The Villainous Young Lady Would Even Risk Her Life for Her Beloved ～ Her Fiancé, the Prince? By All Means, Please Be Happy with the Heroine! - Chapter 1.16

That day, the capital was shimmering as the snow, illuminated by the sun, reflected its light like countless tiny crystals.

And in the midst of it all, without any prior notice, Prince Leonhart sent me a gift.

It was a pair of earrings, each adorned with a deep blue gemstone, about the size of a marble.

“Oh my! They match His Highness’s eyes!”

“Why is he sending me something like this now?”

Maria was excited, but to be honest, I was a duke’s daughter. There was nothing I couldn’t obtain with money.

Why was he buttering me up all of a sudden?

And besides, wasn’t red the signature color of a villainess? He really didn’t understand the aesthetic.

“I can’t wait for the New Year’s party!”

“Wait—don’t tell me these are for that!?”

In this kingdom, noble men were expected to give their fiancées a gift before major social events.

If they were adults, they would give a dress. If not yet of age, they would present accessories instead.

But this was Prince Leonhart we were talking about.

Even though our relationship had improved, I never expected him to follow this custom properly.

I had assumed he would just hand over something random, like he always did.

To be honest, I had complained plenty about being neglected as his fiancée, but now that he was making an effort, it was a bit embarrassing.

“This time, it looks like he actually put thought into the gift. These are Umiutsushi Stones. And this size… quite impressive.”

“Oh? So they’re small but expensive?”

“Very rare, thanks to the Austin Trading Company. They’re not easy to come by.”

If my mother, the Duchess of Flores, said so, then it must be true.

And I could tell Prince Leonhart had chosen them himself this time.

I had proof.

For my tenth birthday, the Austins had likely picked the gifts themselves, choosing an excessively gaudy hair ornament covered in jewels and a massive ring that barely fit a child’s fingers.

It had clearly been a display of wealth, not a personal choice.

Though, to be fair, the old Lydiana might have been delighted by such things.

“Not bad. Took him long enough to develop some taste.”

My mother was still holding a grudge against Prince Leonhart for his past behavior, so this was a good opportunity for her to see how much he had changed.

“These stones shift in color depending on the light.”

She lit a small flame on her fingertip to demonstrate.

“Beautiful…”

Unlike the brilliant blue seen under sunlight, the flame’s glow turned the stones into a striking shade of red.

(Damn. That’s a bold move.)

They would pair perfectly with the gray dress I had prepared.

This year’s New Year’s celebration would be more subdued due to the many noble deaths caused by the Frozen Stone Disease outbreak.

The event would also serve to honor the deceased, so extravagant attire was being avoided.

It was the first formal event since regaining my past-life memories.

I had been dreading it, but now…

I had at least one small thing to look forward to.

◇◇◇

“Your Highness, thank you for the beautiful earrings.”

The moment I saw Prince Leonhart, I greeted him with gratitude.

He must have been embarrassed—he avoided my gaze completely.

“I’m glad you liked them.”

“Even my mother was pleased.”

“Lady Sasha was? …That’s a relief.”

He let out a long sigh of relief.

He must have been genuinely terrified of my mother’s disapproval.

“That stone was sourced from your father’s homeland.”

My father was currently back in his home country, negotiating medicinal exports to our kingdom.

I hadn’t seen him in a long time.

Had Prince Leonhart really considered all of that when choosing this gift?

“Your thoughtfulness humbles me, Your Highness.”

“What’s wrong with you today?! Did you eat something bad?!”

He looked genuinely alarmed.

Excuse me? I am a duke’s daughter.

“Should I call for a healer?”

“I’m fine. I just thought I should practice my formal mannerisms before the New Year’s party.”

Lately, I had been too relaxed.

Since I mostly spent time with people I was comfortable around, I feared I might slip up in a formal setting.

“Your Highness should be mindful of that as well.”

“You have a point…”

Recently, more nobles had started supporting him.

This meant they believed he had a strong chance of ascending to the throne.

Apparently, even Lady Lione was delighted by this turn of events.

However…

What would they think if they knew the truth about our relationship?

Prince Leonhart’s political position had always been unstable.

If any uncertainty arose, many of his new supporters would switch sides in an instant.

“Trusting people is difficult. But without trust, nothing can begin.”

Being in a position of power was exhausting.

And Prince Leonhart understood that all too well.

“If only I were surrounded by people like you all the time…”

In the original story, eight years from now, the second prince was killed by Lydiana, and the third prince, barely surviving, was still a child.

With Lydiana’s defeat, Prince Leonhart was named king without issue.

But in this world, he had to secure the throne without that key event ever happening.

Even worse, Iris’s awakening event was too risky to attempt.

Without a decisive moment, claiming the throne would be far more difficult.

And yet, if he wasn’t named the crown prince, I wouldn’t be able to break off our engagement.

(This is a pretty tough mode…)

Which was exactly why he refused to show weakness to anyone.

Even though he was only ten years old.

“Your Highness, we must be strong.”

“Yes, we must.”

For once, we were completely in agreement.

And just like that, the year came to an end.

I had gotten engaged, nearly died, regained my past-life memories, stopped a plague, planned my engagement annulment, and started my princess consort training.

Looking back, it had been an overwhelming year.

What would the next year bring?