Eliz blinked her eyes, focusing her gaze on the floor. Her thoughts raced, leaving her feeling disoriented.

The voice of a man reached her ears, but Eliz only half-listened. There were two reasons for her detachment. Firstly, she already knew his lines. Secondly, she needed to come to terms with the baffling situation unfolding before her.

Eliz still couldn't comprehend what had transpired. The voice had informed her that she would be assuming the role of Elizabeth—a detestable character with an even more detestable fate—and that she would be thrust into the very first scene where she would face rejection...?

But what was she supposed to do? Act the part? And if Eliz failed, would she truly face death? Like, actually die?

She felt the texture of the ground beneath her hands, the soft fabric against her body. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her head throbbed faintly. Meanwhile, that obnoxious Gray continued to speak, aggravating her headache further.

'Shut the hell up already!' Eliz thought vehemently.

With that thought fueling her impatience, she stood up and surveyed her surroundings. Despite her headache, she squinted her eyes and found her vision to be blurry. It didn't take her long to identify the source of the voice—the ostentatious couple on the stage.

"So what?" Eliz retorted, her tone brimming with impatience.

Eliz needed to think about things, and she didn't want to risk death or whatever the voice threatened her with. Eliz wanted to escape the situation and find somewhere peaceful to recover. But for now, she decided to take action.

"What did you say? Aren't you ashamed?" Gray's words shot out again, scattering through the hall like rifle shots.

"Hmm?" Eliz raised her hand and pressed her fingers to her temple. She sighed in annoyance.

"Ashamed? Me?" she replied, looking back up at the two of them. Ugh... really like a picture in a magazine. The kind where women scold the girl for her narrow waist and men for his overly attractive jawline, and everyone thinks they had to go through retouching.

"Okay, if you're going to air your dirty laundry in front of everyone, I won't protect you anymore," Eliz announced.

Eliz was fond of aristocratic novels, so she was well-versed in various strategies. Even reading this part, she identified numerous ways to outmaneuver the upper class. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was portrayed as a pathetic character, destined from the start to become a victim of the main couple.

"What are you talking about, Elizabeth? Protecting me?" Gray asked incredulously, looking at her with a hint of disdain.

Eliz found his expression unsettling. She hadn't realized that his aversion to Elizabeth was so intense.

"Gray Ironhound, how long have we been engaged? Don't bother answering; it was a rhetorical question. Several years have passed, and we were set to be married within a year. Then, out of nowhere, the illegitimate daughter of the Count of Derevell appears. And what did you do? You began courting her, meeting her in secret. What was your poor fiancée supposed to think?" Eliz placed her hands on her chest and stepped away slightly, casting a sidelong glance at them. She gave them a look of disgust.

"I am Elizabeth Von Roseblood, the sole daughter of Duke Von Roseblood! Should I have endured the humiliation you subjected me and my name to, Gray Ironhound? Does the name Von Roseblood sound like a joke to you?!"

Eliz intentionally spoke the last words loudly and clearly to emphasize the repercussions.

Gray's face suddenly paled, perhaps beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation. However, he swiftly regained his composure and regained his resolve.

"But what about all the wrongdoings you've committed against Selene? Are you going to deny them?" he challenged.

Eliz couldn't help but chuckle at his feeble defense.

"And what have I done? Yes, I've tried to prevent you from meeting and keep you apart in every way possible to prevent further damage. But it seems that hasn't penetrated that hollow skull of yours," Eliz paused for a moment and had to stop herself from really starting to swear at them.

She didn't know what Elizabeth had done either. The author hadn't mentioned her actions before the story's beginning. But it couldn't have been something terrible, considering Elizabeth wasn't imprisoned and her title remained intact. So now Eliz was cooking out of water.

"Gray, you're also the son of a duke, and we've been engaged for many years. What did you expect? That nobody would find out? Did you think your father would approve of a count's illegitimate daughter as his daughter-in-law? Did you believe he wouldn't be upset that you broke his promise to his friend and sabotaged the union of our families? Did you think my father wouldn't be furious that you humiliated his only daughter? Have you thought about any of this at all?" she snorted with contempt.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"So let's get it over with now. You cheated on me. And now here you are, publicly defaming me for the minor offenses I committed to preventing you from tarnishing our family's good name. So... I think it's fair to say that I've had enough. Did you want a break? Well, consider this a breakup. Who wants to be married to someone who easily falls for another woman and throws away years of building a relationship?" Eliz scanned the room, although her vision was becoming increasingly blurred, and she couldn't clearly make out the expressions of others. The more she spoke, the more her head throbbed. She needed to wrap things up and leave.

If Eliz could see clearly, she would have witnessed the atmosphere in the entire room suddenly shifting. Those who had previously criticized Elizabeth as an evil and jealous woman now started to view the situation differently. Their gaze turned towards the main couple, and judgment filled the air.

Gray began to sweat, bitterly regretting his decision to accuse Elizabeth at the ball publicly. Beside him, Selene trembled slightly, so he tightened his grip on her hand to provide some reassurance. Little did he know that Selene wasn't trembling out of fear or anxiety.

