I cried out urgently. Then Eldon’s gaze, which had moved to the window, fixed on me again.
“What?”
“As Your Highness knows, I am from lowly slave origins. My stepbrother does not acknowledge me, and threatens that the moment he inherits the ducal title, he will return me to slavery. So I was afraid. I wanted to have greater power than my brother, and that’s why I coveted the position of Crown Princess.”
“……”
He pressed his lips tightly shut. There’s no way he’d feel good hearing that I tried to use him because of my status. Even if he already knew, hearing it directly would be different. But no matter how scary it was, I had to reveal it now and break off the engagement. If I became Crown Princess, only a brutal death ending would await me.
“I have committed an unforgivable sin against His Highness the Crown Prince. Please consider it the pitiful struggle of a lowly thing, and kindly forgive me.”
Shocked by Martin’s actions, plus my fear of Eldon, combined with the overlap of Rosenthal’s fate and my own miserable death, tears naturally fell.
“…What do you plan to do if we break off the engagement?”
Originally I had planned to live well at the ducal residence and enjoy the aristocratic life for a while, but that plan is canceled.
Martin’s obsession with Rosenthal was far more severe than described in the novel, and above all, he smelled similar to Kim Jigwang. If he acts like that even with the marriage to the Crown Prince approaching, who knows what he’ll do after the engagement is broken? He might force himself on me, or kill me for rejecting him.
The author must really hate Rosenthal. I thought I just had to avoid the Crown Prince, but brutal death endings were waiting in other places too.
It’s difficult to return to the ducal residence, so I should go to the third prince first. He does change his heart the moment he meets Seha, but for now he’ll protect me from Martin.
The third prince Arleigh has an arrogant personality and his sexual preferences are a bit hard, but he’s not someone who would rape or murder his lover. It was described that he maintained courtesy even toward concubines whose favor had cooled.
I’ll entrust myself to the third prince and endure for a while, then leave for a foreign country around the time his interest cools due to Seha’s appearance.
But I couldn’t say such things in front of the Crown Prince. No matter how loveless a fiancé, no one would be pleased to hear that after breaking up with them, I’d return to my old lover and half-brother.
“I’ll have to find a way to repay my father’s kindness while protecting my body.”
“Why did you suddenly change your mind? To achieve your goal, becoming Crown Princess would be the best means.”
Because you’re going to kill me.
“Having shown such disgraceful behavior before Your Highness, I cannot continue to harbor such excessive greed.”
“…But that wasn’t your fault, was it?”
I looked at Eldon in surprise. The guy who would blame Rosenthal even if Seha tripped and fell on his own was actually taking my side….
“Even so, I am not qualified to become Crown Princess.”
Why does he keep asking for reasons? Since it was a marriage he didn’t want either, he should just readily accept it…. Ah, he can’t. I forgot for a moment while thinking from Rosenthal’s perspective, but he was in a politically precarious situation.
Although he had achieved merit in war and been appointed Crown Prince, because his mother was from servant origins as the Empress’s lady-in-waiting, Eldon was receiving subtle contempt from the nobles, and the Empress and third prince faction openly went around saying they would depose him.
The fact that he married the despised Rosenthal was actually to gain the support of Duke Chendewden’s family.
I recalled Eldon’s situation for a moment then stood up abruptly. I didn’t have the luxury to consider his circumstances. Besides, he’s the protagonist, so even without marrying me, he’ll do well.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
After bowing, I tried to open the carriage door but he grabbed my hand.
“I cannot send you back to the ducal residence.”
“Pardon?”
Eldon immediately opened the window and commanded the escort knight.
“Return to the palace.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the horses began to move. I looked at the Crown Prince in confusion.
“You will stay at the imperial palace until the wedding.”
‘Until’ the wedding? Even after marriage I have to live at the imperial palace. If I go in now, won’t I have to stay in the palace for life?
“N-no, I am not qualified to…!”
“The ducal residence is dangerous.”
“It’s all right…”
“No matter how powerless I may be, I can at least protect my fiancé.”
He spoke coldly. If I say one more word, those eyes say he’ll draw his sword and tell me to shut up. I looked at the gleaming red sword at Eldon’s waist and lowered my head.
Am I being punished for ignoring the original work and trying to escape on my own? The death flag has actually been moved up instead.
***
I really did end up living at the imperial palace. I had hoped that Duke Chendewden would throw a fit saying he couldn’t send his child away when they weren’t even married yet, but he agreed far too readily and even sent Rosenthal’s belongings to the imperial palace.
According to Raki, after I left, Martin raged and smashed everything in his room, and still not satisfied, he whipped the servants. If Duke Chendewden hadn’t appeared just then, several people would have nearly died.
