The Villainous Family Loves Me Too Much!

“Your Majesty!”

At the sudden decree of the Emperor, officials who were scattered here and there rushed forward in surprise.

“Your Majesty, please control your emotions and decide through a trial. This is a hasty decision.”

“You’re right, Your Majesty. Please reconsider.”

Although he was from the Wmpress faction, Baron Johannes, who had been a close friend of her deceased mother, came forth and prostrated himself before the Emperor.

“She’s still a young princess. It’s undoubtedly not done with malicious intent. Please at least allow her a fair trial.”

“I saw it with my own eyes. No excuses or trials are necessary. From this moment, all the royal rights of Karena Litia Leblanc are revoked, and all of the princess’s assets are confiscated.”

The Emperor was firm.

Contrary to his usual indecisive nature, he seemed surprisingly confident in his decision. Why was he so hasty now, of all times?

“Furthermore, the princess is accused of attempting to kill the Crown Prince and dozens of palace servants and nobles. I sentence her to death…”

“There’s a better punishment, Your Majesty.”

Everyone in the courtroom turned their attention to the man who interrupted the Emperor.

A better punishment? Who is it, trying to save me?

The man who appeared before the Emperor with a dignified demeanor was Archduke Felosite.

‘What’s he up to? That man might suggest something scarier than death, like drowning someone upside down until they’re about to die… such things.’

I should have mentioned earlier that he was acting suspicious. But all I had was suspicion.

I lifted my gaze to the Archduke with frozen lips.

His red eyes stared back at mine again. I felt as if his gaze penetrated deep into my soul, as if I was laid bare.

“Give the princess to me.”

What, now?

He uttered those strange words, neither smiling nor frowning, just watching.

“What did you just say, Archduke?”

“It wasn’t that difficult to understand.”

While the nobles, officials, and royals all murmured in shock, Archduke Felosite was already kneeling before the Emperor.

“Please give your daughter, Princess Karena, to me, Your Majesty.”

* * *

An unimaginable event unfolded.

In just a day, I was slapped by my father, almost sentenced to death, and became a married woman against my will. Of course, there was no wedding.

Instead, we immediately registered our marriage under the witness of a high priest and then boarded the Archduke’s carriage with minimal belongings.

I don’t know how the Archduke persuaded the Emperor, but fortunately, my rights as a royal weren’t revoked, and I was able to retain my assets.

More importantly, the wormhole incident was treated as an unfortunate accident caused by my inability to control my power, given my young age.

Surprisingly, the issue was resolved quite easily.

In the original story, was it fate for my brother to die by the hands of the villainous Archduke Felosite?

Maybe the sad ending of this story was an inevitable fate.

But there were many unsettling things about concluding that the Archduke was behind the wormhole.

Considering the diary I had found, the lies told by Beatrice and Liam, and the fact that someone had manipulated me to create the wormhole, it didn’t make sense that the Archduke was responsible for all of it.

In hindsight, the Archduke had nothing to gain.

In the original story, Archduke Felosite always acted based on gains and losses.

Creating wormholes and controlling people, even for a powerful magician, would consume a lot of mana.

The most incomprehensible thing was the fact that the Archduke saved me.

He even proposed marriage.

According to Colin, my maid, the Archduke had said that losing the ‘Power of Light’ would be a huge loss for the Empire and had discouraged execution. He also promised to control my ability with the power of Felosite territory since the iperial palace magicians couldn’t do so.

Thus, I was exiled from the capital for 5 years along with the marriage, and during that time, I was prohibited from using my abilities.

‘Is he after the ‘Power of Light’ I possess?’

I glanced at the Archduke.

‘Is he trying to control me to use my power at his will?’

Although we were sitting next to each other in the same carriage, he hadn’t said a word.

Perhaps, the power might just be an excuse. With his deep-seated resentment towards the imperial family, he might want to torture me, a princess.

No, he might be the Emperor’s son-in-law with a plan to destroy the Empire.

As a result, the ‘Fall of the Empire’ ending hasn’t yet happened, so anything could have been possible.

He wouldn’t possibly offer me as a sacrifice for the demon to induce the fall of the Empire, would he?

Either way, there was nothing good for me.

“Ouch…”

From the imperial palace until now, my hands have been bound by handcuffs in the form of magical tools.

‘This hurts more than I thought.’

Over time, the pain in my wrist got worse.

They probably intended to immobilize my powers until I escaped the capital through the pain.

Yes, just like the original villain, so villainous.

I decided to talk to the Archduke. I have to make sure I look good in front of this villain and survive no matter what.

“Excuse me, Archduke.”

He turned to look at me.

Archduke Lucian Felosite.

He had a sharp and dark aura, but he was undoubtedly a strikingly handsome man.

He had a decadent beauty that the Empire’s most handsome man, Gabriel, didn’t have.

Especially his blood-red eyes had a strangely captivating charm.

But I was afraid of his hostile gaze. The way he looked at me, as if to devour me, felt like he was seeing right through my heart.

‘Ah, isn’t the Archduke a title? Or Your Highness? No, I have a higher status. I’m a princess. What should I call him?’

I wasn’t used to calling the Archduke, so the title felt awkward. He looked at me for a while and then spoke.

“Lucian.”

“Yes?”

“Call me Lucian.”

He just spit those words out and turned his head away.

What? I’m a princess. Why is he talking to me informally? Isn’t this backwards?

I secretly glared at the Archduke.

But I noticed something strange that I hadn’t seen during our conversation. The Archduke’s ears and neck were as bright red as his eyes.

‘Is he… maybe sick?’

After that, the Archduke just stared out the window without faltering.

Had half a day already passed? The carriage still hadn’t arrived at the Felosite territory.

‘It’s strange; I heard it wasn’t that far from the capital.’

Feeling uneasy, I looked over, and Archduke Felosite was leaning slightly against the window, eyes closed.

‘Is there something wrong with the Archduke’s health? Do I have to be there… because I’m needed for his treatment?’

As I was about to turn my head, I noticed his long, pale fingers and even a strand of his flowing silver-gray hair.

Even in sleep, he looked impeccable, which was admirable.

‘Is it even possible for a villain to be this handsome as a human being?’

Perhaps the ultimate villain gets as much of a buff as the protagonist.

He wasn’t just beautiful. The fragrance he exuded was incredibly sweet. But this wasn’t the time to be admiring him.

I’ve come far from the original story, and no one knows what will happen to me from here on.

‘He surely won’t imprison me in some secret dungeon, will he? Then I might die without anyone finding me.’

Only the residents knew the exact location of Felosite.

Even if you were from Felosite territory, if you weren’t a current resident, you couldn’t enter without special permission. The entrances were always changing, so no one knew the exact route.

This was due to an agreement between the first Archduke Felosite and the Emperor of the Empire.

The King of Felosite requested annexation into the Empire under the condition of not revealing the territory to outsiders.

The ministers vehemently opposed this condition. However, my great-grandfather, the Emperor at the time, accepted the condition without any objections.

He was probably blinded by his greed for Felosite. After all, annexing Felosite was an achievement for the Empire.

In conclusion, no one in the Empire, not even the Emperor, had ever been inside the Felosite territory.

“You.”

Suddenly, the Archduke, who opened his eyes, called out to me.