DYBAR - Chapter 7

DYBAR  - Chapter 7

The Girl Who Endured And The Dog Raised By The Emperor

Do Your Best And Regret it

I thought my debutante would be perfect. I thought the same way before my debutante debut. I went on a diet by starving myself, and everything from the dress to the makeup and hair fit really well.

That was when the first waltz started and my heart felt like it was going to explode with anticipation. The moment the dazzlingly handsome Leopold asked the daughter of the Marquis of Nordic to his first dance, everything fell apart. I knew it.

Leopold was reluctant to become engaged to me, and the fact that the Crown Prince was betrothed to Madeleine, a member of the imperial faction, could ask the daughter of the Marquis of Nordic to first dance in order to appease the anxious aristocracy.

 But knowing and experiencing it firsthand are different. Even flashy jewelry or a sparkling dress couldn't cover up the feeling of being stained with dirt. Despite my status as an Imperial Princess and the Crown Prince's fiancée, I became a wallflower, having not been asked to dance by anyone in my first debutante. 

I wish someone would talk to me. Please, I was hoping you would ask me to dance just once. 

I remembered the desperation of that time when it seemed like everyone was looking at me and whispering. I hurriedly looked around, but neither the Duke, Conrad nor Jade saw me.

I felt like my smiling face would break, sol held on to the hem of my dress. The good news is that I didn't behave in a disgraceful manner during my debutante.

I laughed every time Leopold looked at me. When I did that, Leopold smiled sweetly. Like Princess Madeleine. It was rewarding to try to be resolute as someone who would one day ascend to the position of Crown Princess. 

During the twelve waltzes, the hand that held my dress was tired, and when I got home, I buried my face in the pillow and cried 

"Olivia."

Only after hearing Conrad's warning did I blink my eyes as I came out of old memories.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought about Debutante."

It had already been two years. I have grown so well. Occasionally, I would eat with my brothers and sisters every evening, and I was given some real power in the family.

I said, looking at Ethella out of the corner of my eye, her eyes full of anticipation.

"Ethella, you will do better than me."

I meant it. Ethella's cheeks turned rosy.

"Really? Still, will you come with me when I perform my debutante?"

When young ladies made their debut, a noble lady or a debutante would usually go with them. I reflexively looked at Conrad. Conrad, who had been looking at Ethella kindly, faced me with his face as cold as the midwinter north wind. His pursed lips told me that I didn't have to speak.

"...... What should I do? Don't think it will be possible because I'm busy with work at the imperial palace."

"I'm busy, but there's nothing I can do about it. Ethella, I'll find a good Lady to accompany you."

"Yes......."

Despite Conrad's comfort, Ethella gnawed at her food with a downcast expression. Even though she tried to hold back, she couldn't hide her disappointment and eventually Ethella got up from her seat.

"I really enjoyed the meal. I'll go up first."

The listless steps became distant, and the dining room became quiet. Conrad lightly shook his wine glass.

"Olivia."

"Yes, brother,"

"Who is your brother?"

What I said carelessly came back with a terrible answer. Conrad said dryly.

"You have to realize it clearly."

"..."

"You are just a member of Madeleine."

He says this in a very painful way. Not a family member, but a member of the Madeleines. That one word felt like a huge wall separating me and Conrad. 

Conrad's lips moved slowly. I knew exactly what he meant. My fists clenched as if to ease the shock. My fingernails sunk into my palms, but more painful words stabbed me. 

"So be good to Ethella. How dare you try to talk to her? Are you going to put Ethella down on par with you?"

"How dare you talk to someone like me? Are you trying to make Ethella like my mother? Are you trying to bury your rumor from Ethella?"

Conrad's words came to my mind like an imprint. At those words, the young me, who had wanted to play with Ethella so much, gave up that desire without any hesitation. I knew very well how much social gossip could hurt people. So it was natural for me to be careful not to hurt Ethella.

"Answer."

There's nothing I can do about it now. If I work a little harder, I can become a Crown Princess who is recognized as my father said. It will be different then. 

If  Conrad sees my efforts to successfully become Crown Princess, he will accept me as part of his family. So I had to answer now. I gave a reluctant answer, clenching my numb fists once again.

"Yes."

Only then did Conrad seem to ease his temper a bit and beckoned to the dining room door.

"Go out."

"Okay then, I'll just leave. Have a good day. Brother."

