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chapter 02
Tell Me Who I Am
“Will you accept it?”
“Accept what?”
Adeline was eating the soup brought by the maid. It was a savory cream soup with clams. It was made with such care that every spoonful naturally lifted the corners of her mouth.
It was delicious. The spices were top-notch, and the seasoning was just right.
“You do know that the chef made this soup three times over, right?”
“So?”
Of course, she knew. She had thrown away the first soup without even tasting it, and tossed the second after one bite. The startled maid had screamed, but Adeline paid no mind.
She had mocked that the smell was disgusting and that the taste was garbage. The maid surely passed those words directly to the chef. The chef, proud to serve in the Crown Prince’s palace, was given a harsh welcome by the suddenly returned princess.
“Why did you do that?”
Seeing Adeline humming while eating the soup, the maid asked reproachfully. Since she liked this bold girl, she decided to answer honestly.
“The first one was just mashed potatoes mixed with goat’s milk porridge, and the second was the same but with onions and salt added.”
“Why’s that a problem?”
“Because that’s the staple diet of the fourth-class slaves.”
The maid’s mouth fell open unintentionally.
Adeline Vita was a princess but not royalty by birth. She came from the slave-class Vita rank.
Though slavery had been abolished on the continent, Marma still maintained a rigid caste system. The rulers had even created the term ‘Vita’ to replace ‘slave,’ trying desperately to keep the social order.
A rebellion was inevitable. When the Vita-class uprising reached an uncontrollable level, the king resorted to a shallow trick.
“As the father of the people, I will register a Vita-class girl as my foster daughter and raise her with love.”
That girl was Adeline. A doll handpicked by the king to quell the rebellion. The chef must have wanted to enlighten her on that fact.
The maid cautiously asked,
“Then… will you continue to act like that?”
“If you mean throwing plates every time I get bad food, then yes.”
Naturally. She deserved respect. If it happened again, the chef would have to remake the same dish until death.
Adeline wondered how the maid would run to tell the Crown Prince. Would she say the princess seemed crazy? Or would she think Adeline had always been this way?
The maid hesitated for a long time, watching and biting her lip, trying to decide if this was worth reporting.
Adeline let her ponder as much as she wanted.
“Um… Princess?”
“Yes?”
“Shall I brush your hair?”
So she wasn’t reporting yet. Disappointed, the maid nodded half-lounging on the bed.
The maid sat beside Adeline, holding an ivory comb. Though young, her hands were surprisingly skillful. She massaged and softly combed Adeline’s hair after applying fragrant oil and curling the ends.
“I heard your hair was silver before coming to the palace.”
“And?”
“Up close, it’s a pale gray like clouds.”
“Disappointed?”
“No. It’s beautiful.”
This time, it seemed sincere. Her hands were full of care as they touched the hair.
This girl was unpredictable. She was surely Cesare’s watcher, but she neither hated nor despised her.
“Your eyes… I’ve never seen them before.”
“My eyes?”
“I thought they’d be violet like violets, but they’re actually blue-purple. Not flowers, but butterflies. Have you ever seen a swallowtail butterfly?”
Of course she had. A butterfly with mysterious blue-purple wings on a black background.
“The other maids haven’t arrived yet. They said they would today but seem late.”
Assigning maids to royalty was the queen’s palace maid chief’s job. That woman hated Adeline and must have been agonizing over picking the worst maids.
Adeline closed her eyes quietly, lost in thought.
She had expected her father the king’s visit last night. But Cesare still not showing up was unexpected. It wasn’t because he was busy; it had to be personal. What could it be?
“Shall I bring you the newspaper?”
The maid asked again. Adeline wanted silence but was bothered by the repeated questions. Still, the maid quickly understood what she wanted and brought the paper.
“It’s all they had from the lodging.”
The newspapers the maids read were predictable: third-rate tabloids mostly covering noble private lives—who cheated, who broke up, or who killed whom.
