Princess Erita was beautiful, but ordinary.
They say being ordinary is happiness, but that can only be enjoyed by those born into ordinary circumstances. As for those who possess the special titles of royalty or high nobility, being ordinary only fosters feelings of inferiority and unhappiness.
Of course, her looks were pretty enough to be considered special. But beauty isn't everything. Times have changed.
This isn't an era where simply marrying well is enough, like the marriage business. Like the aristocrats, they must also lead national projects like colonization, oil, mining, and trade.
Aside from alliances and diplomacy between nations, royalty and the royal family wanted to take as their wives wise and intelligent women who would be their business partners for life.
Because a beautiful woman is enough to have as a lover.
The Princesses of the Spencer dynasty were noble, talented, and beautiful women of exceptional ability. It's not that Princess Erita was below average in intelligence, but being surrounded by only intelligent people made her feel intimidated and compared to others.
She had no interest in learning and understood ruling as nothing more than worker bees gathering honey for the queen bee.
Her knowledge was shallow, and she had no interest in how to manage worker bees efficiently. Like an ordinary girl, she was more interested in romance novels, love songs, dresses, shoes, and personal appearance than in the study of Kings and monarchs.
Unlike her rational and cool-headed mother, she had a strong emotional side and didn't want to be Queen. She wanted to fall in love and get married, just like in a romantic novel.
She fell in love at first sight with Noah, who had visited Medea on a past Union mission. When she cautiously asked her mother, the Queen, about him, she smiled wistfully, recalling the past.
"When the Duke was seven, he told me that if the child were a girl, he would protect her like a knight and win her heart before marrying her. From then on, he was smart and unique."
Those words trapped her in a delusional cycle of fate. She always imagined being with him. One day, she decided to make that fantasy come true.
From then on, she visited Frogen as often as she could, trying to meet Noah. She wrote him letters repeatedly, asking him to meet, but he repeatedly refused, saying he had to go to the front.
In the past, when the two had barely met, the Princess had gathered her courage and confessed to him while sitting across from him at the cafe table.
“I have liked you.”
At the Princess's passionate confession, Noah tilted his head and lifted his coffee cup. With his well-groomed, handsome features, he asked expressionlessly.
“Me? I think it’s the first time we’re seeing each other.”
“Yes. I think we are destined.”
“Everyone has a destiny. If I give ten pounds to a man leading a donkey, that’s his destiny.”
“That’s not it. I want to marry you.”
Noah was dressed in his officer's uniform, wearing a medal and an eglet, a decoration awarded to soldiers who had distinguished themselves in major battles, as if he had just finished his duty.
Princess Erita woke up early in the morning, urging her maids to dress her beautifully in her favorite dress and precious jewels. It took about six hours.
Even with the beautiful Princess's confession, he remained utterly uninterested. He showed no sign of being moved by her alluring figure in a dress that revealed her pale shoulders and cleavage.
He spoke with a still disinterested tone, his silver-white hair twisted.
“I understand that the King cannot marry anyone outside the Medea lineage.”
"Those are just trials, right? You just have to overcome them. Isn't that what everyone does? Trials and hardships are essential to fateful love."
Noah, who had picked up his cup and sipped coffee, frowned at the bitter taste.
"You burned your precious Chevia coffee beans. Were you thinking about something else while roasting them?"
“Are you listening to me?”
“What did you say? I couldn’t hear you because the coffee was bitter.”
His speech became increasingly rude. Princess Erita, having read numerous romance books, knew that even in love, there were two sides: A and B. She said there were cases where those who approached her first with open expressions of emotion were looked down upon. This man must have had similar tendencies.
"I'm saying that if there are challenges on our path to being together, I'm willing to accept them. Together, we can overcome them."
Noah's toned-down blue eyes narrowed as he watched her display her solemnity. He set down his glass with a click and circled the rim with his finger.
“I don’t know why I have to do that.”
“What does that mean?”
