Chapter 12
– Helena’s daughter is no different from our own child. Think of it lightly.
Their resentment towards the current Emperor and their affection for me, both stem from my mother, Helena.
So… here, I needed to emphasize more on being Helena’s daughter rather than my identity as a princess.
“Sister! Hurry up and get ready!”
Tired, I managed to get up due to the continued urging from Sylonne. The Archduke must have left early in the morning as his side of the bed was empty.
After the hectic times with the family, the Archduke only lay down on the opposite side of the bed when he thought I was asleep.
Of course, I was only pretending to sleep.
The presence of the Archduke on the bed kept me alert, and I couldn’t sleep properly.
For days, even if I tried talking to him, he pretended not to hear and just read his book on the sofa.
‘I messed up from the first day.’
I tried hard to present myself well, but then I did something ridiculous in front of the Archduke.
Stupid, idiot.
But he wouldn’t change his mind and send me to prison because of that, would he?
‘I went too far with my words.’
Suddenly, a question arose. Why was he so cold to his grandfather?
– My brother wasn’t like that until three years ago. After our father passed away, I don’t know what changed his mind.
It was Sylonne’s way of defending the Archduke.
If what she said was true, the reason for the decline of the Empire and the conflict with grandfather might be the same.
Because in the original work, the story took a dark turn exactly 3 years ago.
From the time when the Archduke’s father died in a carriage accident.
But why does he hate his grandfather? The previous Archduke definitely died after being thrown from the carriage and trampled by horses, as mentioned in the original work…
‘Wait a minute.’
Unconsciously, I jolted upright on the bed.
A carriage that collided hard. Horses in panic. The previous Archduke, Felosite, who fell from the carriage.
If thought of superficially, it seemed like a usual sequence of events, such accidents were common.
But this doesn’t make sense. I remembered the moment I entered the Felosite territory yesterday.
I was startled.
‘There were no horses on the Felosite carriage?’
Was it an error in the original work, or has something changed from the original?
“Why are you so spaced out? Come out quickly!”
Sylonne, who had alighted from the carriage, peeked in and urged me.
Having spent a few days together, even her cold smile now looked cute to me.
“Ah! Sorry, Sylonne. I got lost in thought for a moment. By the way, since when have you had horseless carriages?”
“I don’t know exactly, but they were there since I was young. So maybe for more than 10 years?”
“Sylonne, about the carriage…”
“Later, we’ll be late for our appointment!”
It was only then that I realized I was in the middle of Felosite’s bustling street.
Our destination, a 5-story glass building, looked unmistakably like a high-end dress shop for nobles.
“Shall we go, our bride-to-be?”
Sylonne, being tall for a woman and dressed in knight’s uniform, looked even more like the Archduke.
Meeting her red eyes, I was momentarily taken aback.
“To be honest, you look so much like the Archduke that it surprised me.”
“Ugh! I don’t want to look like him.”
“Sorry, then let’s say you don’t look alike at all.”
“It’s fine, I know we look eerily similar. Even though I don’t have the magical eyes, men are still scared of me. No suitors at all.”
“How can that be? The Archduke is so handsome! Sylonne is just as pretty and… wow!”
Upon entering the building, what I saw wasn’t the dress I expected.
Instead, there were several kiosk-shaped machines made of glass.
Many customers, young ladies who looked like noblewomen, occupied each machine, consulting with the staff.
“Welcome, Your Highness! This must be our star of the day.”
Greeting us was a middle-aged woman dressed in a gold lace dress with a feathered trim.
Her extravagant attire, distinct from the other staff in modest pink dresses, clearly revealed that she was the owner.
“Yes, this is my soon-to-be sister, Princess Karenna Litia Leblanc.”
“My name is Madame Huron. It’s an honor to meet Her Highness, the Princess of Castien.”
Madame Huron gracefully bowed, offering me a greeting in the Castien manner as if it was second nature.
I was taken aback, not expecting such a gesture in Felosite.
“It’s a pleasure. Are you by any chance from the Empire?”
For some reason, the surrounding nobles began to whisper amongst themselves.
Madame Huron, appearing unbothered, smiled gracefully and responded:
“Your Highness, if it’s alright, shall we discuss the rest in my room?”
I followed Madame to her room. As I walked behind her, Sylonne whispered cautiously to me:
“Sister, in Fellosite, those from the Empire are in a disadvantageous position. Even though they are descendants of Felosite, they often face discrimination because of their imperial lineage.”
“Oh, I must’ve been rude to Madame.”
“No, everyone already knows Madame Huron is from the Empire. In fact, it was you who garnered the attention, not Madame.”
As Sylonne and I continued our conversation, crossing the lobby, we bumped into a group of noblewomen.
They seemed to be in high spirits, laughing heartily as they passed.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
“Oh, Lady Delfia. It’s been a while.”
Among them, a noblewoman named Delfia warmly greeted Sylonne.
She was a beauty, with a curvaceous figure, light brown curly hair, and captivating eyes that sparkled with mirth.
“Oh my, I thought you were the Archduke and got all excited.”
“You seem easily thrilled.”
“But who’s this?”
Lady Delfia curiously looked me over, her gaze scanning me from head to toe.
“This is our new sister, Her Highness Karena Leblanc from the Empire.”
“New sister? So…”
“The Archduke’s wife. The new Archduchess of Felosite.”
Priscilla, seemingly shocked for a moment, quickly regained her composure and warmly greeted me.
“Congratulations! Welcome to Felosite. I’m Priscilla Delfia. Let’s get along.”
She approached with a lovely smile and gently hugged me.
As I tried to return her gesture of goodwill with a word of gratitude:
“Thank you, I’m looking forward to…”
Suddenly, in the middle of our embrace, a chilling voice whispered into my ear:
“I can’t hear you, dear. Speak up a bit…”
Before I could react, a shadow swiftly passed before my eyes.
“Ah!”
Sylonne swiftly immobilized Priscilla, pinning her to the ground as if arresting a criminal.
“Ah! What are you doing?”
Sylonne’s reaction was quite aggressive.
“Lady Delfia, have you gone mad?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Daring to curse…”
“Ouch! Stop it, you brute!”
Priscilla complained, and with each word, Sylonne’s grip tightened.
“Shut up, before I break your arm.”
After I assured Sylonne I was fine, she finally released Priscilla.
“You won’t get away with this, Felosite Princess!”
“Oh, please. Just leave. Shoo, shoo.”
“You, relying on the Archduke, your time ends today!”
Priscilla left in a huff, with the other startled noblewomen trailing behind.
“Why did you do that? Even if I don’t fully understand the situation here, it looks like Sylonne might be in trouble.”
“She dared to…”
Sylonne suddenly blushed and mumbled.
“What are you talking about?”
“That is, she was casting a curse on you!”
“What?”
“How could she do something so disgraceful to someone as adorable and cute as you? Is she blind? You’re the cutest and prettiest being I’ve ever seen in my life!”
Wait, what?