MY LIFE, TAKE TWO

THE PERFECT ACT

The Duke’s residence was unusually quiet that evening.

Servants moved carefully through the halls, whispering among themselves as news from the palace spread.

Lady Selene had been placed under confinement.

Inside the main sitting room, the Duke and Duchess sat across from one another.

The Duke held a report in his hands.

The Duchess remained composed, though her fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of her chair.

“The letters were found in her room,” the Duke said finally.

The Duchess sighed softly

“I suppose it was only a matter of time.”

At that moment, the doors opened.

Celeste stepped inside.

Her eyes were wide, her breathing uneven.

“Tell me it isn’t true.”

The Duke looked up at her calmly.

“It appears Selene has involved herself in something reckless.”

Celeste froze.

“…What?”

“The palace found letters linking her to hired assassins,” the Duchess said evenly.

“She has been placed under confinement until the investigation is complete.”

For a moment, Celeste simply stared at them.

Waiting.

Waiting for them to say it was a misunderstanding.

Waiting for them to say they would help her.

But neither of them moved.

Instead, the Duke folded the report and placed it on the table.

“If she truly did something so foolish, then she must face the consequences.”

Celeste’s hands trembled.

“You… actually believe that?”

The Duchess lifted a brow.

“The evidence speaks for itself.”

Something inside Celeste snapped.

Tears suddenly filled her eyes.

“How can you say that about your own daughter?!”

The Duke frowned slightly at her raised voice.

“Celeste-”

“No, father!”

Her voice shook, but she didn’t stop.

“You’re her parents too!”

She pointed at them, tears sliding down her cheeks.

“And the first thing you do is believe she’s guilty?!”

The Duchess’s expression hardened.

“You’re being emotional.”

“Of course I am!” Celeste cried. “Because someone has to care!”

Her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to steady herself.

Then her voice lowered.

But it hurt even more.

“…Do you even know Selene?”

The room fell silent.

Celeste looked between them.

“Do you know what she likes?”

No one answered.

“Do you know what she hates?”

Still nothing.

“Do you know anything about your own daughter?”

Her voice cracked.

“That right there proves it.”

She wiped her tears roughly.

“You don’t even know her.”

The Duke’s expression darkened slightly.

“Watch your tone.”

But Celeste shook her head.

“No… you should listen for once.”

Her voice softened, trembling with emotion.

“All Selene ever got from you was punishment.”

She looked down for a moment.

“Do you know how many nights she cried?”

The Duchess looked slightly uncomfortable.

Celeste laughed weakly.

“Of course you don’t.”

She looked up again.

“Because you never cared enough to see it.”

Her voice grew quiet.

“The only thing you ever did was remind her she was inferior.”

Silence hung heavily in the room.

Celeste took a slow breath.

“All those years… I watched it happen.”

Her hands clenched at her sides.

“And all I could do was comfort her afterward.”

She shook her head bitterly.

“I couldn’t even tell you about it.”

Her eyes met theirs again.

“Because I knew you wouldn’t listen.”

Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.

“I was your perfect little princess.”

The words landed like a blade.

“And Selene… was just the disappointment.”

The Duke looked away first.

The Duchess said nothing.

After a long moment, Celeste wiped the last of her tears.

Then she straightened.

Her voice became calm again.

“I’ll be going to the palace.”

Neither parent stopped her.

She turned toward the door.

But before leaving, she paused.

Without looking back, she spoke one last time.

“I hope one day you realize what kind of parents you’ve been.”

Then she walked out of the room.

The door closed quietly behind her.

And for the first time that evening—

The silence inside the Duke’s residence felt unbearably heavy.

----------------

The training hall behind the knights’ barracks was quieter than usual.

Most of the knights had been sent out to question servants and guards, leaving only the dull clatter of weapons being maintained somewhere in the distance.

Sirian stood near the long wooden table covered in reports and sealed parchments.

His brows were drawn together as he read through yet another witness statement.

None of it felt right.

“Brother!”

The doors burst open without warning.

Sirian didn’t even look up immediately.

Only one person in the palace entered his office like that.

Princess Sera stormed inside, her steps sharp against the stone floor.

“You have to stop this nonsense,” she said without greeting.

Sirian finally lifted his eyes from the parchment.

Sera stood before him with her arms crossed, her expression burning with frustration.

“Stop what exactly?” he asked calmly.

“You know exactly what!” she snapped.

“Everyone in the palace is already whispering that Selene tried to assassinate Princess Isolde.”

Sirian folded the document neatly before setting it aside.

“The knights and I are still investigating the matter,” he said evenly. “This is no small crime, Sera.”

An attempted assassination of a royal guest was serious enough to shake the entire kingdom.

But Sera shook her head immediately.

“She wouldn’t do that.”

Sirian leaned back slightly in his chair.

“The evidence currently points to Lady Veyrant.”

“The evidence-”

“What if it was planted?” Sera cut in sharply.

The words echoed in the room.

For a moment, Sirian simply looked at her.

Then he exhaled slowly.

“That is precisely what I am considering,” he replied.

Sera blinked.

“If we were only following the surface evidence,” Sirian continued calmly, “this investigation would already be over.”

That was also the reason the court was growing impatient.

Sera’s anger softened slightly, though her frown remained.

“So you don’t believe she did it?”

“I believe,” Sirian said carefully, “that rushing to conclusions would be foolish.”

He tapped one finger lightly against the table.