"Why do I have to suddenly go through trials and tribulations? For me, it's like an accident that happened suddenly."
The Princess was momentarily taken aback by his attitude, so different from the one she had always imagined. Seeing the Princess's inability to understand his words, Noah rubbed his lips for a moment before adding, as if to correct him.
“Why should I be the sacrifice for your escapades?”
"Duke. You have nothing to sacrifice. I'm the one who loses."
He asked back with a dazzling smile.
“You’d give it all up for me? That’s awesome.”
That elegant smile captivated the Princess once again. She misinterpreted and dismissed his words as meaning that he would be willing to sacrifice himself only if she gave up everything first.
Princess Erita smiled, adjusting her corsage-adorned hat.
"Yes, that's right."
She wanted to be by his side and see that beautiful smile for as long as she could.
The day of the Imperial Ball in Frogen's palace, where he met Diana and Noah.
A man happened to approach Princess Erita, who was out in the garden, frustrated, and handed her a secret letter. It was from Admiral Winston Clare of Belford, the enemy nation. Her choice was, to put it mildly, naive or, to put it mildly, foolish.
So, as the Princess of Medea, who is in an alliance with Frogen, she joined hands with the admiral of Belford, who is at war with Frogen.
She was so blinded by love that even her judgment was clouded.
She didn't want to be Queen. And she hated the idea of a woman named Diana taking her place, even for a moment. She began to constantly urge the admiral to pass the trials he imposed.
"Zelda. What did you think when you saw the appearance of the girl named Diana?"
At Queen Grace's subtle question, Baroness Mason, who had been standing upright in her white knight's uniform, raised her chin with a grunt.
Jet-black hair, pale white skin, a small face with a small nose and lips, and cute features.
Foreigners who saw Medea's women used to call them 'Medea dolls'.
It is because it has a unique, mysterious atmosphere that is elegant but cold and chilly, rather than cute and lovely, so if you stay still, you might feel like you are looking at a doll.
Baroness Mason had a sneaking feeling that she had a similar aura to the Queen.
“As I said last time, even though she is of mixed blood, she has distinct Medea characteristics.”
“It’s more likely that the maternal side is closer to pure blood.”
"Perhaps she's one of the Medea nobles. There was a noblewoman who went to Belford long ago, but I heard she married the eldest son of Duke Belford, the current Prime Minister, and became a Duchess."
“I think I need to know who that woman’s mother is.”
Why does the Queen wonder about that woman? A moment of doubt crossed the Baroness's face, but she didn't ask what her intentions were.
She bowed and obeyed the order.
"All right."
The moment Queen Grace first saw Diana, she felt a strangely heightened agitation.
When a girl with jet-black hair and a pale face looked at her with an expression that did not match her age, a shiver ran through her whole body.
The tears flowing from her expressionless face felt alien, as if her body and soul were playing separate roles. Though different in color, her cynical eyes, like her own, kept troubling her mind.
At first, it was a simple curiosity. She's been asked to bring her because she was Admiral Claire's daughter. After meeting Diana, her heart sank, a heavy weight weighing on her, contrary to her initial, lighthearted intentions.
She hated her daughter to the point of contempt. She should have been gritting her teeth at that fact, but she was secretly bothered by it.
Her appearance closely resembled Medea's pure bloodline, but her rough, calloused hands were unbecoming of a noblewoman. The thought of her short, blunt fingernails strangely stirred a pang of pity and sadness.
The clouds that had covered the pitch-black sky dispersed, revealing the stars one by one.
Occasionally, I heard the sound of the fallen leaves on the winter trees rustling in the breeze. I sat on the bench, holding hands with him, struggling with my thoughts.
I received a formal proposal from him, who always joked about getting married.
Those words were shapeless and intangible, yet they sparkled beautifully, like the meaning of the ring on my hand. At least for this moment, I knew his words were sincere.
Even if I were to return to my original place in the future, or even if this were an unrealistic assumption, the thought of returning to the original world, reality, gave me goosebumps.
