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Chapter : 1
A clear blue sky with pure white cumulus clouds drifting lazily across it, and warm sunlight pouring down. Soft, melodic music filled the air. This place was peace itself.
“Oh—shoot, I should drink it before it gets cold.”
Lost in thought while gazing out the window, Frisia hurriedly turned around and sat down in her chair. On the table in front of her sat a blue-tinted teapot set and an assortment of luxurious desserts.
The sweets were arranged so beautifully it almost felt like a waste to eat them. Frisia lifted her teacup with practiced elegance.
“So today’s the last day I’ll ever drink tea in the imperial palace.”
She brought the cup close to her lips and gently swirled it. A deep black tea aroma drifted up softly.
Hmm… it always smells like grass. Really not my taste.
But a princess is supposed to drink the finest black tea, so I should finish it all. Especially today—it’s a special day.
Frisia closed her eyes and gracefully lifted her pinky finger. Just as she was about to take a sip of the steaming tea—
Bang!
The door flew open violently.
“Pfft—!”
“Princess Frisia!”
A platinum-blond man burst in, his cloak billowing as he strode straight toward her without a moment’s hesitation.
Ron David.
The only person in this place who was on her side—her personal knight.
“What on earth is going on?! There are absurd rumors spreading all over the palace right now!”
Frisia quickly turned her head to look at Ron.
Wow, look at that expression.
If anyone crosses him wrong, he’s going to draw his sword. He really will.
Judging by his deeply furrowed brow, he’d already heard the news. If she had to hear his scolding anyway, she wished he’d at least let her set the mood properly first…
Frisia wiped the black tea she’d spilled on the back of her hand with a handkerchief.
“Ron, try to be a little quieter. I almost got burned.”
“You did?”
“No, but still.”
“Haah…”
Ron, now standing right in front of her, let his gaze pass over the back of her hand before fixing it on the table.
“What is all this?”
“What do you think? I’m having tea.”
Frisia puckered her lips slightly.
“Are you joking right now?”
“No? Not really.”
“And black tea, of all things?”
“Want some?”
“……”
Ron alternated his gaze between Frisia and the dessert-laden table. Was now really the time for a leisurely tea party? She was about to be thrown out overnight!
Every knight and maid who had attended to Frisia had disappeared within an hour. At the emperor’s single command to leave the palace, they were all gone. And yet—how could she look so calm? He couldn’t make sense of it.
Frisia deliberately avoided his stare.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, making Ron’s platinum hair gleam brilliantly, but his expression grew colder by the second.
“You can barely drink black tea because it’s too bitter, and you’re having it on a day like this?”
“So what? It’s the last time.”
“Exactly! Is this really the time for that?!”
“All the more reason it doesn’t matter.”
Ron froze in disbelief.
Ignoring him, Frisia took another sip of tea.
“Slurp.”
Ugh, it’s bitter. So bitter.
No matter how many times I drink it, I never get used to it.
Watching her grimace, Ron snatched the cup from her hand and slammed it down on the table.
Clack!
The sharp sound rang out.
That startled me. I thought the cup shattered.
“Is it really true?”
“Yeah. It is.”
At Ron’s abrupt question, Frisia nodded calmly.
“The emperor told you to leave?”
“Not exactly. My stepmother did.”
Her father hadn’t even shown his face.
“With nothing at all?”
“That’s what she said.”
“They’ve all lost their minds!”
Before the short exchange could even end, Ron ran both hands through his hair like a madman. Was this even remotely reasonable? His once neatly kept hair was now a mess.
Frisia crossed her legs beneath her dress and stared out the window, her face filled with resignation.
“Well, I guess everyone just wants to live happily now.”
“But does that justify throwing the princess out?!”
“I’m a thorn in their side anyway.”
“Aren’t you angry?”
“I am. But it can’t be helped—I’m the daughter of a dead first wife.”
“……”
Ron fell silent.
After a brief pause, he spoke again in a low voice.
“…I’ll kill her.”
“What?”
“If it’s come to this, I’ll kill that woman.”
“Whoa…”
It was an unexpected reaction. Frisia could only stare at Ron, her mouth hanging open.
“Throwing you out right now is the same as telling you to go die out there!”
“That’s true, but—”
“She’s insane. And the emperor’s insane too! He went crazy over a woman, and now he’s throwing away his own daughter? Is he out of his mind?!”
Ron’s voice grew rougher as he spoke, almost as if talking to himself. His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on his hands.
His eyes were icy enough to send a chill down her spine.
The only other time Ron had ever been this angry was when Frisia had cut her hand during a flower-arranging lesson. He’d raged about why they’d prepared such large flowers that required scissors, why they hadn’t cut the stems beforehand, why the gloves were so thin. He’d gone on and on, veins standing out on his forehead.
In truth, it hadn’t been the instructor’s fault. Frisia had simply been clumsy with the scissors, and cutting flowers was hard for her. Even so, Ron had blamed the teacher for giving her scissors that didn’t fit her hand and exploded in anger.
Remembering that, Frisia quietly uncrossed her legs. She stood up, brushed off her dress, and grabbed his shoulders.
“Don’t worry, Ron. Trust me!”
She flashed him a confident smile, but Ron still looked utterly dumbfounded.
Yeah, of course he is.
But, my knight, I have a plan. Wink!
Frisia gave him an awkward wink and strode confidently toward the bed. She opened the drawer beside it, pulled all the way to the back, and took out a neatly folded document. She handed it to him.
“Here!”
“What is this now?”
“Listen carefully, Ron.”
“…?”
“We’re not being chased out. We’re becoming free.”
