Repaying Rudeness with Rudeness… is That Allowed, I Wonder?
“——”
I was shocked, honestly.
Because at those tea parties, Veronica had seemed to be enjoying herself, and the atmosphere hadn’t been unpleasant — or so I thought.
But apparently, I had been the only one who thought that.
As I fell silent in disbelief, Lucia looked at me with concern.
“You really didn’t know… I was worried. You’re just too kind…”
That’s what she said, but it wasn’t kindness.
I was simply naive.
I carved time out of my administrative duties to socialize with Veronica.
Like a fool, I looked forward to spending time with her, completely unaware that she disliked me.
Whenever I found a pâtisserie that seemed like her taste, I’d tell her about it at our next tea party.
If I bought a nice perfume, I shared it with her.
And if she reacted positively, I sometimes gave it to her as a gift.
But all of that… was nothing more than my selfish fantasy.
(It was then that I learned… you must never let your guard down in the castle.)
Three years ago. It feels like just yesterday, yet also like a distant memory.
The “cat incident” with Veronica — that’s what I call it.
It ironically became the trigger for me to regain some of my past-life memories.
(Though even now, it’s only partial memories, not everything…)
Still, these days, I describe her like this:
(She’s totally artificially airheaded, isn’t she? Completely cultivated!)
I still don’t know if she’s a clueless oddball or the type whose brain is tuned to outer space frequencies, but either way, conversations with her regularly go off the rails.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve avoided contact with her as much as possible ever since.
(Maybe that’s what His Majesty finds so mysteriously attractive about her…)
He probably thinks her oddities are endearing.
I’ve literally heard him say as much.
Thinking such things, I decided to end the conversation and walk away.
But Veronica wasn’t done.
Clinging to me, she called my name and grabbed my arm.
“Please wait!! Give me back my cats!”
“——”
The sheer rudeness of her actions made the maids behind me gasp sharply.
This wasn’t simply poor manners— it was utterly inappropriate behavior for a noblewoman.
(I’ve turned a blind eye to a certain extent, considering Veronica lived among commoners until she was fifteen, but——)
This crosses the line. Absolutely.
Regardless of her upbringing, that’s her side’s problem — nothing to do with me.
This is the royal castle, and for now, I still hold the title of queen.
At the very least, it’s unacceptable for a mere noble’s daughter to grab me so roughly.
Looking at Veronica, I spoke firmly.
“That is extremely rude. Let go of me.”
“I’ll let go if you say you’ll return them, Lady Clementina!”
“This is pointless. I’ll call the royal guards.”
“Go ahead! His Majesty understands how I feel!”
Arguing here accomplishes nothing.
The guards standing behind me were watching, waiting for my signal.
If they report this, His Majesty will surely side with her.
That’s why, in these situations, I’ve always chosen not to escalate matters.
But now… there’s no need for that anymore.
I no longer intend to pander to anyone.
“Perhaps it’s time you reflected on your position. You should cool your head, don’t you think?”
“What are you—”
Just as Veronica got even more worked up, ready to argue back—
A sharp, dignified voice cut through the air.
“What are you doing?”
“!”
Startled, I turned around.
Standing there, surrounded by several maids and knights, was——
“The Dowager Queen…!”
It was Dowager Queen Evelyn, grandmother to the current King.
Instinctively, I tried to curtsey— but Veronica was still clutching my arm.
(How long does she plan to hold on?! It hurts — hurry up and let go already…!!)
I’m seriously considering whether it’s acceptable to repay rudeness with rudeness.
In other words, I’d really like to yank my arm free by force.
While I contemplated that, the Dowager Queen also seemed to notice Veronica’s grip on my arm.
Frowning, she questioned her.
“Why are you grabbing Her Majesty the Queen’s arm?”
“Because…! Lady Clementina was trying to run away!”
“Hah…………”
I was utterly dumbfounded by her words.
(Run… away…?)
Trying to run away, she says——!?!!?
(Enough with the nonsense, you silly girl…!!)
I wasn’t running away, I was telling you the conversation is over!!
Stop wasting my time with pointless chatter!
Could someone bring me a paper fan, please?
I’d love to smack some sense into her with it.
Although… this isn’t a comedy act.
While I muttered snarky thoughts to myself internally, the Dowager Queen calmly addressed Veronica.
What do you think about this chapter?