Eliz turned and headed towards the exit of the hall.

"The official announcement of our engagement being called off will be delivered to your estate shortly," she declared. However, after a few steps, Eliz stopped, and without turning around, she spoke. "Eren, what do you think you're doing?"

Her twin brother winced upon hearing his sister's words. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Eliz swiftly turned, her skirt swirling around her ankles, and fixed her violet eyes on him.

"Do you intend to stay here? By the side of someone who has dragged our name through the mud? Are you planning to abandon the Von Roseblood name and become an Eren Ironhound instead?" Her voice sliced through the air like a whip.

Eren winced and glanced at Gray and Selene, mainly focusing on Selene. His gaze quickly lowered, and he pondered momentarily before deciding to follow his sister.

"Eren..." Selene's gentle voice echoed in his ears. He hesitated but chose not to look back. He feared that he wouldn't find the strength to leave if he did.

Elizabeth reached the hall's double doors and flung them open with her hands. She exited the hall, holding her head high and her back proudly straight. Elizabeth left behind a silent hall and a perspiring ex-fiancé.

Eliz stepped out into the cool night air, which did little to alleviate her headache. She felt that she had handled the situation well. So what? Eliz found herself in an unfamiliar predicament, and even if she were in someone else's shoes, she wouldn't allow herself to be humiliated by some dastard.

Eliz heard her treacherous brother's footsteps behind her, but she ignored him and lifted her skirt as she descended the stairs.

She glanced at the servant standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Summon our carriage," she commanded. The servant bowed and hurried off to call the carriage.

Eliz, meanwhile, crossed her arms and surveyed her surroundings. Her vision remained blurry, preventing her from fully appreciating the flower garden's beauty, orderly paths, and meticulously crafted gazebo.

"Sister..." Eren spoke up beside her.

"Shut up," Eliz snapped sharply. She was not in the mood at the moment. Her head was pounding, and she had no patience to listen to the complaints of some second-rate character, especially one who happened to be the blood brother of a traitor.

Eren bit his tongue in fright, as he had never heard his sister speak like that before, despite her not being known for her delicacy.

He glanced at his sister's profile and began to notice her pallor and the pained narrowing of her eyes.

Earlier in the hall, he had been convinced that his sister had gone astray and become despicable. He knew she had done wrong to Selene, but he had never considered looking at it from any other perspective. He couldn't understand why that was. Whenever he thought of Selene and all that Elizabeth had inflicted upon her, anger surged in his chest, and he simply wanted to protect Selene.

But upon hearing Elizabeth's words, he felt perplexed. Her words made sense.

And then fear washed over him. What had happened to him? He had nearly betrayed his name without even comprehending why.

A carriage arrived with its coachman, who greeted them respectfully. Eren wanted to offer Elizabeth a helping hand, but she ignored his gesture and boarded the carriage on her own. Feeling hesitant and embarrassed, Eren withdrew his hand. He knew his sister was furious with him.

Neither of them spoke a word until they settled in the carriage adorned with their family crest - two intertwined roses with thorns dripping drops of blood.

"Elizabeth..." Eren began once more.

"I told you to shut up," Elizabeth retorted, reclining and closing her eyes.

Eren observed her for a moment. "What happened in there, I never..." He began to speak.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and fixed him with a disquieting gaze. "You never what? You never thought to ask me? Have you never considered seeing it from my perspective? You never pondered how much you were hurting your own sister? Did you never consider betraying your twin sister and subjecting her to a lifetime of shame? And for what? For a woman who doesn't even possess half a brain? Who doesn't even care about you and chose Gray? What did you hope to become? Her lover? Her lackey? To idolize her from a distance? To warm her bed while Gray was away? What the hell were you thinking?!"

Eren's mouth gaped in astonishment, rendered breathless by Elizabeth's blunt and indecent words.

However, Eren quickly regained his composure.

"Elizabeth!" he exclaimed indignantly, prompting Elizabeth to roll her eyes.

"Do not play the innocent, you little traitor. If you truly regret all of this, you'll do as I say. You will not see Selene again. No more writing to her or receiving her letters, no meetings, no spying, absolutely nothing! Stay the hell away from her!"

Upon hearing this, Eren felt a pang of pain, and his face contorted. "Elizabeth, you can't ask me to do that. I love her!"

To his astonishment, Elizabeth emitted a sound akin to retching. "Give me a break. Your thighs are just getting warm. What you have isn't love; it's obsession. So, I'm going to give you a proper detox."

"A d-detox?" Eren stammered.

"Yes. A Selene ban! Now shut up, you traitor. My head is throbbing."

With that, she fell silent, leaving her shaken brother alone.

A terrible headache plagued Eliz. She had become more forceful than intended but had no patience for this situation. Eliz just wanted to silence him swiftly. Her mind felt like it was starting to blur.

'What was truly happening here? Why was this occurring? How did she get here?'

These were her final thoughts before her body gave way and she lost consciousness.