For My Derelict Favorite

g the noble people for decades.”

“But she didn’t show up here, so it’s very strange for us who have seen her in this palace for a long time, your highness.”

Everyone says this, but you may actually guess.
Merope had been at odds with Diana throughout the preparation of the event, feeling uncomfortable with the occasion and either resigned from the tea party himself or was ruled out by Diana’s order.

Countess Erinnis gave me a sneaking wink.
I’ll give you the floor quietly, so say what you want.

After receiving the signal from my eyes, I decided to start the plan.

“Your highness, may I ask you a question, but did Madame Merope go against your will?”

Diana slowly turned to me.

“Hestia.
Does it look like that?”

I answered, bowing my head and avoiding her gaze.

“To be honest, yes.
I’m afraid she didn’t approve of showing your will as a party.”

“You sound quite familiar with the Merope.
I didn’t think you have much experience with the Imperial Palace.”

Does she think I’m not familiar with the palace? What the hell do you think I am?

“I can’t be ignorant just because I have no experience.
I apologize if you find my question invasive, your highness the crown princess.”

Look at this.
You shouldn’t be so obvious when you get an uncomfortable question.
She may have practiced to look like the royal family somehow, but she’s just like she used to be.

At that time, Countess Erinnis, sitting at the same table, helped me.

“Yes, your highness.
In fact, we’ve been curious all along.
Madame Merope was a very loyal figure.
I was worried about why hes didn’t show up here and if she was sick.”

There is no way to avoid her as she has helped her with her reputation in society.

Diana was forced to speak.

“The old habits of the lady-in-waiting don’t fit me.
So she’s not supporting me at this party today.
That doesn’t mean she’s going to be very relieved of her responsibilities.
She’s still doing her job elsewhere.”

Erinnis nodded with satisfaction.

“Well, looking at the table today, I see.
I didn’t feel much of Madame’s touch.”

“I don’t think you’ll be too uncomfortable with it.
The chef is still very good, and above all, I hope my will will serve as a model for you.”

Diana smiled softly.

She didn’t seem to think anything was wrong.
No, she wouldn’t mind if things didn’t work out as intended.

Because the heroine of a rofan novel has her own characteristics.
That is, to not care about the reaction of others at all.

During the original work, no matter what stubbornness she had – someone would accept it as a ‘faith’, all the results were in her favor.
The route that can only be considered cider no matter what.

But now the novel is over.
And the heroine doesn’t know.

“Marquis Kaelus has been away for a while, is there any reason?”

I naturally answered someone’s question.

“Didn’t my husband work tirelessly? He’s suddenly tired all at once, so he’s taking a break for a while.”

“Oh, my….”

People’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
What kind of person is the only marchioness of the empire who suddenly appeared one day? She seems anxious to ask me this and that.

In addition, it is a tea party at the Imperial Palace attended by all the noble ladies in the capital.
All my social activities have been the invitation of Countess Erinius and the entrance of Madame Harmonia’s salon.
So there must be a lot of unanswered questions.

Their attention, of course, was focused on me.
And the question that everyone was most curious about came out.

“Is Marquis Kaelus nice to his wife?”

As soon as I heard this question, I deliberately glanced at Diana.
Those who have not taken their eyes off me may have noticed my movements.

I don’t have to pretend to be a beloved wife in front of them.
Everyone knows it anyway.
That Kaelus loves Diana.

“As a spouse, I am endlessly respected.
I also respect my husband as a wise and wonderful person.”

Then the Countess of Erinnis pointed out in a stern voice.

“But he’s also a very cruel man.
Her highness the other day was very angry.”

I admired it in my heart.
I can’t believe she’s such a good team mate.
The countess laid out the board with great skill so that I could start the conversation I wanted.

If then,

“Even so, I don’t blame my husband’s choice.”

My remarks, which came out rather boldly, turned things quiet around me.

Even high-ranking nobles need courage to openly express their opposition in front of the crown princess.
But now that the duke of Orcus is extinct, there is no higher title in the empire than the marquis.

Although I’m a commoner and I have a handicap as an adopted daughter of the marginal lord of Elea, such a thing can easily be crushed into my current position.

Diana, who was deliberately dragged out by Erinnis.
There is my opinion completely contrary to her usual beliefs.

  Diana’s sea-colored eyes were directed straight at me.

  “You seem to have something to say to me, Hestia.”

As expected, she came upfront.
Indeed, even in the original work, Diana was good at popping cider by not saying what she had to say.

So the time to confront her is right now, without the Helios shield.

“With all due respect, yes.
Your highness the crown princess.”

