Friend(182) I have to run away
The news that the gates of the imperial palace had been closed spread very quickly.
The fact that the Imperial Palace had closed its doors during the social season meant that something very serious had happened there. Everyone speculated on what had occurred and kept a low profile to prevent their families from getting caught in the crossfire.
Ariana swallowed a sigh.
'I'm too late!'
If it was serious enough to warrant closing the gates, something must have happened to the Crown Prince and his wife. Perhaps the Crown Princess had lost a grandson.
Ariana bit her lower lip and glared at the Chivera leaf on the table.
“I should have found that a little sooner. I should have prepared more thoroughly. I should have suspected in advance that Victoria would have tampered with the Imperial Palace...”
She couldn't do that.
It was originally supposed to happen a little later. However, because Ariana changed the future, the event occurred sooner than expected.
She should have predicted in advance that Victoria would have tampered with the Imperial Palace the moment she entered the Empire.
"I was foolish."
"Master."
“It’s my fault, Shini. If I had been a little wiser, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”
"It’s not your fault, Master."
“No, I should have expected Victoria to act like this. This time, the Royal Grandson...”
Ariana remembered that little child. She could also clearly recall the Crown Prince and Crown Princess smiling happily while holding the child.
“Master, you cannot predict everything. Not all problems occur because of you. Just as misfortune does not come because of my golden eyes, misfortune does not happen because of you.”
Shini sat next to Ariana. Shini held Ariana's small hand tightly and met her eyes.
Those sun-like eyes, which some call misfortune and others call good fortune, held nothing but Ariana. Standing before those clear, innocent eyes, her turbulent emotions subsided a little.
"To me, you are always a stroke of luck. To your family, you are a precious treasure. However, luck and treasure cannot prevent all problems. After all, luck and treasure are not gods."
“Right... right, I’m not a god.”
Ariana gave a bitter smile.
“I’m not a god... yeah. But there are things I can do.”
"That's right."
“Shini. I have a few favors to ask of you.”
"Yes."
“Go outside the castle, and in the village you come to right after passing through the forest, there will be a boy named Robin Hoodis living. There is a man following him, so kill him and rescue only the boy.”
"Yes."
“And as for the rest... discuss it with Louis and do as we said before.”
"Yes."
This was not the time to wallow in despair over the fact that it was too late. Some things needed to be done to ensure it wasn't delayed any further.
After Shini left, Ariana went to find Geor.
Geor also sat with a serious expression upon hearing the news that the palace gates were closed. After instructing her attendant to bring Isabelle and Wiona, Ariana sat opposite Geor.
Soon, as Isabelle and Wiona entered, Ariana spoke.
"The Imperial Knights will come out soon and take Geor away."
Isabelle frowned.
"Did things not go well?"
“It looks like Victoria moved faster than expected. But there’s no big problem. Right, Geor?”
"Of course."
Geor nodded lightly, but Wiona and Isabelle's expressions did not soften. Wiona spoke.
“How can you say there isn't a big problem? You're going to be locked up in the imperial palace's dungeon. They might even torture you.”
“It’s okay, Wiona. I’m used to it.”
“To think it’s familiar...”
“I’m used to being locked in the dungeon and getting beaten. I’m worried about Geor. He would have lived such a comfortable life.”
Geor chuckled.
“That’s right. I grew up so pampered, like a hothouse flower, that I might die of fear. Should I pray to God to take my fear away?”
"Is this the time to be joking?"
Isabelle shouted.
“This is a really big problem. Even if Ariana has something prepared, what if things go wrong? The Emperor taking the Princess of the East and the Little Lord of the East away means he intends to abandon the East. He could behead them without question!”
“He can’t go that far. I’m here.”
“Geor, do you think you can take on dozens of Imperial Knights by yourself?”
"Of course."
“Of course? What do you mean... Don't get your act together, Geor. You might be able to pull yourself out if you were alone, but you have to protect Ariana, too. Fighting while protecting someone isn't easy.”
