Chapter 009
“You’ve arrived, Your Highness.”
As I sat across from Aiden, I recalled the words Demian had said just before I entered the drawing room.
Demian had stopped me as I was going to greet the crown prince, saying, “Be sure to flatter him. Just because the marriage with the crown prince has fallen through doesn’t mean your relationship with the royal family is ruined.”
With a troubled expression, as if he were the protagonist of a tragic story, Aiden spoke.
“Milady, you’ve lost weight. It seems you’ve been through a lot.”
He fiddled with his teacup, creating an atmosphere as if he had something important to say.
Whenever Aiden acted like this, I could only expect to hear nonsense, which made me feel uneasy.
Eventually, Aiden’s words proved my predictions correct.
“Milady, I don’t believe what the world is saying. That you fell in love at first sight with the Duke of Raslet is nonsense. But unsurprisingly, His Majesty told me the real reason.”
He turned to look at me.
“That you’re marrying to find a way to cure the Duke of Rowen’s illness?”
Goodness. Did the Emperor really say that to Aiden?
It was astonishing how my father and the highest-ranking nobles in the empire spoke lies every day without fail.
I thought the Emperor would at least tell Aiden the truth. Since my father was engaging in wrongdoing with my two brothers, Iswen and Demian, I thought the Emperor might share his dark intentions with his son.
But instead of revealing the conspiracy he would pass down as an inheritance, it seemed the Emperor chose to protect Aiden’s illusions.
“The heart of a lady who loves her father is truly noble, but I can’t believe we’ve ended up like this.”
Aiden muttered as if reciting lines from a play, then turned his head to gaze out the window. His eyes were filled with bitterness, as if he had just parted ways with a real lover.
I was utterly at a loss.
The rumor that Aiden and I would marry circulated as if it were a well-known fact.
However, this was not because there were any feelings between us; it was simply a calculation made by my father and the royal family, believing it would be beneficial for them.
Naturally, if something changed in that calculation, the marriage would fall through.
In fact, Aiden was one of the few who understood that this marriage was not a romantic one.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spread so many rumors about his affairs.
Moreover, my marriage to Sioden was to be arranged by imperial decree.
So if Aiden truly wanted to play the role of a tragic hero, the quickest way would be to go to his father and plead.
No matter how he understood the reality, the fact that all of this was the Emperor’s will remained unchanged.
My father’s influence was certainly significant behind the scenes.
Or perhaps it could have been my father’s plan from the beginning.
He had wanted to thoroughly dismantle and consume Raslet.
After losing his fiancée to the former Duke of Raslet, the Emperor must have readily agreed with my father, who viewed Raslet as a thorn in his side.
If my father could take enough of Raslet before completely consuming it, even more so…
While I was speculating about the intricacies of the situation, Aiden asked,
“No matter how many times I think about it, I can’t help but feel regretful. Do you feel the same way, milady?”
His words made me doubt my ears, and although I knew it was rude to question royalty, I couldn’t help but ask.
“What?”
Aiden sighed softly and said, “I was asking if you also feel regretful like I do.”
But I couldn’t understand what I was supposed to feel regretful about.
Was it not becoming the crown princess?
But that was not a position I desired.
Was it not being with Aiden?
I didn’t long for that position as much as the crown princess title.
However, before I could respond, the words Demian had said in a threatening manner came to mind.
‘Be sure to flatter appropriately.’
Reluctantly thinking I had to follow that advice, I spoke up.
“I feel uneasy knowing that Your Highness is regretful. But since the imperial decree has already been issued…”
Aiden didn’t even let me finish my sentence.
“Indeed, I knew you would feel the same way as I do.”
With a delighted expression, he suddenly grasped my hand.
“Don’t worry too much, Iella. There is always hope, no matter where you are.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. The attendant who had accompanied Aiden from the Imperial Palace spoke from behind the door.
“Your Highness, may I ask if you could spare a moment for the Duke of Rowen before returning to the palace?”
