“If you were the one who could keep it, I wouldn’t have done this. How long has it been since you came, and now you’re leaving like this..."
“This time, I will really, really keep it.”
“...I guess that won’t work. If you get married, you’ll feel like settling down at home.”
"Honey."
Admiral Reston gently wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. Only after his protest did she gracefully let go of Jacqueline's collar.
The admiral patted Jacqueline's crumpled collar and smoothed it out. Where had the gentle eyes that looked at his wife gone? The eyes that looked at his children were blue.
“The Princess said to me...”
He coughed loudly at the admiral's wife's glare.
“...I can’t help it since she wants you to be her escort, but I have to make sure that you don’t lack anything in serving her.”
"Yes."
“Always keep your bearings straight.”
“Yes.”
The admiral's eyebrows twitched. Is that the right attitude to show to your father, you punk with a head full of shit, you punk who drinks northern water without drinking it, etc... Jacqueline ran away, unable to hear the second burst of nagging.
But before he had taken exactly twenty steps, he was caught again. The admiral added a few stern instructions to Jacqueline, who was lying face down on the floor with his hands clasped behind his back.
So, all the preparations were completed. As I buried my back in the soft cushions of the carriage, everything felt real.
Now it's time to go back. To the capital, to the palace without Laskan.
On the morning of the third day after departure, we arrived at the palace.
It was an earlier return than expected, and I had sent a message that I would arrive soon as I passed through the previous city... But I didn’t know that the first thing I would see upon arrival would be ‘that man’.
I looked at Dmitry, who was getting closer, with crooked eyes.
“Your Highness, the Princess.”
As the carriage stopped and the door opened, he elegantly extended his hand.
I looked at his face once, his hands once, and the maids standing behind him once.
If I refuse his hand here, this story will spread to all the salons. And they will start making up stories that don't even exist.
It was a trap with no place to retreat. I sighed and grabbed his hand.
“The first thing I see when I arrive in the capital is your face. Is this true?”
“I feel hurt when you say that.”
“I know you didn’t receive a single penny.”
He let out a short laugh, as if he couldn't help but be so cute.
I said, wrinkling my nose.
“What on earth are you up to this time? Why did you come all the way out to meet me?”
“What a conspiracy.”
“You lured people like this last time, too.”
“There is no other reason. It is just that I have not seen Your Highness for a long time.”
“...”
“It seems like you’ve gotten even prettier since we last saw each other.”
At his words, the maids winked busily and blushed.
At that moment, I realized who had sold the information about my arrival to Dmitry so cheaply. He must have been bewitching my faithful maids with his pretentious manners, pretending to be in love.
Anyway, he was a man who made good use of anything that helped him.
“How sinister. You did this to every woman you met, didn’t you?”
I said that because I thought I could tease him a little. I heard he's really popular in the capital these days. It was kind of funny that he came here after having enjoyed everything he could.
But instead of smiling off like he usually did, he squeezed my hand a little tighter, with a force that was somewhere between polite and rude.
“Are you curious about that?”
“Not at all?”
“Please rest assured, I am only saying this to Your Highness.”
“I’m not curious. More importantly, I don’t believe it.”
“It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not.”
“...”
“Now, I’m really getting greedy.”
I stopped and looked into his deep green eyes. Where before they had sparkled like shards of broken glass, now they were as still as the depths of the ocean.
Unlike the playful conversation before, the sudden seriousness felt strange. I hesitated, not knowing how to react, and then decided to change the subject.
“...Well, that’s a good thing. We had things to do anyway.”
He smiled as if he had expected my answer and took the letter out of his bosom.
“Is this why?”
“You, really...”
I was startled and grabbed Dmitry's arm. Why were you pulling that out of a place like this?
I stopped the servants and knights who were following me for a moment, then grabbed him and walked with him to the end of the deserted corridor.
I was the first to speak.
“Now tell me.”
“The plan is quite detailed. The legal review has been completed.”
“Was it okay?”
“It was impressive. There are a few more steps that need to be added, but it shouldn’t be difficult to implement.”
“What did His Majesty say?”
“He said he would make an exception when it comes to the issue of the Stone of Oidos.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was going well. It was so smooth that it was a little scary.
