A little while ago, Callius Rodrian received a letter addressed to him.
“...”
He stared intently at the gold-rimmed envelope.
It was a very suspicious letter from an unknown sender.
'If it was sent from Ronheim, it would have been sent via the Western Sea.'
Since it was a letter delivered through an errand boy, it must have been sent within the capital.
He wondered if there was anyone in this capital who could write to him.
Callius was from Ronheim, a place despised by the nobles of the Arrental Empire as a barbarian.
The nobles of the Arrental Empire frowned at Callius, saying he smelled of blood and beasts.
There is someone who sends letters to him like that.
Since it was sent without identifying the person, it could have been a prank or a letter sent with malicious intent.
'No matter how bad a letter is, it's just a piece of paper written on it.'
Callius opened the letter nonchalantly and then opened his eyes wide.
[To Marquis Rodrian.
I know you've been planting a beautiful moon garden in Ronheim recently. Beautiful Leknes flowers are blooming there, right?
I want to be the first to see that flower garden. If I could, I would be very grateful. I love flowers very much.
I won't write a long letter.
If you want to know who I am, I hope you will attend the Lovers' Day event held at the palace in a few days.]
Garden of the Moon. Before anyone else. Repayment.
It was a code that only he could recognize.
The Leknes flower is said to glow golden when exposed to moonlight.
In Ronheim, gold was often likened to Leknes, the Garden of the Moon, i.e., a gold mine.
No one except his close associates knew of the existence of the gold mine that Callius had recently discovered.
'There's no way the information could have leaked out.'
Callius stared at the suspicious letter.
'Who, how?'
He searched through the letterhead and envelopes, hoping to find even the smallest clue.
But he couldn't find any clues.
Even if the sender's name was written, he probably wouldn't have believed it.
Because it was rumored that Princess Chloe had gone mad and lost her mind, no one would have thought that anyone had stolen her name.
“Look over there!”
At someone's mocking voice, everyone gathered in the banquet hall looked to one side.
“Oh my, how absurd.”
“In your pajamas? Are you crazy?”
Today is Lover's Day, the day when most couples are paired up throughout the year.
A Valentine's Day banquet was in full swing at the palace.
It was not uncommon to see young lovers giving each other gifts they had prepared.
A day when any romantic behavior is acceptable.
As a result, many interesting incidents occurred among people caught up in the atmosphere.
This Valentine's Day, too, people were looking forward to some enjoyable gossip that would enrich their boring daily lives.
The one who appeared as the prey of these hyenas was none other than Princess Chloe.
“Is that the crazy Princess Chloe?”
“Don’t she know shame? She's a disgrace to the royal family.”
“Shouldn’t she be locked up? Letting her roam around like an animal.”
People were gossiping as they watched Chloe enter the banquet hall like a monkey in a cage.
A sneer spread across their mouth, which was covered with their hands and a fan.
Princess Chloe, who entered the middle of the banquet hall through the crowd of people, was dressed lightly, without any makeup on, and had a bare face.
People were shocked to see the furry bedroom slippers she was wearing.
“Oh, I thought the symptoms were serious. Tsk tsk, that’s too bad.”
“Oh my, who won’t take care of it?”
But the shock was short-lived, as people saw her smiling brightly at someone.
For a moment, silence flowed through the noisy banquet hall.
Sparkling silver hair, pure white skin that seems to glow, and clear blue eyes like the finest sapphires.
Even though she was only wearing a white one-piece pajama, Chloe was dazzlingly beautiful.
“What? Who is she laughing at?”
People craned their necks to look at her and wondered who she was smiling so beautifully at, and then were startled.
The person she was looking at was none other than Marquis Callius Rodrian.
Ronheim, the northern barbarian land that was subjugated to the Arrental Empire after decades of wars of conquest.
He was originally a member of the local royalty.
Ronheim was a land that was annexed by the Arrental Empire after much bloodshed. However, the Ronheim people were too rough and violent to be easily confined under the name of the Empire.
