🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 14
But at that moment, Sundubu—who had been quietly watching from the side—suddenly started barking loudly.
As he nudged the jewels with his nose, the merchant scowled deeply and shoved Sundubu away. With a yelp, Sundubu went flying, and at the same time the jewels scattered across the floor. With a sharp clatter, several of them shattered.
“What the hell.”
Out of sheer disbelief, I dropped the stiff courtly speech and spoke informally.
“Th-this is—”
The merchant’s face turned deathly pale.
“How dare you?”
“Y-Your Highness! This is—well, they were samples, samples!”
“Do you want to die?”
So this was supposed to be the finest merchant guild, yet they had the gall to pull something like this. The Emperor must have trusted them, and yet they brought this trash.
“Drag him out.”
El didn’t recognize it, but the noblewomen and young ladies surely did. And they would have torn apart, chewed up, tasted, and enjoyed mocking El’s taste.
Someone who wanted to see El humiliated may have slipped the merchant some money and ordered him to do this. There was no way I was letting him off easily.
“Confiscate every single item that man brought and throw him out naked.”
“…Pardon?”
“He tried to humiliate the Crown Prince’s consort. He deserves to be repaid twice over.”
“…Y-Your Highness, I beg your forgiveness!”
“Investigate the goods thoroughly and report everything to His Majesty.”
“Yes!”
“Spare me, please!”
“Summon another merchant guild.”
“Yes!”
The knights dragged the merchant away. He struggled desperately, but realizing it wouldn’t work, he spilled the beans. How conveniently things turned out.
“I merely did as Count Severn instructed!”
“Why did you follow his orders?”
“…B-because I’m just a powerless merchant guild master.”
“You said you were the finest guild?”
“Commoners have no choice but to obey nobles!”
“Why did he order you to do this?”
“…Because Count Severn belongs to the noble faction.”
In short, the noble faction was holding a grudge over being wiped out this time.
“I see. Thanks for the answers. Throw him out.”
“His clothes—”
“Let him keep them. But make sure His Majesty is informed.”
“Y-Your Highness!”
I never intended to actually strip him. I just wanted to scare him, even briefly. Once the guild master was dragged away, El stroked Sundubu.
“Good job, Sundubu.”
“Woof!”
But… how did Sundubu recognize at a glance that those jewels were fake?
“…A genius dog?”
Or did he even recognize it at all? Maybe it was just a coincidence. It was puzzling. I’d never heard of a dog that could distinguish jewels.
Either way, thanks to him, I avoided public humiliation, so all was well.
Exhausted, El skipped dinner and collapsed early in the evening. But perhaps she slept too early, or maybe skipping dinner was the problem—she woke up in the middle of the night. When she saw an unfamiliar man sleeping awkwardly beside her bed, propped up on his arm, she nearly screamed. It was definitely the same pervert she’d seen before.
“Eek!”
The man seemed to be a light sleeper. At the slightest sound from El, his eyes snapped open. Softly flowing hair, coral-colored eyes.
She had only glimpsed him briefly last time, but now, facing him directly, he was beautiful—so much so that if his features were any softer, one might mistake him for a woman.
“W-who are you, exactly?”
He was too pretty to be a pervert, and El blanked out for a moment.
In the Crown Prince’s palace, she had seen an unknown man—twice now—in her own bedroom.
Without thinking, El blurted out,
“…Are you the Crown Prince?”
“……”
The man didn’t answer. He simply fled. Same pattern as last time.
“Hey!”
El chased after him, but she was no match.
“No, seriously…”
Why did he keep sneaking into someone else’s bedroom? Of course, as a legal couple, sharing a bedroom was normal—but this was a husband she’d never even spoken to, so it was strange. Was he curious about how his wife was doing?
Or was it because he could only be human at night, so he came secretly, unable to do so openly?
After that dawn, El found herself a little curious about this husband she hadn’t cared about before.
The head maid said she’d worked for over thirty years, yet even she knew nothing about the Second Prince. He had lived completely isolated, without contact with anyone.
“Why are you suddenly curious about His Highness?”
“Ah, I just got curious.”
Once she was warm and well-fed, she started paying attention to her surroundings. To be honest, she had no intention of increasing the number of people dear to her, but still—
“I mean, that pervert.”
“What? He showed up again?!”
“Yes, but… I think he might actually be my husband.”
“Whaaat?”
Lari exclaimed in shock.
“You mean the Crown Prince?”
“Yeah. Back then I was so startled, I just thought he was a pervert…”
If someone that good-looking was a pervert, that would be shocking in its own way. Besides, he’d only slept nearby—he hadn’t seemed to have any intention of threatening her.
“Why would he secretly watch me while I slept?”
“…Gasp, could it be that he likes you, Lady El?”
“I don’t think so. I haven’t seen him since the wedding.”
“Maybe he was watching over you! You’re beautiful, and he realized you’re a good person!”
