Baroness Mason, dressed in a decorated uniform, approached Elsa with measured steps, her hands clasped together in earnest supplication.
"It's not illegal. Investigating a crime is also permitted. Since his fiancée is currently missing, he's been given the authority to investigate your charges."
“Yes? It’s not a temporary honorary title?”
“Count Rotsilt was long ago recognized as a knight of Her Majesty the Queen and received the Medea Medal.”
That was when she was seven. Queen Grace II looked at Elsa, thinking to herself.
“I already heard that someone from the royal family is involved.”
"That..."
Noah seemed to have already known everything and came looking for her. He was asking again to confirm, hoping to get her to confess out loud. Elsa, dumbfounded, shut her mouth.
“You don’t remember? Like a bird brain.”
Noah grinned at Elsa. "If you won't tell, I'll just kill you." His cold eyes conveyed that message.
Elsa finally revealed everything in a trembling voice, including her twisted feelings for the Duke of Hessen.
Even if the root of it is pure love or longing, the moment it's expressed, it becomes disgusting and ugly. Of course, the Duke's family also had personal security. Elsa had blocked it, claiming it was a brief outing for her own plans and unnecessary.
"Elsa Taylor, forgetting the kindness Elizabeth has shown you, dare to exploit the Prince in such a way? And even more so, you put innocent people at risk out of your own jealousy."
The Duke of Hessen's face turned fierce.
Elsa, who felt everything crumble at the rough accent of the man who always spoke to her in a kind and polite tone, lowered her head.
"I'm... embarrassed. I'm sorry. I simply prevented the personal bodyguard from following the Prince. Please forgive me."
A look of undeniable disgust and hatred turned towards the one who had ultimately become the guilty party. The Queen, who had been watching silently, waved her hand at Baroness Mason with a cold expression.
“Bring the Princess here. Now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Baroness Mason bowed, extending her elbow, and obeyed. Princess Erita, who had followed the Baroness into the room, glanced at Elsa with a blank expression, as if she knew nothing.
“I called you to ask if what this woman said was true.”
At the stern questioning tone, the Princess's sharp eyes left Elsa, passed through Noah, and turned to the Queen.
“What did that woman say?”
“Listen for yourself.”
As Baroness Mason tapped Elsa, she met the Princess's eyes with frightened eyes.
“The Princess... suggested hiring mercenaries to threaten the Prince. And then frame Miss Diana for it.”
"I?"
Princess Erita nodded, one corner of her mouth raised. Arms crossed, she gazed at Elsa, who was lying flat on her stomach, with a sharp gaze, and asked again.
"How could I, a Princess, make such a plan with you? I wouldn't have even spoken to you, a mere servant, in the first place."
"But..."
“If you have any evidence, show it to me. If anyone saw you and me meeting.”
Elsa's mouth tightened as the Princess, her chin raised, lied without batting an eye. The Queen sighed and touched her forehead. Princess Erita's voice, sensing the silence that signified the lack of evidence, began to grow louder.
"You're trying to frame me for this by exploiting my poor relationship with Diana? How dare you?"
"If there's no solid evidence, we'll investigate separately. Your Excellency, please punish that servant within your jurisdiction."
The Queen's words cut off the Princess's angry voice, and she looked at her with a look of injustice.
“Your Majesty, this woman has committed the crime of insulting the royal family.”
“Enough. The Duke of Hessen will take care of it.”
“...Yes. I’ll be leaving now.”
Princess Erita immediately agreed, glared at Elsa with venomous eyes, and was about to retreat when the Queen stopped her with a snap of her slender finger.
"The disappearance case will be officially investigated by royal decree. Erita, since you have been identified as a suspect, you must cooperate faithfully with the investigation."
“Are you doubting me?”
"The lack of solid evidence applies to you as well. A monarch pursues accuracy and fairness. Family is no exception."
The Princess, first in line to the throne, is being formally investigated by the police as a suspect in a missing person's case.
This is a staggering shame for a member of the royal family. The higher the status and power of a celebrity, the more vulnerable they are to the words "suspicion" and "allegation."
Even before the truth was revealed, people and the media would jump to conclusions and start making wild claims about her, and articles about her would pour out indiscriminately. Princess Erita's lips twitched, and she tried to say something, but then stopped, turned around, and left.
“Elsa Taylor will be imprisoned and tried for appropriate punishment.”
