“It’s perfect now.”
Laskan spoke softly.
I carefully felt the necklace with my fingertips. It was a necklace I had sold without ever wearing it around my neck.
At that time, I thought that if it could save Olga, I would be okay with something like this. Even if it was the key to my childhood.
Olga said this would help me find my real family, but I didn't believe her. But it turned out like this, so her prediction was right. As always.
“Anyone who has ever met the Princess will think of her when they see you today. No one is an exception.”
“...”
I didn't need to ask Laskan what that meant. He was looking at me but not at his enemy's reaction.
And there was only one person he could be hostile to.
“Are we going to meet Duke Kairak today?”
"Maybe."
“Do you want him to think of me as a Princess?”
“It couldn’t be more perfect.”
"You..."
I bit my lip slightly, not knowing how to say this.
The intention of dressing me in the clothes and jewels from when the Princess went missing and then exposing them to someone he had defined as an enemy was difficult to ignore at this point.
I blurted out my words, forgetting how hard I had tried to choose them.
“You think he’s the real culprit behind the Princess’s disappearance.”
Laskan's golden eyes took on a dry glow, like a wolf in the wilderness.
"Yes."
The carriage sent from the palace was ivory white with gold decorations that made my mouth drop open. Cesare scolded me that I would go bald if I loved gold so much, but that wasn't the issue.
It was so elaborate that it looked more like a sculpture or decoration than an actual moving vehicle.
The feeling of floating like a dream when I first got on the carriage started to plummet as I got closer and closer to the palace.
I carefully pulled back the curtain and peered out of the carriage with my eyes narrowed. Only two people were moving about, but a strict guard of knights was following us.
“Don’t be so nervous.”
Laskan, sitting across from me, spoke calmly. I gave him a desperate look.
“You’ll come in with me, right? Right?”
“I would like to, if possible. But I believe you can do well on your own.”
“...Where on earth do you see people and why do you keep believing in them so much?”
I pursed my lips.
“I have a pretty good eye for people.”
“Then one day, you’ll get hit hard in the back of the head.”
He laughed softly out loud. I kept getting nervous, but he was relaxed the whole time.
Well, it wouldn't be surprising to him since he would come and go from the Imperial Palace and the Duke of Kairak's residence as if it were a meal.
I bit my lips nervously, then stuck my mouth out like a duck's mouth, afraid that my makeup would smudge. Lisa had worked hard on it since morning, and I didn't want to ruin it before we even got there.
Do you know? If you have even a little bit of a pretty side, it might save your life later when everything turns out to be a lie.
“Take a breath.”
“What if that person is really my family?”
I deliberately omitted the word Emperor from the story. I have spent my entire life wondering about my blood relatives, but I have never truly wanted to find them.
Because Olga was the only real family I had, the family that cared for me. Even now, that feeling hasn't changed.
Even if I had the Emperor's blood mixed in, I wouldn't know how I would face that person right away.
Should I call him Grandfather? Or Your Majesty? My mind was in turmoil, but Laskan seemed to be getting calmer and calmer.
“Then the Emperor will search for his long-lost granddaughter.”
“What if not?”
“Then I guess you can think of it as a six-month vacation at the palace.”
The scale of the vacation was really big. I was about to whine but stopped myself. Now was not the time for petty bickering.
I felt like I was going to faint at any moment, whether it was because I was so nervous that I couldn't breathe properly or because the corset was so tight. I had to say this while I was still conscious.
I took a deep breath and let it out with a shaky breath.
“If I die for the crime of treason, make my grave in George. Next to Olga’s. And with the 60 ram I have, give each child in the Rue George a loaf of white bread with ham. It is their lifelong wish to eat one of these. And when you dress me in shrouds, never, never, never put underwear on me.”
I emphasized it three times as absolute, so if you put underwear under the clothes, you're not even a human.
When I finished the will I had planned and thought about and raised my head in satisfaction, Laskan's face was red with embarrassment. He buried his face in his large hands and sighed.
“It’s not a case of secretly wishing for the royal family, it’s a case of deceiving the royal family. And where on earth did you hear such a thing?”
“Here and there. They all say that. They say that if I’m found out to be a fraud this time, it’s going to be a big problem.”
I grumbled with a mixture of joking and seriousness, but Laskan's expression did not lighten at all.
“Does Ashkhabad seem so small that it can’t even save you?”