Because of this, even after the defeat, large and small accidents continued to occur in Ronheim, and eventually the Empire decided to send Callius, who had been held hostage, back to the capital.
“Callius Rodrian is sent as governor of Ronheim.”
As they lived among themselves in a harsh land, the Ronheim people were generous to their own bloodline, even if they were governors in name only. In fact, it was the only way to effectively control them.
With such a background, Callius was naturally ostracized among the nobles of Arrental.
The nobles of Arrental thought that the leader of these barbarians was completely unsuited to such an elegant party.
He had a menacing build and was wearing a rough suit that was barely formal but felt awkward.
Callius stood alone in the corner of the banquet hall with a sinister look in his eyes, as if he was ready to bite anyone. Then he looked at Princess Chloe, who was smiling at him, with a puzzled look.
Chloe, who approached Callius quietly without making a sound because her slippers were soft, immediately extended her hand to him.
“I want to receive something from you.”
Chloe's not-so-loud voice permeated throughout the banquet hall.
“...?”
Callius frowned.
To anyone who looked at them, it seemed as though the two people had definitely met for the first time today.
Because on a day like today, it seemed too awkward for a couple to be implicitly promised to exchange gifts.
“Anything is fine.”
Chloe extended her palm a little further toward Callius.
“Are you going to embarrass my hand?”
Still, when Callius did not move, she gestured to a vase behind him. It was a vase filled with delicate flowers.
Chloe's demand was clear: she wanted to pull that out and offer it up.
“...”
People thought that Callius would either ignore Chloe and pass her by or coldly reject her and walk away.
“How could Her Highness, the beautiful Princess, be so humiliated and cry?”
“Oh my, why that guy?”
But surprisingly, Callius stared at Chloe with a blank expression, then, neither flustered nor rude, he plucked a flower from the vase and placed it on Chloe's palm.
As if willing to join in on this unknown game.
Then Chloe smiled brightly with her usual dazzling smile.
As if she had received a completely unexpected surprise gift.
“Thank you, Marquis Callius Rodrian.”
Everyone in the banquet hall who saw that sight thought.
'What are you doing?'
Everyone saw it clearly.
A mad Princess stealing flowers from a beastly Marquis.
And that beastly Marquis obediently goes along with the mad Princess's games.
“What a beautiful fool. What a pity.”
Someone muttered. It was something everyone was thinking, but couldn't bring themselves to say.
People looked very curious about what Callius was thinking at this moment.
Callius was looking at Chloe with a strange gaze.
Chloe spoke loudly, rejoicing like a child.
“I love flowers very much!”
For a moment, something strange appeared in Callius' eyes.
That was why the phrase written in the letter came to mind.
[I want to see that flower garden before anyone else. If I could, I would be very grateful. I really like flowers.]
Could this be a coincidence?
But then, Chloe bumped into a servant who was precariously holding a tray full of wine glasses.
Clang!
“Ahh!”
Chloe's pristine white pajamas were dyed red by the wine that spilled as the glasses tipped over.
“Are you okay?”
Callius asked bluntly, with his usual strange expression on his face, as if he wasn't surprised.
“Sob...”
Chloe looked up at Callius with a face that looked like she was going to cry.
People watched without any suspicion as Callius politely led her out of the banquet hall.
“Then why did you let that crazy person run wild?”
“Someone had to be taken out.”
People shrugged their shoulders as they watched the backs of the two people, then continued to talk about Chloe.
The banquet hall was filled with voices pretending to pity and criticizing the royal family, saying things like, "The royal family is cursed."
Princess Chloe was born as the daughter of an Empress who was admired by many in the past and was loved by many.
The only legitimate heir of the Idelian royal family, who was more noble and perfect than anyone else, but fell into the abyss in an instant.
The atmosphere of hatred and contempt towards her was incomprehensibly pervasive.
People were busy gossiping about Chloe like crazy.
“Stop acting now.”
