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Chapter 05
“I greet His Majesty, the Emperor, the one and only sun of Lucenia.”
With a trembling heart, Schwen offered her greeting to the Emperor.
The Emperor gave a brief nod as he observed Schwen moving according to proper etiquette.
“Very well. Why would the daughter of Count Berg wish to see me? I have no idea how much trouble your father has caused me. Let us hear what this is about.”
Irritation was mixed into the Emperor’s words.
He was usually good at concealing his emotions.
Yet in front of Schwen, he showed them openly.
“Speak.”
There was no need to hide them.
“Your Majesty’s grace is overwhelming, but I wished to see you.”
“You wished to see me.”
The Emperor muttered the words, twisting the corner of his mouth.
At the sharp tone, Schwen shrank her shoulders.
The Emperor was sharper than usual.
Even though she knew the reason was that she had been a nuisance, she found herself reading his mood.
“…I apologize for sending you a letter so recklessly.”
“So you even sent a letter.”
At his reaction, as if this were the first he’d heard of it, Schwen fell silent before continuing. It seemed the letter had been intercepted before reaching him.
“It was something as important to me as my life.”
“As important as your life.”
At the look telling her to stop dragging things out and get to the point, Schwen signaled to the maid she had brought with her.
The maid handed the imperial decree she carried to a palace attendant.
“I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but I do not believe I can marry Duke Lanied.”
“So you are saying you will not obey the imperial command?”
“Well, that is…”
“Go on.”
“I have no intention of marrying yet. For now, I wish to remain by Her Highness the Princess’s side.”
If she married Esselian, she would be sent to the North.
Naturally, she would be separated from the Princess.
“My discussion with the Princess is already concluded.”
“Yes. I know. But…”
Schwen was at a loss for words. She couldn’t very well confess, ‘Actually, there is a man I love!’ here.
“I see no need to hear any more. Withdraw.”
As Schwen hesitated, thinking of what to say next, the cold dismissal startled her.
Without thinking, she blurted out whatever came to mind.
“But Your Majesty…! I—I am frequently ill. I’ve improved compared to before, but if I go to the North, where blizzards rage, I might die!”
“And so?”
“Yes?”
“Must I take your circumstances into consideration?”
“….”
The private affairs of a noble’s daughter were not something the Emperor needed to concern himself with.
Seeing Schwen at a loss for words, the Emperor sneered.
At his signal, a waiting attendant politely helped Schwen to her feet.
“If you send me away now, I may continue to trouble Your Majesty in the future. Even I cannot trust myself…! Your Majesty! This marriage must not happen!”
She was utterly opposed.
“And to have me pretend to be Her Highness the Princess!”
That was the truly maddening part.
“My identity will be exposed quickly. Before long—no, before I even step into the wedding hall—the Duke of Lanied will surely notice.”
“Neither the Princess nor you have appeared publicly for some time. Even if you act as the Princess, there will be no issue.”
That was true. Schwen had never made her debut in society.
Unlike the Princess, who was confined, a maid who busied herself leaving impressions in high society would stand out.
Worse, the maid might come to look down on the Princess.
Moreover, Schwen had always concealed her face beneath a robe.
There were many who coveted the medicine.
If the face of the Princess’s maid, Schwen, became widely known, she too would be in danger.
“There must surely be people who recognize me…”
“I have already taken measures, so do not worry.”
The Emperor had investigated the noble daughters who had served as apprentice maids with Schwen and those who had seen her coming and going from the palace.
Dealing with the few people involved was a simple matter for him.
“But, Your Majesty, I have no means of restraining the Duke of Lanied.”
There was a reason Esselian had never given up demanding that Titiana be handed over.
Schwen could never replace the Princess.
She was nothing more than an ordinary extra.
Within the Empire, there was no one who did not know that both the Emperor and the Duke suffered from madness.
The Emperor watched Schwen’s desperation for a moment, then twisted his lips.
“There is a medicine being secretly researched. Made from the blood of the Empress and the Princess, it suppresses the madness. It has entered its final stages. I will give it to you. Even after the marriage, I swear on Lucenia’s honor that it will continue to be supplied.”
In the original story, such a medicine was indeed created.
But even more reliable than that was direct contact with the cure.
Even after the suppressive drug was commercialized, Esselian still sought contact with the Princess.
The Emperor showed no sign of backing down.
Seeing how thoroughly prepared he was, as if he had planned this from the start, a question suddenly slipped from Schwen’s lips.
“…Why me?”
The Emperor frowned in displeasure.
Though Schwen lowered her head, she did not regret asking.
“Forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty.”
She was simply too curious.
“You were the one closest to the Princess, so I judged you would imitate her well enough. Is that answer sufficient?”
“But…! This marriage cannot happen! It must not! I beg you to reconsider!”
“And your reason?”
“That is…”
How could she say that Esselian was a madman?!
Though it was common knowledge, she dared not voice it.
“Lady Schwen, I think you should stop here.”
The Emperor’s attendant whispered softly into Schwen’s ear as she stamped her feet in frustration.
The attendant who helped her up was a boy she was fairly close to.
“His Majesty is in a poor mood today.”
Having gained nothing, Schwen had no choice but to bow properly and take her leave.
As she headed toward the exit with tears welling in her eyes—
“Very well. Then let us do this.”
The Emperor called her back.
“I no longer wish to hear your name again.”
Schwen shouted with joy inwardly and quickly turned around.
Her thick brown hair swayed as she moved.
The Emperor frowned as he looked into her sparkling emerald eyes.
What was that? That burdensome gaze.
“Act in the Princess’s stead for six months. If you do so, I shall grant great rewards not only to your family, but to you as well.”
“…Pardon?”
“I hear that every venture Count Berg undertakes fails, leaving him unable to escape deficit. Is he not so desperate for funds that he will soon have to sell his own territory?”
It was the first Schwen had heard of this.
She had never involved herself in the Count’s businesses.
Her parents had never once said they were struggling.
They had always been gentle and unchanged.
“In addition to enough wealth to settle all those debts, I will grant you a title in consideration of your efforts. I will even bestow land.”
Schwen tried to protest, but the Emperor’s forceful command cut her off.
“Enough. Withdraw. This has already been settled with Count Berg. If you continue to provoke my displeasure, Count Berg will suffer. Greatly.”
✦✦✦
The six-month condition changed nothing.
Schwen felt deeply displeased.
She hated, utterly and completely, being forced into marriage like this, pushed along against her will.
Schwen dreamed of a harmonious family.
Like her parents, she wanted to rely on and support a good person, living together warmly for the rest of her life.
“Haah…”
But Esselian?!
Rather than someone to rely on, he was a man with whom she would have to struggle merely to survive.
Still, if I survive just six months, the reward will be enormous.
The Emperor’s persuasion was too tempting to ignore.
And now that she knew her family was in debt, it was even more so.
The idea that her family had debts was shocking.
The background of an extra’s family was never mentioned in the novel.
In reality, she had never sensed anything like it either.
But the Emperor had no reason to lie.
At the same time, she felt she finally understood what her father had meant by “the circumstances of adults.”
So they made a deal…
Unbelievably, her family had used Schwen herself as collateral in a deal with the Emperor.
“Schu!”
At the sudden call of her nickname, Schwen turned around.
Her childhood friend and knight, Bedin, was running toward her.
Schwen’s lips curved upward automatically.
“I heard you met His Majesty. Looks like you’re just coming out now?”
“It already spread that far?”
“Well, Gerald and Philip told me. They said you were summoned by His Majesty, so…”
Bedin rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.
His fellow knights, Gerald and Philip, were mischievous.
They had teased Schwen before, laughing and saying, “Sister-in-law! See you tomorrow!”
It was an open secret that there was a pink-tinged atmosphere between Schwen and Bedin.
Of course, only Gerald, Philip, and the Princess knew of it.
“Oh, right. Want some candy?”
As if remembering suddenly, Bedin opened the pouch hanging at his waist.
Knights obsessed with chivalry would surely mock him for carrying a candy pouch.
But Schwen found it adorable.
It suited him perfectly.
“So, why did you see His Majesty?”
Schwen’s hand, rummaging through the pouch with Bedin, froze.
Seeing Bedin’s oddly excited expression, Schwen realized he didn’t seem to know her situation.
Well, it’s top secret… If Titi didn’t say anything, there’s no way Bedin would know.
“This one’s better. And you can’t eat sour things anyway.”
Can I even tell him…?
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Bedin took the lemon-flavored candy she had picked.
He placed a melon-flavored candy into Schwen’s hand instead.
No. I can’t.
Distracted, Schwen failed to point out the mistake.
She could eat sour things just fine.
“You’re going to the Princess’s palace, right? Let’s go together. Starting today, I’ve been assigned as Princess Titiana’s escort.”
Schwen decided not to say anything.
Rolling the candy between her fingers, she looked at Bedin in surprise.
Bedin had been assigned to escort the Prince, Titiana’s younger brother.
“Suddenly?”
“It was Princess Titiana’s request.”