“It’s not difficult to deal with the complacent Imperial Knights, Isabelle. The Emperor won’t kill us the moment he sees us. Since this is an opportunity to control the Eastern Territory, he will likely spare us and try to hold His Excellency the Eastern Lord’s leash.”
Geor explained leisurely. Since he was right, Isabelle did not refute him further. However, she gazed at Ariana worriedly and spoke.
“I’m worried about you, Ariana. The dungeon is going to be cold, smelly, and terrible.”
“It’s okay, sister. As I said before, I’m used to it.”
Isabelle's eyes reddened. Her heart ached every time she saw Ariana, who was used to such things. It would have been better if Ariana had shown fear and nervousness like an ordinary woman at times like this.
Rather than waiting for that moment leisurely, like someone who has attained enlightenment.
Isabelle held Ariana's hand tightly with both hands.
“Someday, Ariana. Someday, I hope you come to be afraid of things like this. I hope peace becomes so taken for granted that this becomes a scary and overwhelming burden. That day will come, won't it? Once this wind passes, that day will come, won't it?”
Ariana lowered her gaze and stared at the hand Isabelle was holding. The hand, held tightly as if it would never let go, was so pitiful and lovely that she felt like she was about to cry.
“When I first visited the East, Grandma held out her hand to me. I didn't even know what it was, but she said she wanted to hold my hand. So, for the first time, we walked hand in hand.”
Tears flowed down Isabelle's cheeks.
Isabelle also clearly remembered Ariana from that time.
Ariana, who was small, thin, and full of wariness, like a small, frail beast.
“It was warm. It was strange. It was so, so strange. Walking hand in hand—it was something I wasn't allowed to do. So it was a little uncomfortable, too. But, sister, I’m used to holding hands like this now. I really like it. It doesn’t feel strange at all.”
“Ariana...”
“That day has already come, sister. I’m scared. I’m so, so afraid that this hand holding me, this tenderness, will disappear. But isn’t it funny?”
Ariana gently placed her hand on Isabelle's hand.
“The greater the fear, the more reassured I feel. Because it feels like this hand won’t let go of me, no matter what happens to me.”
“Of course... I won’t let go. I’m not going to let go, Ariana.”
Ariana smiled faintly at Isabelle's desperate answer.
“Yeah, so it’s okay. I’ve lived for this moment. Neither dungeons nor brutal torture can break me. I will survive, and I will hold this hand again.”
Two days after the palace locked its doors, news spread that the grandson had died in the Crown Princess's womb.
Before people could even mourn the news, the Imperial Knights stormed the White family mansion.
The Imperial Knights bound Little Lord Geor and Princess Ariana and placed them in a prisoner transport carriage. The gates of the Imperial Palace were open, but the gates of White Manor were closed.
The imperial palace knights closed the gates of the mansion so that no one could enter or exit.
Little Lord and the Princess were imprisoned in the underground dungeon of the imperial palace without even being told of their crime, but rumors spread in the capital that the Eastern faction had used poisonous herbs to kill the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.
It was June of 214 Ratan.
Since the Emperor acted unilaterally in arresting the Heir and Princess of the East, the heads of each department were racking their brains over it.
The ministers visited the Emperor and tried to persuade him that it was unacceptable to imprison the Eastern Little Lord and the Princess, especially in an underground prison, but the Emperor chased them away with the words, "I have my own reasons, so keep your mouths shut."
The nobles who sensed an ominous wind prepared to leave the imperial capital, while the bold nobles enjoyed the remaining social season, saying, “What could the Eastern Lord possibly do against our Empire?”
Meanwhile, Helena, who was on the outskirts, also heard the news.
'You mean poisonous herbs were brought in from the East to assassinate the Crown Prince?'
Helena didn't know what kind of place the East was.
Her mother used to say that the time she spent in the Eastern Territory was difficult and painful because Russell, the ruler of the Eastern Territory, was such a cruel and eccentric man. So she just assumed that was the case.
'It was all a lie... My family was a lie from beginning to end. Even my parents' relationship and my background.'
Although she ended up in an unwanted marriage, one good thing was that she was able to see reality rather than the false world Rachel had created.
