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SARA could never refuse when she heard the words “Her Highness Princess Hermine is asking to see you.”
Sara assumed there must have been some reason for this new arrangement that was out of their control. Apart from Firmin, no one in his family knew that Sara and Hermine had switched places. Sara assumed that his parents must have pushed them toward marriage, or there had been some other grave circumstance that forced this to happen.
That was…until she met Hermine and saw her buoyant smile and Firmin’s slightly uncomfortable expression.
“What on earth is the meaning of this?” Sara asked in a trembling voice.
Hermine smiled gently again, clinging to Firmin’s arm. “I thought we should let you know! Right, Firmin?”
“Um, well…yes. That’s right…”
In sharp contrast with Hermine, who looked positively thrilled, Firmin, whom Sara hadn’t seen in so long, looked rather frightened. During the entire time they’d been talking, he hadn’t met Sara’s eyes, but he hadn’t tried to extract his arm from where Hermine trapped it against her chest, either.
Sara had a terrible feeling about this.
She gulped down her thick, acrid saliva.
Calm down, Sara… Just calm down, Sara repeated to herself as she drew her face into an impregnable smiling mask.
“Yes, I wanted to ask about your announcement,” she said. “Firmin, you knew about our switch, didn’t you?”
“O-Of course. I got your letter from Hermine.”
“I see… And why did you and Hermine decide to get married?”
Sara had tried very hard to ask this calmly and with a smile, but they seemed to notice the hardness in her expression and the sharp edge to her words.
Hermine’s good mood melted away, and she tilted her head, looking at Sara with concern. “What’s wrong? You look so angry. Aren’t you going to congratulate us on our engagement?”
“I-I’m not angry. I’m just… It was so unexpected, I’m in a bit of shock.”
Sara knew it was a weak excuse, but Hermine didn’t seem to mind and went back to smiling.
“Oh, good! Guess what, Sara? I’ve fallen in love with Firmin! And since I’m going to be living as ‘Sara’ from now on, there shouldn’t be any issue with me marrying him, right? It’s a little weird that I’m replacing you, but I’m going to be Firmin’s wife!”
Sara’s body went as cold as ice. It felt as if she had been hit by something very hard—she couldn’t hear anything around her. The last time she had felt like this was the day she heard about the death of her parents.
Hermine…replacing me…and becoming Firmin’s wife?
It took all the effort Sara could muster to remain sitting politely. Hermine looked to be in excellent health, and Firmin was still avoiding Sara’s eyes. Together, they explained how it all happened.
When Firmin returned from his expedition, he heard that Sara wasn’t feeling well and was recuperating at an estate owned by the royal family, so he went to see her. He arrived late at night, and it was so dark in the house, it would be impossible to see anyone’s face clearly without some sort of light.
When Firmin went up to the room where Hermine was sleeping, he assumed that Hermine was Sara. And so, after Hermine undressed to her underwear in front of him, Firmin slept with her.
WH-WHAAAAAAAAAT?!
Sara ought to have been praised for the sole fact that she didn’t scream.
Firmin’s face was pale, but Hermine, reliving that night in her mind, cupped her cheeks and looked dreamily into the distance.
“No one’s ever wanted me that passionately before… I just knew I wanted to marry him! Isn’t that right, Firmin?”
“W-Well, yes, but…! I thought you were Sara…”
“Really? But after I gave you Sara’s letter the next morning, you slept with me again—don’t you remember? You told me I was much prettier than Sara, and that my chest was bigger and softer, too.”
Sara’s head had been boiling with frustration at Hermine’s betrayal and shameful behavior, but at these words, a chill settled inside her mind.
She could understand if Firmin had been seduced by Hermine, who looked very much like Sara, and spent one night with her on accident. But even when he found out the woman he’d slept with was not his girlfriend but the princess, he didn’t care… Instead, he’d told Hermine that Sara wasn’t pretty…
And even if it was that dark, could he really have thought Hermine was Sara for so long? Until morning? Maybe he realized midway through and kept going…
Firmin must have noticed Sara’s expression darken, because he suddenly waved his hands in front of his white face.
“W-Wait! I didn’t betray you, Sara!”
“But you slept with her even after you read my letter… You liked that Hermine had bigger boobs than me, didn’t you?”
