“My parents were accused of treason and died there, and Létin was beheaded… Everything started from Your Majesty.”

Leharht had created an unforgettable nightmare.

“Yeah.”
Leharht nodded heavily.

“I see.”

It seemed that Etienne didn’t say anything further, as if her purpose was confirmed. Instead, she curtsied to Leharht and turned away. She chose to separate rather than continue the conversation.

As Etienne left, Leharht, left alone, withdrew the hand he had reached out toward her.

“Etienne… Why did you do that to me? Why are you just leaving without shouting at me…”

As if trying to go back to a time when nothing had happened.

Etienne, who had come out, walked away without acknowledging the voice calling her. Unlike the excited atmosphere for the upcoming ball, she felt heavy and sank.

“I didn’t know about that either…”

When Leharht said he had something to tell her, she thought it was a proposal.

When she heard the apology, she hesitated to listen to his words because his expression didn’t look good.

As a result, she couldn’t alleviate the anxiety she felt during the conversation with Fernand, and it turned into a huge wave that engulfed Etienne.

“I thought it happened because of the restoration ability our family possesses, but it wasn’t.”

That was an excuse, an excuse to destroy my family. In the end, from the beginning, the hand that reached out with the intention of crumbling my family had succeeded. The one who created it was Leharht.

“Something unimaginable happened compared to when I had a crush on Fernand.”
I was heartbroken because my parents died due to the incident caused by Fernando’s father, whom I love. However, something even more devastating happened.

Becoming lovers with Leharht was like a dream, but it was all a lie. I was nothing more than a pawn on the chessboard that Leharht had set up.

“If only I had known a little earlier.”

It would have been really nice if I had known sooner by dreaming faster.

“Then I wouldn’t have loved Leharht.”

The moment I expressed my feelings for him, tears fell to the floor.

Ironically, my affection for Leharht, who betrayed me, has not diminished even now. Rather than just liking him, I realized that I had devoted my whole heart to loving him.

“Why do I feel so damned?”

Why did I give my heart to someone who shouldn’t have received it no matter how I gave it?

Before, I was dominated by Fernando, and now it seems like I’m being dominated by Leharht, so Etienne couldn’t stop crying. Once the tears started flowing, it seemed like they would continue endlessly, as if trying to drain all the moisture from Etienne’s body.

“The young lady says she won’t attend the ball.”

“Is she unwell?”

In response to Claire’s question, Butler Letin shook his head as if to say that wasn’t the case.

“She’s not unwell, but she says she’s tired, so I will escort her back home.”

“Please do.”
Butler Letin performed a bow and then approached Etienne. Until then, Etienne, who had been sitting on the chair arranged by the butler, seemed lifeless, almost like a doll.

“Miss, please get up. I have obtained permission for you to go home.”

Butler Letin took Etienne’s hand. The butler’s expression was not good either, as he had watched over Etienne’s condition, almost like a daughter, and noticed that she was not well.

“…I don’t want to go home.”

Etienne spoke with a voice that seemed completely drained of energy.

“You don’t want to go?”

“I want to go somewhere else, not home.”

She couldn’t face seeing others at home right now. She was afraid that the nightmare of them falling and bleeding would come back to life.

“I hate home.”

Etienne slowly lifted her head and looked at Butler Letin. The moment when the knight had his throat slit flashed in her mind. With a pained expression, Etienne stammered.

“I want to go far away, very far away.”

She hated the Imperial City, even Claire’s mansion, and even Duke Suphraher. She wanted to go to a place where there was nothing, to disappear.