IMLC 18

Chapter 18

A white, round face peeked through the slightly opened door.

“May I come in?”
“Father.”

My father, smiling warmly, stepped into the room while awkwardly looking around and wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

“I just came to see if preparations for your departure are going well…”

Mia, who had been looking up at my father, stood up and dusted off her apron.

Making an excuse that we might need more luggage bags, quick-witted Mia left the room.

Once Mia closed the door, silence settled in.

My father looked like he had something to say. But unlike usual, he couldn’t even sit down and kept fidgeting, so I narrowed my eyes.

“What is it? Is it something hard to say?”

I pulled his arm and made him sit down on a chair.

Startled, my father waved both chubby hands frantically.

“N-no, it’s not that…”

As my brows furrowed, my father, still smiling awkwardly and wiping sweat, took something out from inside his clothes.

“What is this?”
“It’s nothing special.”

It was a small pouch. I untied the ribbon carefully.

What was inside made the tip of my nose sting.

“You’re not very strong, and now you’re going to such a cold place… I just couldn’t stop worrying.”

What my father gave me was a small heater made of Torpaz. About the size of a hand warmer, it radiated a perfect warmth.

“It’s made from such high-quality Torpaz that it would be a waste just to use it as a heater, so make sure to carry it with you when you go there—ah! W-why are you crying!”
“I-it’s nothing… nothing. Thank you… Father… sob…”

Tears began to fall heavily from my eyes.

My flustered father jumped up, tried to wipe my tears with his handkerchief, realized it was sweaty, and threw it on the floor in panic.

He used his sleeves to gently dab at my eyes, repeatedly telling me not to cry.

But the more he comforted me, the more I cried.

Maybe the noise had reached outside, because the door suddenly opened and my mother rushed in.

“Why are you making her cry!”
“I-I didn’t mean to make her cry!”
“Eliana! Stop crying! In three days you’re going to be a Grand Duchess—what’s there to be so sad about!”

My mother aggressively wiped my face with a handkerchief. My face turned red in an instant.

“Sniff…”
“Sniff!”

After blowing my nose into my mother’s handkerchief, I finally noticed everyone properly.

Mia and Butler Sian standing at the door worriedly, my parents bickering after my sudden tears, and even my older brother who was far away but always thinking of me.

I wanted to quickly make Kaillen Emperor and build a future where I could stay with my loved ones.

Sometimes I worried—what if I, just an extra who barely even had a name in the original story, shouldn’t have stepped into the protagonist’s life? What if changing the story would alter the future in ways I couldn’t predict?

But the water had already been spilled. Regret didn’t suit my personality.

I decided not to be satisfied with the role given to me.

So what if I was just an extra whose name barely appeared? I was the protagonist of my own life.

I roughly wiped away the tears clinging to my lashes.

“They caught the culprit.”

Kaillen, who had been sleep-deprived due to his busy wedding schedule, was working late into the night again.

He frowned at the sudden report while reviewing documents.

“The arson case culprit.”

Dylan placed more papers on Kaillen’s desk and continued.

“Hah. They caught the culprit?”

Kaillen shook his head in disbelief.

The real arsonist was right here, yet someone else had been arrested?

“Who is it?”

Kaillen leaned back in his chair.

“The library clerk. They said he went there to check something and accidentally knocked over a candlestick…”

“How careless. More than careless—it’s ridiculous.”

“He confessed.”

“Confessed? And what did His Majesty decide?”

“There was no major damage, and since he confessed, His Majesty ordered him dismissed and exiled from the capital.”

The Crown Prince always acted like this—treating people like tools according to his own will.

In a rigid class system, how many could defy the Crown Prince’s orders?

It was obvious the clerk had been framed.

Kaillen stood up with a mocking laugh.

Hands in his pockets, he looked out the window. The Imperial Palace at night, lit only by Torpaz lanterns, was beautiful on the outside—but rotten within.

He could smell that decay clearly, though others seemed unaware—or perhaps chose not to see it.

An Emperor intoxicated by past glory and indifferent to current affairs.

An Empress who indulged in young men and obsessed over her son.

And a selfish, cruel Crown Prince.

“And it seems they’ve changed the storage location of the Torpaz black market ledger.”

“That was expected.”

“But we lost a valuable opportunity. And things with the Herennia Ducal House have also soured…”

Kaillen smirked faintly.

He thought he had seized an opportunity, but a single mistake had cost him greatly.

To deal with the cunning Ferdinan, even the slightest carelessness could not be allowed.

“Dylan. Keep watch on the clerk who was exiled.”

“Pardon? Why him…?”

“The more cards we have, the better.”

“Yes, understood.”

Dylan left after bowing.

Under a sky hidden by clouds, Kaillen’s green eyes darkened.

A memory surfaced.

“Never oppose them, Kaillen.”

Those were the words of his mother, Empress Helena.

But Kaillen’s grip tightened.

“No. If I don’t oppose them, I cannot protect myself—or my people. And Mother’s death as well…”

He cut himself off, clenching his fist.

Then he stared out the window, as if memorizing the Imperial Palace before leaving it behind.

My mother had lost more weight than me lately, but her expression remained bright.

She complained about how ridiculous it was to prepare a royal wedding in just a few months, but she was delighted by the many tea party invitations and salon invitations.

My father cried every time he met my eyes, using up handkerchief after handkerchief—he even started carrying extras.

And so the hectic season passed.

At the beginning of winter, the wedding day finally arrived.

The wedding was held at the capital mansion that Kaillen had been granted when he returned from the borderlands.

From early morning, I was overwhelmed with preparations.

Bathing took longer than usual, and even drying my hair required careful attention.

When my damp brown hair finally regained its natural color under the busy hands of attendants, Mia entered holding a letter and a small box.

It was from my older brother.

Aiden couldn’t attend the wedding due to problems in his research. I was disappointed, but I had accepted it.

I opened the heavy envelope.

Four pages of letter were filled with his apologies.

As I read each line, my nose stung. My eyes grew hot and tears began to form.

Now I finally understood why brides cried during wedding speeches.

“A-ah, miss! Oh no!”

Panicked Mia quickly placed a cold cloth over my face, saying I couldn’t go to the wedding like this.

“I’m a Grand Duchess now, you can’t treat me like this.”
“Yes, yes. I will serve you properly.”

Mia replied while taking the letter and gift from my hands.

“Alright, time to start makeup!”

And then a storm of preparation began.

They pulled, pressed, and painted me from all sides.

The corset tightened my waist so much I couldn’t even eat breakfast.

Just as I was about to gag from all the attendants’ work—palace maids and servants hired by my mother—

“Miss… no, Grand Duchess. Preparation is complete.”

At last, I heard the words I had been waiting for.

I exhaled in relief and slowly opened my eyes.

When I did, palace attendants stood in front of me holding a large mirror.