The Romance Fantasy Novel MC is Only Into Me

—It seems things have gotten way out of hand. I’d like some advice on what to do.

Ransell already had an answer ready for that. He quickly grabbed his quill.
—Advice? No, I will gladly assist you.
The crow hopped onto his shoulder. Without a glance, Ransell kept writing.

—First, since you represent this secret organization, it’d be good to put up a figurehead. Remember the maid named Mary I mentioned before? You’ll make her your stand-in… in other words, a fake Lemon Verbena.
[Caw!]
As he wrote that, the crow on his shoulder flapped its wings in surprise.

It seemed to sense Marigold’s bewilderment at suddenly becoming the stand-in (or not).
[Caw! Caw!]
“Quiet, quiet.”

Ransell cleanly ignored it once again.
—Keep this in mind. From now on, Mary is Lemon Verbena. Any information thrown at the royals will be about Mary. So you don’t need to worry or fret about anything. I’ll take care of it all. That’s all.
[Caw! Caw!]

The crow fluttered its wings.
Ransell hastily handed the letter to its beak.
“That’s enough.”

He grabbed the crow’s wing tightly, which suddenly went silent, and threw it out the window.
“Go.”
The crow flapped its wings and flew off, its departing figure looking somewhat conflicted.

“Phew.”
Ransell smiled.
‘Marigold, this time you will become the imperial consort.’
“Mary, you heard, right?”

“Y-yes!”
Ransell took the nervous Marigold into the room.
“There’s nothing difficult. From today, you’re Lemon Verbena. Just remember that.”

“...Um, about that, Lord Ransell.”
“Hm?”
“Really, I mean, just in case! If I were really the Lemon Verbena of Darkhood… then what would happen?”

She was going right on.
Since Ransell expected this question, he quietly gave a thumbs-up.
“Why not.”

“Huh? Is that okay?”
“It’s not like you are, anyway.”
“Oh! Yes! But if, I mean only if...!”

“If it’s only if.”
Ransell pretended to ponder for a moment while stroking his chin.
Then he patted Marigold’s shoulder and said,

“Then it’s probably better because no one’s being deceived.”
“...?”
Persuasion complete.

Soon after, the day for the first hint about Lemon Verbena arrived.
A crow appeared in the quiet capital square and began scattering dozens of sheets of paper into the air. The content was only one thing:
[Hint 1. Lemon Verbena is a recent outsider to the capital.]

This sparked heated debate among the capital nobles.
 
“If she’s a noble from outside, no doubt! It’s Countess Verre!”
“Hey, she’s married though. How could she propose? Her husband’s still alive.”

“Got it! It’s Lady Clanes!”
“Lady Clanes is only six this year.”
“Such clueless people. Look at the name Lemon Verbena. Most likely the daughter of the Rosvarta family.”

“Wasn’t she born in the capital?”
“Oh. Was she?”
The nobles raised their voices as if finding some excitement in their dull lives.

They swarmed to question the nominated ladies.
“Let’s ask honestly. Miss Anis, are you Lemon Verbena?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure. Maybe I am?”

“See? Miss Anis is Lemon Verbena, right?”
“I’ll leave it to your imagination. Ha, I wonder if His Highness the Prince knows this. Maybe someone should leak my info...?”
“Oh. So you’re not. Excuse me.”

“Wait! I never said I wasn’t!”
The ladies were reluctant to flatly deny it.
Nobles of the prince’s level rarely approached first, so they seemed to secretly want to be misunderstood.

At that point, Ransell contacted a man.
“Your name’s Ransell, right? Have a seat.”
A man with a friendly face gestured to the seat opposite him in the carriage.

The Second Prince.
Arwen Rui Freesia.
“I heard you know something about Lemon Verbena. Is it true?”

He was the prince Ransell chose to marry Marigold to.
Though he had a bit of an arrogant °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° noble attitude, among many unruly princes he was a decent choice. Except for the time-limited Fourth Prince, maybe the best option.
“Few know Lemon Verbena better than I do, Your Highness.”

“I believe you. I hate losing to my brothers, so I have to win.”
“...Speaking of which.”
Ransell asked a question he had been curious about.

“I remember it was originally a bet between just you two princes. How come everyone else got involved?”
“Don’t you know? The imperial ball is coming soon. Everyone’s desperate to stand out. And too many people have been stirring the pot.”
Just that reason?

Ransell had to suppress a smirk. This crumbling empire was rife with distrust and obsession among royals.
Was this the true face of the empire he once loyally served? He only hoped no war broke out within ten years.
“Anyway, tell me everything you know.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”
Ransell lowered his voice and continued.
“Lemon Verbena may not be a noble.”

