"Don't your family tell you to get married?"
Has it been about a year since we started dating?
At the time, my worries were entirely focused on that.
"Not really?"
Nike answered calmly whenever I asked with anxious eyes.
"They all know you're seeing him, so what?"
Back then, even though it was a depressing topic we didn't bother to bring up, we both knew very well that whether we had been together for ten years or twenty, we couldn't get married.
It was because Nike was of royal blood, and I was Princess Wassenberg.
“I’m sorry. Because of me.”
What should I do about Nike, who can't take me as the woman to marry?
Do I have to grow old just dating?
What must the Emperor be thinking? He must be upset every time he sees his son grow older, knowing he missed his chance to marry.
And if it’s not even for any other reason, but because he’s dating a woman from an enemy family whom the Emperor wouldn’t mind killing...
"Vania."
"Yes."
“Even before I met you, I didn’t feel any pressure to get married. I told you that I’ve been single all this time of my own will.”
Nike said that whenever I felt down.
“I told you, I had no intention of starting a family when I don’t know when I might die. So don’t feel sorry. Even if I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t be married right now.”
"But because I'm anxious..."
“So what if I just date for the rest of my life?”
Gently caressing the cheek, brushing the forehead, and making eye contact.
"I can continue to love you even without being bound by an institution like marriage."
"That reassured me."
As he said, there were no issues for me to worry about while we were dating.
Even so, considering he is royalty, to think that his family wouldn't force a marriage just because Nike doesn't want to.
I believed it, thinking it was strange but fortunate.
Yeah, I believed those words.
Like a fool.
...
...
"I knew it, that happened."
Merchen sighed after hearing everything Ryan had to say.
“For now, let’s make sure Vania absolutely doesn’t hear about it. It would just make her worry unnecessarily.”
“Of course. If she found out, it would be chaos.”
You have the nerve to expect not to get caught while having a conversation like this right next to me.
Come to think of it, he actually said this confidently right next to Vania.
“So what? Anyway, she’s practically a corpse right now...”
Only then did Ryan turn around to look at me, and our eyes met.
“Ugh, aaaah!”
As they staggered up and sat down, the two of them scrambled noisily.
“Hey, hey! You just woke up, right?”
“Uh, how long have you been awake?!”
“From the moment the Prince spread flowers on the bed, thinking I was dead.”
Silence fell.
“Are you kidding me? It’s been like this from the beginning! Why are you pretending to be asleep!”
“I was about to get up, but the Prince started saying something serious, so I missed my timing. I mean, the realistic talk about how it would be hard for me to marry him.”
“Ha, damn it.”
"You mean the Prince is going to be in marriage talks with the Princess of the Ebonwind Kingdom? Why are you hiding that?"
“Why would I have hidden it?!”
“If you’re going to hide it, at least be meticulous. I already thought something was off from the moment Dad suddenly asked if everything was okay with Ebonwind after the Prince visited last time.”
As far as I remember, the Kingdom of Ebonwind was just a country across the sea whose name I knew.
It seems that if the marriage alliance had been formed through Nike, they would have become a reliable ally of the Empire.
But why did it fall over?
I don't know why it fell over, but it was fortunate for me.
The marriage proposal Nike accepted before he knew me. If it had gone ahead, we probably wouldn't have even been able to start.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"You don't have to change the subject. I'm fine."
"I wasn't trying to change the subject."
For some reason, Ryan glared intently at my face. Merchen, who was standing next to me, sighed, took a handkerchief out of his pocket, and reached out his arm to me.
He carefully wipes his upper lip and shows it.
“...”
There is blood on it.
I got a nosebleed as soon as I woke up...
"It happens often. It's not serious, so don't worry."
"It doesn't happen often to ordinary people. Healthy people don't get nosebleeds all the time."
“Hey, bunny.”
Ryan said.
“He says the marriage proposal is going to fall through anyway, so don’t worry about it. The Third Prince will take care of it. He has to marry you, doesn’t he? The Crown Prince is a good person who lets his younger sibling do as they please, too. Right, Merchen?”
“Yeah, right. Besides, isn’t he the real power behind the Imperial Household right now? I worried for nothing, but actually, as long as the Crown Prince supports you, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about regarding your engagement.”
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine."
The two of them seemed worried that I might be shocked.