“Um… Princess.”
The maid asked again, watching Adeline read seriously.
“Will you accept it? That, you know, the…”
“What?”
“The Lion King…”
“If you don’t say it quickly, I won’t answer.”
“He proposed marriage!”
Though no one else was listening, the maid whispered. She couldn’t keep quiet all morning, her lips twitching until her true feelings came out. Was that the question she asked at first? Adeline recalled that moment. She had slept through the important part but only remembered when the Lion King proposed.
Adeline must have wanted to ask but had been holding back. She snapped the paper shut and looked at the maid. If she told the truth, Cesare would find out. She had never forgotten that since returning from Nova to Marma.
“The Lion King is Marma’s savior.”
“Huh?”
“They say even in Nova rumors spread. That the Lion King defeated the bandits ruling the southern border. A warrior with near-divine power, young and handsome too. You’d think he’s dumb, but he’s not.”
“Princess? What do you mean…?”
“Why do you think such an incredible man proposed to me?”
The maid fell silent and looked uneasy.
Adeline smiled calmly.
“Because I’m pretty. Obviously.”
The maid dropped the comb she was holding. Adeline had no intention of answering if she would accept the Lion King’s proposal.
“What was your name again?”
“Huh?”
“Your name. I think I heard it but can’t remember.”
The maid stammered,
“Colin… Colin Dobby.”
Colin. A nice name.
Adeline smiled lightly and opened the newspaper again.
“Go outside, Colin. The other maids seem to have arrived.”
There was murmuring outside.
The maids sent by the queen’s palace maid chief busied themselves unpacking without even greeting. Maids serving royalty were often daughters of noble families, fallen aristocrats, or rich merchants’ precious daughters. Their pride was sky-high.
They didn’t come to Adeline right after unpacking but seemed to hold a serious meeting among themselves. They probably shared reports on her and planned how to deal with her.
The royal palace was like a huge jungle. Survival of the fittest and power struggles applied everywhere. It was a childish power game, but familiar to Adeline.
“Vita Your Highness.”
The maids finally came to her room late afternoon and stood in a row. They didn’t kneel or bow.
They wore bright cream dresses with stiff blue vests and glittering gold brooches symbolizing royal maids.
They called her “Vita Your Highness”—neither princess nor royal lady. They mixed in her low origin, “Vita,” as a compromise.
Adeline liked it. A sharp smile played at her lips.
“Vita Your Highness… who thought that up?”
“We can change it if it offends you.”
They weren’t flustered and scrutinized her without expression.
“Not bad.”
Adeline was beginning to enjoy the situation.
Among six maids, the one on the far right stepped forward. She looked to be in her early thirties, likely an experienced maid.
“Let me introduce ourselves. Our family names are…”
“Enough with the introductions.”
Adeline cut her off sharply. Colin twitched his shoulder awkwardly beside her.
“What good are your names and families to me?”
“Huh?”
“List what you’re good at. If you’re good at sewing, you’re a thimble. Good at talking, you’re a mouth.”
The maids’ faces slowly twisted. Adeline watched with amusement.
“Vita Your Highness, you’re insulting us…”
“You first. You seem the head maid, so surely you have many skills.”
“Are you ignoring us?”
They all spoke at once, unwilling to yield. The awkwardness and discomfort made Colin look down.
Two surprises:
First, the queen’s palace maids weren’t incompetent but arrogant.
Second, Colin, loyal to Crown Prince Cesare, didn’t get along well with them.
This made it more interesting. Adeline decided to treat this childish quarrel as entertainment.
“This will be reported to Her Majesty the Empress.”
Ah, there’s a third title now.
Not queen but empress. Her father the king called himself emperor and named Marma the Millennium Empire, and now the maids used that title too. Would that make her a princess imperial? A huge status boost.
“We were selected by the nanny serving Her Majesty the Empress and came here with pride to uphold royal dignity. We understand you’re of slave origin and spent 11 years used to Nova’s lowly culture, but this is the great Marma Empire.”
