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Chapter : 18
Hatz was standing directly behind Frisia. With his right arm braced against the door, it felt as though she were trapped in his embrace.
“Who do you think you are, saying you can touch me?”
“The maids would be much better at this than I am.”
“I don’t want that.”
“I don’t want to either.”
As soon as she finished answering, Hatz grabbed Frisia by the shoulders and turned her to face him.
“Then should we just stay like this?”
“……”
“Father will be waiting, you know.”
“……”
What is wrong with you, seriously!
Frisia couldn’t calm herself as she lifted her head to look up at Hatz’s face. Because a few buttons of his shirt were undone, his neck filled her entire field of vision. If she moved even a little, it felt as though her lips might brush against his chest. Her heart began to race faster than ever.
Thump, thump. Please calm down, Frisia.
She felt like the loud pounding of her heart might be audible to Hatz. She tried to act normal, but it wasn’t working. A sweet, chocolate-like scent from him brushed against her nose. Frisia took a breath, then mustered her courage and looked up. His eyes were smiling at her gently.
Seriously… what kind of smile is that supposed to be?
At this very moment, it felt as though Hatz liked her. A calm, soft smile. This is… this is…
“It’s an optical illusion!”
“What?”
Frisia squeezed her eyes shut and hurriedly slipped out of Hatz’s arms. She grabbed his arm, roughly sat him down on the bed, and quickly began taking off his clothes.
“Wait a second—slow down.”
“We don’t have time. My father’s come after so long; we need to spend every minute with him!”
“My hand hurts.”
“Endure it.”
Come on, hurry up and finish this. Just as Frisia shoved a new shirt onto one of his arms—
Grab.
Suddenly, Hatz caught her hand.
“W-what is it?”
“You know, Frisia.”
“Yes?”
Calling her name in a low voice, Hatz gently released her hand.
“It seems I looked for you quite a bit last night.”
“Did you?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose to make things hard for you.”
“…Are you apologizing right now?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Thank you.”
Bang!
The moment Hatz finished speaking, Frisia bolted straight out the door.
This is a scam. A total scam. He’s trying to seduce me! Everything must be part of some scheme. He could’ve just said it bluntly like usual—looking straight at me, like always. But the Hatz from just now… avoiding my gaze, greeting me shyly like that—there’s no way that’s normal.
Despite the thoughts in her head denying it, a smile spread across Frisia’s lips. Her heart was pounding wildly.
If I’m not careful, I might fall for him.
Unaware of how foolish she was being, Frisia pressed her heated cheeks with both hands and hurried down the stairs. The Duke of Dell and Ron, who had been waiting in the lobby, stared at her in surprise.
“Duke, may I get some fresh air?”
“If you wish.”
Frisia went out into the garden with the duke. Breathing in the crisp air, she felt her mind calm a little.
“Ho ho. It seems that boy truly believed Her Highness was an angel.”
Walking through the garden filled with green leaves and fresh flowers, the duke continued the story from earlier. Apparently, young Hatz had been very cute.
“Why would he think that?”
It wasn’t a memory Frisia had. But not remembering something from when she was six wasn’t really a problem.
“When Her Highness was young, you often wore dresses with a large ribbon tied at the waist. I remember you wearing one when you visited our house.”
“Did he mistake the ribbon for wings?”
“That’s probably how it looked to Hatz. After Her Highness left, he said the pink angel had returned to heaven with her mother. I thought it was a joke, but it seems he was serious. Ho ho.”
“……”
She almost burst out laughing, but Frisia held it in. She couldn’t laugh this time. It wouldn’t do if the duke thought she was mocking his son. She pinched the back of her hand, barely holding in her laughter, and put on a gentle smile.
To mistake me for an angel when we met at my mother’s funeral—and to think the ribbon was wings? Just how pure was six-year-old Hatz? It was impossible to imagine, considering the Hatz of today, but it was so adorable.
“It’s a pity. If you’d kept meeting, you’d both remember each other.”
Frisia deliberately let her voice sound regretful.
“Indeed. Empress Rochelyn was busy with palace life and couldn’t come out often. And after that, Hatz graduated from the academy and went abroad to study in another kingdom. When he returned to the empire, he was busy traveling here and there, training as a successor.”
Frisia suddenly looked at the duke’s feet. He was naturally walking at a slow pace, matching her stride. When she looked at his face, he was wearing a kindly smile. It was hard to believe he was the empire’s greatest tycoon, involved in numerous major enterprises—he was so warm and gentle.
“Duke, please speak more comfortably. You don’t need to be so formal with me.”
“Ho ho ho. When the time comes, I shall.”
“I’ve heard about the engagement from Hatz, but may I ask you one thing?”
“Of course.”
Frisia gripped the edge of her dress with her fingertips.
“I understood that you were very close with my father, and even now you remain so. Then why did you help me? Was it because of the relationship between my mother and the duchess?”
They were just passing the garden fountain. The duke stopped, gazing at the water shooting upward.
“Your Highness, do you know how much wealth I possess?”
“I know only roughly.”
“Even a rough estimate would be enormous, wouldn’t it?”
