It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 100

Arne dared to look down at the prince. Yet Erich did not get angry and simply looked up at her quietly.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

Arne barely swallowed the rage rising in her throat and spoke curtly. Then she ran out of the storage room as if fleeing.

Erich silently watched Arne’s retreating figure.

After that, their encounters continued. Arne attended banquets to cause a scene, while Erich had to attend as a mere ornament to highlight his older brothers.

Whenever Arne was in the middle of her usual chaos, she would feel a strange gaze—and every time she turned around, Erich was there.

Unlike others who looked at her with disgust, Erich watched her like someone waiting for something.

She couldn’t help but be bothered. Even when Arne was thrown out of the banquet hall, Erich would secretly follow her.

In dim gardens, deserted corridors, and dusty empty rooms—they kept meeting in secret and ambiguous ways.

At first, Arne tried to avoid Erich by going elsewhere, but as the same situations repeated, she grew tired of it and simply sat down.

“You’re not avoiding me today?”

“Yes, I’m too tired to bother. But I must say, it’s impressive that you keep following me even though you know I’m trying to avoid you.”

“Yes, I’ve done my part at the banquet. All I need to do is show the nobles the face of the foolish youngest prince.”

His blunt honesty made Arne pause. He didn’t seem like a simple fool after all.

“Then why do you keep following me?”

“I told you. I’m curious when you’ll give up.”

Arne bit her lip and finally spat out,

“Why are you even curious about that?”

“I gave up quickly. But you seem to hold on for a long time. That’s why I became interested. Ever since your debut in society, you’ve been causing trouble every time.”

“Trouble?”

“Picking fights with young ladies who don’t know any better, spilling food, hitting servants, tearing out all the flowers decorating the hall…”

“Ha. I just act on my impulses. You’re reading too much into it.”

“If it happened once or twice, I’d think you couldn’t control your emotions. But that’s not the case, is it? Screaming and throwing plates every time—it’s exhausting. Hurting yourself, ruining your dress, and still doing it… there’s only one reason.”

Arne flinched and glared at Erich.

“You speak like you’ve experienced it yourself.”

At her sarcasm, Erich nodded calmly. Arne twitched her lips and looked down at the floor.

Erich Griezmann von Martania.

She had heard of the youngest prince of the imperial palace. His birth mother, the former empress Grania Griezmann von Martania, died shortly after giving birth to him.

After that, the emperor raised one of his concubines to empress, but she already had a son and had no reason to care for the former empress’s child.

His older brother, Artan Griezmann von Martania, was crowned crown prince and received attention as the emperor’s successor. But Erich had nothing.

Neither the emperor nor the crown prince paid him any attention. He was a child ignored by everyone.

A child standing alone in a hallway at sunset, endlessly waiting for that heavy door to open…

Arne felt a brief sense of kinship, then shook her head.

“So, as someone with experience, are you trying to give me advice?”

“No. I won’t do anything. I’ll just watch. To see when you give up.”

“Why do you assume I’ll give up?”

“…Are you curious about that?”

Erich tilted his head and asked. Arne had no answer and clenched her fists. She was angry that she couldn’t immediately deny his question. She hated that Erich made her realize it.

“I’ll take my leave.”

Without looking back, Arne walked away. Behind her, Erich said,

“See you next time.”

Even though it was a one-sided promise, Erich added it deliberately. Arne didn’t respond and walked faster.

Annoyance surged. That indifferent and arrogant remark, turning her ending into his own, was infuriating.

It felt like he had seen through her meaningless outburst…

That night, even after returning to the Edelheit estate, Arne caused a commotion until dawn. Of course, the closed door never opened.

Still, Arne kept denying Erich’s indifferent and arrogant remark. She vowed to refute it to his face the next time they met.

But that day didn’t come soon.

Because Crown Prince Artan Griezmann von Martania died. He fell from his horse during a royal hunting event and broke his neck.

