Chapter 18
A white, round face peeked through the small gap of the opened door.
“May I come in?”
“Father.”
Laughing softly, Father entered the room and wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, awkwardly glancing around.
“I just wanted to see if everything is going well… getting ready to leave and all.”
Mia, who had been looking up at Father, stood up and brushed the dust off her apron.
She used the excuse that I might need another bag for packing, and—sensing the atmosphere—she quickly slipped out of the room.
Once the door closed behind her, silence settled.
Father clearly had something to say. But unlike usual, he couldn’t even sit down properly, fidgeting nervously. I narrowed my eyes.
“What is it? Is it something difficult to talk about?”
I pulled his arm and guided him to a chair. At my words, Father jumped in surprise and waved his chubby hands frantically.
“N-No, no, it’s not that…”
As my brows drew together, Father laughed awkwardly and wiped his sweat again, then took something out of his pocket.
“What’s this?”
“It’s nothing special.”
It was a small pouch. Untying the pretty ribbon, I peeked inside—and my nose stung immediately.
“You’re not strong, but you’re going to such a cold place… I just couldn’t stop worrying.”
Inside was a small heater made of torpaz. It was palm-sized and gave off the perfect amount of warmth.
“It’s made of torpaz so high-quality it’s too good to use as a heater. Make sure you keep it with you there—oh! Why—why are you crying?!”
“J-Just… just… Thank you, Father… hic…”
Big teardrops fell like chicken droppings. Father panicked, jumped up, and tried to wipe my tears with his handkerchief—but it was soaked with sweat, so he tossed it on the floor.
Then he dabbed my eyes using the sleeve of his coat, gently saying, “Don’t cry, don’t cry, hmm?” trying desperately to calm me.
But the more he tried, the harder I cried.
Maybe my crying was loud enough to be heard outside. The door swung open and Mother rushed in.
“Why are you making her cry!”
“N-No! I wasn’t trying to—”
“Eliana. Stop crying! You’ll be a Grand Duchess in three days! What’s so sad that you’re crying like this?!”
Mother scrubbed my face with a handkerchief until it turned red.
“Blow.”
“Sniff… fine.”
After blowing my nose into Mother’s handkerchief, my eyes finally focused on the precious people in front of me.
Mia and Steward Cyan watching worriedly from the doorway… my parents bickering over my tears… and my older brother who always thought of me even from far away.
I wanted to make Kaylen emperor as quickly as possible, so I could build a future filled with these precious people.
Sometimes, lying awake at night, I wondered if an extra whose name barely appears should really interfere with the protagonist’s life. I worried how twisting the original story might change the future.
But the water was already spilled. Sitting and regretting wasn’t my style. I wouldn’t be satisfied with the supporting role I was assigned.
Even if I’m only an extra mentioned a few times—so what? The main character of my life is still me.
I wiped the last tear hanging on my eyelashes with the back of my hand.
“They caught the culprit.”
Kaylen, exhausted from the busy days before the wedding, had been sacrificing sleep and working late into the night again. At the sudden report, he frowned.
“The culprit from the arson.”
Dylan placed documents on Kaylen’s desk and added:
“The librarian, sir.”
Kaylen lifted his chin slightly.
“What?”
“He said he went back to check something and accidentally knocked over a candlestick…”
“How sloppy. So sloppy it’s almost funny.”
“He turned himself in.”
“He did? And His Majesty?”
“There was little damage, and since the man confessed, His Majesty ordered he be dismissed and banished from the capital.”
The Crown Prince was always like this—seeing people as tools, doing whatever he wanted.
Who could go against someone at the very top of the social hierarchy? Most likely, the Crown Prince framed the librarian as the culprit.
Kaylen shook his head. What a neat conclusion.
He stood, hands in his pockets, gazing out the window. Outside, only the torpaz lanterns lit the palace grounds. Beautiful on the surface, but rotting inside.
He could smell the decay clearly, yet others seemed unaware—or pretended not to be.
A drunk-on-glory emperor who ignored everything happening around him.
A self-indulgent empress obsessed only with her son.
A selfish, cruel crown prince.
“And it seems they changed the location of the torpaz black market ledgers too,” Dylan said.
“We expected that.”
“Still, it’s a shame we lost such a good chance… And things with Duke Hernia also fell apart.”
Kaylen smirked bitterly.
He had thought he’d gained an advantage, but a single mistake had cost him much more.
To deal with someone as sneaky and meticulous as Ferdinand, he couldn’t afford even the smallest carelessness.
“Dylan. That librarian—they banished him, right? Keep an eye on him anyway.”
“Sir? Why him…?”
“The more cards you have, the better.”
“…Understood.”
Dylan bowed and left the room.
The deep night was covered in clouds, and darkness also settled in Kaylen’s green eyes.
“Never go against them. Promise me, Kyle.”
Those were the last words his birth mother, Helena, said to her son who would soon be left alone in the world.
Tonight, her voice clung to his ears.
“No, Mother. If I don’t oppose them… I can’t protect myself or my people. Your death too…”
His words trailed off. He clenched his fists tightly; veins bulged, and his palms were marked by his own nails.
Kaylen stood before the window, staring long at the palace he would soon leave.
Mother had lost even more weight than I remembered, but her expression was bright.
She complained endlessly about how impossible it was to prepare a royal wedding in a few months, but she was overjoyed by all the tea party invitations and salon gatherings she’d received.
Father cried every time our eyes met. Sweat and tears both needed wiping, so handkerchiefs were constantly in short supply. He even carried spares.
The chaotic season passed, and at the beginning of winter, the wedding day arrived.
The ceremony was held at the capital mansion Kaylen received from the emperor when he returned victorious from the border.
From dawn, my day was hectic. Bathing and dressing took much longer than usual, and drying my hair alone took forever.
While attendants worked on restoring its original color, darkened from water, Mia entered with a letter and a small box.
A letter and gift from my brother.
Aiden couldn’t attend the wedding due to a sudden problem in his research. I was disappointed, but I had accepted it.
I opened the heavy envelope.
Four pages, filled with his apologies and warm thoughts.
Reading each line made my nose sting again. My eyes heated, tears welling up. I finally understood why brides cried during their parents’ blessings.
“A-Ah, my lady! Oh no!”
Mia panicked and pressed a cold towel over my eyes, saying I couldn’t go into the wedding hall with a swollen face.
“I’m going to be a Grand Duchess now, you know? You shouldn’t treat me like this.”
“Yes, yes. I will serve you with my life.”
She answered teasingly, then took the letter and box from my hands.
“Alright! Let’s begin your makeup!”
From that moment, a storm swept through the room. People painted, pressed, brushed, powdered—chaos everywhere.
The corset squeezed my waist so tightly I couldn’t even eat breakfast.
The palace attendants and the servants Mother hired bustled around me until I felt like gagging.
“My lady—no, Grand Duchess. We are finished.”
The words I’d been waiting for.
Relieved, I exhaled slowly and opened my eyes.
When I looked up, attendants were holding a large mirror in front of me.
