The Marquis' Daughter, a Research Enthusiast, Fails to Notice Her Junior's Devoted Feelings After Her Engagement is Broken. - Chapter 1.15

“Lord Nathaniel… What exactly is going on here?”

Hurriedly, I activated my high-performance recording device. Staying hidden, I crouched behind a nearby hedge while keeping my eyes fixed on the scene.

“Lord Nathaniel, please explain yourself! Are you planning to take Baroness Everett as your mistress?”

Lady Mary’s voice trembled with anger as she confronted him.

“A mistress? What a vulgar way to put it!”

“Then you wouldn’t mind explaining, would you? I saw you and Baroness Everett walking arm in arm—so closely, in fact, that your bodies were practically pressed together.”

“That’s… That’s not what it looks like…”

Lord Nathaniel, visibly flustered, glanced between Lady Mary and Baroness Everett.

“I-I was only helping her because she twisted her ankle… I had no choice but to lend her my arm.”

“Oh? But Lord Nathaniel, you can use healing magic, can’t you? Why didn’t you use it? Or was her injury so severe that magic wouldn’t help?”

At that moment, Baroness Everett suddenly stepped forward as if to shield Lord Nathaniel.

“Lord Nathaniel isn’t at fault! I was being harassed and hurt my foot. He was just protecting me. He took me somewhere private to heal me with magic—!”

“Yes, exactly!” Lord Nathaniel hastily agreed.

“Besides… Lady Mary, why are you here? It’s almost as if you knew exactly where to find us…”

“What are you implying?”

“Could it be that you were the one who pushed me earlier? And now, because Lord Nathaniel helped me, you rushed here in a panic to cover your tracks?”

“L-Lady Mary… You wretch…!”

As if regaining his confidence, Lord Nathaniel suddenly lashed out at Lady Mary.

It was a truly repulsive sight.

Whether consciously or not, Lord Nathaniel must have known he was doing something inappropriate. And rather than confronting that truth, he was doubling down—desperately trying to assert his own righteousness.

There was no trace of the intelligence I once thought he had.

Lady Mary, who had remained silent for some time, finally let out a deep sigh.

“I see. No matter what I say, you will twist it to make me the villain.”

Her voice was eerily calm.

“I will report this to my father. Even if our engagement remains intact, I will never love you again. You are free to take as many mistresses as you wish.”

“W-What?! As if I could ever love you!”

“Let’s go, ladies. Wasting our time on a man like this is beneath us.”

Without looking back, Lady Mary turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Lord Nathaniel red-faced and fuming.

As they left, Lord Nathaniel and Baroness Everett began whispering among themselves—spiteful remarks about Lady Mary.

They claimed she was the true instigator of the bullying, that she was only acting out because she had been exposed.

Baroness Everett had used this same excuse before, suggesting some unseen enemy was orchestrating everything against her.

And now, Lord Nathaniel was blindly believing it, choosing to pin the blame entirely on Lady Mary.

A future royal advisor who accepts baseless accusations without scrutiny?

It was beyond concerning.

I wondered how the Downing family would respond to this incident.

If this led to the dissolution of their engagement, it could weaken the First Prince’s faction—perhaps even pave the way for breaking Lady Frederica’s engagement to Prince Ernest.

Of course, the final decision rested with Lady Mary’s father, Marquis Lorenz.

✳ ✳ ✳

By the time I returned to the festival’s main area, the stage performances had already begun.

I entered an empty classroom and positioned myself by the window, giving me a clear view of the stage.

According to the program, Prince Ernest and Baroness Everett’s performance was coming up soon.

From where I stood, I could also see the side stage area.

Prince Ernest was reassuring Baroness Everett, gently patting her head.

At last, their turn came, and the two stepped onto the stage.

The male students in the audience cheered loudly, but the female students subtly moved toward the back, some even quietly leaving.

As Prince Ernest’s piano began playing, Baroness Everett started singing.

Her voice was… decent.

Not outstanding, but passable.

Prince Ernest’s piano playing was also mediocre.

Overall, their performance was neither impressive nor terrible—it was simply average.

As a result, the energy in the crowd remained lackluster, and the performance ended without much excitement.

Only the male students applauded, while the female students watched with disinterest.

Next was the popularity vote.

The winner would be determined by the volume of applause.

All participants gathered back on stage, and one by one, they were introduced, receiving applause from the audience.

One female student, who had conjured a giant salamander out of multicolored flames, received thunderous applause.

Then it was Prince Ernest and Baroness Everett’s turn.

The male students clapped enthusiastically.

But compared to the earlier contestant, their applause fell far short.

The host tried to soften the loss.

“So close! A truly valiant effort!”

But it was clear to everyone that their performance had been completely outclassed.

On stage, Baroness Everett had begun to cry.

Prince Ernest consoled her.

Even from a distance, I could see the disappointment in her eyes.