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Chapter : 33
A week passed unbelievably fast. Like sand slipping through her fingers, it vanished without even sparing her lingering regret.
If I’d known it would be like this, I should’ve stopped wandering around and spent more time with Cedric.
On her final night in the North, Marianne sat on the edge of the bed, a faint sense of sadness and regret in her heart, and opened her bag.
She had packed lightly. A brooch, gold coins, jewels, and a few changes of clothes—that was all. She checked the clothing and shoes she had hidden beneath a dress she’d brought from the Imperial Palace.
Good thing I found them before packing everything up.
They were a plain, colorless dress and a pair of black shoes she’d found in the room where Rusana’s maids used to stay.
Since Rusana and her maids had been chased out without time to gather their belongings, Marianne had secretly taken the clothes and shoes of a maid who was about her size.
It’s not like they’ll ever come back to retrieve them anyway.
She’d brought them for disguise purposes.
At the right moment, she planned to activate the magic embedded in the brooch and change into these modest clothes.
Lady Rotento would surely have prepared the necessities for escaping after using the brooch, but if there happened to be no clothes among them, that would be a serious problem.
Even now, Marianne was wearing the simplest outfit she owned because elaborate clothing was cumbersome. But no matter how plain it was, it was still a garment supplied to the imperial family. Anyone with a decent eye could tell that the fabric alone was so luxurious that even most nobles wouldn’t dare touch it.
The shoes she wore when going out were also made from the finest leather.
If someone noticed her like this, rumors of “A distinguished person has arrived!” would spread in less than half a day—and those rumors would soon reach the Imperial Palace.
That can’t happen.
Marianne wanted to go south as quietly as possible. Without being noticed. Without raising suspicion. She wanted to reach her destination peacefully.
That was why she hadn’t told anyone in the ducal household anything about her plan—not a single detail.
…If word reaches the mansion that I’ve died, they’ll definitely grieve.
But for her own sake, and for Cedric’s, this was the best choice.
In the worst-case scenario, it wouldn’t just be the political marriage at stake—Louis might even use Marianne as a hostage to seize control of the North and manipulate it as he pleased.
After closing her bag and setting it on the floor, Marianne lay down on the bed. The time had come to leave the ducal residence—a place that felt far more like home than the Imperial Palace ever had.
Morning came as it always did. After finishing a simple breakfast in her room, Marianne picked up her bag.
Amelie offered to carry it for her, but since Marianne needed to part with her luxurious lifestyle from here on out, she smiled and shook her head.
“Where’s Cedric?”
She asked as they headed toward the entrance hall. The heaviness in her voice caused Amelie’s expression to darken as well.
The night before, Cedric had clutched at Marianne’s sleeve and cried. At first, it was just a few falling tears—but soon, it turned into uncontrollable sobbing.
No matter how much she comforted him, even after bringing snacks, he wouldn’t stop crying. His eyes became swollen, and his body heated up so badly that Roland had rushed to fetch Alain.
If it hadn’t been for the sedative Alain made, he probably would’ve cried endlessly.
She hadn’t expected Cedric to be so devastated, and thinking about it made her chest ache again.
“The fever he had last night finally went down at dawn… and he’s been sleeping since,” Amelie replied.
“Please take good care of him, Amelie.”
Marianne asked softly, guilt lacing her words. Reading the sadness and remorse on her face, Amelie bowed and replied, “Of course.”
Perhaps because of her reluctance to leave, the hallway felt shorter than usual.
When they reached the entrance, not only the servants but even Tehez had come out to see Marianne off. It seemed Tehez had assigned additional knights so that she could properly say goodbye.
“…Your Highness.”
Chloe ran toward Marianne, tears welling up and spilling down her cheeks.
Marianne reached out and wiped them away, forcing herself to smile even brighter.
“Don’t cry, Chloe. Your pretty face will get all wet. Has the carriage arrived?”
“Sniff—yes. They say they’ll depart right after finishing preparations for the horses.”
Despite sniffling, Chloe answered diligently. The carriage had already arrived, yet no one had come to greet Marianne—apparently, they’d sent someone like Count Rubex again as the responsible party.
At least Count Rubex had offered a greeting.
The sheer audacity of it made Marianne want to curse inwardly.
But negative emotions wouldn’t help at all right now, so instead of venting her anger, she met each person’s gaze one by one.
Then, with the brightest smile she could manage, she spoke.
“Take care, everyone. I’ll send letters once I’m back at the palace.”
