Chapter 7

I figured he must have done something humiliating to the princess, something intolerable. There really was no end to what this woman would do. She was the perfect example of just how power could corrupt someone. And now she was me.

“Time flies, doesn’t it?” the emperor said. “It’s actually been five years... I can’t believe it.”

“Five years...” I murmured.

“That’s right—it was right after you declared your relationship, so five years exactly.”

I suddenly remembered the princess was 23 years old. Five years ago, she would have been 18. Not that age was much of an issue, but had she been that vicious even then?

“While we’re on the subject, Via...”

Via. There was deep affection in the way the emperor addressed her by her nickname. It appeared he still really cared for her, despite her infamous attitude. Though it did make me wonder what he’d been doing throughout her tyrannical behavior. Had he just left her to go wild? Doubt it. Maybe he was the one who spoiled her. She was his one and only blood relative, after all. Or perhaps she had refused to change no matter how much he tried.

“When he returns this time... be nice to him, would you?”

“...”

The emperor was looking at me, his expression grave, I think, but he was a bit too far away for me to be sure. But after he said this, the mood suddenly shifted.

“I heard you showed mercy yesterday,” he continued.

Mercy. Was that how it looked to other people?

“I don’t expect you to treat him with the same mercy, but hearing about yesterday, I believe something must have happened to make you have a change of heart.”

A change of heart... I suppose you could call it that. Her entire soul had been switched.

“So please, go easy on him. We can’t let his talent go to waste, can we?” my brother implored.

I realized suddenly why the emperor was in such a good mood. It was because the princess had changed. Because that must have been something he had desperately longed for, so much so that he didn’t want to find it strange or worth questioning.

“I understand,” I replied. What a laughable tragedy. Only when the real princess was gone was she someone everyone else wanted her to be. I smiled at the emperor.

I’ll play my part as a princess as best I can, I silently resolved. That’s one thing I can promise you. It’s the least I can do when you just lost your only sister.

“I wonder if he will still want to remain my concubine,” I ventured.

“What do you mean? There’s no way he could change that, unless you choose to renounce him yourself.”

“He probably hates me...”

The emperor tilted his head, stroking his chin with his thumb.

“Well, you, of all people, should remember what kind of a man he is.”

So did that mean he hated me or not? I couldn’t directly ask for an answer, not when the emperor clearly assumed that I already knew.

“While we’re on the subject, I’m sure you know we’ve signed a treaty with the Rothschild Empire during the war,” he continued. “And our temporary alliance will be over by the end of the month.”

I listened absentmindedly, thinking this had nothing to do with me.

“Boron Kingdom has collapsed, since they couldn’t afford the massive reparations after losing the war, so our two empires will soon be negotiating the borders of the now available territory.”

“So...?” I asked, unsure where this was going.

“I want to entrust the entire situation to you.”

I tucked my hair behind my ear and slowly said, “I’m sorry... I think I misheard you.”

“Sir Éclat will be helping you, so you won’t need to worry. It will be a good chance for you to improve your relationship.”

Did he have to look so pleased when he said that? And why did it feel like he was using something as serious as territory negotiations between nations as a means to fix relationship issues?

“No,” I refused. “Why would I?”

I didn’t want to take on such a task and risk blowing my cover.

“Don’t think of it as a chore,” the emperor responded quickly. “You can do whatever you want with it.”

“I’m not thinking of it as a—” I started.

“You always wanted to visit the east, didn’t you? Now’s the best time. Isn’t this perfect?”

I was at a loss for words. Was I supposed to use the negotiations as an excuse to go on vacation? What was this guy playing at? How was he even keeping the nation running himself?

“It doesn’t sound particularly good to me,” I answered.

“You’ll find it an interesting experience,” the emperor added. “The climate there is different, so you’ll need to ensure proper preparations are made.”

“...”

Maybe this unnecessarily long dining table was built so that the emperor could hear only what he wanted to hear. Nothing else could explain how pointedly he was ignoring my refusals. He might as well have had brick walls around his ears. By the time I came to my senses, I was already standing outside, halfway down the corridor.

I couldn’t believe he was actually making me do it. I had no desire whatsoever to return to my chamber. It should have been me, not Etsen, running away last night.