Noah, who was adjusting his loosened tie at the Duke of Hessen's words, smiled brightly.
“It’s not a crime that warrants jail time.”
“Are you saying you forgive her?”
“Just send her back. I heard her confession.”
The Duke of Hessen thought that since the Prince had not suffered much damage, it was right to follow the decision of Noah, who was the biggest victim of losing his fiancée.
"Yes. We can decide on her punishment when Lady Diana returns. There's no risk of her fleeing, but until then, we can impose a travel ban. Please allow us to do so, Your Majesty."
As soon as the Duke finished speaking, Noah slowly tilted his head and smiled faintly at the Queen. The Queen looked at Noah with a puzzled expression, then nodded. Unexpectedly, tears welled up in Elsa's eyes.
“Thank you very much, Count Rotshilt.”
“Go now.”
Noah's smile was compassionate, yet strangely chilling. Elsa, who had grown significantly thinner in a short time, staggered to her feet and politely left the room.
She committed a crime out of an inferiority complex and greed, and her feelings toward the Duke of Hessen were considered dirty jealousy and hated, but she was relieved that she was forgiven and not killed.
"It was my fault. That wicked Princess was trying to frame me from the beginning. I'll apologize properly when Miss Diana returns safely."
Elsa muttered to herself as if in a soliloquy. She left the palace and walked aimlessly down the street, caught in the drizzle.
As she walked, she reflected on how she had taken for granted the kindness she had received, how she had been so ungrateful. Unlike her abusive husband, her time at the Duke's house had been a happy one.
After asking Diana for forgiveness, she returned home and began helping her father with his work, grateful for the new life she had been given.
Elsa, entering the alleyway, turned her head sharply, recalling the chilling feeling in the back of her neck she'd just experienced. It felt like someone had been following her.
“It’s not a crime that warrants jail time.”
Suddenly, Noah's words came to mind. Elsa realized that these words were ambiguous and could be interpreted in different ways.
She understood this to mean the crime wasn't serious enough to warrant imprisonment, but if you think about it another way, it also means that simply sending her to prison isn't enough. Perhaps forgiveness wasn't an act of mercy.
Elsa's brown eyes fluttered as she discovered someone standing behind her, as if her anxiety had become a physical reality.
In the dark, gloomy basement, even the smallest sound resonated loudly.
I could clearly hear the occasional clanking of the handcuffs that were heavily wrapped around my wrists, as well as the leisurely, calm breathing of the man facing me.
I wanted to appear as a woman with the most stupid and narrow-minded views toward men.
"Wouldn't it be great if you gave him back his ducal title and his fortune? He's going to be my husband. I'll be a Duchess, right?"
The man's lips tightened as if he was holding back a smile at my vulgar attitude and confident voice.
"You have a peculiar disposition. Even in this situation, you say everything you want to say. But there's something you've overlooked."
The man finally burst into laughter, running his hand through his golden hair. His eyes dazzled as he stared at me.
"Preventing you and Duke Noah Rotsilt from marrying. That's the deal I made with the Princess."
Yeah, that's right.
Princess Erita, heir to the throne, desires to marry Noah. Frogen's desire to invade, conquer, and dominate Medea. The interests of both sides strangely align.
If the war is completely lost and the form of government and ruling structure change, there will be no need to worry about the long-standing custom of marrying within the Medea lineage.
All the higher-ups who directly run the country will be replaced by Frogens, leaving only the royal family as a puppet.
It's understandable for Princess Erita, who has no interest in politics or governance, to feel this way. A girl going through a stormy period, blinded by love, is about to sell out her country.
To conquer Medea, who was on par with the powerful nations, Noah was absolutely necessary, to the point where he would change his words to, "Treason? It was just a threat."
After realizing the situation, I lowered my eyes and made a frustrated expression.
“Then what about me? I could have become a Duchess and lived a life of luxury and extravagance!”
It seems like he didn't realize that I, who only spouts childish complaints, had realized Frogen's invasion plan and ambitions.
I nodded. Mastiff crossed his arms, wiggling his fingers, and explained his plan to me, as if trying to convince me. He probably thought I was powerless to do anything about it.
“If I keep you hostage, he will do as I say.”
"Look, I'm not getting anything out of this. It's so unfair. I'm losing my fiancé, too."
“If you cooperate well, I will introduce you to another good man.”
Is there any man in the world who would catch my eye other than Noah? I closed my eyes for a moment, as if in meditation, and then smiled nonchalantly.