As soon as we left the banquet hall, Callius coldly removed his hand from supporting me.
Actually, it wasn't supported from the beginning. I had never hurt my leg in the first place.
'This is someone who was tied up and taken away.'
I stared at the golden eyes shining brightly, even in one corner of the dark garden.
I pretended to be calm, but in fact my whole body was stiff with tension.
'Scared.'
Callius Rodrian. He was bigger and more imposing than I remembered.
'They said he was like a beast, is that what you meant? This is my first time seeing this man up close... '
The people of Ronheim had once heard it said that they were as big as giants, to put it mildly.
Callius was also a very large man. He seemed to be bigger and more physically fit than any man I had ever seen.
How sharp are the eyes on that rock-like body that looks like it wouldn't budge even if you stabbed it with a knife?
It was like facing a ferocious beast.
'Maybe it was a mistake to choose this man.'
I swallowed dry saliva and thought about that.
But I didn't back down. There was nowhere for me to back down now.
'Don't be intimidated. Talk calmly.'
I took a deep breath and consciously straightened my shoulders.
He tilted his head slightly and took a letter out of his bosom, shaking it.
“I have received your invitation, Princess.”
A growling voice seemed to grab my heart.
“It’s a good thing you’re quick-witted.”
I tried to smile leisurely, hoping he wouldn't notice the trembling in my voice.
“I knew you would come see me.”
“Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
He took a step closer, whispering softly. A light breeze brushed my face with its movement.
'Ugh.'
I unconsciously shrugged my neck under the pressure of the momentum, then forced myself to correct my posture.
His slight movement made my heart pound with nervousness.
'They said he smelled like blood and animals.'
As rumored, he had a peculiar smell typical of Ronheim people.
But I knew it wasn't bloody.
Contrary to what people said, that it was a terrible, strong smell, it was more like the smell of a cold wind blowing outside in the middle of winter.
He whispered threateningly as if he would grab my neck with his big hands and twist it at any moment.
“What do you want, Princess?”
I spoke as briefly as possible so as not to be noticed, as I was trembling.
“It’s a deal.”
"Deal?"
He looked down at me with sharp eyes and snorted.
“I heard there was a rumor that you were crazy.”
I knew you'd say something like this. I calmly said what I had prepared in advance to respond to such situations.
“There are rumors that you are a cannibal. What good would it do to exploit the same weaknesses in similar victims?”
He was also a person who spread bad rumors, just like me.
I took a graceful step back, hoping it wouldn't look like I was running away.
Just getting a little distance from him made me feel like I could breathe easier.
“I don’t have much time. If I don’t get back to my quarters, people will come looking for me.”
I glanced toward the banquet hall.
Fortunately, Andrea wasn't there when I entered the banquet hall, so I was able to buy this much time, but by now, Andrea had probably heard that I had appeared at the banquet hall.
A meaningless smile appeared on Callius' lips.
I couldn't tell if that was a positive sign or not, because the gaze was still sharp.
“Deal. What can you, the fallen Princess of the Idelian royal family, give me? With all this crazy talk?”
I raised my head.
“Me.”
He chuckled as if he were amazed.
But I didn't care. There was no other way but to go out shamelessly.
“I will marry you.”
He frowned narrowly.
The wrinkles between his eyebrows deepened as I continued to speak.
“Give me that gold mine as a wedding present.”
“Not only will I marry the crazy Princess, I will also give you the gold mine?”
I knew you'd react like this.
I shrugged my shoulders, trying to look relaxed.
“It’s not like there’s any real gold in the mine, so why are you weighing things?”
“I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’re talking about.”
“You know better than anyone that what I’m saying is not nonsense, Marquis Rodrian. You wouldn’t expect me to know that much, having discovered the existence of the gold mine, would you?”
“...”
“It’s too early to be surprised. It hasn’t even started yet.”
I looked up at him calmly and seriously.
“Do you now realize that my worth is incomparable to that gold mine with nothing but chaff?”
