Chapter 36
Anes woke up in bed. It hadn’t been long since people started calling her by her new name, “Anes,” but what felt familiar to her was still the ceiling of her room in the Marquis of Rejern’s residence.
Unlike the emerald-and-white ceiling of her room back home, this place had a dignified air, decorated in deep red and gold tones.
“This chamber is made to be identical to Her Majesty the Empress’s bedroom in Krophen. The reason is simple—so that from the time of being Crown Princess, you may grow up with the heart of an Empress.”
As the chief maid helped her rise from bed and change her clothes, she explained. She began by telling her how the Crown Princess’s chambers were designed and furnished in similarity to those of the Empress.
In this way, the maid not only helped with daily life but also served as a sort of tutor, occasionally dropping tidbits of wisdom about the imperial palace.
Anes had never challenged herself to read books to learn about this place. Before, she had only ever devoured web novels and had no taste for studying from textbooks. She wasn’t about to waste time on something she had no interest in.
“But what if someone crosses the line, carrying themselves not with the heart of a Crown Princess, but as though they are already Empress?”
It wasn’t strange to imagine what it might be like to one day become Empress after being Crown Princess. But she thought—if she wasn’t careful, wouldn’t others act as though she were already pretending to be one?
“If such people appear, it will be obvious immediately. The men of Krophen’s imperial family are generally gentle, but they place great importance on respecting boundaries.”
Oh. Hearing the chief maid’s words, Anes suddenly understood Theowin’s past behavior.
The young ladies who had spoken recklessly in the banquet hall without understanding that side of him had been wrong indeed.
“Today, His Highness the Crown Prince will be busy with state affairs. Through the chamberlain, he left word that you are free to amuse yourself as you like.”
“Amuse myself…?”
Anes pouted her lips.
Being Crown Princess wasn’t exactly a profession, but since she had married into the imperial family, she felt uneasy having nothing much to do.
Simply idling around like this—how could she possibly develop the heart of an Empress?
“Really… Is it truly alright to just play around? I feel like I haven’t done anything for days.”
The chief maid listened to her murmured doubts and watched her silently.
So she had finally come. Into the Krophen Empire’s imperial palace.
In this palace, renowned for its beauty… how would Anes live? What sort of life… would she share with Theowin?
The only future she could imagine for now was that the two of them would live together in some middling way… and if her heart eventually leaned toward him, then they would live sharing their feelings.
As though mocking her for worrying about seeing his face in the daylight after their ceremonial first night, Theowin hadn’t even shown her his hair.
He hadn’t even come to her chamber at night.
Was there some other law preventing him? Or was he busy with affairs? Or… did he simply not want to come? She had no way of knowing.
The resolve she had made upon entering the palace—to live each day sincerely and not cause worry for Rejern—already felt meaningless.
She wasn’t living sincerely each day, but rather just letting time pass thoughtlessly.
At Rejern she had always done as she pleased each day. Perhaps she had unconsciously expected that once she entered the palace, she would naturally be given something meaningful to do.
Seeing Anes in search of work, the chief maid tilted her head thoughtfully before speaking.
“If there is something you wish to do, please tell me. I will advise you as to whether it is possible.”
She was a strong-willed woman. The very fact that she could speak so to the Crown Princess was proof of that.
This was the same woman who had occasionally come to the Marquis of Rejern’s residence to teach her imperial etiquette. From then until now, she had treated her without flaw, and yet could still speak such words without overstepping.
Different in nature, perhaps, but indeed there were good people here as well.
“If I don’t want to become a frog in a well, I should start thinking properly. Alright. I’ll tell you as soon as I think of something.”
Anes calmed her unease and gave her a cheeky grin.
All she had to do was make up her mind, yet she had wasted days, sinking into gloom.
No matter whose wife she was, if there were parts of her life where she could act freely, then… why should she shrink back and agonize about what to do?
And the moment she thought this way, two things she wanted to do came to mind. There was no reason to hesitate. Anes immediately left the Crown Prince’s palace, where she resided with Theowin.
