TVBO 32

Chapter 32

As soon as we returned to the Imperial Palace, preparations for the engagement ceremony began.
It wasn’t exactly an ordinary affair… though aside from its sheer scale, there wasn’t much that was especially unusual about it.

If anything could be called “special,” it would be my fiancé.
After all, my betrothed was none other than the famous Duke Zikbert, the man every noble family dreamed of taking as their son-in-law.
Now that he was off the market, I suppose the only eligible top bachelor left was the young Duke Blair.

An engagement doesn’t have to be extravagant, but considering who my partner was—and my own status—it was only natural that the event turned into a grand show.
It also didn’t help that my older brother, the Crown Prince, hadn’t yet taken a Crown Princess, so my engagement became the next big thing.
Still, the main reason it became even larger than planned was because I never had a debutante ball, and Father’s worry showed through.

“Father.”
“My daughter… sniff… already…”
“If someone heard you, they’d think I was getting married, not just engaged.”
“You once said you’d never get married and would live with your old father forever…”

Well, I couldn’t really argue with that.

Father looked like a man about to give his daughter away in marriage, while my brother’s expression showed clear displeasure.

“Brother, are you upset that I’m getting engaged first?”
“No.”
“Then what’s with that face? If you’re jealous, you should hurry up and get married yourself!”

He’s old enough to. It’s not like we can keep the position of Crown Princess vacant forever.
At this rate, his little sister might get married before him!

“Yulia,” he said quietly. “If you ever wish to break off this engagement, I’ll help you—whenever you want.”
“…Thanks for saying that.”

The words surprised me, but for some reason, the sight of him overlapped with the image of him in my dream—the brother who sacrificed himself for me there.

“If you marry and ever want a divorce,” he added, “tell me. I’ll do everything I can to get you out.”
“Come on, I’m not even married yet. You don’t need to worry so much. But… if something like that happens, you’ll help me?”
“Of course.”

It was only an engagement, yet both Father and my brother acted as though I were leaving the capital forever.
If they were reacting like this now, I could only imagine how much worse it would be when I actually got married.
Would Father cry his eyes out? Probably.
The thought made me a little anxious about my future wedding.

“…I like things as they are now.”

Right now, I felt loved by everyone around me, and I liked that feeling.
It didn’t matter what form that love took—what mattered was that they loved me.
If Father’s guilt turned into love toward me, then that love was necessary.
If my brother’s longing for Mother turned into affection toward me, then that too was fine.

But what about Chester?
Was his love for me truly free of conditions—pure and sincere affection for me as a person?
After Mother left, I stopped believing unconditional love existed.

“And… Brother,” I said hesitantly. “Maybe it’s a little late to tell you this, but… I’m in a relationship. One meant for marriage.”

His eyes widened.
“W-what?”
“I’m dating Duke Zikbert.”
“…And you’re happy about that?”
“To be honest… yes. He’s handsome, and he treats me better than I expected.”
“If you’re happy, that’s all that matters. But if you ever want to end it, tell me.”
“Got it, Brother. Though I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

He almost seemed like he wanted me to call it off. Probably just my imagination.

Then Father’s voice came from beside us.
“Yulia, the ceremony is about to start.”
“Already?”
“Yes. But remember—whatever you want, I’ll always support you.”
“Father, maybe wipe your tears first before saying that?”
“Oh… sorry. I know I’m being foolish, but I can’t help it…”

I couldn’t help but laugh. The peace of this moment felt so beautiful that a smile naturally spread across my lips.
I wanted to preserve it—to make sure the tragedies from that nightmare never came to pass.

“Stop crying, Father. Let’s go now! It’s your only daughter’s engagement ceremony. Even the main character can’t be too late!”
“You’re right.”

I took both Father’s and Brother’s arms and walked out of the waiting room.
Now, the main ceremony awaited.
My heart began to pound at the thought of seeing Chester.
What expression would he be wearing? What would he be dressed in? I was curious about everything.

Before the ceremony began, I parted with my family. But right at the entrance, Chester was waiting for me.

“Chester!”

