The Podia royal family had red eyes for generations, but Thierry was the only one with gray eyes. Because of that, he was looked down upon even more by the royal family.
'Ah! Come to think of it, you used fire magic earlier, didn't you? Could it be that your eyes changed as you awakened your power?'
Was there any mention of eye color in the original work? Even though it has been a long time since I read the original, this would have been an important part that I should have remembered, but no matter how hard I tried to recall, I couldn't think of a single thing about the male lead's eyes.
It was just a detailed description of the male lead's loneliness. So I read it with genuine pity for him, and I think I read it all the way to the end just to see the emotionless male lead, who had grown up like a doll, quickly meet the female lead and be happy...
The more I thought about it, the more I realized how sloppy the original story was.
But to think that the lonely male lead I felt the most sorry for is nowhere to be found.
'He should have grown up with the same personality he had as a child...'
As my thoughts deepened, the time my gaze lingered on his red eyes grew longer.
So much so that I forgot I had been desperately trying to avoid his gaze, I stared blankly at his blood-red eyes as he drew closer.
Huh? Are you getting closer?
"Princess."
His cold voice jolted me back to reality. Before I knew it, he had leaned his upper body toward me, closing the distance between us as he twisted his lips.
"You said you barely survived, but did you lose your home back then?"
“Huh, sorry!”
I recoiled in shock and quickly averted my eyes.
"Is it because you think your current predicament of being dragged away looks as ominous as my eyes?'
"... Yes?"
I looked at him with a look that seemed to say, 'Did I hear that correctly?'
Is he warning me that my future will be ominous? But more than that, I was puzzled that he described his own red eyes as ominous.
'Aren't red eyes a unique characteristic of awakened royalty? Why is it considered ominous? Did he not originally have him and the color changed as he grew up? Or is it just my own imagination?'
I furrowed my brows slightly because I didn't understand.
"Why, did I hit the nail on the head?"
Thierry spat out a remark as if my expression was offended. It seemed he was misunderstanding, thinking that I was hurt by his words.
"Oh no! I've never thought that."
"Then."
"..."
"Don't make me ask twice."
"Um, I was just a little surprised because it seemed like you regarded red eyes as ominous. The difference in eye color is just due to a difference in melanin pigment, you know."
Come to think of it, even when Thierry was young, I once told him about melanin pigment to explain why his eye color was different from the other members of the royal family.
Hmm, it looks like you aren't very satisfied even though your eye color has changed.
"...Melanin?”
If I remained silent for a moment, he soon frowned and asked back.
"How would you know that?"
But Thierry's reaction was a bit strange.
What is this? As if I had just spoken some incredible expertise...
Gasp—surely the people of this world don't know even this kind of scientific knowledge?
I rolled my eyes in bewilderment.
I wondered why he was glaring at me so fiercely, and my already hunched body withdrew even further. At the same time, I instinctively felt that I should refrain from saying anything more.
"I just found out about it by chance, too. I don't remember exactly if my family told me or if I saw it in a book... Oh, look, the carriage has stopped."
I trailed off and avoided his gaze.
"You."
Knock knock.
It was truly incredible timing. A knock cut him off just in time.
"Your Majesty, we have arrived at the magic circle."
Huh, I'm alive...
I barely managed to swallow the sigh of relief that was about to escape.
It was a level of change that seemed difficult to adapt to just by watching from a distance, but trying to talk while being together in this cramped space, I felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper into a quagmire the more I spoke.
'For now, I need time.'
The time has come to pull my body out of the waves of a seven-year hiatus...
I could feel a hot gaze constantly resting on the side of my face. However, I stubbornly kept looking only out of the carriage and did not look at him until the very end.
"..."
Fortunately, the stifling silence was broken as he finally opened the door.
"...Activate immediately."
The cold wind brushing against my cheek finally opened up my blocked breath.
***
I came to the Podia Empire in a single day using a magic circle. And without even having time to look around, I lost consciousness right then and there.
I don't know if the problem was traveling a long distance even though I used a magic circle, or if my tense body eventually reached its limit and collapsed, but I was bedridden for almost the entire day.
'Although my health has recovered a lot, this is the first time in seven years that I have traveled this far, so in a way, perhaps it is only natural...'
The place where I ended up staying was the East Palace, which was close to the main palace where the Emperor resided.
It was a much better place than I had expected, to the point where my worry about being persecuted felt completely unfounded. Since I had mostly stayed in a villa even when working at the Imperial Palace as a 'Lari,' I had never been here before, so it felt strangely unfamiliar.
Although it was close to the main palace, we never ran into each other because I stayed only in my room. Thierry must have heard that I was sick, but he never once looked for me either.
