Muff's Favorite

Hi, everyone. I am a novel reader and I am going to provide spoilers for those of you who want them, so read this with discretion! (Also some from the novel spoilers thread because they can explain far better than me.) Also, English is not my first language so I’m very sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. This is going to be VERYYYYY long with A LOT of juicy spoilers!!!

Also, the main focus of this is not romance at all. The romance is kinda sorta near the end, not end end. It’s hard to explain but I will just say that this is mainly revenge focused.

First, the male lead:

The male lead is the crown prince. I initially had thought it would be the knight, but that knight is just a cute little addition who stays by her side! When they go to a masquerade ball, she reveals that she is not the real Veronica to him while they are in a carriage after he says that it is a “Knights duty to follow their master and it’s an honor that Elena chose him/me.”

This is the “relationship redemption” type. To be honest, the crown prince is one of my absolute favorite male leads. He is in the top 5. That is how much I adore him. And I do think you guys will adore him as much as I did while reading. Hopefully, these spoilers will satiate you!

The male lead, the crown prince. His name is Sian, or I guess “Claudius de Cyan” as they said in the manwha, In the first timeline, he had realized that Veronica was the fake and fell deeply in love with her. He wanted to protect her so he could not confess his feelings for her because if the nobles has noticed that he has any sort of affection for her, the grand Duke would use that opportunity for himself to gain support. The only reason why he said that their child, Ian, was a mistake is because Ian is male and could become an heir. He could not protect her, and not confessing his feelings to her became a useless thing. The Grand Duke had gained support.

Once the fake Veronica died (killed), he was so overcome with rage that he killed the real one and protected their baby. However, Sian still ended up being killed by the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke wanted to take revenge because Sian killed his daughter.

One of my favorite quotes from him, “ “Ian, your mother was the most beautiful and well-bred woman in the world. So let's remember her. Even though she lived as a shadow, she was a better queen than any other. Only you and I should not forget, Ian. Do you understand?"”

He died in vain. A horrible death. He tried to protect his beloved but he failed, and he tried to protect his child but he ended up being murdered.

Sian is a swordsmaster but he lived his life hiding his abilities due to the grand duke’s family, however in this timeline he changed his mind after listening to our FL and became an emperor/king dedicated to protecting his people.



Why they need a fake Veronica:

They needed a fake Veronica because the real one was poisoned and placed into a coma. The only way that it was going to be cured was to continue to let the coma run its course on her. Veronica was losing recognition in the social world so they quickly needed someone to take her place. That is why the cousin, Ren is very suspicious of her.

At first they needed to hide Veronica’s poisoning by having a substitute.
But Elena was a really good ‘fake Veronica’, even better than the original one, so they just decided to force her to work hard and build a good reputation for Veronica before her return.
Since Elena was simply a substitute, every of her achievements would be imputed to the Real Veronica. When Elena wasn’t ‘useful’ anymore, they would just have to eliminate her and Veronica would take her achievements without lifting a finger.


We
When Elena reveals that she is the a fake to the knight Hurebald in the carriage:

At first Hurelbad couldn't believe Elena's words, but then Elena confirmed that the real Veronica was alive and she was just a substitute. She also told him that the real Veronica might appear in any day and after that Elena would be like a puppet who had lost its value after the puppet show. Hurelbad was angry at Elena and told her that it doesn't matter if she is fake or not, she is his master and that wouldn’t change. Elena was touched by his loyalty and revealed that she is L and the owner of the famous saloon (Elena had anonymously owned a Saloon. And then the next scene proceeds with more of our beloved crown prince, Sian. Sian/Sion/Ciel/Cyan/Xion (you may see that as a translation for his name) and count Lyndon. Raid the opium dealers place. Sian reflects on how meeting Elena changed his life (Elena was the one that trapped the opium dealers and inform Sian). Yes, even more badass she is.

Sian’s relationship with Veronica (not Elena.) , how he reacted when he first meets her and how he falls in love with the fake Elena. all of this applies to the first timeline:

He despised Veronica. Each time he got close to her, he could only think of her cruelty in his memory. During childhood, she was not a kind person either. In his eyes, she was only a hypocrite, cruel and vicious woman.

During their official mariage, he didn't even bother to make eye contact with her since it was not worth it. The only thing they did was to do the first formal dance at the after-party dinner.
Veronica tried to call him, but Sian just ignored her.

After the party, Sian had to spend the night with Veronica. Veronica, in her nightwear, took courage to speak and to propose him some wine, but Sian still treated her as if she was invisible. He sat on a chair facing away from Veronica and stared at the window across the street.
He sat in this position until sunrise then left the room codly without any greetings.
It was one of the biggest humiliations that Veronica had faced.


How he falls in love with her (Elena) in the first timeline:

One day, Sian heard from Cecilia that Elena was learning tea etiquette. He found it quite unexpected coming from her but it was still not something he would care for.

When he walked through the East Palace, he heard that 'Veronica' was there. It made him feel like a precious place had been defiled by something ugly.
"Go back." He tried to chase her away, but when he saw 'Veronica's lonesome glance and her wistful smile , he was deeply confused whether she was really Veronica.
Nevertheless, he turned away, ignoring such annoyance. It's just a passing question. To Ciel, she was nothing but an object of contempt.