His jet-black hair was swept to one side, just as always, and his crimson eyes glowed with endless affection.
A gentle smile curved his lips.

The only difference was his clothing—normally he dressed in dark shades, but today, white was mixed into his attire.
I wanted to run into his arms, but I didn’t want to ruin my dress before the ceremony even started, so I suppressed the urge and walked toward him slowly.

“Yulia.”

When I reached him, Chester extended his hand toward me.
I smiled softly and placed my hand atop his.

“There will likely be a lot of people outside,” he murmured.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Yes. I’m afraid you might faint again.”

He was nothing like the man from my dream.
This Chester was gentle and deeply concerned for me—he couldn’t possibly be the kind of person who’d kill me or my family like in the original story.

Chester lightly kissed the back of my hand. The gesture felt almost sacred.
He looked outwardly disciplined, but I knew better than anyone how little restraint he truly possessed inside.

“Once the ceremony ends,” he said softly, “the entire Empire will know that Yulia belongs to me.”
“You like that idea?”
“Yes. It makes me very happy—to let the world know you’re mine.”

At that moment, he felt less like a wolf and more like a large, affectionate dog.

“Yulia,” he added, “if the crowd overwhelms you, you can lean on me.”
“Thanks for the concern, but it won’t happen again. Let’s go.”

He chuckled quietly and opened the door.
A flood of light and sound burst in, but thankfully, my head didn’t ache, nor did my body freeze this time.

After the ceremony, I lay on the sofa in my brother’s office, lazily munching on green grapes from the table.
He sat on the other sofa, reading the newspaper.

I already knew what was in it—articles about the engagement of Duke Chester Zikbert and Princess Yulia Beatrice.
It was sensational, of course.

The engagement between the Empire’s only princess—who had never once appeared in public until adulthood—and the young war hero who had triumphed on countless battlefields.
It was exactly the sort of story to set the whole Empire abuzz.
I could understand why the people were so excited.

“What nonsense,” my brother muttered, tossing the paper aside.

I understood their fascination, but clearly, he didn’t—or maybe he just didn’t like my engagement.

“Brother, do you not approve of my engagement?”
“If you’re happy… well, I don’t have the right to interfere, but…”
“A war hero and the Empire’s only princess—it’s a perfect picture, isn’t it?”
“I didn’t like him from the start.”
“What, Duke Zikbert?”
“Actually, whoever you got engaged to, I probably wouldn’t have liked him.”

I popped another grape into my mouth. The fresh, sweet flavor lifted my mood.
I knew exactly why he was acting like this.

I used to say I’d never marry—that I’d live forever with Father and Brother.
He must feel betrayed that I didn’t keep that promise.

“Brother, it’s your turn to marry now. The Crown Prince of the Empire has long passed the usual age, and there’s still no Crown Princess—how can that be?”
“…Yulia.”
“I told you already—I’m dating Duke Zikbert.”
“…The only people you can truly trust are Father and me. We’re the only ones who will always believe in you, protect you—”
“Brother, calm down.”

I sat up from the sofa.

“And you shouldn’t be worrying about me—you should be worrying about yourself. Are you planning to end the royal line with you?”
“…Yulia.”
“If I refused to marry, what would happen to our bloodline?”
“…”
“You need to marry, Brother.”
“Yulia… would it make you happy if I did?”
“You have to. You’re the Crown Prince of the Empire.”

There’s an order to things—even with water, it flows top to bottom.
Of course, I got engaged first… but shouldn’t he at least marry before me?

“…Fine. If you insist that much, I’ll do it.”

I glanced at the clock. It was almost time to go.

“Brother, I’m going to see Duke Zikbert now.”
“…Yulia, do you really prefer Duke Zikbert over your brother who’s been with you for twenty years?”

Ack! How was I supposed to answer that?

“And if the man you’ve been waiting for finally appears,” he continued, “would you still go through with marrying Duke Zikbert?”
“…He hasn’t shown up yet. And Duke Zikbert told me he loves me.”
“Don’t believe him. All men are wolves.”

His words made me flinch.

Yes—under no circumstances could he ever find out that Chester and I had already shared a bed.