A Young Lady Who Has Had Everything Exploited By Her Sickly Younger Sister Will Not Let Anyone Take Anything From Her Anymore - Chapter 17

 (Tears… I’m alive, right? This isn’t a dream, is it?)

The fear of death faded, replaced by overwhelming relief.

If that young man hadn’t saved her, Colette would have been frozen to death out there.

Realizing that made her feel a wave of delayed fear and frustration at her own helplessness.

The young man widened his eyes when he saw Colette crying, then gently reached out to wipe away her tears.

As he looked at her with a slightly troubled expression, Colette suddenly came to her senses.

Now wasn’t the time to be scared. She quickly bowed her head.

“Um, thank you so much for saving me…!”

When she said that, the young man gave her a kind smile.

Colette had a good memory, but she couldn’t recall who he was.

The only ones who normally called her by name so casually were Alexia or Elsa.

She hesitated but then nervously spoke up.

“It seems you know me… Have we met before?”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I just can’t remember…”

The young man didn’t respond.

Colette worried she had offended him, but he simply kept smiling.

“Don’t think about anything else right now. Just rest.”

“Huh…?”

“You’ve gotten so thin… You need time to recover.”

“B-but…!”

The young man stood, gave her a warm smile, and left.

As the door shut behind him, another figure entered: a girl with her hair tied up in two round buns and wearing an eye patch.

In her clothes, she seemed to be a maid.

Unlike the kind young man, her face was stiff and unreadable.

Colette couldn’t look away as the girl bowed gracefully and spoke.

“Lady Colette, starting today, I’ll be taking care of you. My name is Meimei. It’s a pleasure to serve you.”

“Meimei…? Are you from the Shaimei Empire, by any chance?”

“Yes, I am.”

The Shaimei Empire was far larger than the Kingdom of Evalirut, with a strong military and a unique culture.

The emperor of the country had numerous consorts, and over two decades ago, he sent the eighth princess to Evalirut as a concubine.

That happened because the Evalirut king and queen had no children for many years and gave in to the pressure to take a concubine.

The princess concubine bore a son—but two years later, the queen miraculously had a son as well.

A few years later, the concubine died of illness, and rumors spread.

The boy who should have become the crown prince disappeared from public view.

Many assumed he died with his mother.

Because of pressure from the current queen, no one dared to speak openly about it.

To avoid her wrath, the whole matter was quietly buried in secrecy.

Now, the queen’s only son is the crown prince, William le Evalirut.

But rumors about him aren’t good.

He’s close to Dion and Colette. They were often seen chatting warmly at parties.

Though the same age as Colette and Dion, William was the long-awaited prince, and the queen spoils him completely.

Many worry for the kingdom’s future, but the king doesn’t seem too involved either.