"Ma'am."
Liene shook off Madame Flambard's hand that was holding hers. Then she took hold of Madame Flambard's hand again. Her movements were awkward because of the bandages.
“Even if that were true, not all people with Gainers’ blood would be like this. Look at Lord Tiwakan. He’s a man who never seemed to die. It’s impossible for someone so healthy to suddenly fall ill.”
Tears almost flowed from her eyes at those words. Liene steeled herself and let go of Madam Flambard's hand.
“Then please pray for me. That nothing will happen, that I won’t have to worry about anything. If, really, Lord Tiwakan gets sick, I will stay by his side. That will make me happier than being separated. I can guarantee that.”
"Princess..."
Madam Flambard burst into tears.
“Don’t cry, ma’am. You shouldn’t do this to me. You should take my side.”
Liene gave the silently weeping her large, heavy volume of royal records.
“Here, find the records of the deaths of the previous Kings of Gainers. You will find out whether they all died young from illness or not. Don’t even think about leaving until you find all the records.”
Madam Flambard nodded with difficulty, her face tearful.
“Oh, dear. You shouldn’t let the records get wet. Please stop.”
Liene wiped away Madam Flambard's tears with the bandage wrapped around her hand. You shouldn't cry, Madam. Then I'll want to cry too. I won't cry over something I'm not even sure is true.
“Hurry up.”
“...Yes, Princess.”
With the help of Madam Flambard, she compiled the records of the thirteen Kings. Nine out of the nineteen died young. The cause of death was not specifically stated, but there were similar records. The Kings who died young tried not to meet people and were extremely hidden. They would sleep extremely long and not sleep for days. There were records everywhere of the Kings disappearing from the castle so well that people often searched for them. Nine out of nineteen. The probability of contracting the disease was half.
"...Yes?"
Lafitte's maternal uncle, Wistad, pressed his lips together as if he had stolen molasses. The sudden death of Prince Bashad had thrown the kingdom into turmoil, both inside and out. In the midst of all this, the return of 50 Bashad soldiers, or to be exact, 49, had once again thrown the royal court into turmoil. The one who survived was now in prison, and in a few hours, he would be brought before the royal court to tell them everything that had happened.
“My niece... uh, what you wanted was for you to be the Princess.”
After a long while, Wistard spoke, stammering.
“You told him first that he had something to do...”
“I need someone useful.”
“Uh, how...”
"Well."
Princess Bliny laughed and shook her teacup. The water in the teacup looked as if it might spill over onto her chest at any moment.
“Now that I’m a widow, I need to find a new husband as soon as possible.”
“That, that is...”
Wistad swallowed hard. He was confused as to whether Princess Bliny was thinking of him as her next husband.
“There is a man I still can’t forget.”
“Oh my...”
Wistad was silent because of the story and he couldn't figure out the context. Bliny smiled like a flower, watching him shut his mouth. All men in this world were similar except for one. That's why Bliny preferred a man who listened well to her as her husband. He was quick-witted but not too smart or stubborn. Appearance didn't matter at all unless he was a male who would warm her bed when she was bored.
Wistad looked around flustered. Bliny reached out and grabbed the end of his sleeve. Wistad noticed that there was a crude ring on her thumb that didn’t match her thumb. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the ring had been turned around, hiding the decoration in the palm.
“Would you like to clean it for me?”
Wistad swallowed dryly. His hands touched her wet clothes. Bliny smiled thinly and stroked his brown hair, which was exactly like his nephew's.
After a while, Wistard left the palace. The next thing he did was to bribe the prison guard in the name of the Prince.
“...”
Black avoided the answer. That was the answer. It was so absurd that Liene couldn't help but laugh.
“It’s so weird. Am I stupid? I wouldn’t feel anything like affection for someone like that. He did something like that in Nauk.”
“...Because even though he did that, you don’t hate him.”
“And above all, there’s you. The Grand Prince Dieren isn’t a bad person, but he becomes bad when he’s around you. Unfortunately for the Grand Prince, I have a very sharp eye.”
“You did think that he wasn’t a bad person.”
