I stood before the huge doors of the throne room where the Emperor was waiting.
The thick iron door with ornate carvings, which I felt like I couldn't open on my own, no matter how hard I tried, was intimidating.
I took a deep breath and nodded to the guard, and the heavy iron door slowly opened.
The Emperor and Empress sat on thrones at the end of a long carpet that stretched from the entrance to the opposite platform.
Andrea's figure was also visible below the stage.
Andrea had a sullen expression on his face, as if he didn't like how things were going differently than he had originally planned.
Seeing that made me feel a little better.
'It was worth planning this. What can I do? This is just the beginning.'
On both sides of the carpet, many nobles whose faces and names I didn't know were looking at me.
'I guess Callius hasn't arrived yet.'
His appearance was not visible.
I felt like I was going to get tired of the heavy atmosphere that was all focused on me, but I walked out without hesitation, thinking that it would end quickly as I moved quickly.
With every step I took, the hem of my dress, as heavy as my body weight, kept getting wrapped around my legs, making me feel like I was going to fall.
I struggled to walk straight, but only after a couple of awkward stumbles did I reach the Emperor and Empress.
I heard the nobles gossiping as they watched me like that.
“They said she was losing your mind, and I think she's even forgotten how to walk properly.”
“Pfft, look at her staggering.”
“Don’t laugh. She's pitiful.”
Some people watched with amusement, thinking that the crazy Princess was acting like a clown, while others shook their heads with a distorted smile, as if they were ashamed.
'It's a good thing Callius didn't see this.'
I felt ashamed and pressed my lips together tightly.
My low self-esteem, which had been present throughout my life, did not suddenly recover just because I realized the conspiracy surrounding me.
Moment by moment, I just encourage myself and overcome it.
People's needle-like gazes and sharp laughter felt like they were piercing my skin.
Even this brief moment of greeting the Emperor and Empress was so painful and difficult for me.
But just before coming here, I remembered the small warmth that Karl had given me and steeled my resolve.
“His Majesty the Supreme Emperor and...”
Even though I had calmed down, the voice that came out of my mouth trembled pitifully, startling me.
But in the end, I ended my greeting with evil.
“...I greet Your Majesty, the gracious Empress.”
“Come in, Chloe.”
My father, Emperor William, spoke calmly.
It was a tone that made my courage and efforts seem futile.
My father didn't seem to care at all about me, who was speaking fiercely to me alone, one word at a time.
'Well, I didn't expect that.'
I have never received any attention from my father since I was born.
It had been a very long time since I had seen my father, even though we lived in the same palace.
'Is this the first time since my mother's funeral?'
No, this would be my second time, as I had already been in a similar situation in my past life when I was going through the process of marrying Viscount Pelsus.
Anyway, it was a face I had only seen a few times in my past or present life.
If it weren't for the silver hair that had been passed down through generations in the Idelian royal family and the throne he sat on, I wouldn't have recognized my father.
My father's gaze didn't linger long on his blood relative, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
He glanced at me absently and sighed as if he was indignant.
It must be ridiculous to see me like a dried-up tree branch decorated with so much glamour.
I also knew that it wasn't me wearing the dress, it was the dress wearing me.
The father quickly turned his gaze to where the young noble ladies were gathered.
'You have no interest in me or my marriage.'
Well, seeing him looking at another woman while leaving his wife by his side makes me think he's indifferent to his own marriage.
In any case, my marriage was entirely Kavala-driven, and my father was simply sitting here with minimal obligations.
Kavala smiled gently at me from beside him, either pretending not to notice or not caring about his flirtatious gaze.
“You look so pretty today, Chloe.”
How dare you lie like that without even licking your lips?
I knelt down, pretending to be naively pleased by the Kavala's ceremonial praise.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“What are you saying? Just call me Mother as usual.”
“Yes, Mother.”
The nobles exchanged strange glances at our conversation.
Perhaps the Empress is interested in whether the rumors that she may have harmed me and my biological mother are true.
At that moment, the attendant standing at the entrance announced Callius's appearance.