“Tell them it’s possible!”
Aiden answered, stretching his neck slightly.
He turned back to me and squeezed my hand tightly before letting go.
“I should get up now.”
As I carefully rubbed the spot where his hand had been to avoid leaving any trace, Aiden said,
“I’ll send you a wedding gift that will uphold your dignity, so don’t worry too much. The Duke of Raslet should know whose woman you are.”
Every word he used seemed to drip with impropriety.
I tried to dissuade him before he did something that would make the situation even more awkward.
“Your Highness, if I may…”
“Shh, don’t worry too much.”
Aiden, who didn’t let me finish this time either, added in a low voice. I’ve also gotten permission from the lady’s father.
What did that mean?
But before I could ask him anything, Aiden was already halfway out the door. The tragic lover who had been acting so sincerely just moments ago had vanished, leaving behind a nonchalant demeanor.
As he exited into the corridor, he commanded the servant,
“Tell the Duke of Rowen that I’m coming now.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Before long, I found myself boarding the carriage to Raslet.
Instead of my two brothers as my father’s watchful escorts, Paiden accompanied me. It didn’t matter, as neither of them suited me anyway.
The journey from the capital, adjacent to the southern region of Rowen, was certainly not short. It was only natural since the starting point and destination were completely opposite.
If it had been any other time, I would have been excitedly looking out at the scenery. After all, it was my first time traveling so far from Rowen.
However, thoughts of Sioden, who had not contacted me, dampened my enthusiasm.
Since the day we met at the tailor’s, he hadn’t written to me even once.
It was understandable. He had repeatedly tried to talk to me about this marriage, which he found quite unsatisfactory, only to be ignored.
He must have felt hurt.
I hadn’t even finished pondering how to explain myself to him when we arrived in Raslet. It marked the end of our weeks-long journey.
As I watched the delicate snowflakes falling from inside the stopped carriage, I heard the coachman’s shout from outside.
“We have arrived!”
When the carriage door opened, the first thing I felt was the cold outside air. The wind carried the scent of snow and chill, brushing against my cheek.
Through the gap in the wind, a knight’s hand reached out to me. I took it to step down, and Apple, who had been waiting nearby, wrapped gloves and a scarf around me.
While it was possible to ride up to the castle gates, we had to walk from there into the castle itself.
As I walked, holding the knight’s hand, I noticed Sioden was not at the castle gates.
Instead, two women stood facing us.
One was a middle-aged woman with brown hair and an ordinary appearance, while the other was strikingly beautiful.
The second woman, who appeared to be around my age, had long, straight black hair and slightly lighter green eyes. Her round, smiling eyes looked pure.
As her gently slanted gaze found me, it brightened.
I instinctively paused at her somewhat radiant smile, which seemed a bit much for a first meeting, but she approached me and asked,
“Hello, you must be the Princess of Rowen?”
Her lively voice echoed in my ears.
“My name is Merwen Ethel. I am one of the retainers of Raslet, responsible for managing the internal affairs of the castle.”
To have managed the internal affairs meant she had been acting as the hostess during this time.
It was the same for the Rowen family, which also lacked a hostess, but in Rowen’s case, Iswen took care of the internal matters.
Since Sioden had no siblings and had lost both parents, it was likely he had entrusted someone with the internal affairs.
However, since she was in charge of the castle’s management, it didn’t seem like they had a typical level of trust.
Merwen gestured to the woman standing a step behind her. It was the middle-aged woman who had been looking at me with a sour expression.
“This is Sezna Rodalton. She is a maid of the former duchess and has come to the north. Currently, she manages the castle’s servants.”
The woman called Sezna did not smile. She didn’t greet me either.
She simply scanned me up and down with a dissatisfied expression.
Just as I was starting to feel taken aback by her overt hostility, Merwen reached out to me. With her drooping eyes brightening once more, she said,
“Welcome to Raslet.”