“That’s right, Firmin!” Hermine added, not a drip of malice in her voice. “We slept together lots of times that day, until the sun was high in the sky!”
This was a devastating blow to both Firmin and Sara, but Firmin, seeming to realize he had been cornered into the truth, took a few steadying breaths. Then he clicked his tongue and threw an arm around Hermine.
“Yeah, that’s right! I’ve never thought you were pretty, Sara, not once in the two years we dated! Hermine is so much more beautiful, and meek, and she dotes on me!”
“Oh, Firmin…,” Hermine cooed.
“You don’t have to worry about Sara, Hermine,” he continued. “We’ve already gotten approval from His Majesty the King and my parents.”
“Wh-What?!” Sara blurted out.
Hermine blinked at her, puzzled.
“I mean, we’ve already exchanged names and positions in life, haven’t we? My father said if I really love someone, I’m allowed to marry them. And the viscount and viscountess both believe I’m you, so they certainly wouldn’t object!”
Sara sat there quietly, steadying her breath.
“My father is going to give me the estate I’m living in now,” Hermine continued, “so after we’re married, I’ll live there with Firmin. We’ll have a happy, quiet life, just the two of us… It’s what I’ve always wanted, Sara. Don’t you know that?”
Hermine’s babbling just went in one ear and out the other.
Everything Sara had endured had been for Hermine.
She was going to take Hermine’s place in a political marriage.
She had been planning on cutting things off amicably with Firmin.
They trampled over everything with smiles on their faces.
Everyone already knew Sara and Firmin were dating. They would all wish the couple well with no further thought than So they’re finally tying the knot, eh? No one would speak ill of their marriage. They could be happy together without anyone knowing the truth.
Heat rushed to Sara’s eyes. Her throat felt dry. Her hands trembled. It felt like her brain was being wrung out like a wet towel. Her vision started to go fuzzy.
What… What did I put up with all this for?!
The moment that thought gushed forth, Sara could no longer snuff it out with the obedient answers she used to turn to—because she’s your master, because you owe it to her…
Sara did want to protect Hermine’s smile, and she knew that she was the only one who could.
But Sara wanted Hermine’s smile—not the terrible behavior that accompanied it.
Sara had hoped that Hermine would one day marry someone under her name. That much was true. But stealing Firmin from her… Delaying giving him Sara’s letter… It was too much.
And Firmin’s parents were caught up in the background noise. Sara felt terrible for them, who were probably ignorant of the whole affair. The king, however, infinitely doting on his daughter, had spared no passing thought for Sara when he gave his blessing. In fact, he probably felt relieved that she had found a knight who would protect her for life. And with the two of them living on his estate, it would be easy to provide security for them.
I wanted…us both to be happy.
And, if possible, she wanted to spend her days smiling with Hermine. Even if Sara became unhappy, if Hermine was happy, that would be enough.
But Sara now realized that wasn’t true.
So this is what you’ve decided on, Hermine…
Sara watched the princess quietly. What she saw wasn’t the master she had loved and looked after for six years. She saw a woman who relished in her home-wrecking, who felt not the faintest guilt about her indiscretion, and who in fact fancied herself a heroine who had won love following a personal tragedy.
“That’s why we’re planning on announcing our marriage when you leave to become a bride yourself!” Hermine concluded. Then, after a pause, she said, “Hey… Sara?”
“…Yes?”
“Even though we’ll both be married women, and we’ll be far apart, we’ll always be friends…right?”
If Sara were any less of a compassionate person, she might have tossed the contents of her teacup into Hermine’s face right then and there.
The loyalty and affection Sara had held for Hermine for the past six years had already been shattered into a million pieces. And even though Hermine was the one who’d shattered them, there she sat, oblivious and boasting that they’d be friends forever.
Sara’s heart wanted to scream, “You have no right to say that!” But she held herself back and took a few deep breaths.
Sara forced down everything she wanted to say, everything she wanted to spit at her, everything she wanted to do to her… She donned the mask of the devoted maid Hermine wanted her to be and said:
“Yes… We’ll always be friends. Congratulations on your wedding, Hermine, Firmin.”
With everything inside her broken, Sara outwardly congratulated Hermine and inwardly destroyed all the bonds of friendship between them.
It was the last thing Sara could do to repay Hermine for everything she’d done for her the past six years.