“I want to go out,” I said.

“Where...” said a trembling voice.

I turned and saw my lady-in-waiting staring at me, pale with fright. What on earth did this goddamn princess do when she went out?

I sighed and said, “A walk. I want to go on a walk. Everyone leave me... except for you.”

The selected lady-in-waiting swallowed bravely and stepped forward.

“I’ll lead the way, Your Highness!” she said, a little too enthusiastically.

As we began to walk, a notification appeared.

Ding!

Etsen has left a note at your door: “I’ll wait in our usual spot.” But you were on your way to meet Robért. Who will you choose?

A. Etsen

B. Robért

This Arielle seemed to be keeping herself busy, visiting Robért even after everything that happened last night.

“We’re here, Your Highness.”

I tore my eyes away from the notification screen as the lady-in-waiting flung open a heavy set of doors, and was instantly met with a refreshing, fragrant breeze. I’d spent far too much time holed up in my chamber, so that I wouldn’t arouse suspicion, and had forgotten how wonderful the sun felt on my skin. Meanwhile, the lady-in-waiting was walking very distractedly, clearly out of sorts. She was practically begging to fall on her face.

“Look,” I said.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Um...” I just realized I didn’t know her name. “What’s your name?”

“Huh? Oh... Daisy, Your Highness.”

“Right, Daisy. Did I ever—”

“Aaah!”

Tripping on the hem of my dress, Daisy fell forward with a shriek. I lurched forward too, but just managed to keep my balance. It was such a predictable outcome that I wasn’t even mad. At least I hadn’t disgraced myself by falling on top of her. If this had happened to the real princess, Daisy would likely have been sentenced to death. At least I made it a little less serious by protecting the princess’s dignity and not falling over. Daisy looked up at me.

“M-m-my apologies, Y-Your Highness!” she stammered.

“Never mind, I—”

“I’ll r-r-reimburse you! F-f-for the d-dress, I m-mean, Y-Your Highness!” she stammered. Not even giving me a chance to respond, Daisy crawled over and clung to my ankles, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

“Let go...” I muttered.

Her grip was freakishly strong, and I couldn’t pry her off me. Daisy began frantically rubbing on my dress, trying to remove the vivid footprint she had left, but only ended up smudging it further. Realizing she couldn’t fix it, she quickly gave up and bowed flat on the ground.

“Please spare my life, Your Highness!” she cried.

“Pfft,” I snorted.

Daisy’s head snapped up, her eyes widening in alarm.

“Oh, sorry,” I started.

Embarrassed for having laughed at someone so utterly desperate, I crouched down to look her in the face and brushed away the tears brimming in her eyes.

“I won’t kill you, so stop crying,” I said.

“You...you won’t? Really? Th-then... Will you punish me?”

“No.” I couldn’t help chuckling again. This girl was so innocent. I hadn’t met anyone like this since ending up here, and my heart felt purified just watching her. “Does it hurt where you fell? Are you all right?”

“You...you won’t? Oh, yes! I’m fine!” Daisy said, hurriedly covering her wounded knees with her hands.

“Go back to clean up and get treatment,” I told her. “I can walk alone.”

“But—”

“But?” When I looked at her sternly, Daisy jumped and took a step back, horrified.

“Th-then I’ll call for someone else,” she said.

“No.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Daisy scurried away without looking back.

“...”

I was left completely alone. The chill from the bracing winds went straight to my bones, but I didn’t mind. The gardens were peaceful. Through the bare and scraggly trees, I noticed a couple evergreens. Taking my time, I leisurely strolled through the trees.

My mood felt considerably lighter as I kicked off my shoes. I picked up my skirt to keep it from dragging on the ground, letting my toes sink into the soft soil beneath my feet. After a minute, I broke into a run. The tip of my nose tingled as the wind whipped my face. I was just debating whether I should scream into the winds when

I saw someone leaning against a gigantic, gnarled tree that must have been at least two hundred years old. He was standing with his back to me, facing the cloudless skies, his hair swaying in the breeze along with the branches. He must have heard my footsteps because he turned his head and met my gaze.

It was Etsen.