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Chapter 6
Seamus, visibly furious, grabbed Aella by the arm.
“You, the Crown Princess, sneaking away from people’s eyes to meet another man? And Ther Motita of all people?”
The force of his grip on her arm was so strong that Aella’s breathing became ragged. Struggling to free herself from Seamus, she answered.
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?!”
“Grand Duke Motita simply picked up my hat that had blown away in the wind.”
“It didn’t end with just picking it up.”
Seamus snarled fiercely.
“Pardon?”
“I saw you put that hat on yourself! How dare a mere Grand Duke lay his hands on the Crown Princess’s body?”
“That was because I dropped my hat—”
“You never took your hand off that hideous face, did you? You didn’t want to show it, that ruined face of yours? Wanted to stay forever as the beautiful Aella in that bastard’s memory? Huh? Is that it?”
Seamus yanked Aella close.
The tip of Aella’s chin trembled violently. She didn’t understand why she had to endure such humiliation.
She twisted her arm, trying to break free from Seamus’s grasp, but the more she struggled, the stronger his grip became.
“You should have shown him. I was curious how Motita would react.”
“Even if I have a small scar, I am still myself… he said I am not a monster. Grand Duke Motita did.”
Unable to endure Seamus’s relentless mockery, Aella finally spoke.
At her words, Seamus’s face twisted viciously.
“Ha!”
Letting out a hollow laugh of disbelief, Seamus’s large hands roughly seized both of Aella’s shoulders and shook her.
“How dare you say in front of me that Ther Motita has fine character and that I am trash? How dare you!”
“If that’s how you felt, then I’m sorry.”
Aella gave a sorrowful smile.
“Sorry? For a monster like you.”
Seamus released his grip on her shoulders as if pushing her away.
Aella stumbled and fell to the ground. Feeling humiliated, she bit her lip and looked up at Seamus.
“Crown Princess, be aware of your place.”
Seamus spat out the words as if chewing on them, then turned and disappeared.
Aella glared at his back. Tears dripped from her green, leaf-like eyes.
—
**\*\*\***
After all the events were over, Aella boarded the carriage.
Without even glancing at Seamus sitting across from her, she turned her head toward the window. The carriage began to move, and Seamus’s voice came through.
“You must feel wronged.”
Aella didn’t look at him, maintaining her upright posture as she gazed only at the scenery. But Seamus’s sneering continued.
“You should have gone with Motita to the lake castle. You must be terribly sad to return to the palace with me instead, Crown Princess.”
Seamus chuckled and tapped Aella’s knee with his mud-stained shoe.
Unable to tolerate Seamus’s behavior, Aella looked down at her knee where he had touched her. The mud from Seamus’s shoe had stained her light pink dress. Swallowing her rising emotions, Aella turned her gaze back to the window.
“So you’ve decided to ignore me, have you?”
Seamus looked at Aella with a crooked expression.
Even at those words, Aella gave no reply.
Seamus, for his part, was angered by Aella’s behavior. Unable to control his temper, he grabbed Aella’s arm and dragged her to the seat beside him.
“What are you doing?”
Startled by Seamus’s rough actions, Aella tried to pull her arm free.
But Seamus twisted the arm he was holding and shouted with a ferocious face.
“You have no awareness of being the Crown Princess, no awareness at all! Why are you still acting like Motita’s fiancée? That relationship is already over!”
“I should be the one asking you. Do you have any awareness that I am the Crown Princess?”
Aella shot back.
“What?”
Seamus’s eyes grew fierce.
Aella, trying to calm her emotions, pried his hand off her arm.
“You don’t treat me like the Crown Princess. You act as if I am not your wife, Your Highness.”
“Ha. I didn’t know you were hoping to be treated like a wife.”
Seamus twisted his lips and mocked Aella.
Aella felt shame at his mockery. *You can never be my wife, a monster like you*—his face was saying it plainly.
“What I meant was—”
“Then I suppose I should make an effort, no matter how disgusting.”
Seamus grabbed Aella by the nape of her neck and pulled her close.
Startled, Aella pushed against Seamus’s shoulders.
“What I meant was, I want you to treat me with courtesy.”
“Why should I? Why should I show courtesy to someone like you? To a monster like you.”
Seamus ripped off Aella’s hat and threw it to the floor.
Startled, Aella instinctively covered her suddenly exposed face and trembled.
“You don’t know, do you? How disgusting and horrible your face is right now. And yet what? You want me to treat you like a wife? Show courtesy?”
“…”
“You were the one who failed to show courtesy to the Imperial family and to me first. You couldn’t even take care of your own body, and you entered the palace with that face, dragging down my reputation and that of the Imperial family. Don’t you even know that everyone calls you the Monster Crown Princess?”
At Seamus’s accusations, Aella’s heart raced. She was in so much pain she could barely breathe.
“If you still think you’re the beautiful Aella Petra, you’re mistaken. You’re just a horrible monster.”
Seamus said, pushing at Aella’s shoulder with his finger.
