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Chapter 21
A Fairytale for the Villain
After dropping his playful attitude, the Grand Duke briefly asked after Isabel’s well-being before getting straight to the point.
“The banquet requested by Prince Edwin will be held aboard a ship.”
He added that the banquet would take place in the afternoon, told her to arrive on time, and gave a brief explanation of the event.
In short, Isabel would not be required to play any particular role at the banquet, and if she felt tired, she could rest in the lounge inside the ship.
“All right.”
“Will you require an escort?”
“I’ll go alone— …Excuse me?”
Normally, he wouldn’t have even asked.
He hadn’t when she first rode a carriage into the busy district, nor when she went out to the docks where his ship was anchored.
He’ll probably just say he’ll send Snow anyway. What’s gotten into him?
Isabel blinked widely.
“You’re escorting me personally?”
“No. I plan to send Snow.”
As expected.
“I’ll go on my own.”
Isabel waved her hand dismissively.
Snow protested indignantly, saying, “What’s wrong with me? Do you know how many ladies are lining up waiting for me?”
“Then I’ll be waiting on the ship.”
Having said all he needed to say, the Grand Duke left the room with Snow.
* * *
Isabel finished getting dressed to the nines.
The woman reflected in the mirror was as beautiful and elegant as she had been back before her regression, when she became the crown princess.
These maids are actually pretty skilled. But their reactions are kind of…
In the novel she had possessed, maids would gush in admiration. But the Grand Duke’s household maids were remarkably blunt.
After finishing her preparations, they simply clasped their hands neatly and blinked at her like turtles.
“You look beautiful today.”
The only one who offered praise was the maid, Laura. Though the word today bothered her slightly.
“Our princess was said to be the most beautiful princess in the Kingdom of Desar!”
Badel puffed out his chest proudly.
Laura chimed in, saying the Desar royal family was famous for their beauty.
“They say even illustrations of princesses in books here in the Empire are modeled after portraits of Desar royalty.”
“And among them, our princess was especially well-known—”
“Badel, could you bring my shoes?”
Isabel cut him off with a look.
Yes, she’d been well-known indeed. As a temperamental villainess.
She’d caused trouble even in the Empire—how bad must the rumors have been?
Rising from the vanity, Isabel looked at the yellow shoes Badel brought. After a moment of thought, she shook her head.
“I should wear something else.”
“But Madame Fairy matched these with the dress…”
Was Madame Fairy hoping Isabel would shed her villainess image?
The lemon-colored dress was fresh and lovely, and so were the yellow shoes with the cute corsages.
“Today, I need combat footwear.”
Isabel pulled out a pair of red shoes from under the bed—the magic shoes given to her by Cheyman, the Tower Master.
With their sharp, pointed toes, they were seductive but didn’t match the dress at all.
So what? If I need to escape the prince, I’ll use the magic.
Wearing the shoes proudly, Isabel left the tower.
“Oh, beautiful princess.”
Snow, dressed in a neat uniform, greeted her politely like a gentleman.
I clearly said I’d go alone.
The Grand Duke must have sent him.
“Sir Snow, you look handsome too.”
“I’ve always been handsome.”
Snow pushed his glasses up and smiled. The thin gold chain hanging from the frames sparkled in the afternoon sun.
“Has the prince arrived?”
“Yes. He should already be aboard. The Grand Duke is accompanying him.”
Snow extended his arm with a charming smile.
“What a pity. If this were a ball, I would have asked you to dance.”
“It’s a banquet, but there’s no dancing?”
Isabel placed her hand on his arm.
The firm muscles beneath the fabric felt impressively soldier-like.
“It’s a… different kind of banquet. You’ll see.”
Snow guided Isabel to the carriage.
As he waited for her to get in, she didn’t move.
“Princess?”
“Sir Snow, how late will the banquet last tonight?”
“There’s no set time. Why do you ask?”
“I think I need to be home before midnight tonight.”
Isabel stared blankly at the carriage before her.
The orange carriage, with its graceful curves, looked exactly like a pumpkin.
* * *
“You prepared this and called it a banquet, Grand Duke?”
Sitting on the sofa, the prince laughed incredulously as he ran a hand through his hair. Despite his refreshing smile, his blue eyes were sharp.
“Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“I should have known the moment you told me to come to a ship.”
This was more like a cruising military drill than a banquet.
In the center of the large hall, soldiers performed synchronized drills wielding firearms, and every server was a man.
No matter where he looked, there wasn’t even a hint of a woman’s skirt.
He’s thought this through.
A banquet held at sea, outside imperial territory. And performances that could be dismissed as military training.
He’s clearly trying to avoid imperial scrutiny.
Watching the sweat-soaked performance, the prince set his champagne glass down hard.
It tasted bitter.
“By the way, Grand Duke—where is your fiancée, whom you’re supposedly marrying soon, while you entertain me?”
The prince asked about Isabel’s whereabouts.
“She will arrive shortly. And you, Prince—did you leave Lady Flute behind?”
Intelligence had already confirmed that he’d arrived with Lady Flute Hamel.
