I Was Happy to Be Dumped by My Fiancé, But Something Seems Off - Episode 32

Argent had no awareness of having saved anyone. He had merely pulled a drowning person out of the water.

Bertina, too, hadn’t been the one to save anyone; Argent had done that. She had only stayed by the person’s side after he left to search for others. Without any sense of having saved Riet from drowning herself, it was understandable that even if told the location and time, it wouldn’t ring a bell.

Now, for a different reason, Bertina felt like holding her head in her hands. She glanced briefly at Argent. He, who had never imagined that Riet’s first love was him, didn’t seem particularly surprised upon learning the truth and simply said, “I see.” Though Bertina had various thoughts about Riet, she couldn’t help feeling a little sympathy for him. If Riet found out that his first love was actually Argent, who had been cross-dressing as a girl, even he wouldn’t be able to keep his composure. When they next met, she decided she would only deny it and not reveal the truth.

“Argent, when you see His Highness next time, please don’t tell him.”

“Fine by me, but I doubt that prince will give up so easily.”

“I’ll find a way to make him accept it.”

Anyone would be deeply shocked to learn that the girl they had been searching for was actually a boy in disguise. Regardless of personal feelings, Bertina, who knew how hard Riet had worked as the crown prince, couldn’t bear the thought of him being so shocked he’d fall ill. What would they do then?

“Shall we practice acting as the High Priestess until the very last minute on the day?”

“That’s the plan. You never know where you might slip up.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Of course not.”

Though she said this, inside she was filled with anxiety. Even though she hadn’t interacted with the other party much, carelessness was the greatest enemy.

If she showed even a hint of weakness, they would seize upon it instantly and drag her into their pace. Failure was absolutely not an option. This was no time for embarrassment. After it was over, she could bury her face in her pillow and writhe in shame as much as she wanted.

—The next day, she practiced again, and whenever Alistair, who had long served as Inanna’s assistant, had free time, she had him accompany her practice sessions. Inanna had regained consciousness that morning, and when Bertina explained that she would be impersonating Inanna and attending the meeting in her place, Inanna only gave a wry smile but didn’t stop her. Strangely enough, perhaps because her expression showed her determination, Inanna simply emphasized, “If Bertina-chan has decided, then I have nothing to say. Just don’t overdo it, okay?”

According to Argent, Inanna wasn’t human, so her wounds healed faster than a human’s. Still, it seemed unlikely she would recover in time for the day of the discussion.

After finishing practice, Bertina waited for a break and then asked Argent, who had brought her some cold tea.

“Hey, Argent. You say Lady Inanna isn’t human, but if she’s not human, then what is she?”

“Ask her yourself. I can only tell from her aura that she’s not human; even I don’t know what she is.”

“She’s a demon, like you? No, that can’t be, right?”

It was hard to imagine a demon serving a goddess. But Argent pointed out that it wasn’t entirely wrong.

“It’s true she has a slight demonic aura. But if you said she’s completely a demon, that doesn’t feel right either.”

She truly was a mysterious woman.

Once the break was over, Bertina resumed practicing Inanna’s mannerisms. Even though it had only been a day, she had come remarkably close to perfectly mimicking Inanna’s speech and behavior, enough to surprise Alistair when he visited. If she didn’t get complacent and practiced right up until the last moment on the actual day, she likely wouldn’t be exposed.

After receiving his approval, she was taught some knowledge that the High Priestess would naturally be expected to know. There was no guarantee the two ducal families would press the issue, but news of Inanna’s stabbing had reached their ears. If the severely injured High Priestess were to attend, they might suspect an imposter. This was a precaution.

And then, a few days later—the discussion involving the Annaloro Ducal House, the Moldio Ducal House, the king and queen, and the crown prince was held within the royal castle.

Tea was served around the table. A cup was placed before Bertina, impersonating Inanna. Inside, her heart was pounding loudly from nerves, and if she opened her mouth, she feared she might slip up, so she merely maintained a faint smile. Beside her, Alistair, impersonating Argent, didn’t utter a single unnecessary word. Was he nervous in his own way?

While savoring the taste of the tea, Bertina quickly scanned the room. Her parents and Bianco seemed uncomfortable, trying to distract themselves by reaching for their tea. As for the Moldio family, seated across from the Annaloro, they were perfectly calm. Clarissa seemed restless and fidgety. Luigi and Agnes were elegantly drinking their tea.

—They drank it.

Having clearly seen both of them drink the tea, Bertina placed her teacup back on the saucer. This drew everyone’s attention to her.

“I hope that helps you relax~? It’s amusing to see some of you so stiff while others are perfectly normal~”

“High Priestess, we heard you were stabbed by someone posing as a believer the other day. Are you sure you should be attending?”

“Thank you for your concern, Luigi-kun. Lately, I’ve been worried about my waistline, so losing some fat along with the blood was actually a help~”

“That’s good to hear.”

It’s not good at all! Bertina thought, knowing that if she were here as herself, she would have said it aloud. No one suspected that the Inanna present was an imposter. Her tone and behavior had convinced them she was the real deal.

Riet’s gaze felt painfully piercing, but if she even glanced back, the sharp-witted Luigi might notice, so she avoided looking.