The subtle twitching of Black's cheek muscles was clearly visible. Liene tapped Black's cheek with the palm of her hand.
“Yes, as I said, my eyes are sharp. If Grand Prince Dieren is not bad, then what about you?”
The movement of his cheeks that had been twitching stopped. What was that? She couldn’t stop laughing. It was so strange that this man said such things. He must know that it was nonsense. But he still dared to reveal his inner emotions. It seemed to show that he had no boundaries.
“Instead, I will go with you.”
After a while, Black reached out and grabbed her hand, saying:
“I never thought you would make me go alone.”
Black smiled briefly at those words. The time they spent together was so sweet and affectionate. There was no room to dwell on things like hereditary diseases that had a 50% chance of developing.
Liene shook off Madame Flambard's hand that was holding hers. Then she took hold of Madame Flambard's hand again. Her movements were awkward because of the bandages.
“Even if that were true, not all people with Gainers’ blood would be like this. Look at Lord Tiwakan. He’s a man who never seemed to die. It’s impossible for someone so healthy to suddenly fall ill.”
“I too... I want to believe that too. I really do.”
Tears almost flowed from her eyes at those words. Liene steeled herself and let go of Madam Flambard's hand.
“Then please pray for me. That nothing will happen, that I won’t have to worry about anything. If, really, Lord Tiwakan gets sick, I will stay by his side. That will make me happier than being separated. I can guarantee that.”
"Princess..."
Madam Flambard burst into tears.
“Don’t cry, ma’am. You shouldn’t do this to me. You should take my side.”
Liene gave the silently weeping her large, heavy volume of royal records.
“Here, find the records of the deaths of the previous Kings of Gainers. You will find out whether they all died young from illness or not. Don’t even think about leaving until you find all the records.”
Madam Flambard nodded with difficulty, her face tearful.
“Oh, dear. You shouldn’t let the records get wet. Please stop.”
Liene wiped away Madam Flambard's tears with the bandage wrapped around her hand. You shouldn't cry, Madam. Then I'll want to cry too. I won't cry over something I'm not even sure is true.
“Hurry up.”
“...Yes, Princess.”
With the help of Madam Flambard, she compiled the records of the thirteen Kings. Nine out of the nineteen died young. The cause of death was not specifically stated, but there were similar records. The Kings who died young tried not to meet people and were extremely hidden. They would sleep extremely long and not sleep for days. There were records everywhere of the Kings disappearing from the castle so well that people often searched for them. Nine out of nineteen. The probability of contracting the disease was half.
***
"...Yes?"
Lafitte's maternal uncle, Wistad, pressed his lips together as if he had stolen molasses. The sudden death of Prince Bashad had thrown the kingdom into turmoil, both inside and out. In the midst of all this, the return of 50 Bashad soldiers, or to be exact, 49, had once again thrown the royal court into turmoil. The one who survived was now in prison, and in a few hours, he would be brought before the royal court to tell them everything that had happened.
In the meantime, Princess Bliny called Wistad. Wistad made sure not to be caught by anyone and entered the palace. The palace, which had lost its Prince, was filled with the color black, symbolizing mourning. The bed, table, and dresser were covered with black cloth. The same was true of the Prince's portrait. All the flowers were removed, and the windows were tightly shut. In the suffocatingly gloomy palace, Princess Bliny was the only one who stood out like a poppy flower.
The mourning clothes did not blemish her fierce beauty. Princess Bliny was in a more relaxed posture today, perhaps because it was her own home. She was lying on the sofa with one leg propped up on the footrest, and the hem of her skirt flowed down, revealing her straight white legs and bare feet.
“Why do you keep asking?”
Princess Bliny turned her head and picked up the half-cold teacup. Although she offered it to him to drink, Wistard did not touch the teacup. Instead, all his attention was focused on the open-collared mourning clothes. Every time Princess Bliny exhaled thinly, her young, fresh chest rose and fell.
“The person you introduced me to before was simply useless.”