“Yes. Please, a rich man.”
Anyway, the concept of being an ignorant, naive, and philistine seems to have worked. Since I know they won't kill me anyway, it's better to pretend to be stupid and unaware of the situation than let their guard down and wait for an opportunity to escape.
So I was locked in a room in a mansion.
I looked out the window intently, trying to figure out where I was, but all I could see was a vast expanse of forest.
It felt like a long time had passed, but in reality, it had only been about three days. The food was good, and the room was clean, aside from a little dust. The handcuffs still hadn't been removed, which was incredibly uncomfortable.
Why does this world refuse to let me feel at ease? At this point, I wonder if being kidnapped is my natural destiny, and I even begin to feel skeptical about my own difficult life.
It must have been about a meal after I finished my meal of horrible oatmeal that tasted like paper.
Mastiff came and unlocked my handcuffs. He placed a notepad and pen neatly in front of me and spoke.
“I need you to write a letter to Duke Rotsilt.”
“What should I write? I don’t have any writing skills.”
“You can write whatever you want, as long as you at least confirm that you are alive.”
A cold snap had arrived, and light snow fluttered outside the window like feathers. I picked up my pen as instructed and wrote a letter, continuing to talk to Mastiff.
"What do you call it in Frogen when you see snow in spring? Medea is a spring flower."
“We call it spring feathers.”
Since the basic foundation of the language of Medea, Frogen, and Belford was the same, they could communicate with each other without difficulty, even though there were some differences in intonation, spelling, pronunciation, and vocabulary.
In particular, Medea and Belford, who were separated from the same land a long time ago, have no difference other than their accents.
The man named Mastiff was difficult to recognize as a Frogenian because of his appearance and his Medea accent from the beginning.
“Spring feathers. How cute.”
Mastiff's turquoise eyes gazed intently at me, lost in thought. He looked down at the scribbled words on the letter paper and spoke with a hint of admiration.
“That’s some really bad handwriting.”
“As long as you can read it, that’s fine.”
I handed him the letter I'd written with a nonchalant expression. Mastiff, who had read my letter over and over again, seemed to have given up, folded it neatly, and put it in his pocket.
"You really wrote something random. It almost seems like a child's diary... The Duke will understand. Anyway, I'll make sure to pass it on."
"It's not illegal. Investigating a crime is also permitted. Since his fiancée is currently missing, he's been given the authority to investigate your charges."
“Yes? It’s not a temporary honorary title?”
“Count Rotsilt was long ago recognized as a knight of Her Majesty the Queen and received the Medea Medal.”
That was when she was seven. Queen Grace II looked at Elsa, thinking to herself.
“I already heard that someone from the royal family is involved.”
"That..."
Noah seemed to have already known everything and came looking for her. He was asking again to confirm, hoping to get her to confess out loud. Elsa, dumbfounded, shut her mouth.
“You don’t remember? Like a bird brain.”
Noah grinned at Elsa. "If you won't tell, I'll just kill you." His cold eyes conveyed that message.
Elsa finally revealed everything in a trembling voice, including her twisted feelings for the Duke of Hessen.
Even if the root of it is pure love or longing, the moment it's expressed, it becomes disgusting and ugly. Of course, the Duke's family also had personal security. Elsa had blocked it, claiming it was a brief outing for her own plans and unnecessary.
"Elsa Taylor, forgetting the kindness Elizabeth has shown you, dare to exploit the Prince in such a way? And even more so, you put innocent people at risk out of your own jealousy."
The Duke of Hessen's face turned fierce.
Elsa, who felt everything crumble at the rough accent of the man who always spoke to her in a kind and polite tone, lowered her head.
"I'm... embarrassed. I'm sorry. I simply prevented the personal bodyguard from following the Prince. Please forgive me."
A look of undeniable disgust and hatred turned towards the one who had ultimately become the guilty party. The Queen, who had been watching silently, waved her hand at Baroness Mason with a cold expression.
“Bring the Princess here. Now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Baroness Mason bowed, extending her elbow, and obeyed. Princess Erita, who had followed the Baroness into the room, glanced at Elsa with a blank expression, as if she knew nothing.
“I called you to ask if what this woman said was true.”
At the stern questioning tone, the Princess's sharp eyes left Elsa, passed through Noah, and turned to the Queen.
“What did that woman say?”
“Listen for yourself.”