As expected, that bastard is the same kind as Kim Jigwang. Even if I barely escape from being appointed Crown Princess, if I return to the ducal residence, who knows what he’ll do to me.
Eldon stuffed me in a remote detached palace and didn’t show his face at all. Thinking about it, it was natural. He still despises Rosenthal who abandoned the third prince and got engaged to him because of the desire to become Crown Princess. He didn’t bring me here because he likes me, but merely saved me from my stepbrother’s tyranny.
Right now Eldon’s heart is positioned between contempt and sympathy. But the moment Seha appears, the scales will tip toward contempt. I need to escape before then, but the wedding preparations were proceeding all too smoothly. Fitting ceremonial robes, learning imperial etiquette, attending parties as the Crown Prince’s fiancé.
Parties were truly terrible. The only consolation was that I didn’t run into Martin.
Duke Chendewden, who had treated Martin’s obsession as merely lingering attachment to something taken away in childhood, seemed to have belatedly realized the seriousness of the situation. Just the scandal between brothers would be enough to drag the family’s reputation through the mud, but the Crown Prince caught him forcibly kissing the future Crown Princess, and as if that wasn’t enough, he went on a rampage beating servants. Duke Chendewden seemed to have ordered Martin to self-reflect until the wedding.
It’s not like he’s locked up at home like a prison, but it seemed he prohibited Martin from entering the imperial palace or parties where there was risk of encountering me. He seems to think he’ll give up on his son once married, but from my perspective having read the original work, it’s just a futile hope.
I met Duke Chendewden at the party and had a brief conversation, but even if I asked, the possibility of him breaking off the engagement appeared to converge to zero. Since noble marriages proceed entirely according to the family head’s will, I was in a position where I couldn’t even write a letter breaking off the engagement of my own volition.
Unable to think of any way to break off the engagement no matter how much I thought, I started drawing. It was a self-abandoning sentiment of drawing to my heart’s content since I was going to die anyway.
Until now I had been busy worrying about view counts and readers’ opinions. Even though I had boldly challenged myself saying I wanted to write the stories I wanted, I didn’t actually do so. As a result, I only drew mediocre works with neither popularity nor satisfaction….
Holding a brush and drawing directly after so long felt different. I actually don’t really like CG work. But due to realistic problems, I had no choice but to do CG work except for special projects.
“Raki! Don’t move!”
“I-it’s hard, Young Master.”
“What am I supposed to do if you get down from the chair!”
Drawing only landscapes and still lifes every day became boring. Besides, I originally like drawing people. I felt like drawing a real person rather than imagination after so long, and chose the most manageable Raki.
But Raki, who had been excited when I said I’d draw his portrait, got tired after two hours and sprawled out on the marble floor.
“Young Master, let’s rest a little.”
“It’s almost done, so just endure a bit more.”
“What are you doing?”
I was startled at an unfamiliar male voice and turned my head. This is a detached palace in a remote location, so except for maids and guards, there are no people coming and going, so who could it be?
Silver hair showing he’s imperial family, bold and refreshing features, a large height over 190cm, and eyes holding an arrogant light. I was inferring who it was from his appearance when Raki bowed first.
“Third Prince, Your Highness!”
He was the third prince Arleigh, Rosenthal’s former lover. As the Empress’s son, he was originally the strongest Crown Prince candidate. The name Arleigh was also said to be taken from the title of the empire’s greatest sage ruler. Even at the time, controversy arose that it was excessive for a prince’s name, but the Empress’s side pushed it through with force.
Rosenthal actively seduced him and succeeded in winning his love. But as soon as the eldest son Eldon, who had returned as a war hero, was appointed Crown Prince, he betrayed him. This was an inexcusable ‘betrayal,’ and it was Rosenthal’s fault.
Arleigh had extremely handsome looks, but compared to Eldon who exuded an unrealistic beauty and noble atmosphere, he was ordinary. I quickly came to my senses and bowed.
“I greet His Highness the Third Prince.”
“His Highness the Third Prince…. Quite a distance has grown.”
He spoke coldly and glared at Raki. Raki just bowed his head and fled outside as if escaping. I couldn’t resent him for abandoning his master and running away.
Originally when these two meet, sticky things would happen, so he was avoiding it on his own.
“Ar.”
I recalled the contents of the novel and called his pet name. Then Arleigh smiled with satisfaction and stroked my hair.
“That’s right. You should call me like that. Rosen, what were you doing?”
He caressed my earlobe then walked behind to look at the painting placed on the easel.
“Your painting skills are unexpectedly quite excellent.”
“It’s just a clumsy hobby.”
“If you need a model, you should have called me.”
Arleigh’s gaze clung stickily, then suddenly his hand entered inside my pants.