“Talk too much. From now on, I’ll call you Mouth.”
Adeline cut her off again. She’d heard enough about royalty and dignity in childhood.
“What did you say?”
“Everyone but Mouth, get out.”
“Your Highness!”
“Didn’t you hear? Everyone but Mouth out. Now.”
They must have thought her a ferocious princess. Better to run and report to someone higher than waste time arguing. Whoever that was.
The other maids whispered, pointing to the singled-out one, then turned their backs, still stiff-necked and straight-backed.
Adeline didn’t wait and waved the newspaper with one hand.
“Stand there and read. Clearly and calmly.”
“Huh?”
“You talk enough to teach me royal dignity, so let’s test that. Read properly. Stumble once and you’ll get a serious scolding.”
The maids about to leave and the head maid all froze.
Adeline smiled calmly.
“Read. Until I fall asleep.”
This was entertaining.
A day passed. At morning, Adeline smiled slightly seeing the head maid come with a soup bowl. The smell of potatoes and goat’s milk was strong. Inside the bowl, rough mashed potato lumps floated.
“Breakfast.”
The maid looked down her nose and stared at Adeline lying in bed.
Adeline sat propped against two pillows and politely took the bowl. The maid’s eyes briefly sneered. If Adeline ate it well, she’d be ‘the princess who liked cheap porridge because she was a slave.’ If she threw it like yesterday, she’d be ‘the rude princess from slave stock.’
No need to play along.
“Is this payback for telling me to read the paper?”
“No.”
“This is my breakfast?”
“Yes. The chef made it himself with premium potatoes and fresh goat’s milk.”
Since the chef wouldn’t use the same method after yesterday’s chaos, this must be the head maid’s doing.
Adeline lifted the bowl close to the maid’s face.
“Does this look delicious to you?”
“Yes, Vita Your Highness. It looks very tasty.”
“Good.”
Adeline smiled and grabbed the maid’s hand. The maid’s confident face twitched stiffly.
“Your Highness, what are you—”
“Eat it. In front of me. Leave not a drop.”
The maid stiffened, spoon in hand.
This was a surprise strike. Adeline lay back with crossed arms.
“That’s an order.”
An awkward silence filled the room. The maid could neither hear nor resist.
Whatever Adeline did with the soup, it would be a laughingstock for them. So they were no different.
“Eat. All of it, then say it was delicious because the chef made it himself.”
“Vita Your Highness…”
“Don’t leave this room until you finish that bowl.”
Done with the business, Adeline turned away and shouted toward the door. She called Colin. One maid at the door peeked inside.
“Call Colin.”
Seeing her companion, the maid’s face hardened quickly.
This was unexpectedly fun. Adeline didn’t hide her smile. After suppressing so much for so long, even this felt thrilling.
Colin entered long after. He looked neat but his face was sour. Young and awkward with expressions, he looked miserable, bullied by the maids assigned by the queen’s palace.
Adeline wondered what Cesare saw in him to make him her watcher.
“Princess. I was late because I brought the doctor. Sorry. I’ll hurry to the kitchen and have them remake the food.”
Adeline nodded with a smile.
Colin ran off, and the doctor entered. He inspected her wound with careless attitude but still disinfected and bandaged it properly, so he hadn’t forgotten his duty.
“All done.”
While the doctor treated her, Adeline realized the head maid who brought the soup left quietly. She could have called her back but didn’t. This was only the beginning. There was plenty of time.
“Princess.”
Shortly after, Colin returned with a small portable tray filled with fancy food.
Adeline imagined how the chef must have felt making this.
“There are two weekly magazines today.”
“From the lodging?”
“Yes. There are more, but they wouldn’t let me bring them.”
Marma had many kinds of newspapers, mostly third-rate tabloids about celebrity private lives, but many people read them.
She scooped some soup and took a bite, then opened the magazine Colin brought.