“...”
He stared intently at the gold-rimmed envelope.
It was a very suspicious letter from an unknown sender.
'If it was sent from Ronheim, it would have been sent via the Western Sea.'
Since it was a letter delivered through an errand boy, it must have been sent within the capital.
He wondered if there was anyone in this capital who could write to him.
Callius was from Ronheim, a place despised by the nobles of the Arrental Empire as a barbarian.
The nobles of the Arrental Empire frowned at Callius, saying he smelled of blood and beasts.
There is someone who sends letters to him like that.
Since it was sent without identifying the person, it could have been a prank or a letter sent with malicious intent.
'No matter how bad a letter is, it's just a piece of paper written on it.'
Callius opened the letter nonchalantly and then opened his eyes wide.
[To Marquis Rodrian.
I know you've been planting a beautiful moon garden in Ronheim recently. Beautiful Leknes flowers are blooming there, right?
I want to be the first to see that flower garden. If I could, I would be very grateful. I love flowers very much.
I won't write a long letter.
If you want to know who I am, I hope you will attend the Lovers' Day event held at the palace in a few days.]
Garden of the Moon. Before anyone else. Repayment.
It was a code that only he could recognize.
The Leknes flower is said to glow golden when exposed to moonlight.
In Ronheim, gold was often likened to Leknes, the Garden of the Moon, i.e., a gold mine.
No one except his close associates knew of the existence of the gold mine that Callius had recently discovered.
'There's no way the information could have leaked out.'
Callius stared at the suspicious letter.
'Who, how?'
He searched through the letterhead and envelopes, hoping to find even the smallest clue.
But he couldn't find any clues.
Even if the sender's name was written, he probably wouldn't have believed it.
Because it was rumored that Princess Chloe had gone mad and lost her mind, no one would have thought that anyone had stolen her name.
***
“Look over there!”
At someone's mocking voice, everyone gathered in the banquet hall looked to one side.
“Oh my, how absurd.”
“In your pajamas? Are you crazy?”
Today is Lover's Day, the day when most couples are paired up throughout the year.
A Valentine's Day banquet was in full swing at the palace.
It was not uncommon to see young lovers giving each other gifts they had prepared.
A day when any romantic behavior is acceptable.
As a result, many interesting incidents occurred among people caught up in the atmosphere.
This Valentine's Day, too, people were looking forward to some enjoyable gossip that would enrich their boring daily lives.
The one who appeared as the prey of these hyenas was none other than Princess Chloe.
“Is that the crazy Princess Chloe?”
“Don’t she know shame? She's a disgrace to the royal family.”
“Shouldn’t she be locked up? Letting her roam around like an animal.”
People were gossiping as they watched Chloe enter the banquet hall like a monkey in a cage.
A sneer spread across their mouth, which was covered with their hands and a fan.
Princess Chloe, who entered the middle of the banquet hall through the crowd of people, was dressed lightly, without any makeup on, and had a bare face.
People were shocked to see the furry bedroom slippers she was wearing.
“Oh, I thought the symptoms were serious. Tsk tsk, that’s too bad.”
“Oh my, who won’t take care of it?”
But the shock was short-lived, as people saw her smiling brightly at someone.
For a moment, silence flowed through the noisy banquet hall.
Sparkling silver hair, pure white skin that seems to glow, and clear blue eyes like the finest sapphires.
Even though she was only wearing a white one-piece pajama, Chloe was dazzlingly beautiful.
“What? Who is she laughing at?”
People craned their necks to look at her and wondered who she was smiling so beautifully at, and then were startled.
The person she was looking at was none other than Marquis Callius Rodrian.
Ronheim, the northern barbarian land that was subjugated to the Arrental Empire after decades of wars of conquest.
He was originally a member of the local royalty.
Ronheim was a land that was annexed by the Arrental Empire after much bloodshed. However, the Ronheim people were too rough and violent to be easily confined under the name of the Empire.
