I Stole the Heroine’s First Love - Chapter 24

She didn’t want to believe it.

So, after marriage, she distanced herself from everyone.

With the exception of Daniel, who was always kind, Raymond and Wilhelm stayed away.

The cause was marriage, so they understood easily.

And she was relieved.

No, she was caught off guard.

Because she never dreamt that Wilhelm, who was least liked by Karina, would marry her.

So, she rushed to meet Wilhelm and raised her affinity for him.

‘If I had known that these side effects would occur, I would not have done this.’

It was by chance that she learned that her own reputation could be tarnished.

Minor rumors that would otherwise have gone unnoticed were circulating among the ladies, and gradually inflamed.

The things she had wanted to deny during that time began to come to light one by one through Karina.

“No. It can’t be like this. How did I get here?”

Everything was perfect until the year of graduation.

People who envied her no matter what she did, men who fall in love easily with what she says and does.

And even the bracelet of perfect ability.

‘I am the heroine of this world.’

A dignified nobility, a girl admired by everyone, seemed to exist to make herself shine.

She found it strange that she could only see the likability of the guys Karina had met, but that didn’t matter to her.

If she wanted to, she might be able to live with them all.

Then the moment she finally thought she had come this far.

Rumors have come that Karina, who was nothing more than just a bridesmaid for herself, got a real lover.

“Oh my gosh, he’s such a far-fetched man.”

“You mean the eldest son of an unknown noble who is from the countryside?”

“Don’t you think the guys she has dated before were so good that they left her?”

“Then, this time, I think she’s deliberately going to meet an ugly man so he can’t leave her.”

Tatiana laughed together among the women talking around, but at the same time, she was curious.

Tatiana was the main cause for Karina losing her fiance every time.

She thought that Karina would never see another man again.

She got curious.

Will the favorability and options appear on the man’s head this time as well?

[Hi! I’m Tatiana, Karina’s friend.]

He sold Karina’s name, as she always did, for her self interest.

[Uh…hi.]

Seeing Andrew she met like that, Tatiana was delighted.

A smirk erupted when she saw the favorability window and options above his head.

She even felt the thrill of a new target.

Without knowing what kind of catastrophe that meeting would cause.

~*~

(Karina’s pov)

The next day I woke up at dawn.

Lily and the maids took me to the bathroom.

At first, I thought that I should meet him with a moderate courtesy. However, I changed my mind after hearing my father’s story a while ago.

He had late schedules every day these days.

“I wonder what His Majesty is up to every day in his report to the meetings. In the end, what he checks should be left for those underneath him, so he naturally shouldn’t work overtime. I think he’s working without sleeping.’

It will not be easy for an emperor who rules a huge empire to empty his entire schedule for a day. Feelings of gratitude and regret were mixed with Aster, who was overreacting to make time to see me.

So I also decided to do my best to prepare.

“How about some water?”

“The temperature is good and I think it’s fine.”

As I soaked my body in the water with a bitter-smelling herb, I felt my muscles loosen up.

“It is a good herb for muscle pain. The scent is a bit unusual, but they say it is often used in the southern regions.”

As Lily explained, I felt my body warm and my muscles loosening up.

My eyes were half-closed from exhaustion, then Lily said with a playful smile.

“Come on, come out.”

“Ugh, just a bit more.”

“You shouldn’t be in there for too long.”

She washed the herbal water off of me cleanly, mixed honey and salt and rubbed it on my skin.

I felt good at the hands gently massaging my neck and shoulders like a scrub.

She also put a pack on my face.

“Lily, you can start a company with something like this.”

“Ho-ho-ho, you should be a model for me then.”

My face in the mirror looked surprisingly clear and transparent. It was moderately glossy, and when I touched it with my hands, it was even smooth.

‘This might be a pretty good business.’

Come to think of it, the Empire did not yet have a proper spa.

Of course, wealthy aristocrats could receive this through maids at home, but most of them lacked professionalism.

As I pondered, Lily led me to the dressing room, as if familiar with the look.

“Now, now, you have to put on the dress.”

I had to choose between comfortable indoor dresses because my physical strength was very low.

Still, I hated being too modest, so I wore a yellow dress decorated with embroidery and beads.

Half of my hair was hung down, and half of it was tied up, and a pin with several roses woven from Aster’s gift was attached to my head.

“Look, it’s not overdone, is it okay?”

For some reason, Lily looked more excited than me.

At Lily’s words, I lifted my head and looked at myself in the mirror. I saw a more relaxed expression on my face than before.

I liked it quite a bit.

To be honest, I was a little excited because I was also meeting Aster after a long time.

“Miss, he is here!”

While I was praising Lily, I heard the voice of another maid.

I looked out my window and saw a white carriage adorned with gold.

After becoming emperor, Aster hardly ever came out of the Imperial Palace.

It was even more so for private events that were not events for the state.

As far as I could remember, that was three years ago, when Andrew and Tatiana’s last wedding was held.

“Miss, you’ll be late.”

Lily’s words brought me to my senses. When I looked out the window, the carriage had already stopped in front of the door.

“Ah.”

Then, in the room, the emperor was greeted. I immediately opened the door and crossed the hallway.

My father’s eyes on me were strange when I barely arrived in time and stood by my family who had come first and were waiting for me.

“What?”

“You must have missed him quite a bit, Kari.”

“What are you talking about, His Majesty the Emperor is here, and of course I have to come first.”

My father’s eyes became sharp as if interrogating a child who returned from a stay away from home.

“Is that really all?”

“Stop it, she’s also twenty-three, and I’m afraid you didn’t know that.”

My father looked away at my mother’s nagging, but his expression still remained firm.

The two of them were in a sensitive state, probably because something big was about to happen to me.

It was embarrassing for me because he reacted greatly to even the smallest things. Read only at pm tl.

‘It’s my fault though.’

The door opened while my parents were arguing again over my running down the hallway.

Aster, dressed in neat clothes, did not look like the splendid emperor seen in the Imperial Palace. Instead, he looked a bit foreign.

He greeted me with a gentle smile, like an elegant beast.

Aster’s attitude was the same as usual, as if he was caring for me when I was weighed down by the worries of my family and acquaintances. Even though it was just that, my heart was relieved as if the core was unraveling.

“Hmm.”

I was about to approach him without realizing it, but stopped at the sight of the butler who opened the door.

Since the emperor had officially visited the duke’s family, it was the right thing for my father to greet him first.

But my father did not intend to move from his spot.

In the end, my mother greeted him first.

“Welcome, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“Thank you for such a welcome, Duke, Tower Master, and princess.”

My father moved his body only after my mother nervously poked him on the side.

“Welcome, Your Majesty. Although it is shabby, I hope you have a good time.”

My father still looked at him with a shaky expression on his face.

With a brief sigh, my mother guided Aster.

“I have prepared a meal for you. I heard that there is no specific food to not serve.”

“I usually eat well.”

“The dining room is over here.”

As I naturally tried to go next to Aster, my father grabbed me and dragged me.

“You go with your father.”

“Huh?”

Trying to rebel, I looked at my jealous father’s eyes and bit my lip.

~*~

Fortunately, mealtime passed more gently than expected.

Aster ate all of the chef’s food with all his might.

In particular, he even asked if he could give the recipe to the royal chefs since he really liked the dessert.

“I’m glad the food fits your taste, Your Majesty.”

“Thanks to you, I was able to dine in a comfortable atmosphere after a long time.”

After dinner, we drank fruit and iced tea and chatted.

Later on, my mother, who was looking at me, smiled and said.

“Then the two of us will be going now, you may talk together.”

“What? No, I need to have one more constructive conversation with His Majesty…!”

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