CHAPTER 122………………………………………..
After parting with Krimu, I returned to my room.
I didn’t even have time to eat the cake I liked so much before thoughts of Bianca came to mind.
She’s going to become Crown Princess.
It’s a good thing for Bianca, at least.
“The story is going back to how it was originally.”
“Milady.”
At that moment, Debuie, the butler who had been waiting, appeared in front of me.
Next to him stood a man dressed in clothes adorned with the imperial crest.
I slightly bowed and greeted him, then read the letter he handed me.
“You’re saying His Highness wants to meet me?”
It was from the Crown Prince.
It seemed he had heard about the puppies being born recently and wanted to call me.
Debuie spoke.
“His Excellency has business in the south as well, so it seems you could go together.”
“Father?”
“He’s going to the Alter household. The head of the Alter family recently passed away.”
“…Passed away?”
“Yes.”
The head of the Alter family was Bianca’s father.
In the original story, her parents didn’t suddenly die, as far as I remember.
“Cause of death?”
“That hasn’t been conveyed yet.”
I tried to clear my confused mind.
After arriving at the palace, I went with the duke to greet His Majesty first.
Next to him was the Pope, whose wrinkles had deepened since I last saw him.
The Pope sighed heavily, wanting to have a serious discussion with the duke and the Emperor.
Apparently, he still had a lot to say about the monster corpses delivered to the temple each year.
Of course, the Emperor and the duke were indifferent on that matter.
While the adults spent time together, I was called to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was wearing his dazzling, ornate clothes and accessories again today.
His golden hair almost didn’t even catch the eye.
“I was curious… and it’s true.”
He cradled the tiny puppies that could fit in his palm.
Of the six, half had golden fur.
“I could tell by the color of their fur. Your Poppy and our Roro… hmm… had a little romance.”
The Crown Prince, who had been sitting, got up and walked to the table.
“Sit.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I observed him, now of age this year.
It had been since I last saw him in the palace garden.
I hadn’t been out in society at all.
Shebert and Ron were struggling to fight monsters, and I couldn’t just be laughing at balls or tea parties by myself.
The Crown Prince I saw after so long had astonishingly perfected beauty.
“No wonder he’s the male lead.”
The sunlight seemed to exist just for him, and if he smiled, the entire world seemed to brighten.
Any young lady facing him would inevitably fall in love.
Though, surprisingly, I remained calm.
“I recently went to the Loudne region.”
The Emperor, realizing the emergency too late, sent support to the Crown Prince and the knights.
Though it was largely for show.
So, the Crown Prince had no choice but to return within a week of the Emperor’s urgent summons.
This happened twice a year at most.
It was understandable—he would soon become the next Emperor, after all—but still, how irritating.
“I wanted to stay longer, but I had to come back early.”
“I see.”
“Ah, I met your fiancé.”
“How was it?”
The Crown Prince folded his golden eyes delicately and replied.
“She spoke one word as soon as she saw me.”
Could it be that Shebert dared to throw a harsh remark even at the Crown Prince?
Please, Shebert!
I listened anxiously.
“What… what did she say?”
“She asked, ‘Are you really going to marry?’”
“…?”
I was stunned at the unexpected words.
“Are you really going to marry?” What did that even mean?
Everyone knew that the Crown Prince and Bianca were to be married.
Certainly, news would have reached even distant regions.
So why was Shebert asking that?
As I pondered, the Crown Prince spoke softly.
“The first time I went to the Loudne region was two years ago.”
“Yes. I remember.”
It was impossible to forget.
The Emperor had made a big show to Duke Kereis, saying he was even sending his son.
“I saw someone among the knights then. Such skill—every time she swung her sword, monsters fell.”
“Impressive. Was she an Imperial Knight?”
The Crown Prince shook his head.
“She wasn’t a knight. She was a princess of the Hemel Kingdom.”
“I see.”
A small kingdom, incomparable to the Triya Empire.
It bordered the Loudne region, so if the city walls broke, it would be the first to suffer damage.
“She approached, covered in monster goo and mud, and even my golden armor got dirty.”