Every 2 days, 'Veronica' came to see Ciel to make him some tea, but it always resulted in him sending her back. This time, she began to disturbe Ciel, since the real Veronica never acted like this.
It became a daily routine for Ciel to send her back each time she came to see him

One day, she didn't came. Ciel found it unusual and asked his subordinates to find her whereabouts. Turned out she was having a tea time with Emperor Richard.
He then rushed to the garden and heard his father laughing. He doubted his ears since the emperor Richard had lost his laughter as his health deteriorated and as the atrocities of the nobles went too far. But now, he was showing a faint smile.
Well, Ciel decided to cut in

. Veronica was so embarassed that she ran away, whereas Ciel finally tasted her tea for the first time and found it surprinsingly delicious


When Richard died and his funeral took place, Ciel couldn't take his eyes off "Veronica" in a moment. Everything in "Veronica's mourning the death of Emperor Richard was reverent. Her moist eyes were filled with sincerity to dismiss it as acting.

After that, he overheard Len and Elena and discovered that she was a fake all along

When 'Veronica' saw him, she was terrified, Ciel was struck by a strong impulse. He wanted to comfort her. But he knew he shouldn't, so Ciel overcame the urge and turned a blind eye to her. He ignored her more harshly because she would shake his mind if he made eye contact.

Ciel became more and more confused about his feeling when he learned that "Veronica" was learning Painting from Raphael. He interrogated the latter, who responded to him that Veronica was not a cruel woman and she was suffering from a terrible solitude. Ciel didn't understand why since Veronica was the heir of the Grand Duke's house, with almost the world below her feet.

Sometimes later, Cecilia died by poisoning. Veronica's house was the prime suspect. 'Fake Veronica' too was a strong suspect since Cecilia drank tea with her the day before she died. But when Ciel saw "Veronica"'s moist eyes, looking at the dead Cecilia, which seemed to be heartbroken. Although she didn't shed tears, she seemed to swallow her sorrow. It was appalling to think that she was the one who poisoned Cecilia.

Cecilia's vacancy didn't feel much. Veronica, who participated in the Empress's events, played her role without fail.
The time between Ciel and "Veronica" naturally increased as they worked on the official schedule. When their eyes happened to meet, she shook her head, not knowing what to do.

Ciel looked at the fake Veronica. As the suspicion of being a fake grew stronger, there was admiration for the fake Veronica and her striking resemblance. They ressembled each other like twins.
However the fake Veronica was a good example of how to socialize with the envoys. Her elegant hand gestures, her smile and a frivolous way of speaking were incredibly dignified.
Perhaps conscious of Ciel's gaze, "Veronica" turned her head, and showed signs of embarrassment. She smiled awkwardly.
At that moment Ciel's face also turned with embarrassment. As he faced that smile, an indescribable strange feeling shook his chest to the point of displeasure. Ciel turned his head to turn away from the unknown emotion (love.)


After that day, Ciel deliberately kept the fake Veronica away. However, there were many common events between them. He tried not to make eye contact as much as he could, but she smiled awkwardly when he tried not to.
Thump. Yeah, that smile. It rushed in without permission and left its mark deep in Ciel's heart. It was a smile that made him think of something even when he closed his eyes and did other things.
.
.
It was the National Day, when Ciel got sick from overworking. Laying in his bed, he heard a voice calling him. It was the 'Fake Veronica'
The fake Veronica was looking anxiously down at him.
He asked:
"Who are you?"
"Yes?" The fake Veronica's eyes shook violently.
"I asked who you were."
It was something he wanted to ask more than a thousand times. Who was she?

To the unexpected question, the fake Veronica was silent. Soon, she smiled. A very painful and sad smile.
"It's me. The Empress Cecilia."
It couldn't be Cecilia. Because she was dead.
Still, Ciel understood why the fake Veronica said that: she was worried that Ciel might kick her out when he knew she was Veronica, but she wanted to be with him and she couldn't leave him because she was worried.
Ciel couldn't say anything. He was anxious to see her sincerity coming to him.
And Ciel's heart, which had been kept deep in his heart, was no different from hers, it was heartbroken.


Ciel felt that he wanted to put down his duties and responsibilities that he had on his shoulders for the first time while he was in a daze.
Ciel pulled her hand.
"Your Majesty?" The fake Veronica's upper body bent down like a fall.
Her surprised face was for a moment, and she gently closed her eyes, and soon after, their lips covered. They gave each other sad kisses that would only hurt each other.

Ciel/Sian’s memory’s in the second timeline:

Ciel didn’t reincarnate or got his memories of the 1st timeline back, he didn’t understand why Elena pushed him away like a person who was hurt by him.

Moreover, it was actually Elena who saw his flashbacks of the past in the form of dreams and not Ciel himself. So it was safe to say that this current Ciel didn’t have any idea about what he had done to her. (Basically Elena gets flashbacks of Ciel and learns why he treated her coldly.)

In the second timeline (current) he quickly becomes infatuated by her! He also finds out very quickly that she is a substitute!

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Elena and Ren team up to take down the duchy, the saloon a mentioned earlier (in Korean, l and r are commonly mixed up so Len and Ren will be used interchangeably)

Under the name of L, Elena organized a Secret Mask Salon. She used Lucia's appearance (wig, glasses,...)

That day, Elena met up with Len and asked him if he was her enemy in which he answered that they were on the same side now and he would help her to destroy the Grand Duchy.

Hurelbad and Elena's people were quite worried about this collaboration since Len was a double edge sword: His potential was sure to be a great help but there was also a risk that he might go out of control, but Elena still decided to trust him.

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The delay of Veronica’s return:

Veronica was now awoken and was ready to return at anytime.

With that in mind, Elena and Ciel had a secret met-up. Ciel was dead-worried and asked Elena to leave as soon as possible since the Grand Duke would come to take her life very soon.
However, Elena knew that even if they had inflicted a financial damage to the Grand Duchy (the destruction of the opium plantation), it still lacked a decisive blow.