Aella, who had been enduring Seamus’s contempt, recalled the words Ther had said to her. Words that gave her strength and courage, even if spoken with a resentful voice.
*”Even if its peel has a small scar, a lemon is still a lemon.”*
Aella slowly lowered the hand covering her face. With the face Seamus called disgusting and horrible, she met his eyes.
When Aella lowered her hand from her face, Seamus’s expression crumpled.
Looking directly at Seamus’s face, Aella spoke.
“I am Aella Petra. Whatever my face looks like, the fact that I am Aella Petra remains unchanged.”
“Are you saying that because you’re Aella Petra, I should treat you like a wife?”
“Respect me. As Aella Petra.”
“Ah, if that’s your wish, I’ll do it. Treat you like a wife.”
Seamus let out a laugh with a nasty expression.
With merciless hands, he grabbed Aella’s shoulders, turned her around, and lifted her dress.
Aella let out a short scream, threw Seamus off, and scrambled to the opposite seat.
“Wh-What are you doing!”
Aella, her clothes and hair disheveled, breathed heavily and looked at Seamus with wary eyes. Her body, overcome with fear, trembled violently.
Seamus licked his lips and sneered at her.
“I tried to treat you like a wife by enduring my disgust, but you tuck your tail and run away.”
Seamus picked up Aella’s fallen hat, spun it on his finger, and tossed it back to her.
“I can’t stand to look at you anymore, so put it on.”
Aella looked down at the hat that had landed on her lap. Biting her lip, she grabbed the hat, her chin trembling. She quickly pressed the hat onto her head.
“Now the broken doll is somewhat bearable to look at.”
Seamus chuckled and crossed his legs. Again, his dirty shoes stained the hem of Aella’s dress.
*”Even if its peel has a small scar, a lemon is still a lemon.”*
Aella repeated Ther’s words to herself over and over until the carriage reached the palace.
*I am Aella Petra. Not a broken doll—Aella Petra.*
—
**\*\*\***
Seamus’s mood was at rock bottom due to the Emperor’s constant nagging. Lately, whenever the Emperor saw Seamus, he would press him on how long he intended to leave the Crown Princess in that state.
Every time their eyes met, the Emperor would say that producing an heir was the duty of the Crown Prince and Princess, and that he shouldn’t keep neglecting the Crown Princess like this.
Nearly a year had passed since the wedding, and Seamus hadn’t gone near Aella, so the Emperor seemed quite anxious.
“What can I do if I have a weak stomach?”
Recalling his father’s words, Seamus grumbled with an annoyed expression.
He simply could not bear to look at Aella’s ruined face. What Seamus had wanted was the beautiful Aella Petra. Not a broken doll.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
After the Emperor’s nagging ended, Seamus was entering the Crown Prince’s residence when he turned at the sound of Media’s voice.
Media approached Seamus with a flushed face.
Seamus curled his lips at the sight of her. She was a satisfactory replacement for Aella Petra.
“What about tonight?”
“Tonight?” At Seamus’s words, Media made a difficult face.
Seeing Media’s reluctance, Seamus frowned.
Perhaps sensing his mood, Media quickly spoke up.
“Actually, I’m supposed to have dinner with Her Highness the Crown Princess at the Petra mansion tonight… but I can skip it.”
“Fine, do that.”
Seamus’s face relaxed as he nodded and walked past Media.
“Phew.”
After Seamus disappeared, Media let out a sigh.
*He’s truly difficult to handle. Incomparable to Aella. Is it because he’s the Crown Prince?*
“Well, lately, Aella’s been a bit—”
Media folded her arms and pouted her lips with a sullen face.
After the fire accident, Aella had acted as if her soul had left her body, but at some point, she began to regain her vitality.
She had thought Aella was broken and crushed, never to live like a normal person again, but now she was quite properly fulfilling her role as Crown Princess.
Moreover, these days, she walked around without wearing a hat to cover her face, revealing her burn scars as they were. Media found this both irritating and incomprehensible.
*How can she do that?*
Not only was she forced to marry a man she didn’t love, but her face had also been horribly ruined. Even her trusted father had died.
*Is she stupid?*
Media was displeased that Aella was gradually returning to her old self.
*Your unhappiness makes me happy. You truly are no help to me until the very end, Aella.*
—
**\*\*\***
Late at night, Media, having met Seamus, took his hand and headed toward the Crown Princess’s residence.
“Why are we going to the Crown Princess’s residence? Let’s go to your room.”
Walking through the corridor connected to the Crown Princess’s residence, Seamus furrowed his brow.
“Isn’t the Crown Princess’s bedroom empty?”
Media answered in a small, whispering voice.
At her words, Seamus burst out laughing.
“There’s no seductress quite like you.”
“I am merely happy to be Your Highness’s joy.”
Media’s eyes curved into a smile as she looked at Seamus.
The two entered Aella’s bedroom. Once inside the darkened room, their lips eagerly met.
