Chapter 2 : Wouldn’t You Like To Try It Properly?

The life of Isabella Astel, princess of the Astel Empire, was perfect.

At least, that’s what Isabella herself thought.

Born as the emperor’s only beloved late-born daughter, she grew up basking in the unconditional love of her family and had never faced any significant hardship or adversity in her life.

A girl raised in such an environment often assumes the world revolves around her, developing the personality of a spoiled villainess.

But, surprisingly, Isabella was different.

She instinctively realized that the sweet favors showered upon her were not permanent.

Thus, Isabella pondered ways to preserve those favors and, as a result, chose to play the role of a dutiful daughter.

It wasn’t particularly difficult. Simply showing gratitude and not taking the kindness for granted was enough.

Her divine, almost otherworldly beauty made this task easier.

Naturally, rumors spread that Isabella was not only beautiful but also perfect inside and out.

And so, Isabella became known as the “Jewel of the Empire,” and the favors she received grew larger in scale and came from more and more people—

to the point it became slightly bothersome.

If she had desired the throne, things might have turned out differently.

The lust for power often carries the dark magic of betrayal, even among family.

However, Isabella was well aware that going up against the two crown princes, who had established strong foundations before her birth, would not be easy.

She also knew that entering the competition for the throne could tarnish the flawless image she had cultivated.

After all, one effective strategy in any rivalry is to undermine the opponent.

So, she quickly withdrew from the race for the throne, using the excuse that she didn’t want to quarrel with her brothers.

She ensured she wouldn’t make enemies of either, regardless of who eventually became emperor.

With her image intact and her peaceful life unthreatened, Isabella believed she was destined for a life of envy, free from hardship or adversity until her death.

Nothing would ever threaten her.

“…I’m sorry…”

“…No, it’s my fault for keeping it a secret, even from my closest aides.”

That would have been true—if the hardship and adversity hadn’t been of her own making.

This time, the trouble arose from her curiosity, sparked by the newly added avatar creation feature on a platform called NewTube.

Avatars.

Odd-looking figures that moved in sync with the user’s actions, giving the surreal feeling that you had become one of those strange illustrations.

The fact that she didn’t need to bother with disguises and could broadcast to an indefinite audience with minimal risk of being exposed greatly appealed to Isabella.

Wouldn’t someone recognize her voice?

Changing her voice and mannerisms just a little would be enough.

And considering the fixed assumption that a princess wouldn’t do such a thing, the likelihood of being discovered was almost nonexistent.

Yes.

Isabella had let her guard down.

She thought she wouldn’t be caught, so she grew careless.

She naively assumed that nothing would happen because she was only trying it out briefly, just for fun.

The thrill of indulging in the forbidden of pretending to be a lowly maid, a spectacle that could be seen by an indefinite number of people despite her noble imperial blood.

it was intoxicating, and in her intoxication, she made a mistake.

She couldn’t be discovered.

She absolutely must not be discovered.

Well, isn’t that just a matter of social reputation?

What if it were revealed that the third princess, hailed as the “Jewel of the Empire,” someone destined to rule, had a secret hobby of pretending to be a maid—a member of the ruled?

And to top it off, what if it came to light that she even uttered suggestive phrases while doing so, knowing full well that it could be seen by an indefinite audience?

Isabella was serious when she thought she might die of shame if this ever got out.

However, even though she had made a mistake, she wasn’t overly concerned.

In fact, she was rather relaxed.

And for good reason.

“Are you really sure about this?”

“Yes, really. Hardly anyone saw it, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Because only one person had witnessed Isabella’s eccentric antics.

The video?

It was deleted immediately.

The entire thing happened in the blink of an eye, so there wasn’t even time for evidence or anything to be left behind.

This meant that if the person who saw it wanted to make it public, they’d have to claim it entirely without proof, relying solely on their word.

And that would be utterly insane.

To publicly accuse a member of the imperial family without solid evidence?

