Chapter 66
He might think differently, but Liana believed she had already repaid all the kindness shown to her by the late queen.
She had left the palace, earned military merit, and allowed Reindel to flaunt his friendship with her without interference.
‘If you still think that’s not enough… then please just take it as a limit of my character.’
Whispering to the late queen in her heart, Liana spoke calmly.
“There’s no need for you to come to my wedding.”
“Liana, that’s—”
“It’s not that I’m telling only you not to come, Brother. I’m not inviting Father or Mother either.”
Reindel’s lips pressed tightly together.
He knew exactly what she meant.
It meant she intended to cut ties with everyone in Roen.
“The distance is far anyway. Large-scale long-distance teleportation isn’t easy. Let’s just live in our own places like we’ve been doing.”
At Liana’s firm words, a twitch flickered at the corner of Reindel’s eyes, then quickly cooled into iciness.
“No matter how much you hate us, Liana, we are still family. You know that’s something no one can deny.”
His tone was still wrapped in affection, but there was a trace of cynicism that hadn’t been there before.
Of all the people in the palace, Reindel probably knew Liana best.
They were the only two royals who had spent their childhood together.
“Family is a bond that can’t be cut. How could family live as strangers? We care for and love each other.”
Those words meant that he knew better than anyone the affection Liana once had — and had used it better than anyone.
Even if he sometimes acted harshly, Reindel knew full well that Liana still loved him as family.
“Is that persuasion… or a threat?”
“…What?”
But Reindel didn’t know the Liana of today.
The Liana he knew was one who couldn’t let go of a one-sided bond and clung to it.
‘Honestly… you’ve always treated me like a fool.’
Any thought of parting on good terms vanished.
“I’ve always told you to speak properly. Our relationship ended long ago. You shouldn’t deny that, Brother.”
“What…?”
“I’ll say it again: the one I’m grateful to is the late queen — not you. And I think what I’ve overlooked until now is enough repayment. You built your position by selling my name, didn’t you? Or am I wrong?”
At her sarcastic bluntness, Reindel — normally so good at managing his expression — was caught off guard, staring at her in shock.
Then, schooling his features, he said softly,
“That’s… Liana, I didn’t think you believed I used our closeness for my own gain…”
His shameless reply was starting to irritate her.
So, he still wanted to benefit from her — but disliked having it called “using her.”
How selfish could a person be?
She knew he hated showing flaws as Crown Prince, but she didn’t expect it to be to this extent.
“It’s not what I think — it’s what’s true.”
“That’s not true. I never tried to profit from our relationship. Even if something like that happened, it wasn’t by my choice.”
Ah — so now he was going to play ignorant.
Liana finally brought up what she had decided to keep quiet.
“You thought I wouldn’t know you split my allowance with the queen?”
Reindel froze.
His green eyes searched her face, trying to gauge whether she was speaking with intent — or if she really knew.
And then he realized she truly knew everything.
“…So you’ve known from the start.”
Liana sighed at his murmur.
If only he’d accepted her words earlier, she wouldn’t have cut him off so coldly.
But now that she’d said this much, there was no glossing it over.
Her slender fingers tapped the table lightly.
“Of course I knew. And not just about the allowance. I know what feelings you’ve harbored toward me — and that they’ve been there for a long time.”
Reindel might think he had hidden them well, but since Liana had grown up, that mask never fooled her.
If it were a good feeling, maybe she wouldn’t have noticed. But she wasn’t so dull as to miss the ugly, darkly painted emotion of inferiority.
She had let it slide until now as a way of repaying the late queen’s kindness — the last thread she couldn’t cut because she had once loved her family.
“That’s why I’m saying — let’s stop here. You’re no longer precious to me. You probably never truly cherished me, anyway.”
But now, she had let that thread go.
“You understand what I’m saying, right? You’ve been sharp since you were a child, Brother.”
“…”
Reindel just stared at her, eyes bloodshot.
Whether he had nothing to say, or was just holding back his aimless anger, she didn’t know.
“Let me make this clear. I already told Father, but he didn’t seem to understand.”
“…”
“Don’t think about using me to get anything. I don’t want to trouble His Majesty over a family matter that’s not even close to him.”
Her words drew a firm line. Reindel opened his mouth—
“I don’t need an apology, and I don’t want to hear that we should live like a proper family from now on. That time has already passed.”
But she cut him off faster.
His words stolen, Reindel could only clench his fists so tightly the backs of his hands turned white.
“…Your Highness, may I assist you in getting ready?”
“Yes.”
Before dawn, Liana awoke and let the head lady-in-waiting and the maids help her prepare.
In the elegant bath, she washed in water scattered with flower petals, received skincare, and by the time she finished, the morning sun had risen.
After the basic preparations, just as she was about to change, someone visited the princess’s quarters.
“Your Highness, someone from the detached palace has arrived.”
If it was from the detached palace, then it was someone sent by Ian Hart.
They would be seeing each other soon anyway — what could it be at this hour?
“Let them in.”
She gave casual permission, curious. The maids opened the door, and a servant carrying a large box bustled in.
Three more servants followed, each carrying their own box.
“Greetings to Your Highness.”
“Hm, those boxes are…?”
“His Majesty has sent these, requesting you wear them today.”
After delivering the message politely, the servant handed his box to one of Liana’s maids.
The maids quickly placed the boxes on the table.
“…He sent them for me to wear today?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Blinking, Liana soon smiled faintly but genuinely, motioning for the servant to go.
“I see. Tell His Majesty I received them well.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Dismissed, the servant backed out as quickly as he had entered.
‘He didn’t say anything about this yesterday…’
Even when they parted after dinner, there had been no mention of preparing clothes for her.
Was this his idea of a surprise?
“Yesterday, I was going to wear the one he gave me before…”
She murmured softly, partly acting, as she sat down.
It wasn’t just an excuse — she really had intended to wear one of the dresses Ian Hart had previously given her.
All ten he had chosen suited her taste, and she didn’t plan to take anything from Roen that wasn’t truly hers.
Which meant she would be leaving behind all the dresses the queen had forced on her.
‘After giving me so much before, why send more clothes now…’
That thought vanished the moment she opened the largest box — which contained a simple yet elegant coat — and then the next box.
“Oh my…”
“Ah—”
The maids watching behind her gasped softly.
It was partly admiration for the beautiful clothing, but also surprise at its form.
The main piece Ian Hart had sent was a uniform — deep navy fabric tailored to stand out in a formal design.
The coat from before, along with the shoes, gloves, and accessories in the other boxes, all matched perfectly as a set.
Liana stared at the gift for a moment, her lips twitching.
‘…A uniform? For such an official occasion…’
One of the maids seemed to think the same thing.
Of everyone in the room, only two did not see the gift in a negative light: the head lady-in-waiting, who said calmly, “Your Highness, shall I help you change?” — and Liana herself.
“Ahem, yes.”
She didn’t even bother to hide her good mood.
‘…He really has good taste.’
Once dressed in Ian Hart’s gifts, Liana looked in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction.
The outer coat — not yet worn because of the warmth — and the accessories, gloves, and shoes all matched flawlessly.
The green dress she had planned to wear would have been fine, but the uniform he sent was exactly to her liking.
It wasn’t that she disliked dresses, but uniforms were definitely more comfortable.
