Chapter 16
“Yes.”
“I don’t think I’ll make a very good empress.”
“Is that what’s troubling you?”
Before she knew it, Seth had taken a seat beside her, smiling softly with half-lidded eyes.
“…I thought maybe you had expectations. If I become empress, it would naturally benefit you too…”
Isn’t that why you’re staying by my side?
Becoming the chief lady-in-waiting to the empress brought immense honor—at least, that was how it was in the Kingdom of Ezan. Cultural differences aside, this was generally true in most nations, so it wasn’t unreasonable for Pri to think that way about Seth.
“Well… what I wish for right now is simply that Your Majesty—the Lady Pri—leads a peaceful life.”
“…But… I’ve already angered him. I’m someone who could be cast out at any moment.”
“I’ve been by His Majesty’s side for a long time, and I can assure you, he wasn’t angry.”
Seth was the one closest to the emperor. Hearing her say that only deepened Pri’s confusion.
“What do you mean…?”
“That’s all I can say.”
“Oh…”
“To be honest, I don’t fully understand His Majesty’s feelings toward you either. But the reason I can say that with confidence… is that just now, as he left, he had a sorrowful look on his face.”
Pri couldn’t argue with that. For some reason, his eyes had indeed looked moist.
“Why…?”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
Pri pulled the blanket up to her nose. Why had he made that expression? She was the one hurt and shocked, so why had he looked that way?
‘If that’s how it is, then why? Why are you…’
But they had already grown distant. She could no longer hear anything from him, and it felt like perhaps Argent would never look at her again.
“Don’t think too deeply about it. Time passes, and no relationship stays the same forever. One day, His Majesty will share his true feelings. You’ll see that there was a reason for all his actions.”
Though Seth’s words were simple, Pri felt an odd sense of comfort. She smiled as she looked at Seth, who was gently stroking her hand.
✧
From that day on, Pri remained indoors for three full days.
Although she was told she didn’t have to dine with him, Argent had banned her from going out—perhaps out of concern for her health.
So it was only after three days that Pri was finally able to step outside in the afternoon.
Whether it was by Argent’s command or not, she now took her meals alone in her room, and her mood wasn’t particularly good.
‘Maybe this is better.’
Half-hearted sympathy or unwanted attention only made her feel worse.
It might’ve been easier if they treated her like her sisters did—so she forced a smile and got up from her seat.
“Am I not allowed to go out again today?”
“His Majesty has asked that you refrain from going out unless necessary…”
That was when it happened.
The meal had just ended, and the dishes were being cleared from the room. With the door open, someone stepped inside.
“Would it be all right if I went with her?”
The man’s kind voice filled the room pleasantly.
“Ian!”
It was Ian—whom she hadn’t seen in three days. Wearing a much gentler expression than before, he quickly approached Pri.
“Have you been well?”
“I’ve been fine. And you, Ian?”
“I’ve had a miserable time without seeing you.”
His eyes crinkled warmly as he smiled, and Pri nodded with a faint smile.
“You always say things that could easily be misunderstood.”
“Do I? Perhaps. But it’s the truth.”
“And wasn’t it him who told you to come?”
“……”
As expected, Ian couldn’t answer right away.
“It’s fine. I figured as much. Still, I’m glad. If you’re here, that means I can go out.”
“Then where shall we go today?”
She tried to act like she was okay, but deep down, she felt more unsettled than ever. The pain of hearing the answer she’d feared hit harder than she expected.
Unlike usual, Pri held her hand out to him first.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Ian took her hand more gently than ever—Argent had never taken her hand like this, but Ian accepted it without hesitation.
And so the two walked together, even more warmly than usual.
Seth, watching them with a disapproving gaze, seemed to have somewhere urgent to be. As soon as they left the room, she hurried off somewhere.
But once outside, Pri found herself unsure of where to go.
“Shall we go to the library? Or the greenhouse?”
“Hm…”
“His Majesty has ordered that you be escorted wherever you wish to go.”
“Is that so.”
“So if there’s anywhere else you’d like to go, just say the word.”