Frisia spread her arms wide and beamed at him. Ron, however, didn’t react at all. He still couldn’t understand why his master was smiling.
She forcibly pulled his arm and pressed the document into his hands.
“Just look at it.”
Reluctantly, Ron unfolded the papers. His eyes widened, the fury draining from them.
“What… is this?”
Frisia looked thoroughly satisfied by his reaction.
Yes. This is it.
This is exactly the reaction I wanted. You’re supposed to be shocked. That way you’ll see that I already knew everything and prepared for it—
though all I really knew was that I’d be kicked out of the palace with nothing.
Insurance she’d prepared in secret.
The document Frisia handed Ron was a deed to an estate.
Not in her name—but in Ron’s.
One might ask why it was in his name, but the perceptive knight seemed to grasp the situation immediately. The reason was simple.
It couldn’t be taken away.
After carefully reviewing the document, Ron looked up.
“Princess.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s leave immediately.”
There was life in his eyes now, unlike moments before.
“If you had something like this, you should’ve told me sooner.”
“I was going to, but you were making such a scene.”
“Come on, let’s get out of this insane place.”
“Before that, there’s something you need to do.”
“What is it?”
“Go see the blacksmith and the head chef and retrieve the items I left with them.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t ask what they are. Just hurry, grab them, and then we leave immediately.”
Though he looked puzzled by Frisia’s sudden request, Ron soon nodded.
“Understood. I actually have something I need to pick up too, so I’ll be back.”
Handing the documents back to her, Ron quickly headed out the door.
Left alone once more, Frisia walked over to the large mirror in one corner of the room. She looked at her reflection—one she had grown quite used to by now.
How can someone be this pretty?
Long, flowing pink hair cascading down to her waist. Milky white skin like a child’s, with a faint peach blush on her cheeks. Large golden eyes framed by thick, long lashes. And small, plump, softly red lips.
A perfect appearance anyone would dream of.
I never imagined I’d end up with it.
Frisia Ryu Maximilian.
It had been two years since Ju-hye, once perfectly ordinary, had become this lovely, beautiful woman.
She’d probably regretted it for about a month.
I shouldn’t have overslept.
I shouldn’t have run.
I shouldn’t have taken those stairs.
She’d tumbled down the staircase for so long that by the time the pain faded, warmth enveloped her entire body.
Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, she opened her eyes—and a glittering crystal chandelier filled her vision.
“Princess Frisia!”
“Are you all right?!”
“She—she’s awake!”
…What? Princess?
People surrounded the bed, dressed in gowns and uniforms she’d only ever seen in movies. While she was still dazed and trying to understand the situation, someone hurried toward her.
“Frisia! You’re alive. You’re alive…”
“……”
“Thank you. Thank you for surviving.”
Who was this woman hugging her so tightly, crying in joy? Not knowing how to react, Ju-hye just blinked.
“Your Majesty the Empress, shall we inform His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Of course! Hurry and tell Tail that Frisia has overcome the severe fever.”
Rochelyn…?
Empress Rochelyn? Emperor Tail?
Oh my god…
Terror washed over her as she looked at the beautiful empress. This woman was the worst villainess from the grimdark novel Ju-hye had been reading before she fell asleep.
And Ju-hye had become her one and only beloved daughter.
Tail Ryu Maximilian, the male lead, had been the crown prince of an imperial family rich in prestige but lacking real power. To ascend the throne, he entered a political marriage.
His bride was Lady Rochelyn, a daughter of one of the empire’s three most powerful noble families.
Unlike Tail, whose sole goal was becoming emperor, Rochelyn fell in love with him at first sight. Even though he didn’t love her, she did everything necessary to place him firmly on the throne.
Thanks to her, Tail rose steadily in power, becoming an emperor none of his vassals dared oppose. Just as he’d planned, he used Rochelyn to seize wealth and authority—and one day, he handed her divorce papers.
“What… does this mean?”
“Exactly what it looks like. I want a divorce.”
“Why…? Why so suddenly?”
“Do you really have to ask? I don’t love you. You’ve always known that.”
Yes. Rochelyn had always known.
“I refuse. I will never sign this.”
Rochelyn tore up the divorce papers and turned her back on Tail. What was wrong with a loveless marriage? It had been political from the start. Still, she loved him. She’d done her best.
She hoped he would someday understand her sincerity. Perhaps, as they lived together, she might earn his love.
That faint hope was shattered.
‘Divorce, just because he doesn’t love me?’
She couldn’t accept it. She absolutely couldn’t.
Never once having considered divorce, Rochelyn ordered her servants to uncover the truth. And soon, she was consumed by unbearable rage.
The emperor had long been secretly involved with another woman.
Bloé Matonus—the female lead.
Pure-looking, kind-hearted, with nothing to boast of as the poor daughter of a baron, yet undeniably lovable.
From the beginning, Emperor Tail had planned it all. Once he gained power, he would abandon Rochelyn and bring Bloé to his side. In fact, the political marriage itself had been carried out to protect Bloé—the woman he truly loved.
Back when Tail had nothing, Bloé was the only one who comforted him and embraced his wounds.
“Bloé, I’m not abandoning you. I’ll come back.”
“Tail… really? Can you keep that promise?”
“Trust me. You’re the only one I love.”
“Please keep that promise. Don’t abandon me.”
“When I return, I’ll give you everything I have.”
Not a word of it was a lie.
A man who temporarily set aside love for the sake of duty, and a woman who waited faithfully for him—the original story was a tragic romance between the two.
In the face of true love, Rochelyn’s one-sided affection was nothing more than an obstacle.
