Since all the people who had been sent from the palace had been thrown out, there were now fewer than ten maids in the palace. Even though they were not allowed to be near me, the number of people I could accompany was only a handful of people.
For this reason, I was surrounded by servants sent by Senevere and had to go on a long journey. I wanted to throw them all out, but I couldn't do that when I saw Gareth and Ayla with hundreds of attendants.
I glared at the crowd surrounding the carriage of the Crown Prince and the first Princess, and bit my lip nervously.
I didn't want anyone to mess around with me, so 8 hadn't allowed anyone other than Barcas and my nanny to do anything for years. I didn't want to be around people who didn't know when and how they might try to crush me.
However, it was heart-wrenching to imagine the humble appearance of the two half-brothers boasting about the majesty of the imperial family with hundreds of servants each, accompanied by only three or four attendants.
In the end, I had no choice but to accept the maids sent by Senevere. But I couldn't rest for a moment about what they were going to do. I watched their every move as if I were watching my belongings.
At that moment. I heard a voice that seemed to be faint in the distance.
"Are you sure you want to take all these belongings with you?"
I looked up at the man who was approaching me with a sharp look.
Not long after I threw out the stupid Praetorian Knight who was desperate in front of the Crown Prince, the newly assigned knight spoke to me without hesitation. And I didn't like the man's attitude.
I coldly asked the man who scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed face.
"Do you have any complaints about my administration?"
"I understand your desire to maintain your dignity as a member of the royal family. But isn't that too much? Hundreds of dresses and expensive accessories... If you don't intend to change your clothes five times a day, it's an unnecessary bag."
"You don't know anything. I'm going to change my clothes ten times a day, not five. If I travel in a carriage all day, I'll get drenched in dust, but I don't want to wear dirty clothes on my body even for a moment."
"What kind of joke are you talking about..."
The knight laughed awkwardly. He didn't seem to realize that he was never talking nonsense.
I left the man alone and walked to the front of the carriage where I was to board.
My carriage, located at the back of the long line, was as big and splendid as the Prince's.
The doors and roof were lavishly decorated with gold and ivory, and the interior had seats wide enough to serve as beds, topped with thick cushions of wool felt and silk.
I climbed onto the carriage and pulled back the curtain that I had spread behind the seats. Then, a fairly spacious changing space and a large cabinet appeared.
I opened the drawer connected to the luggage compartment and looked inside. I brought all the dresses and accessories made of the finest fabrics I owned, but nothing caught my eye. To stand out from Ayla, this was not enough.
I fumbled through the drawers and nervously chewed on my lower lip.
Did you think Senevere would steal the diamond necklace that the Emperor had given her? Do you know, I even brought my mother's entire jewelry box.
Senevere seemed to want me to break Ayla's engagement. So she blatantly encouraged me. If I asked her to give me clothes and accessories to fulfill ny purpose, she would gladly lend them.
'Should I go to the Empress Palace now?'
I looked down at the chest of drawers nervously and quickly got out of the carriage. I then turned toward Senevere's residence and saw Barcas in the Roem knights' uniform among the soldiers.
I stopped walking as if I were frozen. There were more than 150 other men in the same outfit in the courtyard of the castle, but I could only see Barcas.
Ny obsessive gaze clung obsessively to his straight back, broad shoulders, and shimmering ashen blond.
Barcas was walking across the courtyard with a moderate gait, giving Instructions to his men. It seemed that they were checking the ranks before leaving.
I swallowed dryly. As Barcas got closer, my throat tingled as if I had swallowed a handful of glass shards.
The indifferent gaze that had been moving along the long procession that began at the gate finally fixed on my carriage.
Even from a distance, I could see a slight furrow between his brows. It was the same expression he always wore whenever he faced me.
The cold face that had hurt me terribly at every moment slowly drew closer.
"Are you still ready to go?"
Barcas reprimanded the guard without even pretending to see me. Then the man scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed face.
"As you can see, I think I need to get another carriage."
At the sighing answer of the knight, Barcas's pale blue eyes turned to the servants who tried to squeeze the mountain of baggage into the wagon. I could see a hint of annoyance spread over his expressionless face.
His eyes finally reached me.
"The procession is going to pass through six large cities. You can procure as much as you need along the way, so take away your unnecessary luggage."
I raised my head stiffly.
"I don't like it. I know what I'm going to need."
"It's not clothes or accessories, anyway."
He said in a dry tone.
"There are many cities in the northwestern part of the country that have developed commerce and Industry. You will be able to buy as many things as you can in the future, so please be careful not to exhaust the servants before you leave."
I snorted.
"Don't be funny, you're trying to make me a virtuous Princess who indulges in luxury on a pilgrimage, so that I'll be compared to Ayla, right? Do you think I'll fall for it?"
"Since when did you start caring about your reputation..."
The corners of his mouth twisted slightly, as if he were ridiculous.
"In the first place, no one will put you and His Royal Highness the First Princess side by side. So don't worry about it."
It was a word I didn't want to hear, even if I died.
I raised my hand with a sullen face. However, it was not Barcas who would be beaten quietly. Swiftly grabbing my wrist, Barkas gestured with his chin to the servants.
"Leave only the essentials and unload all the remaining luggage. I'll be leaving after hand, so hurry up."
"Whoever you want!"
I cried out in a frenzy, trying to pull my arm out of his grip. But the man didn't budge.
I, who was on the verge of venom, kicked him in the shin and shook his hand.
"How dare you say to take down my things? Do you know what you've already done? You're not a Grand Duke yet! At most, you were just a knight of the Imperial Family! You dare to tell the Princess of the Empire on the subject of... Knight!"
"What are you doing without rushing?"
He didn't even look at me as she went on a rampage, but cast a cold look at the servants. Then, those who were just watching in a hurry unloaded from the carriage.
It could not be more obvious that the orders of Barcas, the next Grand Duke of the East and commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard, were superior to the orders of the Princess in name only.
I, who had been glaring at the servants with evil eyes, lost my reason and rushed at one of the maids.
"Take your hands off my luggage right now! If you leave any of my things missing, hang...!"
My words did not continue. Barcas lifted me with one arm and shoved me into the carriage as if to remove a cumbersome pile of luggage.
Forced to sit in the carriage seat, my face turned bright red with anger.
Barcas was a man full of loyalty to the royal family to the marrow. He would never touch Ayla's body.
The reason why this man could treat me like this was that he didn't think of me as a true royal family.
I was so angry that my eyes were all hot. It was unbearably sad that a man who always had a hard attitude towards my half-sister was infinitely rude to me.
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