Chapter 70
The victory celebration was nearly over. Once this ended, there was only the evening ball left, and then the week-long festival would officially begin.
Then I could catch up on all the work I’d been putting off, chase away all the annoying people, and lock myself in my room for some healing time!
Clayton knelt halfway like a proper knight, his eyes on the emperor. Or more precisely, on me, standing just behind him.
“General de Revois, I am prepared to grant you half the territory of Encelos, along with extensive rights to the cultivation, commerce, and trade of its herbs. Additionally, any goods imported from Encelos under the name of the de Revois family will be tax-exempt for one year. What do you think?”
“Thank you, Your Majesty, but I have a different wish.”
It was clear that the emperor had anticipated this response and made his offer first. Still, I doubted he expected Clayton to reject it so brazenly.
“Is it truly so important that you would refuse what I just offered?”
“Yes.”
“Speak, then.”
“I—”
Clayton’s blue, steadfast eyes were fixed on me again. I knew exactly what he wanted. But I had to refuse. Adrian was not a choice I could make. The status window had already decreed that he was to be my husband.
Even if I wanted to accept Clayton, it wouldn’t matter. After all, if the goal was to clear the game, getting swayed by personal feelings would be foolish. No matter how heartbreaking it was.
Of the five men who would become my sister’s allies in “The Princess’ Men”, I already controlled four. Adrian was skeptical about my sister, too. Not to mention Joshua, and Francis was the same.
Since I couldn’t play according to the original story, the only solution was to forge my own path.
The country had two dukes.
I couldn’t abandon Adrian, could I?
Then my destination was clear; the question was how to reach it. My endpoint was the emperor, and Adrian was merely a tool. I would become emperor, finish this game, recover my body, collect 7 billion, and leave.
And my final wish would be simple: I hoped Clayton would find happiness in the game after I was gone.
But would there be anyone outside who could love me as much as he does?
I would receive 7 billion and employment at Company G. But the money and fame I longed for were because I wanted recognition from the parents who had abandoned me. Yet somehow, being with Clayton made me feel like none of that mattered.
No. I couldn’t trust anyone. I couldn’t throw away money or honor for mere love.
But the foolish, naive letter I saw in a dream was shaking my heart.
Even during the battlefield, he must have longed for me like a fool, sending hundreds of letters without a single reply.
“I wish to marry Princess Gracie.”
“But our Gracie already has a fiancé.”
“I don’t mind even as a concubine.”
When he said that, a small ripple went through the room. A highly distinguished general becoming the emperor’s concubine—it was unusual, to say the least. Of course, the princess would eventually become the emperor herself, but a duke being relegated to concubine was still strange.
“That is not something I can decide. Though I am your father, I do not wish to sell my daughter off in marriage like in foreign lands.”
“Then would you permit it if Princess Gracie herself gave her consent?”
“…I would.”
The emperor looked at me with a somewhat troubled expression.
Had he forced a match by his authority, he might not have trusted me so much. Yet here he was, prioritizing Princess Gracie’s well-being even amid a room full of people testing his authority. The foolish yet unexpectedly warm feeling it gave me was strange.
“Do not forget the precondition. The one you love most must be me.”
“I haven’t forgotten. But I’ll endure it. I don’t want to humiliate you like last time.”
“…I trust you.”
As he nervously clasped his hands, I squeezed back firmly without pulling away.
Adrian exhaled softly and looked at me. There was a faint twinge of conscience, but still.
“Please give me time to think, Your Majesty.”
“Gracie!”
Clayton’s expression brightened at my refusal—not just the emperor’s surprise—and I had to squeeze his hand tighter to reassure the anxious Adrian.
“You are so foolish. Do you realize how rare herbs from Encelos are? And you’d throw all that away for a marriage? Just for the position of concubine?”
It was a deliberate tease. I wanted to see if he regretted it even a little.
“Perhaps my mind has stiffened from so many years on the battlefield! Teach me, then!”
He likely tried to moderate his words but spoke quickly, probably fearing I might withdraw.
“Haha… very well. If Gracie consents, I will also permit it, as her father.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Our eyes met, and I mouthed “fool”. He responded in some embarrassingly earnest way, making me sweat nervously. I hadn’t even consented yet—why was he so pleased? It made refusal all the harder.
Before Clayton approached, I had planned to leave with Adrian anyway. After all, I would announce at the ball that I was the Crown Princess.
