13. Fake Princess
Kalista was a Princess, an adopted daughter who was favored by the King. Because of this, she was looked down upon by the nobles as not being a true Princess.
Thalassa's Queen took pity on her daughter and protected her, and Thalassa's King cherished and cared for the 'youngest' daughter he had adopted for his beloved wife.
The King was very fond of Kalista. It was natural, since Kalista behaved so well, unlike his other daughters, who just held their heads up high and showed off.
The more the King protected her, the more arrogant Kalista became.
It was natural. The King supported her, and others took the attitude of 'Are you avoiding her because you're scared of shit, or because it's dirty?' to her selfish and self-willed personality.
All around her were dogs who rolled over on their bellies to impress the King and Queen, so Kalista thought she was absolutely right.
Also, Kalista was one of those people who felt the world owed her a reward.
Because she was pitiful. She lost her father when she was young, and although she was loved by the King, she was ignored. She was a pitiful person.
Besides, didn't she come here alone to marry the old Emperor?
She believed only that 'Father' had found the most precious marriage partner.
Seeing the age difference between her mother and father, she also agreed to have someone slightly older as her spouse.
Kalista had high hopes for his son, Asherad, who was handsome. However, the Emperor, who was his father, had aged rapidly, and his appearance seemed even more shabby whenever he stood next to his son.
And it doesn't seem like he likes her very much. Ah, what a pitiful person she is, who can't fit in anywhere. In the end, the reason she became the King's adopted daughter was to be sold.
Kalista was pessimistic about her situation.
The only person that Kalista had feelings for was Asherad. Unlike the Emperor, Asherad was fresh and handsome, and he also had good manners.
Her father was wrong. He misjudged. Rather, the best match would be Asherad. He is young and will become the next Emperor.
No, it was natural for young Kalista to covet Asherad, regardless of the conditions.
But that lowly maid. How dare the daughter of a sinner come between Asherad and the Emperor? In fact, it didn't matter to her that her sister had been humiliated by that concubine, and that the Emperor had given his heart to the daughter she bore, and that her position had been shaken.
She felt even worse because Daphne was similar to herself.
The daughter of the Emperor's favorite woman.
Kalista couldn't help it because Daphne was annoying. Why did the Emperor bring her so close when he could have just killed the woman who had deceived him?
She asked Olga, the Crown Prince's maid, about this matter in detail.
'Why on earth does the Crown Prince keep that woman close to him?'
'That is... His Highness does not know that the girl is his daughter.'
'What?'
Something is wrong with this.
At twenty-three, Kalista, despite her age, still had difficulty discerning where to step forward and where not to step forward.
She didn't know that they had their own reasons for committing certain acts, and that sometimes those reasons were morally wrong or too trivial, but they should just ignore them and ignore them.
What she saw as wrong had to be corrected.
Daphne was wrong and needed to be corrected.
Asherad seemed to be showing kindness to that foolish woman without knowing her true identity. No matter how kind he is, he must know the truth!
“What have you been doing! That woman is filthy! Quickly beat her with a whip and cut off her tongue and neck!”
“...Aunt.”
Despite the shocking truth, Asherad blinked slowly. Was he shocked? Poor thing. Kalista cried out in frustration.
“How unfortunate that you have been fooled! Your Highness, Your Highness, that is not right. Such a dirty thing...!”
At that moment, Daphne ran out. No one caught her. When Asherad tried to take a step, Kalista stopped him.
“This aunt will take care of it. I will catch that and...”
“You did something outrageous.”
Asherad spoke softly, but there was a chill to it, as if ice was creaking, and Kalista flinched for a moment.
There were no more words. Asherad looked at Kalista coldly and walked past her. There was not a moment of hesitation before he abandoned her and went to where Daphne had left.
The maids and knights of Kalista, who were watching, were also perplexed. The Crown Prince of the empire gave priority to a lowly maid over the Princess of the kingdom of Thalassa.
Kalista's face turned bright red as she was insulted.
A cold winter rain was falling. Daphne was sobbing, clutching her swollen cheeks, not knowing what to do.
It was a cold winter afternoon. Despite the rain, the sun was warm, and the garden planted with evergreen trees shone like summer, unlike any other season.
It was cold.
It was colder than when the Prince of Pindus assaulted her.
Daphne was shivering, wrapped up in her body. She would rather get caught in this rain and freeze to death. Sinner, yes, that's right. Sinner.
She knew it.
