Chapter 54
“Is it done now? Asleep?”
I stopped singing, stopped patting him, and quietly observed his condition.
There was no twitching of his eyes, his breathing was steady—it seemed he had completely fallen asleep.
“Unbelievable! What, I can’t sing! Hey! Even Ian couldn’t say that to me!”
Come to think of it, that was true. On Ian’s birthday banquet, he had pestered me constantly, begging me to sing just once—and I had done it…
“Ah… so that’s why he only asked once. And why he never asked again—it’s because of that.”
It was only now that I realized I really couldn’t sing.
But oh well. I’m not trying to be a professional singer.
I had sung a few times at banquets in the Luna Empire, so everyone would already know my singing ability. That meant I could just enjoy my singing without worrying.
“This guy! Later I’ll sing in your ears really loudly.”
I glared at Calis, the culprit who had revealed that I couldn’t sing, threatening him as if my fists would swing across his face.
“Calis~~”
I called his name in a cute, teasing voice just in case he woke up. Seeing no response, it seemed he was indeed in a deep sleep.
“Operation start!”
I took out the two documents and the ink pad from under the bed and opened the lid. This bright red ink would set me free!
“Now, Calis… you must keep sleeping.”
After hypnotizing him once again, I dabbed ink on the seal on his finger and pressed the two documents one by one onto it.
“Perfect!”
Finally, my divorce papers had a bright red circle stamped on them.
“The most beautiful circles in the world!”
I happily blew on them with my mouth to dry them.
“You must be in a good mood, Philina.”
Gasp! I stiffly turned my head toward Calis’s voice. He was lying on his side, propping his head with one arm, staring at me intently.
“Ka… Calis…”
As I stared at him frozen, his hand snatched my papers.
“No!”
He pushed himself up from lying down, leaned against the bed, and with that characteristic arrogant, rotten smile, he tore my documents to pieces.
“Forgery of a seal… Philina. That’s a very serious crime. If caught forging a seal, they’d cut off your wrist. Probably. And I have the right to immediate judgment. Philina. What do you think?”
Calis stared at me, specifically at my wrist, with such a deadly look it felt like he really might cut it off.
No way… could such a law still exist? Was this Abel Empire more barbaric than I thought?
“Calis… isn’t there another punishment? For example… writing 100 reflection essays, cleaning for a month, skipping dinner…”
I thought of punishments I could handle to protect my wrist.
Anything that hurt I excluded—these were the remaining options.
“Since I have the right to immediate judgment, I won’t let your wrist be cut.”
“Th-Thank goodness. Then… what punishment?”
“Come here.”
Calis pulled me into his arms and began giving me punishment with his lips.
“Calis… stop…”
“You are… being punished now.”
His lips stayed on mine, my ears, shoulders, and neck. His rough breathing and my moans continued through the night.
+++
February 12, morning. It was still winter, so even at 6 a.m. the sun had not yet risen, and outside it was as dark as night.
Edwin, standing guard at the duke’s residence during this coldest time just before sunrise, tried to distract himself from the cold by talking with his fellow guards.
“Isn’t it colder than last year?”
“Yeah… looks like it might snow again. If it snows a lot, the harvest will be good, though.”
“Really? If it snows, we should try the sleds the lady said she rode. The duke’s servants said the children wanted to try them.”
“Sure? My child heard about it somewhere and wanted to try too.”
They were planning to let the children ride sleds on the estate hill if it snowed.
A young boy was walking toward them, with no strength in his upper body, moving so slowly that it was unclear whether he was walking on purpose or just because his legs moved.
Edwin immediately recognized the boy approaching.
“Look there. The boy is walking toward us!”
Edwin ran to the boy. As he approached, the boy collapsed without taking another step.
“Oliver!”
Edwin caught Oliver in his arms. Oliver’s lips were chapped and bluish from the cold, his face red and cracked like scabs, his hands bleeding and crusted, his frozen feet stuck in worn shoes.
Oliver barely opened his unfocused eyes and looked at the man holding him.
“Olive tree.”
With those blue lips, he said only that and lost consciousness.
“Oliver! Stay awake!”
Edwin ran inside the duke’s residence holding him.
+++
When I woke after 10 a.m., I was alone in Calis’s bed. He had probably gone to work early again.
“You must be tired from not sleeping last night…”
I worried about him staying up all night punishing me and then going to work, but soon shook off the worry and went to my room to plan the next operation.
Now is hardly the time to worry about others…
Margaret must have been anxiously waiting for me all night; her eyes were bloodshot. Seeing the kiss marks on my neck, she fussed about bringing ointment to apply.
