-87-
“A… a woman?”
“Yes! A woman! That brother of mine has a woman!”
“What do you mean…? No, Alexandra, w–wait, calm down…”
Her sudden outburst startled me, but with her shaking my shoulders in her excitement, I couldn’t even think straight. Seeing my complexion pale, the head maid quickly stepped in to calm her down.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess has only just recovered. Please, let’s go inside and talk after you’ve calmed yourself.”
“Yes, Alexandra. I think I understand what this is about, but this isn’t the place for such talk. Let’s go inside first.”
I quickly followed the maid’s lead. When I gently took the hands clutching my shoulders, Alexandra finally drew in a deep breath and said,
“…Phew… alright. I’m sorry, Tiana. Let’s go in.”
Thankfully, she listened to us. Nodding, she turned and headed for the room. Relieved, I told the maid,
“Please bring us some tea.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Right away.”
The maid curtsied and left, while I followed Alexandra into the drawing room. She was already seated, looking slightly flushed, waiting with a restless air.
I sat across from her and asked,
“Alexandra, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I’m sorry, Tiana. I must have frightened you with my outburst. Oh—your body… are you okay? I shook you too hard, didn’t I? You’ve just recovered, what if I made you worse…”
“I was a little startled, but I’m fine. More importantly, what happened? You look far more shaken than I am.”
Her face was flushed, but her expression was stiff and grave. I had never seen her like this, and it worried me.
She sat quietly for a moment, gathering her breath, before speaking slowly.
“Something happened. Something… very shocking.”
“What happened?”
“I told you already. My brother… he has a woman.”
Her voice was low, unlike her usual tone, her eyes locked on me with a hardened expression.
‘Rayel… has a woman?’
But he has Angelica. Not long ago, he had confessed his feelings for her to Lucius and me. Did he tell Alexandra as well?
No… her reaction didn’t seem like it. If he had mentioned Angelica, she wouldn’t be this bewildered. And the way she only said “a woman”… it seemed she didn’t know it was Angelica.
“His Majesty… with a woman? Is there a lady he’s been seeing?”
“It seems so. I only found out yesterday, when my brother suddenly told me himself. He said he wants to marry her!”
“What?”
He told her that plainly? I expected he would eventually confide in her, but not so soon. Very much like Rayel to say it directly without hesitation… but why hadn’t he told her it was Angelica?
As I sat thinking, Alexandra drained the tea the maid had just brought in, then continued,
“Actually, I’ve been watching him lately because he’s been acting strangely.”
“Strangely?”
“Yes. He started doing things he’s never done before. Like taking Rose out for walks during official work, or having new flowers planted in the gardens. He’s walked Rose many times before, but never while working. And as for flowers—he’s never cared about them before. And then…”
“And then?”
“I noticed his palace staff seemed busier than usual. They were carrying boxes back and forth, and unfamiliar outsiders kept coming and going. From the looks of it, he was ordering things from outside.”
“I see…”
Walking Rose during work, planting new flowers, calling in merchants… putting her words together, the meaning was obvious.
“He’s been stepping away from work to meet someone. Planting flowers, buying things… all for that person.”
“Exactly!”
She clapped her hands at my words.
“I know my brother’s nature, so at first I couldn’t believe it. But the evidence was right before my eyes—he’s doing all of this for someone. Honestly, it’s absurd. Completely absurd.”
“Yes… when you think of His Majesty, it’s hard to believe. The idea that he’d do anything for a woman is… unthinkable.”
“Exactly! My brother, of all people? The one who never receives or sees anyone? And yet—it really looks like he’s meeting someone!”
“You haven’t seen her directly?”
If he was being this obvious, surely she’d have caught sight of him with Angelica. But Alexandra shook her head.
“Unfortunately, no. I know where they meet, but my brother used barrier magic to conceal it, so I couldn’t see who it was.”
“Ahh…”
If he used magic, then of course she couldn’t. Still, why hide her identity while making it so obvious otherwise? He could’ve told Alexandra safely enough.
