Crown Prince, I hate you!

“Your Highness, quickly!”

The Crown Prince, Haelon, had arrived unannounced, and the Crown Princess’s residence was in a flurry of activity as the attendants hurried to prepare.

Click—

Haelon entered, still clad in the deep crimson uniform he must have worn to the meeting earlier, not bothering to change. Standing before him, Crown Princess Beryan Claudy greeted him, as always, with perfect composure.

“Your Highness, what brings you here without notice?”

Once again, a faint flicker of hope filled her heart.

“What did you say to Helen?”

…Ah.

But that hope was instantly shattered by his sharp voice, dragging the memory of earlier events to the forefront of her mind.

“…I merely offered a small piece of advice.”

“A mere piece of advice, and she’s crying like that? Is that what you’re telling me?”

His disbelieving eyes and bitter chuckle were piercing.

Even if he refused to believe her, there wasn’t a shred of falsehood in her words. Helen had violated royal protocol, and Beryan had merely pointed it out—just slightly. No more, no less.

Yet the woman who had glared and snapped at her moments ago was now shedding tears before him.

What a cunning woman. She doesn’t even bother hiding her two-faced nature from me, does she?

Helen, who had repeatedly stirred chaos, was nothing more than one of countless concubines in the empire’s history.

A Crown Princess versus a concubine—Helen.
Even a lowly servant would understand who deserved greater respect.

No concubine had ever dared frown at or raise her voice to the Crown Princess, nor should they.
Such was the law and decorum of the imperial family.

But all of that crumbled the moment Helen entered the palace.

She neither bowed nor deferred to Beryan. Instead, she stood tall and brazenly displayed her anger—a boldness that surpassed all measures of audacity.

And yet, no punishment or reprimand ever came her way. Haelon was her shield.

Three long years had passed since Helen’s arrival, years in which Beryan endured her antics.

For the first year, Helen’s interference had been minimal. She lingered around Haelon, paying little attention to her surroundings.

Beryan had even felt a slight sense of relief. Unlike the expectations of others, she had no desire to stir trouble in the palace. All she wanted was to keep her place quietly, focusing on her duties while avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

But over the past two years, Helen had changed.

She began by breaking royal possessions and dismissing attendants who displeased her. Outrageous acts, yet they were accepted as normal—because Helen’s orders were, effectively, Haelon’s orders.

Her steps grew bolder with each passing day, and her shadow eventually reached Beryan.

Even then, Beryan remained calm. She told herself Helen was merely an ignorant commoner who didn’t yet understand palace etiquette. She believed Helen would learn, given time. She endured the humiliation, convincing herself it was temporary.

That is, until today.

°˖✧๐·°º✲º°·๐✧˖°

“What are you working so hard on?”

Rael, her personal maid, asked, her tone tinged with annoyance.

Beryan slowly lifted her eyes from the book she was reading and responded with a soft smile.

As expected, Rael’s expression was one of barely contained frustration.

“You’ve always enjoyed learning new things—”

“Lies.”

Rael cut off the other maid, Meysha, with a curt statement, as if she already knew the truth, and firmly closed the book in front of her.

“This is all because of the Crown Prince, isn’t it?”

“Rael!”

Despite Meysha’s shocked reaction, Rael met my gaze with a weary expression, as if tired of everything.

“It’s frustrating, Your Grace. It really is. Why do you keep studying so diligently when the Crown Prince only cares about some nameless woman?”

Rael glared at the book about proper etiquette for a Crown Princess as though it had personally wronged her. When our eyes met, she sighed softly and looked away.

“Even if you think I’m wrong, I can’t back down on this.”

“Rael, that’s enough.”

‘The Crown Prince must be struggling too.’

Rael clearly understood the deeper meaning behind my words.

“…But he’s still His Highness. I just don’t understand why you have to suffer over some concubine like this.”

Rael was unusually emotional today, far from her usual rational demeanor, but there was a reason.

Yesterday was my birthday. I spent it alone.
And even on that day, Haelon sought out Helen.

“Let’s stop here.”

The memories threatened to resurface, but I scattered them away before they could overwhelm me.

“…”

“…I’m sorry.”

Meysha and Rael both looked more drained than I was.

And yet, somehow, their concern felt oddly comforting. Was that strange?

‘It’s like they’re worried about me.’

“Rael, Meysha, I’m fine. Truly.”

The maids, who had been sulking like drenched puppies, seemed slightly reassured by my words.