In order to buy herself sometimes, Elena asked Ciel to organize a selection to elect the Crown Princes, with the final ceremony in four month. Reluctant but Ciel utimately accepted her request.
Since Veronica hadn't been in society in over 3 years, Liv and the Grand Duchy would have no choice but to embrace Elena who was equipped with the necessary qualities to fight against other nobles.
During that time, Elena would use her status as Princess Veronica to turn the nobility around.
Before leaving, Ciel asked Elena to not get hurt and if she felt dangerous, just throw everything away and get out of there.

At Liabrick (Liv)'s side, she was surprised with the news of the Crown Princess' ceremony, and just as Elena predicted, she and the Grand Duke decided to use Elena for the competition.
Liv came to inform the Real Veronica about her delayed return and promised her that when she came back, the Crown Princess' would already be ready for her to sit.
Veronica warned Liv that she would not accept any blemishes when she came back but accepted the decision. For Veronica, the seat was obviously for her since in the only Empire, there was only Ciel who was fit for her (she did not like him romantically but she thought that only him would be at her level of nobility gosh, shows how she’s a hold digging bitch.)

Liv came to see Elena and give her a letter from her parents (obviously a fake since they didn't know their whereabouts and they didn't know that the mastermind was Elena haha), threatened her to do well in the Crown Princess' competition if not they would take back the money from them.
Elena just laughed inside and played with Liv's abominable prank.

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The preparation: (further spoilers ahead are the academy and more of Elena being the white lotus she is )

Liv increased Elena's lessons but her teacher (Madam the Pangloz) knew that Elena was already perfect so instead they just leisurely having tea time or she just let Elena alone and the latter continued to prepared her plan


The servent brought out fortune cookies and Elena understood that inside those biscuits there were secret messages from Len to not make the Grand Duchy suspicious

Later, Liv dragged Elena into a nobles' meeting to try to find faults in her but Elena just succeded in everything (her gaze, hand gestures, speech were all perfect)
Elena just thought "Veronica won't get her reputation either way"

Inside Liabrick's mind, doubts became more and more intense "maybe, really if..she lied to me?!" As in the past she would have dismissed as nonsense but not anymore (ya know when she failed as appointing Lorentz as Elena's watchdog and many other stuffs).
She secretly asked for Anne the maid to report to her everything, but Anne just lied by fear. Liv noticed there was a ruby ring in Anne's finger.
She understood that Elena had pretented to trust Anne, gave her a precious jewelry and ultimately succeded in buying her


Elena attented some other meetings and she noticed that Liabrick became more and more wary of her.
This time, she danced with Len and during the dance they talked about political stuffs.

She also talked with some other nobles. I skipped those parts too but she managed to manipulate some of them, secretly came to their mansion disguised as May (with Hurelbad as her side) and proposed to them some investissment.

Back to Ciel, he met up with a Jacqueline who was introduced to him by Elena as "L". They talked about the preparation of the downfall of the Grand Duchy and Jacqueline said that she thought Ciel and L were lovers and Ciel had a faint smile haha

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First contest:

First contest was tea time. There were 34 candidates.

Of course, Elena was perfect. Other nobles including Abella (she came from other grand families) tried to mock 'Fake Veronica' but Elena just smiled and talked to them about the illegal transaction during the late-night ball recently and those girls freaked out

In the meantime, Leabrick tried to find the 'suspicious' people who came to the late-night ball and ultimately destroyed their financial income (the ball was financed by the Grand Duke). Her doubt came to Ciel (yep they also monitored the Crown Prince) and understood that him too was up to something.
Since there were too many stuffs going on, Liabrick overworked and became more and more skinny.

Anyway, she came to Elena's room and announced her result: 'fake Veronica' came 1st with an overwhelming score.
Elena played the fake white lotus and acted as if she was really surprised and happy while Liv pretended to be a "good sister", holding Elena's hands, and questioned her about Len, about why she met up with him. She kept pressuring Elena in order to find some faults and mistakes.
Well, Elena just cried and made some excuse that she met up with him because Len knew she was a substitute . Liv patted Elena shoulders, saying that Elena wouldn't need to worry because she would take care of it blabla

Lorentz reported everything to the Real Veronica. The latter didn't seem so uninterested anymore. This time, she asked Lorentz to tell Liabrick to keep the doll (= Elena) alive. Lorentz didn't understand why and Veronica explained that it would be more fun to see the despair in her substitute "You take what's most precious, you trample on it, you throw it away. Just as fair as you enjoyed it...I'll give it to you, to that mean bitch who looks like me"

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Second contest:

The second contest was a face-to-face with the elders.
Elena came down the stair, the grand duke waited for her, hugged her and prayed for her good fortune.

During the competition, Elena gave different answers compared to other candidates and the jury seemed to really like her.

The contest ended, Elena had a secret talk with Ciel (he was so cuute, I mean he said something like "It's a shame that you're doing so well. There's no room for me to come forward" or "meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life") and talked about the plan in her head. Ciel was really amazed!

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Liv/ Liabrick leaving:

Liabrick was now in a difficult position: she made a mistake (opium plantation and stuffs) but was given another chance to made up because she was trusted by the Grand Duke, but things kept slipping out of her hands. If she couln't succeed this time, she would likely lost her position. Panicked, she went to the Grand Duke, tried to persuade him and asked him to give her 10 more days to split up the organized aristocracy.
But there was no place for her in the heart of the Grand Duke.
He was disappointed in Liv and she couldn't not do anything as she pleased anymore.