“Let’s leave after watching for a while, Adrian.”
“Gracie.”
“Yes.”
“Could you—just to me—allow a pet name?”
If it eased his insecurity, it couldn’t hurt.
“Rian? Ad? Ari? Which do you like?”
“Ad. What about you?”
“Ishi.”
“Not Ray?”
“I don’t know where you heard that.”
I said teasingly, and he smiled, regaining his composure.
“Ad.”
“Yes.”
“My waist hurts from carrying you, so later, carry me when we leave.”
“Ha….”
He laughed incredulously, pulled my hand, and whispered in my ear:
“Tomorrow, I might make it so you can’t walk at all.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Even though it was a ball, all the ministers, dignitaries, and important figures were present. Probably because the emperor announced this morning that there would be a major proclamation.
The emperor stood on the inner balcony to deliver his speech. I stood beside him, looking down, with Adrian and Clayton at my side.
I had only intended to bring Adrian, but because of earlier events, Clayton had followed, along with Francis.
Just thinking of Joshua alone in his room made me want to leave quickly.
“Can I hold your hand?”
“Quiet, your father is giving a speech.”
I dodged Clayton’s attempt, and his expression fell. I let my guard down briefly, and he grabbed me. With both hands now held, I couldn’t move my hair even if it tickled.
If I resisted here, everyone below would see. So I stayed still. I hadn’t officially refused yet.
“Until now, I have never forgotten the contributions of General de Revois, who has striven for the glory of the Bastian Empire.”
I blew lightly to move the stray hair from my eyes, and it fell again. Frowning, I blew again—it fell again. I tried letting go of his hand, but Adrian held tighter. I tried letting go of Clayton’s hand instead, but he gripped as if to break my fingers.
Fine. I might as well suffer the tickle.
When I finally shook my hair, Clayton noticed and tucked the stray strands behind my ear. He had awareness! Meanwhile, my heart was pounding recklessly. Damn it.
“Therefore, today I have even more joyous news to share.”
I felt nervous, but seeing no one above me hostile to me gave me reassurance. It was like waiting for your turn in a singing exam—anxious, trembling, yet filled with anticipation.
“I hereby appoint my second daughter, Gracie Fletcher Gabriella Bastian, as Crown Princess.”
The hall stirred slightly. The emperor’s supporters had probably known already; the startled ones were likely the nobles.
“Your Majesty! Why such sudden—”
“Do you object to my decision?”
“Ah… but—”
“But what?”
The empress—my mother’s cousin, if I remembered—looked like melting wax. She was sweating heavily.
“The empress is ill, yet you act so unilaterally!”
“Unilaterally? Then tell me what qualities our Gracie lacks to become Crown Princess.”
They couldn’t leave it there; it was clear I had to respond.
“Her qualifications… for the Crown Princess…”
“Yes? Which qualifications are lacking?”
“Well… she has sufficient qualifications, but why disregard the eldest princess?”
“What would you entrust to a child who enjoys tea parties and shows no interest in governance?”
That was probably my sister’s lifeline.
But she didn’t know it would backfire. She intended to gather support for the empress, but power is like sand—those clinging to the powerless disperse in the wind.
“I have already given the eldest multiple chances, but she failed each time. Our Gracie, however, excels at everything, does she not? Minister of Finance?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And Minister of Foreign Affairs?”
“I believe the second princess has more than enough aptitude to be Crown Princess.”
“And the Prime Minister?”
“My thoughts align entirely with Your Majesty.”
“And the General?”
“I trust her enough to entrust everything to her.”
Clayton’s words made my hand feel as if it would curl in embarrassment. Why was I so flustered? I looked at him; he just smiled expectantly.
“And the Minister of Justice?”
“Asking her fiancé might not be relevant, but excluding that, she surely possesses the qualities of a ruler.”
“Any other objections?”
The emperor looked down with confident triumph.
“Wait, Your Majesty!”
I knew this would happen.
I intended to give this as a birthday gift to my sister, but it seemed I had to act now. And it was all her fault; she couldn’t distinguish when to step forward and when not to.
“Reverse curse, activate.”
I spoke quietly and waited.
Watching the faces below melt like my reflection in the mirror…
I hoped my sister would feel it too—the pain, humiliation, shame, and utter helplessness I had felt.
