/

Chapter 30




Chapter 30: I took away Yeju's first love.
But at that moment, she was thinking about what kind of conversation she would have if she danced with Daniel, her former fiancé.
“Daniel, I...”
Just as she thought it would be better to refuse, a loud noise was heard.
She slowly turned around. There was a woman wearing a white dress and angel wings.
“How... how...”
Her eyes were full of shock and anger, her voice trembling, and she clutched the hem of her dress as if it would tear.
I never imagined that just because Daniel asked me to dance, she would be so shocked, and a smile involuntarily escaped my lips.
It was thrilling, sending shivers down my spine.
* * *
Things hadn't been good since morning.
“Ah!”
Without thinking, she dropped the crystal glass, shattering it and cutting her finger. Tatiana looked down at her hand, where small pieces of glass were embedded.
The red blood trickled down her finger and dripped onto the table.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“I need to get it treated.”
A startled maid rushed over to examine Tatiana's hand. Some of them went out to find a doctor.
Soon, the doctor came in, removed the small glass fragments from her hand, and applied medicine.
“Perhaps, it would be better if you didn’t attend the ball at the Duke’s residence today?”
Despite the maid’s advice, Tatiana shook her head. After marrying Andrew, she had never been invited to any of the parties hosted by her.
She thought it was natural for their relationship to have reached a breaking point.
But then, Karina started spreading rumors about her affair with the emperor and defiantly invited her.
“This isn’t just an invitation.”
It was a declaration of war.
Tatiana, feeling anxious, stroked her wrist.
The bracelet had become shiny from her constant touching when she was nervous.
How did it come to this?
A few years ago, Tatiana had been so happy.
Andrew, who only had eyes for her, and men who pledged their love even as they were about to get married.
She thought she would live a happy life, blessed by everyone.
But that day, when she thought everything was over, it all collapsed.
‘There must be a way.’
The owner of this world is none other than Tatiana herself.
She bit her lip as she looked down at the invitation written in neat handwriting.
She couldn’t let everything she had built crumble over such a trivial matter.
‘If only that girl wasn’t here, everything would go back to normal.’
Suppressing the growing unease in her heart, Tatiana began to prepare.
She chose the concept of an angel, adorned herself in a dazzling white dress, and attached angel wings.
Her luxurious silver hair was half-tied and let down long.
Tatiana looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her all-white appearance truly made her look like an angel.
“Where is His Highness?”
“Still, not here.”
When she asked about Andrew’s whereabouts, the maid bowed apologetically. Tatiana bit her lip.
What she thought was the best choice had now become the worst, slowly eroding her from the inside.
“Alright.”
She tried to hide her emotions as she got into the carriage. Her head throbbed the entire way to the Pionia Duke’s residence.
“We have arrived, Your Highness.”
At the coachman’s words, Tatiana put on her mask. With graceful movements, she stepped out of the carriage and entered the entrance of the Lycianthus Hall, made of white marble.
All the murmuring people turned their gazes toward her.
Silver hair was rare in this world, so they must have recognized her as the Duchess.
Feeling a mix of admiration, jealousy, and envy, Tatiana slowly made her way inside.
She noticed a crowd gathered near a small table. As she tried to pass by, a soft fragrance enveloped her.
Tatiana involuntarily stopped.
‘What is this?’
A foreboding feeling washed over her. She slowly walked toward the table.
On the table, decorated with flowers, ribbons, and pearls, several perfume bottles were displayed.
Beside them, maids were smiling and helping people try the perfumes.
“Welcome, Lady. Would you like to try some?”
Tatiana recognized the voice, though not the name.
It was the maid who always stayed by Karina’s side. Was she deliberately trying to provoke her?
Before Tatiana could answer, the maid handed her a small sachet and a long, thin strip of paper sprayed with perfume.
“This perfume is named after the woman who inspired the perfumer. It’s said that after the intense and spicy initial scent fades, a subtle woody scent remains, giving a warm feeling.”
Tatiana muttered as she looked at the perfume bottle.
“Nivea...”
“Yes, that’s correct. The perfumer has gained a reputation among perfume enthusiasts. This time, with the full support of the Pionia Duchess, she has launched a new perfume.”
The maid smiled and explained, but Tatiana didn’t hear a word.
This was absurd. All this glory should have been hers.
Her breath quickened, and her hands trembled. Suddenly, she noticed someone sparkling in the darkness.
‘Karina.’
Tatiana dropped the sachet she was holding and hurriedly walked toward Karina. She then noticed someone standing beside her.
Tatiana was taken aback by the presence of a man who shouldn’t be here.
“Daniel?”
Could he have come here to reconcile with Karina?
Tatiana bit her lip and reached out to touch her bracelet. Although the affection wasn’t as full as before, it was still more than half full.
‘Are you betraying me just because of those words?’
Unaware of Tatiana’s feelings, Daniel shook his soft brown hair and elegantly bowed.
It looked like he was asking Karina to dance.
‘No way!’
Feeling urgent, Tatiana took a glass of champagne from a servant and threw it to the ground.
With a loud crash, the man’s gaze turned to Tatiana.
Tatiana looked at Daniel with tears welling up in her eyes.
Anger, betrayal, and a newfound sense of inferiority surged within her.
Tears gathered in her eyes.
“Daniel, how could you...”
It felt like everything she was holding between her fingers was slipping away.
* * *
Tatiana appeared at just the right time. I was amazed at how well she could time things.
‘Maybe she has someone watching me.’
The thought made me laugh.
Considering she could check affection levels and choices, surveillance might not be too difficult.
A laugh escaped my lips.
“Ah, Titi. This is...”
While I found the whole situation absurd, Tatiana and Daniel looked quite serious.
“How could you do this to me?”
Tatiana’s blue eyes shimmered with clear tears.
I wondered if it was really something to cry over, but my thoughts didn’t seem to matter to them.
“So, we...”
Daniel, at a loss, looked at me.
He looked like he had been caught cheating with a mistress by his wife.
Pathetic.
“Titi, if you look like that, people will think you’re having an affair with Daniel.”
I smiled and patted Tatiana’s shoulder. Her eyes, wide with surprise, glared at me sharply.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t forget that you’re already married.”
“I know that.”
“Then why are you acting like Daniel is cheating?”
“That, that’s...”
What was she thinking?
She finally wiped the betrayed look from her face as she noticed the curious gazes of the people around her.
Suddenly, everything felt tedious.
Daniel, who was now acting familiar, and Tatiana, who was so fixated on him.
“I’ll leave you two to have fun. I’m out of here.”
“W-wait, Karin.”
As I tried to leave, Daniel grabbed my wrist. I gently removed his hand.
“Let’s talk this out together. Don’t be like this.”
“Why?”
Daniel’s face hardened at my question. Seeing his reaction made me feel even worse.
“Were we friends?”
Friends? We were never friends.
“What kind of fool would be friends with a man who broke off an engagement because of a scandal?”
He shut his mouth.
Did he forget? Why was he so shamelessly clinging to me?
“When you said you wanted to break the engagement, I told you I would understand if I never saw you again.”
“You and Tatiana got along well.”
“Oh, Daniel.”
I said, sounding exasperated.
Mentioning that made me even more annoyed. It was as if he was acting like I knew nothing.
Yes, it was disgusting.
“You know how my reputation was back then.”
“...”
“You don’t remember, do you?”