“Colin.”
“Yes, Princess!”
Colin replied in a higher tone each time she called. If Adeline were a normal princess and Colin sincerely liked her, it would be a fairytale scene of mutual respect. But in reality, it was a twisted princess and a tattletale maid.
“Bring it back.”
“Huh?”
Colin looked puzzled.
Adeline set down the bowl with a soft smile.
“Tell them it’s disgusting and I can’t eat it.”
The food looked fancy but tasted terrible.
The chef had to remake the food again. Colin ran back and forth twice more between her room and the kitchen. His already gloomy face turned ashen.
Adeline lay thinking.
Would the maids run to the maid chief to tattle first, or would Colin run to Cesare to report her first?
Whose patience would break first?
The winner was obvious.
Surprisingly, that day was peaceful. No one tattled. But she wasn’t calm or comfortable; she knew it was the calm before the storm better than anyone.
Meanwhile, Colin went out of the annex to fetch the palace bulletin, and through it, Adeline learned why Cesare hadn’t visited.
“An engagement ceremony?”
The palace bulletin mostly reported royal news. Of course, it included news about the most popular Crown Prince Cesare Dixon.
“Starting the day after tomorrow, there will be a week-long banquet at the castle’s Glory Hall. Nobles are already swarming inside… hmm.”
Colin, babbling beside her, suddenly stopped. A maid bringing dinner glared at her with narrowed eyes and clicked her tongue.
Adeline smiled quietly, watching the silent power struggle.
“A whole week.”
She pushed the bulletin aside and lay on the bed. Her wounds still hurt with movement, but strong painkillers helped. The maid who watched silently left the room quickly.
“Hmm.”
A banquet to celebrate the Crown Prince’s engagement.
That was why Cesare locked her in the annex and didn’t come. Because it was embarrassing to show her. When he sold her off in Nova, she had been treated like a precious princess. Now, she was back to old treatment. Thanks to whom had the war been avoided? Her lips curled in bitterness. Sharp and harsh feelings rose.
The Crown Prince’s engagement ceremony.
Not a bad stage for a mad princess.
“Princess? What are you thinking?”
Colin asked. Adeline twisted her lips.
“Bad thoughts.”
She decided to move her plan up.
After dinner, she went to bed early and woke in the dead of night. The painkiller wore off; her shoulders ached.
The bedroom was empty. So was the parlor outside. That neglect felt comfortable.
Colin had lit nine candles before leaving. Three on the display cabinet, the rest irregularly on a small table and by the window. Four had already gone out. She chose the longest candle and placed it by the window, blowing out the rest.
Then she waited. For the runner.
Her room was on the annex’s second floor. Outside the window stood a huge tree, and the stone pillars and walls with bird carvings were covered in dense vines.
The runner appeared suddenly. No sound, no shadow, only a flicker in the darkness. The window rose without a squeak.
“Hello, Princess.”
The runner sat on the floor upon entering.
“I waited for your call.”
“Slow for someone waiting.”
“Hey, I came fast.”
He smiled and joked, saying it was good to have oiled the window beforehand, that he hadn’t expected to meet her here on the second floor of the annex.
No time for jokes. She gave her orders and sent him away quickly.
Adeline sat on the bed.
“Bring one thing I left.”
“One thing? I have a lot. What do you want? Poison? Secret castle map? Hidden will? Confidential diplomatic documents? Or… a person?”
His eyes sparkled in the dark. He looked thrilled, excited about what she might do.
Wrong. She wanted a dress.
“The red box. The white one inside.”
“Huh?”
“They’re all good. Don’t bother choosing. Just bring the most gorgeous.”
The runner’s face instantly fell. He knelt and rested his chin on his knees.
“Princess. You’re going to the banquet?”
“None of your business.”
“That sounds huge and scary… but no one here supports you. Isn’t it too risky?”
He spoke worriedly. Adeline tilted her head.