“Actually, I knew it was ridiculous that he didn’t do it because he had no intention of getting married, but I just tried to believe it. Even before the regression, there were probably many marriages that fell through without my knowledge.”
I continued speaking calmly.
“His family probably pressured me to get married quickly rather than miss his chance to marry while messing around with me, but he likely didn't say a word, for fear of worrying me unnecessarily.”
“...”
"So... an arranged marriage? I kind of expected it. I wasn't shocked at all."
"Really?"
Ryan asked with a suspicious look.
"Yeah, really."
"Sincerity?"
“Yeah, seriously. And is this really the time for us to be wasting our energy on such useless things?”
I looked back at Merchen.
Has it been about a year since we started dating?
At the time, my worries were entirely focused on that.
"Not really?"
Nike answered calmly whenever I asked with anxious eyes.
"They all know you're seeing him, so what?"
Back then, even though it was a depressing topic we didn't bother to bring up, we both knew very well that whether we had been together for ten years or twenty, we couldn't get married.
It was because Nike was of royal blood, and I was Princess Wassenberg.
“I’m sorry. Because of me.”
What should I do about Nike, who can't take me as the woman to marry?
Do I have to grow old just dating?
What must the Emperor be thinking? He must be upset every time he sees his son grow older, knowing he missed his chance to marry.
And if it’s not even for any other reason, but because he’s dating a woman from an enemy family whom the Emperor wouldn’t mind killing...
"Vania."
"Yes."
“Even before I met you, I didn’t feel any pressure to get married. I told you that I’ve been single all this time of my own will.”
Nike said that whenever I felt down.
“I told you, I had no intention of starting a family when I don’t know when I might die. So don’t feel sorry. Even if I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t be married right now.”
"But because I'm anxious..."
“So what if I just date for the rest of my life?”
Gently caressing the cheek, brushing the forehead, and making eye contact.
"I can continue to love you even without being bound by an institution like marriage."
"That reassured me."
As he said, there were no issues for me to worry about while we were dating.
Even so, considering he is royalty, to think that his family wouldn't force a marriage just because Nike doesn't want to.
I believed it, thinking it was strange but fortunate.
Yeah, I believed those words.
Like a fool.
...
...
"I knew it, that happened."
Merchen sighed after hearing everything Ryan had to say.
“For now, let’s make sure Vania absolutely doesn’t hear about it. It would just make her worry unnecessarily.”
“Of course. If she found out, it would be chaos.”
You have the nerve to expect not to get caught while having a conversation like this right next to me.
Come to think of it, he actually said this confidently right next to Vania.
“So what? Anyway, she’s practically a corpse right now...”
Only then did Ryan turn around to look at me, and our eyes met.
“Ugh, aaaah!”
As they staggered up and sat down, the two of them scrambled noisily.
“Hey, hey! You just woke up, right?”
“Uh, how long have you been awake?!”
“From the moment the Prince spread flowers on the bed, thinking I was dead.”
Silence fell.
“Are you kidding me? It’s been like this from the beginning! Why are you pretending to be asleep!”
“I was about to get up, but the Prince started saying something serious, so I missed my timing. I mean, the realistic talk about how it would be hard for me to marry him.”
“Ha, damn it.”
"You mean the Prince is going to be in marriage talks with the Princess of the Ebonwind Kingdom? Why are you hiding that?"
“Why would I have hidden it?!”
“If you’re going to hide it, at least be meticulous. I already thought something was off from the moment Dad suddenly asked if everything was okay with Ebonwind after the Prince visited last time.”
As far as I remember, the Kingdom of Ebonwind was just a country across the sea whose name I knew.
It seems that if the marriage alliance had been formed through Nike, they would have become a reliable ally of the Empire.
But why did it fall over?
I don't know why it fell over, but it was fortunate for me.
The marriage proposal Nike accepted before he knew me. If it had gone ahead, we probably wouldn't have even been able to start.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"You don't have to change the subject. I'm fine."
"I wasn't trying to change the subject."
For some reason, Ryan glared intently at my face. Merchen, who was standing next to me, sighed, took a handkerchief out of his pocket, and reached out his arm to me.
He carefully wipes his upper lip and shows it.
“...”
There is blood on it.
I got a nosebleed as soon as I woke up...
"It happens often. It's not serious, so don't worry."
