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 1.8 (1)

“Did you seriously not think that was immature?!”

I had fallen asleep before Luca came by last night.

Apparently, my meeting with Leonhart had been more exhausting than I realized.

And now, after honestly recounting the events to Luca, I was getting scolded first thing in the morning.

“I told you, didn’t I? He’s just ten! I told you!”

“You did…”

I sat on my bed, kneeling in a formal seiza position.

“You made the First Prince cry! Are you going to be okay?”

“I better be…”

We both sighed.

“Leonhart is a proud person. He won’t go around telling people he cried, but… ugh… how am I supposed to face him next time?”

“I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience…”

Luca’s sharp gaze stabbed into me.

I knew I had gone too far.

I let my resentment over how the original Lydiana was treated in the story take over, and I lashed out too harshly.

But just as I was regretting it, the door opened, and Eliza entered.

“Excuse me. This arrived for you.”

She handed me a beautifully decorated envelope.

“Ugh!”

“It’s from the prince, isn’t it?”

Wasn’t this a bit too soon?

(What if it’s a duel challenge?)

“What if it’s a duel challenge?”

Luca and I spoke at the same time.

Twins really do think alike.

I couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Also, Lady Sasha requests your presence.”

Well, that was inevitable.

With how loudly Leonhart’s attendant had been making a fuss yesterday, everyone in the mansion already knew about the whole “engagement annulment” situation.

I suppose it’s only fair to get scolded.

But there was something I needed to ask as well.

“Mother’s back?”

“She returned late last night.”

Luca perked up.

He looked genuinely happy.

Mother had always been busy, but these past few weeks had been something else entirely.

Not to mention, she hadn’t had a moment to rest after healing us.

I was starting to worry about her health.

“I’ll go see her after I read this letter.”

The message was brief.

“He’s coming again tomorrow…?”

“What for?”

“He wants to have a ‘constructive discussion.’”

Wow.

A ten-year-old using words like that?

I could already tell he was trying to act all high and mighty.

What a pain…

Now that the engagement annulment wasn’t going to be easy, I had no reason to meet him.

Could I just refuse?

…No, I probably couldn’t.

He was the First Prince, after all.

◇◇◇

Mother’s desk was buried under a mountain of documents.

As soon as she saw me, she rushed over and pulled me into a hug.

“Lydiana! Oh, my dear… I’m so sorry…”

She held me tightly.

I had expected a scolding for unilaterally declaring the engagement annulment, so I was caught off guard.

“Mother… I acted on my own. I apologize.”

I mumbled into her embrace.

But my meek attitude must have been misinterpreted, because her anger suddenly flared up.

“We should have made things clear at the engagement ceremony! Even your father—calm, gentle Roy—was furious about it!”

Her voice grew louder and louder.

Looking up, I saw pure rage contorting her features.

Not just that—her arms were tightening around me.

I could hear my bones creaking.

“That brat! How dare he neglect you?! Does he even realize whose family ensures his safety in the palace?!”

“M-Mother, please calm down…”

I shuddered.

The intensity of her anger was terrifying.

As expected of a duchess.

But—wait!

Wasn’t this kind of talk dangerous to say out loud?!

“Mother, Leonhart said that annulling the engagement would cause problems for our family… Why is that?”

That question seemed to snap her out of it.

She took a deep breath and sipped her tea before answering.

“…You know I’ve been working to strengthen non-magical medical practices, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Of course.

Not because of my current memories, but because of my past life knowledge.

“In this country, ‘medicine’ has always meant healing through magic. Unlike other nations, we have almost no established forms of treatment outside of magic.”

“I heard other countries have very few strong healers left.”

“That’s right. And soon, so will we.”

Her voice carried a heavy certainty.

She wasn’t wrong.

Even though we had stopped the spread of the Icy Stone Disease, the decrease in magical power across generations was something we couldn’t stop.

Someday, this kingdom would face the same reality as other nations.

“A World Without Magicians…”

“To put it in extreme terms, yes.”

Mother’s expression turned slightly troubled.

But I knew that world.

I had seen it before.

“As you already know, the value of healers has been rising every year. Even if their quality declines, their numbers are decreasing.”

“At this point, only a select few can receive treatment from healers, right?”

“Exactly. Only the wealthy.”

Mother let out a bitter chuckle.

“You know, when I was younger, I rebelled against your grandfather and ran away from home. I lived pretending to be an adventurer.”

I had heard that story before.

She had spoken about it with such excitement and joy, something I, a girl who had lived a sheltered life, could hardly imagine.

“In the end, I was still protected by my status. I never faced any real danger, and it all felt more like a grand journey than anything else. But even so, I learned so much more than I ever could from our estate’s library.”

She smiled and added, “And I met your father too.”

“That’s when I realized… There are so many people out there, beyond my reach, desperately in need of healers… in need of medical care.”

Mother fell silent, staring into the bottom of her teacup as if lost in memory.

Her normally bright, lively eyes darkened.

And at that moment, I understood—this wasn’t just a passing thought to her.

This was something deeply personal.