“Nowadays runners worry about their clients too.”
“Princess, I’m low rank but smart. No one lost by listening to me.”
“Then you’ll pick a good dress.”
No matter how much she urged, he kept grumbling by the window. About how hard it was to get into Ordo and this being his first mission picking a dress, how the client was too cold-hearted to inspire loyalty.
“Red box. White
“Adeline. Stop calling me ‘Princess.’”
His narrow eyes twitched toward her as he stuck out his tongue from outside the window.
“Nope. I like calling you ‘Princess.’”
That petty little bird.
Everyone in the castle was extremely busy preparing for the banquet. It was only natural, as it was the engagement ceremony of the country’s only crown prince. The nobles of Marma, who were obsessed with parties, planned to celebrate until they collapsed from exhaustion.
The banquet was scheduled to last a whole week, with the engagement ceremony set for the fifth day.
The head maid, who had lost her pride twice to Adeline, hadn’t appeared for several days. Thanks to that, Colin’s expression seemed more relaxed.
“Shall I bring you the newspaper?”
Colin now brought it without being asked. Not only the weekly papers circulating in the residence but also the Royal Gazette. Thanks to him, Adeline could lie in bed, focus on healing her wounds, and pass the time without boredom.
Then, on the fourth day since the banquet began, an unexpected visitor arrived at the annex.
“P-Princess….”
Why was he stuttering so badly?
Colin trembled all over as he clutched the door handle outside. His voice shook, his hands trembled on the handle, even his shoulders twitched.
All Adeline could see was Colin’s back, so she couldn’t tell if it was good news or bad.
“Colin.”
“P-Princess. I-I mean…”
“Colin!”
“Yes?”
“Step aside.”
Colin shuffled like a broken doll. He should have come inside first to report the visitor, but he was so flustered that he retreated, handing over the door handle to the guest.
The bedroom door opened silently.
“Adeline.”
The visitor was the Lion King.
He was wearing his usual black armor. Black, long clothes with a long black cloak. But this time, he had roughly tied back his messy sand-colored hair, so his face was clearly visible.
“You should greet your guest with a smile,” she nodded and said.
“Lion King.”
He met her blue eyes.
Lachi El Baltica.
Adeline knew his name but had never been told it, so she had no intention of calling him that. The nickname “Lion of Baltica,” used respectfully by the desert warriors, the romanticized title “King of the Desert” believed by naive girls, and the heroic title given by his ignorant warrior followers meant nothing to her.
To Adeline Vita, Lachi El Baltica was just a stranger—nothing more, nothing less.
He silently strode into the room and stood there. She heard Colin running off somewhere and slowly opened her mouth.
“Lion King… That means leader of lions, right? So what? It still means a beast.”
Despite her blunt words, he said nothing. He remained quietly standing. His tall, broad-shouldered figure filled the doorway; fascinated and baffled, she slowly scanned him from head to toe.
“Adeline.”
“Speak.”
“Your father has asked me to become the Duke’s king.”
Adeline, half-lying down, opened her eyes wide.
The Lion King elegantly moved his large frame and leaned against the wall behind the sofa. No expression could be read from his face.
He was someone who knew how to hide his feelings—a difficult opponent. This could be a test, a deception, or perhaps goodwill. It was better to be straightforward.
“King of the Duke… such a petty title. After all, that just means a vassal king. You probably know well how selfish my cold father is, and that this country is actually hollow inside. You wouldn’t want to give someone else a name on the wide desert he so carefully protected, would you?”
He still said nothing.
Adeline got up from bed and walked barefoot. A cool chill rose from the floor. With each step, it felt as if he grew taller by a hand span.
He really was tall. Whether when they first met or the second time today, that was all she could think.
Why was this man born and raised so big? How barren and cruel was the desert of Odium to make a person grow like this?
As she approached, his pupils darkened slightly. Looking into the shadow, it was truly a beautiful color—like a lush, primeval forest. A wild, deep green.
