I turn my head to the sound of jade beads, echoing amongst the loud commotion, and I see a familiar face.
Abigail.
It's not time.
To be honest, I have never forgotten her appearance since I saw her.
In the back of my head, I keep thinking of her.
If someone looked into my mind, they might have thought I loved her.
For that reason, the appearance of Abigail, who is dressed in a navy blue dress with silver hair hanging down, is recognizable even at first glance.
Abigail, who's looking at the two of us and smiling brightly, how can I not recognize her?
On top of that, I thought she has a pretty smile and shines brightly, even alone in the dark.
Not only that—
Abigail must have called, 'Your Excellency?'
Unless I've misheard, her voice sounded very friendly.
It's as if they know each other well, and there's no time for me to run a diversion to get away from her gentle call.
If it were possible, I would have run away in case Charles would see her.
Embarrassed, I lift my head up at Charles.
In my mind, I immediately thought, 'Do you two know each other?!'
Though I wanted to ask, what kind of sound will come out if I keep my mouth shut in this situation?
I can't seem to control myself, so I just stare at Charles.
"......"
He frowns slightly, clenching his jaw.
Hey. Isn't this the setting where you fell in love with that woman at first sight?
"I can't live without you."
"If I can't have you, I'll destroy it."
Wasn't he in love with Abigail with a heart full of obsession and madness?
Then, how—?
Watching his expression hardened as if annoyed, his gaze on Abigail is no different from looking at any other passerby.
Does the slightly hardened expression on his face mean that he seems annoyed by the interruption of the current situation?
What is this novel, really?
Am I not in a novel right now?
Nonsense.
That said, aren't there too many similarities to the novel, Royal Princess Abigail?
From the relationship between the characters to the background and the story behind it.
To be honest, it would not be an exaggeration to say that they are all the same.
Only one.
Except for the setting, 'Charles falls in love at first sight when he sees Abigail at the banquet hall of the Imperial Banquet to be held next year.'
Ah! Another one!
Except for 'Charles Diago started liking Abella, who was like a stranger to him in the novel.'
"......"
What's going on?
Is it because there's a variable in this world?
(A/N: she means herself, the variable)
Such a thought flashes through my head, but given the current situation, Abigail and Charles seem to have known each other before I even showed up.
Doesn't that mean that I didn't do anything that could have affected the two of them?
"It's been awhile."
Ya–
"It's been awhile."
Hearing Abigail's firm voice, I turn my gaze from her to Charles.
"Yes."
He nods briefly.
"I thought I would be able to see you once in the capital, but it was a pity that I couldn't."
I give her a gentle look that matches with her warm voice.
"......"
But she doesn't even look at me, who is standing right next to Charles.
Can you see me?
No, I don't know why women in this world keep treating me as an invisible person.
37
As I narrow my brow slightly in displeasure, Charles introduces me to her.
"Ah, this is my wife."
Contrary to the indifferent expression on Abigail's face, Charles, who turns his head toward me, grins.
Then, he wipes my lips with his thumb to see if there's anything else left on it while giving me a loving gaze.
It doesn't feel like an act he is trying to show to Abigail.
Regardless, the burdensome gaze seems to bring goosebumps to my forearm.
Why is there a drop in temperature ?
In the novel, this temperature difference should have been the exact opposite.
While swallowing with a parched throat and a confused mind,
"Your Excellency."
Ledin, who is standing behind Charles, pats him on the back. Charles nods and points to somewhere else with his finger.
"Wait here. I'll be right back."
"Yes."
As soon as he turns away with my consent—
"Nice to meet you. My name is Abigail Callian."
"......"
What's with this short greeting that is so impolite that I don't know if she's purposely doing this to me or to someone else I don't know?
I wasn't born and raised in this world, so I didn't have any desire to abuse my powers and oppress someone based on class or status. Therefore, I feel a little bad to do this for the first time.
"If it's Callian, are you the daughter of a baron?"
However, I'll just smile as I correct her greeting as if I have the upper hand.
"Yes."
Abigail nods her head.
"......"
Even though she answered yes, there are no other words that followed to show that she knows what she had done wrong.
No, to be more precise, she seems to know but she doesn't want to correct it.
Hmmm.
She's different from the image I had in mind.
When I read the novel, I thought of Abigail as a wise and straight-forward female protagonist.
A new-world type of woman who can fight injustice and resist injustice towards her.
Therefore, I thought it was cool to see Abigail slander Abella, who was a villain that tormented her, with the right and irrefutable words—
I'm not a villain. It's the first time I've met you today, so what is with this attitude?
Are you in a bad mood?
If this world didn't move as I thought it would, I even thought a little about getting along with Abigail, as long as it didn't kill Charles.
What I want to say is only possible if I'm confident she would never be able to stand on top of me.
After she became the crown princess, she was the one who would rise to the rank of an empress.
Is that why you are doing this?
'My boyfriend is the Crown Prince. I'm going to marry him soon. He will soon become the crown prince and then become an emperor. Above all else, don't you and I come from the same baron background?'
Even if she doesn't say it, her bad intention shows between the lines.
What will happen if we don't get along well in this situation?
I won't know until I see her at the founding festival.
Currently, my status is beyond her, so how dare—
"Ah, I thought that Baron Callian might have suddenly received a duchy title from His Majesty the Emperor."
"......"
"But if that's not the case... Your words are a bit short, Lady Abigail."
"Ah."
In an instant, Abigail, who blushes as she sees Charles, who is walking towards the two of us as if he had finished his business, quickly bows her head.
"Forgive me, Your Grace. It hasn't been long since I've come to the baron. I'm not good with noble etiquette. I'm Abigail, Baron's Callian's daughter."
At the same time as she bends over, down to her knees and asks for forgiveness, Charles stands by my side.
Oh, so this is her purpose.
I was able to gain a deep understanding.
The problem is, I don't know why she keeps holding back.
Maybe he has another intention, so I pucker my brows together.
"Do you want me to throw it away after you have finished eating?"
Without looking at Abigail or even showing any interest, he takes the empty skewer from my hand and gives it to Ledin.
Then, he takes a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and walks to the fountain in the middle of the square to wet it with water.
He then wipes my fingers meticulously, one by one.
"......"
While the sequence of actions flow as naturally as the water, Abigail's still bowing.
I become concerned about Abigail, who is doing that in the middle of the square and the people who glance at her, but above all, Charles has stimulated my nerves too much.
Are you doing this on purpose because you know each other but pretend you don't know each other?
That's what cheating men usually do.
A woman tries to show off their relationship after being caught by his wife, and a man pretends to be someone she doesn't know.
Am I being deceived?
Embarrassed by a situation that deviated so much from what I know, for now—
"Rise up, Lady Abigail."
She stands up and looks over at Charles.
My hand is still held by Charles.
"I didn't know you're the most famous lady from the capital. My apologies."
"......"
I raise my chin slightly because the tips of my ears are going to turn red at my petty mentioning that I had heard all of her rumors.
"What brings you here all the way from the capital?"
"Ah, after coming to the Condel Mountains to find medicinal herbs, I got acquainted with the people from the villages there, so I brought them here with me."
Ah, it's that time.
Abigail goes out to find herbs, but ends up in danger, and Kyle is dispatched—
But Charles hasn't been dispatched yet, and Abigail came too soon.
I tilt my head.
The time when Abigail went to look for medicinal herbs should be due to her stepfather's illness, and it was right after his death that Charles and his army were dispatched.
Afterward, that development caused Cadensha to run rampant.
If so, then her appearance is very early.
What is this, then?
Why is she already here and pretending to know him?
I tilt my head at her dubious intention.
In fact, as the prince's lover, what she had to do at this point was not to come to the Condel Mountains to dig herbs and wander around at the Lapel Founding Festival, but rather, she should be participating in the Capital Founding Festival with Kyle.
Is Kyle also here?
Instead of averting my gaze slightly at the sudden passing thought, I immediately shake my head.
No way. Don't I know what the founding festival means for the imperial family?
There is no way Kyle would have given up on it and came to Lapel.
"You came all the way here to get herbs, so it must be very precious."
.
.
.
.
T/N: Me When Abella snapped at Abigail and seeing through her shtick...
Me when Charles basically ignored Abigail's entire existence after saying hi to her
And then proceeded to take care of Abella...In this house, we stan 1 man and his name is Himbo Charles.
Me when Abella starts thinking that Charles did have an relationship with Abigail and trying to fool her