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Chapter 119……………………..
“Did you not enjoy spending time with me? More than anything, it’s been such a long time since we’ve had a chance to spend time together like this, just the two of us. I thought I’d be delighted if you rewarded me a little.”
“No, I never asked for such a thing—”
“Wasn’t it Your Highness’s maid who called for me?”
“…”
“Of course, if you had rejected me outright, I would have understood and left. But I might have shed tears of regret all the way back to the estate.”
“You, shedding tears?”
“I could. I’m softer-hearted than I look.”
Would someone with a soft heart really have earned a reputation for tearing people apart on an expedition?
‘What is he even doing…’
It wasn’t as if he had no hands, nor was there any unavoidable circumstance.
‘And yet…’
The way he looked at me with such expectation almost made me feel awkward.
After hesitating for quite a while, I finally sighed deeply, picked up a cookie studded with almonds, and popped it into his mouth.
“Happy now?”
Rihardt chewed the cookie for a while, then licked his lips with his tongue, as though satisfied.
“Yes. I am a little disappointed, but if I asked for more, it would only trouble Your Highness.”
You’re already troubling me.
The words rose to my throat but I swallowed them back.
After wandering the streets all day, my energy was drained.
I downed some orange juice to wet my throat.
At that moment, Rihardt speared a piece of cake with his fork and held it out toward me.
“My lord…?”
“If I receive something, I should give something in return. This is repayment.”
“I have hands, you know.”
“But aren’t you tired? Until you regain your strength, allow me to feed you.”
“No, I can—”
Just as I was about to grab the fork from his hand—
Whoosh—!
“?”
Whoosh—!
“…?”
Swishhh—!
Every time I tried to snatch the fork away, Rihardt deftly avoided me, moving his hand this way and that. He was so steady that the cake didn’t even fall. It was almost like a circus trick.
‘Unbelievable…’
With a slightly disgruntled look, I finally gave up and parted my lips.
His face blossomed with a smile as he brought the fork to my mouth.
Like a baby bird being fed by its mother, I had no choice but to accept the cake from him three times.
Satisfied, he then placed the fork back into my hand and elegantly sipped his coffee.
That smug appearance only irritated me further, so I turned to stare out the window with a sour expression.
After a sip of coffee, he set his cup down softly. His gaze drifted to my right wrist, and his playful smile faded as he spoke.
“So, what became of the assassins?”
“…”
I kept poking at my cake and answered quietly.
“His Majesty said they’re undergoing interrogation. But he mentioned they seem to be trained in resisting torture.”
“Then extracting a confession will be difficult.”
“Yes, so I was thinking of using a truth serum.”
“Have the rest of their group been caught?”
I shook my head.
Unless the captured assassins confessed everything, we wouldn’t even know how many were sent at the empress’s orders to kill me.
Since the emperor had heard about the attack, he seemed troubled both by my safety and by the pursuit of the assassins.
‘I can’t be so childish as to demand they capture the remnants immediately.’
For now, waiting might be the only answer.
I decided I would instruct Sir Sorcier to prepare the truth serum as soon as I returned to the palace.
‘For now, I’ll just eat cake and rest.’
And besides, I wasn’t alone.
No matter how casually Rihardt and I treated each other, he was still one of the people of the Empire I was bound to protect.
As a member of the imperial family, I didn’t want to show him any weakness.
So I deliberately maintained a calm expression and took another bite of cake.
Rihardt gave me a faint, colorless smile.
“You are steadfast, indeed.”
“What reason would I have not to be?”
“…Sometimes I wish Your Highness would lean on me as well.”
“That will never happen.”
I smiled confidently, meeting his gaze. His sky-blue eyes narrowed shyly under my stare.
“I will be waiting, regardless.”
“I told you, it’ll never happen.”
“Then I’ll just have to work harder to make it so.”
After finishing his last sip of coffee, his voice softened, filled with warmth, though his expression remained arrogant.
And that was how our time together ended.
Rihardt personally escorted me back to the imperial palace. As I stepped down from the carriage, I looked back at him.
Playing generous, I said,
“You can borrow the carriage. Take it back with you.”
“I am deeply obliged.”
“Then keep today’s outing a secret.”
“But doesn’t His Majesty already know?”
“He’s not the type to nag me about meeting you.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
Rihardt chuckled softly, looking at me.
“Go on, I’ll be heading inside.”
As I turned to leave, bowing slightly, he called out.
“Your Highness.”
Startled, I turned back.
‘When did he get out…?’
He had descended from the carriage in an instant and was suddenly standing so close, gazing down at me.
His unusually vivid blue eyes contained nothing but my reflection, leaving me with a strange feeling.
‘Like this, it’s just like…’
It reminded me of the past.
Back when we had just gotten engaged—not because either of us wanted to, but because of political interests.