Asherad didn't even know about Daphne's detailed crimes. In fact, it was strange that he even bothered to find out about them. He didn't care much about those below him.
But Daphne also did not confess her sins and ask for forgiveness.
The reason was simple: if he knew everything, he wouldn't have let her near him.
Daphne's mother, Beatrice, had seduced the Emperor and must have put the Empress in a difficult position. Now that she thinks about it, it's not like her mother was without greed.
She wanted to enter the palace and make Daphne the Emperor's heir. Daphne no longer knew how terrifying that was, how it threatened Asherad.
But Asherad's call, Asherad's warmth, was too good. In the cold winter, it was better to kneel before Asherad and quietly look at his face than to sleep wrapped in a holey blanket in the storage room where the cleaning supplies were kept.
It was also good to read the book he told her to read. The world she had with her mother was warm, but it was like an illusion that disappeared with her death. However, Asherad was a light to Daphne, who had fallen into the harsh reality.
From the time she was a child when Asherad reached out to her, to now that she am an adult, the quiet evenings and the time spent reading books in front of a warm fireplace have been precious.
When he quietly raised his hand and stroked her head, her cold world finally seemed to find warmth.
“Ahhh, ahhhh!”
Daphne always lived in resignation to her mother's mistakes. If her mother came forward and said that she was not a sinner, she would be criticized for being shameless and the daughter of a sinner.
She always walked with her head down, unable to look up at the sky, and unable to even say anything to defend herself.
“It’s not my fault.”
So please don't hate me. Daphne trembled as she said the words she couldn't bring herself to say. As she shook her head, sadness suddenly came over her.
“Why, why did you lie? Why!”
She poured out her resentment on her dead mother. A mother who was so fragile that she could break. A weak mother. A mother who loved her so much.
And her mother, whom she loved the most.
“I didn’t want to be born to a liar like my mother!”
She didn't want to be born to such a sinful mother.
It wasn't her fault that she was called the Emperor's seed. But she loved her mother, and her mother loved her, so she tried to endure. If she had Asherad, she could endure. She thought she could.
But everything was ruined.
Daphne's lips turned blue in the cold rain. She wished she would freeze to death in the winter rain. She wished her heart would stop beating without any warmth.
In a life that was already distorted, she didn't wish for any better happiness. She didn't harbor any wicked desires like het mother.
Kalista was a Princess, an adopted daughter who was favored by the King. Because of this, she was looked down upon by the nobles as not being a true Princess.
Thalassa's Queen took pity on her daughter and protected her, and Thalassa's King cherished and cared for the 'youngest' daughter he had adopted for his beloved wife.
The King was very fond of Kalista. It was natural, since Kalista behaved so well, unlike his other daughters, who just held their heads up high and showed off.
The more the King protected her, the more arrogant Kalista became.
It was natural. The King supported her, and others took the attitude of 'Are you avoiding her because you're scared of shit, or because it's dirty?' to her selfish and self-willed personality.
All around her were dogs who rolled over on their bellies to impress the King and Queen, so Kalista thought she was absolutely right.
Also, Kalista was one of those people who felt the world owed her a reward.
Because she was pitiful. She lost her father when she was young, and although she was loved by the King, she was ignored. She was a pitiful person.
Besides, didn't she come here alone to marry the old Emperor?
She believed only that 'Father' had found the most precious marriage partner.
Seeing the age difference between her mother and father, she also agreed to have someone slightly older as her spouse.
Kalista had high hopes for his son, Asherad, who was handsome. However, the Emperor, who was his father, had aged rapidly, and his appearance seemed even more shabby whenever he stood next to his son.
And it doesn't seem like he likes her very much. Ah, what a pitiful person she is, who can't fit in anywhere. In the end, the reason she became the King's adopted daughter was to be sold.
Kalista was pessimistic about her situation.
The only person that Kalista had feelings for was Asherad. Unlike the Emperor, Asherad was fresh and handsome, and he also had good manners.
Her father was wrong. He misjudged. Rather, the best match would be Asherad. He is young and will become the next Emperor.
No, it was natural for young Kalista to covet Asherad, regardless of the conditions.
But that lowly maid. How dare the daughter of a sinner come between Asherad and the Emperor? In fact, it didn't matter to her that her sister had been humiliated by that concubine, and that the Emperor had given his heart to the daughter she bore, and that her position had been shaken.
She felt even worse because Daphne was similar to herself.
The daughter of the Emperor's favorite woman.