To slander the third princess, who had no real negative public image?

No one would believe it.

“Your Highness, I need to speak with you for a moment.”

“…What is it?”

“It’s something that would be difficult to say here. Someone might overhear us.”

“Hmm… Sorry, but I don’t think I can—”

“It’s about avatars.”

“…Just for a moment, then.”

That’s why Isabella could remain calm, even though the word “avatar” had just been brought up.

Without evidence, there was nothing that could truly threaten her.

“…Isn’t this Your Highness?”

To put it another way—

“Master, how may I serve you?”

‘…This feels a little lacking.’

“Let’s go a bit more provocative.”

“Yes, Master, please punish this lowly maid—”

“Your Highness, I apologize for disturbing you while you’re busy—”

“…Ah.”

If irrefutable evidence existed, then the situation would change drastically.

For a moment, the question “How?” popped into Isabella’s mind.

Had they been recording the broadcast from the very beginning?

But why?

How?

Could they have somehow known she was broadcasting in advance?

Isabella wanted to faint on the spot.

But she somehow managed to maintain her composure.

Showing even the slightest sign of agitation now would only signal to the other person that they held the upper hand.

What’s done is done.

At the very least, she needed to focus on damage control.

Clicking her tongue lightly in frustration, Isabella recalled the personal details of the man standing before her.

Rei Volcan.

The second son of the Volcan Count family.

He was also the son of a meritorious noble who had played a pivotal role in supporting Isabella’s father, who had been merely the third prince, to ascend to the throne.

From a general perspective, it was inconceivable that the Volcan family would do anything to harm the imperial family.

After all, the power of the imperial family directly translated to the strength of the Volcan family.

Which meant…

‘…Could this just be a personal deviation?’

For Isabella, this was at least some consolation amidst misfortune.

It was far easier to deal with an individual than an entire count’s household.

With a slight smile, Isabella opened her mouth to speak.

“…Couldn’t it be possible that someone created a fabricated video to trap me?”

The implication of her words was clear.

If he attempted to use this video to threaten her, she would make sure it backfired spectacularly.

Rei’s response was just as straightforward.

“If that were the case, then that someone must be incredibly skilled, to the point of creating such a convincing fake video on a new platform like NewTube that everyone would believe it without question.”

The implication here was equally clear.

How could that possibly make sense?

‘Rei Volcan… I thought he was just an ordinary academy classmate…’

There was no need to listen further to guess what Rei Volcan’s objective was.

It was obvious.

He likely intended to use this as leverage to strike some kind of deal that benefited him.

And Isabella had a rough idea of what that benefit might be.

Rei Volcan was the second son of the Volcan family.

Barring any unexpected variables, the position of Count Volcan would go to the eldest son.

But with the support of the third imperial princess?

He could very well create those variables.

‘Even if it’s not that… he’d probably ask for some kind of career advancement.’

She never expected him to move so quickly—grabbing hold of leverage and immediately attempting a deal that bordered on blackmail.

As the second son of the Volcan family, silencing him wouldn’t be easy unless she had her own leverage.

But Isabella didn’t give up.

Even though she had withdrawn from the race for the throne, she still bore the most noble blood in the empire.

And she would make it abundantly clear what it meant to antagonize her.

As she steeled herself for retribution against the man before her—

“Oh, by the way, I don’t have any intention of using this to blackmail you.”

Rei Volcan casually showed Isabella that he had just deleted the video in question.

“…Huh?”

Isabella couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

If he wasn’t planning to blackmail her, then why had he gone to the trouble of arranging this meeting and showing her the video—something that could undeniably be used against her?

Was it to earn her gratitude?

Or perhaps to gain her favor, even just a little?

Isabella’s eyes demanded an explanation, and Rei quickly voiced his true intent.

“Your Highness, have you thought about doing what you did… properly?”

“…What?”

Of course, that didn’t do much to clear Isabella’s confusion.