As soon as Eldon entered the bedroom, he untied his tie and threw it away. He had received compliments all day long saying the tie suited him well, and each time his mood formed a downward curve.
“How is that thing doing?”
“It only silently carries out orders, there’s no particular movement.”
Leon, Eldon’s aide, answered.
“What about that thing’s valet?”
“He occasionally leaves the palace to purchase art supplies. He doesn’t communicate with the ducal residence or the third prince’s side, and there’s no contact coming either.”
Eldon frowned. He had summoned Rosenthal to the Crown Prince’s palace, subjected him to all kinds of humiliation, and using the chastity belt as an excuse, made him do work that only low-ranking servants or slaves would do. He had the chamberlain give orders ceaselessly and placed surveillance to monitor whether the work was done properly. Naturally he thought Rosenthal wouldn’t last a day and would run to Arleigh, but he’s been holding out for over five days.
Did he figure out my intention? But even so, he should have been throwing a fit. Quietly bowing his head like this isn’t like the arrogant and cunning Rosenthal. Far from going to find the third prince, he doesn’t even get angry and is polite. He’s being so submissive it’s rather suspicious. What on earth is he thinking?
“Is he doing the work properly? You’re not overlooking him slacking off, are you?”
When Eldon glared at chamberlain Bill, he urgently bowed his head.
“Not at all. Unexpectedly, he’s very diligent and meticulous. Even when we deliberately humiliated and drove him out saying he smelled, after roughly washing his body by the lake, he immediately returned.”
“That thing did?”
The gaze looking at Bill grew increasingly sharp. There’s no way the noble and proud Omega, the notorious Rosenthal Chendewden who enslaves people with just a glance, would endure such humiliation, right? Perhaps he’s colluding with the chamberlain.
“Yes, for five days he’s been skipping meals and faithfully carrying out orders.”
“…Skipping meals?”
Eldon’s eyebrows twitched. Then the chamberlain said in a flustered but polite manner.
“Didn’t you command us not to give him meal times?”
That’s right. I told them not to give him meal times and to work him hard. He’s not the type who wouldn’t eat just because he’s not given food, and that way he’d feel more humiliated and angry.
“Did he really not eat?”
“Yes. Except for lake water and three pieces of chocolate, he hasn’t eaten anything at all. I considered confiscating the chocolate too, but I was worried it would damage Your Highness the Crown Prince if the eldest son starved to death. I’m sorry.”
“You call that an explanation!”
Eldon stood up abruptly from his seat. Come to think of it, the chastity belt had become noticeably loose in just a few days. His face seems to have thinned too. Eldon bit his lips. Something was going very wrong.
***
Eldon, that demonic bastard. His keyword was ‘Sweet Gong.’ It meant he’s cold to others but sweet only to Seha. I know. I know that. But even so, I couldn’t accept that such a bastard had the modifier ‘sweet’ attached to him.
He starved me, and now it seems he won’t let me sleep either. Even though I picked apples all day, more than half remain. But if I give up here, he’ll steal the key and torment me by roasting me thoroughly.
Since I haven’t eaten anything anyway, there’s nothing to come out, so should I just rebel? No. It would be unfair to die for not picking apples properly. I touched my neck, then started picking apples again. Now that the sun had set, my speed slowed even more.
The Crown Prince’s valet brought a light made from magic stone, but that was far from enough. Moreover, once the sun set, the weather became sharply cold. My hair, which I went into the lake but couldn’t dry, seemed to freeze solid.
I was blowing hot breath on my hands and trying to pick apples again when my vision shook. I really can’t see. Damn Rosana! As expected, this thing doesn’t suit me.
Actually, this apple is a special apple that only royalty can eat. Its nickname is ‘Rosana.’ Among royalty, it’s a precious apple that only the Emperor and Empress, Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and the blood relatives of the current Emperor and Crown Prince can eat. Not only the Emperor’s siblings but even heavily favored concubines or those who bore children aren’t permitted to eat it, and it can’t even be given as a gift.
And Rosana was Rosenthal’s favorite food in the original work. He always has Rosana in his mouth. He originally liked apples, but this was more of an ostentatious nature. He would always eat it in front of Seha. He ate Rosana until just before he was brutally killed.
And Eldon gifts this ‘Rosana’ to Seha when proposing. He said he felt the impulse to snatch it away and give it to him every time Rosenthal munched on that apple or something.
Anyway, this Rosana was an item symbolizing Rosenthal’s vanity and miserable end, and Eldon and Seha’s beautiful love.
It’s an unlucky item I absolutely must avoid. I vowed not to even touch it even if I got married, but to think he’d torment me in this way.
I was so dizzy I shook my head slightly and pressed my eyes firmly, then stretched out my hand with all my strength once more, but my body tilted backward and I fell helplessly from the ladder.
Then someone caught me.
“Can’t you even pick a single apple properly?”
