Setren wiped his hands and sat down in a chair.

A lazy smile hung on Setren’s lips, his face completely composed. As if nothing that had just happened—or was happening now—mattered to him.

Unlike the flustered aides who were struggling to contain their anger, Setren maintained his calm demeanor. Finally, one of the aides, unable to hold back, opened his mouth.

He was the one who had witnessed all of the disgraceful behavior displayed by the so-called fool woman earlier.

“Are you really going to just keep watching this?”

Setren raised his head and locked eyes with the aide. Sitting there in the sunlight, Setren’s presence exuded an overwhelming pressure.

It was only then the aide realized—Setren wasn’t unaffected at all. Setren was furious.

“What’s the problem? She really seems like she knows nothing, and because of this, Duke Spendel will remain quiet for a while.”

“...Are you really planning to keep that woman as the fool?”

“That woman? Watch your mouth.”

Setren’s sharp words made the aide lower his head and apologize.

Setren rubbed his lips thoughtfully.

At first, he had assumed Duke Spendel sent a stand-in to replace his supposedly ill daughter.

But the moment he saw her sitting there with her mouth open, drooling like a fool, he changed his mind.

Duke Spendel hadn’t sent a stand-in. He had really sent his sick daughter and turned her into a spectacle.

‘He must have some kind of scheme.’

For now, Setren couldn’t figure out what it was.

He found it pathetic—this exhausting reality of being entangled in Spendel’s games, and a family so weak it couldn’t even protect its own child.

Yet, at the same time, it was almost laughable.

Spendel already had more than enough, yet he was still desperately clinging to power.

A fragile doll dressed up and handed over as bait.

Her awkward, helpless expression reminded him of red candy rolling out of her mouth—ridiculous and bitter. And wasn’t his own situation just as absurd?

To Duke Spendel, Setren was probably no different from one of those candies—something to savor when convenient and spit out when no longer needed.

The aide hesitated before cautiously speaking.

“...Then what about Lady Roselinna? Didn’t you originally plan to marry her once you returned?”

“We’ll wait and see. Who knows? We might be able to use the fool to strike at Spendel.”

“...Understood, Your Grace.”

“And have Roselinna enter the palace tomorrow.”

Hearing that, the aide’s posture straightened.

‘She’ll be useful somehow.’

“Yes, Your Grace! With your sharp judgment, I’m sure it’ll lead to great results once again!”

Setren smiled faintly, his thoughts hidden behind his calm exterior.

Even to his most trusted aides, Setren never showed all his cards.

‘The smarter a person is, the more they keep hidden.’

Besides, Setren trusted no one—not even those who were willing to risk their lives for him.

This might also be a chance to uncover Roselinna’s true intentions.

Setren was already thinking about keeping both Roselinna and Evelyn within his grasp.

Thinking of Evelyn, Setren smirked. Her expression was so ridiculously stupid that he couldn’t help but laugh. Even as he left the room, she kept staring at the candy jar.

“Oh, and send Evelyn a glass jar filled with candy.”

The aide reluctantly agreed, his expression clearly dissatisfied.

An hour later, Evelyn received the gift—a glass jar filled to the brim with colorful candies.

Alone in her room, Evelyn opened it and immediately covered her mouth, letting out a scream.

“Aaaaah! Is he telling me to eat this?!”

The pink ribbon tied around the jar unraveled. Silk cushions scattered across the thick carpet as the jar tipped over.

In the soft glow of the room, the ‘gift’ on the table sat calmly, radiating its presence.

Sweet. Sickeningly sweet.

The jar of candy rolled to the floor. Evelyn, disheveled, stared at it.

“I have to survive. No matter what—I have to survive!”

****

The next day.

The Duke of Spendel sent two girls to look after me—girls my age. I recognized them immediately. They were the only ones Evelyn had ever called ‘friends.’

Her only friends.

It said a lot about how Spendel had treated Evelyn.

On the surface, it looked like she’d been raised in luxury, but inside, her life was hollow.

Even her younger brother constantly ignored and belittled her.

The only ones who ever paid attention to her were these two maids, so it was no wonder Evelyn considered them friends.

They hadn’t said much over the past few days, but Evelyn could already tell—they were preparing to mock her.

Knowing Duke Spendel, he wouldn’t have sent them without a purpose.

No, he must have thought of a way to keep Evelyn useful, even as a fool.