‘Come to think of it… he did say it wasn’t time yet…’
When he spoke to Lucius and me, he’d hinted he would announce his marriage to Angelica soon, but that it would take time. About a month had passed since then. He was dropping hints, but hadn’t revealed it yet.
After sipping the tea the maid refilled, Alexandra went on,
“Anyway, I confirmed with my own eyes that he has a woman. I couldn’t believe it. I was so curious I finally asked him directly.”
“And he didn’t tell you who she was?”
“Of course not. But he did admit he was seeing someone, and that he was thinking of marrying her. I almost fainted on the spot!”
“Haha…”
She shook her head slowly, still looking dazed. I understood perfectly.
This was Rayel—the Emperor, the male lead of the original story. I knew him well. Without Angelica, he would have lived alone his entire life.
‘The emperor himself, who treated women like stone…’
It wasn’t a bad thing—if anything, admirable—but for the empire’s succession, it was dangerous. His reputation for ignoring every woman who came and went was as firm now as it was in the novel.
I wasn’t shocked, because I knew the story. But for Alexandra, who had always been close to him, this must have been a tremendous blow.
To hear directly from him: “There’s a woman I want to marry.” How could she not be stunned?
As I watched her, she went on, half-indignant,
“And do you know what else he said? He asked me to make her wedding dress! Without even telling me who she is! Can you believe it?”
“A wedding dress? But to make it properly, surely he’d have to let you see her…”
“Exactly! When I told him it would be impossible otherwise, he just said he’d give me a rough description and have me start on the basics! As if I could whip up something like that without even seeing her!”
“Haha…”
Yes, that was unreasonable, even for Rayel. A wedding dress isn’t made overnight. And knowing Alexandra, her pride as a designer wouldn’t let her do such work blind.
“So what did you say?”
“I told him absolutely not, unless I met her myself. Then he promised he’d introduce her to me soon. Honestly! If he was going to say that, why not just tell me from the start? He’s so stubborn. If he weren’t my brother, I’d never let it slide.”
She sighed deeply, and I couldn’t help but smile. She clearly cherished him, grumbling but still indulging him. Just like the affectionate siblings they were in the original story.
After venting, she drank more tea, then set down her empty cup with a sigh.
“It’s frustrating that he’s hiding it from me, but… I can’t help being curious. Who is this woman who could change him so much? Honestly, I thought he’d been acting different for months now.”
“Oh? In what way?”
“His demeanor. His actions. Just slightly different from before. Not obvious, but softer somehow. And his words and actions… more direct.”
…So she’d noticed too. When I first met him, I had felt something different about him as well. Apparently Alexandra had sensed it too.
And of course, she saw him far more often than I did.
“At first I thought it was because of Brother Lucius, but no… it wasn’t that. Watching carefully, I realized. I still can’t fully believe it, but… my brother… he’s fallen in love.”
She leaned back against the sofa, her expression calmer now.
“He never cared for anyone. I worried about him… But honestly, I feel a little relieved. There’s someone who can be by his side now.”
“Alexandra…”
“I don’t know who she is, but if my brother chose her, she must be a good person.”
She smiled, but there was a trace of sadness in it. She must be happy for him, but also lonely—her beloved brother’s attention would now shift to someone else.
Even so, she hid it well. Admirably so. I reached out and gently took her hand.
“Of course. Whoever she is, she’ll treasure and love His Majesty more than anyone. You don’t have to worry.”
After all, it was Angelica. Their destinies were bound.
She smiled at me, reassured, and nodded.
“Yes… you’re right. Thank you, Tiana… Hmm? Wait. Did you just say ‘whoever she is’?”
“…Eh?”
“You said, ‘If it’s her, she’ll love him more than anyone.’ That sounded like you already know exactly who ‘she’ is.”
“Ah…”
I faltered under her sharp gaze, unable to answer, looking away. Her eyes narrowed.
“…Tiana. Don’t tell me… you know who she is?”
…Crap.