"It doesn't happen often to ordinary people. Healthy people don't get nosebleeds all the time."
“Hey, bunny.”
Ryan said.
“He says the marriage proposal is going to fall through anyway, so don’t worry about it. The Third Prince will take care of it. He has to marry you, doesn’t he? The Crown Prince is a good person who lets his younger sibling do as they please, too. Right, Merchen?”
“Yeah, right. Besides, isn’t he the real power behind the Imperial Household right now? I worried for nothing, but actually, as long as the Crown Prince supports you, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about regarding your engagement.”
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine."
The two of them seemed worried that I might be shocked.
“Actually, I knew it was ridiculous that he didn’t do it because he had no intention of getting married, but I just tried to believe it. Even before the regression, there were probably many marriages that fell through without my knowledge.”
I continued speaking calmly.
“His family probably pressured me to get married quickly rather than miss his chance to marry while messing around with me, but he likely didn't say a word, for fear of worrying me unnecessarily.”
“...”
"So... an arranged marriage? I kind of expected it. I wasn't shocked at all."
"Really?"
Ryan asked with a suspicious look.
"Yeah, really."
"Sincerity?"
“Yeah, seriously. And is this really the time for us to be wasting our energy on such useless things?”
I looked back at Merchen.
“Prince, thank you so much for your concern for me. However, we have things to do and a busy road ahead. I am saying that this is not the time to worry and agonize over whether or not the Prince and I can get married.”
As I speak, I think this is like self-hypnosis.
To be honest, I am worried, troubled, and anxious right now. As I fumbled at the back of my neck out of habit, I felt a necklace.
The birthday gift Nike left behind. A ruby necklace I have cherished and worn ever since the day I received it.
My faith in him has stemmed from the memories of the love we shared.
But what about Nike, who has no memory?
I don't know. My faith has become thin. Perhaps he is in a state where he can make rational judgments right now.
What could be the reason he was curious about the relationship with the Kingdom of Ebonwind?
He must have been worried about the repercussions if he failed to form an alliance through marriage.
“Vania...”
At the end of my brief reverie, I saw Merchen's face. I snapped out of it and spoke again.
“The reason I have gone through such hardship after returning to the past and leaving home is not that I want to marry the Prince. Of course, it would be nice if things worked out well, but that is not the goal I have been striving for all this time.”
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Sincerity?"
“Yeah, seriously. Why are they both like this?”
“This won’t do. I’ll take care of it.”
Merchen stood up with a furious look on his face.
“If he doesn’t become engaged to you, I will threaten him by saying that I will turn into a monster and never help him again. I will go and get a firm answer from him.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden, Prince! Are you out of your mind?”
"Merchen, calm down."
"How can you calm down after seeing that face?"
"I said it's fine, so why are you acting like this?"
I was bewildered, unable to understand the reason, when Ryan sat Merchen down, clicked his tongue, and spoke to me.
"You should pretend to be composed without crying."
“...?”
Drip. Drip.
Only then did I see tears dripping down.
"You started crying from the moment you said you were fine."
“Really?! Oh my god!”
Ever since the nosebleed earlier, my commanding brain and body aren't syncing well...
“Just trust the Third Prince. Honestly, there is nothing we can do about that problem right now.”
Ryan approached.
"If he's the type to make a pragmatic choice just because he claims he has no memory of loving you, he's not worth seeing again. If he were that kind of bastard, I would have stepped in and stopped him."
"Dad..."
"So for now, just believe. Believe, for now."
Ryan grabbed my chin, scrubbed away my tears, and spoke quite coldly.
"Let's do our work instead of crying."
"You should pretend to be composed without crying."
“...?”
Drip. Drip.
Only then did I see tears dripping down.
"You started crying from the moment you said you were fine."
“Really?! Oh my god!”
Ever since the nosebleed earlier, my commanding brain and body aren't syncing well...
“Just trust the Third Prince. Honestly, there is nothing we can do about that problem right now.”
Ryan approached.
"If he's the type to make a pragmatic choice just because he claims he has no memory of loving you, he's not worth seeing again. If he were that kind of bastard, I would have stepped in and stopped him."
"Dad..."
"So for now, just believe. Believe, for now."
Ryan grabbed my chin, scrubbed away my tears, and spoke quite coldly.
"Let's do our work instead of crying."
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