The last words I added were half sincere and half revenge. I ran out of the dining room and quickly closed the door. There was no one in the hallway. I took in my breath and then I let it out slowly. It was my mother's habit. She said that although she was tired, once she could breathe properly she felt strong again. 

I added one more thing to this habit. I promise myself to become a beloved Crown Princess. Now, that was really the only way. If I become Crown Princess, my family and Leopold are everything. Because they will smile brightly at me. 

I held on to my last hope as I tried to keep smiling. Even ignoring the fact that the end of my smile was falling apart...

***

Red wine sloshed around in the wine glass. Conrad, who was left alone in the dining room, let out a heavy breath as if he was dispirited.

"Okay then, I'll just leave. Have a good day, Brother."

Olivia was a disaster that came into my home. Because of that child, my loving parents became worse off than others, and in the end, my mother died because of that child. Even if I tear her to death, it won't be cool, because she's a half-made Madeleine. However, instead of Ethella, Madeleine's bloodline is to go to the imperial palace like a sheet of thin ice and stay by the damn Prince's side. That was all Olivia was to me. It would be enough to just keep my position up to that point. 

She looked at me, father, Jade, and Ethella with her green eyes, as if she was hoping for something. Despite knowing what that meant, I nipped her in the bud whenever her expectations rose. Because that kid doesn't deserve it. 

The wine had a bitter taste at the end. As if to vent his annoying mood, Conrad took out Jade's letter from his pocket. The letter, which she read as soon as she received it, contained the latest information on the backlog. Although he had already received reports from his work at the Foreign Office, I read the last part again.

'Victory is confirmed. As soon as a few things are resolved, I'll be back soon. Thank you always, brother. Please take care of father and Ethella.'

Naturally, no word was said about Olivia. There is no reason to ask for a child who is not within the confines of the family. I snorted and folded Jade's letter again. In the last sentence, there is a part that has been overwritten several times with a pen, as if erasing something, as if something had been written incorrectly, and the word 'Oli' written faintly underneath it. 

It was none of my business.

***

Inside the ornate drawing room, the Emperor sat on the throne. The most noble place, decorated with gold and onyx, was for me. 

The Emperor, with gorgeous blonde hair and bright blue eyes as befits the royal lineage, smiled with satisfaction. Great wealth and power. It was all beneath his feet. In particular, he had a 'bastard'. 

The Emperor nodded leisurely. When the chamberlain opened the door, a tall man wearing black robes walked into the drawing room.

"You're finally here. The protagonist of this war."

The Emperor let out a hearty laugh and looked at the man with unsmiling eyes. The man slowly took off his robe. When jet-black hair, a beautiful face, and red ruby eyes were revealed, The Emperor sighed softly without realizing it. 

"You look just like your mother."

The difference between him and the previous Grand Duchess was that he did not smile. The face of the Grand Duchess, who always smiled kindly, came to mind, and the Emperor raised one of his eyebrows. 

But, when the previous Grand Duke disappeared and was presumed dead, the Grand Duchess was forcibly imprisoned in this imperial palace. At that time, she also looked at the Emperor in the same way. Like her son, who was now looking up at the Emperor from his knees without any emotion.

"Edwin Lowell Vikander. I see the sun of the Empire"

The voice that echoed through the living room was eerily cold. The Emperor looked at the man, Edwin Lowell Vikander, with alert eyes. 

A dog raised by the Emperor. A nickname secretly passed around for a man. The Emperor's eyes flashed greedily at that satisfying nickname. His eyes are empty as if he doesn't feel any emotions, and he even has the skills to do everything perfectly no matter what the Emperor asks him to do. He only had the title of Grand Duke, but what he did was no different from that of an assassin. 

When the Emperor remembered the things he had told him to do, he felt so happy that it sent shivers down his spine.

That noble family 'Vikander' could barely do anything different from an assassination gang. It took a long 10 years to tame 'Vikander' like that. After swearing the first Emperor and monarch's cath, the Grand Duchy of Vikander was granted the bleak, cold, mountain-like northern territory of Vikander.  They were a thorn in the side of people who believed in their excellent swordsmanship and acted arrogantly.

Those who discovered mines and gold veins in the useless lands of the north quickly overstepped the authority of the Imperial family. Naturally, the former Grand Duke Vikander, who had a stiff neck, came to mind. That unlucky guy who took the Princess of a ruined country, whom the Emperor thought was his, as his Grand Duchess. 

He was the one who ended up breaking their necks. Blinking his shining eyes, the Emperor spoke kindly.

"I heard that the Grand Duke was always at the forefront of this war After all, it's Vikander," 

"That's too much praise."

"The Grand Duke will be officially arriving soon, so we need to hold a grand victory banquet. I look forward to the precious trophies that the Grand Duke will present to the imperial family then."

"I will move to the imperial palace immediately after my return."

"Okay. I'll look forward to it. Come to think of it. Isn't the Grand Duke already over 20 years old? Now you have to get married and solidify your lineage."

The Emperor spoke softly.

"I have no thoughts yet."

 "Uh-huh, don't be like that. After all, Vikander's only direct descendant is the Grand Duke. In times like this, we need to strengthen our direct lineage."

At the Emperor's words, the fist under the robe was clenched so hard that tendons appeared. The Emperor did not notice it and continued to speak incoherently as he was in his own mood.

"Now that I think about it, the Grand Duke couldn't even perform his debutante. I understand that the knighthood ceremony was also held informally."

The Emperor trailed off, pretending not to remember. Even though he clearly knew that during the Grand Duke debutante, he was defeating the Serachi tribe that was creeping towards the east and that he was ordained as a knight while covered in blood to replace a royal commander who had run away. 

Tsk, even if that guy hadn't run away, Vikander's name wouldn't have spread so widely. 

The Emperor clicked his tongue in regret. 

So he became even more greedy. Until now, he had obediently wandered the battlefield as I had told him to, but now he was a thick-haired 21-year-old. Vikander's reputation was already high in the Empire, and at some point, power began to gather. I never knew when he would climb up on me. So I had no choice but to put on another secure leash.

"Still, a knight is bound to have his own Lady. I heard that the Princess prepared flowers for you during this victory banquet."

And if it was the shackles of marriage, it was a good deal that would never be lifted. What if a Grand Duke who looks just like the previous Grand Duke's wife becomes my family? That was truly satisfying. 

If the Princess of a ruined country, who ignored me until the very end, saw me in the underworld, wouldn't she vomit blood?

The Emperor, who became cheerful, lowered his voice and spoke softly as if trying to entice.

"There is some news that the Grand Duke would be happy to know. The white crystal mine in Lowell now belongs to the Princess."

A mine that the previous Grand Duchess cherished as the last asset of the Kingdom of Lowell. At the same time, a leash that binds the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke's eyes sparkled at that one word. 

Only then did the Emperor smile leisurely and add.

"It's not that the name is unimportant, but wouldn't a couple be able to tour the mine without the imperial palace's approval?"

Who would have thought that he would be so obsessed with the white crystal mine that he received as compensation for his predecessor, Grand Duke Vikander, who disappeared on the battlefield? Perhaps because he was a guy who only visited battlefields, he was extremely naive. 

I've already displayed White Crystal Mine' more than 20 times, but his eyes light up like that every time. This is in a mine that has been dry for 15 years. The Grand Duke's continued obsession was strange, so I searched every nook and cranny of the mine. 

An excellent wizard and a geologist were dispatched, but the only answer they received was a report that it was an abandoned mine. Last year, with the thought that it would be the last time, the investigation was entrusted to the Princess. 

The Princess, who had grown significantly over the past few years, completely restored even the estate that was struggling during the spring crisis, and she also thoroughly inspected the White Crystal mine. But as expected, it was the same report as before, that the pulse had been lost for a long time. 

The Emperor bestowed his white crystal mine on the Princess for her troubles. Although it is an abandoned mine that has already run out of white crystal production, The Grand Duke has been fighting on the battlefield since he was ten years old because he cares for his parents, so he probably wants to inherit his mother's final legacy.

 I didn't have any intention of giving it away anyway. The plan was simply to use hope-filled bait as a driving force to keep the Grand Duke moving. ... ... Forever. 

The Emperor laughed in arrogance. That arrogance clouded the Emperor's eyes. 

Without realizing it, the Grand Duke was looking at the Emperor, who was laughing, with cold, mocking eyes. 

And on that day, a rumor spread throughout Franz's empire. It was good news that the war against Heferti, in which Grand Duke Vikander had won, had ended in victory.

Previous            Next

Support Novellate!