“I will go to the East.”
“You yourself?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted and sent me the letter?”
He bent down and whispered in my ear.
“I thought you wanted to prove to me that I was crazy, Your Highness.”
“Proof?... I didn’t even think about that, and there’s no need for that.”
I shook my head. That was absolutely not the case.
All I needed was someone to act as a mediator between His Majesty the Emperor and me, and Dmitry was the natural person among the capital's nobles with whom I could immediately contact to discuss business matters.
Looking at it this way, it seems like my perception of him has changed a bit. At first, no matter what he said, it all felt like he was a conman.
“First of all, I sent an agent in advance.”
“...You sent it in advance?”
“The submission deadline is in five days. If we leave now, we’ll be late.”
“So, who else did you send besides me?”
I felt Dmitry's persistent gaze, but I ignored it and turned my head away.
“You’ll find out soon enough. He’ll come with the box himself.”
“That’s a little disappointing.”
He said, his shoulders slumping. His face turned gloomy in an instant, as if he were putting on a mask.
“I was thrilled that Your Highness had given me a chance.”
“...”
I didn't know what to say, so I just opened my mouth.
If he had been sly or forceful, I could have easily ignored him.
But honestly, it bothered me when he acted like an abandoned puppy like that. I've always been weaker towards weak people.
If he knew my personality and was doing that on purpose, it was a really cunning tactic.
At times like this, I had to be even more alert. It wasn't the time to be nervous and give meaning to every conversation with him.
I deliberately responded coldly, meaning to tell him to come to his senses.
“What do I believe in you?”
“...”
He seemed speechless for a long time and could not answer.
I was very embarrassed and sorry at the same time because I didn't know he would take my words so seriously. I thought he would just smirk and move on like he usually did...
It was my fault. At least this time, he did his best for me.
Just as I was about to add a few words of instruction, he answered belatedly, like a dancer who had missed the beat.
“...That’s right. As expected, Your Highness is smart.”
He laughed, ruffling my hair with his big hands.
His eyes were very empty, like someone who had been pushed off a cliff.
While staying in the palace, my body was at ease, but my mind was very anxious.
The biggest problem was that the news from the East was being delayed too much. As I expected, the box should have arrived two days ago...
I glanced at my watch and sighed. There were now fewer than thirty minutes left until my assignment was due.
Where on earth did it all go wrong? Was it wrong to follow Jacqueline's advice to be bold at the start of the match? Or was it the problem that I left the box behind to show my loyalty to Rosetta?
Yes, if I had to pick one, it was Veronica's fault. It was a problem that wouldn't have mattered if I lost, but she brought it up like that... I buried my head in my hands.
"Your Highness."
Lisa opened the door and came in. I jumped up from my seat.
“Have he arrived?”
“Not yet. I sent someone to Osmungand a little while ago, so the message will probably arrive first when the messenger passes through.”
It's ridiculous to call someone a 'messenger' when they just asked you to run an errand.
From Lisa's perspective, she knew that she had no choice but to respect him since he was someone she knew well, but her twisted heart didn't seem to be able to straighten out at all.
Lisa said as she placed the food from the trolley she had pushed on the table.
“You should eat something more than that.”
“It doesn’t work.”
“But today you left half of your breakfast behind...”
“There are only thirty minutes left. If he doesn’t get there on time, it’s over.”
I mumbled. There was no need to make a fuss by talking nonsense.
The clock hands were now pointing to ten minutes.
I couldn't stand the nervousness anymore, so I bit my fingernails. Old habits inevitably come out in moments of tension.
Eventually, Lisa couldn't stand the crackling sound and got up from her seat.
“I’ll be at the gate. I’ll be the first to let you know when the messenger arrives.”
“Maybe I should have sent the real Dmitry...”
I buried my face in the cushion and mumbled. My mind was going back and forth for a few minutes.
To be honest, this wasn't the right attitude. Being overly fixated on one decision is not a good quality for a monarch.
But if I heard that everything fell apart at the last minute because of my bluff, even though everyone had helped me so hard all this time... That would be embarrassing in its own way.
“This won’t work. I have to go out myself.”
