Chapter 10.
“How would I know that, Your Highness?”
Empress Gisela responded belatedly, her face breaking into a smile.
At her words, I let out a soft chuckle, and the empress’s expression hardened.
But she quickly returned to her smiling face and asked,
“Why don’t you try interrogating them?”
“Unfortunately, I killed them all.”
I replied with a smile of my own.
“I’ll keep the next ones alive.”
“Please do.”
The empress chimed in earnestly.
“I’m dying of curiosity. Who’s the mastermind behind these constant threats to Your Highness?”
“Well… it would be whoever stands to gain the most from my disappearance, I suppose.”
“Is there such a person in this empire? Everyone benefits from Your Highness’s abilities.”
“Exactly.”
I let out a short sigh.
“How lacking in self-awareness they must be.”
“That’s why I offered to assign guards to Rene, but this child keeps refusing, doesn’t she?”
The emperor, who had been silent until now, stepped in. The empress sighed and asked,
“Why is that, Your Highness?”
“I already told Father. What if there are people among them who want to kill me?”
“Oh, come now—His Majesty would surely select them carefully.”
“I prefer protecting my own life.”
Good, up to this point, I’ve been sufficiently rude, just like the original Rene! It was only then that I subtly let slip my true feelings.
“I’m getting a bit tired of this life, to be honest. Since I’ll be getting married soon anyway, I’ve been thinking about just leaving the palace.”
At those words, the eyes of all three wavered simultaneously. I pressed on, adding fuel to the fire.
“With a rabbit-like husband and fox-like children to raise. What do you think, Father Your Majesty?”
“That’s out of the question, Rene. The successor hasn’t been decided yet.”
Originally, even a princess became an outsider upon marriage, but when the successor was undecided, exceptions were made.
“Oh, why not? It’s obvious Anton will be the one anyway. There’s no precedent in Stade history for a woman becoming emperor.”
Now, the three of them were looking at me as if I were a stranger.
Did I come on too strong from the start? I quietly took a step back.
“Of course, I am an unprecedented mage myself.”
“Deciding on a successor already is absurd, Your Highness.”
The empress shook her head vigorously, as if to say don’t even mention it.
“His Majesty is still young; it’s not time to discuss succession.”
Of course—in this situation, right after his triumphant return, discussing succession would make Rene, with her recent achievements, the frontrunner.
That’s why I didn’t want the successor decided right now either.
When you think about it, we actually get along quite well in that regard.
“Well, you’re certainly at an age where it wouldn’t be strange for me to have a younger sibling soon.”
“At an age to see grandchildren, you mean.”
“That’s right, Your Majesty. So I’d like to hold the wedding as soon as possible.”
“You’re really going to have a wedding with that slave?”
The empress asked in a flustered voice. I corrected her immediately.
“He’s not a slave; he’s properly the prince of Kill. And he’s going to be my husband.”
“I heard he’s handsome, but… what about Duke Rommel? He’s no slouch in looks either.”
So that’s what she was curious about. Of course—if I married Joachim, it would be quite threatening to the empress.
I gladly gave her the answer she wanted.
“I’m not marrying the duke.”
“But you accepted his escort today?”
“That was only because my husband-to-be is locked up in prison; I had no choice.”
Faced with her persistent probing, I frowned slightly and continued.
“I’ll hold the ceremony as soon as preparations are ready. My twenty-fifth birthday isn’t far off either.”
“There’s still half a year left, Rene.”
“But if I want to deliver news of a grandchild within that time, I’ll have to hurry.”
Saying words I didn’t even mean without hesitation, I rose from my seat.
“Then I’ll excuse myself first. Suddenly, I can’t bear not seeing my husband-to-be.”
I had come here mainly to make it clear that I intended to go through with the marriage.
I gave a slight nod and left the banquet hall. Elsa looked surprised at my early departure.
“Where’s Friedrich?”
“He’s waiting at the princess’s palace.”