With a voice as sweet as sugar dissolved in warm water, Ian leaned in slightly to meet her eyes.
As if waiting for that one line, Pri’s hesitant gaze turned toward the window.
“I want to see the sea.”
“The sea you see every day?”
“It may be the same sea, but it looks different every time.”
“In that case… let’s go to the sea. Though we can’t go to the one below the palace, there is a place with a great view of it.”
“Sounds good.”
Slowly, and then more slowly, they began to walk.
But the path was different this time. The warm sunlight bathed Pri’s skin.
After being cooped up for days, she felt much lighter and more cheerful.
“You know, Ian… this place is much warmer than I expected.”
She’d been thinking that every morning lately.
Except for Jel’s endless chattering, it wasn’t so different from where she used to live.
Why did this place look just like her old room? Why did even the sunlight feel the same?
‘No… it’s even better than where I used to be.’
She’d been given the worst room in the palace, overshadowed by her sisters.
It wasn’t awful by any means—still a princess’s room—but it was chilly even in summer, and freezing in winter. She hadn’t even known sunlight could feel warm.
If she opened the windows for ventilation, the room would become so cold that even an all-night fire wouldn’t help.
She’d never really complained about it. Even if they built her a new room, it would never truly be hers. The sunlit rooms always became her sisters’ lounges or reception rooms anyway, so she had no expectations.
So back then, she never knew—
How wonderful it could be to live in a sun-filled room. How much happiness came from being cherished by others.
She only learned that after coming here.
“Intellia… it’s a good place.”
If her sisters had known this nation they called barbaric was like this, maybe they wouldn’t have rejected it so harshly.
If they’d known the man behind the mask was perhaps kinder than they thought, maybe they wouldn’t have refused so fiercely.
‘No… if I’d known, I wouldn’t have ended up here. But thanks to that, my life has changed.’
“Please help make Intellia an even better country.”
“…Thank you for saying that.”
Feeling a sense of belonging for the first time, Pri smiled brightly and walked ahead.
But the path was very different from usual.
“Are we going to the mountain?”
The way to the sea was downhill, but Ian led her up a gentle slope as if they were on a stroll.
“Yes. Is it too tiring?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Ian picked up the pace, perhaps to reach their destination sooner.
And when they reached the top of the hill—
The view of the sea was unlike anything she’d seen before.
There was no sound of waves crashing, but the harmony of small houses and people’s lives created a peaceful landscape.
“Wow…”
“In order to protect the sea, access to it is restricted. Especially the sea connected to the palace.”
“Oh…”
“You might be allowed to go there, but I’m not. Only His Majesty and you have permission.”
“Then I guess I’ll never get to go.”
Sitting on a large stone Ian had guided her to, Pri stretched out her limbs. Her body was more relaxed now, a sign of how at ease she felt.
“If you say you want to go, I’m sure he’ll take you.”
“Really?”
But as always, talking about Argent made her visibly gloomy, and Ian quickly changed the subject.
“Still, this place is quite nice, isn’t it?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“It is, right?”
“This is such a fascinating country. It’s so much wealthier than I expected, and the people seem genuinely happy.”
“Yes. I consider being born in Intellia a blessing.”
Had she ever felt the same?
Had she ever loved her country that deeply, considered it a blessing?
The Kingdom of Ezan—called the Land of Gold. But she had never once considered her birth there a blessing.
Golden on the outside, but rotten to the core.
“A blessing…”
“If not for His Majesty, things wouldn’t be like this.”
“Is that so?”
Curious, Pri turned to look directly at him.
Ian averted his gaze at once, looking off into the distance.
“Intellia used to be just like any other country. Ordinary people suffered discrimination and abuse. But at some point, His Majesty began eliminating those injustices. Not everything has disappeared, but he’s doing his best.”
Seth had told her the same stories countless times—how Emperor Argent ruled with such wisdom and compassion, earning the love of the people.
It was starting to feel like everything was connected.
But she didn’t feel entirely at ease.
The name Intellia still made her uncomfortable. On her first day here, she still remembered what Argent had said ringing in her ears…