To Evelyn, these girls might have looked like friends.

If I were Evelyn, I probably would’ve been happy to see them, too.

But now that I knew what was behind their smiles—how could I ever trust them?

Could I do it?

Were we destined to stay at opposite ends, like parallel lines?

Should I throw them out? Or keep them close?

If I wanted to uncover the Duke’s plans, keeping them nearby was probably the better option.

I made up my mind.

I’d keep them close—and make them suffer. I’d make them pay for mocking Evelyn all this time.

One of the maids spoke up shamelessly.

“Hello, Your Highness the Fool. It’s been a while.”

“It hasn’t been a while. I saw Evelyn just three days ago.”

Three days ago—before the wedding.

Back then, acting like a five-year-old thanks to loose hinges in her head wasn’t unusual. She had smiled brightly, completely oblivious.

“...You’ve gotten smarter since then. You even remember that.”

One of them smiled, trying to hide her irritation.

If it were the old Evelyn, she wouldn’t have noticed. But I did. It was subtle—too subtle for a child to catch, but not for me.

“That’s right. Evelyn is smart!”

And I meant it.

I hadn’t memorized every line of this story for nothing. Back then, I even memorized the lines of other characters.

That’s why I remember so much about this novel—and now, these two are about to get a taste of what it’s like to live under K-society rules.

Let’s see how they handle being mocked with a smile.

“...Yes. Very smart indeed.”

Cherina’s voice dripped with mockery, but the smile on her face didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Cherina, are you talking to me, or just babbling nonsense? What exactly are we doing here? Shouldn’t we just say what we need to say and be done with it?”

They were trying to whisper, but I caught every word.

Titles?

Did they think Evelyn wouldn’t notice, just because they lowered their voices?

They must have thought of her as too stupid to understand—someone beneath them.

If it were the old Evelyn, she probably would’ve smiled and let it go.

The maids exchanged amused glances and snickered.

“But it’s funny, isn’t it?”

I didn’t give them a chance to keep laughing.

“Funny? What’s so funny?” I snapped. “I don’t find this funny at all.”

Their laughter died instantly.

I crossed my arms and gave them a sulky glare, exaggerating my irritation.

If I wanted to, I could always call another maid to replace them.

Girls like these thrived on copying adults. They didn’t expect to be challenged.

“Evelyn isn’t a title.”

Their expressions froze.

“W-What? Did you hear that?”

“Oh, Evelyn isn’t a title?” I tilted my head. “Then what is it? A rank? Oh... or is it you two who should be called titles?”

One of them went pale, her entire body trembling as though she’d been caught red-handed.

Can’t even control your emotions?

It figured.

She probably never had to. As long as she acted sweet when it suited her, Evelyn would’ve forgiven her.

They’d taken advantage of a child’s innocence.

“What did you just say?” Rosie hissed.

“Stop it, Rosie!” Cherina cut in, her voice sharp with panic. “Don’t bother arguing. She probably doesn’t even understand what she’s saying!”

I immediately jumped back into the conversation and grabbed their attention.

“Wow... Cherina doesn’t know what she’s saying?”

“Not me—Her Highness the Fool.”

“Evelyn knows exactly what she’s saying because she’s smart. But you two? You’re both idiots. Hmph.”

I exaggerated the movement of dropping my shoulders dramatically.

So their names are Cherina and Rosie. At least now I knew what to call them.

The two shook with frustration, glaring at me as if they wanted to tear me apart.

Judging by their attitudes, it was clear they hadn’t taken good care of Evelyn before either.

And from the way they talked, it was obvious they were here with a purpose.

Keeping them close had been the right decision.

“You must feel proud to be so smart, Your Highness the Fool.”

“Yup. I like it. Being stupid isn’t a good thing, is it? But what about you, Cherina? Isn’t it sad to be so dumb?”

“...W-What?!!”

Wow. They don’t even see me as someone in charge.

Was Evelyn’s situation worse than I thought? She’d always lived in her own little world, after all.

Their rudeness was appalling. Cherina stomped her foot, her eyes burning with anger.

Her personality was awful. She had probably always acted this way toward Evelyn, throwing tantrums whenever she pleased.

Now I understood why Evelyn had hung on to their words so desperately.

If these were the only friends she had, of course, she wouldn’t want to lose them.

But knowing the truth only made me hate them more.