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“Our daughter, Iva, go to the palace and do well. It’s something to be proud of that you were personally asked by Prince Claude.”

“You’re good at everything, my child, so you’ll do well. Don’t be too nervous.”

“…It means a lot to me. Mother, Father.”

On my first day of forced work as in charge of the Fenet delegation welcoming party.

As if afraid, that I would run away, they sent a grand and enormous carriage from the imperial palace to my mansion.

It was so extravagant and conspicuous that everyone in the empire would know I was going to the palace.

In my heart, I wanted to lie down on the floor and make a fuss saying I don’t want to arrange the party or do anything. But how could I cry in front of my parents who were seeing me off?

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Iva forced a smile and got into the carriage.

“We’re departing now.”

With the voice of the palace coachman, the carriage began to move. As soon as it moved away from the mansion, Iva hit her head against the wall.

“I thought this life would be a bit easier! Why is it getting more complicated again?”

She had thought that as long as she avoided the male lead, Ray, she would be fine. But she never thought she would be entangled with the second-male lead, Claude.

In her previous life, she had never properly interacted with him, so she had been careless about his existence.

“One guy suddenly proposed, and another guy was threatening with a proposal. Just why don’t they leave me alone.”

She managed to reject the proposals of both men, but if she took on the responsibility for the party, she would meet Julian.

“If this continues, it will be just like my past life. I can’t let that happen. I must avoid meeting Claude at all costs.”

Claude Elihu Bergen. He was the second-male protagonist of the original story.

He fell for Julian, the typical female lead of the original story.

He loved Julian, who endured hardships with patience, always putting others before herself, and never blaming others despite being betrayed. 

But when Julian fell in love with Ray, Claude chose love over friendship.

To break the love between the two, Claude was ruthless enough to send Ray to war.

When Ray was sent to war, he didn’t remain loyal to Claude but pledged his love for Julian.

Thinking that distancing them would cool their affections, Claude’s obsession with Julian only grew stronger as Ray and Julain became more affectionate with each other.

When he tried to force her into marriage, Julian considered participating in the war in the name of duty.

‘Ray is dead.’

But Claude didn’t want to lose her, so he even lied to her.

Stunned by the loss of her beloved, Julian fell into a coma and miraculously woke up, but a life without Ray felt meaningless.

Claude tried to use her grief to keep Julian by his side, but Julian only wanted to follow Ray, like a person whose soul had been emptied.

Only then did Claude realize that his attachment to Julian was not love but an obsession that confined her. He decided to bring Ray back.

From then on, he no longer interfered with their love.

“They say he’s a second-male lead, but he’s almost like a villain.”

In the following story, Claude was excluded from the main characters, and the villainess, Iva, tried to eliminate Julian herself. But things went awry, and Claude ended up taking the poison and then he executed Iva as an apology to both of them.

“Why were you apologizing by killing me?! Moreover, I’ve never even seen the poison!”

Even after living three lifetimes, it was the most unfair event.

In the first life, I had malicious thoughts towards Julian and sought poison. 

Well, I only sought it!

In the original story, Iva even put the poison directly in Julian’s tea, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, wondering if Julian would really die.

It was the only moment when I lived according to my own will in the midst of being swept along by the original plot.

I disposed of the poison I had sought, so I couldn’t understand why it appeared in Claude’s teacup? It was truly incomprehensible.

‘Iva Blanche. Executed for the crime of attempting to poison the royal family.’

Just thinking about Claude brought back memories of his execution, making the back of her neck shiver.

“You can’t be scared already. You have to be strong to survive.”

Iva shook off her uneasiness and strengthened her resolve.

“We’ve arrived.”

“I want to go home as soon as I came to work.”

As they arrived at the palace, the coachman kindly opened the door. Slowly getting off the carriage, she saw someone standing in front of her.

“Wow, congratulations on your first day at work.”

Chase welcomed Iva with a sly smile.

Seeing him dressed in a navy blue court official uniform, she truly felt that she had come to the palace.

Thinking perhaps Claude was nearby, she quickly looked around.

“His Highness couldn’t come because of other tasks.”

Chase, who was quick-witted, answered first.

“Well, it would have been nice if he had come with me when I asked him to.”

“I want to run away to the countryside right now. So, if you don’t want to be buried there, be quiet.”

Iva’s voice was so sincere that Chase didn’t tease her further.

“But seriously, did you really propose to His Highness?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then, what about the young rural head?”

“…I did say that.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Yes, I am. If I drink again in the future, make sure to stop me.”

“I’ll stick to you like glue and throw it away.”

Chase guided Iva toward the west wing of the palace. A little further behind the palace, there was a small hall.

It was about half the size of the Great Hall.

“The diplomatic delegation will come in two weeks. It’s not a powerful country, but it’s not a small one either, so it’s a good opportunity to establish ties in advance.”

“We’re a bit tight on time.”

“We had more time, but someone kept rejecting it.”

“Cough, cough.”

Iva avoided Chase’s gaze and took in the whole hall with her eyes.

“Did you seriously have no plan and let it slide?”

“Of course not. The person who used to handle the palace parties had done some preparations.”

“When there are people to work, why bother asking me?”

“The Baron was used to take care of such things, but he retired due to his age, and his daughter took over. However, it’s her first time doing it, so His Highness was worried. There she comes.”

Chase gestured in a direction, and Iva turned to look.

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