IELNDMH - Chapter 93 < The Only Princess of The Twins Grand Duchy >
I Ended Up Living Up Next Door With My Ex-Husband
“Bianca, if you don’t want to see those kids, you can do that.”
Shallow waves rippled in Bianca's round blue eyes.
The child rolled his eyes for a moment, as if she was shaken by my words.
“Oh, no. I can come in...”
In front of the reception room next to the banquet hall.
Unfortunately, Bianca looked nervous. It seemed that she was habitually nervous and afraid of the children who had bullied her for a long time.
I bent over my knee and gently stroked Bianca's arm.
However, Bianca's face was still pale, and the timid tone of voice that had not been heard recently had returned as if it had been like that for some time.
“Bianca, you look very tired. Why did you force it because of me?”
Bianca closed her eyes tightly and shook her head violently.
“It’s not because of Your Highness.”
Then she spoke as if she had decided on something.
"I am... I don’t want to run away anymore.”
Bianca's face was still pale, but there was a very serious determination in her eyes.
“This time, I will receive a proper apology from those children. I definitely want to say that...”
“...Bianca.”
“I am the only Princess of the Twins Grand Duchy. Well, but I... Meanwhile, those kids were insulting mixed-race demons...”
“...”
“I was just listening...”
Bianca bit her lower lip hard as if trying to hold back her sobs.
“I really want to receive an apology, at least for the sake of other mixed-race demons. So I...I want to go in.”
Her voice was still trembling due to her nervous attitude, but her round eyes showed a different will than before.
I nodded and slowly got up.
And then I held the child's hand tightly.
“Don’t forget that I’m always behind Bianca.”
Bianca also gave more strength to her hand holding mine and nodded her head vigorously.
As we entered the reception room together, we were greeted by three children and their mothers who were waiting.
“I see you are here, Princess Bianca. As always, you look so pretty today.”
“Our children said they had something they wanted to say to the Princess, so we prepared this precious event today.”
As soon as the women finished speaking, they turned to their children.
Then the three children exchanged glances and took a step closer to Bianca.
“Oh, hi, Bianca...?”
I felt an instant of strength go into the small hand of the child holding my hand.
Bianca tried to back away slightly out of habit, but she soon realized herself and braced herself.
I held the nervous child's arms and bent my knees in front of her.
“Bianca, we will stay here. Bianca can talk to the Princesses over there and then come back.”
The place I pointed to was the sofa room to the right of the reception room, blocked by a glass wall and door.
Bianca's face hardened again as she realized that the children would have to talk to each other separately, without the adults present.
I gently touched the child’s round cheek.
“Don’t worry, Bianca, I’ll be watching everything through the glass even if you’re alone. And...”
I paused for a moment and whispered softly in Bianca's ear.
“If you feel even the slightest bit upset, you should call me right away without delay. Okay?”
As I repeated my request a couple of times, Bianca smiled softly at me.
It seemed like she sensed that I was also nervous and was trying to reassure me.
"Yes, I will. Don’t worry too much, Your Highness.”
Bianca kept glancing outside the glass wall, her eyes filled with nervousness.
When her eyes met across the clear glass, she saw Rebecca give her a reassuring smile.
Bianca shook her head and tried to calm her anxious mind.
“Oh, hi, Bianca. So far... How have you been?”
Judith asked Bianca how she was doing with an awkward smile.
Bianca looked at the three Princesses standing in front of her in silence.
Erica, Mary, and Judith.
The three children who had made life in the lonely capital city even more painful were right in front of her.
These were faces she had not seen in a long time since the Orangery incident.
She thought she had erased the ghosts of the past during her time in the North, but when she faced those faces, fear came over her again like a wave.
As it was, she felt like she was suffocating in the strong waves of past memories.
However, Bianca recalled her promise to Rebecca and tried to swallow down her anxiety.
“I heard you had something you wanted to say to me.”
Although she still had the habit of stuttering in front of the three children, there was definitely a difference from Bianca before.
Bianca's gaze, which had always been aimed at the floor, was now aimed directly at the children, even if it wavered.
The attitude of always giving the initiative to the other person was no longer there.
Bianca opened the conversation herself, and the children, including Judith, could not hide their embarrassment.
The three Princesses exchanged glances for a moment, but among them, Erica, who was the kindest one to Bianca, was the first to break the silence.
“For so long, really... I’m sorry, Bianca.”
Then Mary and Judith, who had been observing the atmosphere the whole time, opened their mouths one after another.
"So do I. I’m so sorry, Bianca.”
"Me too. We all got scolded by our parents a lot.”
"But... We were just joking and I really didn’t know Bianca was in that much trouble.”