Kalista couldn't help it because Daphne was annoying. Why did the Emperor bring her so close when he could have just killed the woman who had deceived him?
She asked Olga, the Crown Prince's maid, about this matter in detail.
'Why on earth does the Crown Prince keep that woman close to him?'
'That is... His Highness does not know that the girl is his daughter.'
'What?'
Something is wrong with this.
At twenty-three, Kalista, despite her age, still had difficulty discerning where to step forward and where not to step forward.
She didn't know that they had their own reasons for committing certain acts, and that sometimes those reasons were morally wrong or too trivial, but they should just ignore them and ignore them.
What she saw as wrong had to be corrected.
Daphne was wrong and needed to be corrected.
Asherad seemed to be showing kindness to that foolish woman without knowing her true identity. No matter how kind he is, he must know the truth!
“What have you been doing! That woman is filthy! Quickly beat her with a whip and cut off her tongue and neck!”
“...Aunt.”
Despite the shocking truth, Asherad blinked slowly. Was he shocked? Poor thing. Kalista cried out in frustration.
“How unfortunate that you have been fooled! Your Highness, Your Highness, that is not right. Such a dirty thing...!”
At that moment, Daphne ran out. No one caught her. When Asherad tried to take a step, Kalista stopped him.
“This aunt will take care of it. I will catch that and...”
“You did something outrageous.”
Asherad spoke softly, but there was a chill to it, as if ice was creaking, and Kalista flinched for a moment.
There were no more words. Asherad looked at Kalista coldly and walked past her. There was not a moment of hesitation before he abandoned her and went to where Daphne had left.
The maids and knights of Kalista, who were watching, were also perplexed. The Crown Prince of the empire gave priority to a lowly maid over the Princess of the kingdom of Thalassa.
Kalista's face turned bright red as she was insulted.
***
A cold winter rain was falling. Daphne was sobbing, clutching her swollen cheeks, not knowing what to do.
It was a cold winter afternoon. Despite the rain, the sun was warm, and the garden planted with evergreen trees shone like summer, unlike any other season.
It was cold.
It was colder than when the Prince of Pindus assaulted her.
Daphne was shivering, wrapped up in her body. She would rather get caught in this rain and freeze to death. Sinner, yes, that's right. Sinner.
She knew it.
Asherad didn't even know about Daphne's detailed crimes. In fact, it was strange that he even bothered to find out about them. He didn't care much about those below him.
But Daphne also did not confess her sins and ask for forgiveness.
The reason was simple: if he knew everything, he wouldn't have let her near him.
Daphne's mother, Beatrice, had seduced the Emperor and must have put the Empress in a difficult position. Now that she thinks about it, it's not like her mother was without greed.
She wanted to enter the palace and make Daphne the Emperor's heir. Daphne no longer knew how terrifying that was, how it threatened Asherad.
But Asherad's call, Asherad's warmth, was too good. In the cold winter, it was better to kneel before Asherad and quietly look at his face than to sleep wrapped in a holey blanket in the storage room where the cleaning supplies were kept.
It was also good to read the book he told her to read. The world she had with her mother was warm, but it was like an illusion that disappeared with her death. However, Asherad was a light to Daphne, who had fallen into the harsh reality.
From the time she was a child when Asherad reached out to her, to now that she am an adult, the quiet evenings and the time spent reading books in front of a warm fireplace have been precious.
When he quietly raised his hand and stroked her head, her cold world finally seemed to find warmth.
“Ahhh, ahhhh!”
Daphne always lived in resignation to her mother's mistakes. If her mother came forward and said that she was not a sinner, she would be criticized for being shameless and the daughter of a sinner.
She always walked with her head down, unable to look up at the sky, and unable to even say anything to defend herself.
“It’s not my fault.”
So please don't hate me. Daphne trembled as she said the words she couldn't bring herself to say. As she shook her head, sadness suddenly came over her.
“Why, why did you lie? Why!”
She poured out her resentment on her dead mother. A mother who was so fragile that she could break. A weak mother. A mother who loved her so much.
And her mother, whom she loved the most.
“I didn’t want to be born to a liar like my mother!”
She didn't want to be born to such a sinful mother.
It wasn't her fault that she was called the Emperor's seed. But she loved her mother, and her mother loved her, so she tried to endure. If she had Asherad, she could endure. She thought she could.
But everything was ruined.
Daphne's lips turned blue in the cold rain. She wished she would freeze to death in the winter rain. She wished her heart would stop beating without any warmth.