When many people spoke of the Eastern Lord, they described him as "taciturn and fearsome-looking, but a good person." Meanwhile, regarding the Western Lord, they whispered that he was "a greedy monarch who had not even handed over his position to a successor by that age." Helena lived her life in ignorance of what even the people living in the land of the West knew.
'Could it really be the East's doing?'
Her heart pounded anxiously. It felt as though something was wrong.
Helena hurriedly headed to the Bronte family mansion.
Her mother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, looked pale. Seeing her haggard, as if she hadn't even eaten gruel, her heart sank once again.
“Mom... what’s wrong with your face?”
Although she resented Rachel for not being able to protect her all this time, it pained her heart to see her looking as if she had been ill. Rachel smiled sweetly at Helena, who was asking with tears welling up in her eyes.
“Don’t worry, Helena. Everything is fine now.”
“Huh? What?”
“I’ve been feeling uneasy because Victoria has been acting strangely lately, but I didn’t know she was plotting something like this. She’s been doing her job well on her own. Of course, she should. Whose daughter is she, after all?”
Helena got goosebumps at the sight of Rachel laughing loudly. She involuntarily took a step back.
“V-Victoria... what did she do?”
“It’s none of your business, Helena. Even if you knew, there’s nothing you could do. Victoria is handling things well, so you just need to wait quietly. Once this matter is settled, you can get a divorce and come back home. I will find you a good match.”
Rachel's eyes gleamed with joy. Her face was sallow, but her eyes gleamed so brightly that she looked as if she were consumed by madness.
'So it wasn't the East who did it.'
Helena had expected it, but seeing the truth felt like being blindsided.
She couldn't breathe, and her arms and legs trembled.
To dare attempt to poison the Crown Prince. To frame the East for it.
Do these people still think they will be safe? Do they believe that everything will go smoothly without any problems?
Helena stepped back and walked away from Rachel. Rachel did not stop her daughter, even as she left, as if running away.
'I have to run far away.'
As Helena rode back to her lodgings in the carriage, she thought.
'I have to run far away, to a place where no one can find me. Otherwise, I will die.'
The news that the gates of the imperial palace had been closed spread very quickly.
The fact that the Imperial Palace had closed its doors during the social season meant that something very serious had happened there. Everyone speculated on what had occurred and kept a low profile to prevent their families from getting caught in the crossfire.
Ariana swallowed a sigh.
'I'm too late!'
If it was serious enough to warrant closing the gates, something must have happened to the Crown Prince and his wife. Perhaps the Crown Princess had lost a grandson.
Ariana bit her lower lip and glared at the Chivera leaf on the table.
“I should have found that a little sooner. I should have prepared more thoroughly. I should have suspected in advance that Victoria would have tampered with the Imperial Palace...”
She couldn't do that.
It was originally supposed to happen a little later. However, because Ariana changed the future, the event occurred sooner than expected.
She should have predicted in advance that Victoria would have tampered with the Imperial Palace the moment she entered the Empire.
"I was foolish."
"Master."
“It’s my fault, Shini. If I had been a little wiser, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”
"It’s not your fault, Master."
“No, I should have expected Victoria to act like this. This time, the Royal Grandson...”
Ariana remembered that little child. She could also clearly recall the Crown Prince and Crown Princess smiling happily while holding the child.
“Master, you cannot predict everything. Not all problems occur because of you. Just as misfortune does not come because of my golden eyes, misfortune does not happen because of you.”
Shini sat next to Ariana. Shini held Ariana's small hand tightly and met her eyes.
Those sun-like eyes, which some call misfortune and others call good fortune, held nothing but Ariana. Standing before those clear, innocent eyes, her turbulent emotions subsided a little.
"To me, you are always a stroke of luck. To your family, you are a precious treasure. However, luck and treasure cannot prevent all problems. After all, luck and treasure are not gods."
“Right... right, I’m not a god.”
Ariana gave a bitter smile.
“I’m not a god... yeah. But there are things I can do.”
"That's right."
“Shini. I have a few favors to ask of you.”
"Yes."
