Chapter 49.
“The brilliant morning star of Stade, I greet Your Highness the Princess.”
Adelina hurriedly bowed at the waist to greet me. I ignored her completely and turned my gaze to Mari.
“Mari, are you okay?”
Her white cheek, which I’d finally restored to normal, now bore a fresh scratch. It brought back memories of the day Mari first arrived at Rene Palace.
“Are you hurt anywhere else? Besides your cheek—does anything ache?”
I gritted my teeth, struggling to hide my anger as I asked, and Mari shook her head, dropping her gaze.
‘She’s hiding it. The scratch is plain to see.’
Somehow, in her fall, her elbow was bleeding.
Her hand, clenched into a fist and trembling violently, her eyes that looked ready to spill tears at any moment—everything bothered me immensely, but first, there was someone I needed to deal with.
When I turned my head, I saw Adelina Weiss still bowing deeply to me.
“Wasn’t your back hurting?”
“…Pardon?”
“I had no idea you could bow like this for so long. When Princess Mari bowed to greet you, you were so stiff. I naturally assumed your back was aching.”
From afar, even just her silhouette showed Adelina’s attitude had been extremely haughty and arrogant. It wasn’t the demeanor one should take toward a princess.
‘But she probably didn’t think of her as a real princess.’
The news that Mari was living under my protection at Rene Palace hadn’t yet spread to high society.
The Emperor, not wanting to make a fuss, had quietly sent Lady Noivan to a convent.
That said, there’s no way she didn’t know Mari’s identity. Mari resembled the Emperor so closely it was like looking at a mirror image.
“I apologize for showing you such an unseemly side.”
Adelina touched her cheek and bowed her head.
“Princess Mari suddenly cut in, causing the carriage to stop abruptly, and I couldn’t control my emotions.”
“Yes, you must have been startled.”
As I nodded, Adelina’s expression brightened slightly. She must have thought I was taking her side…
“But you weren’t hurt anywhere, were you?”
“…Yes? Oh, yes. I’m perfectly fine.”
Her face suggested she found something odd, yet Adelina answered dutifully. I smiled coldly and said.
“Princess Mari scraped her elbow when she fell on her bottom, and she even got slapped by you?”
“…”
“I had no idea you were such an ill-mannered person. Wouldn’t a lady of refinement first extend a hand to someone who’s fallen and check if they’re injured?”
Adelina hung her head deeply, as if ashamed.
But her expression was merely one of chagrin. She seemed to think I was just displeased with her undignified behavior.
“Especially for a lady aspiring to be the prince’s consort.”
“…I apologize. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
“Hmm.”
I tilted my head skeptically and muttered.
“Elsa, what punishment is given to a noble who slaps a member of the imperial family?”
“Regardless of status, the wrist is severed.”
“So I’ve heard, Lady Weiss.”
Adelina’s flustered expression finally shifted in tone. She looked like she wondered if I was joking, yet couldn’t let her guard down because it was me, Rene.
“It was your right hand that slapped her, wasn’t it?”
As I gently took hold of Adelina’s right hand, she jerked in alarm, her hand trembling. Her fingers stiffened completely.
“Your left hand will remain unharmed, so you’ll need to be careful from now on if you want to protect the one that’s left.”
“…Your Highness.”
Adelina opened her mouth with a quivering voice.
“I apologize. I acted without propriety. Please forgive me.”
“Is that your mistake?”
I smiled crookedly and asked.
“Do you think your mistake was acting without propriety?”
Adelina Weiss nodded hastily.
I’d given her this much of a chance, and she still didn’t get it? I sighed and tightened my grip on her hand.
“Ah! Aaaah!”
With a cracking sound, Adelina’s wrist bent completely to one side. She screamed as if the world were ending.
I hadn’t even broken it, yet she reacted this dramatically. I furrowed my brow and shook my head disapprovingly.
“Lady Weiss, without propriety.”
“Ah, hah…”
Adelina poured out tears from her eyes, feigning death. Well, in her life, who would have dared to twist her wrist like that?
But Adelina should consider this fortunate and be grateful. If it had been the real Rene, it wouldn’t have been her wrist twisted—it would have been her neck snapped entirely.
“Consider it an honor that I’m letting you off this easily. If Their Majesties had witnessed this, you wouldn’t have escaped greater wrath.”