“The Marquis of Rodrian!”
Just like when I first appeared, everyone's eyes turned to the entrance.
The door to the audience room, which had closed after letting me in, slowly opened again.
Callius appeared through a huge crack in the door.
I was completely captivated by his intense golden eyes, which were turned directly towards me.
"Ah...!"
I couldn't help but be impressed.
It was as if the presence of a brilliant sun had emerged through the huge clouds covering the sky.
When Callius met my eyes, he smiled with a confident, if somewhat arrogant, smile.
It was as if he was asking me, 'Aren't you talented in leading the marriage negotiations up to today?'
He walked straight with a gait that seemed solid and solid even to me, who had never studied martial arts.
The knights of Ronheim followed him in formation.
There were about fifteen people, but they moved with such precision and discipline that it seemed like one person was moving.
'It's very... intense.'
Perhaps due to the environment of Ronheim, which was always covered in snow, the knights of Callius, clad in gray-white leather armor, radiated an immense sense of intimidation.
'They look like giants.'
I thought Callius might be a big man for a Ronheimer, but looking at his knights, it seems that wasn't the case.
Everyone was at least a head taller than the Arrentals, some even two heads taller.
'I scared.'
You can't judge a book by its cover, but seeing its size like that made me instinctively cringe.
'How can they lose to Parental even with such strong-looking warriors?'
I heard that as soon as they lost the Saint, Ronheim collapsed like a building whose foundations had collapsed.
'What happened in Ronheim during the war?'
The knights of Callius looked so fearsome that it made one wonder what had happened a dozen years ago.
I straightened my shoulders proudly, remembering what Callius had said about not eating me.
He is my staunch ally, not my enemy.
I straightened my shoulders, but others couldn't.
The expressions of the Arrental nobles watching Callius and his party stiffened.
Even the Ronheim people had a very fierce appearance, which seemed to frighten the Arrental nobles even more.
'Is that harsh impression... a characteristic of northerners?'
Somehow, I felt an ominous aura from everyone who met my eyes.
'It seemed like you were looking at me... I must be mistaken.'
The nobles of Arrental, who had been momentarily frozen by the aura of intimidation emanating from Callius and his party, soon began to laugh at their attire.
The Callius party, although they looked sturdy, was extremely practical and unadorned.
To the Arrentals, who valued their authority and pride in their splendor, their behavior was nothing more than that of dirty savages.
“Tsk tsk, people said their cultural level was no different from that of primitive people.”
“Don’t they look like wandering slash-and-burn farmers in the mountains?”
“A band of bandits I saw near the border once looked just like that.”
A thick, lumpy, mocking voice buzzed here and there.
There was no way Callius couldn't have heard what I could hear.
But there was not a single moment of wavering in his firm gaze.
He crossed the carpet, which seemed so long to me, in just a few steps with his long legs.
“Meet the Idelian royal family.”
The Emperor said displeasedly.
“There are a lot of people.”
It seemed that Callius was wary of entering the palace with a large number of knights.
In fact, in this palace where the imperial guards were stationed, about fifteen knights were not that many.
However, the presence of the fifteen knights of Callius created the illusion of facing a hundred soldiers.
“My subordinates were very eager to see my bride as soon as possible.”
His gaze turned to me.
Why do people from the winter kingdom have eyes like the hot sunlight of midsummer?
Wherever his gaze landed, the skin seemed to burn as if it had been sunburned.
He smiled and continued slowly.
“I had no choice but to bring them.”
No one interrupted Callius as he took his time with his not-so-long speech.
Just waiting desperately for him to put a period.
And yet he whispered to me leisurely.
“Please understand, Your Highness. They are such self-willed people.”
Even though it was a whisper, it was loud enough for everyone to hear.
'It was my father who showed his displeasure, and now he's asking for my understanding?'
I looked at my father's face.
'It's a situation that's both ambiguous to point out and uncomfortable to dismiss as a mistake.'
If it had been someone else, it might not have been different, but since the speaker was Callius, it was sufficiently suspicious of intent.
