Episode 10. Did You Just Propose?
“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”
Gran’s voice was pleasant to hear.
“Because of my injury, I had to cover part of my face. I hope you can understand.”
Even with half of his face hidden, he still looked handsome. It was hard to imagine what kind of scar he was hiding.
“A scar, you say? Don’t worry about it. You’ve traveled far. Thank you for coming.”
My father, who only cared about noble blood, didn’t care about scars at all.
“No, I should thank you for allowing me to visit.”
“Haha. You haven’t changed a bit. You still speak so smoothly.”
“Thank you.”
While my father and Gran spoke, Father looked at me. His eyes told me to greet Gran quickly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Prince Gran.”
“It’s an honor to meet the beautiful Princess Lylie.”
I stared at Gran, almost studying him. He seemed to misunderstand my gaze.
“Princess, if you look at me like that, I might get the wrong idea.”
“……”
“That maybe you fell in love with me at first sight.”
I answered after a pause.
“That’s not it. I was just…”
I wanted to know why Gran wanted to marry me.
He wasn’t the crown prince, but the second prince. And I was just the youngest princess, far from the throne.
Everyone already knew my brother Francis would succeed Father.
So why did Gran want this marriage? Just for the alliance between our empires?
“Forgive me if this is rude, but why did you personally come all the way here?”
“When there’s a beautiful flower, isn’t it natural for a butterfly to come closer?”
“……”
“The flower has roots and cannot move. So it is the butterfly’s duty to fly to her.”
Obviously, the flower was me, and the butterfly was him.
What a charming answer. If he wanted, he could easily steal the hearts of many women.
If I were a normal, naïve noble girl, I might have fallen for him right away.
But my life had already been too hard for such childish dreams.
Even so, I forced a smile. Because I planned to use him.
“Then let me ask directly.”
“Yes?”
I stood from my seat and faced him straight.
“Would you marry me tomorrow if I asked?”
Even at my sudden proposal, Gran did not flinch.
“Was that a proposal, Princess?”
His calm reply carried confidence. He wasn’t a man who could be taken lightly.
“So, what’s your answer?”
“I…”
Gran smiled mysteriously. I waited for his reply.
That evening, my family gathered for dinner.
It had been a long time since I’d seen my brother Francis.
“Lylie. It’s been a while.”
Across the table, he looked younger than I remembered.
Once again, I realized I had truly returned to the past.
“It’s good to see you again, Brother.”
As Father cut his steak, he turned to me.
“Lylie, were you serious about what you said earlier?”
I hadn’t touched my own food yet when I replied.
“Yes. I was serious. After meeting him, I think he’s a good choice.”
“……”
“And besides, he’s a suitor you personally recommended, Father.”
Father’s face brightened with joy.
But I felt sick.
Knowing he had killed Eddy, it disgusted me to sit with him.
I quickly drank the water beside me.
“And yes, I also meant what I said—I want to marry him soon. I’m tired of rejecting proposals over and over.”
At that, Father put down his knife and looked straight at me.
His green eyes glowed with emotion. He seemed truly happy that I had chosen Gran.
But the greater his joy, the greater his coming disappointment.
Because I already had plans.
“Since Prince Gran also accepted my proposal, shouldn’t we send a messenger to the Ramzi Empire right away?”
I remembered Gran’s answer to me earlier:
“I already came here with that intention.”
What was he really thinking? Did he really fall for me at first sight?
It didn’t matter. All I needed was for him to play his part in my plan.
“My daughter, Lylie. You made a wise choice. This father is proud of you. And in fact, I already sent a messenger.”
Already sent one?
So Father planned to push this marriage through no matter what—even if I disagreed.
“I’m glad my decision helps you, Father.”
Francis and Mother both looked surprised.
“Lylie, are you truly serious?”
I smiled softly.
“Yes, I am. I actually like him.”
“Well… if that’s your choice, we won’t stop you.”
Mother didn’t seem to care much. She had always cared only about Francis, the heir.
“I’m looking forward to the wedding.”
Of course, that was a lie.
I had no intention of marrying Gran.
On the wedding day itself, I would run away.
Because it was a political marriage between empires, the wedding would be large and extravagant.
Many people would be watching. Much money would be spent.
And when the bride disappeared…?
Father would be humiliated before his ministers and the Ramzi Empire.
The man who hated bowing his head more than anything—
I wanted to make him bow.
Gran returned to the Ramzi Empire the very next day.
Since he had already achieved his goal—our engagement—he left immediately.
Matilda later told me he would return just before the wedding.
I pushed thoughts of Gran aside and continued preparing for my escape.
“Matilda, you’ve always helped me. Is there something you’d like? A gift?”
She was my closest maid, someone I truly cared for. Once I left, I’d never see her again.
So I wanted to give her something.
But Matilda was clever. She sensed something in my tone.
“Is this because of the wedding, Princess? But you’ll still live here in the Empire, right? I’ll keep serving you.”
Gran was supposed to live here after our marriage, as a prince-consort.
But that was only if the wedding actually happened.
“No, not because of the wedding. I just want to give you a gift, for always helping me.”
Matilda shook her head.
“I don’t want anything. You’ve already given me so much.”
How could she be so sweet?
I had already prepared something anyway.
“There’s a chest with jewels hidden deep in the wardrobe. They’re yours.”
“Princess…”
Her voice trembled.
Not just her voice—her eyes glistened with tears.
‘I didn’t even treat her that well…’
Why was she crying? It was just some jewelry.
“I’m sorry… and thank you. I’ll step outside for a moment to collect myself.”
She lowered her head and quickly left the room.
My own eyes grew hot as I watched her go.
