Chapter 7
“…Pardon?”
Still smiling faintly, she took an envelope out of her desk drawer.
It was an imperial letter, sealed with the lion crest of the royal family.
“This is why I called you.”
“Did His Majesty send this?”
She nodded slightly in confirmation.
“…May I ask what it says?”
“It’s a very, very short letter saying that I’ve been selected as one of His Highness’s potential crown princess candidates.”
My throat tightened at the unexpected words.
An engagement candidate? Bloom?
At a time like this—when Lombre was about to meet Aurora, the female lead?
My thoughts spun helplessly, and I let out a stupid, vacant sound.
Ah—this is bad. Really bad.
Why would they be choosing crown princess candidates now, of all times, when he’s about to meet Aurora on this inspection?
And the Emperor hadn’t said a single word about it beforehand!
Just then, something flashed through my mind.
“Yes. A temporary fiancée—that would work.”
A brief glimmer of interest had passed through his indifferent, blood-red eyes.
I realized then that the “temporary fiancée” he was referring to was me.
“That will be your role from now on.”
Those were the words Lombre had spoken after meeting Aurora and bringing her back to the imperial palace.
So this is how it starts.
This is how everything falls into place.
“Are you all right, Lady Amber?”
“Me? Oh—yes?”
“I was wondering what you think of His Highness.”
There hadn’t been any explicit description in the original story of Bloom harboring unrequited feelings for Lombre, so I probably didn’t need to worry.
Everything so far had unfolded exactly as in the original—step by step.
From Lombre’s arrival at the Valdafric estate, to his return to the imperial palace.
There was only one thing different from the novel.
Me.
At my question, her pale blue eyes blinked a few times before softening.
“His Highness is like family to me. More like an older brother. He’s always treated me that way. I don’t have those kinds of feelings at all.”
“…Ah.”
“I’m just one of many crown princess candidates.”
Only Bloom would have the audacity to refer to the position of crown princess candidate as just one of many.
“What does my opinion matter anyway? Marriages between nobles and the imperial family aren’t decided by love or personal wishes.”
That was true—usually.
But Lombre, and the imperial family, were different.
To break the curse, they had to strive to marry the person they truly wanted—the person they genuinely loved.
It was a curse that could only be lifted by mutual, sincere love. Romantic… and cruel.
And having been betrayed by love multiple times, the Hermann imperial family had grown cynical.
Those who should have believed in true love more than anyone had come to believe that such a thing didn’t exist at all.
“It’s a relief, though. That you have no feelings for His Highness, Amber.”
“…Regardless of whether I have feelings or not, I—”
I hoped he would learn that true love existed through Aurora.
“I truly hope His Highness becomes happy.”
“……”
“More than anyone else in the world. More than anyone.”
I wanted him to know genuine love and happiness.
Lombre’s childhood had been far harsher than that of his peers.
“This is driving me crazy.”
“Hm?”
To think that Lombre had been my favorite character all along.
I’d never even dated or married, yet somehow I’d developed maternal affection first.
“But, Amber—if you truly have no interest or feelings for His Highness…”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t there any decent people around you? If you want to quit that badly, you could always use marriage as an excuse.”
It was something noblewomen from unhappy families often did—to escape by marrying someone suitable.
“I’m afraid it’s fairly well-known that His Highness refuses to accept my resignation, so there’s no one willing to help me that far.”
Lombre was frightening—and difficult—to deal with.
I’d had plenty of contact with noblemen, but not once had it led to a personal relationship.
I’d never had much interest in romance anyway, so it hadn’t mattered.
“There’s also the fact that I don’t want to quit in that way.”
If I said that, Lombre would probably just tell me to take a vacation and come back afterward.
The memory of his disaster-level declaration—I will never accept your resignation—darkened my mood.
“Well, I don’t know about the latter—but as for the former, there is someone.”
“…Who?”
Who on earth would help me?
She grinned, lips curling mischievously.
“My brother.”
Bang!
Before the words had even settled, the door burst open violently, making my hair stand on end.
Turning around, I saw Lombre standing there, radiating black energy, with Creed beside him—his face pale as death.
“Let’s go, Amber.”
“Ah—yes.”
As I moved toward Lombre, I felt someone tug lightly at my collar from behind.
