🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 3. Did You Just Abandon Me?
Splat.
Arsen abruptly pushed her away.
His sun-darkened face flushed red under the light. After a beat of silence, he spoke in a hoarse voice.
“I’ll… go call a maid.”
And with that, he quickly exited the stable without a backward glance.
Left standing alone, she blinked in disbelief.
“…What was that? Did he just abandon me?”
She clicked her tongue in disappointment at the outright rejection.
“Tch. Still, isn’t that a bit much? Just walking out like that…”
She had thought he was being kind. Maybe it was just pity. Feeling small, she tugged at a loose curl of her hair.
Now that she thought about it, his reaction was odd—like he was running away.
“Was the idea of becoming my knight that repulsive?”
Not long after, a maid arrived at the stable and escorted her back to the Princess’s Palace, where she was gently washed with fine fabrics. While tending to her, the attendants couldn’t hold back their voices.
“This is why Her Highness should never have been sent to such a place!”
“What do you mean, ‘such a place’?”
“The knight training grounds, of course!”
One of the maids even shuddered as if remembering something dreadful.
“Being around those rough men is what led to this mess!”
“How is that disrespectful to royal knights?”
“Oh, you don’t understand! Just because someone’s under the imperial banner doesn’t mean they’re all the same. You shouldn’t even speak to those outside the Imperial Knights.”
“The ones summoned last year? They’re all brutes. Not a shred of delicacy in them. And they look so terrifying!”
In the Calon Empire, the current military structure was largely divided into the Imperial Knights and the Remigis Knights. Arsen, the man in question, was the commander of the latter—a unit made up of men from his homeland.
The Remigis hailed from Dunstane Island in Calon’s southern sea. They were seasoned sailors with bronze skin and large builds, which unsettled many in the empire.
The Calon Empire favored delicate, fairy-like beauty, and the rugged looks of the Remigis made them subjects of disdain. Rose held up her delicate, breakable-looking wrist.
“Isn’t it better to look healthy than like a wax doll?”
“There’s a limit to that. I’ve never seen anyone so… dark.”
“Exactly. Honestly, I wish they’d just go back to where they came from. It’s terrifying having people like that in the palace!”
Listening quietly, Rose’s expression turned serious.
In her excitement at seeing Arsen again, she had forgotten how negative public opinion had been before he became Commander of the Imperial Knights. Which meant…
‘So that’s why he was so cold.’
She was beginning to understand his stern attitude from earlier.
“Dunstane Island is supposed to be a barren land too, right?”
“I can only imagine how desolate it must be. No wonder they come to the continent as mercenaries. I heard they only joined the palace army to make a living.”
“Even Sir Lafayette—he may have a noble title, but he’s no better than those shameless savages—”
“Hey.”
As their remarks became more offensive, Rose cut them off.
“Who gave you permission to speak of him so freely?”
The maids paled and quickly bowed at the sharp look in her eyes. Rose waved off their hands.
“We’re talking about a Marquis of Calon, no less.”
Arsen was the head of House Lafayette, a marquisate in the Calon Empire. Though his origins and appearance made him an outsider in the eyes of many, no mere maid had the right to insult him.
“We’ve committed a grave sin, Your Highness!”
The maids dropped to their knees, hands trembling and scraping against the marble floor.
The oppressive aura radiating from Rose shocked them into silence. Once she dismissed them, she collapsed onto her bed.
‘Ugh. Everyone’s acting weird. Well, I guess they would. I’m not the same person inside anymore.’
Judging from the reaction, the former “dim-witted Princess Rose” must’ve lived quietly and submissively within the palace. Even a slight show of firmness had thrown everyone into confusion.
In her past life, she’d grown up in a powerful shipbuilding conglomerate. She’d been involved in ship construction since a young age and had handled countless matters, including managing people. She’d risen to team leader early on and lived every day alongside ships.
She’d been drawn to this book because of its unique setting—wooden ships in a world reminiscent of the medieval era. The moment she noticed the sailing ships that differed from anything in modern shipbuilding, she’d been hooked.
‘And now I’m stuck being the dim-witted princess? What a joke.’
The novel hadn’t detailed much about Rose de Calon. She’d died early in the story at the hands of the protagonist, Thanasis, and hadn’t played a major role.
What little Rose knew was that she had been separated from her mother, the Second Empress, as a child and raised alone in the palace—utterly powerless, with no support.
