let’s practice walking. The tailor shop will be here soon, and the person concerned needs to go see.”

I remembered the tailor shop I had gone to with Liam before.

It seems they’ve already finished since I’ve been lying down for so long.

“I’ll get up.”

“We’ll go to the reception room first.”

Marx and Benjamin left the bedroom. I was surprised, thinking they meant to help me look at dresses.

Until now, I’ve never been close enough to someone to choose clothes together or share parts of daily life. Even when I was married, I was mostly alone in the mansion, and Madam Olan or Elena never spent time with me.

Come to think of it, Liam was the first person I’ve ever gone shopping with.

“Liam, aren’t you going?”

“You go first.”

Liam remained in the bedroom.

He wrapped his arm around my back to help me sit on the edge of the bed.

“You’ve been lying down for a long time, so your legs might not have strength and you could fall. My younger sibling used to be like that sometimes.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“I’m going to touch you.”

His arms wrapped around my back and held my shoulders.

It was a bit awkward since it was the first time someone supported me. I almost sat back down the moment I stood up.

“Th-thank you.”

“Move slowly. You need to build strength in your legs.”

“Princess.”

There was a knock, and a maid entered. Seeing me walking while being held by Liam, her eyes widened, and she quickly bowed her head.

“I’m sorry for interrupting.”

“What is it?”

“A guest has arrived for the Princess.”

It seems the madam from the tailor shop has already come.

“Attend to the Princess.”

“Yes.”

Liam seated me in a chair and left the room. The maid cautiously prepared my dress while glancing at me.

The maids were reluctant to serve me.

Usually, I would dress myself and ask for help with the finishing touches, but now I didn’t have the strength for that.

“Did the madam bring many dresses?”

“Pardon?”

“You said a guest arrived.”

“It’s not someone from the tailor shop.”

I hurried my preparations upon learning the identity of the guest the maid mentioned.

* * *

“Do we really have to meet?”

“They’re a guest, aren’t they?”

“What guest.”

I entered the reception room, supported by Liam.

“Ormia…… Huh.”

Jeffrey, who had jumped up, saw me practically clinging to Liam and immediately frowned.

“Ha, they said you were in a separate palace, but you’re doing this and accusing me of cheating? While fooling around with an Imperial person?”

Marx was also there. He spat out the tea he was drinking and coughed.

“Wow, you were divorced first for wrongdoing, yet you say such things. Are all Glisians this shameless?”

“Don’t you know what happened to the Princess? Shouldn’t you be worried first? She just got out of bed.”

Even the good-natured Benjamin stepped in, displeased.

“That’s, I’m going to talk to Ormia now. We’ll talk alone, so please leave.”

“I’m sorry, but you’re the uninvited guest who came without permission, and we’re officially in charge of protecting Princess Ormia. Besides, we can’t leave her alone with the perpetrator of domestic violence that led to divorce.”

Liam seated me opposite Jeffrey and sat down next to me.

“Who are you calling a perpetrator! That was an impulsive act by my mother and sister!”

“Wow, how embarrassing. A grown man shifting blame to his family and avoiding responsibility.”

“I heard Baron Olan also committed that impulsive act against the Princess.”

“These people……”

As Jeffrey burst out angrily, Marx and Benjamin whispered loudly enough to be heard from the side.

Jeffrey frowned and glared at me.

“Ormia.”

“These are people protecting me. Speak here.”

Jeffrey, who had been keeping his mouth shut tightly, mumbled.

“……Leave the mansion.”

“Pardon?”

“We have nowhere to live. If you tell us to leave the mansion, where are we supposed to live?”

“Ah, since it’s a mansion given by the royal family for marriage, they’ll take it back after divorce. That’s not something I can control.”

I have no assets.

I knew this in my first life when I got married. The King didn’t give me any property, and the dowry given at marriage was all I had.

Since it’s a mansion provided by the royal family, it’s natural for it to be reclaimed after divorce.

Jeffrey roughly messed up his hair. Looking closely, the ends of his sleeves were dirty.

The desperate look in his eyes might be sincere, but it’s all because of money.

“I’m struggling with debt collectors. Mother is bedridden and can’t get up, and my sister is having a hard time adjusting. Ormia, you should at least let us live.”

I told Jeffrey the truth.

“It’s okay, Jeffrey. You won’t die from that much.”

It’s just hard because it’s the first time, but people don’t die from such things.

“Human life is tougher than you think, you won’t die from that much. Everyone adapts. You’ll get used to sleeping on hard floors where mice run, and when you’re hungry, even rough bread like stones becomes delicious.”

Because I’ve experienced it.

“Ormia……”

“I heard the divorce was processed while I was unconscious. Jeffrey, we’re strangers now.”

Jeffrey’s complexion turned pale.

“If you’re worried about your mother and sister, find a job quickly.”

“Ha, you’re humiliating me like this. You must be feeling great. Because of the Princess, I’ve become like this!”

“It’s all the result of your choices.”

Even seeing Jeffrey’s desperate appearance, I didn’t feel sorry for him.

Who would I pity?

“Jeffrey, look at reality. You’re not a noble anymore, and your debts will keep growing. Elena’s spending habits won’t easily decrease, and you might even end up in danger.”

In my first life, the bankrupt Olan family was eventually hounded by creditors and faced the risk of being sold. The Empire’s invasion averted that crisis at that time.

“That’s why I came to borrow from the Princess! Ormia, I heard the royal family gave a lot of ceremonial expenses to the Princess. Just lend me a little. Just a part. 10 percent, no, just 20 percent.”

Jeffrey, who had been glancing nervously at the Imperial people, lost all sense of shame.

“You won’t be able to pay it back.”

“If you just lend me the money, I’ll invest it and pay it back! There’s a pepper ship coming in from the south, if we invest there, the return is 100 times! 100 times!”

Watching Jeffrey shouting like a madman, I closed my eyes.

People don’t change.

Jeffrey was about to make the same mistake he made in my first life.

“Jeffrey. That pepper ship is a scam. There is no such pepper ship.”

In my first life, bankruptcy was a future event, but this pepper ship investment greatly shook the Olan family.

“What are you talking about? How would a Princess who doesn’t go out or meet people know that! It’s a guaranteed investment!”

“If it’s such a guaranteed investment, go talk to someone else.”

I saw Jeffrey’s wavering eyes.

Around next year, an article about the pepper ship being a scam will be published in the newspaper, and the capital will fall into chaos.

Surprisingly many people invested, and the damages were too large to tally.

At that time, Jeffrey got angry at me.

“I hear other families’ wives exchange well and bring investment information, but what does the Princess do! Go to the royal family and bring some money!”

“I felt uneasy somehow… I should have stopped then…”

Since there was already money invested, he didn’t believe it even when he detected danger. He didn’t admit that his choice was wrong.

“You feel it’s a scam too, don’t you?”

“If you don’t want to, fine! I won’t come looking for you ever again!”

Jeffrey, his face red, jumped up and left the reception room.

Marx jeered at his back until the end.

“Those who are no longer nobles are forbidden to visit, so even if you come, you won’t be able to meet the Princess. I’m telling you so you don’t make a wasted trip next time.”

Though I didn’t raise my voice much, I felt drained. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the backrest, feeling dizzy.

As I caught my breath, no one in the reception room spoke. When I opened my eyes at the strange silence, the three people were looking at me with unfamiliar expressions.