Because of this, even after the defeat, large and small accidents continued to occur in Ronheim, and eventually the Empire decided to send Callius, who had been held hostage, back to the capital.
“Callius Rodrian is sent as governor of Ronheim.”
As they lived among themselves in a harsh land, the Ronheim people were generous to their own bloodline, even if they were governors in name only. In fact, it was the only way to effectively control them.
With such a background, Callius was naturally ostracized among the nobles of Arrental.
The nobles of Arrental thought that the leader of these barbarians was completely unsuited to such an elegant party.
He had a menacing build and was wearing a rough suit that was barely formal but felt awkward.
Callius stood alone in the corner of the banquet hall with a sinister look in his eyes, as if he was ready to bite anyone. Then he looked at Princess Chloe, who was smiling at him, with a puzzled look.
Chloe, who approached Callius quietly without making a sound because her slippers were soft, immediately extended her hand to him.
“I want to receive something from you.”
Chloe's not-so-loud voice permeated throughout the banquet hall.
“...?”
Callius frowned.
To anyone who looked at them, it seemed as though the two people had definitely met for the first time today.
Because on a day like today, it seemed too awkward for a couple to be implicitly promised to exchange gifts.
“Anything is fine.”
Chloe extended her palm a little further toward Callius.
“Are you going to embarrass my hand?”
Still, when Callius did not move, she gestured to a vase behind him. It was a vase filled with delicate flowers.
Chloe's demand was clear: she wanted to pull that out and offer it up.
“...”
People thought that Callius would either ignore Chloe and pass her by or coldly reject her and walk away.
“How could Her Highness, the beautiful Princess, be so humiliated and cry?”
“Oh my, why that guy?”
But surprisingly, Callius stared at Chloe with a blank expression, then, neither flustered nor rude, he plucked a flower from the vase and placed it on Chloe's palm.
As if willing to join in on this unknown game.
Then Chloe smiled brightly with her usual dazzling smile.
As if she had received a completely unexpected surprise gift.
“Thank you, Marquis Callius Rodrian.”
Everyone in the banquet hall who saw that sight thought.
'What are you doing?'
Everyone saw it clearly.
A mad Princess stealing flowers from a beastly Marquis.
And that beastly Marquis obediently goes along with the mad Princess's games.
“What a beautiful fool. What a pity.”
Someone muttered. It was something everyone was thinking, but couldn't bring themselves to say.
People looked very curious about what Callius was thinking at this moment.
Callius was looking at Chloe with a strange gaze.
Chloe spoke loudly, rejoicing like a child.
“I love flowers very much!”
For a moment, something strange appeared in Callius' eyes.
That was why the phrase written in the letter came to mind.
[I want to see that flower garden before anyone else. If I could, I would be very grateful. I really like flowers.]
Could this be a coincidence?
But then, Chloe bumped into a servant who was precariously holding a tray full of wine glasses.
Clang!
“Ahh!”
Chloe's pristine white pajamas were dyed red by the wine that spilled as the glasses tipped over.
“Are you okay?”
Callius asked bluntly, with his usual strange expression on his face, as if he wasn't surprised.
“Sob...”
Chloe looked up at Callius with a face that looked like she was going to cry.
People watched without any suspicion as Callius politely led her out of the banquet hall.
“Then why did you let that crazy person run wild?”
“Someone had to be taken out.”
People shrugged their shoulders as they watched the backs of the two people, then continued to talk about Chloe.
The banquet hall was filled with voices pretending to pity and criticizing the royal family, saying things like, "The royal family is cursed."
Princess Chloe was born as the daughter of an Empress who was admired by many in the past and was loved by many.
The only legitimate heir of the Idelian royal family, who was more noble and perfect than anyone else, but fell into the abyss in an instant.
The atmosphere of hatred and contempt towards her was incomprehensibly pervasive.
People were busy gossiping about Chloe like crazy.
***
“Stop acting now.”