If all this was just a dream, if he was just dreaming, I don't think I could handle the loss and emptiness. And I can't rule out the possibility that he might change his mind in the future.
I wasn't completely committed to him, nor did I expect anything in return. I was always calculating, always leaving room for escape when I was hurt.
I answered sincerely but concisely.
"Thank you."
My eyes focused more on his pupils than on the ring. Noah, tall and sitting, was staring down at me with his dark blue eyes.
“Princess, do you trust me?”
“Yes. And you?”
“I don’t believe you?”
Noah smiled playfully. It sounded a little serious, so I gave him a sheepish look.
“You have a bit of a bitter aftertaste.”
"Yeah. That's why I wish there were only two of us in the world. No one would bother you or try to steal you."
Who the hell is stealing me away? Even a hedgehog considers its young safe and sound, and this man treats me with such contempt.
“Are you feeling anxious?”
His round hair tickled my neck and chin. I felt Noah nod, leaning lightly against my shoulder.
Is this guy acting cute because I'm not cute?
Just as I was thinking, "That's cute," he gently pulled my hair and brushed his lips against my earlobe. The touch of his warm breath and his soft lips sent goosebumps down my spine.
His eyes, which had been closely examining my flushed face as he opened his mouth, narrowed sharply.
“That’s why I want to monopolize you. I’ll get rid of the rest.”
I asked him why he had to do that.
“Noah, do you love me?”
He had a troubled expression on his face. His pretty lips were pressed shut, and silence settled over him. Lost in thought for a moment, Noah shook his head silently, his face expressionless.
"No."
The shallow swaying of his dark-dyed hair conveyed a distinct sense of denial.
Falling leaves from the surrounding dry winter trees brushed against my toes and rolled away somewhere. The warmth that had been transparently lingering in the air was now frozen in cold. It was winter, after all.
I didn't get angry, argue, or cry. I just stared at him with the same expression. Somewhere, deep within my heart, something frozen and frozen seemed to crumble and melt.
He didn't lie to me, thankfully.
They say being ordinary is happiness, but that can only be enjoyed by those born into ordinary circumstances. As for those who possess the special titles of royalty or high nobility, being ordinary only fosters feelings of inferiority and unhappiness.
Of course, her looks were pretty enough to be considered special. But beauty isn't everything. Times have changed.
This isn't an era where simply marrying well is enough, like the marriage business. Like the aristocrats, they must also lead national projects like colonization, oil, mining, and trade.
Aside from alliances and diplomacy between nations, royalty and the royal family wanted to take as their wives wise and intelligent women who would be their business partners for life.
Because a beautiful woman is enough to have as a lover.
The Princesses of the Spencer dynasty were noble, talented, and beautiful women of exceptional ability. It's not that Princess Erita was below average in intelligence, but being surrounded by only intelligent people made her feel intimidated and compared to others.
She had no interest in learning and understood ruling as nothing more than worker bees gathering honey for the queen bee.
Her knowledge was shallow, and she had no interest in how to manage worker bees efficiently. Like an ordinary girl, she was more interested in romance novels, love songs, dresses, shoes, and personal appearance than in the study of Kings and monarchs.
Unlike her rational and cool-headed mother, she had a strong emotional side and didn't want to be Queen. She wanted to fall in love and get married, just like in a romantic novel.
She fell in love at first sight with Noah, who had visited Medea on a past Union mission. When she cautiously asked her mother, the Queen, about him, she smiled wistfully, recalling the past.
"When the Duke was seven, he told me that if the child were a girl, he would protect her like a knight and win her heart before marrying her. From then on, he was smart and unique."
Those words trapped her in a delusional cycle of fate. She always imagined being with him. One day, she decided to make that fantasy come true.
From then on, she visited Frogen as often as she could, trying to meet Noah. She wrote him letters repeatedly, asking him to meet, but he repeatedly refused, saying he had to go to the front.
In the past, when the two had barely met, the Princess had gathered her courage and confessed to him while sitting across from him at the cafe table.