I returned a bitter smile to Diana, who accepted my challenge.

Her expression hardened.

“Okay, let’s hear it.”

I can feel the conceit of a person who has never doubted their morals.
Confidence, or arrogance, that I can break everything no matter what logic I make.

Then shall we fight?

“In fact, I think the current imperial politics have been stabilized by the decision of my husband, Marquis Kaelus.
As your Highness knows, wasn’t the power of Duke Orchus equal to that of the emperor?”

“…”

Diana waited calmly for my words.
I continued, careful not to raise my voice.

“My husband has nipped the buds coldly, so I can enjoy the peace that I have now.
In fact, everyone here knows how much the late Princess Letona used to look down on and confront your highness.”

Diana’s eyes were strained.

“The Marquis Kaelus did something very cruel.
Whatever consequences it may have in the future, what is not right is wrong.
The result should not justify the means, Marchioness Hestia.”

“Well, that’s strange.
Your highness, some people say you reap what you sow….
Shouldn’t the words of the wicked deserve to be miserable? That’s the right thing, the moral end.”

The end of the rofan novel must be miserable.
You must pay the price of your misdeeds.

There can be no end to forgiveness.
In front of readers who want cider, there are only a series of comments saying that there are a million sweet potatoes.*

*TN: slang for something frustrating

It’s not a good ending to end up in prison with a moderate and realistic finish.
The character who plays the villain must be punished mercilessly enough to never continue their life again.

Therefore, Kaelus’ decision in the novel is bound to be the right thing to do here.

I tried to suppress my anger inside.

“The world is very complicated by nature, so don’t they tell you to listen to both sides even if there’s a fight? What’s more, it’s my husband’s business?”

“It gets more complicated because I think it’s complicated.
In fact, good and evil are not very complicated matters, Marchioness Hestia.”

Diana said, looking at me confidently.

I had no choice but to click my tongue inside.
How can she be so naive? It’s a word that feels like a beginner in society who has never suffered in life, or more than that, has not experienced social life for a long time.

Perhaps she didn’t like my attitude of disagreement, Diana once again made her point in a patient tone.

“It’s not that hard to live right when you get to know it.
We’ve already learned a lot from childhood to now, what’s right.
You all know the teachings of the temple and the words of the old sages, or, if not necessarily, what good things are for all people, right?”

“So my husband, Marquis Kaelus, made a difficult decision for the righteous saint and for the royal family of this empire.
The wicked Duchess Orcus’ actions were revealed with evidence to pay for their crimes.”

More explicitly, thanks to my favorite Kaelus, the emperor was able to kill the problem without blood on his hands.
From the perspective of the emperor and Helios, he was clearly a loyalist to the empire.

Because he came forward and took the lead and punished Princess Letona, Helios was able to eventually hold his beloved Diana in his arms to avoid a terrible political marriage.
At least Helios had the right to advise her, who criticized Kaelus, that she should not be criticizing Kaelus.

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Because of Kaelus’ abandonment of his love affair, this world, this novel,

I was able to go to the “Right Way” of the rofan novel called “Happy Ending.”

Nevertheless, Diana shook her head.

“Even so, Marquis Kaelus killed the Duchess Orcus.
You don’t think that’s acceptable, do you, marchioness?”

It would be unacceptable if it was an ordinary person who drank poison tea, but the problem was that they were thoroughly evil.

I deliberately lowered my head in a humble manner.

“So what was your idea? How the Duke Orcus and Princess Letona had to pay….”

“Isn’t there a national law? Of course it should have followed.”

Diana’s tone was emphatic.

A bitter smile came out of itself.
How nice it would be if everything in the world was so simple that there was an answer.

I had a slow plan.

“As many of you know…”

I covered my lips shyly.

“I’m the daughter of Lord Elea in the distance.
And I lived with commoners until I married the marquis.”

The banquet hall was so quiet that I couldn’t hear a breath.
Before I knew it, everyone at the tea party was listening to me.

“I’ve heard about a terrible incident on that street.
A woman brutally murdered a young boy.”

It’s a roughly made up story.
I don’t know if this really happened in this world.

“How would you judge her?”

This case, ostensibly described as very simple.
Diana replied with an expression as if she had nothing to think deeply about.

“She’s a cruel woman to kill a helpless child.”

I nodded my head.

“That’s what it looks like.
But there was a very surprising truth behind it.
Your Highness.”

“What’s that?”

“She had a little daughter.
She was a pretty girl, one or two years younger than the boy she killed.”

Let’s catch our breath here.

“… It turned out that the boy was the murdered raped her little girl.”

“!”

“Oh, my!”