Adeline understood the sticky jokes mad women from Marma whispered about him from afar—that with this man, they’d want to roll naked on an open field like a female in heat.
“So, what do you want to do?”
“Your father believes Marma is the country with the largest territory on the continent. That’s a very foolish thought.”
He was right. She muttered a phrase she’d heard once in Nova.
“The desert of Odium is even bigger than Marma.”
He looked at her in slight surprise.
“You knew?”
“Even when you add the free people’s archipelago to this land, it’s similar in size. So naturally, the desert is bigger. You mean to say… there is no duke king with land bigger than the homeland.”
“About the same.”
He tilted his head.
Leaning against the wall with arms crossed, the Lion King faced her across the sofa.
He smiled, pulling one side of his lips up.
“Becoming king of the Duke is your father’s idea.”
“What?”
This time she was genuinely surprised—not only surprised but also bursting out laughing. She looked at him, leaning on the sofa, and laughed foolishly.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously?”
Marma, except for the desert of Odium, was the country with the largest territory on the continent. It also had the longest history, the largest population, and most abundant resources.
In contrast, Odium was barren and remote—a mystical land humans dared not conquer. The Lion King had unified twelve tribes and became the first king, but population and resources were scarce. There was no comparison.
“This is the thousand-year empire Marma.”
“It will soon collapse.”
He spoke flatly, as if stating an obvious fact. Adeline sharply rebuked him.
“How? You’ll do it? With poor, starving desert warriors and this country overflowing with rotting weapons and food? You know better than I do that war is not fought by brute force. Even if my father is a fool with his head full of nonsense, the whole country isn’t like him.”
“Adeline.”
“Go back. The Duke, the king, whatever… you can eat well and live well by yourselves.”
“Adeline.”
“It’s none of my business anyway.”
The Lion King had maintained the same expression and posture since the beginning. His deep eyes cast a shadow over her, and his straight-pressed lips held no smile. The only thing revealing emotion was his pupils.
“Why is it none of your business?”
Those pupils smiled very subtly.
“Adeline, I told you I will propose.”
Anger suddenly surged.
He looked her straight in the eye. In that brief moment of eye contact, Adeline forgot all complicated feelings and was filled only with mischief toward him. She wanted to shake the man who had never lost his composure before her, and her heart raced wildly.
“You want to marry me?”
“Yes.”
“With me?”
“Yes. I will propose to you.”
Hearing it again was even more absurd. She couldn’t even close her mouth and retorted.
“Are you crazy?”
“I’m not.”
No matter how much she thought about it, she didn’t understand. Adeline Vita was a noble courtesan of Marma. A broken doll of Cesare Dixon, and had been given to an enemy king for eleven long years. The title of returning princess was just a hollow name—she was simply an inconvenient old princess.
Me… marry?
And with this man called a hero of the battlefield?
It felt like bird chirps were ringing in her ears.
This was no time to lose her mind. Adeline stepped back from the man before her, wanting to embarrass him, but instead, she was the one staggered by shock.
“Say it again.”
It was already the third time he insisted. Tirelessly, the Lion King spoke without hesitation.
“I will propose to you…”
“No, wait. Before that…”
Stepping back again from his parrot-like repetition, she shook her head and asked reproachfully.
“Do you know who I am?”
A question loaded with meaning.
“I do.”
He looked down at Adeline. His pupils still bore that subtle smile.
“The woman who aims to stab a dagger into Marma’s heart.”
He said.
“I don’t need anything else. I want you.”
A thrilling heat crawled through her body.
Adeline imagined the rumors spreading through Marma that she had been proposed to by the Lion King.
The first person who came to mind was Cesare. As crown prince, he had grown up receiving countless praises and expectations. The king had only one son, so it was natural.
Cesare was moderately smart and strong. But no matter how hard he trained, he couldn’t reach the Lion King’s level. He belonged to the realm of mortals, and this man before her was called the son of God.
