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Chapter 19
Eleanore went out again.
Dixie, who had been watching her with murderous eyes, stomped her foot. Jane, ever the emotional one, burst into tears.
“She’s a vile woman. How, how could she do that to the Princess… This is deception—betrayal!”
“Stop crying, Jane. Nothing will change just because you cry.”
And I had already overturned the game. At this point, Dixie and Jane would surely understand my intentions. I looked back and forth between the two.
The reason I hadn’t revealed my contract with Grand Duke Lucian until now was because I was waiting for the perfect moment—one where persuading Jane and Dixie would be easy.
“There isn’t only one right path in this world. Jane, Dixie. I know you two have done your very best for me.”
“Your Highness… you don’t mean you’re thinking something dangerous, do you?”
Jane clung to me with a shocked expression. I gently pried her off and shook my head.
“Of course not. Don’t worry, Jane. I’m not that weak.”
More accurately, I came back no longer weak.
“I have no intention of marrying the Crown Prince.”
The carnivorous rabbit rolled across the bed without interest. It already knew, so nothing about this surprised it.
“What do you mean, Your Highness?” Dixie asked, startled.
Seeing them gather around me gave me courage. I took both their hands.
“…I’m going to use Grand Duke Lucian’s power and escape from here.”
“Your Highness, what are you—”
“I plan to become the Grand Duke’s wife.”
“Your Highness!”
Dixie shrieked, then quickly lowered her voice as she looked around.
“B-but… then what about Medice…”
I wanted to say what does it matter, but Medice wasn’t just a king. It was its people—people who loved me and became my roots. For them, I couldn’t simply turn away forever.
“There’s someone who can take my place as Crown Princess, isn’t there?”
“Y-you don’t mean…”
“I intend to make Eleanore the Crown Princess. The marriage contract between Medice and Boswell is just that—a contract. It doesn’t have to be me.”
“Your Highness…”
Jane clasped my hands more tightly.
“I agree. I don’t want the Princess I serve to become the most pitiful person in the world. I want Your Highness to be the happiest person in the world.”
“And Grand Duke Lucian will help Your Highness?” Dixie asked cautiously.
I nodded. Only then did Dixie relax.
I realized I needed no more persuasion. Dixie and Jane had been with me my whole life. They wanted my happiness—they supported my choice. That alone warmed my heart.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be happy. I promise.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Their bright, determined voices made my heart feel sturdy again.
Late that night
The carnivorous rabbit rolled toward me. It always acted as it pleased, but this time, it pressed its warm body against my side.
“What are you doing?” I asked, startled.
“What else? You still look so soft and naive to me.”
Its pink nose twitched as it rubbed against my arm.
“Wake up.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your maids,” the rabbit said as if I were slow.
Jane and Dixie?
“Jane and Dixie are trustworthy.”
They had risked their lives for me—they had died in my stead. To doubt such people would mean doubting myself. I shook my head lightly.
“I want to trust them.”
“Hmph.”
The rabbit narrowed its eyes—not sinister, just sleepy. It burrowed into my side.
“If that’s what you believe, so be it. The future you saw and the future I saw may differ.”
“What did you see?”
“What use is knowing? Just do what you believe in. Pay the price later. No need to worry.”
The carnivorous rabbit wrapped its fluffy arms around mine.
“I’ll be by your side. I’ll keep my promise. I won’t leave until your revenge is complete.”
Those words calmed me. Betrayal and trust frighten me equally—but Larino’s warmth helped ease that fear.
It whispered softly:
“The world may be warmer than you think. I hope so—truly.”
I drifted to sleep. I dreamed of Dixie, Jane, and Frederick. The day Dixie fell from her horse—she had always been a skilled rider, yet that day was strange.
Until her last breath, Dixie worried about me.
‘Your Highness, don’t cry. You must become stronger. Without me… please don’t cry.’
Why now? Why that dream again?
I didn’t know.
Time passed quickly
Soon, it was the day to leave Florence for Xavier. Since I wasn’t married yet, I rode not with the Crown Prince, but with Eleanore.
Eleanore had stayed out overnight five times. Considering the Crown Prince had been in Florence only about two weeks, she had spent considerable time with him. And by now, the carnivorous rabbit—riding in another carriage with Jane and Dixie—would have completed its task.
No one knew what state Eleanore was in now.
Not even me.
Eleanore beamed at me sweetly. Looking at that face sparked not guilt—but rage. How could she smile at me after doing something like that?
She wore a necklace I’d never seen before. Eleanore wasn’t officially recognized as a princess and relied entirely on my allowance. That necklace was far too expensive for her.
Which meant someone else bought it for her. I didn’t need to ask who.
Frederick had never been stingy with gifts. He’d showered me with them in the past—gifts I mistook for affection, never realizing they were cheap lies.
Now I knew I’d never been the only one.
My jaw clenched.
“You’re really getting married, Sister. I still can’t believe it.”
“…”
“I hope you’ll be happy. The Crown Prince will be a wonderful husband, right?”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
“Who knows.”
“He needs to realize what a wonderful person you are. Everyone in Medice loved you.”
“Did they?”
Eleanore nodded brightly.
“You must get along well with him. To me, he seemed a little…”
She paused, deep in thought, trying to choose her words. This was more interesting than any chatter she’d said before. Finally, she clapped her hands.
“Overbearing? Oppressive. Are all royals like that?”
“That’s how he seemed to you?”
“Yes! Though Eleanore didn’t meet him many times.”
I was certain she’d met him far more than I had. Her flawless duplicity made me nauseous.
“And he doesn’t seem to like people opposing him.”
She pouted and shook her head.
“I just want you to be happy. The Crown Prince feels dangerous.”
Her voice, for once, held sincerity. I remembered something similar from the past—on this very journey. Words I had long forgotten.
‘The Crown Prince is frightening. At least, that’s how he felt to me.’
Was that her warning to me back then?
My body chilled. But it didn’t matter.
Eleanore, the Crown Prince isn’t the only frightening one.
The girl sitting before you now—me—has already drunk poison.
“Thank you, Eleanore. I’ll keep that in mind. I’m grateful you’re by my side.”