Lari said firmly, and El laughed awkwardly. Being beautiful aside, being a good person was just Lari’s omniscient perspective.
El wondered why he kept sneaking into her bedroom at night. It felt like it wasn’t just once or twice.
“Honestly, I don’t care what my husband looks like.”
“Huh? You really mean that?”
“…Mm, yeah.”
This was, after all, a romance fantasy novel. A world where a dragon could suddenly appear and breathe fire one day without anyone batting an eye. Even if her husband looked like some kind of monster, she’d probably just accept it.
It might be a bit unpleasant if he were grotesque, but that would only be temporary. He’d just be cursed—his essence was still human.
“Woof…”
“Sundubu?”
Just then, Sundubu jumped up and nestled into El’s arms. He seemed to want a hug, but since El was bigger than Sundubu, it was inevitable that he’d be the one being held.
“What is it? Are you curious about my husband too?”
“……”
“Are you worried? Afraid he won’t like you? Still, wouldn’t he understand you?”
“……”
“No matter how you’re treated, you’re actually lovable.”
My husband probably won’t judge you just by appearances either.
El whispered softly, and Sundubu stayed in her arms for a long time, breathing steadily. It almost looked like his eyes were a little watery.
“Anyway, I wish he’d just appear openly instead of sneaking around.”
Time passed quickly.
The Lily Palace gradually became more livable, and thanks to Lari and Sundubu, El grew increasingly stable. Her gloom had completely lifted.
She ate regularly now, and even went out for walks without Sundubu having to beg her.
She had come to accept it to some extent. This world inside the novel was alive and breathing, and she was no longer just an extra villain. Even though the original story was derailed, time kept moving forward.
She didn’t know where the original El had gone, but she herself would keep living here.
If that was the case, she decided not to let time pass meaninglessly. Even if she were consumed by depression, who would notice? Only her people would be hurt.
Recently, more people had begun frequenting the palace, making it lively and noisy—it was no longer an environment where she could just hole herself up.
And despite never accepting a single invitation from the flood of noble invitations pouring in, El was still the social world’s hot topic.
The fact that she’d never even shown her face only fueled the frenzy. On top of that, rumors spread—thanks to Madam Neria—that she was making clothes for dogs, and the Emperor had even approved it.
“But Sundubu.”
El thought that she was slowly getting used to this life, and maybe one day would come when she’d feel it was okay to tell someone her secret.
Aside from Sundubu, she thought the most likely person would be Lari. She didn’t yet have the courage, but for now, Lari was the only person she kept close.
“Woof?”
When she eventually left this palace, she hoped they wouldn’t just be Crown Princess and maid, but like sisters.
“Sundubu, how old are you?”
“Woof.”
Of course, she hoped Sundubu would still be there then. He looked lively, so he probably wasn’t that old—but dogs living fifteen years was already considered long-lived, and there was no dog food here, which worried her.
She fed him lightly seasoned human food, but that was only a temporary measure. Even if she wanted to make dog food, she didn’t know how it was supposed to be made.
“By the way, my birthday banquet is already coming up.”
From early morning, Madam Neria had entered the palace with dresses.
Despite arriving so early, they were still preparing in the dressing room, and El was leisurely enjoying tea while waiting.
She grinned, more excited about Sundubu’s tailcoat than her own dress.
If only she had a camera, she’d take pictures—but that wasn’t possible. Finding a magician was like reaching for a star.
Then—
“Lady El, everything is ready!”
Lari returned after stepping away to help prepare for the fitting.
Aside from the dress designs she’d approved before, El had added something of her own. It was a type of pants commonly worn as everyday clothes in Korea, and Madam Neria had looked at her strangely, asking if she intended to wear men’s clothing.
That said, she hadn’t completely abandoned aesthetics—it was refined enough to be worn at a banquet depending on the dress style.
Ordinary dresses had their own charm and romance, but El had no intention of staying long at the banquet, nor of putting her body through unnecessary strain. Comfort was king.
She didn’t care if people pointed fingers—if anything, being seen as some untouchable lunatic would be even better. That way, they’d stop sending invitations.
“Show me the dresses.”
“Yes.”
At Madam Neria’s gesture, the maids spread the dresses out in a soft rustle. As expected of the capital’s top designer, they were all beautiful, even if their style diverged from imperial trends.
Still, the first thing that caught El’s eye was the dress she herself had requested.
“Which would you like to try first?”
El planned to try on only two outfits. They weren’t everyday clothes, and putting on and taking off ten dresses that required assistance might take half a day.
Still, knowing how much effort had gone into the fitting preparations, she’d at least try two.
“That one—the red dress.”
“Yes.”
She liked the intense color. It seemed like it would suit her best. Five or six maids rushed over to help her change.
When they naturally tried to tighten a corset, she stopped them and wore only the dress.
“How is it?”
“You are beautiful.”
“You worked hard on this.”
“Thank you!”
Seeing El perfectly pull off the dress she had made, Madam Neria was deeply moved.
