“Clink—”
A hard sound echoed on the marble floor as a golden pendant tumbled across it.
That day, the day I, Alice Soldano, daughter of a marquis, first stepped into the royal palace, the Crown Prince himself had placed that necklace around my neck.
And now, its chain had just snapped.
No, to be precise, it was torn apart—by the hand of the golden-haired, blue-eyed beauty standing before me, Lady Lara Zanetti, the daughter of another marquis.
Light and shadow. Sun and moon. Gold and black.
The contrasting appearances and personalities of these two ladies, competing for the Crown Prince's favor, had been a source of endless gossip both inside and outside the palace.
Golden-haired and blue-eyed with an adorable face, Lara, and black-haired and red-eyed with a plain appearance, Alice.
Lara was always escorted to grand events hosted by the royal palace, such as ballroom dances and banquets for foreign dignitaries, while Alice was invariably summoned for the lengthy parliamentary sessions or visits to disaster-stricken regions—important yet unglamorous duties.
—In short, Lara got all the attention and glory, while I was stuck with all the unpleasant and tedious tasks.
Clatter, clatter, clink…
The pendant bounced on the floor, spinning and sliding toward the wall. Without consciously meaning to, I followed it with my eyes and tilted my head in thought.
—Wait a minute. Am I just being conveniently used?
Come to think of it, why am I even here?
Just moments ago, I was at my best friend’s apartment, confronting her abusive boyfriend.
A scumbag who, despite having someone else in mind, shamelessly exploited my friend’s kindness, stringing her along, using her until she was drained, and resorting to violence the moment she displeased him.
I had demanded, “Let her go right now, or I’ll take this to the authorities.” That infuriated him, and he went to grab a knife from the kitchen…
—Oh, I see now. This is that infamous isekai reincarnation.
And my new life? It’s as a girl whose situation mirrors that of my best friend from my previous life.
I retraced my memories carefully.
The girl, Alice, led an unfortunate life.
Born into a distinguished marquis family, her parents only cared for her younger brother, the heir. She worked hard to earn their approval, excelling in her studies, but her very brilliance caught the Crown Prince’s attention—a curse disguised as fortune.
With my previous life's perspective, I can see it clearly now. That Crown Prince is the worst.
Knowing Alice was starved for affection, he showered her with kind words and gifts, luring her into his grasp. He brought her to the palace as a candidate for his consort.
Then, just when she had completely trusted and depended on him, he invited another consort candidate, Lara, to the palace.
His only reason? He wanted to see Alice broken, desperate, and clinging to him to avoid losing her one source of emotional support.
…Clink.
The golden pendant engraved with the royal crest, a symbol of her status as a consort candidate, stopped moving when it hit the wall.
Lara had deliberately hooked her sleeve on it as we passed in the corridor, tearing it off.
It must have chipped when it fell—the magic stone in its center had lost its glow and was now just a dull crystal.
“Oh my, forgive me,” Lara sneered mockingly.
Her maids, standing behind her, turned pale and held their breath, thinking, That was too much.
But Lara, having spent nearly every day recently with the Crown Prince, was clearly convinced of her victory.
“Well, if the pendant symbolizing your candidacy has been broken like this, perhaps you’ve lost His Highness’s favor as well?”
“Indeed. You are entirely correct, Lady Lara.”
“…Huh?”
Lara, having expected a rebuttal, froze in shock at my agreement, staring at me in disbelief.
Smiling sweetly, I continued, “As I said, with the loss of this pendant, I have also lost the favor of His Highness. Therefore, as of this moment, I shall leave the palace. I wish you and His Highness eternal happiness together.”
“Wha—wait, but…”
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