Chapter 38.
Thanks to Friedrich’s massage, I was able to start that morning feeling refreshed.
After a simple breakfast, I left my hair in Elsa’s hands. When I kept yawning, she remarked,
“I’ll prepare some tea that’s good for relieving fatigue.”
“Thanks. I went to bed late last night.”
“After all, you went to the prince’s room past midnight.”
“Really? Did I take that long in the bath…”
I started to reply casually, then paused abruptly and turned around. Elsa looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“…What did you just say?”
“Pardon?”
“That I went to Friedrich’s room past midnight?”
Elsa nodded. Even more flustered, I asked again.
“Are you sure? That I went to Friedrich’s room after midnight?”
Elsa showed me a notebook. It was where she recorded my whereabouts by the hour.
“…It’s true.”
Yesterday, I left my room at 12:03 a.m. It was definitely past midnight.
Yet Friedrich had greeted me last night in his adult form. And it was well over ten minutes later that he turned into a child.
The unbreakable rule had been broken. Why?
‘There’s no such thing as exceptions in the curse.’
If the rule was shaken, it meant the curse had been affected. But I had no idea what the cause could be.
For now, I suppose I have no choice but to observe. In any case, signs that the curse might be lifting were a positive development.
“…Maybe it really is because it’s the first day after marriage?”
Elsa stared at me with a bewildered expression. I handed back the notebook and changed the subject.
“It’s nothing. Oh, and Princess Mari didn’t come to my wedding yesterday, right?”
“Yes, she wasn’t seen at the ceremony or the reception.”
“Why didn’t she come? Well, I suppose I’m still intimidating to her.”
I muttered nonchalantly and rose from my seat.
Elsa draped a light shawl over my shoulders and asked,
“Are you heading to Nox Palace?”
“Yes. I need to see Mari.”
“….”
Elsa was silent for a moment before saying,
“Since it’s your first day of marriage, it might be fine to be a bit more lenient.”
“…Are you afraid I’ll devour Princess Mari or something?”
I chuckled and reassured Elsa.
“Don’t worry. Well, I am a little hurt, but we haven’t been close for long.”
It’s awkward to give congratulatory gifts to someone you’re not that familiar with, after all. I joked as I headed to the carriage, only to run into Friedrich, who was outside.
“Fritz.”
I greeted him with a warm smile.
“Were you out for a walk?”
“Yes.”
Friedrich nodded.
“Where are you going?”
“Hmm, to Nox Palace and then to the library. What about you today?”
“Hmm….”
Friedrich wore an odd expression for a moment before answering.
“Just a walk.”
“Don’t stay out too long in this heat.”
Friedrich nodded obediently and said,
“When you return, let’s have something cool together.”
“Sounds good.”
I smiled softly and stroked his hair.
***
Upon arriving at Nox Palace, Lady Noivan bowed deeply with a startled expression.
“Y-Your Highness. What brings you here…”
“I’ve come to see my little sister.”
Why so surprised? It’s not like I haven’t been here before.
“Where is Mari? She’s not still sleeping, is she?”
“Ah, well….”
Lady Noivan fidgeted anxiously and bowed her head.
“I’m terribly sorry. Lately, Princess Mari has been sleeping in quite late. I didn’t expect you to come so early today….”
“Oh? She’s sleeping in today too?”
“Yes. I’m sorry every time you visit.”
“….”
I gazed steadily at the flustered Lady Noivan and asked,
“Why didn’t the princess come to my wedding? Especially after I personally sent her a dress.”
“Ah, about that….”
Lady Noivan opened her mouth with a deferential expression.
“It was a decision the princess made after much deliberation. Of course, the grace of gifting the dress is as vast as the sea, but she judged it inappropriate for her to attend such an auspicious occasion….”
“You mean you judged it, right?”
“P-Pardon?”
She answered readily to my sudden interruption.
Realizing her mistake immediately, she flinched and gauged my reaction.
“…I merely offered advice.”
“Presumptuously? When I clearly told her to come?”
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Lady Noivan’s paling face before speaking.
“I need to see Mari. Where is she right now?”
“F-Forgive me, Your Highness. I, with my shallow insight, have offended Your Highness’s feelings—!”
“I get it, so where is Mari?”
I’d only ever met her in the reception room, so I didn’t even know where her bedroom was.
But Lady Noivan merely dropped to her knees before me, repeatedly apologizing without giving the answer I wanted.
I sighed and spoke up.
“Elsa, take this woman away and lock her up. She dares not respond to a royal’s words. Search the rooms and find Mari.”
“Understood.”
“Y-Your Highness!”
As the maids approached Lady Noivan on my command, she prostrated herself in terror.
“I-I was wrong! Please forgive me! I only did it for the princess’s sake…!”
“Be quiet. Gag her.”
“Y-Your… Mmph! Mmph!”
A gag was placed in Lady Noivan’s mouth as she was held on both sides by the maids.
While she was being dragged away, the other maids used pins to unlock the locked rooms one by one.
It was during this process.
“Your Highness, we’ve found her!”
A maid’s shout came from afar.
I immediately headed toward the room where the voice originated. The moment I crossed the threshold, my expression hardened rapidly.
“…This is.”
My words trailed off as my breath caught in my throat. The tiny room was visible in its entirety at a glance.
The window was nailed shut with wooden planks, as if imprisoning a criminal. In stark contrast to the bright outside, the room inside was pitch dark, with no proper light entering.
A musty smell of mold mixed with damp dust assaulted my nose. The room was utterly neglected overall, but what caught my eye the most was—
“She was locked in the wardrobe.”
A wooden wardrobe barely large enough for a child to fit inside. The inner door bore scratches that looked like they were made by fingernails, over and over.
Not just one or two—there were many. They varied in size from small to large, as if marking the passage of time….
A chill ran down my spine. I dazedly shifted my gaze to Mari standing before it.
She looked exhausted and drained. A large purple bruise marred her cheek.
Her eyes held a faint glow, like the last flickering embers of a dying fire.
Her fragile appearance, as if she might collapse at any moment, made my heart sink.
My heart pounded as if it might burst. I bit my lip hard to suppress the emotions rising from deep within my chest.
When Mari saw my expression and flinched, I pulled her slender body into my arms.
Holding Mari for the first time, her body was incredibly soft and so very small. Like a tender spring branch that might snap with the slightest pressure.
I held Mari close and steadied my breathing. I expected her to cry, but unexpectedly, she seemed utterly composed.
That indifference made my heart race even more wildly. You can’t be like this—not in this state.
How did it come to this? How long has it been this way? Why are you acting so nonchalant about it….
Questions flooded my mind, but unleashing them on this child now would be selfish.
After exhaling a trembling breath, I faced Mari again. Stroking her bloodless cheek, I whispered,
“It’s all okay now, Mari.”
“….”
“Elsa.”
I quietly gave the order.
“Take Mari to Rene Palace. Call the court physician immediately to check her condition. Take good care of this child….”
“I’ll tend to her well, Your Highness.”
Elsa interjected softly, as if no further instructions were needed.
I managed to curve my lips into a smile and met Mari’s eyes.
Her gaze trembled with wariness, like a bird just rescued.
“See you later, Mari.”
I stroked her hair and turned away. The heat of anger that had flushed my cheeks had already cooled to an icy chill.
‘Yes….’
How shall I deal with that insolent old fox.