As Baroness Mason tapped Elsa, she met the Princess's eyes with frightened eyes.
“The Princess... suggested hiring mercenaries to threaten the Prince. And then frame Miss Diana for it.”
"I?"
Princess Erita nodded, one corner of her mouth raised. Arms crossed, she gazed at Elsa, who was lying flat on her stomach, with a sharp gaze, and asked again.
"How could I, a Princess, make such a plan with you? I wouldn't have even spoken to you, a mere servant, in the first place."
"But..."
“If you have any evidence, show it to me. If anyone saw you and me meeting.”
Elsa's mouth tightened as the Princess, her chin raised, lied without batting an eye. The Queen sighed and touched her forehead. Princess Erita's voice, sensing the silence that signified the lack of evidence, began to grow louder.
"You're trying to frame me for this by exploiting my poor relationship with Diana? How dare you?"
"If there's no solid evidence, we'll investigate separately. Your Excellency, please punish that servant within your jurisdiction."
The Queen's words cut off the Princess's angry voice, and she looked at her with a look of injustice.
“Your Majesty, this woman has committed the crime of insulting the royal family.”
“Enough. The Duke of Hessen will take care of it.”
“...Yes. I’ll be leaving now.”
Princess Erita immediately agreed, glared at Elsa with venomous eyes, and was about to retreat when the Queen stopped her with a snap of her slender finger.
"The disappearance case will be officially investigated by royal decree. Erita, since you have been identified as a suspect, you must cooperate faithfully with the investigation."
“Are you doubting me?”
"The lack of solid evidence applies to you as well. A monarch pursues accuracy and fairness. Family is no exception."
The Princess, first in line to the throne, is being formally investigated by the police as a suspect in a missing person's case.
This is a staggering shame for a member of the royal family. The higher the status and power of a celebrity, the more vulnerable they are to the words "suspicion" and "allegation."
Even before the truth was revealed, people and the media would jump to conclusions and start making wild claims about her, and articles about her would pour out indiscriminately. Princess Erita's lips twitched, and she tried to say something, but then stopped, turned around, and left.
“Elsa Taylor will be imprisoned and tried for appropriate punishment.”
Noah, who was adjusting his loosened tie at the Duke of Hessen's words, smiled brightly.
“It’s not a crime that warrants jail time.”
“Are you saying you forgive her?”
“Just send her back. I heard her confession.”
The Duke of Hessen thought that since the Prince had not suffered much damage, it was right to follow the decision of Noah, who was the biggest victim of losing his fiancée.
"Yes. We can decide on her punishment when Lady Diana returns. There's no risk of her fleeing, but until then, we can impose a travel ban. Please allow us to do so, Your Majesty."
As soon as the Duke finished speaking, Noah slowly tilted his head and smiled faintly at the Queen. The Queen looked at Noah with a puzzled expression, then nodded. Unexpectedly, tears welled up in Elsa's eyes.
“Thank you very much, Count Rotshilt.”
“Go now.”
Noah's smile was compassionate, yet strangely chilling. Elsa, who had grown significantly thinner in a short time, staggered to her feet and politely left the room.
She committed a crime out of an inferiority complex and greed, and her feelings toward the Duke of Hessen were considered dirty jealousy and hated, but she was relieved that she was forgiven and not killed.
"It was my fault. That wicked Princess was trying to frame me from the beginning. I'll apologize properly when Miss Diana returns safely."
Elsa muttered to herself as if in a soliloquy. She left the palace and walked aimlessly down the street, caught in the drizzle.
As she walked, she reflected on how she had taken for granted the kindness she had received, how she had been so ungrateful. Unlike her abusive husband, her time at the Duke's house had been a happy one.
After asking Diana for forgiveness, she returned home and began helping her father with his work, grateful for the new life she had been given.
Elsa, entering the alleyway, turned her head sharply, recalling the chilling feeling in the back of her neck she'd just experienced. It felt like someone had been following her.
“It’s not a crime that warrants jail time.”
Suddenly, Noah's words came to mind. Elsa realized that these words were ambiguous and could be interpreted in different ways.
She understood this to mean the crime wasn't serious enough to warrant imprisonment, but if you think about it another way, it also means that simply sending her to prison isn't enough. Perhaps forgiveness wasn't an act of mercy.
Elsa's brown eyes fluttered as she discovered someone standing behind her, as if her anxiety had become a physical reality.
***
In the dark, gloomy basement, even the smallest sound resonated loudly.
I could clearly hear the occasional clanking of the handcuffs that were heavily wrapped around my wrists, as well as the leisurely, calm breathing of the man facing me.
I wanted to appear as a woman with the most stupid and narrow-minded views toward men.
"Wouldn't it be great if you gave him back his ducal title and his fortune? He's going to be my husband. I'll be a Duchess, right?"
The man's lips tightened as if he was holding back a smile at my vulgar attitude and confident voice.
"You have a peculiar disposition. Even in this situation, you say everything you want to say. But there's something you've overlooked."
The man finally burst into laughter, running his hand through his golden hair. His eyes dazzled as he stared at me.
"Preventing you and Duke Noah Rotsilt from marrying. That's the deal I made with the Princess."
Yeah, that's right.
Princess Erita, heir to the throne, desires to marry Noah. Frogen's desire to invade, conquer, and dominate Medea. The interests of both sides strangely align.
If the war is completely lost and the form of government and ruling structure change, there will be no need to worry about the long-standing custom of marrying within the Medea lineage.
All the higher-ups who directly run the country will be replaced by Frogens, leaving only the royal family as a puppet.
It's understandable for Princess Erita, who has no interest in politics or governance, to feel this way. A girl going through a stormy period, blinded by love, is about to sell out her country.
To conquer Medea, who was on par with the powerful nations, Noah was absolutely necessary, to the point where he would change his words to, "Treason? It was just a threat."
After realizing the situation, I lowered my eyes and made a frustrated expression.
“Then what about me? I could have become a Duchess and lived a life of luxury and extravagance!”
It seems like he didn't realize that I, who only spouts childish complaints, had realized Frogen's invasion plan and ambitions.
“Well... in this capitalist world, such desires aren't wrong, you know. Ah, I'm Mastiff Argentino.”
“If I keep you hostage, he will do as I say.”
"Look, I'm not getting anything out of this. It's so unfair. I'm losing my fiancé, too."
“If you cooperate well, I will introduce you to another good man.”
Is there any man in the world who would catch my eye other than Noah? I closed my eyes for a moment, as if in meditation, and then smiled nonchalantly.
“Yes. Please, a rich man.”
Anyway, the concept of being an ignorant, naive, and philistine seems to have worked. Since I know they won't kill me anyway, it's better to pretend to be stupid and unaware of the situation than let their guard down and wait for an opportunity to escape.
So I was locked in a room in a mansion.
I looked out the window intently, trying to figure out where I was, but all I could see was a vast expanse of forest.
It felt like a long time had passed, but in reality, it had only been about three days. The food was good, and the room was clean, aside from a little dust. The handcuffs still hadn't been removed, which was incredibly uncomfortable.
Why does this world refuse to let me feel at ease? At this point, I wonder if being kidnapped is my natural destiny, and I even begin to feel skeptical about my own difficult life.
It must have been about a meal after I finished my meal of horrible oatmeal that tasted like paper.
Mastiff came and unlocked my handcuffs. He placed a notepad and pen neatly in front of me and spoke.
“I need you to write a letter to Duke Rotsilt.”
“What should I write? I don’t have any writing skills.”
“You can write whatever you want, as long as you at least confirm that you are alive.”
A cold snap had arrived, and light snow fluttered outside the window like feathers. I picked up my pen as instructed and wrote a letter, continuing to talk to Mastiff.
"What do you call it in Frogen when you see snow in spring? Medea is a spring flower."
“We call it spring feathers.”
Since the basic foundation of the language of Medea, Frogen, and Belford was the same, they could communicate with each other without difficulty, even though there were some differences in intonation, spelling, pronunciation, and vocabulary.
In particular, Medea and Belford, who were separated from the same land a long time ago, have no difference other than their accents.
The man named Mastiff was difficult to recognize as a Frogenian because of his appearance and his Medea accent from the beginning.
“Spring feathers. How cute.”
Mastiff's turquoise eyes gazed intently at me, lost in thought. He looked down at the scribbled words on the letter paper and spoke with a hint of admiration.
“That’s some really bad handwriting.”
“As long as you can read it, that’s fine.”
I handed him the letter I'd written with a nonchalant expression. Mastiff, who had read my letter over and over again, seemed to have given up, folded it neatly, and put it in his pocket.
"You really wrote something random. It almost seems like a child's diary... The Duke will understand. Anyway, I'll make sure to pass it on."
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