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Chapter 09
What the heck, this is uncomfortable.
I looked down at the man before me, startled.
He bowed his head deeply and spoke in an impeccably polite voice.
“I’m glad to see that you’ve returned safely.”
“Did you actually worry for nothing?”
I almost said ‘Thank you’ without thinking.
Instead, I replied just as Renée would have.
The man lifted his head.
His softly curled platinum hair shifted slightly, revealing a pair of brilliant green eyes that locked precisely with mine.
“I wouldn’t call it needless worry. Everyone in this world knows how strong Your Highness is—but still.”
That’s when I remembered who he was.
“Because Your Highness is someone I hold dear.”
“Joachim Rommel.”
The man who had been looking up at me smiled, as if pleasantly surprised.
“You still remember my name.”
“How could I forget?”
He was the man Renée had proposed to.
Not out of love, of course—purely for political reasons.
Not that they were officially engaged, either.
Renée had told him she would answer once he returned victorious from war.
For someone as impulsive and fickle as Renée, the fact that Joachim hadn’t pressed for an immediate answer was surprising.
And seeing as even I didn’t recognize him right away, it seemed Renée had probably forgotten too. How very her.
“Well, thanks to that, I can call off the proposal without it seeming strange.”
“Anyway, thank you for the warm welcome.”
“It’s my duty and my joy, Your Highness.”
Then Joachim took my hand and gently kissed the back of it.
I nearly snatched it away in surprise, but with superhuman restraint, I kept my expression neutral. That was the correct Renée reaction.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Could Friedrich see this from where he was?
“Please, grant me the honor of escorting Your Highness.”
Unable to refuse his courteous offer, I let Joachim help me dismount from my horse.
The Emperor, greeted by family and nobles, made his way toward the imperial palace, the Solar Palace.
I, meanwhile, went directly to Renée Palace.
For the record, the former Stella Palace had been renamed fifteen years ago after Renée demanded it as part of her first victory celebration.
“Friedrich should be on his way too, right?”
Surely they wouldn’t throw him back in prison… right?
I decided to trust my capable maid, Elza, to handle things.
“How far do you plan to follow me?”
I asked Joachim, who was still walking at my side.
“My duty ends once I’ve seen Your Highness safely to your palace.”
That was a polite way of saying you can go now, but he showed no hint of offense.
“It’s not that you wanted to talk to me privately, then?”
The journey from the Kingdom of Kiel to the Empire’s capital, Keldorf, had taken more than a month.
There was no way he hadn’t noticed Friedrich’s presence during that time. Was he planning to confront me about that?
“Of course, speaking with Your Highness would be my greatest pleasure.”
He gave a small, charming smile.
“But I wouldn’t dare impose on someone who must be exhausted.”
He really did stop right at the entrance of Renée Palace, saying nothing more until he bid farewell.
“I’ll come to visit again soon. May Your Highness find peace and rest.”
“Safe travels.”
I offered that much, at least, before turning toward the palace.
The moment I stepped inside, I grimaced.
“Good grief, it’s blinding.”
I’d thought only the exterior was gaudy, but the inside was worse—
gilded pillars, gleaming marble floors, and intricate arabesque patterns decorating every wall.
Taking in the over-the-top décor, I went straight to the bedroom my body seemed to remember and collapsed onto the bed.
“You’re going to sleep without bathing, Your Highness?”
A familiar voice entered the room. I feigned death dramatically.
“My lips and arms are about to fall off, Elza. Let me sleep a bit first.”
Then I nearly forgot the most important question.
“Where’s Friedrich?”
“He’s taking a bath.”
“…Of course he is. He got to rest comfortably in prison, unlike me.”
“I’ve never criticized Your Highness.”
“I know… it’s just my guilty conscience talking.”
In the end, I let Elza drag me off to the bath.
Once I sank into the hot water, the fatigue began to melt away.
“Do you truly not intend to marry Duke Rommel? He’s quite well-mannered for a duke.”