The atmosphere in the audience room froze in an instant, centering around Callius.
The thick iron door with ornate carvings, which I felt like I couldn't open on my own, no matter how hard I tried, was intimidating.
I took a deep breath and nodded to the guard, and the heavy iron door slowly opened.
The Emperor and Empress sat on thrones at the end of a long carpet that stretched from the entrance to the opposite platform.
Andrea's figure was also visible below the stage.
Andrea had a sullen expression on his face, as if he didn't like how things were going differently than he had originally planned.
Seeing that made me feel a little better.
'It was worth planning this. What can I do? This is just the beginning.'
On both sides of the carpet, many nobles whose faces and names I didn't know were looking at me.
'I guess Callius hasn't arrived yet.'
His appearance was not visible.
I felt like I was going to get tired of the heavy atmosphere that was all focused on me, but I walked out without hesitation, thinking that it would end quickly as I moved quickly.
With every step I took, the hem of my dress, as heavy as my body weight, kept getting wrapped around my legs, making me feel like I was going to fall.
I struggled to walk straight, but only after a couple of awkward stumbles did I reach the Emperor and Empress.
I heard the nobles gossiping as they watched me like that.
“They said she was losing your mind, and I think she's even forgotten how to walk properly.”
“Pfft, look at her staggering.”
“Don’t laugh. She's pitiful.”
Some people watched with amusement, thinking that the crazy Princess was acting like a clown, while others shook their heads with a distorted smile, as if they were ashamed.
'It's a good thing Callius didn't see this.'
I felt ashamed and pressed my lips together tightly.
My low self-esteem, which had been present throughout my life, did not suddenly recover just because I realized the conspiracy surrounding me.
Moment by moment, I just encourage myself and overcome it.
People's needle-like gazes and sharp laughter felt like they were piercing my skin.
Even this brief moment of greeting the Emperor and Empress was so painful and difficult for me.
But just before coming here, I remembered the small warmth that Karl had given me and steeled my resolve.
“His Majesty the Supreme Emperor and...”
Even though I had calmed down, the voice that came out of my mouth trembled pitifully, startling me.
But in the end, I ended my greeting with evil.
“...I greet Your Majesty, the gracious Empress.”
“Come in, Chloe.”
My father, Emperor William, spoke calmly.
It was a tone that made my courage and efforts seem futile.
My father didn't seem to care at all about me, who was speaking fiercely to me alone, one word at a time.
'Well, I didn't expect that.'
I have never received any attention from my father since I was born.
It had been a very long time since I had seen my father, even though we lived in the same palace.
'Is this the first time since my mother's funeral?'
No, this would be my second time, as I had already been in a similar situation in my past life when I was going through the process of marrying Viscount Pelsus.
Anyway, it was a face I had only seen a few times in my past or present life.
If it weren't for the silver hair that had been passed down through generations in the Idelian royal family and the throne he sat on, I wouldn't have recognized my father.
My father's gaze didn't linger long on his blood relative, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
He glanced at me absently and sighed as if he was indignant.
It must be ridiculous to see me like a dried-up tree branch decorated with so much glamour.
I also knew that it wasn't me wearing the dress, it was the dress wearing me.
The father quickly turned his gaze to where the young noble ladies were gathered.
'You have no interest in me or my marriage.'
Well, seeing him looking at another woman while leaving his wife by his side makes me think he's indifferent to his own marriage.
In any case, my marriage was entirely Kavala-driven, and my father was simply sitting here with minimal obligations.
Kavala smiled gently at me from beside him, either pretending not to notice or not caring about his flirtatious gaze.
“You look so pretty today, Chloe.”
How dare you lie like that without even licking your lips?
I knelt down, pretending to be naively pleased by the Kavala's ceremonial praise.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“What are you saying? Just call me Mother as usual.”
“Yes, Mother.”
The nobles exchanged strange glances at our conversation.
Perhaps the Empress is interested in whether the rumors that she may have harmed me and my biological mother are true.
At that moment, the attendant standing at the entrance announced Callius's appearance.
“The Marquis of Rodrian!”
