Chapter 6
Ariella wandered through the garden, her heart weighed down with uncertainty.
That morning, she had asked a maid to convey her wish to meet the Crown Prince, yet even after noon had passed, no reply had come.
It was far more likely her request hadn’t even reached him.
She hadn’t sought out Dmitri with any particular purpose in mind.
She only wanted to make clear that she, too, was eager to see their marriage annulled.
Perhaps it was rash, but her desperation left her little choice.
Looking at the palace from outside, she finally understood why Reina had cried yesterday.
Not only was it far smaller than the other palaces, but it was also woefully neglected so much so that calling it a “palace” seemed almost laughable.
After a while, she came upon the rear gardens she had once glimpsed from her balcony.
And there, Ariella froze.
“Ah…”
It was spring.
The splash of yellow she had seen from afar turned out to be clusters of trillium and poppies.
Among them bloomed delicate pink hellebores, rare and fragile flowers that rarely thrived in Frozen
And scattered throughout were purple crocuses and grape hyacinths.
The sight was breathtaking.
Her chest tightened until she had to draw in a long, steadying breath.
The caress of the fresh breeze on her cheeks, the warmth of sunlight soaking into her hair, the fragrance of blossoms sweet and vivid in the air.
All the sensations she thought she had long forgotten came rushing back to life.
And with them came an ache of longing.
She could not tell whether it was for her family, her homeland, or simply for the time that had slipped away.
I’m alive.
Even as she struggled just to survive, the world still offered a season this radiant.
Ariella let herself linger, savouring spring for a moment.
Then, a white butterfly drifted into view, fluttering before her eyes.
She lifted her hand to the air, and it alighted gently on the tip of her finger.
In her tower, there had been only a single, narrow window.
Sunlight and moonlight alike barely reached inside.
Like a drowning soul gasping for air, Ariella had clung to that window and sat quietly in the patch of clear light.
And there, a white butterfly had always appeared outside.
Of course, no butterfly could possibly have flown so high.
Still, she had believed that living, fleeting creature was a divine blessing God’s one mercy granted to her.
It was only yesterday that she had learned the truth.
Behind her tower rose a mountain, and in springtime, the butterflies from its slopes had simply wandered up to her.
The butterfly on her fingertip suddenly fluttered away.
A pang of regret made her chase after it.
She followed without realising how far she had gone, and when the butterfly disappeared, Ariella suddenly understood she was lost.
Looking around, she saw no sign of Reina.
Just moments ago, she had heard her giving orders to the maids, so she couldn’t have gone far.
Still, I should hurry back.
She turned to orient herself and spotted, in the distance, a vast garden.
At its centre stood a massive fountain, foaming white spray bursting into the air.
She didn’t yet know the layout of the imperial grounds, but this alone told her the palace must be immense.
It was beautiful.
Mesmerised, she drifted closer, eyes fixed on the dazzling spray of water.
She had just taken a step forward when.
From afar, the murmur of voices reached her ears.
Ariella instinctively ducked beneath the bushes.
From the cover that reached up to her waist, she cautiously poked her head out and froze.
The Emperor stood in the clearing, flanked by about ten men.
Opposite him stood Dimitri, all alone.
This isn’t the Imperial Palace… then is this the Crown Prince’s residence?
But why would the Crown Prince’s quarters be in such a remote place?
Unable to move rashly, Ariella held her breath and fixed her gaze on them.
They were far enough away that she couldn’t quite make out their voices.
Then, suddenly, laughter.
Loud, booming, rolling across the garden.
The Emperor and his entourage laughed all at once.
And soon after, something so shocking unfolded before her eyes that she could hardly believe what she was seeing.
One of the Emperor’s guards strode up to the Crown Prince, seized him, and plunged his head straight into the fountain.
A great splash of water arced high into the air, and Dimitri collapsed forward without the slightest resistance.
“Ah—!”
Ariella clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling the cry that had already slipped out.
The scene felt like stumbling upon a dreadful secret no one was meant to witness.
She looked at the Emperor’s men to gauge their reactions.
Astonishingly, they remained unbothered utterly unfazed, as if this humiliation was nothing new.
When Dimitri finally lifted himself from the water, drenched and dripping, the Emperor erupted in hearty laughter.
At his signal, the guard forced the prince’s head under again.
Another splash, another round of raucous laughter.
Only two men did not laugh.
How can this be?
What on earth is going on?
Did the Crown Prince commit some terrible crime?
Then, the Emperor suddenly turned.
He grabbed the collar of the man who had failed to laugh, the one standing silently at the back, and yanked him forward.
After a few words, the Emperor released him roughly, then departed with his retinue the way he had come.
Dimitri was left behind, alone.