“Go outside the castle, and in the village you come to right after passing through the forest, there will be a boy named Robin Hoodis living. There is a man following him, so kill him and rescue only the boy.”
"Yes."
“And as for the rest... discuss it with Louis and do as we said before.”
"Yes."
This was not the time to wallow in despair over the fact that it was too late. Some things needed to be done to ensure it wasn't delayed any further.
After Shini left, Ariana went to find Geor.
Geor also sat with a serious expression upon hearing the news that the palace gates were closed. After instructing her attendant to bring Isabelle and Wiona, Ariana sat opposite Geor.
Soon, as Isabelle and Wiona entered, Ariana spoke.
"The Imperial Knights will come out soon and take Geor away."
Isabelle frowned.
"Did things not go well?"
“It looks like Victoria moved faster than expected. But there’s no big problem. Right, Geor?”
"Of course."
Geor nodded lightly, but Wiona and Isabelle's expressions did not soften. Wiona spoke.
“How can you say there isn't a big problem? You're going to be locked up in the imperial palace's dungeon. They might even torture you.”
“It’s okay, Wiona. I’m used to it.”
“To think it’s familiar...”
“I’m used to being locked in the dungeon and getting beaten. I’m worried about Geor. He would have lived such a comfortable life.”
Geor chuckled.
“That’s right. I grew up so pampered, like a hothouse flower, that I might die of fear. Should I pray to God to take my fear away?”
"Is this the time to be joking?"
Isabelle shouted.
“This is a really big problem. Even if Ariana has something prepared, what if things go wrong? The Emperor taking the Princess of the East and the Little Lord of the East away means he intends to abandon the East. He could behead them without question!”
“He can’t go that far. I’m here.”
“Geor, do you think you can take on dozens of Imperial Knights by yourself?”
"Of course."
“Of course? What do you mean... Don't get your act together, Geor. You might be able to pull yourself out if you were alone, but you have to protect Ariana, too. Fighting while protecting someone isn't easy.”
“It’s not difficult to deal with the complacent Imperial Knights, Isabelle. The Emperor won’t kill us the moment he sees us. Since this is an opportunity to control the Eastern Territory, he will likely spare us and try to hold His Excellency the Eastern Lord’s leash.”
Geor explained leisurely. Since he was right, Isabelle did not refute him further. However, she gazed at Ariana worriedly and spoke.
“I’m worried about you, Ariana. The dungeon is going to be cold, smelly, and terrible.”
“It’s okay, sister. As I said before, I’m used to it.”
Isabelle's eyes reddened. Her heart ached every time she saw Ariana, who was used to such things. It would have been better if Ariana had shown fear and nervousness like an ordinary woman at times like this.
Rather than waiting for that moment leisurely, like someone who has attained enlightenment.
Isabelle held Ariana's hand tightly with both hands.
“Someday, Ariana. Someday, I hope you come to be afraid of things like this. I hope peace becomes so taken for granted that this becomes a scary and overwhelming burden. That day will come, won't it? Once this wind passes, that day will come, won't it?”
Ariana lowered her gaze and stared at the hand Isabelle was holding. The hand, held tightly as if it would never let go, was so pitiful and lovely that she felt like she was about to cry.
“When I first visited the East, Grandma held out her hand to me. I didn't even know what it was, but she said she wanted to hold my hand. So, for the first time, we walked hand in hand.”
Tears flowed down Isabelle's cheeks.
Isabelle also clearly remembered Ariana from that time.
Ariana, who was small, thin, and full of wariness, like a small, frail beast.
“It was warm. It was strange. It was so, so strange. Walking hand in hand—it was something I wasn't allowed to do. So it was a little uncomfortable, too. But, sister, I’m used to holding hands like this now. I really like it. It doesn’t feel strange at all.”
“Ariana...”
“That day has already come, sister. I’m scared. I’m so, so afraid that this hand holding me, this tenderness, will disappear. But isn’t it funny?”
Ariana gently placed her hand on Isabelle's hand.
“The greater the fear, the more reassured I feel. Because it feels like this hand won’t let go of me, no matter what happens to me.”
“Of course... I won’t let go. I’m not going to let go, Ariana.”
