Trapped under his arm, I became so hypersensitive that I could barely breathe. I managed to tear my lips apart and ask.
“What are you trying to say?”
Even though it was broad daylight, a dim shadow fell over Noah's face as he lowered his head. He began to speak in a soft voice.
“I knew who you were.”
What? Did he find out I don't own this body?
My heart sank, and at the same time, I felt my body sink beneath the sheets. My vision dimmed. I shook my head violently, denying it for the time being.
“No, that’s not true.”
"That's right."
"No..."
"That's right."
The denials and affirmations went back and forth rapidly. I don't know why I felt the need to keep from being caught.
Was he disappointed that I'd lied to him all this time? No. I don't know the exact circumstances, but he said we'd met before. I wondered if he was interested in this original body, not me.
He may have seen this woman from afar, or maybe his parents actually promised to marry him in the past.
It means that there was a reason why a man who doesn't give affection or attention to others thought of me as special.
“But what do you mean it’s not?”
Noah asked with a leisurely smile.
“I, I am me.”
I was so embarrassed that I said some strange things.
"Yes. Even if you're reborn, you're still you. First, let me tell you why I brought the Princess to Frogen."
Noah pulled himself up and pulled me by the hand. We sat side by side on the edge of the bed. His graceful profile tilted upward, as if he were briefly gathering his thoughts.
"I originally planned to kidnap your sister. You're not very outgoing, are you? Just like you are now."
“Oh... I see.”
“You probably couldn’t go out. The admiral treated you like a maid and hid the fact that you were his daughter.”
He continued speaking.
"I kidnapped your sister and tried to negotiate with the Admiral. It was probably something like this: exchange the hostage for Diana."
“Did you know from my nanny, Janet, that I was at the Admiral’s house?”
"Yeah. A fairy tale writer. A capable officer who was supposed to be in charge of the operation got into an accident and injured his leg. So I just went. And when I got there, you were with me."
Noah smiled with the same smile I had seen in the car that day.
"I brought you in and sent the admiral my terms of negotiation. If he gives up, I'll keep everything quiet."
“Did my father try to find me?”
“No. He only told me to send you back when the criticism got louder.”
Well, that's right. I squinted my eyes and opened and closed my hands on my knees.
"I tried to take you away, the Admiral tried to kill you. It was all for one reason."
Noah fell silent for a moment, then looked at me with serious eyes. Truthfully, I'd only vaguely guessed at the reason, but I didn't know the exact reason.
“Diana, because you are a Princess.”
"Yes?"
That nickname, which I'd always heard, suddenly felt distant and unfamiliar. I couldn't immediately grasp its unspoken meaning.
“Your mother is the current Queen of Medea, Grace Spencer Mary.”
I must have misunderstood when I said that the beautiful Queen who was always interested in me, always secretly close to me, and always winked at me charmingly was my mother.
“Are you saying I’m royalty?”
“That’s right. That’s the reason and cause of what happened to you.”
My vision blurred, and I collapsed onto the bed. Noah turned his head and looked down at me, who was staring blankly at the ceiling.
The slightly open bedroom window slowly slid shut in the wind. It was just a classic novel about rescuing a kidnapped woman.
I was faced with a profound sense of dissonance. Diana Claire, who hadn't even occupied a single page in the book, was now a royal. She was a survivor of a fate that had been mortal, and now she stood at the center of a chain of events and causal relationships.
The countless letters written in books are merely superficial content written unconsciously by someone, and aren't there worlds behind them that we don't know about?
The thought sent a shiver down my spine. Time seemed to stand still in the silence.
The ticking on Noah's wristwatch, a recent wedding gift, was the only indication of normal time. I asked in a weary voice.
"Do you know who my father is? I can tell for sure that the Admiral isn't my biological father."
Noah wrapped his arms around my waist and slowly helped me up, answering me kindly.
"That's right, Dad. Winston Clare, Admiral and Count of the Navy. They met in the past as a Princess and a captain."
This, too, is a shocking truth. Seriously, he's my biological father, yet he treated me like this? I gave up on understanding, leaning limply against his strong arms, my eyes averted.
“You know, what do you think would have happened if you had kidnapped my sister like you did and I had died before I met you?”
“Hmm. I must have killed your sister.”
He answered concisely, as if he had decided it in advance.
"I would have locked her up, driven her mad, and slowly destroyed her. I don't want my promise to be meaningless."
“A promise?”
"The Queen, who was a Princess, became pregnant with an admiral's child at the age of seventeen, and kept the identity of the child's father a secret. The King, worried that the Princess would become a disgrace to the royal family, secretly sent her to our home. As a child, I promised to protect you and marry you."
“So you said we met then?”
"Yes. The ambitious admiral wanted to become the Princess's husband by any means necessary. At the time, the Queen wasn't in line for the throne."