“Lady Inanna, where might Bertina-san be?” asked Agnes.

“Bertina-chan has evacuated to a safe place with her attendant-kun~”

“Evacuated?”

“Well, wouldn’t you agree~?”

Bertina looked toward her father, Crow.

“I couldn’t possibly leave her in a home where parents prioritize their sister’s child over their own daughter to the point of trying to eliminate her.”

“Since when does the Grand Cathedral have the right to interfere in family matters!?”

“Oh my, Crow-kun! You’re getting short-tempered in your old age.”

“Don’t evade the question! I demand you return Bertina to us immediately!”

“Before that, let’s settle this matter.”

Argent, standing behind her, gently tapped her chair. It was the signal.

“This plan to pretend to send Bertina-chan to a convent, only to use her as Clarissa-chan’s ‘shadow’ while making her the crown prince’s fiancée. Even Ignat-kun agreed to it, didn’t he?”

“No, I have been opposed from the very beginning!”

“What!?”

Her father’s face flushed with shock, and though Agnes didn’t speak, her eyes widened in astonishment. Luigi tilted his head in confusion.

“My wife informed me that Your Majesty had agreed,” he said.

“Ah, yes. After Lady Moldio joined the discussion, I somehow ended up agreeing. I’m sorry, but my memory of that time is vague, and I don’t recall the details clearly.”

Argent had told her that when under a charm, one either has no memory of the period or remembers it only vaguely and unclearly. As she waited to see if the tea would take effect, Agnes took the bait.

“Wh-what? I cast a strong charm to make sure it wouldn’t break! Why has it worn off!?”

By the time she realized, it was too late. As those around her froze in stunned silence, Agnes grew increasingly flustered.

“N-no, that’s not—”

“Lady Moldio, what is this ‘charm’ you speak of? Did you use it on His Majesty? On Bertina?”

Pressed by the queen, Agnes stammered unintelligibly, repeatedly denying it. The king and Riet watched her with stern expressions, silently waiting for her to speak.

“What? What about you? You were so afraid of the Spade Duke that you made Clarissa your brother’s adopted daughter, and then you were thrilled that both the Annaloro and Moldio families would side with the crown prince! Ah… no…”

“…I see. As you say, I must have agreed at the time. It’s true that the Spade Ducal House is a threat. But I would be troubled if you thought we couldn’t suppress the Spade Duke without discarding Lady Bertina, making Lady Clarissa the Annaloro family’s adopted daughter, and gaining the support of both ducal houses.”

Past mistakes couldn’t be erased. What mattered was how they atoned for them in the future.

“As for breaking off the engagement with her, she was the one who proposed it. Our interests aligned, and we cooperated.”

The king’s unexpected statement silenced everyone for a different reason.

“…Well, my story isn’t relevant now. High Priestess, please continue.”

“Oh my, Ignat-kun, you got dumped. How pitiful~”

“That’s not it! I—I admit there was a time I misunderstood her. But now I believe that, having been continually mistreated in the Spade Ducal House and realizing that becoming crown princess wouldn’t bring her any happiness, she wanted to go to a neighboring country and start her life over. That was her way of resisting as best she could. But enough about me!”

“You brought it up, so of course I’d bite.”

Bertina had deliberately taken the bait, certain that the real Inanna would have done the same, though inwardly she was sweating over whether she might be charged with disrespect when her true identity was later revealed. Shifting her focus, she looked at Agnes, who was gritting her teeth.

“By the way~ Agnes-chan, there’s something I’ve been wondering about. You and Crow-kun seem awfully close, don’t you?”

“What are you implying!?”

“Crow-kun dotes on his sister’s daughter more than his own, doesn’t he? Don’t you think there might be a real reason you want to make Clarissa-chan the Annaloro family’s adopted daughter? What do you say?”

“What nonsense!” her father raised his voice, about to deny it again, but Agnes spoke first.

“Clarissa is my child with my brother!! I’ve always dreamed of having Clarissa call him ‘Father’… and now my dream is finally—”

Here, Agnes caught herself again, but this time there was no way to talk her way out of it. Clarissa, her mother, and her brother were visibly shocked, their faces paling as they alternated their gazes between her father and Agnes. Her father looked deeply perplexed; his expression grim as if he had no recollection of such a thing.

“Is that true, Lady Moldio?”

“Ah, n-no, this—”

“That is incorrect, Your Majesty. Clarissa is my child with Agnes.”

It was Luigi who objected.

“But the lady says she is Duke Annaloro’s child?”

“When it was discovered that the Duchess Annaloro was pregnant with Lady Bertina, I had my brother-in-law take a sterilizing contraceptive over a long period. He no longer has any reproductive ability.”

“Husband? What… what do you mean…?”

Just as the pharmacist had said, Luigi had purchased the contraceptive. And as expected, the one who had administered it was not Agnes, but her father.

“My dearest, I wanted to grant your every wish, but I couldn’t compromise on children. You could have been with your brother as much as you liked, but I wanted our children to be mine and yours. The Annaloro family already had Lord Bianco, and you were pregnant with Lady Bertina, so there was no need for another child, was there?”

Every word spoken with that gentle smile felt laced with madness to Bertina. She clenched her hands tightly on her lap.