As soon as we left the banquet hall, Callius coldly removed his hand from supporting me.
Actually, it wasn't supported from the beginning. I had never hurt my leg in the first place.
'This is someone who was tied up and taken away.'
I stared at the golden eyes shining brightly, even in one corner of the dark garden.
I pretended to be calm, but in fact my whole body was stiff with tension.
'Scared.'
Callius Rodrian. He was bigger and more imposing than I remembered.
'They said he was like a beast, is that what you meant? This is my first time seeing this man up close... '
The people of Ronheim had once heard it said that they were as big as giants, to put it mildly.
Callius was also a very large man. He seemed to be bigger and more physically fit than any man I had ever seen.
How sharp are the eyes on that rock-like body that looks like it wouldn't budge even if you stabbed it with a knife?
It was like facing a ferocious beast.
'Maybe it was a mistake to choose this man.'
I swallowed dry saliva and thought about that.
But I didn't back down. There was nowhere for me to back down now.
'Don't be intimidated. Talk calmly.'
I took a deep breath and consciously straightened my shoulders.
He tilted his head slightly and took a letter out of his bosom, shaking it.
“I have received your invitation, Princess.”
A growling voice seemed to grab my heart.
“It’s a good thing you’re quick-witted.”
I tried to smile leisurely, hoping he wouldn't notice the trembling in my voice.
“I knew you would come see me.”
“Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
He took a step closer, whispering softly. A light breeze brushed my face with its movement.
'Ugh.'
I unconsciously shrugged my neck under the pressure of the momentum, then forced myself to correct my posture.
His slight movement made my heart pound with nervousness.
'They said he smelled like blood and animals.'
As rumored, he had a peculiar smell typical of Ronheim people.
But I knew it wasn't bloody.
Contrary to what people said, that it was a terrible, strong smell, it was more like the smell of a cold wind blowing outside in the middle of winter.
He whispered threateningly as if he would grab my neck with his big hands and twist it at any moment.
“What do you want, Princess?”
I spoke as briefly as possible so as not to be noticed, as I was trembling.
“It’s a deal.”
"Deal?"
He looked down at me with sharp eyes and snorted.
“I heard there was a rumor that you were crazy.”
I knew you'd say something like this. I calmly said what I had prepared in advance to respond to such situations.
“There are rumors that you are a cannibal. What good would it do to exploit the same weaknesses in similar victims?”
He was also a person who spread bad rumors, just like me.
I took a graceful step back, hoping it wouldn't look like I was running away.
Just getting a little distance from him made me feel like I could breathe easier.
“I don’t have much time. If I don’t get back to my quarters, people will come looking for me.”
I glanced toward the banquet hall.
Fortunately, Andrea wasn't there when I entered the banquet hall, so I was able to buy this much time, but by now, Andrea had probably heard that I had appeared at the banquet hall.
A meaningless smile appeared on Callius' lips.
I couldn't tell if that was a positive sign or not, because the gaze was still sharp.
“Deal. What can you, the fallen Princess of the Idelian royal family, give me? With all this crazy talk?”
I raised my head.
“Me.”
He chuckled as if he were amazed.
But I didn't care. There was no other way but to go out shamelessly.
“I will marry you.”
He frowned narrowly.
The wrinkles between his eyebrows deepened as I continued to speak.
“Give me that gold mine as a wedding present.”
“Not only will I marry the crazy Princess, I will also give you the gold mine?”
I knew you'd react like this.
I shrugged my shoulders, trying to look relaxed.
“It’s not like there’s any real gold in the mine, so why are you weighing things?”
“I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’re talking about.”
“You know better than anyone that what I’m saying is not nonsense, Marquis Rodrian. You wouldn’t expect me to know that much, having discovered the existence of the gold mine, would you?”
“...”
“It’s too early to be surprised. It hasn’t even started yet.”
I looked up at him calmly and seriously.
“Do you now realize that my worth is incomparable to that gold mine with nothing but chaff?”
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