“Why didn’t they get married?”
“The admiral already had a wife.”
I put strength into my back and bounced up, raising my upper body.
“Affair?”
"The Queen didn't know. They must have met by chance, since Medea and Belford were allies at the time. The Admiral even sent his wife divorce papers in writing. But when the Queen found out he was married, she absolutely refused to accept him."
Noah, who had wrapped his arms around my shoulders, let out a soft breath.
“Your sister’s biological mother, Lady Claire, fell from the top of the bell tower and died shortly after receiving the divorce papers.”
“By herself?”
Noah just smiled faintly, not really responding. Was that why he kept saying, "You were born, and your mother died, she died because of you?" It was a disgusting shift in blame.
So, out of guilt, he called Celine a Princess and thought terribly of me, and treated me like a dog.
The Admiral was truly a piece of trash, not even worthy of recycling. It's a bit of an unfilial remark, but he's only my biological father, not my actual father, so it doesn't matter.
Noah continued speaking in a low voice.
"The admiral had a lust for power. A military leader? That level of power wasn't enough for his ambition. He bribed a maid to swap the newborn Princess with a baby from a slum. That's how he took you."
“That slum kid is Erita.”
"Yes."
I remembered Noah never calling Erita "Princess." In fact, she was delighted to be called by her name. I raised my hand and rubbed my forehead. The shock of the revelations had overpowered me, and I felt a slight fever in my head.
“Is it because you didn’t tell me until now that you were afraid you wouldn’t be able to marry me?”
"That's right. I was so worried the Queen would take you away. That butterfly-shaped spot on your back only appears occasionally in descendants of the Spencer royal family. It's hereditary."
I reached behind my back, feeling where the stain might have been, and understood what he meant by not showing it to others. Back in Frogen, he hadn't even let me go to the hot springs with the noble ladies.
"And I was worried you might change your mind. The Princess is the only legitimate heir. Although you're the Queen's illegitimate child, disqualified from succession due to your mixed blood, the Queen has already declared that the child's father is a noble descendant of the deceased Medea."
"You did well to say earlier that you wouldn't do it even if I ordered you to. It's true that you really have no intention of doing it." I asked again.
“Why didn’t the Admiral reveal that he was the child’s father?”
"Even so, it wouldn't gain power, and it would put their lives at risk. Their own people would believe the royal family's words. They might have tried to blackmail you, but my taking you would have derailed their plans. Their plan to seize Medea and crown your sister queen also failed with this defeat."
“I guess he must have given up something since Celine, whom he cherishes so much, is getting married.”
"That's right. The Admiral had contact with Erita, but it seems he's lost contact with her now. I know about her because the fairy tale writer occasionally sends me news. She's your nanny. She's one of the Admiral's trusted people."
“Since when has the nanny who is the fairy tale writer been there?”
"Before you were born. My father knew the father of the child in the Queen's womb was an admiral. He felt sorry for the Queen and wanted to help her. That was his nature."
“So you wanted to carry out your father’s will.”
“It is solely my will.”
Noah smiled faintly.
"I will serve you as my Queen for the rest of my life. So don't even think about leaving me. Understand?"
We've already registered our marriage, and it's become an irreversible relationship. All I have to do is live with this man as his Queen.
I think he had no choice but to bring me here, since the nation protects Medea's bloodline.
As I was gathering my thoughts, Noah grabbed my shoulder, knocking me down. He then leaned his weight on one arm and looked down at me. His darkened blue eyes stared sharply at me.
“In that sense, let’s get married sooner.”
“Why did you suddenly come to that conclusion?”
“Do it this weekend.”
It's Friday, man!
I tried to raise my upper body as a sign of refusal, but my strength had already drained, so I could only wiggle.
"We've already registered our marriage. The Queen has already acknowledged it. Surely we wouldn't be relentless if it were revealed? We'd either change outdated customs or find another successor."
Noah lowered the corners of his eyes and smiled seductively.
“No. I just wanted to do it quickly.”
He spoke again, without a subject. And in a languid voice, his breath heavy. I swallowed, watching the lump in my throat rise and fall, and then closed my eyes tightly.
This guy's breathing is just wild. He's just a wild man.
“Ugh.”
I shook my head, feeling alone and deprived as the bright red imagination took over my mind.
“Don’t tempt me first.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
Your face itself was tempting. As I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply, another breath hit my face instead.
A thick warmth radiated from the hand cupping one of my cheeks. Even though he had only lightly kissed my other cheek, my stomach tingled, and I involuntarily sucked in a breath.
His drooping eyelids slowly lifted. His mysterious blue eyes stared intently at me.
“Diana.”
"Yes."
“The words you said to me, ‘I love you.’”
He took my hand, rubbed it against his cheek like a fox acting cute, and continued speaking in a whisper.