The tragic end of the man who was to be the next emperor caused a stir in the capital.

The social circles buzzed not just with gossip but with real concern.

With the succession line broken, the fate of noble families now depended on who would become the next crown prince.

The new empress’s son, the concubine’s favored son, and one more—

Erich Griezmann von Martania, the son of the former empress who had just lost his older brother.

Nobles had to bet their family’s future on one of the three princes.

The first to make a move was the empress’s son. She had long coveted the crown prince’s position and began rallying nobles to support her son.

The favored concubine didn’t stay idle either. With the emperor’s tacit approval, she used her family’s wealth to bribe court officials.

Just as the empress and concubine’s sons were forming two major factions, Count Arkada von Zakar, the former empress’s brother and Erich’s uncle, entered the fray.

Having dreamed of becoming the emperor’s uncle through Artan, Count Zakar had fallen into despair after the crown prince’s death. Then he made a bold decision.

He chose to support Erich as the new crown prince—his young nephew whose birthday he had never even properly celebrated.

Count Zakar gathered the remaining forces and neutral nobles to barely push Erich into the succession battle.

From being a shadow behind the crown prince, unnoticed by anyone, Erich suddenly became one of the three candidates and drew the attention of society. He could no longer sneak out of banquets.

Above all, Count Zakar wouldn’t leave him alone. He certainly wouldn’t allow Erich to waste time with Arne, the notorious troublemaker from the powerless Edelheit family.

Arne sipped her drink as she watched Erich surrounded by nobles from afar. It had been five years since they last spoke.

The succession battle had dragged on for five years. It was a muddy fight of digging up dirt and tripping each other, yet the emperor hadn’t chosen a crown prince.

No matter how much the concubine flattered the emperor or the empress pressured him with powerful nobles, the position remained vacant. Some whispered that the emperor was deliberately keeping it open to manipulate the princes.

Thanks to that, Erich, despite having the weakest faction, managed to hold on to his place in the succession.

“You’re unusually quiet today.”

“Right? Did you see her break the marble fairy statue’s wing at Count Garan’s garden party two days ago?”

“Of course. I heard Count Garan nearly fainted.”

“It was an expensive piece by a famous foreign sculptor. I bet Marquis Edelheit’s back is breaking trying to pay for it.”

“Exactly. If it were me, I’d lock her up and never let her out. What is the marquis thinking, letting her run wild?”

“Who knows? She’s always been a troublemaker. Maybe he’s just given up.”

“Hoho, maybe.”

Arne overheard the whispers of two women whose names she didn’t even remember as she left the banquet hall. She was annoyed, but she hadn’t planned to cause trouble today. She had only come to catch a glimpse of Erich from afar.

Soon, he would marry the daughter of Marquis Parmati, and they’d never cross paths again.

“Leaving already?”

A familiar voice called from behind as Arne walked through the long garden. She widened her eyes slightly and turned around. Then she composed herself and curtsied.

“It’s been a while. I see Count Zakar isn’t with you today?”

“Oh, he’s busy trying to please Marquis Parmati these days. Thanks to that, I managed to slip away for a bit.”

Erich raised one corner of his mouth.

“I heard you’re getting married soon. Should I congratulate you?”

“I’d rather you didn’t. It just proves I’m about to be sold to Marquis Parmati for a high price.”

“Still, if the powerful Marquis Parmati supports you, you might really become emperor.”

“Even if that happens, I’ll just be a puppet emperor controlled by Marquis Parmati and Count Zakar.”

It was a widely known secret, but hearing him say it himself left her speechless. It reminded her of the past.

“Things have changed a lot since you were just the foolish youngest prince showing your face at banquets. Unless something drastic happens again, things will go as you said.”

“Yes, everything changed when the crown prince suddenly died.”

Erich spoke with a voice devoid of sorrow or regret.

“I owe you an apology.”

At his sudden words, Arne looked directly at him.

Support