The Crown Prince was looking at me coldly.
It’s true I couldn’t even pick half, but it wasn’t something that could be done today in the first place, you know? The words of thanks that were about to come out went right back down my throat.
“I’m sorry.”
“I came to get the key.”
He put me down and spoke bluntly.
“Ah, I haven’t finished the work yet…”
“Did you eat?”
Did you give me time to eat?
“Not yet…”
“Nothing at all? You didn’t eat the apples either?”
He cast his gaze to the red Rosana piled in boxes.
“I heard these are imperial exclusive apples.”
“So?”
“I don’t qualify.”
“…You don’t qualify?”
“Yes.”
“You’re still thinking of running away, I see.”
“I think I’ll die before running away though.”
“What?”
He emitted a chilling aura. I realized my tone was very gruff and the content also not polite, but I couldn’t think of words to correct it. My head was dizzy and my vision was spinning round and round. The ground was shaking and my ears were ringing.
This life ends in death from overwork. I closed my eyes while gaining brief enlightenment.
***
I didn’t die. Instead, I had to drink an expensive, precious, yet very bitter potion for three whole days.
Rumors quickly spread that the Crown Prince’s fiancé collapsed from malnutrition and overwork while working in the orchard. Eldon wanted to block the rumors, but regrettably, since his concubines took the lead in spreading them, the rumors showed no signs of dying down.
But there was a problem more annoying than the rumors.
“Hurry and eat.”
The Crown Prince kept barging into my room at every opportunity since I collapsed. He was pretending to worry to quiet the rumors. The concubines would be delighted the more I’m oppressed, but Eldon’s position is different. If the story spreads that he worked his fiancé like a slave, the war hero’s image would crumble to pieces.
“I’ve eaten a lot.”
“Eat just a little more.”
He handed me a cookie. Tomorrow a ball will be held at the imperial palace. Eldon barged in from morning and ceaselessly offered food, perhaps hoping I would attend looking plump and dispel the rumors.
“I sent a letter to Father. I told him it was just my heat cycle coming, so don’t worry about the false rumors.”
“I see.”
“Yes. When the heat cycle comes, it’s normal to lose weight. I’ll say the same at the ball.”
“I see.”
He nodded and handed me another cookie.
“So I don’t need to eat.”
I beat around and around the bush then just threw a fastball. I’m the one who suffered and collapsed, so why do I have to read that bastard’s mood?
“What does that matter?”
“Pardon?”
“I want to see you eat. So eat.”
I forcibly accepted the cookie. When did he starve me and now he’s fattening me up. I don’t know which tune to dance to.
“Thank you.”
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I felt like I’d get indigestion from him staring holes through me every time I ate, but I smiled faintly and nodded. Then Eldon also looked satisfied and curved the corners of his mouth.
My eyes snapped wide open for a moment. Eldon is a character who only shows a sincere smile to Seha and Fushi. Such a person smiled at me. He must have felt a speck of guilty conscience about me collapsing.
Now’s the chance! I showed a bright smile making full use of Rosenthal’s looks.
“Your Highness, you dislike me, don’t you?”
“……”
He seemed surprised but didn’t deny it. What an honest person who can’t lie.
“I understand. I understand that you’re forcibly keeping me because you need the Chendewden family’s power, and I completely understand that you’re trying to corner both me and His Highness the Third Prince simultaneously by digging a trap.”
I continued speaking as gently as possible so it wouldn’t sound like a threat or protest.
“You knew.”
His face stiffened rigidly, but he honestly acknowledged it without getting angry.
“Of course. But I’m not as excellent bait as you think, Your Highness. My relationship with that person isn’t as deep as the rumors either. Even if you use me, you won’t get what you want.”
“……”
Eldon’s eyes trembled minutely. I gently overlapped my hand on his.
“Your Highness, political power is important, but growing old together with someone you love is also happiness.”
“I have no interest in such things.”
“That’s because you haven’t met true love yet. You’ll surely be able to meet your fated partner whose heart tingles just from thinking about them.”
“I wonder.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince is wonderful and excellent. You’ll surely meet someone innocent and lovely.”
In two weeks you’ll meet Seha. Perhaps my persuasion worked, as his eyes wavered even more violently.
“…Am I cool?”
“Of course. Do you think I betrayed His Highness the Third Prince simply because I was greedy for the Crown Princess position? I saw you at the investiture ceremony and fell for you at first sight.”
“I-is that true?”
“Yes. You’re this handsome after all. When I saw you at the investiture ceremony, it felt like a dream. I was amazed and amazed again that such a wonderful person exists in this world. So I temporarily lost my reason and harbored impossible greed.”
“Even if it’s a lie, it’s not bad to hear.”
“You don’t have to believe me, but it’s true.”
After conveying Rosenthal’s sincerity, I withdrew my hand.
“And now it seems the time has come to wake from that excessive dream.”