Ariana smiled faintly at Isabelle's desperate answer.
“Yeah, so it’s okay. I’ve lived for this moment. Neither dungeons nor brutal torture can break me. I will survive, and I will hold this hand again.”
***
Two days after the palace locked its doors, news spread that the grandson had died in the Crown Princess's womb.
Before people could even mourn the news, the Imperial Knights stormed the White family mansion.
The Imperial Knights bound Little Lord Geor and Princess Ariana and placed them in a prisoner transport carriage. The gates of the Imperial Palace were open, but the gates of White Manor were closed.
The imperial palace knights closed the gates of the mansion so that no one could enter or exit.
Little Lord and the Princess were imprisoned in the underground dungeon of the imperial palace without even being told of their crime, but rumors spread in the capital that the Eastern faction had used poisonous herbs to kill the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.
It was June of 214 Ratan.
***
Since the Emperor acted unilaterally in arresting the Heir and Princess of the East, the heads of each department were racking their brains over it.
The ministers visited the Emperor and tried to persuade him that it was unacceptable to imprison the Eastern Little Lord and the Princess, especially in an underground prison, but the Emperor chased them away with the words, "I have my own reasons, so keep your mouths shut."
The nobles who sensed an ominous wind prepared to leave the imperial capital, while the bold nobles enjoyed the remaining social season, saying, “What could the Eastern Lord possibly do against our Empire?”
Meanwhile, Helena, who was on the outskirts, also heard the news.
'You mean poisonous herbs were brought in from the East to assassinate the Crown Prince?'
Helena didn't know what kind of place the East was.
Her mother used to say that the time she spent in the Eastern Territory was difficult and painful because Russell, the ruler of the Eastern Territory, was such a cruel and eccentric man. So she just assumed that was the case.
'It was all a lie... My family was a lie from beginning to end. Even my parents' relationship and my background.'
Although she ended up in an unwanted marriage, one good thing was that she was able to see reality rather than the false world Rachel had created.
When many people spoke of the Eastern Lord, they described him as "taciturn and fearsome-looking, but a good person." Meanwhile, regarding the Western Lord, they whispered that he was "a greedy monarch who had not even handed over his position to a successor by that age." Helena lived her life in ignorance of what even the people living in the land of the West knew.
'Could it really be the East's doing?'
Her heart pounded anxiously. It felt as though something was wrong.
Helena hurriedly headed to the Bronte family mansion.
Her mother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, looked pale. Seeing her haggard, as if she hadn't even eaten gruel, her heart sank once again.
“Mom... what’s wrong with your face?”
Although she resented Rachel for not being able to protect her all this time, it pained her heart to see her looking as if she had been ill. Rachel smiled sweetly at Helena, who was asking with tears welling up in her eyes.
“Don’t worry, Helena. Everything is fine now.”
“Huh? What?”
“I’ve been feeling uneasy because Victoria has been acting strangely lately, but I didn’t know she was plotting something like this. She’s been doing her job well on her own. Of course, she should. Whose daughter is she, after all?”
Helena got goosebumps at the sight of Rachel laughing loudly. She involuntarily took a step back.
“V-Victoria... what did she do?”
“It’s none of your business, Helena. Even if you knew, there’s nothing you could do. Victoria is handling things well, so you just need to wait quietly. Once this matter is settled, you can get a divorce and come back home. I will find you a good match.”
Rachel's eyes gleamed with joy. Her face was sallow, but her eyes gleamed so brightly that she looked as if she were consumed by madness.
'So it wasn't the East who did it.'
Helena had expected it, but seeing the truth felt like being blindsided.
She couldn't breathe, and her arms and legs trembled.
To dare attempt to poison the Crown Prince. To frame the East for it.
Do these people still think they will be safe? Do they believe that everything will go smoothly without any problems?
Helena stepped back and walked away from Rachel. Rachel did not stop her daughter, even as she left, as if running away.
'I have to run far away.'
As Helena rode back to her lodgings in the carriage, she thought.
'I have to run far away, to a place where no one can find me. Otherwise, I will die.'
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