Looking back, it hadn’t been so terrible.
Though indifferent, Rihardt had tried, awkwardly, to treat me kindly.
And out of guilt, I had done my best to fulfill my duties to him. Perhaps that was why it was unsettling.
Because we both carried guilt toward each other.
Didn’t he always smile sadly when looking at me?
He would come to the palace, spend dull hours with me, and when I saw him off—
We would often look at each other in this exact way.
Silently.
Just like now.
His hand slowly rose. Gently, he adjusted my robe with his large hand.
As his palm drew near my face, he leaned closer and whispered softly in my ear.
“Shall we go, my lady?”
The palace coachman nearly leapt in shock, rushing between us.
Rihardt gave him an annoyed glance before letting his gaze slide back to me, smiling slyly.
“It may be late, but… is my wish still valid?”
With that, his warm palm brushed across my cheek.
The spot where he touched burned, as if seared by fire.
The coachman panicked, flailing, unable to lay hands on Rihardt but desperate to get him back into the carriage.
“Please, sir.”
“P-Please get in quickly!”
As soon as Rihardt boarded, the coachman frantically drove the carriage off, fearing he might jump back out.
“Hyah!”
His urgent cry rang out, and the carriage rolled away.
Only once it disappeared from sight did I finally release the breath I’d been holding.
“He must be insane…”
What did he just say?
‘Please marry me.’
Did that man just propose to me?
‘Why…?’
Clutching my robe with flushed cheeks, I thought furiously.
‘Why me, of all people?!’
“Your Highness! You’ve returned! I kept watch over the Third Prince’s palace the whole time. I confirmed that His Highness the Third Prince returned just now! Shall I send a message and request an audience?”
“N-No. I’m tired… I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“You’re tired? Ah, well, today was the last day of the festival, so Arendry Street must’ve been packed with energy. How was it? Did you enjoy your time with the young lord?”
I flinched at Ilya’s innocent question.
With my robe pulled up over my head, she couldn’t see, but I was certain my face was burning so red it might explode.
‘Why am I this shaken in the first place?’
Hadn’t I already gone through an engagement with Rihardt in my past life?
Of course, we never made it to married life… since I was poisoned first.
‘But still…’
I glanced at Ilya, then leaned closer to ask cautiously.
“Ilya, do you think… do you think I’ll lose to Yevgeni?”
“Hm? No, not at all. I don’t think so.”
“And the empress?”
“The Empress…”
Ilya furrowed her brow slightly, humming in thought.
I swallowed hard, waiting for her answer. Finally, her eyes lit up.
“I believe in Your Highness’s brilliance.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter how powerful Her Majesty the Empress is, I feel like she simply won’t be able to bring you down. You’re surrounded by people who trust you and stand by you, after all.”
“…”
“I absolutely do not believe you’ll be defeated by the empress. And even if you were, I believe you’d rise again.”
Ilya smiled shyly, speaking with certainty.
For a moment I opened and closed my lips, then slowly let a smile tug at the corners of my mouth.
“Yes, I’ll rise again.”
“Exactly! So there’s no need to be afraid.”
Ilya clenched her fists tightly and cheered. Somehow, her words gave me courage.
‘Yes, there’s no need to fear.’
Because I can change the future.
Hadn’t I already changed so much?
In my past life, perhaps I would have fallen. But now I held powerful cards in my hand.
Unless the empress dragged me down in a suicidal attempt, I had more than enough strength to oppose her.
‘I was too shaken, worrying it might end the same way again.’
I wouldn’t let myself die.
“So, what should I do…”
“About what?”
Ilya asked, and I answered with a laugh.
“I think… I just got proposed to, Ilya.”
“Oh my~.”
Ilya chuckled and nodded along. But after three seconds, as she was wiping a dusty table, her head stiffly turned toward me.
“…?”
She grabbed my shoulders, eyes sharp as she demanded,
“What did you just say? Who proposed to you?”
“A proposal.”
“Who…?”
“To me.”
“From… from whom?”
“From Lord Eliette.”
And in that moment—
Crash!
“What… what did you just say…?”
It was Cecil, who had come to deliver a report, staring at me in shock. The crash came from behind him.
“Proposal…?”
Mullin had dropped his glass of iced tea.
Ah.
“The floor’s all dirty now…”
I pointed at the shattered glass and spilled tea with perfect calm.
Cecil shouted,
“Emergency alert!”
“Sir Cecil?”
“We must report this to His Majesty at once—!”
“Huh?”
Cecil bolted out in a flash.
Maybe I imagined it.
“Sir Cecil seemed scared… do you think he’ll be all right?”
“He’s going to break, I think…”
Mullin muttered, while I still wore a puzzled expression.
And then, the next morning, I received a summons from the emperor.
