*****

「Please, feel free to use my handkerchief.」

It was the first gift I ever received—given to me on the day of the Academy entrance ceremony, when I had shielded Prince Roosevelt and fallen into the fountain.

That was the moment I met Lady Franca.

As the attendant to the Third Prince, I was always meant to be his foil; no one ever truly worried about me. Her kindness was pure, devoid of calculation or maneuvering. I was the one who had fallen into the fountain, yet the other young ladies did nothing but swarm around Prince Roosevelt. It was because they had crowded him so aggressively that he nearly fell in the first place... Ah, it truly makes my blood boil.

I was always the one in the background, forced into the thankless roles. But this time, thanks to that miserable turn of events, I met my person of destiny. She was as warm as a sunbeam; I felt as though I were drawing breath for the first time in this world.

Lady Franca Amethys.

Unlike those shrill, selfish girls, she was mature, and I found myself watching her more and more. By graduation, we had become close enough to exchange greetings.

Even if our conversations were brief, I knew immediately from her gestures and the atmosphere around her that she liked me. She was always giving off signs that only I could understand—she really is quite lovely. The proof was in the fact that she had no fiancé. She must be waiting with bated breath for me to propose. How modest and adorable. The problem was on my end; I already had a haughty fiancée. I had to break her down until she called off the engagement herself. If I didn't, and I proposed to Lady Franca before that, I feared she would think of me as a man without principles.

To keep her occupied, I used Prince Roosevelt’s name to write letters of introduction to various nobles who were looking for second wives. Naturally, I destroyed all evidence of my involvement. By the time my own engagement issues were settled, she would be at her wit's end, overwhelmed by troubled suitors.

That was when I would step in to save her, leading to a proposal and marriage.

I had been so meticulous with my groundwork and preparations—and yet, in just three days, someone smashed all my arrangements and secured an engagement and marriage through the King himself. Duke Dominic Ångström!

To think he snatched away everything that was meant to be mine!

Oh, poor, pitiful Lady Franca!

It’s alright; I will rescue you soon. I wrote letter after letter, refined my plans, and even placed requests with the dark guilds of the Empire. I decided to get my revenge on Duke Ångström using a curse from a grimoire, disguised as a "love fulfillment charm" through one of the Academy girls. I panicked when Prince Roosevelt found me out, but I managed to bluff my way through. I was saved by the fact that someone in the dark guild possessed a magic tool for overwriting or erasing memories.

The curse spread faster than I imagined, and many people, including the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, were affected.

It was delightful to watch those people—who always looked down on me and treated me like a pawn—running about in a panic because of the curse. Most of all, the Duke was met with even greater misfortune; I couldn't stop laughing.

It was his punishment for tearing me and Lady Franca apart. Ah, I want to go get her soon. I passed by the estate several times, but the servants, including that old butler, were sharp-eyed and never lowered their guard. Cursed pests.

Like master, like servant.

Even when I asked the dark guild to take Lady Franca away, they told me the estate's defenses were ironclad—difficult to breach even with a surprise attack, let alone a frontal one. Around that time, I learned that Lady Franca was active in charitable work, so I pulled some strings and spoke to her while pretending to be an official from the orphanage. The time spent talking to her in that guise was nothing short of bliss. Ah, I want to tell her who I really am so soon.

It was irritating how those meddlesome maids and that butler cut our conversations short, but I could endure it if it meant saving the imprisoned Lady Franca.

Since my relative Castor Forge, who worked in the Finance Department, was suspected of embezzlement, I gave him funds to flee the country and had one of the dark guild members take his place. With that, Lady Franca’s letters and gifts became mine. These were things I, not the Duke, was supposed to receive.

Ah, I want to hold Franca so soon.

I also spread rumors through social circles that Duke Dominic was visiting the entertainment district. I indirectly offered to sponsor Lady Franca’s business or act as a collaborator, but letters of refusal from her butler or maids always arrived—I wonder where they get their information? Their guard is tight. But I know Lady Franca’s heart does not belong to Duke Dominic.

It’s alright; she is bound to choose me in the end.

I continued to drip poison slowly, bit by bit, to drive a wedge between Lady Franca and the Duke—and then, the third year of the white marriage. The long-awaited divorce!

Or so I thought, but destiny began to go mad.

Lady Franca did not divorce; she stayed at the Ducal house.

Why?

I had arranged everything for her to fall into ruin so I could pick her up!

From there, my meticulously built plans began to crumble with a loud crash. Driven to desperation, I took drastic measures. Using the dark guild, I caused a small fire at the monastery to secure Lady Franca.

Members of the assassination guild disguised as the First Knight Order would bring Lady Franca to the Empire. That plan should have been perfect—but for that man, Dominic Ångström.

---

One week after the attempted kidnapping. Ever since that day of despair, nothing has gone right.

「Curse him!」

I gulped down the lukewarm ale in the tavern and slammed the mug onto the table.

That devil, that jinx, that monster!

Ah, my distance from my beloved Lady Franca has widened again. One of my wings still hasn't returned. Ah, unless I bury that cursed devil with my own hands, can I never have my beloved?

...That’s right. My actions until now have been far too passive—no, I’ve done nothing but pull strings from the shadows. If I approach her in a more direct way—

「I am the one who will make Franca happy! I am the only one who can save her from being that monster’s wife even now! Why does nothing go right?! Ha, that’s it! I’ve been working from the shadows, but now I shall go save Franca from the front—」

「There is no need for that.」

Before I knew it, the man who was the source of all my misery was standing there.

If I kill this man—yes, I was determined, but at that moment, I did not know the terrifying hidden face of the Ångström family. To think the clan I had made an enemy of was the Royal Family’s...

The moment the Duke raised his hand, I felt as though I saw the Grim Reaper swinging down his scythe—.

*****

Note: Deserved? Yah.

Thank you for reading. If you want to help my hobby please download and install LDP9 with my link down below. Just Click the small yellow LDPlayer Banner.