“Which is why this investigation is taking longer than the court would like.”

Sera relaxed a little.

But Sirian’s next words wiped that relief away instantly.

“The king has given us one more day.”

Sera froze.

Sirian’s voice remained steady.

“His Majesty has made it clear that the kingdom cannot allow this matter to drag on any further.”

He paused before finishing the sentence.

“Whether Lady Selene is guilty or not…”

“…the Veyrant family will become the scapegoat.”

The room fell silent.

Sera’s eyes widened.

“That’s ridiculous!” she burst out.

Sirian didn’t respond.

Because he knew it was.

But politics rarely cared about fairness.

“If the court cannot produce a culprit,” Sirian continued quietly, “they will simply choose the most convenient one.”

“And right now…”

He didn’t finish.

He didn’t need to.

The Veyrant Duchy was already unpopular among the nobles.

Sera slammed her hand on the table.

“That’s not justice!”

Sirian watched his younger sister carefully.

“No,” he agreed calmly.

“It’s politics.”

Before Sera could argue further, a knock came from the door.

Both siblings turned.

The door opened slowly, and Mara stepped inside.

She walked in with measured steps before bowing respectfully.

“Your Highness.”

Sirian gave a small nod

Mara then turned toward Sera.

“Princess,” she said politely, “Lady Veyrant has arrived to see you.”

Sera blinked.

“Lady Veyrant?”

For a brief moment, confusion crossed her face.

Selene’s sister?

Only her?

Sera frowned slightly in thought but quickly shook it off.

“Very well.”

She turned back to Sirian and gave a quick curtsy.

“I’ll deal with that first.”

Sirian only nodded.

Sera hurried out of the room with Mara following behind her.

The door closed quietly behind them.

Silence returned to the office.

Sirian remained seated for a moment.

Then he reached for another report on the table.

But instead of opening it immediately, he stared at the sealed parchment.

His gaze slowly darkened.

Something about this entire case felt… wrong.

Which meant someone in the palace had already decided who the culprit should be.

-------------

The chamber was quiet when the knock came.

Isolde sat near the window while one of her maids gently brushed her long hair.

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting soft light across the room.

“Enter,” she said softly.

The door opened and two royal knights stepped inside. Both men bowed deeply.

“Your Highness.”

Isolde turned slightly toward them, her expression calm.

“Yes?”

The knights exchanged a brief glance before the older one spoke.

“During the investigation, evidence was discovered in Lady Veyrant’s chamber.”

For a moment, the room fell silent.

Isolde blinked slowly.

Then she let out a soft, confused chuckle.

“Lady… Veyrant?”

Her brows knitted together as if she didn’t quite understand.

“You mean Lady Selene?”

The knight lowered his head.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Isolde stared at them for a long moment.

Then she shook her head.

“That must be a mistake.”

Her voice trembled slightly.

“Lady Selene fought the assassins for me. She risked her life protecting me.”

Her hands tightened slightly in her lap.

“She couldn’t have done such a thing.”

The knights remained still.

“With all due respect, Your Highness,” the older knight said carefully, “the evidence currently points to Lady Selene.”

The words seemed to strike her.

Isolde’s lips parted slightly.

“So…”

Her voice came out small and fragile.

“So she tried to kill me?”

Neither knight answered.

Instead, they bowed deeply.

“We will continue our investigation, Your Highness.”

Without another word, they turned and left the chamber.

The moment the door closed, the maids rushed closer.

“Your Highness!”

“How terrible!”

“Please don’t distress yourself!”

One of them dabbed gently at Isolde’s eyes as if comforting her.

For a few seconds, Isolde remained still.

Tears clung to her lashes.

Then—

She wiped them away.

Completely.

Her expression changed instantly.

The sadness vanished as if it had never existed.

A small chuckle escaped her lips.

Then another.

Soon she was quietly laughing to herself.

Across the room, Elyse, her lady-in-waiting, stood stiffly near the wall, her head lowered.

Isolde’s laughter faded.

Her eyes slid toward Elyse.

Cold.

“How foolish can you be?” she said lazily.

Elyse’s shoulders trembled.

“My… my apologies, Your Highness.”

Isolde leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other.

“My target wasn’t the Veyrant girl.”

Her voice carried clear irritation.

“It was the other one.” she referred to Mara

Elyse immediately bowed deeply.

“I take full responsibility for my mistake, Your Highness,” she said quickly. “Lady Veyrant’s chamber was the only one accessible at that moment.”

Isolde scrunched up her nose slightly in annoyance.

For a moment she looked ready to scold her further.

But then—

A slow, satisfied smile spread across her face.

“Well…”

She rested her chin lightly against her hand.

“It still worked out nicely.”

Her eyes gleamed with amusement.

“I quite enjoyed the princess’s desperate expression earlier.”

Sera’s angry face flashed through her mind, and Isolde laughed softly again.

“I wonder what the Veyrant girl looks like right now.”

Her smile widened.

“She must be terrified.”

After all, no noble family could survive being accused of attempting to assassinate a royal guest.

Isolde rose gracefully from her chair.

Her maids quickly straightened.

“Your Highness?”

Isolde smoothed the folds of her dress before turning toward the door.

“I think,” she said lightly, “I should pay Lady Selene a visit.”

Her lips curved into a delicate smile.

“After all…”

Her eyes glittered.

“It would be cruel to leave her alone at a time like this.”