Chapter 9
Mikael was far more talkative than I had expected. Whether it was simple curiosity or pent-up interest, he seized the opportunity and kept asking me questions nonstop.
Things like my hobbies. What I liked. Mostly questions about hobbies, really. As if he were trying to figure me out, Mikael’s mouth kept moving without rest.
And every time I answered, he would break into a wide smile. Honestly, I just couldn’t get used to it.
After being surrounded by nothing but worn-down, gloomy people, this was my first time seeing someone so bright and sunny. It had also been a long time since I’d seen someone smile this much.
“Do you have any favorite foods, my lady?”
“Anything except sweets.”
“I—I don’t like sweet things much either.”
He tended to stutter a little when flustered, but his usual manner of speaking was impeccably polite.
Is he just really shy?
But when I recalled the original story, I tilted my head slightly at my visibly bashful husband.
In his brief appearances, he did come across as courteous, but not to the point of being shy. More like, Oh, he’s well-mannered. That was about it. His relationship with Shatrina, at least publicly, was nothing more than a political marriage between nations.
Still, judging by how he had cried before, it felt like there must have been something more between them.
For instance, the way he had sobbed, asking why she had come only now—there had been both fear and longing in his voice. Of course, I didn’t know why.
I’d comforted him in my confusion back then, but looking back, I still couldn’t understand why Mikael had acted that way.
It wasn’t something that had existed since the wedding.
Did he like Shatrina?
Considering everything so far, it was entirely possible. Even if his face turning red could be blamed on a fever, it didn’t feel like he would have acted like that without genuine affection.
Besides, he was seventeen—an age where it wouldn’t be strange to be in the throes of first love.
Still, because of a vague sense of unease, I couldn’t bring myself to define it so easily.
If they’d encountered each other as often as implied, there was no way he wouldn’t even know her favorite food.
“What are you thinking about so deeply, my lady?”
“…Nothing.”
Snapped back to reality by Mikael calling me, I simply shrugged lightly.
Right. Mikael did concern me, but my priorities lay elsewhere.
I need to deal with Revilia.
Obtaining evidence would only take a few days at most. So worrying about Mikael could wait until after that.
I had to survive first to plan for the future.
“My lady.”
At that moment, Mikael, who had been making his way toward the bed, suddenly stopped. I halted along with him and looked up at him quietly.
After wetting his lips, Mikael bowed his head toward me.
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
For what, all of a sudden?
At his unexpected words, I stared at him blankly. Had I done something worth thanking me for? My thoughts tangled instantly.
Then Mikael continued, his head still lowered.
“You were the one who handled the matter, weren’t you?”
“Ah.”
I understood immediately. He was talking about what had happened yesterday. When I let out a short sigh, Mikael spoke in a polite, earnest voice.
“If it weren’t for you, my lady… no, I wouldn’t be speaking so comfortably like this today. I would have been curled up alone, having been beaten by the head attendant.”
“……”
“I would still be trapped in this room.”
Mikael was tall, but there was hardly any muscle on his body.
Because of his frail constitution and the constant abuse he’d endured, he probably hadn’t even been able to properly resist.
I forcibly pressed down the discomfort rising in my chest.
What on earth has the emperor been doing?
Seeing neglect in reality was far more horrific than reading about it in mere descriptions. What had been conveyed in just a few lines of text must have been hell itself for Mikael.
I’d experienced something similar before. Witnessing scenes from a novel firsthand was deeply unsettling—especially when the narration had been vivid or the situation intense.
Each time, an uninvited sense of doubt crept over me.
It felt like a shadow that had always seemed distant suddenly stepping right in front of me. Like being forced to face a reality I never wanted to see.
I don’t like this.
I’d already disliked the emperor to begin with, but after meeting Mikael, my anger flared to the point where I wanted to smack him in the back of the head. What did it matter that he was his biological father, when he’d neglected him like this?
The pain Mikael had endured was probably something no one could truly understand.
“Don’t thank me, Your Highness.”