“Oh, my…!”

Sighs broke out all over the table.
Diana also opened her eyes wide and did not hide her surprise.

In fact, it’s not a very fake story.
In the reality that I used to live in, more disastrous events made the news day by day.

It’s been a long time since a child’s abuse has become a common crime.

I made up a fictional revenge play on an already existing event and made a slight adaptation.

“Your majesty the crown princess, how do you feel? Is the mother really cruel?”

I looked up  and asked Diana.

“…”

Diana couldn’t open her mouth easily.

An excited lady’s voice popped out first.

“He deserves to die!”

Unrefined rough language popped out, but no one blamed it.
Even Countess Erinnis said with a pale countenance.

“If I were that mother, I would have done anything to the person who trampled on my little girl, marchioness.”

“I agree, Countess.”

I nodded my head gently, taking her word.

“Well, let’s get back to that.
Is the woman who murdered the little boy truly immoral?”

“….”

“…”

People became quiet.

I said, looking straight at Diana.

“What do you think?”

Diana’s fine eyebrows were slightly distorted.

“…I understand the mother’s feelings.”

She reluctantly managed to come up with an answer.
But he added immediately.

“But if everyone does their revenge in private like that, society will be very disorganized.
To prevent that, there is something called national law.
To prevent the world from becoming lawless.”

“Aha….”

“In the case of what the marchioness said, the mother couldn’t resist the momentary anger.
She should have turned the little boy over to the security office with a more sober mind.
That’s the right thing to do.”

I tilted my head to the side.

“Of course she called the security services.
But the boy was released because he was young.
When you’re young, you can make mistakes without knowing it.”

This is also one of the most common events in my world.
I made it extreme to make an impact, but anyway.

Diana’s expression slowly distorted.

I spoke coldly to her, who could not immediately refute it.

“Your highness knows well, don’t you? It’s hard to get the rich and powerless commoners to follow the strict laws of the country.
Your highness, who once was with the common people, knows that there are many obstacles rather than help.”

“…!”

“We reported those who had broken the law, believing in justice, but the only thing that came back was coldness.
How desperate the mother must have felt….”

Diana looked at me with a white face.
Now you realize what I want to say?

“You can’t jump to conclusions about morality or dishonesty, your highness the crown princess.”

I purposely relaxed my voice.

“Your highness has condemned my husband as cruel, but I am sorry that you have said so, even though no one else knows.”

“….”

The sea-colored eyes had a complex glow.

I beg you, Diana.

 I hope you don’t judge too easily whether it’s your humble morality or justice.

My favorite tried to give up his life because of your hasty conclusions.

I looked around slowly and said.

“What is morality that we actually believe in? Doesn’t affection and injustice change here and there depending on what circumstances the person to judge has?”

I think I heard something like a low moan somewhere.

I continued with a slight sneer.

“Someone who only knows that a woman killed a boy in the previous incident will blame her, but someone who knows the other side will defend her.
After all, this is the moral judgment that humans make.”

Diana’s complexion was frightening.

It’s the first time you’ve been so openly rejected, right? Even in the original novel, she didn’t get reprimanded  very much.
Who dared to say a hateful thing to a saint who has wonderful healing power?

But I am the only marquis wife in the country, official aide to the crown prince, and the only one who, like her, has a special ‘ability’.

I already saw the ending of the novel.
The days when she was the main character are gone.

So Diana’s pop-up cider, there can be no more.

Now it was time to call attention.

“…”

I winked at Countess Erinnis.
Recognizing my signal, she opened her mouth as she cleared her throat.

“Now that I see it, Marchioness Hestia, you are a great hostess of the marquis.
I understood at once why the Marquis Kaelus took the marchioness as his companion.”

“Whoa, don’t mention it.”

I gently covered my lips with my hand as I replied.
Would it have looked like I was shy?

But the role of Countess Erinnis was not to lift me up, but to comfort Diana.

“However, I think you used some profane words toward the extremely high crown princess.
Shouldn’t the marchioness treat the elders of the imperial family with respect as nobles like us?”

I bowed my head gently.

“Countess Erinnis is right a hundred times.
I was young and I committed a great disrespect to the crown princess.
Please forgive me, your highness.”

Diana remained stiff and said nothing.
Inevitably, Erinnis once again spoke to me in a stern tone.

“I don’t think it’s the job of a subordinate to bring up a topic that your highness would be embarrassed about.
The marchioness is also a wise woman, so please be a little more careful afterwards.”

“Yes, thank you very much for your generous advice, countess.”

This painting was not too awkward because Erinnis was much older than me.