The Sharka royal family had been in disarray since before, but after Princess Bliny came, they were writing a whole new history. Rumor had it that Princess Bliny had killed Prince Bashad. It was said that Princess Bliny was safe because the King turned a blind eye to it. No matter how much he thought about it, there was only one reason why the King turned a blind eye to the death of his son. Wasn't it because of that overly beautiful body?
“Why do you keep asking?”
Princess Bliny turned her head and picked up the half-cold teacup. Although she offered it to him to drink, Wistard did not touch the teacup. Instead, all his attention was focused on the open-collared mourning clothes. Every time Princess Bliny exhaled thinly, her young, fresh chest rose and fell.
“The person you introduced me to before was simply useless.”
The Sharka royal family had been in disarray since before, but after Princess Bliny came, they were writing a whole new history. Rumor had it that Princess Bliny had killed Prince Bashad. It was said that Princess Bliny was safe because the King turned a blind eye to it. No matter how much he thought about it, there was only one reason why the King turned a blind eye to the death of his son. Wasn't it because of that overly beautiful body?
It was also said that Princess Bliny had no interest in her husband in the first place. There was also a rumor that the Prince, who had failed to get the Princess, called prostitutes to the palace every day in anger. The more the Prince did this, the more Princess Bliny hung out with the Prince's young sons. Although Wistad was also the Prince's son, he never had a chance to hang out with Princess Bliny.
Princess Bliny was very picky about the appearances of the people she would date. When Wistad found out, he cursed his mother and God for giving him such an unattractive appearance.
“My niece... uh, what you wanted was for you to be the Princess.”
After a long while, Wistard spoke, stammering.
“You told him first that he had something to do...”
“I need someone useful.”
“Uh, how...”
"Well."
Princess Bliny laughed and shook her teacup. The water in the teacup looked as if it might spill over onto her chest at any moment.
“Now that I’m a widow, I need to find a new husband as soon as possible.”
“That, that is...”
Wistad swallowed hard. He was confused as to whether Princess Bliny was thinking of him as her next husband.
“There is a man I still can’t forget.”
“Oh my...”
Wistad was silent because of the story and he couldn't figure out the context. Bliny smiled like a flower, watching him shut his mouth. All men in this world were similar except for one. That's why Bliny preferred a man who listened well to her as her husband. He was quick-witted but not too smart or stubborn. Appearance didn't matter at all unless he was a male who would warm her bed when she was bored.
Lafitte Kleinfelter's face was quite useful, but it didn't satisfy her. In fact, it would be difficult for any man to feel satisfied. The reason she took Lafitte Kleinfelter to bed was because he had guts that didn't know how to be cool. But guts were just guts. He got caught because he couldn't even steal a woman properly. He became one of those useless men. The more she became disappointed in men, the more the scale in her heart tilted to one side.
“Women are truly pitiful. What did their first man say?”
"Ah..."
Wistad let out an ambiguous groan. Bliny's sidelong glance deepened.
“I was twenty years old. I wanted to choose my first man with my own hands.”
So she chose him. No, maybe it was fate that chose him for her. The man she wanted to devour from head to toe, was there at that very moment.
“I wish he had been a slave.”
If that were the case, she could have survived.
“Did he hurt Your Highness?”
Wistad asked.
"Hurt?"
Bliny laughed out loud.
“What if he hurt me?”
“Women are truly pitiful. What did their first man say?”
"Ah..."
Wistad let out an ambiguous groan. Bliny's sidelong glance deepened.
“I was twenty years old. I wanted to choose my first man with my own hands.”
So she chose him. No, maybe it was fate that chose him for her. The man she wanted to devour from head to toe, was there at that very moment.
“I wish he had been a slave.”
If that were the case, she could have survived.
“Did he hurt Your Highness?”
Wistad asked.
"Hurt?"
Bliny laughed out loud.
“What if he hurt me?”
“Then I will repay your wounds.”
Wistad mustered up his courage and threw out some seductive words.
“Um... that’s off-topic. That’s not what I want.”
Bliny snickered. It was funny how men tried to imitate males like that. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to drag that man to her. Her first man. That man was like death to her.
“I want something very small.”
Bliny moved her feet, revealing her bare skin. Wistad's eyes followed the inside of her skirt without a second thought. It was only natural.