It was my habit to imagine the worst when I was feeling relaxed. When I thought about those moments, what was happening to me now seemed like nothing.
But Laskan's attitude was so serious that I couldn't help but stutter.
“That’s not it. From the moment I got entangled here, my fate was twisted. I’ll be branded a conman, and my path to marriage will be blocked. I’ll have to run away and wander from place to place for the rest of my life. Marriage doesn’t really matter, but I like children. I wanted to have at least one and live comfortably.”
“I will take responsibility.”
So how on earth are you going to take responsibility? Since I've already made up my mind, I'm going to pick on you.
But before I could even grumble, Laskan was quick to strike.
“Isn’t it enough to be a Duchess?”
“What, what, what, what, what did you say?”
I forgot all about the special training I had been doing and ended up stuttering terribly. My face turned bright red in an instant.
“I’ve been thinking about this since I brought a woman who was living a normal life to me and called her a Princess. If you are truly a Princess, our marriage vows are still valid, so it’s up to you whether to maintain them or not. However, if not, I agree with the expression that your marriage path is blocked.”
“...”
“If you don’t like it, I’ll give you enough money to live off of for the rest of your life, and you can live with whoever you want...”
“Yes, just a moment.”
I cut him off as he continued to speak. If things continued this way, he would be planning the future of my fifth child.
I opened my mouth, feeling my ears red all the way to my ears.
“No, I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to marry the Duke..”
Then Laskan tilted his head as if to ask what the problem was.
I wanted to punch that damn perfect face in the face. I would have done that if that damn dress hadn't been so tight.
It was clear that he didn't even know what the problem was right now. As my anger slowly grew, my initial confusion subsided.
“No. I’m fine with it. I’ve even heard the Duke propose to me. There aren’t many people from the George who have been as successful as I have.”
"Then..."
“But, Your Excellency, do you like me?”
Even though I was a very bright-faced person, I could tell the difference between pity and love.
Perhaps Laskan's feelings toward me were sympathy and responsibility. Neither of those feelings was pleasant.
First, I wasn't a pitiful person. Second, I didn't want to stake my life on such ambiguous feelings.
Oh my, where would someone think of marriage out of pity? I didn't have to go far. I felt like shouting it out loud to the entire empire.
People of the world, look here. The hero of the empire, Duke Ashgabat, is such a fool...
“Look, you can’t answer...”
"Yes."
...What?
“I want to keep seeing you. I also wonder what you’re doing when you’re not in front of me. Isn’t that the feeling you like?”
My ears were ringing from the sound of my heart pounding.
Laskan's expression was annoyingly calm, not befitting of someone who had just confessed his love.
I managed to move my stiff lips and shouted.
“I won’t let that get to me. I’m going to marry for true love.”
It seemed as if a faint heat had passed through Laskan’s eyes for a moment. Just like the last time he had told me, ‘my salvation.’ He lifted my hand and brought his lips to the bare skin exposed by the gap between my gloves.
He smiled faintly, his lips pressed against the back of my hand. It was a manly look in his eyes, different from his usual polite smile.
“Then I guess I have to try harder.”
Laskan's sudden announcement of marriage did at least completely relieve my tension.
Even the moment I passed through the main gate of the palace, I was too busy covering my flushed cheeks with my fan to come to my senses.
Upon arriving at the palace, the Emperor's attendant was waiting for us. We were taken straight to the villa where the Emperor resided.
The Emperor's villa felt somewhat unnatural, as if reflecting his long period of seclusion. Even the common flowers and trees were hard to find.
A well-tuned bleakness. I followed the attendant and thought about such words absentmindedly.
“Isn’t it a bit too plain for a palace where the Emperor resides?”
I clung close to Laskan and whispered in a small voice, forgetting the awkward conversation we had just had.
If I were to make an excuse, I would say that I was extremely nervous because this place was so unfamiliar to me, and Laskan was something I was familiar with.
“His Majesty has been wearing mourning clothes to commemorate the death of the Crown Princess. It is inevitable since everyday life is a funeral.”
It was a convincing answer. In fact, it felt like I was entering a huge tomb rather than a villa.
I straightened my shoulders, which were always hunched. My shoulders were the pride of my teacher, Isabella, and the faith of Laskan.
If I thought about myself, I would want to run away right now, but when it came to the honor of the person I loved, I could be brave. Even if it took all the courage of a mouse.