And even then, the armor was gold.
Of course, it had been made by our Belzure guild.
I responded with a bright smile, as a loyal customer.
“Your armor got dirty, I see. But a golden armor can be remade. Shall we order one from the guild?”
The Crown Prince’s eyes glimmered with a nostalgic look.
“Delve, it’s not important.”
“Really?”
“What matters is that she was the first to treat me so boldly.”
“…!”
A strong thrill ran through me.
This was a classic line for when the male lead falls at first sight.
But he already had Bianca to marry…
Before I could panic, the Crown Prince raised a finger, signaling me to stay quiet.
“Shh, it’s a secret. But I wanted to tell someone.”
“Am I that someone?”
“Yes. Because we’re special.”
He smiled brightly and pointed to the little puppies playing excitedly.
Seeing the harmless little creatures calmed my heart.
Cute things are good for mental and physical health.
I promised him I would keep the secret.
Of course, I had one condition.
“Then, I have something I’m curious about. Please tell me.”
“What is it?”
“Among so many candidates, why did you choose to marry Lady Alter?”
A few years ago, marriage negotiations between the Imperial family and the Alter family didn’t succeed.
In the original story, the Alter family discovered a gold mine, continuing Bianca’s connection with the Crown Prince until marriage.
Now, the mine was mine, so the Alter family had nothing to present, meaning Bianca couldn’t be pushed as Crown Princess.
But suddenly, the situation changed.
The Crown Prince was marrying Lady Alter.
Perhaps it was because the Alter family now had a powerful advantage—my guess was that it was due to Bianca’s emerging divine power.
“Bold question.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes turned cold.
“I-I’m sorry.”
I quickly bowed my head.
It wasn’t a question I had the right to ask, but I did so cautiously, mirroring how he had approached things.
“Since you said we’re special, I asked this question—please forgive me for being rude.”
At that moment, the little puppies wriggled around his shoes.
Seeing this, the Crown Prince’s face brightened.
“Fine. I’ll answer.”
He openly shared with me, someone special, that Bianca of the Alter family had manifested strong divine power.
Just as I suspected.
But no one outside the Imperial family knew this yet.
“Before the Duke of Alter died, he trembled before the Emperor, saying he wanted his daughter to become Crown Princess.”
Later, the Pope personally confirmed that Bianca’s divine power was indeed extraordinary.
Bianca, three years older than me, must have already reached adulthood.
It was the time her divine power would manifest fully.
So, the Crown Prince will end up marrying Bianca?
It seemed the story was following the original plot, but hearing the Crown Prince’s earlier confession troubled me.
Perhaps noticing my worried expression, he spoke.
“Milady, are you going to ask me like the Viscount did whether I’ll marry?”
“…What did you say to Shebert then?”
For a few seconds, our eyes met.
His pupils quivered slightly.
He looked away first and stood up.
“Just like now, I didn’t answer. Probably, I never will.”
“….”
“For the peace and prosperity of the Empire, a saint with divine power is necessary.”
Then, one puppy approached me, rubbing its face on my dress.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
For some reason, the puppy looked gloomy, as if something had happened.
The Crown Prince immediately reacted.
“Wait. Some are missing.”
“Huh?”
We realized one of the puppies was gone.
The remaining golden-furred puppy nudged me again and pawed at the ground.
Then it turned and ran quickly.
“Seems like it’s guiding us.”
“Probably knows where the others went.”
The Crown Prince and I exchanged glances and followed the puppy.
We arrived at a stone staircase, barely visible through dense grass.
“Can you believe the palace has a place like this?”
Even the Crown Prince, born and raised in the palace, hadn’t seen it. It seemed to be an abandoned, unused area.
“It seems to lead underground.”
The puppy jumped down a step into a narrow opening through the foliage.
Seeing this, the Crown Prince crouched.
“You’re really going in?”
“Yes, I can’t resist curiosity. Besides, this is the palace. It’s impossible that there’s something I don’t know.”
With that, he slipped into the narrow hole.
“W-wait…!”
It happened so fast I couldn’t stop him.
“Aig, really! We’re going together!”