Adelina, who had been sobbing, stopped crying at those words, looking at me with a dumbfounded expression, as if she found it absurd.
The resentful gaze suggested she firmly believed nothing would have happened if the Emperor had seen it.
“Your Highness, how could you… to me…!”
“Are you trying to ask why I’m treating you so rudely?”
I cut off Adelina’s words icily.
“I’ve never seen someone so brazen after committing triple imperial insult. Your actions today warrant beheading on the spot. Do you understand? The crime of riding a carriage in the palace that’s reserved only for imperials, the crime of nearly running over a princess with that carriage, and even the crime of laying a hand on that princess!”
I’d tried to suppress my anger, but as I continued, fury seeped into my voice.
Finally unable to hold back, I raised my voice in rage right in front of Mari, then took a short deep breath to barely regain control of my emotions.
“Try refuting it.”
After a brief silence, I uttered the words in a low voice, and Adelina’s expression finally turned to one of realization. Because not a single thing I’d said was wrong.
Adelina hurriedly knelt before me and bowed her head low.
“I apologize, Your Highness. It’s… all my fault. Please forgive me.”
At her prostrate apology, I smiled wryly.
“You’re wrong. The person you need to apologize to and beg forgiveness from isn’t me, is it?”
Adelina lifted her head with a dazed expression, then, realizing the true meaning of my words, I saw her grit her teeth.
Then, she soon bowed her head again toward Mari.
“I’m sorry, Princess Mari. Please generously overlook my foolish mistake and forgive me.”
“I-It’s oka…”
“Ah, I don’t see sincerity in that apology.”
I quickly interrupted kind-hearted Mari, who was fidgeting and about to say it was okay.
“I must have been too lenient, Lady Weiss.”
What do you mean it’s okay? She could have been run over by the carriage and died. It’s not for nothing that carriage use is prohibited inside the palace.
At my sarcastic remark, Adelina bit her lip so hard it seemed it might tear, then lowered her forehead until it touched the ground.
“I’ve committed a mortal sin, Princess Mari. I truly apologize…”
A sobbing sound came from beneath her bowed head. Mari looked at me with a face that didn’t know what to do.
As expected from the heroine—she’s just so kind. I let out a soft chuckle and stroked Mari’s hair.
“That’s enough. Stand up, Lady Weiss.”
Only then did Adelina rise with the support of the maids on either side of her.
She kept her head deeply bowed, and I was 100% certain it was to hide her insolent expression from me.
“Be more careful from now on. I know you’re a leading candidate for prince’s consort.”
But you’re not the ‘real’ consort yet, are you?
As I delivered the low jab, Adelina trembled and nodded.
“You are most wise, Your Highness.”
I stared quietly at Adelina, whose attitude had finally softened, then curved my lips into a smile and turned my gaze to Mari.
“Let’s go, Mari.”
And with that, I walked past Adelina toward Rene Palace.
I hoped Mari wasn’t scared of me because of this incident.
A subtle worry crept in, and I glanced at Mari’s expression.
“…I’m sorry.”
It came out of nowhere. Mari apologizing wasn’t in any of my expectations.
I furrowed my brow and looked at her, and Mari bit her lip hard with an even more crestfallen expression.
“B-Because of me, you’re making an enemy of Prince Anton…”
“What are you talking about, Mari? Anton and I were never on good terms anyway.”
I let out a hollow laugh and stopped Mari in her tracks. And the moment I met her eyes, it felt like my heart dropped.
They were eyes filled with fear that she might burden me.
I’d hoped she’d feel even a little satisfaction from that situation earlier. But this child was only worried about causing me harm.
“It wasn’t your fault. I was just putting an arrogant noble in her place for daring to insult you and act like she was imperial. By the rules, I really could have cut off her wrist.”
How could I not love a kid like this? I hugged Mari tightly and urged her.
“So don’t think unnecessary thoughts. ‘Thank you for coming to get me, sister.’ That’s all you need to say.”
But even as I said it, I didn’t really expect her to.
“Thank you for coming to get me.”
A cautious whisper came, followed shortly by a tiny voice, like an ant crawling.
“…Sister.”
I looked at Mari with a stunned expression, and there she was, embarrassed and gauging my reaction.
So cute! I burst into laughter mixed with a squeal and hugged Mari tightly.