Laskan spoke softly.
I carefully felt the necklace with my fingertips. It was a necklace I had sold without ever wearing it around my neck.
At that time, I thought that if it could save Olga, I would be okay with something like this. Even if it was the key to my childhood.
Olga said this would help me find my real family, but I didn't believe her. But it turned out like this, so her prediction was right. As always.
“Anyone who has ever met the Princess will think of her when they see you today. No one is an exception.”
“...”
I didn't need to ask Laskan what that meant. He was looking at me but not at his enemy's reaction.
And there was only one person he could be hostile to.
“Are we going to meet Duke Kairak today?”
"Maybe."
“Do you want him to think of me as a Princess?”
“It couldn’t be more perfect.”
"You..."
I bit my lip slightly, not knowing how to say this.
The intention of dressing me in the clothes and jewels from when the Princess went missing and then exposing them to someone he had defined as an enemy was difficult to ignore at this point.
I blurted out my words, forgetting how hard I had tried to choose them.
“You think he’s the real culprit behind the Princess’s disappearance.”
Laskan's golden eyes took on a dry glow, like a wolf in the wilderness.
"Yes."
***
The carriage sent from the palace was ivory white with gold decorations that made my mouth drop open. Cesare scolded me that I would go bald if I loved gold so much, but that wasn't the issue.
It was so elaborate that it looked more like a sculpture or decoration than an actual moving vehicle.
The feeling of floating like a dream when I first got on the carriage started to plummet as I got closer and closer to the palace.
I carefully pulled back the curtain and peered out of the carriage with my eyes narrowed. Only two people were moving about, but a strict guard of knights was following us.
“Don’t be so nervous.”
Laskan, sitting across from me, spoke calmly. I gave him a desperate look.
“You’ll come in with me, right? Right?”
“I would like to, if possible. But I believe you can do well on your own.”
“...Where on earth do you see people and why do you keep believing in them so much?”
I pursed my lips.
“I have a pretty good eye for people.”
“Then one day, you’ll get hit hard in the back of the head.”
He laughed softly out loud. I kept getting nervous, but he was relaxed the whole time.
Well, it wouldn't be surprising to him since he would come and go from the Imperial Palace and the Duke of Kairak's residence as if it were a meal.
I bit my lips nervously, then stuck my mouth out like a duck's mouth, afraid that my makeup would smudge. Lisa had worked hard on it since morning, and I didn't want to ruin it before we even got there.
Do you know? If you have even a little bit of a pretty side, it might save your life later when everything turns out to be a lie.
“Take a breath.”
“What if that person is really my family?”
I deliberately omitted the word Emperor from the story. I have spent my entire life wondering about my blood relatives, but I have never truly wanted to find them.
Because Olga was the only real family I had, the family that cared for me. Even now, that feeling hasn't changed.
Even if I had the Emperor's blood mixed in, I wouldn't know how I would face that person right away.
Should I call him Grandfather? Or Your Majesty? My mind was in turmoil, but Laskan seemed to be getting calmer and calmer.
“Then the Emperor will search for his long-lost granddaughter.”
“What if not?”
“Then I guess you can think of it as a six-month vacation at the palace.”
The scale of the vacation was really big. I was about to whine but stopped myself. Now was not the time for petty bickering.
I felt like I was going to faint at any moment, whether it was because I was so nervous that I couldn't breathe properly or because the corset was so tight. I had to say this while I was still conscious.
I took a deep breath and let it out with a shaky breath.
“If I die for the crime of treason, make my grave in George. Next to Olga’s. And with the 60 ram I have, give each child in the Rue George a loaf of white bread with ham. It is their lifelong wish to eat one of these. And when you dress me in shrouds, never, never, never put underwear on me.”
I emphasized it three times as absolute, so if you put underwear under the clothes, you're not even a human.
When I finished the will I had planned and thought about and raised my head in satisfaction, Laskan's face was red with embarrassment. He buried his face in his large hands and sighed.
“It’s not a case of secretly wishing for the royal family, it’s a case of deceiving the royal family. And where on earth did you hear such a thing?”
“Here and there. They all say that. They say that if I’m found out to be a fraud this time, it’s going to be a big problem.”
I grumbled with a mixture of joking and seriousness, but Laskan's expression did not lighten at all.
“Does Ashkhabad seem so small that it can’t even save you?”