Her conscience pricked slightly as she mentioned letters, but for now, she wanted them to hurt a little less—so she pushed the guilt aside.
“Thank you for everything, Your Highness.”
“I was really happy you came to the North.”
“Yes. That’s why it’s such a shame you’re leaving. Lord Cedric will miss you greatly.”
“Please don’t worry about the North. We’ll protect it with everything we have.”
Listening to their various farewells, Marianne nodded. Knowing that trustworthy people would stay by Cedric’s side eased her heart.
“Thank you. Please take good care of Cedric.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
It was a farewell filled with sorrow, yet also warmth. But the gentle atmosphere shattered when the entrance doors suddenly swung open.
“It’s time to depart.”
The man who entered—clearly a knight—tilted his head slightly and spoke in a flat, rigid tone.
His attitude made it painfully obvious how displeased he was to be assigned as Marianne’s escort.
Even if I plan to stop being a princess as of today, this crosses the line.
Worse still, such disrespect in the North was also an insult to Cedric, its lord.
So Marianne tilted her head slightly and stared him down.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Th—!”
“Chloe. It’s fine.”
The other side wasn’t backing down either. When the knight responded with an equally crooked gaze and a careless reply, Chloe lost her temper and tried to step in—but Marianne stopped her.
Turning back, Marianne smiled coldly and spoke in a voice chilled to the bone.
“Sir. Do you wish for the honor of having the imperial princess ask your name first?”
“…My apologies. My name is Lafiu.”
Lafiu gave his name in a voice devoid of remorse.
Marianne adjusted her coat and smiled with only the corners of her lips.
“I see. Sir Lafiu. I’ll be sure to remember your name—and mention it to His Majesty. What about Estelle?”
At the mention of the emperor, Lafiu flinched. He barely managed to keep his expression under control, but his eyes trembled.
Marianne had no intention of returning to the Imperial Palace—this was pure bluff. But since the emperor was still alive, it was an extremely effective bluff to those who didn’t know the truth.
“…Princess Estelle will be coming down to the North in a few days.”
As expected, Lafiu’s attitude became noticeably more polite—though the irritation still showed in the twitch of his brow.
“I understand. Then go outside and wait.”
After sending Lafiu away, Marianne cleared her throat and straightened her voice. Then, in a gentler tone, she left her final requests.
“Please comfort Cedric well and look after him. Don’t hold back on support for Alain and Bertrand. And if the North ever struggles, use the resources gathered in the annex freely.”
“…Yes. Truly, thank you, Your Highness.”
“Take care, everyone.”
Only after finishing all her farewells did Marianne step beyond the entrance.
Outside, the cold was biting. The fierce wind mixed with falling snow whipped her coat about, forcing her to hold it tight as she walked.
“This way, please.”
Lafiu opened the carriage door. The large, luxurious carriage was pure white like snow, and instead of the imperial crest, an unfamiliar emblem was engraved on its side. Marianne recalled seeing it back when Rusana had stayed at the ducal residence.
“Sir Lafiu. Are you a knight under Marquis Biarritz?”
“Yes. For your safe escort, Marquis Biarritz volunteered to send me and several other knights.”
“Ah.”
Marianne nodded.
Of course—the marquis wouldn’t quietly let it slide that a mere illegitimate princess had driven his daughter into the freezing northern streets at night. He must have devised some scheme to make Marianne suffer.
But that didn’t worry her.
On the contrary, the situation delighted her, and a soft laugh escaped her lips.
“Hehe. How reassuring. Please see me safely to the Imperial Palace.”
The moment she’d been waiting for arrived sooner than expected.
As the snowfall grew heavier, the carriage—already moving slowly—suddenly jolted violently and came to a stop.
Clutching her bag, Marianne called out.
“What’s going on, Sir Lafiu?”
“……”
She straightened her posture and waited, but no answer came. Only the sound of wind clawing at the carriage filled her ears.
Peering out the window showed nothing but snow-covered land. Marianne stood and twisted the handle, opening the door—only for a fierce blast of snow and wind to rush inside.
Stepping down carefully, she immediately realized something was wrong.
The driver was gone. The knights escorting the carriage—including Lafiu—had vanished as well.
“Hm.”
So they planned to let the illegitimate princess freeze to death here.
But with the emperor still alive, Marquis Biarritz wouldn’t dare create a situation that would clearly implicate him. This was probably a petty form of revenge—meant to make her suffer through fear and cold.
I expected something like this… but you really went through with it?
Adjusting her grip on her bag, Marianne smiled brightly.
Truly, thank you—Marquis Biarritz.