“…Pardon? But—”
As he tried to protest, I cut him off mid-sentence.
“This is only a small part of it. Things will change even more from here on out, so don’t start thanking me already.”
My tone might have come out a bit sharp, but it couldn’t be helped. I had merely been the catalyst. In truth, this was a situation he should have been entitled to from the beginning.
Besides, I hadn’t done it to receive gratitude. If we were being precise, I’d helped Mikael to save my own life. As a result, I’d been able to meet the emperor this time.
If anything, I should be the one saying thank you.
The more blindly he expressed his goodwill, the more my conscience prickled. I was acting as if nothing was wrong, but I was still human. Hearing words like that made me uncomfortable—like someone was forcibly peering into parts of me I’d hidden away.
Just as I was about to redirect the conversation to mask my guilty conscience, Mikael spoke first.
“I’m sorry, my lady. However—”
“……”
“I’m simply grateful that the beginning was you, not the emperor. Regardless of what intentions you had in saving me.”
Mikael gave a faint smile toward my conflicted expression.
“If my gratitude makes you uncomfortable, I will refrain from expressing it in the future. But the fact that you are my benefactor will not change.”
“…Haah.”
I deliberated over what to say but ultimately couldn’t find an answer. With him saying that much, it didn’t seem like anything I said would change his mind anyway.
In the end, I spoke with a hint of resignation.
“What if I was just using you, Your Highness?”
At my words, Mikael’s eyes widened slightly, then softened into a gentle curve. No matter how he took it, those words were sincere.
Shaking my head, I let out a quiet breath. Even if he did like me, he was far too unguarded.
Then, with eyes smiling beautifully, he tossed out his reply as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I wouldn’t mind. If anything, that would mean I’m useful to you.”
Once again—and even before that—
“…What?”
I was sure I’d heard something, but the sound seemed to vanish instantly. Had I misheard? I blinked silently.
Meanwhile, Mikael smiled calmly, as though he’d said nothing at all. Just as I was about to ask what he meant, he preempted me.
“If there is anything I can do, I will do it.”
“…Never mind. Just focus on getting better quickly.”
His resolute determination strangely drained my strength. All the thoughts I’d been having suddenly felt ridiculous. I pressed down the jumble of emotions inside me.
“Understood.”
Completely unaware of my inner turmoil, Mikael nodded cheerfully.
Understood, my foot.
It wasn’t something that could be fixed with a single word. I let out a dry laugh at my own absurd statement.
Should I call this softness…
One thing was certain: Mikael liked Shatrina more than I’d thought. This was unmistakable affection. At the very least, his words didn’t sound like lies.
Still, it was a relief that he wasn’t hostile. If he’d been prickly, it would’ve been far more exhausting. I wasn’t used to such open expressions, but I’d rather deal with a sunshine-type than the alternative.
How long had Shatrina been married again?
In the original story, it said she’d entered this place three years ago, so their marriage must have been around that long as well.
As expected of royalty, they married young. Back then, Shatrina had been twelve, and Mikael fourteen. Looked at another way, it meant the emperor of Revilia had sold off his young daughter.
“Is the room comfortable?”
“Yes. It’s much better than before.”
Mikael nodded, his eyes filled with sincerity.
“Next time, let’s go outside.”
“…!”
“You should walk around somewhere more spacious, too.”
His once-pale cheeks slowly flushed with color. Seeing the quiet anticipation on his face, I awkwardly turned my head away. He was getting that excited over a simple walk.
Clearing my throat in embarrassment, I carefully loosened my arm from his. As I moved, a startled Mikael lightly grabbed the sleeve of my clothes.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and an attendant entered carrying a small silver tray.
Approaching us directly, the attendant glanced briefly at Mikael behind me, then lowered their gaze to the tray.
My eyes followed.
A letter sealed with a red crest lay there.
“His Highness the Second Prince invites His Highness the Fourth Prince and Her Highness the Princess Consort to a dinner banquet.”