With Margaret’s help, I washed, changed into a new dress, applied the ointment, and was about to meet Stella to plan the main operation when Lucas’s servant arrived.
“His Highness the Crown Prince requests an audience.”
“Understood.”
I was still angry from my recent conversation with Lucas, but what could I do? He was the crown prince, and I was merely a duchess.
I followed the servant to Lucas’s reception room.
“Philina. How have you been? Seeing you upset pains me too.”
Lucas seemed to want reconciliation. As soon as I sat down, he tried to soothe me with a gentle voice and offered tea.
Even without tasting it, I could tell from the rose fragrance and the color that it was rose tea. Lucas knew I liked rose tea and likely prepared it as a peace offering.
“Your Highness, I want to live as myself, not as a symbol of peace or a hostage. Please remove these titles forcibly given to me so I can live freely.”
I cautiously spoke, placing hope in Lucas’s gentle voice. If he released me from being a hostage, I could freely go to the Luna Empire.
“I will try. But… it seems I must delay granting that freedom.”
“What do you mean…”
Freedom, but delayed… Did Lucas oppose my divorce from Calis? That didn’t seem likely; otherwise, he wouldn’t have worked on the divorce law revision in the first place.
Why delay giving me freedom…? I hoped whatever he said would be something I could endure.
“A letter arrived from the Luna Empire. If you divorce Calis, you will be forcibly summoned there.”
“Forcibly… summoned?”
I covered my mouth in shock. What crime had I committed to be forcibly dragged there?
One person immediately came to mind. The one who had forcibly sent me as a hostage instead of a princess, and now tried to drag me again.
“Ian will soon become emperor.”
Lucas confirmed my suspicion. Even if I divorced and went to the Luna Empire, I would not be free.
No… if Ian became emperor, he could forcibly make me a concubine. That was the kind of man he was.
Anger made my hands tremble.
Lucas, symbolizing peace, had no intention of letting me go. Ian tried to forcibly take me again.
No one had asked my opinion. My body, my decision, yet again it was not mine to make.
“I understand, Your Highness. There will be no divorce. Please relay that to the Luna Empire.”
I suppressed my anger, held back tears of rage and disappointment, and stood.
“Philina. Wait a moment. I will find a way.”
Lucas tried to hold my hand and speak urgently, but my anger blocked out his words.
I withdrew my hand, displaying my disappointment.
“I will continue my marriage with Calis as a hostage and a symbol of peace, as Your Highness wishes. Therefore… do not call my name carelessly. I am the only duchess of this empire. Be careful from now on.”
I lightly held my dress and bowed properly, then left the reception room without his permission.
Lucas’s pained or frustrated expression no longer concerned me.
“Even though… at one time I felt my heart fluttered thinking he was my ideal… ”
The affection I had for him vanished completely due to my disappointment.
“Now, anything to do with the royal palace is tiresome!”
I walked through the crown prince’s palace corridor expressionless and then, frustrated, began running the remaining distance.
+++
“Ian moved faster than expected, Your Highness.”
“He must be eager. The more one lacks, the more one wants it.”
Silas and Denis, hearing the news from a Luna Empire spy, smiled and headed toward the crown prince’s palace.
“Look… Philina is coming.”
When they reached the crown prince’s garden, they saw Philina entering to meet Lucas, followed by a servant.
“Perhaps… the crown prince will speak to the duchess today. She will not be able to leave the Abel Empire.”
“Yes. Good… Lucas must continue to keep his heart on Philina.”
Silas raised a corner of his mouth at Denis. Denis, understanding, smiled in response.
“Yes, Your Highness. Before returning after the crown prince’s wedding, I suggest a small hunt. During the hunt, Calis will go to a dangerous place, so he won’t be with the duchess. It will be easier for her to be with the crown prince.”
Silas nodded and decided to stay in the garden a while longer, sending Denis ahead.
Above Silas in the garden, the palace birds paired and flew away.
“Funny. They escaped the cage, yet their home is still the palace.”
Such birds would not survive a year—unfamiliar cold and predatory birds.
“Philina, you’ll be safe and happy in your cage too. There are many predators in the world.”
Silas wondered what expression Philina would have when leaving the palace and watched the entrance.
“Philina… whether in the Luna Empire or here, she’s always running through palaces.”
Soon, seeing Philina running out of the crown prince’s palace, Silas stood in her path, waiting.
“Silas?”
Philina slowed when she saw him and tried to pass by his side.
“Duchess Philina… you always run through the palace.”
But Silas grabbed her arm as she tried to pass by.