“I have liked you.”
At the Princess's passionate confession, Noah tilted his head and lifted his coffee cup. With his well-groomed, handsome features, he asked expressionlessly.
“Me? I think it’s the first time we’re seeing each other.”
“Yes. I think we are destined.”
“Everyone has a destiny. If I give ten pounds to a man leading a donkey, that’s his destiny.”
“That’s not it. I want to marry you.”
Noah was dressed in his officer's uniform, wearing a medal and an eglet, a decoration awarded to soldiers who had distinguished themselves in major battles, as if he had just finished his duty.
Princess Erita woke up early in the morning, urging her maids to dress her beautifully in her favorite dress and precious jewels. It took about six hours.
Even with the beautiful Princess's confession, he remained utterly uninterested. He showed no sign of being moved by her alluring figure in a dress that revealed her pale shoulders and cleavage.
He spoke with a still disinterested tone, his silver-white hair twisted.
“I understand that the King cannot marry anyone outside the Medea lineage.”
"Those are just trials, right? You just have to overcome them. Isn't that what everyone does? Trials and hardships are essential to fateful love."
Noah, who had picked up his cup and sipped coffee, frowned at the bitter taste.
"You burned your precious Chevia coffee beans. Were you thinking about something else while roasting them?"
“Are you listening to me?”
“What did you say? I couldn’t hear you because the coffee was bitter.”
His speech became increasingly rude. Princess Erita, having read numerous romance books, knew that even in love, there were two sides: A and B. She said there were cases where those who approached her first with open expressions of emotion were looked down upon. This man must have had similar tendencies.
"I'm saying that if there are challenges on our path to being together, I'm willing to accept them. Together, we can overcome them."
Noah's toned-down blue eyes narrowed as he watched her display her solemnity. He set down his glass with a click and circled the rim with his finger.
“I don’t know why I have to do that.”
“What does that mean?”
"Why do I have to suddenly go through trials and tribulations? For me, it's like an accident that happened suddenly."
The Princess was momentarily taken aback by his attitude, so different from the one she had always imagined. Seeing the Princess's inability to understand his words, Noah rubbed his lips for a moment before adding, as if to correct him.
“Why should I be the sacrifice for your escapades?”
"Duke. You have nothing to sacrifice. I'm the one who loses."
He asked back with a dazzling smile.
“You’d give it all up for me? That’s awesome.”
That elegant smile captivated the Princess once again. She misinterpreted and dismissed his words as meaning that he would be willing to sacrifice himself only if she gave up everything first.
Princess Erita smiled, adjusting her corsage-adorned hat.
"Yes, that's right."
She wanted to be by his side and see that beautiful smile for as long as she could.
The day of the Imperial Ball in Frogen's palace, where he met Diana and Noah.
A man happened to approach Princess Erita, who was out in the garden, frustrated, and handed her a secret letter. It was from Admiral Winston Clare of Belford, the enemy nation. Her choice was, to put it mildly, naive or, to put it mildly, foolish.
So, as the Princess of Medea, who is in an alliance with Frogen, she joined hands with the admiral of Belford, who is at war with Frogen.
She was so blinded by love that even her judgment was clouded.
She didn't want to be Queen. And she hated the idea of a woman named Diana taking her place, even for a moment. She began to constantly urge the admiral to pass the trials he imposed.
***
"Zelda. What did you think when you saw the appearance of the girl named Diana?"
At Queen Grace's subtle question, Baroness Mason, who had been standing upright in her white knight's uniform, raised her chin with a grunt.
Jet-black hair, pale white skin, a small face with a small nose and lips, and cute features.
Foreigners who saw Medea's women used to call them 'Medea dolls'.
It is because it has a unique, mysterious atmosphere that is elegant but cold and chilly, rather than cute and lovely, so if you stay still, you might feel like you are looking at a doll.
Baroness Mason had a sneaking feeling that she had a similar aura to the Queen.
“As I said last time, even though she is of mixed blood, she has distinct Medea characteristics.”
“It’s more likely that the maternal side is closer to pure blood.”
"Perhaps she's one of the Medea nobles. There was a noblewoman who went to Belford long ago, but I heard she married the eldest son of Duke Belford, the current Prime Minister, and became a Duchess."
“I think I need to know who that woman’s mother is.”
Why does the Queen wonder about that woman? A moment of doubt crossed the Baroness's face, but she didn't ask what her intentions were.
She bowed and obeyed the order.
"All right."
The moment Queen Grace first saw Diana, she felt a strangely heightened agitation.
When a girl with jet-black hair and a pale face looked at her with an expression that did not match her age, a shiver ran through her whole body.
The tears flowing from her expressionless face felt alien, as if her body and soul were playing separate roles. Though different in color, her cynical eyes, like her own, kept troubling her mind.
At first, it was a simple curiosity. She's been asked to bring her because she was Admiral Claire's daughter. After meeting Diana, her heart sank, a heavy weight weighing on her, contrary to her initial, lighthearted intentions.
She hated her daughter to the point of contempt. She should have been gritting her teeth at that fact, but she was secretly bothered by it.
Her appearance closely resembled Medea's pure bloodline, but her rough, calloused hands were unbecoming of a noblewoman. The thought of her short, blunt fingernails strangely stirred a pang of pity and sadness.
***
The clouds that had covered the pitch-black sky dispersed, revealing the stars one by one.
Occasionally, I heard the sound of the fallen leaves on the winter trees rustling in the breeze. I sat on the bench, holding hands with him, struggling with my thoughts.
I received a formal proposal from him, who always joked about getting married.
Those words were shapeless and intangible, yet they sparkled beautifully, like the meaning of the ring on my hand. At least for this moment, I knew his words were sincere.
Even if I were to return to my original place in the future, or even if this were an unrealistic assumption, the thought of returning to the original world, reality, gave me goosebumps.
If all this was just a dream, if he was just dreaming, I don't think I could handle the loss and emptiness. And I can't rule out the possibility that he might change his mind in the future.
I wasn't completely committed to him, nor did I expect anything in return. I was always calculating, always leaving room for escape when I was hurt.
I answered sincerely but concisely.
"Thank you."
My eyes focused more on his pupils than on the ring. Noah, tall and sitting, was staring down at me with his dark blue eyes.
“Princess, do you trust me?”
“Yes. And you?”
“I don’t believe you?”
Noah smiled playfully. It sounded a little serious, so I gave him a sheepish look.
“You have a bit of a bitter aftertaste.”
"Yeah. That's why I wish there were only two of us in the world. No one would bother you or try to steal you."
Who the hell is stealing me away? Even a hedgehog considers its young safe and sound, and this man treats me with such contempt.
“Are you feeling anxious?”
His round hair tickled my neck and chin. I felt Noah nod, leaning lightly against my shoulder.
Is this guy acting cute because I'm not cute?
Just as I was thinking, "That's cute," he gently pulled my hair and brushed his lips against my earlobe. The touch of his warm breath and his soft lips sent goosebumps down my spine.
His eyes, which had been closely examining my flushed face as he opened his mouth, narrowed sharply.
“That’s why I want to monopolize you. I’ll get rid of the rest.”
I asked him why he had to do that.
“Noah, do you love me?”
He had a troubled expression on his face. His pretty lips were pressed shut, and silence settled over him. Lost in thought for a moment, Noah shook his head silently, his face expressionless.
"No."
The shallow swaying of his dark-dyed hair conveyed a distinct sense of denial.
Falling leaves from the surrounding dry winter trees brushed against my toes and rolled away somewhere. The warmth that had been transparently lingering in the air was now frozen in cold. It was winter, after all.
I didn't get angry, argue, or cry. I just stared at him with the same expression. Somewhere, deep within my heart, something frozen and frozen seemed to crumble and melt.
He didn't lie to me, thankfully.
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