Still Liv confided to the Grand Duke than the 'Fake Veronica' was really suscious and said goodbye to the Grand Duke who didn't even bother to look at her.

When Elena heard from Anne that Liabrick was leaving the palace, she was so happy that she wanted to laughed at her with a sad performance. But it was too early to be intoxicated with a small victory. The duke and Veronica were still alive and there was still a long way to go.

Just in time, Elena saw Liv leaving the mansion. Their gazes collided, Elena didn't avoid the eye. There were no need to deceive Leabrick anymore, and she had a faint but clear smile around her mouth

After Liv left, Lorentz came to see Elena as the Grand Duke's command and promised to serve Elena with all his heart. Elena just laughed as his hypocrisy and acted as if she was really happy to have him. Nevertheless, Elena felt safe because she knew she had Hurelbad by her side.

Lorentz's appointment to control Elena was not a coincidence, it was issued by the grand duke, which was caused by Liabrick suspicion.

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Third contest day:

The third contest was to see the Empress (Empress Florence was crowned Empress after Empress Seon (Ciel mother) died, in the first timeline she caught little Ciel like a mouse and vented her anger by persistently harassing Elena)

Before the actual contest, the following events contained in the spoilers below took place. And of course, because of that, Elena was unable to attend the 3rd competition

Liv’s attack and FAILURE!!:

Even with Lorentz by Elena's side, Liv still wanted to have revenge and decided to launch an attack to kill Elena. She deployed the 2nd infantry division around the Grand Duke palace with some of the 1st infantry division.
Now she couldn't look down on Elena anymore. She recognized her as an equal or greater than herself.
She waited for Elena to come out to kill her.

However, Elena was a few steps ahead and escaped. They couldn't even find Lorentz either. Panicked, Liv ordered the army to dispatch and find Elena.

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The end of Lorentz:

Elena asked Hurelbad and Lorentz stay outside of her room.
A while later, Hurelbad knocked the door. No answers. He called several times but there was still no answer.

Feeling something strange, Lorentz turned the doorknob roughly and ran into the room. His expression hardened as he witnessed the empty drawing room. He searched everywhere as if being possessed but couldn't find any trace of Elena.

Click.

When Lorentz turned around, he saw Hurelbad locked the door.
"What is this about?"

Hurelbad, whose expression did not change even though Elena had vanished
"The lady told me to deliver the message"
He pulled out the sword
"I'll give Lord Lorentz, the knight of Betrayal, a sabbatical. That's the punishment for you"

Lorentz's face was beautifully distorted. It sound ridiculous and insulting to say that a little junior was going to punish him


"The knight of betrayal? I've accepted you as a knight without foundation, and you're not even have the qualifications for, it's a sight. Listen to me Hurelbad! The knight of betrayal is not me but you! You don't even know that your owner is a fake princess. Putting a sword at me is an act of betraying the great house itself!

Hurelbad's expression did not change a bit. He raised his sword and showed firm determination
"This is my chivalry" (Hurelbas being the perfect knight he is!)
"What?"

"My lady is only her. Betraying her is the most disgraful thing to me"

"You son of a.....you know everything from the beginning!"
Now Lorentz understood the situation. It was premeditated to keep him and Hurelbad away from the drawing room under the pretext of being sensitive ahead of the 3rd contest.
Lorentz grated his teeth

"That's why I don't accept the rootless. You or that b!tch".
He pulled out the sword he was wearing. A creepy energy flowed from the blade.
"If I torture you, I'll be able to track down the face princess. Do you knowthe fake princess made a mistake? Leaving you here. You'll never win me'

Lorentz kicked the ground, blew himself away and rushed at Hurelbad but the latter slanted his body and splat his attack.
Lorentz kept on attacking and Hurelbad kept on avoiding. In anyone's eyes, Lorentz was in charge of the game. He went wild
"You're good at dodging...can you do that if I cut out off your leg?"


However, such a judgment has led to an irreversible situation.
"Oh, my God," Lorentz looked down at his abdomen with uncontrollably trembling eyes. The cold blade pierced the abdomen and seemed to protrude behind the waist.
He didn't even see the movement "Imagination? Hey, that's ridiculous. To that baseless... ...from the meadow tribe. "
Lorentz grew up thinking he was a genius since he was young. So far, his record for the youngest knight that he received at the age of 18 has not been broken.

He could not get a blow from Hurelbad. It was not a little gap, but the overwhelming gap.
Hurrelbad looked at Lorentz like that with an indifferent glance.
Hurrelbad's image of taking victory for granted made Lorentz even more miserable:

"You, you son of a b!tch..." Blood flowed back when the blade that felt cold dug into the flesh and abdomen.
He was unable to stand the bitter blood flowing back to his mouth.
"Oop."
Hurelbad stuffed his handkerchief into Lorentz's mouth. The backflowed blood colored the handkerchief red.
Lorentz had no power to resist. Looking at him like that, Hurelbad said without a hitch.
"The punishment you give is rest. Death. Don't think this is the end. I'll make you pay for insulting the meadow tribe you ignored,"
Hurrelbad looked scary.


"Come on, come on, my master..." Lorentz thought he should go to Leabrick while his consciousness was blurry. But the dying body drooped, betraying his will.

After confirming that he was out of breath, Hurelbad supported his falling body with one hand. Then, he took out an extra handkerchief and put it on top of the sword-stained blood.
It was a measure to prevent blood from leaking out as much as possible.