In a life that was already distorted, she didn't wish for any better happiness. She didn't harbor any wicked desires like het mother.
She wished to be happy like this, sharing just a little bit of time with Asherad. But life went even further downhill, into hell.
At that moment, a black figure suddenly appeared, walking along the tree branches.
Daphne stumbled back on her haunches in surprise. Daphne opened her eyes wide and looked at the figure. The man was smiling broadly, holding the branch.
“Found it.”
“...”
The person standing there with the corners of his lips raised in a crooked manner was, of course, Asherad.
This was his garden, which only the Crown Prince was allowed to enter, and he would know these corners better.
“You ran away from me again?”
Tears flowed from Daphne's eyes. The branch in Asherad's hand broke with a snap.
"Daphne."
He said her name in a sweet voice.
“Come here.”
At that moment, a black figure suddenly appeared, walking along the tree branches.
Daphne stumbled back on her haunches in surprise. Daphne opened her eyes wide and looked at the figure. The man was smiling broadly, holding the branch.
“Found it.”
“...”
The person standing there with the corners of his lips raised in a crooked manner was, of course, Asherad.
This was his garden, which only the Crown Prince was allowed to enter, and he would know these corners better.
“You ran away from me again?”
Tears flowed from Daphne's eyes. The branch in Asherad's hand broke with a snap.
"Daphne."
He said her name in a sweet voice.
“Come here.”
She tried to run away.
However, Asherad confidently called Daphne. She could not refuse that order. Like a thoroughly trained hunting dog, Daphne stopped and looked at Asherad.
“Why, why.”
For a Crown Prince, she looked like a real mess.
She wasn't wearing any outerwear or anything. She was wearing only a white shirt over her upper body, and her underwear was transparent. Daphne shouted when she saw it.
"Your Highness."
“...”
“Cold, I’m catching a cold!”
Daphne screamed. Then Asherad burst into laughter. The laughter seemed somehow bright, and she was confused.
“It’s cold, Daphne.”
At those words, Daphne ran to Asherad. Soon, he hugged her in his wide arms. She no longer felt the cold of this winter rain.
“I told you, sin is not inherited.”
“...”
“That’s unfair.”
“...”
Kwaaak. The arms holding her tightened. Daphne buried her head in his arms and spoke. Then a soft voice came into her ears.
“If you were really my father’s child, how lucky you are, Daphne.”
“...”
“Maybe we would have been good siblings?”
She flinched at the word 'siblings'. But she found herself delighted by it.
“...But Your Highness. My mother. Your Highness’s mother.”
“It’s not that important to me.”
“...”
“How could I not cherish someone who could have been my sister?”
Asherad is a righteous man. He always speaks the truth. People say he is the son of God.
He was so smart that he thought that the soul was definitely combed by God himself when it was created.
But Daphne thought that was not the case.
Daphne looked up at Asherad. At this moment, dare she say, Asherad was a god to her.
The god Daphne, with his back to the sun, smiled gently.
However, Asherad confidently called Daphne. She could not refuse that order. Like a thoroughly trained hunting dog, Daphne stopped and looked at Asherad.
“Why, why.”
For a Crown Prince, she looked like a real mess.
She wasn't wearing any outerwear or anything. She was wearing only a white shirt over her upper body, and her underwear was transparent. Daphne shouted when she saw it.
"Your Highness."
“...”
“Cold, I’m catching a cold!”
Daphne screamed. Then Asherad burst into laughter. The laughter seemed somehow bright, and she was confused.
“It’s cold, Daphne.”
At those words, Daphne ran to Asherad. Soon, he hugged her in his wide arms. She no longer felt the cold of this winter rain.
“I told you, sin is not inherited.”
“...”
“That’s unfair.”
“...”
Kwaaak. The arms holding her tightened. Daphne buried her head in his arms and spoke. Then a soft voice came into her ears.
“If you were really my father’s child, how lucky you are, Daphne.”
“...”
“Maybe we would have been good siblings?”
She flinched at the word 'siblings'. But she found herself delighted by it.
“...But Your Highness. My mother. Your Highness’s mother.”
“It’s not that important to me.”
“...”
“How could I not cherish someone who could have been my sister?”
Asherad is a righteous man. He always speaks the truth. People say he is the son of God.
He was so smart that he thought that the soul was definitely combed by God himself when it was created.
But Daphne thought that was not the case.
Daphne looked up at Asherad. At this moment, dare she say, Asherad was a god to her.
The god Daphne, with his back to the sun, smiled gently.
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