Originally, Renée had planned to demand her right to succession after the victory and marry Joachim, becoming the next ruler of the Empire.
Simply because he was the only duke in the realm.
“I’ll tell you a secret, Elza. I don’t want the throne.”
—Crash!—
The vial of perfumed oil Elza had been holding shattered against the floor.
The strong scent filled the bath instantly.
She stared blankly for a moment before asking:
“Are you all right, Your Highness?”
“I should be asking you that…”
Was it really that shocking? I held back the remark.
After all, Renée had longed for the throne since birth.
“You’ve changed, my lady.”
“Yeah. It’s not like I’m dying or anything.”
“Then may I ask why?”
“I guess I’m more of a commoner at heart than I thought. I’m sick of all the power struggles.”
Elza looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
To be fair, Renée would have to be insane to say something like that.
I shrugged.
“It’s not like anyone can force me into it just because I give it up.”
“…Understood.”
“You’re taking it better than I expected.”
“Well, Your Highness is famously unpredictable.”
She continued calmly:
“Tomorrow you might just say, ‘Actually, I will rule the world after all.’”
“Huh?”
“So I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”
“…Fine. Believe what you want. But anyway, that’s why I don’t want to marry Duke Rommel. He wants to make me emperor.”
“I imagine he’ll react much the same way I did.”
“Then I’ll just hurry up and marry Friedrich instead. Once I wed a defeated prince, no one will doubt my sincerity about giving up the throne.”
With that, I left the bath in a robe Elza had wrapped me in.
“Is Friedrich done bathing?”
“He was here just a moment ago.”
I blinked and asked another maid:
“Why? Did he wait long?”
“Not really. He just said to call him if Your Highness wanted to see him.”
“Fair enough. He’s had a rough trip too.”
I nodded casually.
“Anyway, I’m going to sleep. I’m exhausted.”
All the maids rushed in to dry my hair.
Thanks to them, the long locks were soft and dry within minutes, and I collapsed into bed, fast asleep.
***
“…Come on, can’t I get one night’s rest in peace?”
I had wanted to sleep straight through until morning,
but imperial custom demanded attendance at the victory banquet on the night of the triumphal return.
Dressed in a fiery red gown symbolizing victory, I grumbled as I headed to the Solar Palace.
“This is exactly why I don’t want to be emperor. You get me, right, Elza?”
“Not really. If it were up to you, Your Highness, you’d probably just abolish such customs altogether.”
“…”
She understood Renée’s personality better than I did.
No wonder she’d survived at her side for so long.
When we finally reached the banquet hall, familiar laughter drifted from behind the doors.
Guess I was the last one to arrive.
“Your Highness.”
Elza’s quiet prompt made me smile and nod.
“His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, and the royal family welcome Her Highness, Princess Renée!”
As the double doors opened, three figures froze mid-motion.
For a brief moment, I felt an unexpected pang—
as if Renée had been lonely.
That same emotion brushed against me just now,
like the awkwardness of a guest intruding on a family gathering.
It wasn’t my feeling—it had to be the body’s memory.
“So that’s why she wanted to be emperor… maybe she thought having everything would make her less lonely.”
Feeling a little sorry for her, I took my seat to the Emperor’s left.
Across from me sat my stepmother, Empress Gisela, who greeted me with feigned warmth.
“Welcome back, Princess. It gladdens me to see you safe.”
“Yes, I’m glad too.”
Sending assassins after me and now pretending concern?
I replied dryly, then added, overly cheerfully:
“I was nearly assassinated on the way back, you know?”
“…Assassinated?”
“It happens all the time, but it’s still annoying. I don’t know why so many flies keep buzzing around me.”
The Empress’s face stiffened noticeably. What an actress.
“At this point, even the stupidest person should have realized, don’t you think? That I don’t die that easily.”
I met Gisela’s eyes directly and asked,
“You wouldn’t happen to know who keeps sending them, would you, Your Majesty?”
At that, the atmosphere around the table instantly froze solid.