As I stood up from my seat indignantly, the door opened.
“This time, I will really, really keep it.”
“...I guess that won’t work. If you get married, you’ll feel like settling down at home.”
"Honey."
Admiral Reston gently wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. Only after his protest did she gracefully let go of Jacqueline's collar.
The admiral patted Jacqueline's crumpled collar and smoothed it out. Where had the gentle eyes that looked at his wife gone? The eyes that looked at his children were blue.
“The Princess said to me...”
He coughed loudly at the admiral's wife's glare.
“...I can’t help it since she wants you to be her escort, but I have to make sure that you don’t lack anything in serving her.”
"Yes."
“Always keep your bearings straight.”
“Yes.”
The admiral's eyebrows twitched. Is that the right attitude to show to your father, you punk with a head full of shit, you punk who drinks northern water without drinking it, etc... Jacqueline ran away, unable to hear the second burst of nagging.
But before he had taken exactly twenty steps, he was caught again. The admiral added a few stern instructions to Jacqueline, who was lying face down on the floor with his hands clasped behind his back.
So, all the preparations were completed. As I buried my back in the soft cushions of the carriage, everything felt real.
Now it's time to go back. To the capital, to the palace without Laskan.
***
On the morning of the third day after departure, we arrived at the palace.
It was an earlier return than expected, and I had sent a message that I would arrive soon as I passed through the previous city... But I didn’t know that the first thing I would see upon arrival would be ‘that man’.
I looked at Dmitry, who was getting closer, with crooked eyes.
“Your Highness, the Princess.”
As the carriage stopped and the door opened, he elegantly extended his hand.
I looked at his face once, his hands once, and the maids standing behind him once.
If I refuse his hand here, this story will spread to all the salons. And they will start making up stories that don't even exist.
It was a trap with no place to retreat. I sighed and grabbed his hand.
“The first thing I see when I arrive in the capital is your face. Is this true?”
“I feel hurt when you say that.”
“I know you didn’t receive a single penny.”
He let out a short laugh, as if he couldn't help but be so cute.
I said, wrinkling my nose.
“What on earth are you up to this time? Why did you come all the way out to meet me?”
“What a conspiracy.”
“You lured people like this last time, too.”
“There is no other reason. It is just that I have not seen Your Highness for a long time.”
“...”
“It seems like you’ve gotten even prettier since we last saw each other.”
At his words, the maids winked busily and blushed.
At that moment, I realized who had sold the information about my arrival to Dmitry so cheaply. He must have been bewitching my faithful maids with his pretentious manners, pretending to be in love.
Anyway, he was a man who made good use of anything that helped him.
“How sinister. You did this to every woman you met, didn’t you?”
I said that because I thought I could tease him a little. I heard he's really popular in the capital these days. It was kind of funny that he came here after having enjoyed everything he could.
But instead of smiling off like he usually did, he squeezed my hand a little tighter, with a force that was somewhere between polite and rude.
“Are you curious about that?”
“Not at all?”
“Please rest assured, I am only saying this to Your Highness.”
“I’m not curious. More importantly, I don’t believe it.”
“It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not.”
“...”
“Now, I’m really getting greedy.”
I stopped and looked into his deep green eyes. Where before they had sparkled like shards of broken glass, now they were as still as the depths of the ocean.
Unlike the playful conversation before, the sudden seriousness felt strange. I hesitated, not knowing how to react, and then decided to change the subject.
“...Well, that’s a good thing. We had things to do anyway.”
He smiled as if he had expected my answer and took the letter out of his bosom.
“Is this why?”
“You, really...”
I was startled and grabbed Dmitry's arm. Why were you pulling that out of a place like this?
I stopped the servants and knights who were following me for a moment, then grabbed him and walked with him to the end of the deserted corridor.
I was the first to speak.
“Now tell me.”
“The plan is quite detailed. The legal review has been completed.”
“Was it okay?”
“It was impressive. There are a few more steps that need to be added, but it shouldn’t be difficult to implement.”
“What did His Majesty say?”
“He said he would make an exception when it comes to the issue of the Stone of Oidos.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was going well. It was so smooth that it was a little scary.
“I will go to the East.”
