Chapter 53: So I Must Have It

“Haa…”

“Miss…?”

Valerie, seated before her vanity, sighed as she gazed into the mirror. Rena quietly observed her beautiful mistress.

“Miss, is something troubling you?”

“…Does it look that way?”

Valerie murmured in a faint voice. Rena nodded hesitantly. Though she wasn’t particularly observant, she noticed that Valerie’s normally radiant face appeared unusually pale tonight.

Now that she thought about it, Valerie’s expression had seemed unusually dim ever since returning from the ball. Could it be because of that woman? The one who had stolen everything that belonged to Valerie.

“Yes, you seem overshadowed by something. Oh, not that you’re any less beautiful!”

“Hehe.”

Valerie let out a soft laugh—a bright, cheerful sound as if amused by Rena’s sincerity. Embarrassed, Rena’s face flushed, and she lowered her gaze.

“The truth is, I’ve been worried.”

“W-Worried about what?”

“Well… I’m not even sure if it’s worth calling it a worry.”

“What is it? Please, tell me. You said I’m like a sister to you, right? Whatever it is, if I can help, I will.”

Rena’s voice was earnest as she pleaded. Valerie lowered her gaze, suppressing the urge to laugh.

Using a devoted maid like Rena was almost too easy. There was no need to manipulate her—just drop a hint and wait for her to spread it herself in her well-meaning but reckless way.

“I suppose I must be lacking in some way.”

“Pardon?”

“In comparison to Her Highness, the Crown Princess….”

“What? Who said such a thing?!”

“Well, does anyone have to say it outright? Surely everyone thinks so. After all, she lacks noble lineage or a distinguished family background, yet His Highness adores her. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t insist on being with her.”

Ah, she had said too much. Valerie’s lips tightened slightly as she glanced at Rena.

Rena, her face filled with pity, clasped Valerie’s hands tightly in her own—hands that had been rinsed in dirty water and scrubbed floors. Valerie resisted the urge to pull away in disgust, enduring it for the moment.

“Miss…”

Rena’s eyes welled with tears. Valerie turned her gaze to the side, feigning a wounded expression.

Rena couldn’t help but mull over the rumors that had been circulating in their household. Although the social circles of Dranberg had yet to hear the whispers, the rumors had trickled down to the lower servants of the household.

The so-called Crown Princess—who hadn’t even been officially conferred her title yet—was reportedly stirring up the social scene, pretending to be a legitimate royal bride. But some claimed she had been a slave.

It was said she had neither noble lineage nor family connections. Because she couldn’t formalize her marriage, she retained her maiden family name. After the ball at the Marquis of Heslo’s estate, these rumors had begun to spread even among the servants of the household where the Oppreesé siblings resided.

“You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you? Do you think it could be true? Was she really a slave? That can’t be, can it, Rena? How could a slave marry into royalty?”

“…Shall I investigate?”

Rena, who had been staring blankly at Valerie, spoke, her resolute expression radiating determination.

“No, don’t do that, Rena. Regardless of her past, I’m in a position where I must bow my head to her now. Whatever she might have been before, she’s clearly more noble and dignified than someone like me, who has spent over a decade striving to become His Highness’s wife.”

“Miss, how can you say such a thing…!”

Rena trembled with anger, her voice quivering. The thought of her stunningly beautiful mistress lowering herself to a woman of uncertain origins made her face flush with indignation.

Valerie was someone who had dedicated her entire life to preparing for the role of empress—or at the very least, the wife of a royal. To lose that position to such a woman was utterly infuriating.

“She must have had a lowly past. Yet she dared to seduce His Highness, the Fifth Prince, who was meant to be your husband. And if that wasn’t enough, she even had the nerve to bear his child.”

“Rena.”

“Even if she didn’t know he was royalty at first, surely she must have realized by now. What kind of shameless woman acts like that after coming so far?”

“Don’t speak so harshly. She’s to be His Highness’s wife, after all.”

“Miss, really! You’re so kind and softhearted—that’s why you end up losing your husband. Sigh.”

Rena let out a deep sigh, unable to contain her frustration. She couldn’t just stand by and watch. She had seen Valerie endure grueling studies and rigid discipline since childhood, all to prepare for the role of empress.

Valerie hadn’t lived like other girls her age. Instead, she grew up bound by strict expectations, working tirelessly toward one goal: to become the empress. And now, to lose her rightful place to a woman who might have been a slave—it was unbearable.

In Rena’s heart, Valerie was already the Fifth Prince’s wife. She could vividly picture the commanding presence of the prince standing beside his elegant and graceful bride. They were the perfect match.

But now the prince had fallen for some lowly woman, disregarding his rightful wife. How could this happen? Something had to be done.

“Miss, I’ll investigate in secret.”

“How would you manage that?”

Valerie asked, masking her intrigue with a composed expression.

“Miss, you might not know this, but among the servants, there’s a boy named Oliver. He’s a native of Dranberg, and he mentioned he knows a private investigator.”

