When they were young and had just been engaged, Quentin gave Charlotte a present.

“…Because you said you liked the color blue.”

Along with those words, he handed her a blue accessory case in a blue box. By that point, they had met a few times. She vividly remembered how he had asked about her favorite color and other things.

By then, hardly anyone asked her what she liked—they simply decided for her. All because of Juliet’s influence.

“Thank you.”

She was genuinely overjoyed. Not only did he personally ask what she liked, he also took it into consideration when buying her gift.

She thought that, “If it’s this person, maybe we can respect each other.”

One day, Quentin came to the royal castle to see Charlotte, but he had arrived early. Charlotte was still busy with lessons. He left a message with a servant and decided to pass the time with a stroll through the garden.

After her lessons, Charlotte went to the garden and found Quentin sitting with Juliet on a bench.

When she thought about it, a servants had mentioned that Juliet was also taking a stroll in the garden today because she was feeling well. It seemed that the two had met by chance.

Since Quentin had come all the way here to see her, Charlotte should probably call out to him. However, Juliet’s presence made her hesitate. Then, she heard him speak.

“I’m not as talented as my father and brothers. No matter how hard I try to live up to the name of the marquis, I just can’t keep up. To be honest, I worry if I’m worthy of being engaged to Her Highness the Crown Princess…”

His anguished voice faltered ever so slightly.

Charlotte knew that Quentin was being compared to his talented family members. Charlotte was in a similar position, so she sympathized with him.

Quentin and Juliet seemed to be had been having a darker conversation than she’d imagined.

Placing her hands on a nearby tree trunk, Charlotte waited for the right moment to call out to him.

Then, Juliet grabbed his hand, saying, “Sir Quentin! You don’t need to worry about what other people say!”

“But…”

“Sir Quentin is Sir Quentin, the marquis is the marquis, and Sir Quentin’s brother is Sir Quentin’s brother! Everyone has their own good points, so there’s no need to try to be someone you are not! Sir Quentin is very handsome and charming!” Juliet spoke confidently with a smile.

Quentin eyes widened as he blushed. His pain was eased by Juliet’s words, and he was captivated by her smile.

It was the moment when someone fell in love.

It was the moment when her sister became more important to him than Charlotte, his fiancée.

After some time had passed, Quentin gave her another present, but it was vastly different from the last one. What stood out the most was the color.

“I bought a gift for Your Highness the Crown Princess from a general store in the territory.”

She had a bad feeling at the first glance. The box was a peach color that Juliet would’ve liked.

Opening the box, she found a beautifully folded cloth inside. She unfolded the pastel pink cloth and discovered a delicate peach embroidery. It was a pretty handkerchief.

“…Such a beautiful peach color.”

“Yes. Your Highness likes pastel colors, don’t you?” Quentin confidently asked.

Charlotte’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief. Her lips parted, on the verge of trembling.

“Why do you think so?”

“I heard it from Her Highness Juliet. You usually wear pastel-colored dresses, so your preferences must’ve changed!”

“…I see.”

That was the only answer she could muster.

Even though she’d told him that her favorite color was blue. He had even given her a present based on that. Yet, it still ended up like this.

Charlotte’s belongings were based after Juliet’s preferences, so perhaps it couldn’t be helped. Still, the fact remained that he took Juliet’s words at face value without seeking Charlotte’s confirmation.

He’d heard directly from Charlotte that she liked blue, yet he didn’t even question when another else gave him different information. Above all, Juliet’s hair color was also pink.

I thought you were different.

She was naïve to think that he was different just because he was her fiancé. She shouldn’t have had any expectations.

It should’ve been obvious from the day he fell in love with her sister. If Charlotte had accepted it sooner, then she wouldn’t have been so disappointed and hurt.

If Charlotte had pointed out that Juliet knew nothing about her, perhaps things would’ve turned out differently. She probably would’ve received more blue gifts in the future.

Nevertheless, the same thing would likely happen again. All it took was Juliet’s denial, claiming she and Charlotte liked the same thing, and Quentin would accept it as truth.

Because that was just how everyone was. Frederick, the nurses, the maids, the knights—everyone was like that.

So, she silently accepted it. Regardless of if she resisted any further, the outcome was already decided. Denial would be nothing more than a futile struggle.

“Thank you.”

Charlotte put on a smile and conveyed her gratitude.

And so, before it could bloom into her first love, her fleeting hopes were dashed.

***

Inside the cell where no one else should be, the mattress sunk with a creaking sound. Charlotte, lying on her bed, slowly opened her eyes.

“—I thought you didn’t like your fiancé?”

A familiar quiet voice came from behind her, sounding a little lower than usual.

“He’s my former fiancé.”

She sat up as she pointed this out.

When she looked, Ethelbert was there. Sitting on the edge of the bed, his blue-purple eyes reflected her face. Charlotte’s hair was dry and her skin was far from good, so it was quite unbearable to let the handsome Imperial Brother to see her like this.

“I hate men like him.”

“Really?”

“Are you jealous?”

When she asked him, wondering about his curt attitude, Ethelbert blinked, put his hand to his chin, and contemplated for a while.

“It seems so,” he confirmed.

Charlotte blinked, then her expression softened. He had everything: beauty, status, ability, and was briming with confidence, yet he also had a surprisingly cute side to him.

Did the solemn atmosphere with Quentin made it seem like he was special to her?

“He once asked me what I liked.”

Similar to Ethelbert, Quentin had thought of Charlotte in the past, however briefly.

“Today is the day I’ve been waiting for, and I wanted to leave him a small token of gratitude for his kindness.”

The man used to be her fiancé, so Charlotte was showing her sincerity in her own way, for one last time. Or maybe she was simply in a good mood and a bit more relaxed on this wonderful day.

“How is the publication going?”

“It has already been distributed throughout the royal capital. It should reach His Highness Frederick soon.”

“Is that so?”

Charlotte got off the bed and looked down at Ethelbert.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m not completely satisfied, but whatever. I have nothing left to do.”

Her smile was soft, and her expression showed that she had no regrets.

She’d crushed Juliet mentally, rebelled as the crown princess, and deeply tarnished Frederick’s reputation. Those who’d caused her so much pain were beginning to open their eyes and be tormented by regret. Things were going according to plan.

Once the truth was revealed, they’d suffer even more.

“Now, for the finishing touches.”

Ethelbert stood up; the knife he pulled out of his pocket reflecting the light. It looked quite sharp.

“Please finish as soon as you can.”

“Okay.”

In contrast to Charlotte, who looked cheerful, Ethelbert frowned in pain.

---

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