Elena ordered not to leave any trace as much as possible. That's why Hurelbad aimed for a loophole in the process of defeating Lorentz.
It was almost impossible for him to pull out if the guards came after hearing the sound of the sword striking.
"There's still a long way to go." It was good to deliberately avoid a close game, induce Lorenz's carelessness, and then take a blow. It was not that difficult as the difference in skills was so great.

The problem was in his hands. Angried at Lorentz insults, he reacted violently without realizing it. Emotionally, he killed Lorentz with more blood than expected.
"I don't care if you insult me and spit on my face. But I can't forgive you for swearing at my lady."

Lorentz's body, which had become a cold body, was dragged to the fireplace. Blood gushed out of the sword-stained area in Lorentz's uniform.

Hurelbad grabbed the candlestick and manipulated it as Elena told him.

Click!

There was a perfect fit, and the wall inside the fireplace opened, revealing the secret passage. Hurelbad moved the body of the sword-tipped Lorentz into a secret passage. Then, he looked inside the drawing room, looked for any traces he might have left behind, and disappeared into the secret passageway.

The stone wall closed behind the fireplace and returned to its original form.

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Liabrick’s downfall:

Eventually, Lucas (= the best knight of the Grand Duke family) and a few people were able to found Elena, Hurelbad and May

They lauched an attack, but soon there were Len and Ciel who rejoined and helped Hurelbad defeating the knight.

Actually, Ciel was using the excuse of going "hunting" and "coincidentaly " witnessed the accident and launched a direct investigation.
Ciel revealed the existence of Leabrick and many political not-so-funny-stuffs going on. Consequently, many nobles openly expressed their distrust to the Grand Duchy.

In the end, even The grand duke had to come foward and comforted the angry aristocrats, saying that Leabrick had acted arbitrarily and had nothing to do with him.

In such a chaotic situation, Elena disappeared (actually she was hiding in her Secret Salon) and the Real Veronica officially returned

The Grand Duke locked Leabrick in the prison.

"It's funny," said Leah Brick, who had become half-mole by confinement. The hair was disheveled and the neat dress was dirty. There was not even a trace of the woman who shook the empire with hers brain.
"I can't believe I'm being humiliated by a little girl who doesn't even know the very foundation of the country."

"I think the reputation of Liabrick has been bubbling over. You've become arrogant after you've tasted some small success." Leabrick's eyes trembled thinly at Grand Duke Frances' insulting remarks.

She could bear it as much as she could. It was the fact that she was trampled on by Elena to the point where she could not deny a word of his miserable words.
"Kill me."
"Kill you?" sneered Grand Duke. "This is difficult."
"You've been so merciful to me."
"They're asking me to pay a huge fine for running a knight without permission in the imperial court. That's all? The nobles talk a lot about your command of the Knights."

Liabrick became a honeyed mute. It was a mistake and a failure. There was nothing to say.

Frances laughed sarcastically, looking at her avoiding the gaze.
"Have you looked in here? Half of those trapped in here are fom you."
"Well, Your Highness."
"Keep rotting in here. Every day, look back at yourself in the same situation as them and despair, Leabrick."

When he mentioned her name, Leabrick's lips, which had already turned blue, trembled. Grand Duke Frances giggled as if to enjoy her reaction.
"And you don't know, do you? Will I change my mind over time? Then I can think of your precious talent and bring it out."
"Please..."

Grand Duke Frances turned away with a faint laugh. Soon the silence that lay over the shaking candle was broken by the cry of the prisoners.
"You, you were LIABRICK?"
"You locked me up here. I am innocent!"
"I will kill you! I'm going to kill you"
"You're going to die! Ugh!"
The prisoners trapped in the iron bars were crazed with all kinds of abuse.

As Grand Duke Frances said, half of them were in Leabrick's conspiracy, or were taken away from hostility and trapped here.
"Stop it," said Leabrick, pulling her leg and turning herself into a gumbel.

Being trapped alone was to suffer from terrible fear and despair, and as the abuse, insults, demeaning and contempt of the prisoners with grudges poured out, there was no resource to endure mentally.
"Please, stop it!"
Leabrick closed hes ears with both hands and screamed.
But her cry only further stimulated the prisoners with no avail.
Rather, it became more intense. For a very long time.

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Anna, that wretched maid:
Anna, with May, followed Elena in her escaping. She was so scared of the Grand Duke coming for her life and begged Elena to save her.
So Elena and Emilio (another character) decided to banish Anna from the Empire and coaxed her to board the ship to Mariana Islands with good words.
In the oral fairy tale, it was referred as the heaven on earth, but in reality, the land was abandonned. It was invaded by pirates, and it was even hard to catch fish due to strong waves.

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Elena’s parents:

Elena heard new of her parents from Emilio.
They successfuly settled in the northern part of the country and were said to be engaged in the Wine business, as recommended by Elena in her letter, and now they lived in a well-to-do life thanks to the booming commerces.
Elena was very proud of the 2 of them who was forced to settle in an exotic island without connection.

Elena’s plans: (saloon):

As she had been working as "L" for a while, she thought to strengthen the inner workings of the salon and setting a financial trap to the Grand Duke family.
So far, Elena had been constrained as she always needed to devise a scheme to avoid Leabrick's surveillance. But not anymore. She was now able to the the initiative in drawing up the game.

Elena had bought all the surroungding lands and buildings around the Salon at a low price, and now the price was soaring high. Therefore, now there were more than a 100 lands, forests, and building purchased in the capital in the name of L. She could now even be called as the "Empire's greater financier" in name and in reality.