“But honestly, even if she weren’t here, His Highness wouldn’t have come to see me.”

Their spirits fell again.

A small laugh escaped me at their reactions, but the room was beginning to feel far too somber.

“Let’s go for a walk, shall we?”

Hoping to change the mood, I led them to the imperial palace’s most beautiful garden.

°˖✧๐·°º✲º°·๐✧˖°

“Isn’t it nice?”

“It’s only nice if Your Grace is happy.”

We wandered through the garden, which seemed as if someone had scattered colors everywhere. The idle, warm conversations we shared were perhaps the most comforting ones.

“Ah, Your Grace.”

The sight of a figure in the distance jolted a memory I had momentarily forgotten:

This was Helen’s favorite spot in the palace.

Her golden hair, gleaming in the sunlight, brushed lightly against the flower path. Compared to my ordinary brown hair, her beauty was undeniable, effortlessly drawing attention.

But now wasn’t the time to admire her.

“Meysha, take Rael and head back first.”

“…!”

“Go.”

I didn’t want them encountering her—not when they were already upset.

“…We’ll wait for you back inside.”

Meysha understood my intent, lightly tugging Rael’s sleeve. Rael hesitated, her expression heavy, but eventually followed.

Once they left my sight, Helen stood before me.

“Your Grace, are you all right?”

Her unexpected question made me freeze for a moment.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me like that. Yesterday was your birthday, wasn’t it?”

Helen clasped my hand with her doe-like eyes sparkling deeply.

“And yet, His Highness sought me out that day too. You must have been so upset. I felt terrible for you.”

Her rosy cheeks and twinkling gaze were undeniably charming. But the meaning behind her words was so transparent that I couldn’t help but let my expression darken.

“Is that so?”

Whether she noticed or not, Helen responded with a bright smile.

“Of course! I also wish His Highness would pay more attention to you. I’ve been thinking of ways to help. But seeing how calm and peaceful you always seem, it’s a relief to know you’re not too affected.”

The sound of my fan snapping shut felt deafening.

Yet I had no regrets about the action.

Some might frown at my behavior, but refraining from laying a hand on her was already a great show of restraint.

Helen was clever. Her actions up to this point had made that abundantly clear.

Her words, “It’s a relief you’re not too affected. Seeing you so calm gives me peace,” couldn’t possibly be unintentional.

And even as my expression darkened, Helen simply maintained her dazzling smile. As if daring me.

By now, I knew. I would never win against her.

“Do you even have the resolve to fight back?”

“How pitiful.”

I’d seen this scenario countless times before. I knew all too well that if I smiled and let it slide, she would leave quietly.

And yet—

“Is that what you think, Helen?”

For some reason, I couldn’t let it go so easily today.

“I’ve been hearing quite a few rumors myself lately.”

“What sort of rumors?”

Helen’s tone remained sweet, but I could see the faint cracks in her smile.

Feigning thoughtfulness, I covered my mouth and tilted my head.

“Oh dear, surely you’ve heard them too.”

“You dismissed the head maid again yesterday, didn’t you? And the accidents happening across the palace are no small matter. When will you learn proper etiquette?”

“His Highness said I could take my time—”

“Even so, you should know the basics. Take this moment, for example. Since when does a concubine speak to the Crown Princess first?”

Helen’s smile faltered, a subtle crack forming. But I hadn’t said anything untrue.

“That should be enough to send her away.”

Whenever I brought up etiquette, Helen would always retreat. That was why I had deliberately struck that nerve.

Surely, this petty argument would end now.

But instead of leaving, Helen scanned our surroundings, as if ensuring no one was nearby. Then, she returned her gaze to me, her expression cold.

“You’re right. I’ve overstepped as a mere concubine.”

Her words seemed conciliatory, but her smile returned, sharp and calculating. She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

“But, Your Grace, how much longer do you think you can stand in this position, doing nothing but existing?”

“…What?”

“After all, your role is little more than a title, isn’t it?”

The audacity left me speechless.

For a concubine to question the authority of the Crown Princess—such an act had no precedent in history.

“Helen, do you even realize what you’re saying?”

My voice trembled, unable to hold back my shock.

But Helen, as if she hadn’t heard me, leaned in closer and whispered:

“Just watch. Let’s see how much longer you can lecture me about etiquette.”

Her voice sent shivers down my spine, and I froze in place.

And then, behind me, a familiar shadow appeared.