Chapter 3
It took considerable effort to fix this situation, no matter what option I took. It's a ha.s.sle to merely move a finger, and I have to put in that much effort?
If that effort pays off and they don't ignore me, will everyone be on my side? So, I can live a sloth's life as I please?
No, even if I did all that, it still wouldn't be the end.
'I am the first of the princess of the Great Duke. They're going to sell me in a political marriage.' I was determined that I was to be sold.
Oh, it seems Princess Rubia is already set-up for a political marriage.
'Well, I'm in trouble.'
I frowned at my forgotten fiancé.
Unexpectedly, Rubia's fiancée was an amazingly sound person. No, not only was he sound, but he was probably the best groom in the western part of the continent.
'The 4th Prince of the Western Empire. A man who built up a force that threatened the crown prince with outstanding skill, even without the birth-right of succession. In fact, between the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, people have no idea who will inherit the crown.'
When I thought of him, I let out a quivering sigh.
If I marry such a fearsome prince, my life will be ruined. I don't know anything else, but I have to break up this marriage somehow.
After chewing on the last piece of steak, I got up from my seat and gulped down the wine left in the gla.s.s. "Are you angry?"
The representative maid looked at me. I continued, looking down at her plump cheeks.
"Are you very sick?"
"Oh... no."
"Are you sad? No, angry and distraught? Do you want revenge?"
The representative maid turned pale and bowed her head. "No. How dare I..."
I reached out to the representative maid. "Take it."
The representative maid had a curious look on her face. I handed her a a copper coin.
"Treat your wounds with this money. I'm not seriously hurt by your actions. I won't be angry, so take it."
The maid's eyes were stained with confusion. She looked as if she didn't know how to accept it. I put my hand on her shoulder.
"Let today's work be a good lesson instead. If you act well, there'll be little chance that you'll face unnecessary hards.h.i.+ps in the future."
This was my sincere advice. If I were that maid, I wouldn't persecute and treat Princess Rubia this way. Not because I'm nice, but because you should always be afraid of what repercussions your actions will lead to.
At that moment, there was a sign of bustle outside the restaurant. Soon the door opened, and a knight in full armour came inside.
"I'm seeking Princess Rubia."
Is this a case of chivalry? The knight, unlike the maids, bowed down in a polite manner.
"What's going on?"
The eyes of the knight who had heard my previous tone slightly widened.
"Your Royal Highness has called for your presence."
My father.
"The Royal Highness? Now?"
"Yes, he is waiting."
I crossed my arms. It was obvious why my father called me when I wasn't looking for him.
'That's great. I had something to say to Gong anyway.'
"I see. Guide me there right away."
In the eastern part of the continent, there is a proverb that goes, "Drop the Rhino in the Danso." There's also a saying in the West, ‘Cutting the Gordian knots.'
I'll cut off the troublesome silver threads of this cut-throat family at once in this meeting with the King.
I have made up my mind.
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The Grand Duke of Luxen was a small country under the Western Empire.
It was about the size of a province, a little bit too small to call it a country, but people still couldn't ignore Luxen. It was because it controlled the logistics of the Dental River, the lifeline of the Western Empire.
The Dental River has been a key trading route for the West and Central provinces. So, trade can take place without the Russo-Sen Powers.
It didn't lose.
It was a small country that n.o.body could ignore, the Grand Duke of Luxen.
The ruler of the country, was currently trying to clear issues surrounding the Dental River from his high-positioned office.
"I've brought the First Princess, Your
At the knight's words, the Great Duke turned his head casually.
When I saw the face of the Great Duke, I held back a low-pitched whistle.
'The King isn't the King for nothing.'
It's not like I particularly thought he would be an ugly man when I saw the luxurious conditions of the house.
However, his appearance resembles that of Sven Jazak, an archangel. It means that he is handsome. I could see that Rubia's beautiful appearance was influenced by the Great Duke as well as by her mother's family.
Most impressive of all, I felt a strong sense of pressure in his eyes.
There was no moderation, as expected of the monarch who ruled the Luxen Empire.
'This piece of trash. Why would he let the stepmother run around?'
I put the question aside and gave my thanks. "Rubia de Grandia la Luxen, the eldest daughter of King Gong."
At that moment, light flashed through the eyes of the Great Duke.
"You're not shaking today."
The remark stunned me into silence.
With how scary her father was, Princess Rubia was often frightened when she met him.
"There's nothing wrong and so there's no reason to s.h.i.+ver."
I spoke in a wry voice.
No wonder. Well, I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you so shocked? But my statement didn't sound natural to the Great Duke.
"That's different. I feel like you've become a different person. What happened to you while you haven't seen me, Rubia?"
I just roughly answered. "It's growing season."
"What?"
"It's that time in my life to grow one foot tall when I wake up, so my personality seems to have changed suddenly."
At the utter nonsense of mine, the archangel gave a puzzled look.