Seems like Elena was collaborating with Caliph, an art broker, and since she already knew what art and fashions trends would be like in the future, she thought of taking advantage of that by opening her own Street.
The Noblesse Street, belonged to the Grand Duke family, was under construction, with the objective to attract the aristocrats. Astronomical founds had been invested.
Consequently, with Elena's street, the Noblesse one would lose its place and instead, fashion-concious and artistic-minded aristocrates would visit the special street that had been created around the Salon.

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Ren/Len and “male-lead syndrome”:

Elena scheduled a meeting with Len after a long time.
Len previously had asked Elena to grant a wish in exchange of him helping her to escape.
Elena then asked Len to wish for something and she'd try to grand it in her capacity.

The only thing that Len asked for was that....to stay with him for about 6 hours (before Ciel came)
Elena stared at Len since it was a little bit embarrasing for her but accepted it anyway because it was not a difficult request.
Len asked to have a meal with her, then a cup of tea.
While Elena was preparing the tea, Len just kept looking at her for a long time.

"What shall we do now?"
"Nothing" said Len while leaning on the sofa as if he were serious.

"Why do you keep looking like that?"
The longer Len looked at her, the more and burdensome Elena was"

"Can you stop looking?"
"Why?"
"I'm burneded"
"No." Len laughed. "You do your job. I did what I had to do" His attitute was cleary different than from the past.
"Don't regret it later"
Elena picked up a philosophy book and sat down.
.
.
"Oh" When Elena briefly closed the book and stretched her shoulders and that the burden had disappeared.
Len was sleeping like a crib.
'who would know this man would be the greatest rascal of the Empire?'
Elena carefully recovered him with a blanket and looked at him closely.
She thought he was handsome.

"Hey"
"You didn't sleep?"
"It's too close" A hoarse voice came through Len's lips. Only then did Elena realize they were so close to each other that they could hear each other's breath.
She backpedaled and sprained her ankle. When Elena was about to fall, Len stretched out his arm and pull Elena on his lap.

———————————————————————

Len was red from the face to the neck

"You're too close"
"Would you mind? You saved me again"
Len grinned and looked at Elena with a silent smile.

Truth behind Veronica’s poisoning:

"I have something to say" Len was still smiling, but his eyes not anymore.

"What if I was at the start?"
The words of Len caused Elena a stir

"Don't you wonder why Veronica disappeared? Suddenly the healthy kid?"
"Why?"
"Because she was poisoned"

Considering she had not showed up for nearly 3 years, Elena thought it was a disease but it was actually poison.
"No way"
"That's right. I poisoned her"

Len told the whole truth without hiding it and asked Elena if she was angry and if she wanted to hit him?

Elena was really angry ben she knew that Len was hurt. Without him, she wouldn't be dragged in all this mess in the past as well in the present.
But when she thought about Ian, her unparalleled joy in the world, and her identity as "L", the hostess of the secret salon and the leading woman, she knew that she could only be here today thanks to Veronica's poisoning.

Then Len asked for her real name. After hesitating, Elena admitted:
"Elena"
Len muttered her name repeatedly like a parrot and seemed very excited "Elena, Elena, Elena"
"Stop calling me"

Then they talked about the Grand Duke family who could get rid of Raphael, Cristina and Gentonio since they couldn't hire them, that's why Elena and her teams needed to devise a plan to protect those 3.
It was then that they ran out of time.
"Time's almost up"
"You don't regret it? I think you wrote your wish in vain"
"Well, don't worry. Anything's more meaningful when it's left" Len grinned
"You're a real weirdo"

—————————————-

Back to our man, Ciel:

Soon Ciel arrived and joined Len and Elena
Ciel and Len just kept glaring at each other so Elena had to mediate between the 2.

They talked a about the Grand Duke family
At the end, Elena asked Len to let her and Ciel alone, in which Len left while pouting his lips haha

When they were finally alone, Elena gave Ciel an enveloppe with an astronomical amount of money. In the past, she knew he failed as an emperor because of the nobles' resistance but also financial problem
Ciel had a bitter smile. She knew everything, but he still felt miserable. The situation was so unsympathetic, even more because he couldn't refuse.

Ciel told Elena that it would be better to bestow her a title. Elena refused as she was good for now and the big problem was that she was a woman, and throughout history, only a few of them had been granted a title alone.
However, Ciel was stubborn, he wanted to protect Elena and he knew that giving her a title would stabilize her position. And using the law, even the Grand Duke could not persecute Elena.

"I'm more worried about you than you are concerned about me. I won't allow you to refuse"
With Ciel's heartfelt words, Elena was moved.
"....I'll accept it, Your Highness"
"The title is Baroness Jun. We'll take care of the award ceremony as a informal ceremony outside. I'll send someone to the salon"
"I'll greet the Empire gladly".
Now, L had become an imperial aristocrat in name and reality. It was her recompense, and her reputation would grow more and more, to be standing at the same line as the real Veronica.

"It's late" Ciel sneaked out the Imperial palace out of the eyes of the watchmen implanted by the nobles. Now he had to go back because he couldn't leave the palace empty for too long"
"Yes, it was unintentionally long, your Highness"
"Ciel"
"...."
"So call me"
Elena waved her hands in dismay "No, I don''t dare say in your presence...."
"I'd like it"
"It can't happen. Please.."
Elena was once a queen, she was sensitive to those manners. The only woman who could call Ciel by his name would be his companion for the rest of his life.
"Will you?"
"Yes?" Elena opened her eyes like a deer and blinked (yes she fell into the trap :blobrofl:)

"However, there is a condition. No, I would say it's a request."
"A favor?"
"Can you allow me to know your real name?"
Elena, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of conversation, stared blankly at Ciel

'You don't wan to know my real name, do you? No, I don't think so'.
But seeing Ciel with an awkward look on his face, deepened her conviction.