Jealousy makes people sick. Cesare would likely vent his anger on Adeline.
Next came the greedy king—her father, who wasn’t even her real dad—who would try to disguise Adeline as his own daughter to send her to the Lion King and then swallow that vast land whole.
Lastly, surprisingly, the enemy king of Nova, Aizen.
Adeline recalled a conversation she had with him before leaving, sharing red wine in his bedroom.
“Adeline, you’re beautiful, charming, and smart. Marma’s king will probably want to sell you again at the highest price. If the world’s most beautiful woman is his daughter, he thinks he can get a whole country with that face. Nova failed, so now they’ll surely aim for a different prize.”
She agreed with that. But she hadn’t expected things to turn out like this. She thought she’d be sold to some old, rich noble fool, not that a great power, from the other side, would throw bait directly.
“So. You want to marry me.”
He said nothing, as if to himself rather than asking a question. Adeline exhaled calmly and stepped toward the Lion King.
“Lion King.”
“Yes.”
“Do you intend to make this your hunting ground?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to make me your trophy?”
“No. I want a strong ally I can trust and depend on.”
How arrogant kings can be. The Lion King openly confessed that he coveted this country and expected her to side with him.
“You’re confident. Then try it. Convince and understand me. Use every means possible so I can trust you and join hands…”
“Are you serious?”
“Marriage can wait until after.”
At Adeline’s words, which were no less than a declaration of war, the Lion King frowned. She waited silently to let him think thoroughly.
“I see. Very well.”
He detached his back from the wall. Even that small movement made the entire large room seem to move.
“This is a gift for your return.”
A gift, suddenly?
Adeline frowned and followed his gaze. The Lion King opened the door and called a subordinate waiting in the corridor. The subordinate appeared with such swift and quiet movement that it was barely noticeable. He was startled to see her, then placed a large box on the table and disappeared.
They stood across the sofa.
“Open it.”
“What is this?”
Inside the box was a dress so dazzling that just looking at it made her eyes hurt.
The height of splendor and elegance. A white base with cream lace flowing like waves, sleeves extending to the floor tied elegantly with golden ribbons.
Not only that. When she unfolded a roughly bundled velvet cloth inside, a tiara decorated with pearls and diamonds popped out.
Adeline looked at the Lion King in bewilderment.
“Why do you have this?”
That dress was supposed to be delivered by a servant.
“A petty bird came by and told me to deliver it myself.”
We really don’t have much in common.
Adeline irritably closed the box lid.
The fifth day dawned.
Her heart pounded from the moment she opened her eyes. Not from fear, but rather a pleasant excitement. She imagined their faces when she appeared in the Hall of Glory, and the thought was delightfully satisfying.
Adeline enjoyed a long bath after a while. Colin worried that water might get into her wounds, but thanks to the ointment the servant had left, it was fine.
“You look happy today.”
When she sat in front of the mirror after bathing, Colin smiled awkwardly.
“Do I?”
“Yes, you’ve been humming since earlier…”
Had she? She hadn’t realized.
Colin misunderstood something. After the Lion King visited yesterday, upon seeing the dress box placed in the middle of her room, he had screamed involuntarily. If she hadn’t scolded him for being noisy, he might have bombarded her with questions all night.
She smiled at Colin.
“Colin, fix my hair a little.”
“Yes! Of course.”
“I’ve been lying down because of the pain, so I look terrible. Show me what you’ve got.”
“Shall I?”
She didn’t plan to ask much more of Colin. Her hair was thick and long enough to cover her back when just roughly dried and combed. Colin skillfully dried her hair and applied perfume with his fingers to give it a nice texture.
“Shall I do your makeup too? You didn’t have time when you arrived by carriage, and since then, you’ve been lying down, so I haven’t done your makeup yet.”
What a stroke of luck.
Adeline nodded gladly. She could do her own makeup, but Colin would do it better.
