Veronica climbed the stairs to the top floor. In the empty hallway, where the servant had been absent, she had no difficulty in finding anything out of the ordinary.
There was no strong alcohol or the overwhelming scent of hallucinogenic herbs that should have been present from the very beginning. Everything was excessively quiet.
Finally, she stood in front of a huge wooden door. She knocked twice.
"Your Excellency."
“Come in.”
She opened the door without much care. She had realized ten years ago that if she were to be hit with anything, whether it was a paperweight or an ashtray, the Duke’s anger would subside quickly.
But what she saw was far from what she had expected.
“Are you here, my daughter?”
Eyes that were soft and relaxed, not to mention in a good mood, a clean face that was not drunk, arms that were relaxed as if sitting on a throne, legs crossed at an angle...
And a man, lying down like a dog before those arrogant feet.
“Zachary.”
The man's name leaked out like a hollow laugh between Veronica's hard lips.
The man, who was lying face down, flinched at her cool voice. The Duke looked at the two of them alternately and burst out laughing.
“Oh, now that I think about it, you were in the same college class as him.”
“...”
“I guess we can skip greeting each other.”
The Duke lifted Zachary's chin with his boot. He grabbed Zachary's hair with his dry hands. Zachary's eyes glowed red as he forced his head back.
At that moment, the Duke raised his other hand and struck Zachary on the cheek.
“...!”
For a moment, a blue spark appeared in Zachary's eyes, but it was only for a split second.
Zachary lowered his slanted eyes again. If it weren’t for his ragged breathing and his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, it would be difficult to see any emotion on his face.
But the Duke clicked his tongue briefly as if he was not even satisfied with that.
“Is it really necessary to lose my face over this level of humiliation?”
“...”
“From now on, you will spend all your life prostrating yourself at my feet.”
“...I’m sorry, yes...”
“How much more so for someone about to become a King to show all his emotions like this.”
The letter. Her heart pounded uncomfortably at those words. Veronica moved her dry lips with difficulty.
“A letter from the King. What do you mean?”
“Oh, I guess you haven’t heard the news yet.”
“...”
“The Princess has run away. Duke Ashkabad has used a fake Princess to deceive the imperial family, and this is more than enough to be punished as treason.”
“What the heck is that...”
“You’re playing dumb, Veronica.”
Duke Kairak smiled coolly.
“When the sun rises, the throne will finally be yours.”
Her heart sank. Veronica managed to get the words out.
“However, many people witnessed the Princess staying in the palace until the day before. To escape overnight, Her Highness, could it be, some kind of mistake...”
“This is information I received through a maid who was directly pushed into the Princess’s bedroom by the Ashkabad branch. As soon as he heard this, he immediately ran to kneel before me.”
“...”
“Please, blame it all on that lowly woman and spare my brother, who is acting like a dog...”
The snake-like eyes narrowed in pleasure.
“He is worthy of the title of the next Duke of Ashkabad.”
“...”
Veronica could easily recall from the white face of Zachary, stretched out in the Duke's grasp, the portrait of Princess Ashkabad that she had seen in passing in the hallway long ago.
That pitiful woman who was possessed by that lunatic and insisted on a marriage that everyone had opposed, and who died a miserable death at the hands of the man she loved.
It all started from there.
The death of the Crown Princess and her husband, the Princess' painful childhood, the untimely accident of the former Duke of Ashkabad, Laskan, and Zachary, and her too...
Veronica gritted her teeth. How many lives must that madman ruin before he can be satisfied?
"Veronica."
The Duke's gaze, which had been hanging down as if satisfied, slowly turned towards her.
Even though she hated him so much, she instinctively shrank her shoulders when shr saw the gaze directed at her.
The Duke's fingers moved like a spider and tapped the armrests of the chair.
“I made a fuss out of something that should have come back to you because of your lack of ability.”
“...”
“Didn’t you almost fall over?”
“...I’m sorry.”
She knelt down beside Zachary, her gaze cast down familiarly.
She could hear Zachary's teeth clicking together as he sat nearby. In fact, she had long since stopped taking it all for an insult.
Veronica took a deep breath. After being eliminated from the competition, she had only one wish.
May the Duke tell her that her usefulness has ended, and thus be free from all these things at last.
But now she knows that thinking was incredibly naive.
Nothing was over. Nothing.
The historic day has dawned when Princess Anastasia's royal bloodline is confirmed. In front of the main shrine, people crowded around from early morning, hoping to see the Princess even from a distance.
Carriages carrying nobles arrived one after another. Every time a head of a clan passed through the temple gates, the people of the empire applauded and cheered.