“I want to hear it one more time.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Even though it was broad daylight, a dim shadow fell over Noah's face as he lowered his head. He began to speak in a soft voice.
“I knew who you were.”
What? Did he find out I don't own this body?
My heart sank, and at the same time, I felt my body sink beneath the sheets. My vision dimmed. I shook my head violently, denying it for the time being.
“No, that’s not true.”
"That's right."
"No..."
"That's right."
The denials and affirmations went back and forth rapidly. I don't know why I felt the need to keep from being caught.
Was he disappointed that I'd lied to him all this time? No. I don't know the exact circumstances, but he said we'd met before. I wondered if he was interested in this original body, not me.
He may have seen this woman from afar, or maybe his parents actually promised to marry him in the past.
It means that there was a reason why a man who doesn't give affection or attention to others thought of me as special.
“But what do you mean it’s not?”
Noah asked with a leisurely smile.
“I, I am me.”
I was so embarrassed that I said some strange things.
"Yes. Even if you're reborn, you're still you. First, let me tell you why I brought the Princess to Frogen."
Noah pulled himself up and pulled me by the hand. We sat side by side on the edge of the bed. His graceful profile tilted upward, as if he were briefly gathering his thoughts.
"I originally planned to kidnap your sister. You're not very outgoing, are you? Just like you are now."
“Oh... I see.”
“You probably couldn’t go out. The admiral treated you like a maid and hid the fact that you were his daughter.”
He continued speaking.
"I kidnapped your sister and tried to negotiate with the Admiral. It was probably something like this: exchange the hostage for Diana."
“Did you know from my nanny, Janet, that I was at the Admiral’s house?”
"Yeah. A fairy tale writer. A capable officer who was supposed to be in charge of the operation got into an accident and injured his leg. So I just went. And when I got there, you were with me."
Noah smiled with the same smile I had seen in the car that day.
"I brought you in and sent the admiral my terms of negotiation. If he gives up, I'll keep everything quiet."
“Did my father try to find me?”
“No. He only told me to send you back when the criticism got louder.”
Well, that's right. I squinted my eyes and opened and closed my hands on my knees.
"I tried to take you away, the Admiral tried to kill you. It was all for one reason."
Noah fell silent for a moment, then looked at me with serious eyes. Truthfully, I'd only vaguely guessed at the reason, but I didn't know the exact reason.
“Diana, because you are a Princess.”
"Yes?"
That nickname, which I'd always heard, suddenly felt distant and unfamiliar. I couldn't immediately grasp its unspoken meaning.
“Your mother is the current Queen of Medea, Grace Spencer Mary.”
I must have misunderstood when I said that the beautiful Queen who was always interested in me, always secretly close to me, and always winked at me charmingly was my mother.
“Are you saying I’m royalty?”
“That’s right. That’s the reason and cause of what happened to you.”
My vision blurred, and I collapsed onto the bed. Noah turned his head and looked down at me, who was staring blankly at the ceiling.
The slightly open bedroom window slowly slid shut in the wind. It was just a classic novel about rescuing a kidnapped woman.
I was faced with a profound sense of dissonance. Diana Claire, who hadn't even occupied a single page in the book, was now a royal. She was a survivor of a fate that had been mortal, and now she stood at the center of a chain of events and causal relationships.
The countless letters written in books are merely superficial content written unconsciously by someone, and aren't there worlds behind them that we don't know about?
The thought sent a shiver down my spine. Time seemed to stand still in the silence.
The ticking on Noah's wristwatch, a recent wedding gift, was the only indication of normal time. I asked in a weary voice.
"Do you know who my father is? I can tell for sure that the Admiral isn't my biological father."
Noah wrapped his arms around my waist and slowly helped me up, answering me kindly.
"That's right, Dad. Winston Clare, Admiral and Count of the Navy. They met in the past as a Princess and a captain."
This, too, is a shocking truth. Seriously, he's my biological father, yet he treated me like this? I gave up on understanding, leaning limply against his strong arms, my eyes averted.
“You know, what do you think would have happened if you had kidnapped my sister like you did and I had died before I met you?”
“Hmm. I must have killed your sister.”
He answered concisely, as if he had decided it in advance.
"I would have locked her up, driven her mad, and slowly destroyed her. I don't want my promise to be meaningless."
“A promise?”
"The Queen, who was a Princess, became pregnant with an admiral's child at the age of seventeen, and kept the identity of the child's father a secret. The King, worried that the Princess would become a disgrace to the royal family, secretly sent her to our home. As a child, I promised to protect you and marry you."
“So you said we met then?”
"Yes. The ambitious admiral wanted to become the Princess's husband by any means necessary. At the time, the Queen wasn't in line for the throne."
“Why didn’t they get married?”
