Chapter 122:A Dance of Shadows and Pride
Chapter 122
— A Dance of Shadows and Pride —
“Duchess Schultz, are you really speaking to me?”
The woman with the bright voice asked, visibly flustered.
I held Ahin’s hand firmly, answering with a calm expression.
“That’s right.”
She continued fanning her now-flushed face, but I looked around and added, as if I had no intention of retracting my words:
“No matter what, there is a difference in status. Apologizing to a mere maid feels a little… improper.”
“Then should you kneel before me?”
“What…?”
“You attempted to shame my maid and sully my honor. Isn’t it only fitting that you kneel before me in turn?”
So fond of speaking of rank, yet so unwilling to kneel when facing someone of higher status.
“That’s not what I meant… Your Grace, aren’t you being a little too harsh?”
She glanced around as if seeking help, her voice laced with affected grievance.
And indeed, I could feel every eye—noble and journalist alike—watching to see how I would respond.
The room fell still. Only the scratching of pens echoed faintly across the space.
But the weight of their gaze did not bother me. In fact, it felt like I had invited it on purpose.
I turned my gaze toward the still-unconscious daughter of the Marquis of Hatzfeld and spoke in a tone devoid of warmth:
“Is it not serious enough that you accused my maid without proper cause?”
“There was a reason for that, wasn’t there…?”
“And I have a reason for this. Apologize. If you won’t kneel to me, then apologize to my maid.”
I felt the tremble in Ahin’s hand. Perhaps she was thankful. But truthfully, she didn’t have to be.
Perhaps I was the most despicable person here—using this moment for my own ends.
“No matter how noble your family is, if you treat me like this…!”
Her voice, which had been hushed and nervous, suddenly erupted in a flush of red fury.
And as she clung to her skirt’s hem, the sound of polished shoes echoed closer across the marble floor.
A tall shadow fell beside me. Then came a slick, coaxing voice:
“Now, now, Duchess… people can misunderstand things. Aren’t you being a bit too severe?”
Of course. I’d anticipated this.
Edward would find a way to humiliate me while siding with her.
But to interfere in the affairs of noblewomen here—before a crowd of common-born reporters? That’s reckless, even for him.
Though I suppose, in the end, it doesn’t matter. No article can be published without the royal family’s approval anyway.
I raised a brow, glancing sidelong at Edward. He smiled—as if standing in solidarity with me.
Not that I believed it. I’ve seen the monstrous truth behind that charming mask.
The lady’s eyes lit up triumphantly at Edward’s perceived support.
But I remained unfazed, speaking with cold precision:
“I apologize for the disruption at His Highness’s exhibition. But this matter is ours alone to settle.”
“There it is again,” Edward nodded as if agreeing wholeheartedly.
Then he turned to the woman, wearing a gentle expression.
The eager look on her face crumbled in an instant.
“Madam, wouldn’t it be best if you apologized? There are many eyes watching.”
Edward smiled as he said it. It sounded like an invitation, but the weight behind it was unmistakably a warning.
“What…?”
Her face went pale. She hesitated, took a step back.
Then Edward leaned in, whispering low enough for only the two of us to hear:
“Better to kneel. You’ll keep your pride intact. She’s apologizing to a maid, not you. It won’t harm your name.”
Her lips trembled. Then, biting them hard enough to draw blood, she finally dropped to her knees.
Perhaps apologizing to Ahin was, to her, more degrading than kneeling before me.
I saw the reporters stir with renewed frenzy. There was no need to guess what they were thinking.
No matter how much time passes, a noble bowing to a commoner is a spectacle they’ll never ignore.
And the royal family relishes it, too.
Edward soon took control of the situation. He dismissed the reporters from the museum and soothed the nobles before sending them away.
The grand opening ceremony had ended in chaos, and I made sure to mention I’d be more selective with invitations next time.
Despite the shock of Edward’s duplicity, I found calm again whenever I remembered Johannes standing near me.
‘I told you to do whatever you want…’
And indeed, he didn’t intervene—not even for a moment. Perhaps he had his reasons, but he wouldn’t have stayed still unless he trusted me entirely.
Eventually, only the three of us remained in the museum. Edward glanced at Johannes and muttered:
“As I thought… you really don’t intend to step in.”
“……”
“So, you just let this happen?”
Edward chuckled with a twisted sort of amusement, then raised my chin with a hand.
“That’s enough. I can barely resist the urge to slit your throat right now.”
A chill ran down my spine. His voice, though low and restrained, carried a ferocity that made the air freeze.
Edward let go of me instantly. He raised his hands as if in surrender and took a step back.
But of course, his tongue remained untamed.
“Duchess, you do realize… you’ve made enemies of every noble here today.”
Of course he’d say that.
I replied coolly, “What a shame. We were never allies to begin with. But thank you for the concern.”
He truly didn’t understand. And I hoped it stayed that way.
Edward Windsor would never grasp my intentions. He was too deeply rooted in his aristocratic pride.
He only knew one part of the story—never the whole truth.
He had exposed himself before the commoners. Not just a royal, but a fool who looked down on those below him.
In contrast, Johannes might only rise in the public’s esteem.
He married a woman of common birth. And he didn’t leap to defend the nobles blindly.
Edward scowled when I didn’t react the way he’d hoped. But with Johannes beside me, he couldn’t lash out like before.
Instead, he dropped his voice, his words a soft menace.
“Duchess, are you aware…?”
“I am not.”
There was no mockery in my tone, though he took it as such. His laughter was bitter.
“You don’t seem afraid of me. That bothers me.”
“……”
“But Johannes… he looks at me with fear. Do you know how disgusting that feels?”
Me, afraid of Edward? What an absurd claim.
“I am a prince. Johannes is just a duke. I’ve killed countless people. He—he can’t even lift a blade unless it’s justified.”
His words felt strangely off. I caught something in them—a warped obsession, a festering jealousy toward Johannes Schultz.
“But Johannes looked at you with fear, too.”
“……”
“And it’s the same when you look at me. That man, who used to treat me like filth, flinches whenever you’re near me.”
“…So?”
Edward fell silent. But in that stillness, I suddenly understood something—terrible and cold.
Edward Windsor’s target had never been me.
But he would kill me. And somehow, he would drag Johannes down with me—bind him to the crime and watch him fall.
I could feel it in my bones.
I was never the heroine of this tale.
Just the first victim.
The brown-haired, green-eyed girl fated to die.
