“...The fact that the guy who had been keeping quiet and humbled himself has now made a move means that he dares to be greedy for the succession plan. The guy who was a thorn in my side has finally made a mistake.”
I suddenly felt that something was wrong. I couldn't see the Emperor's face because I was bowing my head, but his tone was extremely ominous. The Emperor spoke slowly.
“Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think I should keep you in the palace.”
I raised my head in surprise at the unexpected words.
However, the Emperor's expression showed no trace of emotion at finding his lost granddaughter.
I could tell instinctively that the Emperor didn't say those words because he thought I was his real granddaughter.
“What if it turns out later that you are not Anastasia, but a mere trick to deceive me?”
The Emperor's lips twisted into something resembling a smile.
“This time, I can finally cut off that murderer’s bloodline.”
“...”
Funny enough, those words made me worry about Laskan first. More than my own life.
I became so anxious that I forgot that I was in front of the Emperor and bit my fingernails, hiding them between my skirts.
Perhaps because of my poor etiquette, the Emperor's expression seemed to sink a little more complicated.
“The last person in charge.”
At the Emperor's call, the chief chamberlain standing at the door bowed deeply.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Give that kid a palace.”
“Excuse me, please, just a moment.”
I opened my mouth urgently.
Isabella had taught me to keep my mouth shut and to comply with the situation in front of the Emperor whenever possible because she knew that I had a tendency to forget all manners when I was flustered.
But it's her advice, and it's just me. How can I just stay still in a moment like this? I could die right now! I opened my mouth as politely as I could.
I suddenly felt that something was wrong. I couldn't see the Emperor's face because I was bowing my head, but his tone was extremely ominous. The Emperor spoke slowly.
“Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think I should keep you in the palace.”
I raised my head in surprise at the unexpected words.
However, the Emperor's expression showed no trace of emotion at finding his lost granddaughter.
I could tell instinctively that the Emperor didn't say those words because he thought I was his real granddaughter.
“What if it turns out later that you are not Anastasia, but a mere trick to deceive me?”
The Emperor's lips twisted into something resembling a smile.
“This time, I can finally cut off that murderer’s bloodline.”
“...”
Funny enough, those words made me worry about Laskan first. More than my own life.
I became so anxious that I forgot that I was in front of the Emperor and bit my fingernails, hiding them between my skirts.
Perhaps because of my poor etiquette, the Emperor's expression seemed to sink a little more complicated.
“The last person in charge.”
At the Emperor's call, the chief chamberlain standing at the door bowed deeply.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Give that kid a palace.”
“Excuse me, please, just a moment.”
I opened my mouth urgently.
Isabella had taught me to keep my mouth shut and to comply with the situation in front of the Emperor whenever possible because she knew that I had a tendency to forget all manners when I was flustered.
But it's her advice, and it's just me. How can I just stay still in a moment like this? I could die right now! I opened my mouth as politely as I could.
“Are you telling me to go into the palace right now?”
“Didn’t you claim to be the Princess yourself?”
"But..."
“The Princess’s place of residence is the imperial palace, not the Duke’s mansion.”
Those words did not simply mean that I should stay in the palace, but that I would be treated like a Princess. The Emperor smiled wickedly as if he were a god looking down from a high place.
“Your Highness, you may go out now.”
As I stood there blankly, the attendant urged me on.
Your Highness, you must go. Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness...
The sound echoed in my ears. It seemed like I was really screwed this time.
***
“What happened?”
As soon as the door to the audience room closed behind me, Laskan asked anxiously.
Because it was something that happened so unrealistically, I couldn't say anything and just moved my lips. As I stood there as if I was nailed to the spot, the chief steward urged me once more.
“Your Highness, you must go now.”
“Where....”
As I was groping around in a daze, the attendant spoke directly to Laskan.
“Your Excellency, please accompany Her Highness to the palace.”
"Palace?"
“Yes. His Majesty has ordered the palace to be demolished for Her Highness the Princess.”
Laskan was a man who could guess a series of events just from those words.
From then on, events unfolded so quickly that my eyes were spinning. I was guided to the east side of the main palace, to a mansion that was originally owned by Princess Anastasia.
They say rumors spread in the blink of an eye in the palace, and as I walked down the street, everyone in the palace I met bowed their heads to me. They also offered congratulations to the Princess who had returned.
Every time that happened, I was at a loss as to how to react, and Laskan whispered softly in my ear.
“Just nod your head with a slight smile.”
As I opened my eyes wide at the sudden attack, Laskan gently grabbed my waist and led me forward. A short exclamation erupted from the people standing nearby.
My head was already complicated, and my heart was about to burst. I managed to awkwardly raise my lips and urged him on.
“Go quickly, quickly.”
I hurriedly entered the entrance of the Princess's palace, hiding behind Laskan's arm. As soon as the large doors opened on both sides, I almost forgot what was happening and let out a gasp of admiration.
Everything that met the eye was elegant and old-fashioned: marble of a pale crimson hue, magnificent chandeliers, and the walls were covered with landscapes painted with great care by court painters.