From this distance, Ariella couldn’t make out the look on his face.
All she saw was the spring sunlight glinting off the water clinging to his figure, outlining him in fragile transparency.
And strangely, she found herself unable to tear her eyes away.
Dimitri of Triphina.
He was born a noble one who should have had the world at his feet, crushing it beneath his heel.
So why now… why did he look so wretchedly forlorn?
And then, suddenly, a painful realisation struck.
The very answer to the tormenting question she had wrestled with all night.
The Emperor and his chosen circle, standing against the Crown Prince.
The guards’ merciless obedience, carried out without the faintest hesitation.
The reason a powerless foreign princess had been named Crown Princess.
It all pointed to a single truth.
The Crown Prince was being dethroned.
Her vision swam, the world spinning before her eyes.
If that was true, everything began to make sense.
A powerless in-law family would never be able to shield the Crown Prince.
The Emperor could do as he pleased, even take a foreign bride as Empress.
But surely the King of Forenze had never imagined it would come to this.
Her father’s defiance had blocked the coronation, leaving the Empress’s throne empty.
And so they had locked Ariella away in the tower, biding their time, trying to bend Forenze and even the Temple to their will.
If her suspicions were right, then even that made sense.
Even the reason why Crown Prince Dimitri, five years from now, would slay his own father and seize the throne.
But why?
Why strip the heir the one hailed as the most flawless prince of his birthright?
Just then, Dimitri turned, his gaze cutting directly toward where Ariella crouched
She gasped, heart lurching, and ducked back beneath the bushes.
Did he see me?
No… surely not, it’s too far… Or is it?
Could he have?
Pressing a trembling hand against her chest, she forced her breathing steady.
After a while, she carefully craned her neck toward the fountain again.
Dimitri was gone.
Ariella’s steps slowed, weighed down by the storm of thoughts tangling painfully in her head.
By the time she found her way back to the palace, her temples throbbed with confusion.
And then she stopped short.
The front of the residence was in chaos.
Trunks she hadn’t even unpacked from yesterday were hauled outside.
Her body froze.
Did he see me earlier?
Is that why… am I being dragged back to the tower?
“Princess, where have you been?
I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”
Reina hurried toward her, relief plain in her expression.
“What… what is all this?”
Ariella asked.
“The Chief Chamberlain came.
He brought a whole host of attendants with him.”
“…Why?”
“To move us to a new palace.
He said yesterday was a mistake.
I knew it.
A place like this was unthinkable.
You’re soon to be Crown Princess, after all.”
Reina’s face glowed with delight, but Ariella’s eyes narrowed, sharp with suspicion.
At that moment, the chamberlain himself approached.
Whatever else could be said, his expression was unmistakably warm, brimming with goodwill as it turned toward her.
“My apologies for the delay in greeting you.”
“Lord Chamberlain…”
“Please, call me Benjamin.”
“I—I couldn’t possibly.
You are His Majesty’s chief chamberlain…”
“Indulge me, I insist.
I had hoped to come last night to thank you properly, but the hour was late, and circumstances… prevented me.”
“There was no need for that,” Ariella murmured.
“No, Princess.
You saved my life.”
Benjamin’s smile was gentle.
With nothing more to say, Ariella simply dipped her head in acknowledgement.
“Why, then, are we moving to another palace?”
She asked at last.
“I petitioned His Majesty, and he graciously granted his permission.”
Her lips tightened.
After what she had witnessed today, caution was the only safe response even toward a chamberlain.
Especially toward him.
So why would he go out of his way?
If this was genuine kindness, then perhaps… perhaps she had found an ally within these hostile walls.
The thought stirred something fragile within her, like a shaft of sunlight piercing through the narrowest crack in a pitch-dark tunnel.
Like a single candle lit in the dead of night.
And not just any ally the Emperor’s own chamberlain.
“The new palace,” Benjamin added lightly, “is right beside the Crown Prince’s.”
Ah.
Not an ally, then.
An enemy.
The faint flame of hope Ariella had kindled since arriving in Triphina sputtered and hissed out.
By evening, they had moved.
The new quarters reserved only for the most honoured of guests were pristine, lavishly appointed.
An abundance of attendants bustled about.
Compared to the tower, it was a transformation so stark it was dizzying.
Reina was utterly delighted.
Ariella, on the other hand, found the weight of it suffocating.
With the Crown Prince’s true
standing in the court still uncertain, how was she to know whether this sudden generosity was a blessing… or a trap?
And yet, thanks to Chamberlain Benjamin’s aid, she was able at last to send a formal request for an audience with the Crown Prince.
By fortune or misfortune, Dimitri agreed.
That very evening, he would receive her.