The Second Prince’s expression hardened.
“A commoner?”
“Yes, for now.”

“What are you saying? Speak properly.”
“There are quite a few families who were once powerful nobles but have completely declined. Lemon Verbena’s origin is one of those.”
“A fallen noble family that lost all status… that narrows it down, but there must be a handful of ruined families.”

“Enough info to narrow down candidates.”
“Alright, got it. Thanks a lot, Ransell. If your info is true, I’ll reward you well later. You can count on that.”
The Second Prince winked and left.

‘Feels like I spoon-fed him everything.’
Hints kept coming once a month thereafter.
[Hint 2. Lemon Verbena’s age is closer to twenty than thirty.]

[Hint 3. Lemon Verbena’s hair is very light blonde.]
[Hint 4. Lemon Verbena recently made a large donation to the Martyr Church.]
[Hint 5. Lemon Verbena has no home of her own. She is hiding in the mansion of a wealthy noble.]

[Hint 6. Lemon Verbena is…]
.
.
.
“Lord Ransell.”

“Why.”
Ransell looked down at the maid Marigold lying with her head on his leg.
Outside the window was Baron Evil Shen’s garden. Snowflakes fell pure white as if proving winter was coming.

“Next life, I want to do better.”
This turn of Marigold’s life clearly wasn’t going well. Whatever she wanted to do, he didn’t know.
“Life sounds like someone prepared several of them.”

“What would you do if there really were several?”
“Then that’d be amazing.”
A brief silence.

“If in the next life I...”
Marigold muttered something.
“...”

Ransell was silent for a moment, then spoke.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Positively?”

“Yes. Positively.”
“I promise.”
Presumably.

Once it became known that Lemon Verbena was a commoner, countless people would swarm her immediately.
Most hints were already revealed. It wasn’t too hard to guess.
Yet people remained trapped in the assumption that Lemon Verbena was a noble.

Most nobles still hadn’t grasped this.
Candidates kept appearing and disappearing daily, and soon the imperial ball was right around the corner.
=============
Congratulations! The review for Marigold’s junior baron title has been successfully completed. Soon the imperial court will grant her the certification badge!

Marigold was no longer a maid.
“How do I look, Lord Ransell?”
She appeared in a gorgeous party dress, having wandered through shops all day to get it tailored.

The white hem embroidered with golden threads fluttered as Marigold moved. Backlit by the sun, she shone dazzlingly.
“Suits you.”
“Hehe.”

Marigold was now fully prepared to attend the imperial ball.
Of course, she had no intention of proposing to a prince. Unlike the capital’s noble ladies, the idea of princes barely existed in her mind. She would cling to Ransell alone at the ball.
But Ransell would not attend.

He had no intention to participate.
Unaware of this, Marigold would likely be left alone at the ball, fully receiving the attention of the royals.
With the stage set, something was bound to happen.

If lucky, love might blossom instantly between a prince and Marigold just like in the game.
“The Marigold Count family...”
Finally, the Second Prince hit the mark.

 
Making Marigold the imperial consort had become something like an obsession for Ransell.
He wasn’t sure if it was the right thing, but there was no need to ponder whether it was worth trying.
‘She has to become the imperial consort.’

Ransell thought simply.
Wasn’t it natural? The game ‘Fallen Noble Lady Simulation’ was exactly that kind of game. A game focused on marrying Marigold to someone.
Marigold’s long journey seeking happiness always ended when she was chosen by someone as their partner.

Among the many endings, the crowning jewel was always ‘Imperial Consort Marigold’.
Ransell knew this well. That was why he desperately tried to marry her to someone of high status. Hoping that after losing everything at age ten, happiness would finally come to Marigold’s life.
“Mary.”

And today.
“...The Marigold Count family...”
Hearing that from the Second Prince sent a shiver through Ransell.

It was the first time anyone other than himself had spoken her ‘real name’.
His efforts to carefully feed hints without revealing too much seemed worthwhile.
“But that’s strange.”

The Second Prince’s face was serious.
“If that junior baron Mary really is the daughter of the Marigold family... the palace wouldn’t spare her.”
“What do you mean?”

Ransell momentarily doubted his ears.
The Second Prince spoke again.
“She’s from a rebel family.”

“......”
All his thoughts froze.
“The long-time enemy of the royal family, the Marigold Count family.”

His lips tightened.
His ears rang, vision blurred.
It felt like something had flown and struck him hard on the back of the head.

—Don’t be too curious about that family, young master.
“Come to think of it, this was supposed to be a secret. But since I’ve said it, I can’t help it. Just don’t go around blabbing, Ransell.”
Marigold.

From the start.
She was someone who could never become imperial consort.