“There’s a trial coming up soon, right?”
“Yeah... yeah.”
“I don’t want to come back to life after messing up something and talking nonsense. I’m sure my name will be mentioned, but that’s unfair. I didn’t get anything out of it.”
“That is... Then..”
Wistad opened his mouth like an idiot in embarrassment. Looking at him, he was a person who listened well but had no guts. Bliny clicked her tongue inwardly. She had to create the guts that he didn't have.
“I don’t have much time.”
Gulp! Bliny poured the cold tea onto her chest.
“Oh, that... oh, the clothes are wet...”
Wistad mustered up his courage and threw out some seductive words.
“Um... that’s off-topic. That’s not what I want.”
Bliny snickered. It was funny how men tried to imitate males like that. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to drag that man to her. Her first man. That man was like death to her.
“I want something very small.”
Bliny moved her feet, revealing her bare skin. Wistad's eyes followed the inside of her skirt without a second thought. It was only natural.
“There’s a trial coming up soon, right?”
“Yeah... yeah.”
“I don’t want to come back to life after messing up something and talking nonsense. I’m sure my name will be mentioned, but that’s unfair. I didn’t get anything out of it.”
“That is... Then..”
Wistad opened his mouth like an idiot in embarrassment. Looking at him, he was a person who listened well but had no guts. Bliny clicked her tongue inwardly. She had to create the guts that he didn't have.
“I don’t have much time.”
Gulp! Bliny poured the cold tea onto her chest.
“Oh, that... oh, the clothes are wet...”
Wistad looked around flustered. Bliny reached out and grabbed the end of his sleeve. Wistad noticed that there was a crude ring on her thumb that didn’t match her thumb. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the ring had been turned around, hiding the decoration in the palm.
“Would you like to clean it for me?”
Wistad swallowed dryly. His hands touched her wet clothes. Bliny smiled thinly and stroked his brown hair, which was exactly like his nephew's.
After a while, Wistard left the palace. The next thing he did was to bribe the prison guard in the name of the Prince.
***
The letter written in prison was completed. Dieren's attendant took the letter and set out for the Kingdom of Sharka. Dieren had to endure the unknown time alone until the attendant returned with a reply.
“I don’t need it.”
Black stared at Liene, who was moving diligently with her arms crossed, with a displeased expression. Liene had already taken off the bandage. Thanks to Black’s excessive care, the wound healed much faster than usual. She was still wearing slippers instead of shoes, but her feet didn’t hurt.
“I need it.”
Liene was packing food and blankets to send to Dieren's prison.
“You shouldn’t kill him. If you want to use Grand Duke Alito.”
The three countries were intertwined, and the news network of Tiwakan was busy for the first time in a while. They had to keep a close eye on the movements of the Kingdom of Sharka and also prepare for the intentions of Grand Duke Alito. Fermos and Black had calculated the worst-case scenario. Bliny might not give up the ring easily. She might deny everything she did and pretend not to know Dieren. In that case, the way to find the ring would become complicated. At that time, they had to use Grand Duke Alito. Grand Duke Alito would try to get his son back. They had to let him know that the only way to get his son back was to return the ring. The Grand Duke could also refuse the exchange and send an army, but Fermos and Black thought that it would be unlikely given the Grand Duke's personality. First of all, the distance was too far, and from the Grand Duke's perspective, it was much cheaper to take the ring from his daughter.
“I’m making sure that there’s no chance of death. And Dieren isn’t the only one who can be traded for the ring. If you look, there’s probably another one somewhere.”
“It’s true that the Grand Duke is the most reliable means. And wounds on the body aren’t the only wounds. If we’re going to use the Grand Duke, we first have to get the Grand Duke on our side.”
It wasn't that Liene was wrong. He just didn't like it.
“Yes, then. Can’t I go to Dieren instead?”
Liene chuckled.
“That kind of feeling won’t do. You can’t hide your dislike for the Grand Prince.”
“He is a person who has no reason to be liked.”
“I know. I have no reason to like him either. I didn’t like him from the moment we first met. He immediately started judging other people’s faces. That’s not a compliment at all.”