Since the founding of the Empire, there has rarely been a time when public opinion has been so friendly toward the Privy Council.
Before the clock struck ten, the heads of the thirteen houses, including the Duke of Ashkabad's representative, were present. Only the Emperor and the Princess remained.
However, the royal family's white carriage did not even show a shadow as the sun was close to zenith in the sky.
Strange rumors began to spread among the people who were growing tired of waiting. The rumors, which had been treated as nothing more than ominous gossip, began to gain traction quickly after noon.
Some of the more impatient members of the crowd rushed to the palace. As the anxiety of the imperial people, who were worried about the safety of the Princess, reached its limit, the carriages carrying the heads of the thirteen families came out of the Temer main Temple one after another.
Soon, the priest raised a black flag and publicly announced that the judging ceremony had been canceled.
The gates of Osmungand were barred, and knights from the palace began to search. The implications of all this were clear.
The Princess has disappeared.
“What happened?”
I asked Dmitry impatiently as he opened the old inn door and came in.
Even when I met him in the late hours of the morning, he was wearing the elegant yet uncomfortable attire of a nobleman, but I wondered where he had managed to get his hands on clothes that made him look like any other commoner.
As soon as Dmitry came in, he closed the door carefully and handed me a package containing warm food.
“You should eat first. You probably haven’t eaten anything all day.”
Although he said it as if he had guessed that I hadn't eaten anything all day, Dmitry had ordered a stew before he left the room this morning.
Of course...I couldn’t even scoop up a single spoonful, just like he said.
“By any chance, have you heard any news related to His Majesty....”
“Start with dinner, Asha.”
He gently interrupted me. He was already dipping a piece of torn bread into warm soup and shoving it into my mouth.
I snatched the bread from his hands as old memories came flooding back.
“...I’ll eat it.”
“You have to eat it all.”
I didn't even realize I was hungry because I was so nervous, but as soon as I took a bite, I felt an extreme hunger.
While I was eating, Dmitry looked down through the dirty glass window, hiding behind the curtains. Through the slightly open slit, he could hear the sound of a security check being conducted on the street.
Finally, Dmitry opened his mouth and closed the window tightly.
“Information on matters related to His Majesty is extremely limited, so even I have difficulty finding out. However, certainly, he has not passed away.”
Those words offered little comfort. I chewed my lips nervously, but there was nothing I could do for the Emperor here.
Other than making contact with the Imperial Army as soon as possible and driving out Duke Kairak...
“And the checks are more severe than expected. As if they are certain that Your Highness is in the capital.”
“When will I be able to leave the capital?”
“Maybe a week. Even though the exit gates are blocked, the gates entering the capital were opened in the evening... so it won’t take much longer.”
A week. That would be enough time to block all the routes to the north. My lips trembled.
The rough sound of knights running in formation was getting closer and closer. I flinched.
“By any chance, I'm already been discovered...”
“From the looks of it, the owner doesn't know anything yet.”
I nodded with a look of annoyance on my face. It was a relief.
Well, that's right. After pouring alcohol on the hood and making it smell, we pretended to be a drunk lover. There weren't a few people like that last night.
“But we won’t be able to stay here for long. It’s too small for Asha to stay in...”
His eyes narrowed as if he was displeased as he looked around the room. It was so cramped that I sat on the bed and Dmitry sat on the only chair, our toes almost touching.
“It’s only a matter of time before the Knights find this place.”
“Then where should I go?”
“I’ve prepared a suitable place for you. We’ll be moving at dawn the day after tomorrow, so get as much rest as possible.”
“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble. I’ll pay you back this debt later, somehow...”
Dmitry let out a short laugh.
“My only gratitude is that you are safe and under my protection.”
“...”
“If you really care about it, then when you return to the palace, pay me back tenfold.”
“If possible... I will. I promise.”
Dmitry got up from his seat.
I thought he was going to leave, so I got up from the bed where I had been sitting to see him off. But he handed me another package he had brought.
“I’ll try to cover it up with a hood at night, but the palace maid’s uniform is too conspicuous. I brought you a change of clothes, but I had to get them in a hurry...”
Dmitry blushed as if he were embarrassed.
The dress he had brought was a black velvet one-piece dress with a corset-like knot at the waist. The material was luxurious, but it was so unfashionable that noblewomen would have shouted that they would rather wear pajamas than this.
“I’ll turn around, and let me know when you're done putting on your clothes.”
“...Right now?”
“It would be safer to dispose of the maid’s uniform tonight, and since it has knots, you will need my help.”