"I'm sorry. Is it difficult? It's late now"

Elena's eyes softened. Ciel had never been urged. He never knew her name properly, and silently believed and waited for her to tell him first. It was time to repay the wait.

"It's Elena."

"Elena". His expression, looking at Elena became strange. It was also new for her to tell him her real name for the first time and to hear her real name through his voice.
A feverish smile came around his mouth.
"Let's keep that name for a long time, Elena."

———————————————————————-

I am tired of typing so I will just skip to spoilers about the end, and romance between Elena and Ciel! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

The ending (revenge): - the Archduke Ranche was executed

- Veronica was decapitated a while after him (the last chapter concentrated on her execution): she was charged with conspiracy, attempt murder, damage the Emperor,... with a total of 11 crimes. Before dying, she cursed everyone, especially Elena : « Don’t think this is the end, even after I die, I’ll visit you every night and drag you to hell »

- Before going to the Arc of Triumph (where the execution took place), Elena met up with Len (Ren) and asked him why he decided not to go, in which he answered : « I’m not interested in the death of a crazy bitch »

- Elena was escorted by Hurelbad to Ciel’s side (Ciel actually had prepared the most visible seat just for her). Wearing an expressionless face, she didn’t take her eyes off the decapitation even for a moment. It was the magic of revenge.
Veronica’s neck rolled under the execution table. The revenge was done, Elena could live properly now. She decided to live on with a smile until she couldn’t take any more steps further in life.

———————————————————

The confession (KYAAAA!!! UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE MOMENTS IN THE NOVEL!! HERE IS AN EXCERPT! FROM CHAPTER 230! This is after the execution of Veronica, hehe, Revenge complete.)

Not long after she entered the carriage, the vibration that was coming from the ground stopped.
"Have we already arrived?"
Den nodded, took out his watch, checked the time, and was relieved.
"That's a relief. I can't wait until today is over. Will you get off?"
Elena, who got off the carriage following Den, was startled by the place.
"Here?"
The unidentified thing located near the salon was in front of the livestock.


"Ah," spread out like moving stars in the night sky was a galaxy of fireflies. The brilliance caught her eyes, and the sour night breeze blew softly.
The mellow scent of flowers consoled her mind and body. A very familiar sound of water relaxed Elena's ears.
She thought about her childhood’s place, where people used to play with their feet in the water flowing deep in the mountains.

It was an incredible garden in the center of the capital. It was artificial, but beautiful.
She felt like she was being healed.


"Elena,"
Elena turned her head and saw a man stood with his back against the Laurel tree
"Your Majesty."
Accentuated by the fireflies, there was a clearer smile on Ciel's face than ever before.
“Happy birthday.” he said,
“Oh,” Her heart was moved by his most affectionate congratulations. Including previous and present life.

Ciel smiled. Elena couldn't take her eyes off him.
His smile was natural enough to think that he was a cheerful person

"You know, you pushed me out as soon as I approached."
"Did I do that?"
"You pushed me out like a person who was hurt by me. It wasn't a day or two that I spent the nights with my eyes open, thinking I might have given you new wounds I didn't know."

Elena's eyes shook at Ciel's frank confession.
Elena, who was trying not to repeat past mistakes, did not expect to make Ciel heartbroken.

“So I hesitated.”
“Your Majesty.”
“But I don't want to hesitate any more.”
Ciel approached while looking at Elena.

He stood within reach. The distance that Elena had never been able to reach in the past, but now had been narrowed down.

He held out his hand.
”Will you be my lover?”
Elena's heart dropped. It was pounding so fast that she couldn't control it.
"I promise won't burden you. I'll keep our meeting secret until you allow it."
“Your Majesty.”
“Would you like to meet me like this?”

The barrier she had put gradually fell apart after Ciel's sincere confession.

She felt that very little by little, there was a clear crack going on, though insignificant to the point of being invisible. Ciel stood silent, reaching out his hand.
The fireflies stayed at his fingertips, reminding him of the distance between the two.


Elena hesitated. She was happy but scared at the same time, everything had changed so much compared to the past. She was afraid she would repeat the same mistake.
The newly launched relationship between the two could also face tragedies and she could lose what she'd accumulated.

Elena needed a lot of courage. 'I want to hold that hand.'
The feelings she had suppressed so far were choked up. She felt pathetic when she tried not to look back by forcibly turning away, avoiding, and pushing.
She wanted to change it. She wanted to get out of the past. And she wanted to be honest.


Elena put her white and long fingers on Ciel's hands. The fireflies flew in unison as if they had promised.
She wanted to know about this person. Even if she could regret it, she could keep it as a good memory.

“Ha ha ha,” Ciel laughed with the brightest smile. "You won't know how happy I am. I'm happy enough to want to hug you right now and run around the capital like a crazy man."
“Please respect yourself,” Elena laughed shyly. She did not hate him, who was delighted to forget even the status of the emperor. "Will you take a walk with me?"
"Yes," said Ciel amiably while leading her hand to his side.


The shoulders of the two people standing side by side showed a different picture from the past.
"In the future, I'll tell you my story."
"It's okay now. "
"No, I'll do it when the time accumulates a little longer. When those memories become dull enough to fade”.

By then, everything would have changed, to the point where she would feel pathetic if she kept on clinging on the past.
While pledging to him, Elena walked with Ciel through the garden and felt the warmth of both hands held tightly together for a long time.

