Part 2 Chapter 101
“Let me go!”
“Your Highness, just sleep at our house and go to work from here tomorrow!”
“No. I have to go home today.”
Nike spoke urgently.
“Why~? Whether you sleep here or at the palace, Bania will still be there, right?”
“……”
“Then why is it okay to sleep at the palace but not at my house?”
What do you mean why?! Are you really asking because you don’t know, or are you teasing me on purpose?!
“Let me go. She’s my wife!”
But Nike couldn’t say the real reason, so he just kept shouting to let her go.
“She’s my younger sister before being your wife!”
Ugh, when will this end!
Can Nike and I escape this stubborn man and go home?
We have to go home tonight to make history together!
Who will win this never-ending fight?
***
Later, one snowy day in December…
A lot had happened to me lately.
…Or maybe not. Actually, I’ve just been enjoying life.
Going back and forth between the palace and the count’s mansion, every day feels too happy and precious.
It’s fun spending time with my husband and with my family.
People ask, “You became a princess—don’t you have to work?”
No, princesses don’t work!
Palace duties are handled by the crown prince and princess.
I’m not even supposed to live in the palace anymore—when a prince marries, he gets his own territory and becomes a duke, and his wife manages that land.
But thanks to the crown prince, who built Nike a separate palace, we’ve delayed moving out. (He wanted to go, but I refused!)
So now we’re living a peaceful life.
The crown princess asked me, “Did you organize the titles for Duke Belzer properly?”
I nodded. “Yes, but I still make mistakes sometimes.”
She said, “Even in private, call him brother. You have to get used to it. And make sure he uses formal language to you in public.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
She was talking about me and Ryan.
After the trial of the Bassenberg family ended, Ryan received the title of Duke from the emperor a few days ago.
Now he’s officially Duke Belzer.
All the family records were updated:
His unmarried siblings, Richard and Krista, took the Belzer name;
I and Alex, who were listed as his children, were corrected—Alex became his brother, and I kept my Valencier name.
Alex still finds it awkward to call Ryan “brother” instead of “father.”
But he has to—if a single man goes around being called “Dad,” no woman will want to marry him!
The crown princess sighed.
“Duke Belzer really needs a wife soon. I should be arranging noble gatherings for him, but since I’m pregnant, you’ll have to help.”
I smiled. “Don’t worry, Your Highness. You need to rest for the baby. I can handle it.”
She laughed. “Thank you.”
Because she’s pregnant, I’ve been taking over her social duties—meeting noblewomen and keeping up relations between families.
At the same time, I’ve been trying to find a suitable match for Ryan.
***
“The Countess of Schwartz joined your last gathering, right? I think her daughter suits Duke Belzer.”
“Your Highness,” I shook my head,
“She doesn’t meet my brother’s ‘age rule.’”
“What?”
The princess looked shocked. The count’s daughter is 20 years old.
“What kind of age rule?”
“The opposite. My picky brother says he can only marry someone up to 4 years younger than him. He says 8 years is too much.”
That limit was something Ryan decided after seeing the age difference between Nike and me.
The crown princess blinked, then laughed. “He’s picky in a very honest way.”
“Exactly.”
It’s already hard enough to find unmarried noblewomen over 24 who aren’t scared of Ryan and whose families approve.
Such a woman might as well be a needle in the desert!
“He’s half given up, honestly. He just says, ‘If fate comes, it’ll come.’”
“Well, still try your best. He’s your precious brother.”
“…Yes.”
Please just send me to the desert to find that needle instead…!
***
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked urgently.
When the door opened—
“Oh, darling!”
It was my husband, Nike.
He had only been gone half a day for work, but he already came running to the palace.
“Bania, come out for a second.”
“…?”
Something felt wrong. Nike’s face was pale.
The retainers of the Bassenberg family had all been sentenced according to their crimes—
Most were executed. Among them was Marquis Balac, my sister Diana’s husband.
“Why did he—why did my brother take them with him?”
Diana and Balac had three children: ages 13, 12, and 10.
“He wouldn’t have taken them if it wasn’t serious,” Nike said.
My mind went blank.
Even the criminals had families—children who didn’t know their parents’ crimes, just innocent kids born into wealth.
They didn’t deserve punishment.
But Ryan took those children—the ones proven innocent—away.
Where to?
“He left the capital two days ago, so he hasn’t boarded the ship yet.”
The destination was Abyssus Island—
The prison island where Ryan himself had been unfairly jailed for 12 years.
“He can’t be caught before the ship leaves.”
“That’s true.”
He was escorting surviving criminals there to finish their sentences.
I’d known about the trip—but not that he took the children too.
“Why would he take them?”
“…Who knows.”
We stared at each other, both speechless.
We trusted Ryan, but this time… something felt wrong.
Why take the innocent children of criminals to the place where their parents died?
He hadn’t told us because he didn’t want us to know his reason.
“What is he planning to do?”
I trusted him—but I couldn’t stop worrying.
“Let’s follow him,” Nike said. “Pack your things.”
I nodded.
Abyssus Island.
A man stepped onto the frozen ground.
Once, he had been a prisoner stripped of his name.
Now, he was a noble of the empire.
After 4 and a half years, Ryan had returned.
He spread his arms wide, took a deep breath, and said—
“Ahh… The smell of home!”