“That’s a very good attitude. Dieren just needs to remain a person you don’t like.”
“It’s not good, but I don’t particularly hate it.”
Black furrowed his eyebrows, expressing his displeasure.
“Let’s hate him. He is a human being who has no value beyond that.”
“You’re trying to use him now.”
“...I know. But I still feel bad.”
Liene, who felt that Black was being a bit rude today, asked jokingly.
“Why do you hate him so much... Are you jealous?”
“I don’t need it.”
Black stared at Liene, who was moving diligently with her arms crossed, with a displeased expression. Liene had already taken off the bandage. Thanks to Black’s excessive care, the wound healed much faster than usual. She was still wearing slippers instead of shoes, but her feet didn’t hurt.
“I need it.”
Liene was packing food and blankets to send to Dieren's prison.
“You shouldn’t kill him. If you want to use Grand Duke Alito.”
The three countries were intertwined, and the news network of Tiwakan was busy for the first time in a while. They had to keep a close eye on the movements of the Kingdom of Sharka and also prepare for the intentions of Grand Duke Alito. Fermos and Black had calculated the worst-case scenario. Bliny might not give up the ring easily. She might deny everything she did and pretend not to know Dieren. In that case, the way to find the ring would become complicated. At that time, they had to use Grand Duke Alito. Grand Duke Alito would try to get his son back. They had to let him know that the only way to get his son back was to return the ring. The Grand Duke could also refuse the exchange and send an army, but Fermos and Black thought that it would be unlikely given the Grand Duke's personality. First of all, the distance was too far, and from the Grand Duke's perspective, it was much cheaper to take the ring from his daughter.
“I’m making sure that there’s no chance of death. And Dieren isn’t the only one who can be traded for the ring. If you look, there’s probably another one somewhere.”
“It’s true that the Grand Duke is the most reliable means. And wounds on the body aren’t the only wounds. If we’re going to use the Grand Duke, we first have to get the Grand Duke on our side.”
It wasn't that Liene was wrong. He just didn't like it.
“Yes, then. Can’t I go to Dieren instead?”
Liene chuckled.
“That kind of feeling won’t do. You can’t hide your dislike for the Grand Prince.”
“He is a person who has no reason to be liked.”
“I know. I have no reason to like him either. I didn’t like him from the moment we first met. He immediately started judging other people’s faces. That’s not a compliment at all.”
“That’s a very good attitude. Dieren just needs to remain a person you don’t like.”
“It’s not good, but I don’t particularly hate it.”
Black furrowed his eyebrows, expressing his displeasure.
“Let’s hate him. He is a human being who has no value beyond that.”
“You’re trying to use him now.”
“...I know. But I still feel bad.”
Liene, who felt that Black was being a bit rude today, asked jokingly.
“Why do you hate him so much... Are you jealous?”
“...”
Black avoided the answer. That was the answer. It was so absurd that Liene couldn't help but laugh.
“It’s so weird. Am I stupid? I wouldn’t feel anything like affection for someone like that. He did something like that in Nauk.”
“...Because even though he did that, you don’t hate him.”
“And above all, there’s you. The Grand Prince Dieren isn’t a bad person, but he becomes bad when he’s around you. Unfortunately for the Grand Prince, I have a very sharp eye.”
“You did think that he wasn’t a bad person.”
The subtle twitching of Black's cheek muscles was clearly visible. Liene tapped Black's cheek with the palm of her hand.
“Yes, as I said, my eyes are sharp. If Grand Prince Dieren is not bad, then what about you?”
The movement of his cheeks that had been twitching stopped. What was that? She couldn’t stop laughing. It was so strange that this man said such things. He must know that it was nonsense. But he still dared to reveal his inner emotions. It seemed to show that he had no boundaries.
“Instead, I will go with you.”
After a while, Black reached out and grabbed her hand, saying:
“I never thought you would make me go alone.”
Black smiled briefly at those words. The time they spent together was so sweet and affectionate. There was no room to dwell on things like hereditary diseases that had a 50% chance of developing.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment