“I am truly grateful for your hospitality, even as you endure such a sorrowful ordeal.”
The Kerujan delegation, led by Prince Elkanan, had arrived. They began their schedule by offering their full condolences for the Empress of Krania’s sudden fall into a coma.
The banquet table, a harmony of Kerujan and Krania’s culinary cultures, was extravagant and abundant. It was no exaggeration for Prince Elkanan to express his thanks for the warm reception. Tomorrow, the banquet prepared by Kaella would be held as well.
Peon watched Kaella as she greeted Prince Elkanan and engaged in light conversation. They looked quite good together. She possessed an ease he could never provide—a shared background of having been born and raised in a warm maritime climate. Surely, they would share similar cultural sensibilities and topics of conversation. They were a perfect match. Rather than serving as the Grand Duchess of an empire that was only glamorous in name, it would be far more fulfilling for her to marry the king’s younger brother and become a Princess.
‘I was an idiot.’
Peon defined his past actions with simple, brutal clarity. There was no greater fool than he.
Before he regressed, he had been indifferent even when Beatrice, whom he had protected so desperately, spoke with other men. Despite being under the restriction, he felt no jealousy, nor was he bothered. He would simply pass by, thinking they must have had something to discuss, feeling nothing at all.
But now, just watching Kaella smile as she faced a fine, handsome prince made his stomach churn, and he could see nothing else. Neither the diplomatic meetings nor anything else could penetrate his mind.
In the biting cold of Lyussenford, he had struggled to catch his gaze whenever it tried to follow her—how shameless and brazen was this, then? Every time he felt this way, Peon recalled the Emperor’s words, repeated to him as if to ensure he never forgot.
You were born with the blood of a thick-skinned thief. You must spend your whole life working to dilute that blood.
It was hardly something to say to a child, but in the end, it was the truth. He was foolish, lacking, and furthermore, thick-skinned.
He turned his head away. He had ignored Kaella throughout their time in Lyussenford, so he could do it again. He could do it even without the restriction.
It was time for Hyperion Savrand Ferraro to be completely excluded from the list of suitors for the Ostain daughter, Kaella De Chasseur, who had been blessed by the former Emperor.
Prince Elkanan, with his skin beautifully tanned to an olive hue, suited Kaella far better than he, with his pale, bloodless complexion from the north.
“In truth, I was overjoyed to hear that you were preparing the banquet, My Lady. That in itself is my honor.”
He was cheerful and had a silver tongue, having already made Kaella smile; was that not enough? He was better than a husband who only imposed duties and gave nothing but death and humiliation in return. Peon felt his heart being stabbed repeatedly, but he ignored it and endured in silence. He knew well that this was a pathetic, belated pain. It was a shameful matter he had to hide, and hide again.
“It seems the Prince prefers the Lady’s attention over the Empress’s care.”
“It is better for those of similar age to spend time together, Your Majesty.”
At Adeo’s words, the Emperor chuckled softly. In the past, he would have roared with laughter, but now he looked drained, like someone who had lost all joy in life.
“Yes. It is good for the young people to keep close.”
The social circles of Krania, which assigned meaning to every single word the Emperor uttered, would start speculating about the possibility of a marriage between the daughter of Ostain and Prince Elkanan from this moment on.
Prince Elkanan was not a bad choice. His status was not inferior as he was royalty, and the Kerujan royal family, while not as wealthy as Krania, was by no means poor. Moreover, since Prince Elkanan was not the direct heir to the throne, one could live comfortably without the burden of royal duty.
Peon was thinking of the benefits and the prosperous life Kaella would gain from marrying the prince more earnestly than anyone else. It was a life he could never provide, a life he had already failed to give her. Above all, she would be safe.
“Though it is regrettable that the Empress is bedridden, I have been relieved of a great burden thanks to the major roles played by the grown Grand Duke and the Lady. Adeo, you have raised your daughter well.”
At those words, the three people in charge of the entire event bowed to the Emperor in unison. Long live the Emperor, ruler of the great Krania Empire, and may his achievements resonate throughout the continent for ages to come.
Only the evidence of the Empress, discarded in the north, stared at the shadows cast beneath the glory of the Emperor, which was brighter than the sun and more brilliant than gold.
The Emperor slowly curled his trembling hands into fists, as if to hide them. He was afraid of something.
･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ･
“Peon, Peon!”
The person whose name was called strode on, but he had no choice but to turn back. He did not want to stop, but the footsteps running behind him would eventually catch up. Beatrice Lavalle, who had twisted her silver hair up to fully display her charms, was chasing after him.
Each time she ran in a rush, holding up the hem of her elaborate dress, the layers of pearl necklaces she wore clattered. Peon did not feel disgust at the sight itself, but rather loathed himself for having failed to realize the situation even while looking at it.
Where could there be a hostage as glamorous as her? He had once thought that even this extravagance was something Beatrice wore desperately to survive in society and to survive the Emperor. Or perhaps the restriction had made him think so.
Damn it. Even when he was squeezed between the Emperor, the evil dragon, and the foreign tribes invading at every opportunity, he should not have thought so easily. He should have doubted everything. He should have doubted the restriction.
“Peon!”
She stopped, looked up at him resentfully, and spat out his name as if calling out one more time. Behind Beatrice, in the distance, he saw Kaella standing silently and watching them.
“Why did you come running? I have to leave again anyway.”
Having caught his gaze drifting toward Kaella, he answered bluntly.
“Are you angry with me? Why are you like this to me lately? Even that Kaella girl is the same. Do I have to ask her where you are?”
So Kaella had told her. Peon bowed his head.
Beatrice mainly touched upon the deep-seated memories and sentimental aspects accumulated between her and Peon. There was a high possibility that this was the spell that activated the restriction. Peon was not a man swayed by shallow emotions, but this was possible because he was incredibly soft when it came to the Empress and Beatrice.
“Angry? I’m not angry with you.”
He said it calmly with a composed face. In reality, he was not angry with Beatrice. The one he was enraged at was himself; Beatrice could not even hold his anger. She didn’t deserve it. Only endless contempt and indifference remained. It felt exactly like looking at a bug making a noisy sound.
“Then why, why are you doing this?”
At his excessive composure, Beatrice was so flustered she even stammered.
“How can you be like this to me? I came to find you because I was glad to see you and worried about you. You only come to the capital once or twice a year. We can’t even meet properly, so how could you, in front of everyone else…”
The reason for the outpouring of resentment was, in the end, not that she was worried about Peon, but that he had embarrassed her in front of Kaella.
Though they had played together since they were young, Beatrice never liked Kaella. Kaella had many more beautiful clothes, shoes, and toys than her, and above all, she had a father who cherished her dearly. Even if she tried to use the kind-hearted Kaella to get things or suppress her with her age, she had to bow her head in the end due to status; there was no way Beatrice could view Kaella kindly.
Peon never existed in Beatrice’s emotions. There was only herself. In that sense, she and he matched quite well. Both were selfish, knew only themselves, and sacrificed others.
“Beatrice. Since everyone is watching, we must be more careful.”
He admonished her very calmly and quietly.
“What good will it do you to be criticized?”
“Even so, how can you be so cold-hearted? Do you know how embarrassed I was? You shouldn’t do that to me.”
You shouldn’t do that to me.
The words he had heard endlessly began. Black poison dripped from her red tongue and headed for his ears.
“You know, Peon. I’m at this age and I haven’t married, I only look at you. Everyone in Krain knows it. I am your woman.”
In the past, he had believed those words were sincere. Since he rarely stayed in the capital of Krain. Peon stared at Beatrice for a moment and then suddenly asked.
“Then would you like to come to Lyussenford?”
“……Huh?”
Beatrice, who had been trying to strengthen the restriction as usual by placing all the burden on Peon, asking if he knew what kind of humiliation she was suffering in Krain, was flustered for the first time.
“You’re right. I’ve left you alone for too long. Let’s go to Lyussenford. It’s about time.”
It was better to send the innocent Kaella across the sea and have only the foolish him and Beatrice tangled up, wallowing in hell together. She, of all people, should die with him if she were to die. Peon intended to shoulder his sins by himself this time.
“I’m sorry for being so late, Beatrice.”
The face of the great Grand Duke, apologizing for being late, was filled with nothing but chilling coldness.
“I will speak to His Majesty the Emperor immediately. I was too indifferent.”
“No, Peon, wait a moment!”
What was he talking about? Going to that snowy, terribly cold Lyussenford? Honestly, Beatrice did not want to become the Grand Duchess of that place. Even if the Duchess of Monde welcomed her, that was out of the question.
“What is this all of a sudden? I, I have no choice but to stay in Krain! His Majesty will stop you. You know that.”
Krain. She was in the most glamorous city, the vanguard of trends, where the wealth and glory she coveted were concentrated. Beatrice was looking not at Peon, but at the Emperor, the pinnacle of power that moved him. Peon was merely a tool to reach the Emperor. But that tool smiled gloomily.
“We have to at least request it, Beatrice. I’m sorry. I’m busy. Let’s talk later.”