It was my habit to imagine the worst when I was feeling relaxed. When I thought about those moments, what was happening to me now seemed like nothing.
But Laskan's attitude was so serious that I couldn't help but stutter.
“That’s not it. From the moment I got entangled here, my fate was twisted. I’ll be branded a conman, and my path to marriage will be blocked. I’ll have to run away and wander from place to place for the rest of my life. Marriage doesn’t really matter, but I like children. I wanted to have at least one and live comfortably.”
“I will take responsibility.”
So how on earth are you going to take responsibility? Since I've already made up my mind, I'm going to pick on you.
But before I could even grumble, Laskan was quick to strike.
“Isn’t it enough to be a Duchess?”
“What, what, what, what, what did you say?”
I forgot all about the special training I had been doing and ended up stuttering terribly. My face turned bright red in an instant.
“I’ve been thinking about this since I brought a woman who was living a normal life to me and called her a Princess. If you are truly a Princess, our marriage vows are still valid, so it’s up to you whether to maintain them or not. However, if not, I agree with the expression that your marriage path is blocked.”
“...”
“If you don’t like it, I’ll give you enough money to live off of for the rest of your life, and you can live with whoever you want...”
“Yes, just a moment.”
I cut him off as he continued to speak. If things continued this way, he would be planning the future of my fifth child.
I opened my mouth, feeling my ears red all the way to my ears.
“No, I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to marry the Duke..”
Then Laskan tilted his head as if to ask what the problem was.
I wanted to punch that damn perfect face in the face. I would have done that if that damn dress hadn't been so tight.
It was clear that he didn't even know what the problem was right now. As my anger slowly grew, my initial confusion subsided.
“No. I’m fine with it. I’ve even heard the Duke propose to me. There aren’t many people from the George who have been as successful as I have.”
"Then..."
“But, Your Excellency, do you like me?”
Even though I was a very bright-faced person, I could tell the difference between pity and love.
Perhaps Laskan's feelings toward me were sympathy and responsibility. Neither of those feelings was pleasant.
First, I wasn't a pitiful person. Second, I didn't want to stake my life on such ambiguous feelings.
Oh my, where would someone think of marriage out of pity? I didn't have to go far. I felt like shouting it out loud to the entire empire.
People of the world, look here. The hero of the empire, Duke Ashgabat, is such a fool...
“Look, you can’t answer...”
"Yes."
...What?
“I want to keep seeing you. I also wonder what you’re doing when you’re not in front of me. Isn’t that the feeling you like?”
My ears were ringing from the sound of my heart pounding.
Laskan's expression was annoyingly calm, not befitting of someone who had just confessed his love.
I managed to move my stiff lips and shouted.
“I won’t let that get to me. I’m going to marry for true love.”
It seemed as if a faint heat had passed through Laskan’s eyes for a moment. Just like the last time he had told me, ‘my salvation.’ He lifted my hand and brought his lips to the bare skin exposed by the gap between my gloves.
He smiled faintly, his lips pressed against the back of my hand. It was a manly look in his eyes, different from his usual polite smile.
“Then I guess I have to try harder.”
***
Laskan's sudden announcement of marriage did at least completely relieve my tension.
Even the moment I passed through the main gate of the palace, I was too busy covering my flushed cheeks with my fan to come to my senses.
Upon arriving at the palace, the Emperor's attendant was waiting for us. We were taken straight to the villa where the Emperor resided.
The Emperor's villa felt somewhat unnatural, as if reflecting his long period of seclusion. Even the common flowers and trees were hard to find.
A well-tuned bleakness. I followed the attendant and thought about such words absentmindedly.
“Isn’t it a bit too plain for a palace where the Emperor resides?”
I clung close to Laskan and whispered in a small voice, forgetting the awkward conversation we had just had.
If I were to make an excuse, I would say that I was extremely nervous because this place was so unfamiliar to me, and Laskan was something I was familiar with.
“His Majesty has been wearing mourning clothes to commemorate the death of the Crown Princess. It is inevitable since everyday life is a funeral.”
It was a convincing answer. In fact, it felt like I was entering a huge tomb rather than a villa.
I straightened my shoulders, which were always hunched. My shoulders were the pride of my teacher, Isabella, and the faith of Laskan.
If I thought about myself, I would want to run away right now, but when it came to the honor of the person I loved, I could be brave. Even if it took all the courage of a mouse.
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