“Yes, that’s right. Since Bianca always smiled, we thought it was okay...”
As they once again dismissed her pain as a joke, her painful memories once again became a huge wave and rushed towards Bianca as if they were going to eat her.
The fear of being abandoned, the person who surrendered to that feeling and endured all kinds of humiliation.
And the days when she felt so pathetic and resentful of herself.
She felt as if she had been swept away by a strong wave and taken back to that very moment.
'... That's not true, it's different now than it was back then.'
Bianca consoled herself and looked at Rebecca standing outside the glass wall.
She wanted to be her family and not be ashamed of her.
Bianca's lips slowly opened as she finally came to her senses.
“...It wasn’t okay.”
“...”
“I wasn’t okay or happy even for a single moment.”
The voice that said that was calm yet clearly powerful.
Eventually, Bianca's gaze turned to Judith, and there was not even the slightest wavering.
“If you live on another continent, and the children in that country ignore and discriminate against you because you are from the West Continent...”
“...”
“Are you going to be ashamed of the fact that your parents’ blood flows in your veins?”
"What? How can we be ignored? That can't be possible...!”
"So do I. I am not in a position to be ignored anywhere.”
Bianca spoke confidently as if making a declaration.
“I am a member of mixed-race demon royalty. And I’m proud of that.”
After she actually said that, she realized that it was really true.
No, it was.
In fact, she was always proud of the fact that she was a half-blood demon.
Studying the footsteps of her ancestors, the Twin Brothers, looking at portraits of her deceased parents, and looking at her brother Cedric, who contributed to the founding of the Western Empire.
That meant, at least, she wouldn't have to bow her head in front of those kids.
Bianca's back became straighter.
“But you made it sound like I should be ashamed of my blood.”
“Well, I told you. It was just a joke..."
“An insult to my identity cannot be a joke to me.”
Bianca spoke firmly.
“So if you’re going to apologize, I want you to do it properly and not say things like that. You're truly sorry not only to me but also to the mixed-race demons who were insulted by you without any sin.”
Soon, Judith's abundant eyelashes fluttered. The thing in front of her was clearly Bianca. The child who always cowered and looked like a timid lion cub.
To be honest, Judith hated admitting that in the past, a child like that was higher than her.
So, under the pretext of joking, they used the differences between Bianca and themselves as a source of discrimination.
Only then would she be able to keep the child at her feet.
She don't know about other people, but at least she hoped Bianca herself would feel that way.
Even though they were secretly ashamed of their parents, who were begging the Twins in front of them and saying behind their backs that they were better than them, they were becoming like them.
Judith knew that fact, but she had been in denial the entire time.
But at this moment, she felt unbearably ashamed of that fact.
Judith lifted his trembling eyes and looked at Bianca again.
The child standing in front of her was no longer the cowardly Bianca she knew.
Now she was like a graceful swan who had finally realized her true worth and had begun to spread her wings.
“I have no intention of accepting your apology until I receive a proper apology. I am saying this as the only Princess of the Twins Grand Dukes.”
Of course, it was a soft tone typical of the always kind Bianca, but Judith knew that it was a final warning.
The Twins family is second only to the Emperor in power in the Western Empire.
The Princess of that family formally requested an apology.
Although the three children, including Judith, were only children, their birth status as children of upper-class nobles made them grow up prematurely.
That meant that she wasn't so naive that she didn't know what Bianca's words meant.
Likewise, when they bullied Bianca, they were never naive.
She didn't know if it was pure enough to be cruel.
Soon, Judith's eyes slowly fell down.
“Bianca is right. We. . I knew it, but I did it on purpose.”
Judith said that and slowly lowered her head.
Mary and Erica, who were standing next to her, simultaneously opened their eyes and looked at Judith.
“I’m sorry, Bianca...”
At the end of Judith's words, her sincerity was soaked in.
It wasn't just because she finally realized that Bianca was above them, and not because she was saddened by the reality of having to apologize like this.
She always thought she was snobbish and hated herself for taking after her parents.
She hated it even more that she would become such an ugly adult.
And actually...
It was nice to see Bianca's face after a long time.
Even if their relationship was connected by superficial ties by adults, wasn't she a person who was with her every day?
The emptiness of Bianca was bigger than Judith thought, and when she faced the cold face of the kid who had always treated her kindly, her heart became uncontrollably depressed.
Only then did Judith have no choice but to admit that at some point she had considered Bianca a friend.
And the fact that she was jealous of that friend and had been harassing her for a long time.
“You must have been scared and sad living alone in the capital without your mom and dad, but we, we...”
When Judith realized that fact, her face immediately fell like that of a child of that age.
“I felt a little sad when I couldn’t contact you...”
The same was true for Erica and Mary, and the three children could not easily control their crying.
“Huh...We were really, really wrong, Bianca...”
The child rolled his eyes for a moment, as if she was shaken by my words.
“Oh, no. I can come in...”
In front of the reception room next to the banquet hall.
Unfortunately, Bianca looked nervous. It seemed that she was habitually nervous and afraid of the children who had bullied her for a long time.
I bent over my knee and gently stroked Bianca's arm.
However, Bianca's face was still pale, and the timid tone of voice that had not been heard recently had returned as if it had been like that for some time.
“Bianca, you look very tired. Why did you force it because of me?”
Bianca closed her eyes tightly and shook her head violently.
“It’s not because of Your Highness.”
Then she spoke as if she had decided on something.
"I am... I don’t want to run away anymore.”
Bianca's face was still pale, but there was a very serious determination in her eyes.
“This time, I will receive a proper apology from those children. I definitely want to say that...”
“...Bianca.”
“I am the only Princess of the Twins Grand Duchy. Well, but I... Meanwhile, those kids were insulting mixed-race demons...”
“...”
“I was just listening...”
Bianca bit her lower lip hard as if trying to hold back her sobs.
“I really want to receive an apology, at least for the sake of other mixed-race demons. So I...I want to go in.”
Her voice was still trembling due to her nervous attitude, but her round eyes showed a different will than before.
I nodded and slowly got up.
And then I held the child's hand tightly.
“Don’t forget that I’m always behind Bianca.”
Bianca also gave more strength to her hand holding mine and nodded her head vigorously.
As we entered the reception room together, we were greeted by three children and their mothers who were waiting.
“I see you are here, Princess Bianca. As always, you look so pretty today.”
“Our children said they had something they wanted to say to the Princess, so we prepared this precious event today.”
As soon as the women finished speaking, they turned to their children.
Then the three children exchanged glances and took a step closer to Bianca.
“Oh, hi, Bianca...?”
I felt an instant of strength go into the small hand of the child holding my hand.
Bianca tried to back away slightly out of habit, but she soon realized herself and braced herself.
I held the nervous child's arms and bent my knees in front of her.
“Bianca, we will stay here. Bianca can talk to the Princesses over there and then come back.”
The place I pointed to was the sofa room to the right of the reception room, blocked by a glass wall and door.
Bianca's face hardened again as she realized that the children would have to talk to each other separately, without the adults present.
I gently touched the child’s round cheek.
“Don’t worry, Bianca, I’ll be watching everything through the glass even if you’re alone. And...”
I paused for a moment and whispered softly in Bianca's ear.
“If you feel even the slightest bit upset, you should call me right away without delay. Okay?”
As I repeated my request a couple of times, Bianca smiled softly at me.
It seemed like she sensed that I was also nervous and was trying to reassure me.
"Yes, I will. Don’t worry too much, Your Highness.”
***
Bianca kept glancing outside the glass wall, her eyes filled with nervousness.
When her eyes met across the clear glass, she saw Rebecca give her a reassuring smile.
Bianca shook her head and tried to calm her anxious mind.
“Oh, hi, Bianca. So far... How have you been?”
Judith asked Bianca how she was doing with an awkward smile.
Bianca looked at the three Princesses standing in front of her in silence.
Erica, Mary, and Judith.
The three children who had made life in the lonely capital city even more painful were right in front of her.
These were faces she had not seen in a long time since the Orangery incident.
She thought she had erased the ghosts of the past during her time in the North, but when she faced those faces, fear came over her again like a wave.
As it was, she felt like she was suffocating in the strong waves of past memories.
However, Bianca recalled her promise to Rebecca and tried to swallow down her anxiety.
“I heard you had something you wanted to say to me.”
Although she still had the habit of stuttering in front of the three children, there was definitely a difference from Bianca before.
Bianca's gaze, which had always been aimed at the floor, was now aimed directly at the children, even if it wavered.
The attitude of always giving the initiative to the other person was no longer there.
Bianca opened the conversation herself, and the children, including Judith, could not hide their embarrassment.
The three Princesses exchanged glances for a moment, but among them, Erica, who was the kindest one to Bianca, was the first to break the silence.
“For so long, really... I’m sorry, Bianca.”
Then Mary and Judith, who had been observing the atmosphere the whole time, opened their mouths one after another.
"So do I. I’m so sorry, Bianca.”
"Me too. We all got scolded by our parents a lot.”
"But... We were just joking and I really didn’t know Bianca was in that much trouble.”
“Yes, that’s right. Since Bianca always smiled, we thought it was okay...”
As they once again dismissed her pain as a joke, her painful memories once again became a huge wave and rushed towards Bianca as if they were going to eat her.
The fear of being abandoned, the person who surrendered to that feeling and endured all kinds of humiliation.
And the days when she felt so pathetic and resentful of herself.
She felt as if she had been swept away by a strong wave and taken back to that very moment.
'... That's not true, it's different now than it was back then.'
Bianca consoled herself and looked at Rebecca standing outside the glass wall.
She wanted to be her family and not be ashamed of her.
Bianca's lips slowly opened as she finally came to her senses.
“...It wasn’t okay.”
“...”
“I wasn’t okay or happy even for a single moment.”
The voice that said that was calm yet clearly powerful.
Eventually, Bianca's gaze turned to Judith, and there was not even the slightest wavering.
“If you live on another continent, and the children in that country ignore and discriminate against you because you are from the West Continent...”
“...”
“Are you going to be ashamed of the fact that your parents’ blood flows in your veins?”
"What? How can we be ignored? That can't be possible...!”
"So do I. I am not in a position to be ignored anywhere.”
Bianca spoke confidently as if making a declaration.
“I am a member of mixed-race demon royalty. And I’m proud of that.”
After she actually said that, she realized that it was really true.
No, it was.
In fact, she was always proud of the fact that she was a half-blood demon.
Studying the footsteps of her ancestors, the Twin Brothers, looking at portraits of her deceased parents, and looking at her brother Cedric, who contributed to the founding of the Western Empire.
That meant, at least, she wouldn't have to bow her head in front of those kids.
Bianca's back became straighter.
“But you made it sound like I should be ashamed of my blood.”
“Well, I told you. It was just a joke..."
“An insult to my identity cannot be a joke to me.”
Bianca spoke firmly.
“So if you’re going to apologize, I want you to do it properly and not say things like that. You're truly sorry not only to me but also to the mixed-race demons who were insulted by you without any sin.”
Soon, Judith's abundant eyelashes fluttered. The thing in front of her was clearly Bianca. The child who always cowered and looked like a timid lion cub.
To be honest, Judith hated admitting that in the past, a child like that was higher than her.
So, under the pretext of joking, they used the differences between Bianca and themselves as a source of discrimination.
Only then would she be able to keep the child at her feet.
She don't know about other people, but at least she hoped Bianca herself would feel that way.
Even though they were secretly ashamed of their parents, who were begging the Twins in front of them and saying behind their backs that they were better than them, they were becoming like them.
Judith knew that fact, but she had been in denial the entire time.
But at this moment, she felt unbearably ashamed of that fact.
Judith lifted his trembling eyes and looked at Bianca again.
The child standing in front of her was no longer the cowardly Bianca she knew.
Now she was like a graceful swan who had finally realized her true worth and had begun to spread her wings.
“I have no intention of accepting your apology until I receive a proper apology. I am saying this as the only Princess of the Twins Grand Dukes.”
Of course, it was a soft tone typical of the always kind Bianca, but Judith knew that it was a final warning.
The Twins family is second only to the Emperor in power in the Western Empire.
The Princess of that family formally requested an apology.
Although the three children, including Judith, were only children, their birth status as children of upper-class nobles made them grow up prematurely.
That meant that she wasn't so naive that she didn't know what Bianca's words meant.
Likewise, when they bullied Bianca, they were never naive.
She didn't know if it was pure enough to be cruel.
Soon, Judith's eyes slowly fell down.
“Bianca is right. We. . I knew it, but I did it on purpose.”
Judith said that and slowly lowered her head.
Mary and Erica, who were standing next to her, simultaneously opened their eyes and looked at Judith.
“I’m sorry, Bianca...”
At the end of Judith's words, her sincerity was soaked in.
It wasn't just because she finally realized that Bianca was above them, and not because she was saddened by the reality of having to apologize like this.
She always thought she was snobbish and hated herself for taking after her parents.
She hated it even more that she would become such an ugly adult.
And actually...
It was nice to see Bianca's face after a long time.
Even if their relationship was connected by superficial ties by adults, wasn't she a person who was with her every day?
The emptiness of Bianca was bigger than Judith thought, and when she faced the cold face of the kid who had always treated her kindly, her heart became uncontrollably depressed.
Only then did Judith have no choice but to admit that at some point she had considered Bianca a friend.
And the fact that she was jealous of that friend and had been harassing her for a long time.
“You must have been scared and sad living alone in the capital without your mom and dad, but we, we...”
When Judith realized that fact, her face immediately fell like that of a child of that age.
“I felt a little sad when I couldn’t contact you...”
The same was true for Erica and Mary, and the three children could not easily control their crying.
“Huh...We were really, really wrong, Bianca...”
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