“Thank you for bringing me, my lady! I thought maids didn’t do heavy labor—but I guess I was wrong?”
Of course, Tarin accompanied Anes on her outing. Though her help wasn’t necessary, Tarin insisted on trying everything the others did, only to find herself working much harder than expected.
The palace maids were busier than those at Rejern’s residence, endlessly sweeping and scrubbing the Crown Prince’s palace, which was more than twice as large. Tarin had thrown herself into it without knowing better.
“You could’ve just said you couldn’t do it, but no—you had to be stubborn.”
Once outside the Crown Prince’s palace, Anes seemed to regain her liveliness. Tarin, regretting she hadn’t suggested an outing earlier, walked faithfully beside her.
“Will we be able to see the Marquis’s swordsmanship today?”
Anes’s destination, of course, was the Marquis of Rejern. Since she had awakened fairly late and already eaten a light meal, she assumed Cesar would be at the training grounds by now.
“Yes. Today, I’m definitely going to see it.”
Last time, she had arrived just as the knights were sparring, but before she could ask Cesar anything, Theowin had appeared, leaving her to watch and then return with nothing achieved.
Meanwhile, that strange voice had spoken to her several more times, still leaving her with no clues.
While taking a walk and trying to learn about her surroundings, she had stopped a young page and asked him to guide them.
The boy, walking ahead, kept stealing glances at her, clearly pleased to be her guide. That was a relief.
He was a boy, after all—of course he would be delighted to visit the training grounds and see the knights. Especially now, when the Marquis of Rejern was often there.
It wasn’t guaranteed that this was the answer she was seeking, but the thought kept returning to her. Maybe, if she was lucky, she might find some connection.
Living each day sincerely meant getting along with those around her and not wasting time, yes—but it also meant not being lazy about solving her own problems.
She didn’t want to be bound by them, but neither did she want to abandon them.
“Um… may I ask you something?”
The boy, who had been glancing back nervously, finally spoke in a careful tone. His youthful voice made Anes’s eyes turn toward him.
“Of course. Anytime. Ask away.”
Even at his age, perfect manners seemed mandatory. He asked permission with all due politeness, then, embarrassed, looked straight ahead without turning back as he asked his question.
“Since you were the young lady of Rejern… you must have always been able to watch the Marquis closely, right?”
What a question. One that was awkward for Anes to answer. Truly, could nothing ever be simple?
“Well… Father had his duties, and I had mine as I grew, so it wasn’t as though we were always together.”
Though it was obvious, she chose her words carefully, sensing the nuance behind his question.
It wouldn’t be his only question, so she left her answer vague and watched the back of his head as he strode ahead.
“Th-then… have you ever seen the Marquis fight?”
The way his voice dropped at the end made it instantly clear what he wanted. To hear others speak in awe of her father wasn’t… unpleasant at all.
“Unfortunately, no. That’s why I’m going to see him now.”
When he heard she was on her way to watch Rejern’s swordsmanship, the boy’s face lit up with undisguised joy.
If he hadn’t been trained by palace discipline, he might have jumped for joy right there.
“Truly! Your Highness! I never dreamed something like this would happen to me! It’s so, so wonderful!”
Excitement filled his voice, even lightening his steps until he nearly left them behind.
Had he wanted to see it that badly? Perhaps her father’s skill had taken on the air of legend, making boys his age idolize him even more.
“Then… have you ever seen His Highness the Crown Prince wield a sword?”
By now, her curiosity about Theowin’s skill was growing too. She remembered the knights murmuring how rare it was for him to visit the training grounds, and how casually someone had mentioned his name when rumors spread about the vacant post of knight commander.
All she knew was that his skill wasn’t ordinary. That was enough to stir her curiosity.
Her father, Theowin—both were men admired by many.
Suppressing words she couldn’t quite bring herself to say aloud, Anes carried her quiet anticipation as she walked toward the training grounds.