"Yes. Well, basically, we haven't seen each other in a long time," I frowned.
The sound of the Great Duke's throat contained a hazy apology for Rubia. What? An apology for me?
But as if my feeling had been mistaken, the voice of the Great Duke cooled down again.
"Do you know why I called for you?"
"I'm guessing, it may be because of the argument with my stepmother."
"Yes, I'm glad you guessed correctly. I won't go into it, I just don't want to hear loud noises within the family. I hope this will not happen in the future. I'll talk to your mother about this, too."
So, what he was basically saying was ‘I care about myself and your stepmother, but I'm tired, so I'll just tell you all to stay quiet.'
I looked at the thick haze and fatigue in the eyes of the Great Duke.
What's up with this?
Rubia's birth mother was a commoner, and it is said that the Great Duke loved her so much that he accepted her as his true wife.
So why is he leaving behind the daughter of his beloved woman, and closing his ears to any problems?
I was curious, but I put that thought away quickly. My stepmother should not have been able to defeat Rubia's place in his heart. For whatever reason, the apathy of the Great Duke was not justified.
"I can't follow your orders."
"....!"
"The forced covering of a wound with a cloth doesn't mean that the wound will heal. The King's words are like saying, ‘The wound is burning, but it's not there.'"
The Great Duke could not say anything. I wasn't wrong.
"I have a way to fix the wound. Would you like to hear it?"
"Tell me."
I slowly opened my mouth.
Of course, my intention is to heal a sore wound.
However, I wasn't about to do it traditionally. That would take a lot of effort.
"There are two ways to deal with a festering wound: The first is to take medication and slowly wait for it to get better. It's the best way to avoid side effects, but it's a little late for that in this case."
"Then what's the second way?"
"To cut off old wounds and get rid of them completely. It may hurt, but it's a sure-fire way of doing things."
The Great Duke had his eye on me. What exactly did he think I was talking about?
I don't think he knows where this is going.
So I explained.
"I'm leaving the Kingdom of Luxen."
"...!"
The cold atmosphere around the Great Duke grew.
I carried on in a calm tone of voice.
"I know. My presence is like a thorn in the side of this family. As long as I remain, we will continue to hurt each other. So…"
Actually, it's just too much of a ha.s.sle to deal with them.
"I'll leave for the benefit of everyone. Allow me."
When I finished speaking, silence fell in the room as if everyone was dead. The butler and the escort who were listening to the conversation killed their breath.
The Grand Duke stared at me with his eyes wide open. His face was filled with indescribable complex emotions. "Do you think I'm gonna... hear that?"
"You'll have to listen."
I said it.
The Great Duke's eyes were perilous. However, he kept his mouth shut and could not say a word.
I clicked my tongue quietly.
I don't know what he had in mind, but as a father, the Great Duke didn't deserve to say anything but a sincere apology to Rubia.
But, of course the Great Duke will never apologize.
"Then I'll go back, knowing that you've given me permission. I'll leave the castle today."
When I finished speaking, I turned my back. Then I walked toward the door.
One step, two steps....
I mumbled inwardly, moving slowly.
'Were you hoping I would cling onto this family?'
I shook my head inside. I wouldn't say anything. Again, the Great Duke did not open his mouth until I arrived at the door.
I felt relief and pity at the same time. The relief to finally be out of this cut-throat house.
This was about living a better life and the only pitiful one in this situation was Rubia, the original master of this body.
'You were such a poor girl.'
It was useless to say such a thing.
So, instead I raised my head with a more generous look. I'm going to live happily ever after, even with Rubia's past tragedy.
"Thank you very much. I'd like to say my last greeting. And so, greetings and farewell, Your Highness."
The Duke felt a s.h.i.+ver at his daughter's last greeting. But at the end of the day, not a word of protest left his mouth.
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After Princess Rubia left, there was a heavy silence in the chamber of the Great Duke's office.
The Great Duke's eyes were dark and expression was stiff.
"Does she think I won't catch her?" The Grand Duke spoke quite quietly. "She'll be right back."
The butler nodded at the words of the Grand Duke.
A penniless n.o.bleman could not have lived away from the castle. Princess Rubia was likely to return in less than a day.
'But will it really be like that?'
The butler recalled the habits of the Luxen princess he had just seen.
It wasn't like before. It wasn't the usual Princess Rubia with quivering shoulders, a drooping head and frightened eyes.
Rather, what was felt was a proud and free woman, who seemed stronger than anyone else.
'And... it was beautiful.' The butler thought unconsciously and his heart stirred.
Though he did not dare to say so, her mother's actions and dignity were so similar that he could not take her eyes off her. Undaunted dignity that even seemed arrogant, however it only made her beautiful.
If the former princess was like a faded doll, the figure he saw today was like a glorious fairy.
*This is machine translated so it's not entirely accurate.*