“You yourself?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted and sent me the letter?”
He bent down and whispered in my ear.
“I thought you wanted to prove to me that I was crazy, Your Highness.”
“Proof?... I didn’t even think about that, and there’s no need for that.”
I shook my head. That was absolutely not the case.
All I needed was someone to act as a mediator between His Majesty the Emperor and me, and Dmitry was the natural person among the capital's nobles with whom I could immediately contact to discuss business matters.
Looking at it this way, it seems like my perception of him has changed a bit. At first, no matter what he said, it all felt like he was a conman.
“First of all, I sent an agent in advance.”
“...You sent it in advance?”
“The submission deadline is in five days. If we leave now, we’ll be late.”
“So, who else did you send besides me?”
I felt Dmitry's persistent gaze, but I ignored it and turned my head away.
“You’ll find out soon enough. He’ll come with the box himself.”
“That’s a little disappointing.”
He said, his shoulders slumping. His face turned gloomy in an instant, as if he were putting on a mask.
“I was thrilled that Your Highness had given me a chance.”
“...”
I didn't know what to say, so I just opened my mouth.
If he had been sly or forceful, I could have easily ignored him.
But honestly, it bothered me when he acted like an abandoned puppy like that. I've always been weaker towards weak people.
If he knew my personality and was doing that on purpose, it was a really cunning tactic.
At times like this, I had to be even more alert. It wasn't the time to be nervous and give meaning to every conversation with him.
I deliberately responded coldly, meaning to tell him to come to his senses.
“What do I believe in you?”
“...”
He seemed speechless for a long time and could not answer.
I was very embarrassed and sorry at the same time because I didn't know he would take my words so seriously. I thought he would just smirk and move on like he usually did...
It was my fault. At least this time, he did his best for me.
Just as I was about to add a few words of instruction, he answered belatedly, like a dancer who had missed the beat.
“...That’s right. As expected, Your Highness is smart.”
He laughed, ruffling my hair with his big hands.
His eyes were very empty, like someone who had been pushed off a cliff.
***
While staying in the palace, my body was at ease, but my mind was very anxious.
The biggest problem was that the news from the East was being delayed too much. As I expected, the box should have arrived two days ago...
I glanced at my watch and sighed. There were now fewer than thirty minutes left until my assignment was due.
Where on earth did it all go wrong? Was it wrong to follow Jacqueline's advice to be bold at the start of the match? Or was it the problem that I left the box behind to show my loyalty to Rosetta?
Yes, if I had to pick one, it was Veronica's fault. It was a problem that wouldn't have mattered if I lost, but she brought it up like that... I buried my head in my hands.
"Your Highness."
Lisa opened the door and came in. I jumped up from my seat.
“Have he arrived?”
“Not yet. I sent someone to Osmungand a little while ago, so the message will probably arrive first when the messenger passes through.”
It's ridiculous to call someone a 'messenger' when they just asked you to run an errand.
From Lisa's perspective, she knew that she had no choice but to respect him since he was someone she knew well, but her twisted heart didn't seem to be able to straighten out at all.
Lisa said as she placed the food from the trolley she had pushed on the table.
“You should eat something more than that.”
“It doesn’t work.”
“But today you left half of your breakfast behind...”
“There are only thirty minutes left. If he doesn’t get there on time, it’s over.”
I mumbled. There was no need to make a fuss by talking nonsense.
The clock hands were now pointing to ten minutes.
I couldn't stand the nervousness anymore, so I bit my fingernails. Old habits inevitably come out in moments of tension.
Eventually, Lisa couldn't stand the crackling sound and got up from her seat.
“I’ll be at the gate. I’ll be the first to let you know when the messenger arrives.”
“Maybe I should have sent the real Dmitry...”
I buried my face in the cushion and mumbled. My mind was going back and forth for a few minutes.
To be honest, this wasn't the right attitude. Being overly fixated on one decision is not a good quality for a monarch.
But if I heard that everything fell apart at the last minute because of my bluff, even though everyone had helped me so hard all this time... That would be embarrassing in its own way.
“This won’t work. I have to go out myself.”
As I stood up from my seat indignantly, the door opened.
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