“The admiral already had a wife.”
I put strength into my back and bounced up, raising my upper body.
“Affair?”
"The Queen didn't know. They must have met by chance, since Medea and Belford were allies at the time. The Admiral even sent his wife divorce papers in writing. But when the Queen found out he was married, she absolutely refused to accept him."
Noah, who had wrapped his arms around my shoulders, let out a soft breath.
“Your sister’s biological mother, Lady Claire, fell from the top of the bell tower and died shortly after receiving the divorce papers.”
“By herself?”
Noah just smiled faintly, not really responding. Was that why he kept saying, "You were born, and your mother died, she died because of you?" It was a disgusting shift in blame.
So, out of guilt, he called Celine a Princess and thought terribly of me, and treated me like a dog.
The Admiral was truly a piece of trash, not even worthy of recycling. It's a bit of an unfilial remark, but he's only my biological father, not my actual father, so it doesn't matter.
Noah continued speaking in a low voice.
"The admiral had a lust for power. A military leader? That level of power wasn't enough for his ambition. He bribed a maid to swap the newborn Princess with a baby from a slum. That's how he took you."
“That slum kid is Erita.”
"Yes."
I remembered Noah never calling Erita "Princess." In fact, she was delighted to be called by her name. I raised my hand and rubbed my forehead. The shock of the revelations had overpowered me, and I felt a slight fever in my head.
“Is it because you didn’t tell me until now that you were afraid you wouldn’t be able to marry me?”
"That's right. I was so worried the Queen would take you away. That butterfly-shaped spot on your back only appears occasionally in descendants of the Spencer royal family. It's hereditary."
I reached behind my back, feeling where the stain might have been, and understood what he meant by not showing it to others. Back in Frogen, he hadn't even let me go to the hot springs with the noble ladies.
"And I was worried you might change your mind. The Princess is the only legitimate heir. Although you're the Queen's illegitimate child, disqualified from succession due to your mixed blood, the Queen has already declared that the child's father is a noble descendant of the deceased Medea."
"You did well to say earlier that you wouldn't do it even if I ordered you to. It's true that you really have no intention of doing it." I asked again.
“Why didn’t the Admiral reveal that he was the child’s father?”
"Even so, it wouldn't gain power, and it would put their lives at risk. Their own people would believe the royal family's words. They might have tried to blackmail you, but my taking you would have derailed their plans. Their plan to seize Medea and crown your sister queen also failed with this defeat."
“I guess he must have given up something since Celine, whom he cherishes so much, is getting married.”
"That's right. The Admiral had contact with Erita, but it seems he's lost contact with her now. I know about her because the fairy tale writer occasionally sends me news. She's your nanny. She's one of the Admiral's trusted people."
“Since when has the nanny who is the fairy tale writer been there?”
"Before you were born. My father knew the father of the child in the Queen's womb was an admiral. He felt sorry for the Queen and wanted to help her. That was his nature."
“So you wanted to carry out your father’s will.”
“It is solely my will.”
Noah smiled faintly.
"I will serve you as my Queen for the rest of my life. So don't even think about leaving me. Understand?"
We've already registered our marriage, and it's become an irreversible relationship. All I have to do is live with this man as his Queen.
I think he had no choice but to bring me here, since the nation protects Medea's bloodline.
As I was gathering my thoughts, Noah grabbed my shoulder, knocking me down. He then leaned his weight on one arm and looked down at me. His darkened blue eyes stared sharply at me.
“In that sense, let’s get married sooner.”
“Why did you suddenly come to that conclusion?”
“Do it this weekend.”
It's Friday, man!
I tried to raise my upper body as a sign of refusal, but my strength had already drained, so I could only wiggle.
"We've already registered our marriage. The Queen has already acknowledged it. Surely we wouldn't be relentless if it were revealed? We'd either change outdated customs or find another successor."
Noah lowered the corners of his eyes and smiled seductively.
“No. I just wanted to do it quickly.”
He spoke again, without a subject. And in a languid voice, his breath heavy. I swallowed, watching the lump in my throat rise and fall, and then closed my eyes tightly.
This guy's breathing is just wild. He's just a wild man.
“Ugh.”
I shook my head, feeling alone and deprived as the bright red imagination took over my mind.
“Don’t tempt me first.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
Your face itself was tempting. As I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply, another breath hit my face instead.
A thick warmth radiated from the hand cupping one of my cheeks. Even though he had only lightly kissed my other cheek, my stomach tingled, and I involuntarily sucked in a breath.
His drooping eyelids slowly lifted. His mysterious blue eyes stared intently at me.
“Diana.”
"Yes."
“The words you said to me, ‘I love you.’”
He took my hand, rubbed it against his cheek like a fox acting cute, and continued speaking in a whisper.
“I want to hear it one more time.”
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