I headed straight to Rene’s palace. I planned to have dinner with Friedrich.
Let the rumor spread that the princess stormed out of dinner with the emperor because she missed the prince from the defeated nation.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
Compared to a loveless family, having a meal while looking at a handsome man’s face would be far more enjoyable.
“This is the prince’s room.”
I knocked on the door that Elsa had guided me to, but there was no sound from inside.
It occurred to me belatedly that he might be sleeping. He must be tired; I shouldn’t wake him.
“Your Highness?”
Just then, the door burst open, and Friedrich appeared. His shirt was disheveled, and his eyes were slightly closed.
“Oh dear.”
I smiled awkwardly.
“I must have woken you.”
“I was just about to get up.”
“Liar.”
Sleep was still clinging to the corners of his eyes. As I brushed them lightly to point it out, Friedrich flinched and stiffened his shoulders.
“Go back and sleep. I’ll tell the kitchen to prepare a meal whenever you want.”
“…I really was about to get up.”
Friedrich said in a small voice.
“I’m hungry. I barely ate lunch…”
Well, same here. I turned to Elsa and said,
“Please prepare dinner, Elsa. As for the location…”
Without thinking, I was about to say the banquet hall, but I asked Friedrich for his opinion.
“Where do you want to eat? The banquet hall is gorgeous, and the garden is beautiful.”
“Anywhere is fine.”
“Then let’s eat in the banquet hall. The wind felt a bit chilly.”
Friedrich nodded, and I led him to the banquet hall.
‘Wow, it’s no less than the Solara Palace banquet hall.’
As soon as we entered, the array of lavish famous paintings on the walls caught my eye first, followed by the marble sculptures. The banquet hall felt just like an art gallery.
“It’s splendid.”
“Yeah.”
I had memories of the layout of Rene’s palace, but I didn’t know the interior in such detail, so I looked around in genuine admiration.
Then I realized this reaction might seem odd to Friedrich, so I quickly added,
“It feels fresh seeing it after so long, haha. Come on, sit down.”
I chose a seat not at the head of the table, but one where I could sit facing Friedrich. He looked a bit surprised by my action and opened his mouth.
“Is it alright for you to sit here?”
“It goes against etiquette, but who cares.”
I shrugged and replied.
“Look, it’s just us here.”
At that, Friedrich wore a thoughtful expression for a moment, then suddenly stood up.
Wondering what he was doing, I watched as he came over and sat right next to me.
“There are no maids here.”
“No, you… don’t have to do that.”
I furrowed my brow slightly and said,
“I told you. It’s just us. There’s no one here who needs to see you serving me. And my hands are perfectly fine; I can eat on my own.”
Then, feeling a sudden playful urge, I asked teasingly,
“Or have you already gotten used to attending to me?”
Friedrich didn’t answer. Belatedly thinking the joke might have been too much, I was about to apologize when…
“…Maybe.”
A faint reply came. I froze with a blank expression, then my gaze drifted to Friedrich’s wrist.
The gleaming silver handcuffs that had captured my attention for the past month were gone.
As I stared at it intently, Friedrich, perhaps thinking I was interested in his wrist, rolled up his shirt sleeve.
Friedrich’s skin was already so fair that veins showed through.
But a specific part of his wrist was pale like marble, forming a clear boundary with the rest. Without thinking, I grabbed it and murmured,
“It’s true.”
“…”
“This isn’t a mark from just a month in handcuffs.”
So, had he really lived like a slave, shackled and imprisoned for the past five years? And faced assassination attempts from time to time amid all that?
“You…”
I looked at Friedrich with a furrowed brow. He was gazing down calmly.
“You were far more pitiful than I thought.”
As soon as those words left my mouth, Friedrich’s long eyelashes trembled. Then, slowly, he lifted his gaze to meet mine.
His eyes, wide with shock as if hearing something unbelievable, pierced straight through me.