And that he’d left her elsewhere before boarding the ship alone.
“Why? Are you interested in Lady Flute, Karl?”
Shall I introduce her as your fourteenth bride?
The prince smoothly changed the subject and smiled.
Then he stood up, covering the area beneath his nose with his hand.
“I think I’d rather go enjoy the sea breeze on deck.”
“Is this not to your liking?”
“It smells like men…”
The prince suddenly stopped speaking and frowned.
A muscular officer performing nearby had winked and blown him a kiss.
“…Damn it, that’s foul.”
Clicking his tongue, the prince headed for the deck.
The Grand Duke watched his retreating figure silently.
Then a soldier approached him.
“Master, we’ve lost Lady Flute’s trail.”
It was Shadow—his subordinate disguised as a soldier.
“You lost track of a well-behaved noble lady?”
“We’ll investigate more thoroughly.”
After delivering his report, Shadow melted back into the crowd.
* * *
After getting out of the pumpkin carriage, Isabel boarded the ship.
The bridge connecting the dock to the ship required climbing dozens of steps.
Though Snow escorted her, he kept loosening his grip, making it useless.
“Huff… honestly, my escorts are consistently terrible, Sir Snow.”
“That’s because the carriage wheel suddenly broke earlier, and I had to handle it myself!”
Snow replied, panting just as hard.
On the way, a swarm of rats had appeared and gnawed through the wheel.
The carriage tilted dangerously and the horses panicked, but thanks to Snow’s quick response, no one was hurt.
“Still, a man shouldn’t be like this. What kind of training did you even do for those arm muscles?”
“Curious?”
Snow grinned suggestively.
“Nope. Suddenly not curious at all.”
Isabel shook her head as she climbed. Her toes felt like they were about to burst thanks to the shoes.
“By the way, does the banquet continue after sunset?”
“Probably.”
“Then what about the Grand Duke?”
“Oh, if you’re worried about the curse, it’s fine.”
Snow explained that the curse only became powerful on land.
“Then couldn’t he just live on a ship and be fine?”
“After a few days, he’ll transform into a beast at sea too. As if the curse comes looking for him.”
Snow shook his head, recalling the chaos that once occurred on board.
Finally reaching the top, the two leaned on the railing to catch their breath.
Just as Isabel thought she should go take off her shoes and rest—
“Princess Isabel of Desar.”
Like a damn curse of fate, Prince Edwin appeared.
Standing on deck gazing at the sea, the prince strode toward her.
“Hah…”
A sigh escaped her before a greeting.
The prince’s picture-perfect smile briefly twisted, then returned to a polite facade.
“It’s been a long time, Your Highness.”
Isabel bent her knees slightly in greeting, then scanned her surroundings.
The Grand Duke was nowhere to be seen.
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“I see.”
She scanned the sea instead.
For some reason, it felt like the Little Mermaid might be watching this scene.
The prince frowned at Isabel’s lack of eye contact.
“Who are you looking for, Princess?”
Only then did Isabel meet his gaze.
“Oh, it’s just my first time on a ship. Fascinating, really. Haha.”
Yes—fascinating as hell.
Coming to her senses, she realized the ship felt familiar.
This is the ship where the Little Mermaid stabbed me!
In her first regression, she married on this ship. In the third, she died on it.
She had never seen the Grand Duke on board either time…
This was the Grand Duke’s ship all along?
The thought that the Little Mermaid might suddenly appear as a human sent chills down her spine.
“It’s my first time as well, but I came early to familiarize myself. Allow me to guide you.”
The prince extended his hand.
So polite on the surface.
But as the Grand Duke’s fiancée, she couldn’t refuse the prince’s escort.
“Then I’ll accept.”
“It’s my pleasure, beautiful Lady Desar.”
Calling her lady despite knowing she would marry the Grand Duke—it was obvious why.
Disgusting bastard.
Reluctantly, Isabel placed her hand on his arm and followed him.
Then something strange happened.
A flock of pigeons—not seagulls—flew in from land and charged straight at Isabel.
“Eek!”
“Princess Isabel!”
Isabel ducked and covered her head. The prince retreated first while calling her name anxiously.
Then—whoosh—a violent gust of wind swept overhead.
With it, the pigeons were slammed brutally onto the deck.
“Grand Duke?”
Certain of it, Isabel looked forward.
As expected—it was him.
Carrying a massive greatsword nearly as large as himself, the Grand Duke walked toward her.
He didn’t ask if she was all right or if she was frightened.
He stared down at Isabel, then scooped her up effortlessly with one arm.
So this is what unwavering stability feels like.
Feeling like a light cotton doll, Isabel glanced at him.
Was he angry? His gaze toward the prince was unusually rough.
“My apologies for the late introduction. This is Grand Duchess Isabel Vashke, Your Highness Prince Edwin.”
“!”
As though introducing a wife he had already married, the Grand Duke firmly marked her as his.
Is this really the man who wanted to break off the engagement just days ago?
Startled, Isabel flailed slightly, but she didn’t fall.
The Grand Duke’s arms tightened, holding her even closer with a pleasant, reassuring pressure.