Just like when I first appeared, everyone's eyes turned to the entrance.
The door to the audience room, which had closed after letting me in, slowly opened again.
Callius appeared through a huge crack in the door.
I was completely captivated by his intense golden eyes, which were turned directly towards me.
"Ah...!"
I couldn't help but be impressed.
It was as if the presence of a brilliant sun had emerged through the huge clouds covering the sky.
When Callius met my eyes, he smiled with a confident, if somewhat arrogant, smile.
It was as if he was asking me, 'Aren't you talented in leading the marriage negotiations up to today?'
He walked straight with a gait that seemed solid and solid even to me, who had never studied martial arts.
The knights of Ronheim followed him in formation.
There were about fifteen people, but they moved with such precision and discipline that it seemed like one person was moving.
'It's very... intense.'
Perhaps due to the environment of Ronheim, which was always covered in snow, the knights of Callius, clad in gray-white leather armor, radiated an immense sense of intimidation.
'They look like giants.'
I thought Callius might be a big man for a Ronheimer, but looking at his knights, it seems that wasn't the case.
Everyone was at least a head taller than the Arrentals, some even two heads taller.
'I scared.'
You can't judge a book by its cover, but seeing its size like that made me instinctively cringe.
'How can they lose to Parental even with such strong-looking warriors?'
I heard that as soon as they lost the Saint, Ronheim collapsed like a building whose foundations had collapsed.
'What happened in Ronheim during the war?'
The knights of Callius looked so fearsome that it made one wonder what had happened a dozen years ago.
I straightened my shoulders proudly, remembering what Callius had said about not eating me.
He is my staunch ally, not my enemy.
I straightened my shoulders, but others couldn't.
The expressions of the Arrental nobles watching Callius and his party stiffened.
Even the Ronheim people had a very fierce appearance, which seemed to frighten the Arrental nobles even more.
'Is that harsh impression... a characteristic of northerners?'
Somehow, I felt an ominous aura from everyone who met my eyes.
'It seemed like you were looking at me... I must be mistaken.'
The nobles of Arrental, who had been momentarily frozen by the aura of intimidation emanating from Callius and his party, soon began to laugh at their attire.
The Callius party, although they looked sturdy, was extremely practical and unadorned.
To the Arrentals, who valued their authority and pride in their splendor, their behavior was nothing more than that of dirty savages.
“Tsk tsk, people said their cultural level was no different from that of primitive people.”
“Don’t they look like wandering slash-and-burn farmers in the mountains?”
“A band of bandits I saw near the border once looked just like that.”
A thick, lumpy, mocking voice buzzed here and there.
There was no way Callius couldn't have heard what I could hear.
But there was not a single moment of wavering in his firm gaze.
He crossed the carpet, which seemed so long to me, in just a few steps with his long legs.
“Meet the Idelian royal family.”
The Emperor said displeasedly.
“There are a lot of people.”
It seemed that Callius was wary of entering the palace with a large number of knights.
In fact, in this palace where the imperial guards were stationed, about fifteen knights were not that many.
However, the presence of the fifteen knights of Callius created the illusion of facing a hundred soldiers.
“My subordinates were very eager to see my bride as soon as possible.”
His gaze turned to me.
Why do people from the winter kingdom have eyes like the hot sunlight of midsummer?
Wherever his gaze landed, the skin seemed to burn as if it had been sunburned.
He smiled and continued slowly.
“I had no choice but to bring them.”
No one interrupted Callius as he took his time with his not-so-long speech.
Just waiting desperately for him to put a period.
And yet he whispered to me leisurely.
“Please understand, Your Highness. They are such self-willed people.”
Even though it was a whisper, it was loud enough for everyone to hear.
'It was my father who showed his displeasure, and now he's asking for my understanding?'
I looked at my father's face.
'It's a situation that's both ambiguous to point out and uncomfortable to dismiss as a mistake.'
If it had been someone else, it might not have been different, but since the speaker was Callius, it was sufficiently suspicious of intent.
The atmosphere in the audience room froze in an instant, centering around Callius.
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