Unlike me, who was clearly nervous, Dmitry had a calm expression on his face, without even a hint of agitation. As if this were completely natural.
There was no strong alcohol or the overwhelming scent of hallucinogenic herbs that should have been present from the very beginning. Everything was excessively quiet.
Finally, she stood in front of a huge wooden door. She knocked twice.
"Your Excellency."
“Come in.”
She opened the door without much care. She had realized ten years ago that if she were to be hit with anything, whether it was a paperweight or an ashtray, the Duke’s anger would subside quickly.
But what she saw was far from what she had expected.
“Are you here, my daughter?”
Eyes that were soft and relaxed, not to mention in a good mood, a clean face that was not drunk, arms that were relaxed as if sitting on a throne, legs crossed at an angle...
And a man, lying down like a dog before those arrogant feet.
“Zachary.”
The man's name leaked out like a hollow laugh between Veronica's hard lips.
The man, who was lying face down, flinched at her cool voice. The Duke looked at the two of them alternately and burst out laughing.
“Oh, now that I think about it, you were in the same college class as him.”
“...”
“I guess we can skip greeting each other.”
The Duke lifted Zachary's chin with his boot. He grabbed Zachary's hair with his dry hands. Zachary's eyes glowed red as he forced his head back.
At that moment, the Duke raised his other hand and struck Zachary on the cheek.
“...!”
For a moment, a blue spark appeared in Zachary's eyes, but it was only for a split second.
Zachary lowered his slanted eyes again. If it weren’t for his ragged breathing and his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, it would be difficult to see any emotion on his face.
But the Duke clicked his tongue briefly as if he was not even satisfied with that.
“Is it really necessary to lose my face over this level of humiliation?”
“...”
“From now on, you will spend all your life prostrating yourself at my feet.”
“...I’m sorry, yes...”
“How much more so for someone about to become a King to show all his emotions like this.”
The letter. Her heart pounded uncomfortably at those words. Veronica moved her dry lips with difficulty.
“A letter from the King. What do you mean?”
“Oh, I guess you haven’t heard the news yet.”
“...”
“The Princess has run away. Duke Ashkabad has used a fake Princess to deceive the imperial family, and this is more than enough to be punished as treason.”
“What the heck is that...”
“You’re playing dumb, Veronica.”
Duke Kairak smiled coolly.
“When the sun rises, the throne will finally be yours.”
Her heart sank. Veronica managed to get the words out.
“However, many people witnessed the Princess staying in the palace until the day before. To escape overnight, Her Highness, could it be, some kind of mistake...”
“This is information I received through a maid who was directly pushed into the Princess’s bedroom by the Ashkabad branch. As soon as he heard this, he immediately ran to kneel before me.”
“...”
“Please, blame it all on that lowly woman and spare my brother, who is acting like a dog...”
The snake-like eyes narrowed in pleasure.
“He is worthy of the title of the next Duke of Ashkabad.”
“...”
Veronica could easily recall from the white face of Zachary, stretched out in the Duke's grasp, the portrait of Princess Ashkabad that she had seen in passing in the hallway long ago.
That pitiful woman who was possessed by that lunatic and insisted on a marriage that everyone had opposed, and who died a miserable death at the hands of the man she loved.
It all started from there.
The death of the Crown Princess and her husband, the Princess' painful childhood, the untimely accident of the former Duke of Ashkabad, Laskan, and Zachary, and her too...
Veronica gritted her teeth. How many lives must that madman ruin before he can be satisfied?
"Veronica."
The Duke's gaze, which had been hanging down as if satisfied, slowly turned towards her.
Even though she hated him so much, she instinctively shrank her shoulders when shr saw the gaze directed at her.
The Duke's fingers moved like a spider and tapped the armrests of the chair.
“I made a fuss out of something that should have come back to you because of your lack of ability.”
“...”
“Didn’t you almost fall over?”
“...I’m sorry.”
She knelt down beside Zachary, her gaze cast down familiarly.
She could hear Zachary's teeth clicking together as he sat nearby. In fact, she had long since stopped taking it all for an insult.
Veronica took a deep breath. After being eliminated from the competition, she had only one wish.
May the Duke tell her that her usefulness has ended, and thus be free from all these things at last.
But now she knows that thinking was incredibly naive.
Nothing was over. Nothing.
***
The historic day has dawned when Princess Anastasia's royal bloodline is confirmed. In front of the main shrine, people crowded around from early morning, hoping to see the Princess even from a distance.
Carriages carrying nobles arrived one after another. Every time a head of a clan passed through the temple gates, the people of the empire applauded and cheered.
Since the founding of the Empire, there has rarely been a time when public opinion has been so friendly toward the Privy Council.