The duke smiled broadly, without arrogance. He slowly swept his gaze over the mansion’s garden. Frisia followed his gaze. A vast, beautiful estate—something anyone would covet. Yet to the Duke of Dell, this was merely one of many properties.
“This wealth was not suddenly handed to me. It was built and protected over generations. From a very young age, I learned countless things to manage it all—just as Hatz is doing now.”
“You must have been very busy.”
“Indeed. Your Highness, I am a very busy man. A businessman, and by all accounts, a rather capable one. For someone like me to make time for His Majesty the Emperor, there must be a necessity.”
“Then…”
The duke’s gaze circled the estate once more before settling again on the fountain.
“No matter what others say, that is the kind of relationship I have with His Majesty.”
A chill passed over the duke’s face as he looked at the fountain spraying water like a rainbow. It was only for a moment, but his kindly expression vanished without a trace.
“My stepmother sent an assassin after me.”
“I know. Don’t worry—my son will protect you thoroughly.”
“Do you perhaps know the reason as well?”
“……”
The duke looked at Frisia in silence for a moment. The air felt heavy, pressing down on her. Tension surged. Frisia clenched her dress tightly with both hands.
“Sometimes, someone’s mere existence can be a threat.”
“Am I a threat to my stepmother? Why? I haven’t done anything.”
“As I said, Your Highness’s very existence is the threat.”
“That makes no sense. What power do I have—”
Frisia frowned. She truly couldn’t understand. She had never done anything provocative, had no power, and possessed nothing. And yet she was a threat just by existing? If anything, shouldn’t I be the one feeling threatened?
The duke slowly began walking toward the pond.
“Since you don’t seem to know, I’ll tell you. His Majesty the Emperor has extremely low self-esteem. And the person he kept by his side to fill that void was Empress Blois.”
“…Pardon?”
Not Empress Rochelyn?
Frisia had always believed that her father used her mother to fill his inadequacies and desires. She stopped following the duke.
“Of course, it’s true that he also used the late Empress Rochelyn. But no matter how much time passed, Her Majesty could not fill the deep emptiness in the Emperor’s heart. She surpassed him in every way. What His Majesty needed was someone inferior to himself—someone who needed him. And that person is Empress Blois.”
“Then… is my father using my stepmother as well?”
“Well. It’s likely mutual. The new empress also has low self-esteem.”
What does that mean? Are the Emperor and Blois using each other? Why? They love each other, don’t they? Weren’t they together because of that love? Are you saying they met out of necessity—to fill each other’s self-esteem?
Her head began to spin. The dazzling sunlight warmly bathed Frisia, and this place, far from the imperial palace, was peaceful. Yet suddenly a cold sensation wrapped around her entire body, raising goosebumps.
It felt as though everything she thought she knew was shattering.
How deep am I being dragged into the dark underside of this story? This is nothing like what I believed.
Frisia looked at her reflection in the pond. Clear, large eyes just like Empress Rochelyn’s, with shimmering golden irises. If the love between the Emperor and Blois wasn’t genuine, if it wasn’t real… then why did I wish for their happiness? Why did I give them such a pointless blessing?
If the duke’s words were true, there was only one person who truly loved.
“Frisia, my jewel. Be happier than anyone in the world.”
Rochelyn’s voice seemed to echo in her ears.
The person who loved her most when she was lonely after coming here. The person who wished for her happiness every day. The person who always gave her only the best… What on earth is the truth? Was my mother really not a villain…?
Frisia’s vision blurred. A single tear dropped plop into the pond, rippling the once-still water.
“Duke, I have a request.”
“Yes, anything.”
“Please arrange for me to meet my stepmother.”
I need to know—why she wants to kill me, what she wants, what she truly feels inside. And whether I forgive her, understand her, or threaten her… I’ll do something.
Frisia bit her lip and clenched her fist.
“That’s really romantic.”
“Right? How could that even happen? Amazing.”
“The young duke must be so happy to have such a wonderful father. I’m jealous.”
“Yeah. Growing up under such a great father—no wonder he saw angels.”
“Kuh.”
“Ron, do I look like an angel to you too?”
It had already been several days since the Duke of Dell left, and Frisia and Ron had been teasing Hatz nonstop with the story of the pink angel.
Tap.
Hatz irritably set down his pen.
“If you’re having tea, wouldn’t it be better to do it outside?”
“I like it here.”
“Do you really have to do this in my study?”
“Of course. If you can’t use your hand, I should help anytime.”
“I don’t need it now. I can sign with one hand just fine.”
“You might suddenly get hungry and want to eat. Here.”
“…Ha.”
Hatz sighed and lowered his gaze.
“My father marrying his first love was a coincidence. He was so busy he had no time for romance, so he simply came to love my mother, who was chosen as a political marriage partner.”
“But in the end, he loved her, right? A lot! That’s why he’s still alone.”
“And you think that’s romantic?”
“Of course!”
Hatz quietly looked at Frisia.
“Is that kind of love really a good thing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Any woman would want a husband like the duke—kind, well-mannered, capable, handsome. And a husband who looks only at you? Isn’t that perfect?”
“Well… maybe as a husband. But was he the same as a father?”
“What do you mean? You grew up well, didn’t you?”
“You have no idea. The reason I came to dislike women is because of my father.”
“…?”
What is he talking about now?