After bowing to her, I looked at Diana again.
I got up from my seat, bent my knees slightly, and lowered myself more firmly.

“Your highness the crown princess.
I realize my mistake, so please take your anger back.”

“……Hestia.”

Diana struggled to speak.

I answered immediately.

“Yes, your highness.”

“I fully understand why you are so upset.”

“…”

“Kael is still struggling a lot.”

I almost burst out laughing.
Who dares to abbreviate another woman’s husband’s name in public?

“I understand your sorrow, so leave it at that for today, Hestia.”

“I do not know what to do with your great generosity.
It’s amazing.”

Let’s wrap it up properly.
Let’s be satisfied that we pushed Diana this much today.

I decided to get out of the awkward situation.
I asked for her understanding in a polite way.

“I’ll be back after I cool my head for a while, your highness the crown princess.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

Diana also gave the green light.

I walked quickly with an embarrassing smile toward the people looking at me.
I felt the persistent gaze behind me, but I didn’t look back

I came out of the banquet hall.

“Ha….”

When I sighed out loud, the guards looked at me in wonder.
But I didn’t care.

I sat on a platform supporting the corridor post.

I chuckled to myself.

I rubbed Diana of her dignity in public.
I felt like I did one of the big things I had to do here.

“Tsk….”

There are some things that are a little disappointing.
I wish I were a character who gave a big shot of cider like Diana in the original.

But you can’t fill the first glass with everything I’ve been beaten by a woman who’s like a crown princess.
How can it be this big? There is another chance, so I don’t have to overdo it.

By the way, I hope Erinnis will definitely comfort Diana.
That way, the purpose of the alliance will not be achieved.

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“Phew….”

Sitting down for a while and killing time.
While I was thinking about going back in at the right time.

“…?”

I could hear the footsteps of someone walking in the distance.
It was not long before he showed up. 

“…Helios….”

The main character’s name lingered in my mouth.

Helios soon found me, too.

“The greatest of the empire….”

“Lady Hestia.
Isn’t Diana’s tea party going on right now?”

A man who suddenly brings out his business even before I could say hello with all manners.
There is nothing to be rough about who is not the heroine.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But why are you here?”

Sharp golden eyes poked.

“I was being rude to the crown princess, so I stepped back for a moment to cool my head.”

“What do you mean rude?”

When will the barrage of questions end? A sigh came out.

“It’s a long story, so you’d better hear it from the holy princess later.
But wasn’t the crown prince on his way to cheer for her holiness’s party?”

Helios raised the tip of one lip at an angle.

“You said you were rude to Diana a while ago, but are you going to be arrogant to me now? You’re always fearless.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Maybe it’s better to just shut up.

Whatever I thought to myself, Helios pointed to the entrance of the party with a chin.

“Let’s go in together, Hestia.”

“What?”

Why me?

An instinctive question almost popped out.
Helios’ handsome eyebrows frowned furiously.

“Is it your hobby to spit on orders from your immediate supervisor?”

“…No.
I see.”

This is the end of the break.

Unfortunately, I got up after taking my seat.
Then, without looking back, I followed the Helios, who strode, and entered the banquet hall again.

“Greetings to the great empire’s little sun.”

As soon as Helios entered, the nobles in the hall stood up at once and greeted.
I stood still behind him and lowered my gaze.

“Everyone, sit down.”

He nodded his head and simply replied.
Then he strode towards Diana at once.

“Diana.”

“Heli, you’re here.”

Two who affectionately kiss.

I had no choice but to stagger back to my seat and sit down.
Countess Erinnis leaned over and whispered.

“It’s great here.”

It was short, but enough to convey the meaning.

Helios settled next to Diana.

“Is everyone enjoying the party?””

“I can’t believe this.
Everyone was talking in a friendly way, your highness the crown prince.”

Erinnis, who again straightened her posture, answered skillfully.

Helios had a ceremonial smile on his face.

“Treating the crown princess is like treating me.
I hope that your respect will go for my wife without fail.”

“Yes, your highness,”

They bowed and answered politely.

No wonder I have a guilty conscience.
I’ve already made a big mess of Helios before he showed up.

If there was someone who looked at me kindly at a time like this, I would have immediately told him what happened a while ago, but the banquet hall was calm as if nothing had happened.

Helios held up his teacup and began to talk softly to Diana.
Starting with this, the tea time, which had been cut off for a while, continued again with a loud voice.

It was only then that I could talk to other ladies around me.

“Lady Hestia.
You don’t look like it because you’re young, but you’re more thoughtful than I expected.”

“Oh, me?”

I asked back with an air of embarrassment.