“A private investigator?”

“Yes, though not a formal one. Apparently, this investigator often takes on assignments from noblewomen—like uncovering their husbands’ mistresses… ahem! Anyway, they handle all sorts of matters.”

“Can they be trusted?”

“They specialize in uncovering the past and whereabouts of hidden mistresses kept by husbands. Trust me! That woman must have something shady in her past. His Highness must not know the truth about her. Once he finds out, he’ll surely cast her aside without a second thought.”

“Rena…”

“When that time comes, His Highness will finally recognize your worth, Miss.”

Rena beamed with confidence. Valerie drew her lips into a thin smile, stood, and walked to the drawer. She retrieved a brooch, one that Rena had often admired—a piece crafted in the shape of a rose, adorned with a crimson ruby and teardrop-shaped diamonds.

“This is…”

“Take it.”

“But!”

“I’m giving it to you out of gratitude.”

“For what? I haven’t done anything.”

“It doesn’t matter whether the investigator you plan to hire finds anything or not. I’m just thankful for your sentiment, so I’m giving this as a gift.”

“Miss…”

Valerie gently placed the brooch into Rena’s hand with a soft smile. Tears welled up in Rena’s eyes as she nodded fervently.

“I’ll make sure to help you, Miss!”

Rena exclaimed, determination brimming in her voice, as she exited the bedroom. Valerie watched the maid leave with resolve. The farther Rena’s footsteps grew from the room, the more Valerie’s forced smile faded.

She looked at the spot where the maid had stood moments ago and wiped her hands with a towel. Taking a seat at her vanity, she allowed her thoughts to wander.

Valerie didn’t expect Rena to achieve anything substantial. Whether the investigation bore fruit or not was irrelevant. What mattered was the maid’s eagerness to act—her misplaced sense of pity for her noble mistress and her reckless determination.

“What an amusing girl,” Valerie murmured as she dabbed rose water around her eyes and neck.

Rena Stallone was careless with her words. Her audacious pity for her mistress, as if they were equals, was amusing, but it was her loose tongue that Valerie found most entertaining—and useful.

The reason Valerie had brought her to Dranberg during such a critical time was precisely because of her foolish mind and unrestrained mouth.

“Lara… She was excellent at her work, though,” Valerie muttered.

Whenever she saw slow, lazy maids who schemed to avoid work, she thought of Lara—Alec’s wife. She hadn’t imagined she’d encounter her again in this way.

She often wondered where that girl had vanished to, only to discover she had become Alec’s wife. The memory made Valerie clench her teeth.

Even though she had never held him in her grasp, the thought of Alec looking at that wretched girl filled her with a seething anger. It was as if something that was rightfully hers had been stolen.

This was worse than losing a prized jewel—her chambers were filled with so many treasures that one loss would hardly matter. But Alec was a man, once spoken of as her potential husband.

And yet…

“Prince.”

Valerie recalled the prince from her memories. He had rarely spared her a glance, and when he did, his gaze was as cold as ice. Her lips pressed into a firm line.

She hadn’t always pined for Alec. In truth, she had forgotten him until she encountered a man who resembled him and became entangled in unexpected events that led her here.

“Philip…”

The name, buried deep in her heart, surfaced unbidden. Shrouded in hazy memories, his name and face returned, accompanied by the sting of an old wound.

“Because of you, I can’t back down,” Valerie whispered, clenching her fists.

She had sacrificed her former lover, and even her father had taken extreme measures to secure her place as Alec’s empress.

If Aelec hadn’t returned to Dranberg—had he not reappeared before her—things might have been different.

“I don’t want to imagine it.”

Valerie shook her head. Regardless, he was here now, in front of her once again.

“And so, I must have him,” she resolved.

Burying Philip in her memories, she turned her thoughts to Alec. She hadn’t realized how much he had grown until she saw him again.

Once a pale, expressionless boy, barely ten years old, he had been a child yet carried himself with a maturity that hinted at his potential. His steely gaze and resolute demeanor made him a man who could bring her dreams to life.

“Becoming the fourth empress of Rubero isn’t enough. I didn’t endure all this just to settle for that.”

The current emperor, Lubero—Alec’s half-brother and the late emperor’s eldest son—had been relentlessly pressuring the Marquis of Oppreesé to send Valerie to him. Rubero believed his unstable position was due to Oppreesé, the most powerful frontier in the empire, remaining neutral.

For generations, the House of Oppreesé had provided daughters to the imperial family. These women ruled the imperial court as mistresses of the palace.

Valerie was destined for the same fate. Had her father supported Rubero, she might have already been his first empress.

But the Marquis of Oppreesé had seen Rubero’s flaws and instead sought to make Alec his son-in-law. Valerie agreed.

Her father had persistently proposed the match even while Alec’s mother, Empress Eloise, was alive. Had Eloise not passed away, Valerie would likely have been at Alec’s side, carrying his child.

Not some wretched girl like Lara.