Cesia was sitting on a bench in the shadows to avoid standing out, so all of the ladies were surprised when she suddenly shouted. But when they realized who she was, they whispered among themselves.
“Oh, isn’t that Prince Marcus’s…?”
“But she’s just a baroness.”
As was often the case with this kind of talk, Cesia could still hear them even though they were whispering. “It doesn’t matter who I am. No matter the reason, it’s assault to rip someone’s clothes apart,” she said clearly.
The ladies looked embarrassed. “Let’s go,” the leader of the group of bullies said to the others, and they quickly left.
Cesia considered rebuking them further but couldn’t ignore the remaining girl and approached her. The lace of her dress around her chest had been ripped, and she was hanging her head. “Are you okay?” Cesia asked. “I’ll fix that.” She gently brushed the lace with the tip of her finger, and it magically returned to normal.
“Please stay out of this,” the girl abruptly said in a wooden voice.
Cesia widened her eyes in surprise. She wasn’t looking for thanks, but it was still unexpected. “Would it have been better if I left the lace still ripped?” she said. Maybe she needed it as evidence of them assaulting her, she thought, momentarily uneasy, but the lady shook her head.
“That isn’t it. Whether here or at the garden party a few days ago, your temporary help does nothing to improve the situation. If anything, it makes things worse. You can’t help me all the time, so please, mind your business!”
Cesia was shocked to hear what Rosary had warned her about directly from the girl herself. Cesia had served her time as a victim of bullying, but she had never considered that. Of course, Maria and Marcus were the only people who had ever helped her, so she might have just never thought of it that way. “So, you’d rather be left like that?” Cesia asked.
“Or Prince Marcus or his princess consort could do something about it for me. You can do that, right?”
Cesia purposely laughed scornfully, feeling terribly sadistic. She had always lived without relying on anyone else and believed in making the utmost effort on her own to change things she was dissatisfied with. “I refuse. Haven’t you considered fighting back?” she said flatly.
The girl grimaced. “I can’t change the way I was born. I’m the daughter of a viscount, and the other girl is the daughter of a count. I have no choice but to endure it!”
“You haven’t made any effort to make them respect you?”
“What do you want me to do? It’s not my fault! What do you want me to do about my birth?! You must be happy, scoring a prince!” she shouted, then left then and there.
Left alone in the garden, Cesia stood there, dumbfounded, as anger slowly welled inside her. You can’t change the way you’re born? I’m secure now that I’m marrying a prince? That’s ridiculous. I’m constantly subject to the curious, critical gazes of the people around me, she thought. She was no saint. She might have been meddling by helping that girl out only halfway, but that was no reason for her to take that sort of attitude with her. “If only I could stamp out their terrible natures all at once,” she mumbled ominously. She just felt empty. After saving the country, suddenly becoming a noble, and getting engaged to a prince, those ladies only looked at her as an unknown, suspicious woman who didn’t know the first thing about how they did things. For the girl who had just run away, being helped by Cesia might itself have been a disgrace.
The activities of the Second Division had become well-known thanks to them stopping Juliette’s plans. This also resulted in it becoming known that they had greatly contributed to resolving multiple cases other departments had gotten credit for. Cesia had heard several people were hoping to enter the division this season. However, now that she was the second prince’s fiancée and couldn’t show up at the second division anymore, she had little to do with that.
“I want to go back to see everyone,” she unconsciously whispered, then instantly regretted it. She wished to stand by Marcus’s side and say she wanted to go back to when she had only been a stray cat was rude to both herself and him.
Psyching herself up, she patted her cheeks. It was no time to be whining. Time had passed without her being aware of it. She had only wanted to take a short breather, but it had become a long absence. I have to get back to the soiree, she thought.
She hurriedly returned to the hall, and Marcus quickly found her. “Cesia,” he said.
“My apologies, Your Royal Highness.”
“It’s fine. I take it that there were no issues because the garden hasn’t been blown away?” he joked.
Cesia smiled slightly. “Please don’t make it sound like I’m some sort of tropical storm.”
“I think there are a few similarities.”
Cesia was relieved. Their exchange felt the same as their usual conversations. However, just past Marcus, the atmosphere in the hall had room for improvement. It didn’t seem anyone thought she had been alone, and it felt like they all suspected her of having just come from a secret tryst in the garden. She could see people glancing at her and whispering and reflexively furrowed her eyebrows.
Sensing her apprehension, Marcus drew her waist closer to his and tenderly rubbed her back. “I’m done with my greetings, so why don’t we leave soon?”
“Okay,” Cesia said after a pause. Tonight was a failure. I knew I should’ve been confident and put myself out there, even in the middle of all those people and that awkward atmosphere, she thought. Realizing her mistake, she hung her head.