“It was an opportunity to reflect on Marquis Kaelus.
Lady Marquis’ words were very impressive.”

“So did I.
Now that I see you, you’re a very eloquent speaker.”

My face flushed slightly with the compliment I had been given.

“Don’t mention it….
I’m rather embarrassed.
I’ve done something presumptuous in front of all the high-profile people.”

I bowed my head with some humility.

Then someone finally recognized my dress.

“By the way, what kind of designer is the dress that the marchioness is wearing? It’s pretty beautiful.”

“Oh, I’m very embarrassed in front of you, but fortunately, I was introduced to a good tailor whose name was unknown.”

“Oh…!”

Even if you don’t say it’s a dress that’s been reformed, those who have good eyes may have already noticed.
I’d rather save my words here and look much more dignified.

Countess Erinnis smiled covering her lips.

“The marchioness is a very considerate person.
I wonder why we didn’t know about this person.”

“Whoa, I’m flattered.”

I had a chat with the ladies.

Friendly public opinion at the party was generally inclined to me.
Although I had a war of words with the Crown Princess, my presence was recognized quite favorably by the nobles.
Even though I was a commoner, my confrontation with Diana on behalf of the aristocrats may have been the reason for my score.

Then.

“Hestia.”

I heard a very businesslike voice.
It was Helios.

“Yes, your highness,” 

He asked the guests at the table for their understanding.

“I need to talk to my aide about something, so I have to take her for a while.
Ladies and gentlemen.”

I glanced at Diana.
She was lifting the cup as if to avoid my gaze.

You’ve been talking about me.
It’s fast, too.

When I reached a quiet place, Helios swung at me.

“You…!”

“….”

I shut my mouth with no expression.
I don’t want to bother Helios on purpose, and I don’t want to just answer.

You say.
I’m going to let it out in one ear.

“I’ll listen to Diana slowly later, as you said just earlier, exactly what you said.
But I want to know right away why.”

“Isn’t it the spouse’s duty to restore the honor of her fallen husband? So that’s what happened.”

He snorted at the mechanical reply.

“Do you think I’ll hear that excuse straight away?”

“….”

Think of it as an excuse or not.

Helios pressed down on his forehead.

“Tell me what you don’t like, Hestia.”

“It’s not like that.”

“So you’ve been determined to fight Diana since the beginning?”

“Fight? How dare I fight with her highness? I really just wanted to correct the public view of Kaelus.”

I have no intention of telling my real purpose honestly in front of the fox Helios.
Even if it’s obvious that you don’t like the two main characters, you shouldn’t be caught having revenge on them.

“….”

Helios stared me in the face.
That doesn’t mean you can see right through me.

A laugh leaked out.

“The reason why I committed profanity to her highness is exactly the same as why you are asking me this much.
Please don’t get me wrong.”

Then this time he burst out laughing in vain.

“Your reason and my reason are the same? So what, do you love him?”

“Oh, of course.
That’s a given.”

“Ha…!”

I really told the truth, but the man in front of me didn’t seem to believe at all.

Anyway, the reason why Helios is pushing me like this is because I said something bad to Diana after all.
Why do you have to drag it out?

“If her highness feels uncomfortable, I will visit you separately and apologize.
I didn’t do it out of malice.”

He stared at me for a long time and then spat out.

“…Keep that promise.”

Helios turned away from me.

Anyway, since the two of them were together, I asked about the emperor’s situation.

“By the way, is it okay for the holy princess to leave the emperor alone for so long? I’ve predicted it, but I don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, so I’m nervous.”

“I’ve asked.
in the event of the accident that you foretold, so that she can take immediate action.”

Helios replied with a sigh.
He must have been nervous, to be honest.

“Please go back, your Highness, the crown princess will be waiting.”

“Yes, you should…”

He retorted, looking away.

The crown prince stayed with Diana for a short time and left the party.

“I think I’d better disappear because the main character of this meeting is my companion.”

Helios greeted Diana with a light kiss, as he had come, and returned.

Still, he is sensible.
It’s Diana’s tea party, which means he knows what the society will say later.

I had been called separately by the crown prince, so I needed to deliberately show self-esteem.
When I deliberately refrained from speaking to people, Countess Erinnis noticed my meaning and spoke to Diana eagerly.

“Your Highness is very much loved.
I’m very jealous.”

“Heli is a bit worried.
Whoo….”

Diana smiled brightly and mingled with Erinnis.

This completes the painting we hoped for perfectly.
Erinnis, who embraced the depressed crown princess.
The birth of a new friend that Diana could rely on.

I smiled secretly.
Today’s tea party was a success.