'Hmm, I guess that’s to be expected. Then again, why would he come looking for me? He brought me here for political purposes, after all.'
Unlike chilly Ashtad, May in Podia was mild. I got up feeling a little better, and belatedly realizing the weather, I stood in front of the wide-open window and surveyed the view.
The wide-open garden was peaceful, and the warm morning sunlight rippled as if caressing the tall trees. I could see small patches of light breaking here and there through the shadows of the leaves cast by the window.
"Princess."
I turned my head at a low voice coming from behind. An elegant woman with green hair came into view, her hands respectfully clasped in front of her stomach.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, it's thanks to you."
“You’re lucky.”
She was Countess Ante, the head lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Palace of Podia. From the day we first met, she maintained a consistently expressionless face and displayed the utmost courtesy.
'It's very business-like. I think that's a relief.'
I felt that being overly kind or stingy would actually make me uncomfortable, so Countess Ante was the perfect person for me.
"I have come to introduce the lady-in-waiting who will be attending to the Princess."
"I am Marie Diana. It is an honor to serve the Princess!"
A woman who had been standing far away cautiously approached and bowed to me.
'Wow, it's like Anne of Green Gables.'
Marie was a charming girl with crimson ginger hair and freckles on her pure white face, looking as if she had stepped right out of a novel I read as a child.
Anyway, to think they're even assigning a personal maid—are they really trying to treat me well out of consideration for my strength?
"Marie, please take good care of me."
I came down from Marie with a sweet smile.
Or is it a surveillance role assigned to keep me quiet?
"Princess, please speak more gently."
I could feel the back of my head hanging low, not knowing what to do.
"The weather is nice. If you don't mind, shall I arrange a walk?"
Grabbing Marie's shoulder, Countess Ante asked calmly.
Marie looked hesitantly at Countess Ante and me, then carefully straightened her back.
Hmm, I feel like I just subtly cut off the conversation. Are they perhaps trying to keep me from getting close? A strange sensation tickled the inside of my throat.
"Can I go out?"
So I smiled broadly, as if to show off.
It was as if emphasizing that I am just a harmless and innocent princess whom they absolutely need not be wary of.
'That way, I'll be less kept in check later on, even if I wander around here and there.'
One of Countess Ante's eyebrows moved slightly.
'But... It really does seem like she deliberately changed the subject? Or maybe she isn't pleased with a captured foreign Princess treating one of her own people disrespectfully.'
Countess Ante's expression was fleeting. She quickly erased her expression and responded businesslike.
"Please make sure to accompany Marie, and as long as you do not leave the Imperial Palace, it is fine. However, do not go toward the villa. Although the area is mysterious, the paths are complex, and it is easy for a stranger to get lost."
The word 'villa' really stuck in my head.
It was a place I wanted to visit again at least once, but since I had to refrain from conspicuous behavior for a while, I nodded without showing it.
"Ah, I see. I'll keep that in mind. Then, I should let some air out for the first time in a while."
"Understood. Marie, escort the Princess."
"Yes!"
"Then, I will take my leave."
I nodded with an infinitely generous expression and turned my gaze to the window.
'Anyway, this is a bit unexpected. Telling me not to go near the villa instead of the main palace... well, that's a place not just anyone can go to anyway.'
The area near the villa was not just complicated for a stranger, but so tangled with paths that it was called a 'maze forest'.
And since one had to pass through that maze forest to reach the villa, outsiders had no way of knowing of its very existence unless they were told. This meant that if one wanted to prevent access to the villa, the best method was not to mention it at all.
And if she wanted to warn about the danger, she could have just told me not to go toward the maze forest; I couldn't understand at all why she was adding that the area was mysterious.
'Surely she isn't secretly hoping that the immature Princess will go there out of curiosity and cause some trouble, is she?'
...Eh, really? That seems a bit of an exaggeration.
I rolled my eyes awkwardly and briefly recalled the villa where I used to stay with Thierry.
I wonder if that haunted house-like state has improved a bit. Given the maze forest, I don't think they would bother to maintain it consistently, so wouldn't its current condition be even worse?
"Princess."
Taking advantage of the moment I was lost in thought, Marie quickly brought a sky-blue dress.
"The quantity of dresses you brought is insufficient, so we have been instructed to prepare additional dresses for future wear. The designer will visit tomorrow to check your measurements, so please wait a few days."
“Ah. That’s good.”
"Yes..."
Marie moved swiftly and dressed me up. Although her attitude of looking around nervously as if something was awkward was a bit odd, it was a neat and professional service.
A short while later, not long after leaving the room, Marie bowed her head with a troubled expression.
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