The broad shoulders draped in a pitch-black cloak turned sharply, and he moved away before she could even catch him. The restriction must have been pushing Peon to the point of obsession with her. Something was wrong. Beatrice was deathly pale, struck by shock.
･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ･
Major events were always the most fun when preparing for them, and less so when the event actually began.
It was the same for Kaella. The welcoming ceremony for the diplomatic delegation, which she had organized herself for the first time in a while, was most fun when preparing; once it started, it was only exhausting. She smiled perfunctorily, occasionally glancing around, looking for a head of lovely silver hair or towering jet-black hair.
Beatrice came up to Kaella, unable to hide her annoyance, and asked where Peon was. Since they were hosting the event together, Kaella had to know where Peon was, and Beatrice dared not ask the Duke of Ostain about Peon’s whereabouts.
‘It was always me who was easy to deal with.’
Peon and Beatrice had been close since they were young, as there was an age gap between them and Kaella. This was because the Empress had brought the daughter of a friend who was suffering from debt collectors and made her play with the lonely Peon.
By the time Kaella was born, the Emperor had given up on having an heir with the Empress and started having illegitimate children, but Kaella only followed Peon around, not those children. Peon must have found the young girl who followed him around like a shadow rather annoying.
She shouldn’t have done that. The memories of following him around in her youth because she liked him had become a source of great embarrassment and shame to her in Lyussenford, memories she didn’t even want to recall.
How could Peon, who had grown up watching his steps because he was an illegitimate child of the Empress, do anything else, unlike her—the daughter of the Duke of Ostain, sanctioned by the former Emperor? In the face of the harsh winter, the unrequited love of a foolish young lady was merely a nuisance. At the same time, Beatrice, who was of the same age as Peon and knew this, regarded Kaella as very easy to handle.
It was simple. Kaella was weak to Peon, and Peon was weak to Beatrice. Moreover, the daughter of the highest-ranking Duke was the youngest and, above all, kind. Naturally, the hierarchy was settled by that. No matter how hard she tried, Kaella could never cross the bond that had already formed between Beatrice and Peon.
‘No, since their hearts are so deep, the two of them must be united this time.’
This was not a wish for Peon’s happiness, but a curse from the Grand Duchess of Lyussenford, who had been so exhausted from being pushed around. She had acted out of a malicious heart, thinking, ‘You try suffering for once, you tried so hard to make a scene, so you should experience it too.’ Even though she had done the deed, she couldn’t be brazen, and her heart stung with unnecessary guilt.
Had the two of them met? What would they have talked about? It would surely be a conversation filled with some special bond between the two that Kaella would never be able to understand.
During the four years she lived as Peon’s wife, Kaella had never possessed any such bond. Even as she was confined, labeled a spy by the accomplice who killed her father, she could not even resent him properly.
Isn’t that truly stupid?
“My Lady.”
“Your Highness.”
Kaella turned her body toward Prince Elkanan, hiding her severe self-loathing behind a smile. She had to be even more flawless, as the prince, who was meticulous about Krania’s titles, was reputed to be no ordinary diplomat.
“Is there anything you need?”
“You have provided so abundantly that there is nothing lacking at all. Was it not too much of a strain for you, My Lady, because of us?”
The conversation that began that way flowed very smoothly into inquiries about the wellbeing of both royal families, the recent weather in both countries, and boating.
Kaella was playing the role of the hostess who had organized this event properly, as anyone could see. She was flawless in dealing with the high-ranking royals and the diplomats who possessed wisdom and scholarship.
Peon, who had returned after shaking off Beatrice, watched Kaella from afar. She, who had lost her smile in Lyussenford to the point where he couldn’t even remember when she had last laughed, was smiling. She was smiling listlessly with a face that had gained a good amount of weight.
Peon, watching her silently, narrowed his brows. Listlessly?
“……Kaella.”
As he couldn’t help but approach Kaella, Prince Elkanan welcomed him cheerfully.
“Ah, Your Grace the Grand Duke. Welcome. We were just discussing the maritime music used in boating with the Lady. Which composer do you prefer, Your Grace?”
“The only maritime music I’ve heard recently is the sea shanty sung by the Vinland tribe when they invade, so it’s difficult to answer.”
The Grand Duke of Lyussenford, where boating itself was a luxury, answered bluntly. He already had his eyes fixed only on Kaella, not Prince Elkanan.
“Ah, those Northerners who make a living by raiding by boat. I heard the damage is severe.”
“Yes.”
If he answered half-heartedly on purpose, the conversation would become awkward and cut off for a moment, and there were other elderly diplomats who would use that opening to snatch Prince Elkanan away.
Peon passed Prince Elkanan off immediately and lowered his voice to Kaella.
“You’re sick.”