With every step I took, exclamations escaped my lips. I didn't want to smell like a back alley. Isabella's teachings were of no use in the face of such an overwhelming sight.
Indeed, it was impossible from the beginning for me, who had not been skilled in etiquette or decoration for decades, to perfectly learn the manners of a noblewoman in just a few weeks.
“This is all...”
“Yes. They all belong to Her Highness the Princess.”
As I stammered and asked, the attendant bowed deeply and answered.
Her Highness's. In other words, what that meant was that there was nothing that was mine that was not Her Highness's.
We passed through the hallway and entered the Princess's private quarters. Compared to the Duchess's bedroom that Laskan had given me, everything was overwhelming in terms of scale. To the point where the Duchess's bedroom felt somewhat plain.
That realization immediately came, suffocating me.
“Then, Your Highness, I will select the children who will serve you and send them up within half an hour. Do you have any further orders?”
"No."
Instead, it was Laskan who caught the attendant.
“When can I receive a list of maids who will serve Her Highness?”
“The maids can do it today, but the maids have to wait for support...”
“The Princess is not familiar with the rules of the palace, so handle this as quickly as possible. In addition, I plan to send a maid who was secretly used at the Duke’s residence to keep an eye on her, so I would appreciate it if you could start with that procedure first.”
“Yes, Your Excellency. I will prepare without a hitch.”
The chief steward bowed deeply in greeting and then immediately stepped aside.
It was only when we were left alone in this huge, ornate room that the reality of it all began to hit us.
Laskan led me, staggering, to a long couch and made me lean against the cushions.
“...What do we do now?”
I held Laskan's arm tightly. He bent down at my desperate expression.
“What are you talking about?”
I whispered low and quickly, in case someone passing by might hear.
“His Majesty the Emperor said that if I am not real, he will blame you, Duke.”
Despite my desperate tone, Laskan seemed calm.
“It was expected, so, Your Highness, it is nothing to be concerned about.”
He poured water into a glass on the table and handed it to me. I took it with both hands, but I had no intention of gulping anything down.
“Let’s do something about that engineering school. The Duke said he couldn’t adapt at all.”
“You must get used to it, Your Highness. Even to calling me by my name.”
“...Seriously, why is this happening? Nothing has been confirmed yet. I told you that the Emperor’s decision to acknowledge me as the Princess seemed to be motivated by some hidden agenda!”
“I know.”
You know? And yet you still want to promote me as the Princess? If I were a fake, at best Princess Veronica's coronation would be delayed by six months. Is that period really that important?
My head was spinning, but since I couldn't see inside Laskan, my thoughts didn't move forward at all.
Laskan said, undoing my half-disheveled hair ribbon.
“The Emperor will use this as an excuse to eliminate Ashkabad. If he is willing to punish me, he will transfer the position of Duke to someone from the collateral line who will not oppose the Imperial family. If it is severe, he will punish me for treason for interfering with the Imperial family.”
“...”
“It would have been better if the Emperor had not acknowledged Your Highness. However, His Majesty has brought Your Highness into the palace, which means that he will formally punish me for any future crimes.”
"Then..."
“If Your Highness is not the true Princess, public opinion will be at its worst. Just as the people of the empire currently support Your Highness enthusiastically.”
“Then isn’t that a big deal? Above all, I, no, I...”
He calmed me down as I was confused. His skilled hands tidied up my messy hair and tucked it behind my ear.
“I have no doubt that the results of the temple will be in Your Highness’s favor.”
I looked up at him dumbly.
Why on earth? How can he believe something that even I can't? If I were really the Princess, even the Emperor, who is my true bloodline, wouldn't recognize me.
Laskan said, gathering my hair with his rough hands and carefully tying a ribbon.
“That day.”
I instinctively knew that the day Laskan was talking about was the day the Princess went missing.
“A maid was doing your hair when she accidentally touched a hot piece of metal to Your Highness’s ear. Because of your delicate skin, you immediately burst into tears.”
“...”
“You cried so hard that your face became distorted, but you were worried about what would happen to the maid, so you asked us not to tell your mother and father.”
“...”
“I can see that scar today.”
I instinctively put my hand to my ear.
That was right. I had a faint burn mark on my right ear. Olga said it was because I was playing near the stove when I was little.
“So please, do not doubt yourself any longer, Your Highness.”
Was that salvation, or was it an even bigger quagmire? There was still nothing that could be judged with certainty.
But barely, it seemed, I had found a rope I could hold onto in my precarious stunt.
***
After Laskan left, I was left alone in the huge Princess's palace.
Although the servants and maids were bustling about, none of them paid much attention to me.
That attitude was a great comfort to me, rather than having to support me, take care of me, and bow down to me as Her Highness the Princess.
If the Duke's room occupied one-third of one floor of the Duke's residence, the Princess's room occupied an entire floor of the palace.
After passing through the hallway, there was a waiting area to meet the Princess, and behind that was a huge white wooden door. After passing through all of that, the reception room where I was standing now appeared.
Behind the reception room were the Princess's private spaces, such as a bedroom and bathroom.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment