I Transmigrated into the Nameverse, and My Name Came with a Time Limit - Chapter 12 - II.

II.

On the evening when the ball for Leonhardt’s victory commemoration festival began, Mina asked Hannah to dress her as beautifully as possible tonight.

First, she had to draw her old childhood friend’s attention to herself. Only then could she somehow approach him and seize an opportunity to explain the situation about the Name.

It wasn’t that she wished to become close with Leonhardt again. Wilhelmina had no such right. Because when Leonhardt had been going through the most difficult time of his life, the person who had coldly turned her back on him was none other than Wilhelmina. Even if that hadn’t been Wilhelmina’s own will, Mina was now borrowing her body, so she had no choice in the matter.

If that carriage accident in the past had never happened, would her situation now have been a little better? Perhaps it might have been.

Duchess Louise Wittgen and Grand Duchess Frida Tessen had died on the same day in a sudden carriage accident. Because of that incident, House Tessen was torn apart, and Wilhelmina and Leonhardt’s friendship was shattered as well. Leonhardt’s birth father, Grand Duke Tessen, was imprisoned in the northern tower under accusations of treason. Leonhardt himself was forcibly sent to subjugate the barbarians and was made to atone.

At the time, Wilhelmina had no choice but to write Leonhardt a letter cutting ties with him. Duke Wittgen had relentlessly pressured Wilhelmina with severe threats, insisting that she must become engaged to Crown Prince Leopold.

At the same time Wilhelmina lost her mother, he lost his as well. And after losing his father too, he had ended up being rejected even by the one childhood friend he had left.

Hannah, who had no way of knowing any of those inner circumstances, was thrilled and showed off her full skill.

“Miss… you’ve finally made up your mind!”

Thanks to her, Mina was able to transform beautifully, just like Cinderella in a fairy tale.

Wearing the cleanest and finest dress she owned, she arrived at the imperial palace together with the Duke and Duchess, and Rose.

The imperial palace, already splendid to begin with, looked even more dazzling as if it were displaying the celebratory mood of victory to the fullest. Expensive fresh flowers and glittering decorations shone everywhere.

The two families, standing while waiting for the main figure of the evening, exchanged greetings.

While nervously scanning her surroundings, Mina quickly seized the moment when no one was paying attention to her and quietly whispered to Leopold standing beside her. It was their first meeting since the teapot incident.

“Um… are you alright?”

In that instant, Leopold’s eyes flashed coldly. Between his slightly lowered head, a reply came out in a low voice through clenched teeth.

“Are you asking about the state of my c**k right now?”

Ah. She touched the wrong nerve.

“Wait patiently. I’ll personally show you soon enough.”

She had asked out of guilty concern, wondering if he might have been burned, but to receive such an unpleasant reaction so instantly… Should she have trusted Wilhelmina’s memories after all?

According to Wilhelmina’s hazy memories, ever since their engagement at fifteen, Leopold had treated Wilhelmina as if she were his possession. Whenever he made reckless demands like some street ruffian, Wilhelmina had avoided them with various excuses.

One day, she was ill. Another day, she said she had to maintain the dignity of a ducal lady. And on yet another day, she claimed she simply wasn’t in the mood… It seemed Wilhelmina had clearly felt that the Crown Prince’s attitude was far from what could be called ‘cherishing’ her.

Mina said nothing further and slightly turned her gaze away from Leopold.

At that moment, Empress Tilda suddenly turned toward her and spoke.

“Lady Wittgen, it’s been a long time. This is the first time since the lake incident… Have you been well?”

Startled by the Empress’s sudden question, Mina flinched. Cold sweat broke out instantly.

“Y-Yes, I’ve been well. Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Oh! So you still remember who I am.”

Tilda deliberately swept a worried gaze up and down over Mina. She seemed to recall the rumors that Mina’s mind had been unstable after falling into the lake and regaining consciousness.

“Of course, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“I heard the aftereffects were still severe, so I was worried. But you look better than I expected, what a relief. Just imagine if you had forgotten even your own family because of that incident. That would have been terrible. Don’t you think so, Duke?”

The Empress turned to Duke Wittgen and asked in a gentle tone.

“Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, perhaps thanks to the grace of the imperial family, my daughter’s condition is stable. It is something for which we must give thanks to the Goddess Aster.”

Duke Wittgen answered with a bright smile and a slight bow, looking deeply honored. Gisella also smiled brightly and chimed in like a parrot.

Mina swallowed a bitter smile inwardly.

There had once been a time when the Empress treated Wilhelmina kindly as well. Only when her mother had still been alive.