If you knew what I planned to do with this face you gave me, you’d faint and regret it terribly. She chuckled quietly.
Time passed slowly.
The engagement announcement was between lunch and dinner, at the time when the North Temple’s bell tolled three times. Adeline closed her eyes, waiting for Colin to finish the makeup.
“Princess.”
“What?”
“Are you going to accept it?”
She thought he’d given up, but apparently not.
Colin sneaked the question: had she accepted the Lion King’s proposal?
He had mistaken the dress left by the Lion King as the engagement dress. Since Marma men often gave dresses when courting women, Colin’s misunderstanding seemed natural.
A desirable misunderstanding.
She smiled faintly without answering.
“When will he come again?”
Colin’s main concern was apparently the Lion King. Cesare had picked the wrong person to spy on. She was all day distracted by thoughts of the Lion King.
Is he really that great?
Adeline looked in the mirror, pleased that Colin’s skill was better than expected.
“Colin.”
“Yes?”
“Prepare some refreshments. We have a guest coming.”
“A guest?”
“Yes. If possible, bring good wine from Cesare’s palace.”
“Certainly! Princess, what does he like?”
Colin’s voice rose with excitement. He had decided on his own that the guest was the Lion King, and happily ran off to prepare drinks and refreshments without being told.
Adeline stood and smiled.
The dress was still sleeping inside the box. It was the closest to Marma fashion among the dresses she had brought from Nova. The servant grumbled about choosing clothes but had a decent eye.
She didn’t need help from anyone. She was used to doing things alone. Quickly, she slipped into her underwear and dress, tightening the thin straps firmly. Then she placed the tiara on her long, flowing hair. The tiara was crown-shaped, a pointed coronet symbolizing royal authority, adorned with sparkling jewel strings.
The dress dragged on the floor, sleeves the same. Golden ribbons tied in round shapes at the cuffs hung heavily along the skirt, creating a soft rustle with every step.
All this symbolized royalty.
Adeline looked satisfied and left the annex. Until she reached the corridor, she hadn’t met anyone. But stepping outside, she saw the arrogant maids sent by the Queen’s court walking toward her.
“Your Highness?”
“Where are you going… huh!”
The maids stared, startled.
Dressed for the occasion, Adeline was extraordinarily beautiful. As a child, her doll-like pretty face caught the king’s eye, making her his adopted daughter, and she grew up hearing she would become the continent’s most beautiful woman. Even when sold to Nova or returning to her homeland Marma, she had been known as the “King’s Flower.”
Adeline walked gracefully and confidently.
“Well done. Open the gates.”
Then she climbed into the carriage the maids came in, giving brief orders.
“To the Hall of Glory.”
The grand hall, the high stairs, the magnificent chandelier.
The Hall of Glory was the second-largest banquet hall in the castle. Even royal family members couldn’t use it without the king’s permission. Nobles not invited could not enter at all.
Previously, she herself could not enter here. Not the Hall of Glory nor any party—such was Adeline Vita, the princess without invitation.
She didn’t use her royal status but crossed the garden like any other noble, standing before the snowy white carpet leading to the Hall of Glory.
The colored glass flickered in the chandelier’s movement inside the hall. All of Marma’s nobles must be gathered inside. The murmur reached clearly to the entrance.
The engagement ceremony was about to begin.
“You’re late. From which family…”
One of the castle officials checking guests at the entrance froze when he saw her face, silently gasping as if seeing a ghost. He was rather old. He checked her face but couldn’t bring himself to speak, opening and closing his lips several times.
Ding—
At that moment, the grand bell from the North Temple began to ring.
Still pointing at her with his finger, the official was at a loss. She said:
“No need to record.”
“P-Princess? Are you really the princess?”
He stammered.
She gently lowered her shoulders, raised her chin, and cast her eyes downward. A thin, cool smile like a crescent moon touched her lips.
Soon, the announcement would be made.
That