Before the clock struck ten, the heads of the thirteen houses, including the Duke of Ashkabad's representative, were present. Only the Emperor and the Princess remained.
However, the royal family's white carriage did not even show a shadow as the sun was close to zenith in the sky.
Strange rumors began to spread among the people who were growing tired of waiting. The rumors, which had been treated as nothing more than ominous gossip, began to gain traction quickly after noon.
Some of the more impatient members of the crowd rushed to the palace. As the anxiety of the imperial people, who were worried about the safety of the Princess, reached its limit, the carriages carrying the heads of the thirteen families came out of the Temer main Temple one after another.
Soon, the priest raised a black flag and publicly announced that the judging ceremony had been canceled.
The gates of Osmungand were barred, and knights from the palace began to search. The implications of all this were clear.
The Princess has disappeared.
***
“What happened?”
I asked Dmitry impatiently as he opened the old inn door and came in.
Even when I met him in the late hours of the morning, he was wearing the elegant yet uncomfortable attire of a nobleman, but I wondered where he had managed to get his hands on clothes that made him look like any other commoner.
As soon as Dmitry came in, he closed the door carefully and handed me a package containing warm food.
“You should eat first. You probably haven’t eaten anything all day.”
Although he said it as if he had guessed that I hadn't eaten anything all day, Dmitry had ordered a stew before he left the room this morning.
Of course...I couldn’t even scoop up a single spoonful, just like he said.
“By any chance, have you heard any news related to His Majesty....”
“Start with dinner, Asha.”
He gently interrupted me. He was already dipping a piece of torn bread into warm soup and shoving it into my mouth.
I snatched the bread from his hands as old memories came flooding back.
“...I’ll eat it.”
“You have to eat it all.”
I didn't even realize I was hungry because I was so nervous, but as soon as I took a bite, I felt an extreme hunger.
While I was eating, Dmitry looked down through the dirty glass window, hiding behind the curtains. Through the slightly open slit, he could hear the sound of a security check being conducted on the street.
Finally, Dmitry opened his mouth and closed the window tightly.
“Information on matters related to His Majesty is extremely limited, so even I have difficulty finding out. However, certainly, he has not passed away.”
Those words offered little comfort. I chewed my lips nervously, but there was nothing I could do for the Emperor here.
Other than making contact with the Imperial Army as soon as possible and driving out Duke Kairak...
“And the checks are more severe than expected. As if they are certain that Your Highness is in the capital.”
“When will I be able to leave the capital?”
“Maybe a week. Even though the exit gates are blocked, the gates entering the capital were opened in the evening... so it won’t take much longer.”
A week. That would be enough time to block all the routes to the north. My lips trembled.
The rough sound of knights running in formation was getting closer and closer. I flinched.
“By any chance, I'm already been discovered...”
“From the looks of it, the owner doesn't know anything yet.”
I nodded with a look of annoyance on my face. It was a relief.
Well, that's right. After pouring alcohol on the hood and making it smell, we pretended to be a drunk lover. There weren't a few people like that last night.
“But we won’t be able to stay here for long. It’s too small for Asha to stay in...”
His eyes narrowed as if he was displeased as he looked around the room. It was so cramped that I sat on the bed and Dmitry sat on the only chair, our toes almost touching.
“It’s only a matter of time before the Knights find this place.”
“Then where should I go?”
“I’ve prepared a suitable place for you. We’ll be moving at dawn the day after tomorrow, so get as much rest as possible.”
“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble. I’ll pay you back this debt later, somehow...”
Dmitry let out a short laugh.
“My only gratitude is that you are safe and under my protection.”
“...”
“If you really care about it, then when you return to the palace, pay me back tenfold.”
“If possible... I will. I promise.”
Dmitry got up from his seat.
I thought he was going to leave, so I got up from the bed where I had been sitting to see him off. But he handed me another package he had brought.
“I’ll try to cover it up with a hood at night, but the palace maid’s uniform is too conspicuous. I brought you a change of clothes, but I had to get them in a hurry...”
Dmitry blushed as if he were embarrassed.
The dress he had brought was a black velvet one-piece dress with a corset-like knot at the waist. The material was luxurious, but it was so unfashionable that noblewomen would have shouted that they would rather wear pajamas than this.
“I’ll turn around, and let me know when you're done putting on your clothes.”
“...Right now?”
“It would be safer to dispose of the maid’s uniform tonight, and since it has knots, you will need my help.”
Unlike me, who was clearly nervous, Dmitry had a calm expression on his face, without even a hint of agitation. As if this were completely natural.
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