——————————————————————-

Some more Ciel and Elena moments! :

In chapter 234, during their sleep-over, Lucia asked Elena if she and Ciel had kissed or doing anything more, in which Elena was very embarassed since they had only hold hands (hold hands, see each other in the moonlight, and walk together..). The surprised Lucia exclaimed that even middle schoolers nowadays kissed

Elena thought about her past memories and baby Ian. They still left a scar in her heart, but she knew how considerate was Ciel so she thought it was time to move on.

In chapter 235, Elena organized a musical play and invited Ciel to watch it with her. When Ciel arrived he was quite worried because of her pale complexion (she worked very hard to prepare the play) but Elena reassured him that it was okay.
Elena sat next to Ciel with their shoulders almost touching
During the play, she couldn't concentrate at all and kept admiring Ciel. She felt confort next to him and eventually fell asleep
When she woke up, the play was over and everybody was gone except Elena and Ciel haha.
Ciel opened his mouth when he noticed she opened her eyes
''would you like to rest a little more?'' and wrapped her head, pulled it gently and leaned it on his shoulder.
Elena was embarassed since it was the first time she showed this disorganized appearance to someone else, especially Ciel.
But contrary to her expectation, Ciel turned his head, looked at Elena with a deep look as if she was being sucked in and wrapped her check in the soft touch of his hand and asked her if she believed him if he said that she was adorable?

——————————————

A kiss!!! One of my favorite scenes as well:

“So would you believe me if I said you were more lovely?"

"Your Majesty, it's..” Elena didn’t know what to say.

She couldn't think of anything as if her usual brilliant mind had hardened.
No matter how tired you are, it's against etiquette to show some loose humility

Then she fell asleep. She was afraid that she had drooled, and her saliva might have caused some kind of scandal


But she guessed that was not the plan.

“I still can't believe it”

The affection dropped sharply in Ciel's mellow eyes.

"The fact that you and I are lovers. It’s like living in a dream-like world every day”

Elena felt like she was going to be sucked into Ciel's eyes and voice which directed at her.
The warmth of his hands sweeping down her cheeks, as if his heart had already been conveyed, made her heart raced so fast that even his heart could not be unaffected.

“There's no place that's not pretty…”

“That's why I keep getting greedy. I know I shouldn't do this, but I want to have all of you."

Ciel grabbed her chin softly with the hand that was covering her cheek and lifted it carefully. The eyes of Ciel and Elena crossed diagonally.
Ciel slowly put his lips on Elena's lips, as if time had stopped.

“Ah.”

Elena felt breathless from the soft touch of Ciel's mouth.

She thought this moment was like a lie.
Lovely kisses were like this. It made her forget all the pain of the wounds, and it made her feel that she was living now, and not in the past anymore.


Maybe that was why. Even the bitterness that was conveyed after the kiss was heartrending to her.

Not because she was a shadow, but because Ciel chose a woman named Elena. Elena unwittingly reached behind Ciel and wrapped her hands around his neck. She was so active as if she wanted this kiss more than anything else. As if no one could understand or know.

Ciel was surprised at the moment, but soon followed her and kissed her violently. He gave Elena a crushing hug. Hard enough to feel that his will would never let go.

When such Ciel's heart was conveyed, Elena’s eyes became watery.
Her one-sided affection no longer existed. She was so glad that they wanted each other.

So, they didn't let each other go. As if time had stopped, the two people exchanged deep kisses.

Ciel took off his lips first.

"Why are you crying?" Sian's eyes shook when he saw the water dropped around Elena's eyes.
It was because he was worried that he did something wrong when he conveyed his feelings.

“I'm glad” Elena smiled more brightly than ever, looking at Ciel wiping away the tears around her eyes.


Ciel felt an unknown lump in her tearful smile.

"Do you remember? You cried in front of me when we first met."

Ciel felt a strangely prickly pain in his heart when he saw her tears. Where there was a story he didn't remember, that someone forcibly made him forget
"It seems like I've seen this even before meeting you...”
"...As I said before, you…”
The eyes of Ciel, who was about to say that she had never been ugly for a moment, were wide open.


That was because Elena kissed him as if she was blocking him. As if she asked him to not to say anything.
Ciel shut his eyes again, as if he read her mind.


'Maybe..'
Kissing him was not just a confirmation of Ciel's affection.
It was a sentiment that could not be conveyed in a hundred words.


They could not reach each other through the past. The day Ian was born, Ciel had treated her more dearly than anyone else.
So far, she had only thought that the memory of that fateful day was a mistake by Ciel, who had mistaken her for Cecilia. Because he couldn't treat Veronica like that.


'Miracle is a product of desperation. Not only with love, but with the earnestness of someone.'
Cardinal Benedict’s words lingered in Elena's head and did not leave.

Looking back, she couldn't forget Ciel's words, asking who she was.

On the day where she was hurt by his harsh words, that he had turned away from Ian, Elena gave up her heart toward Ciel.

The expression of Ciel that day, was false.

It was ringing before her eyes. So Elena couldn't stop this long kiss. Sometimes in life, one's intuition is swept away by vague and unstable emotions. Her intuition kept whispering to Elena, who looked through the broken fragment of memories.

A miracle that broke down the wall of time and brought her back to life. Maybe it was this guy, Ciel.

It was impossible to check, but Elena keeps going that way.

That's why the kiss was, for her, a means to rest and to heal.


That is it for the spoilers I’ll provide. Maybe I will crate an account to spoil some more! I hope you enjoyed, everyone! And I hope you no longer think Ciel is an asshole.