“Lady Bloom?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be off work anyway? You can just stay the night here and go in tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
Lombre’s eyebrow twitched dangerously. Even the hardened Domesters nearby stiffened—but Bloom remained unfazed.
“You’re off work soon anyway.”
“Who said anything about being off work? Amber still has tasks to finish.”
“That’s exactly why she wants to quit, Your Highness.”
Bloom smiled gently as she struck nerve after nerve, and I felt an incredible sense of catharsis.
Ah—so this is what it’s like to have money and power.
I nodded along unconsciously—until I felt a cold gaze piercing me, and immediately froze.
“Let’s go, Amber.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Lady Bloom, I’ll take my leave.”
“It’s a shame, but let’s meet again. And let me know if you give any thought to what I said.”
Haha…
The moment we left the ducal estate—less than an hour after arriving—the pitch-black night sky greeted us.
I hadn’t felt tired while working at the palace, but the exhaustion hit the instant we stepped outside.
Was it because of the crown princess candidates?
Or because of what Bloom had said?
I climbed into the carriage waiting in the hall.
The rattling of the wheels cut through the heavy silence.
“…Were you really willing to quit even if it meant getting married?”
“You heard that? No—absolutely not! I would never go that far just to quit!”
I denied it so strongly it might have sounded suspiciously emphatic.
Lombre, who had been staring out the window, turned his gaze sharply toward me.
Some said his eyes were blood-red because he was a tyrant who would one day kill his entire family to seize the throne.
But to me, Lombre’s eyes weren’t blood-red.
They were like rubies.
A beautiful red that drew you in the more you looked—so alluring that those who feared it chose to call it blood.
Feeling his gaze on me, I smiled awkwardly.
“Your Highness?”
“Hah…”
He let out a heavy sigh and bowed his head.
Without caring about his neatly styled hair, he laced his fingers together and cradled the back of his head.
I hesitantly reached out toward him—but stopped, unable to touch him, my hand hovering uselessly in the air.
Even though we’d known each other since childhood, our relationship still made gestures like this feel dangerously delicate.
No matter how much we denied it, we were still a man and a woman—and outsiders would misunderstand.
My hand fell back down without ever touching him.
“Was that sincere?”
“What do you mean?”
I didn’t believe Lombre had missed the conversation between Bloom and me entirely.
He must have heard some of it—just not from the beginning.
If he’d heard everything, he would have entered immediately.
“That you want me to be happy.”
For a moment, it felt like his voice trembled.
“That you want me to be happier than anyone else in the world.”
His eyes looked like a living heart—trembling, pounding. The emotion was unmistakable in those red irises.
The way he waited so intently for my answer felt strangely childlike, and I couldn’t help smiling.
“Of course. It’s something I’ve always thought—ever since the day I first met you.”
Not a single lie.
Even if I quit my job and left his side, I would continue to wish for his safety and happiness.
I would imagine him smiling beside Aurora—finally compensated for his painful childhood, living only the happiest, most beautiful days.
“If that’s sincere… if you truly want me to be happy…”
His hand moved as if to take mine.
They were close enough to touch if he reached just a little further—but his fingers hesitated, unable to bridge the distance.
Just like I had hesitated earlier.
But there was one difference between us.
“If you want me to be happy…”
Instead of fully grasping my hand, as if I were fragile glass, he carefully hooked just one finger—my index finger—with his own.
“If you want me to be happy, then…”
He stopped short, pressing his lips together without finishing the sentence.
“…Get down.”
“Pardon? Here?”
“Yes. Go on alone.”
“What? But the palace—”
“Hey! Stop the carriage!”
Ignoring everything I said, he shouted at the coachman and flung the door open.
When I tried to follow him out, he firmly pushed me back inside and looked up at me.
“What about you, Your Highness? I’ll escort you to the palace.”
“I’ll go alone. Don’t worry.”
“What? That’s absurd—!”
“That’s enough for today. Clock out.”
This was already past quitting time!
No—more importantly, what if something happens while he’s alone?!
Flustered and panicked, I tried to follow him out again, but Lombre blocked me until the end.
Then, brushing aside all my concerns, he shut the door and ordered the carriage to move.
“…What on earth was that?”
I murmured emptily as the carriage began to roll.
That day became the very first day since entering the imperial palace that I went home before Lombre did.