‘A flower in a greenhouse.’
That had been her mental note on the princess. Naïve to the world, a sheltered girl whose ignorance ultimately led to her death.
‘Talk about a sharp contrast to Thanasis, the male lead.’
She hadn’t felt the slightest pity when Rose died in the book. She didn’t consider herself merciful enough to sympathize with someone who couldn’t even fend for themselves.
Thanasis, in contrast, had fought tooth and nail for the throne and eventually won. Fortune favored him too—he narrowly escaped death multiple times.
That’s what made him so likable. She had rooted for him.
‘If I’d known I’d become Rose, I never would’ve rooted for him.’
She let out a long sigh. Now that she’d possessed the princess destined to die by the protagonist’s hand, her future seemed bleak.
If Arsen, under the male lead’s buff, remained by Thanasis’s side, then she was as good as dead. She had to win Arsen over to her side as soon as possible—but instead, she’d made a terrible impression.
While planning her next move, she noticed that dusk had fallen. The canopy hanging above her was tinted red. Through its fluttering folds, she could see the tall windows that stretched up to the ceiling, glowing orange in the setting sun.
As she gazed at the golden light, a scene from the novel floated into her mind.
“That’s it! The Pontos!”
The Pontos was a ship that appeared during the launch ceremony arc in the original story. It had left a deep impression with its nostalgic depiction of a hometown port.
A single ship bathed in sunset light.
That’s how the book described the Pontos anchored in the crimson sea.
If she remembered correctly, the Pontos launch ceremony happened around this time.
Rose smiled slyly.
“I’ve got a good plan.”
The next morning, Rose went to the Emperor as soon as she woke.
‘I’ll attend the Pontos’s launch ceremony.’
It was the perfect event to gain Arsen’s favor before Thanasis could. The Remigis Knights had participated in the launch and been severely humiliated by the nobles.
‘And yet Arsen bore it all for the sake of diplomacy.’
She planned to attend and publicly stand up for Arsen—her first move in winning him over.
To leave the palace, she needed the Emperor’s permission.
Emperor Euclid de Calon had been reclusive for seven years, leaving state affairs to ministers and royals, only appearing for major events like Founding Day.
Many criticized him for being too weak to rule.
But Rose thought differently.
In the later chapters of the novel, the Emperor’s “foresight” was revealed. He always seemed to be several steps ahead.
There had to be something more behind his years of silence.
‘Maybe this is all part of his plan.’
The guards announced her presence. As she stepped inside the audience chamber, the first thing she saw was a rich brown tapestry, partly drawn aside, letting in the early chill.
A man sat on a sofa in the backlight—likely the Emperor. His once-golden hair was now faded, but his eyes were the same color as hers.
“May the blessing of the fairies be with you. Rose Agnes de Calon greets His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Welcome, Princess Rose.”
His tone was indifferent, his eyes colder than ice. He seemed detached from the world, like a man who belonged nowhere.
‘How could anyone call that man weak?’
Rose’s suspicions grew stronger.
“What brings you here so early?”
He didn’t offer her a seat and asked straight to the point. Rose responded clearly and firmly.
“I’m here to request permission to attend the launch ceremony.”
“The launch ceremony?”
He paused mid-sip, clearly surprised.
“Yes. Rose de Calon, Third Princess, humbly requests to attend.”
In the Calon Empire, every ship was given a launch ceremony before its maiden voyage—a tradition dating back to its days as a small kingdom.
“A royal’s presence would elevate the empire’s prestige.”
The Emperor stared straight at her. His eyes were so sharp she began to sweat.
Even the moment he sipped his tea felt like an eternity.
Finally, he spoke in a flat tone.
“Very well. I grant you permission.”
“Thank you for your grace.”
Rose bowed deeply. As she turned to leave, the Emperor called out behind her.
“Has your cold gone away?”
“…Yes, thanks to Your Majesty’s concern, I recovered quickly.”
The unexpected question caught her off guard.
She glanced back, but the Emperor gave nothing away, calmly sipping his tea.
‘So… he does worry about his daughter, huh?’
His emotionless face looked like a doll’s.
With a curt dismissal, Rose left the chamber.
“Whew…”
Even if he was a fictional character, facing him in person was intense. Her palm was slick with sweat.
Just then, a sharp voice called out behind her.
“Well, well. Look who it is.”
