Chapter 8
An Excuse
About a month after they recruited Riouniel, Pierre finally brought up the topic of the Imperial Palace.
“Lucy, I’d like to bring you into the palace tomorrow. Would that be all right?”
“Tomorrow? Already?”
“Yes. You have H and Lady Serié on your side, but to make your presence known to everyone, you’ll need your own attendants and guards.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“The pressure from the Nurte family is getting worse. Delaying it any longer will only make things harder. It’ll be stressful, but…”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve already made up my mind. I just… feel nervous thinking about standing in front of everyone.”
“You’ll do great. Don’t worry too much—the social world is my specialty.”
Riouniel smiled and encouraged her, but Lucy’s worry didn’t fade easily.
“But if people ask how we met… what should we say? You said before that we met by chance and fell in love, but that’s too vague. They’ll want details.”
“She’s right. We need a clearer story!”
At their words, Pierre sighed.
“I’ve been thinking about that too. I don’t know how the Empress will react, but my father won’t be easy to convince. If the excuse sounds weak, he’ll see through it immediately. I’ve been struggling to come up with something believable.”
“Then…”
“How about saying… you’re having a child?”
Both Pierre and Lucy froze at H’s sudden suggestion.
“…What?”
“People say you were divorced because you couldn’t have children, but that wasn’t true to begin with, was it?”
“……”
“In the Imperial Family, remarriage is more difficult than marriage itself. But if you claim to be carrying the Crown Prince’s child, even His Majesty couldn’t easily refuse the union.”
“And after that? It’s a lie that will be revealed sooner or later. I have no desire to be executed for insulting the Imperial Family.”
“You could say you lost the baby later—”
“I don’t want that.”
Lucy’s firm tone silenced the room. Even H looked startled.
Pierre turned toward him, his eyes quietly reprimanding.
“I went through hell because I couldn’t have a child with Theodore. I don’t ever want to lie about something like that again.”
“…I apologize. That was thoughtless of me.”
“It’s all right. You were only trying to help. Just be careful next time, okay?”
Realizing he had touched a painful wound, H bowed his head in silence.
Then Riouniel spoke up, breaking the heavy mood.
“Then how about this? As long as it looks like you two are truly in love, and that His Highness sincerely wants you as his wife, the rest doesn’t matter, right?”
“That’s true. I don’t have a strong family name or wealth to use as an excuse anyway.”
“Then the best reason is—love at first sight!”
“Love at first sight?”
“Think about it. The idea that the Crown Prince and Lady Lucy fell in love—an unexpected remarriage! The easiest way to make it acceptable is to make it sound like a fairy tale.”
“……”
“A noble prince rescued from danger by a brave lady—she rises in status, and they live happily ever after! Just like Cinderella.”
It was actually a clever idea. A romantic, fairy-tale explanation would sound better than any complicated excuse.
Though Lucy didn’t like the idea of “love at first sight” (it reminded her too much of someone), it was the most practical option.
“For example,” Riouniel continued, “perhaps His Highness got lost, or fell off his horse, and Lady Lucy saved him. After that, they kept in touch, and what started as gratitude turned into love.”
“Well…”
“Who could object to a story like that? Everyone would melt!”
Lucy still looked doubtful, but Pierre’s reaction was surprisingly positive.
“It’s not a bad idea. Something like that actually happened to me once.”
“Then that’s perfect! Just go with that story. Unless you’d rather make it real by—”
“Stop. Stop right there, Niel!”
Lucy’s face turned bright red.
It reminded her of that conversation she’d had with Riouniel two days after they’d made their alliance.
At first, Riouniel had simply been teaching her about noble etiquette and how to handle the social elite. But then the topic changed.
“The most important thing for a Crown Princess is winning the Crown Prince’s heart.”
“In my case, it was just a contract marriage, so that wasn’t really…”
“Once you’re in the palace, all eyes and ears will be on you. The two of you must look harmonious for this plan to succeed.”
“So, what should I do?”
“The best way to capture a man’s heart is, of course, through the night—”
“Niel!”
“Ahaha! Don’t be so shocked! It’s not your first time, is it?”
“Even so—it’s embarrassing! We didn’t even start this because of real feelings…”
“Do you really think His Highness doesn’t have feelings for you?”
“Of course not. Why would a man like him like someone like me?”
“Hmm… our future Crown Princess seems a bit dense.”
“What?”
“Nothing~!”
Lucy had been so flustered that she still blushed thinking about it.
“Is something wrong?” Pierre asked.
“No. Absolutely not.”
Her firm reply made Pierre shrug and change the subject.
“All right, then. Let’s go back to the main point. We’ll say we met by chance—that should be convincing enough.”
“I’ve already learned all the etiquette and palace customs, so we’re mostly ready.”
“Even so,” Pierre said, rubbing his forehead, “there’s one big problem left.”
Lucy looked at him curiously.
“They’ll ask why you got divorced.”
“……”
“They’ll want to know if the rumors are true. Of course I know they’re not, but you’ll still have to defend yourself.”
“You mean I have to tell the Emperor and Empress that I was a stupid woman who endured my husband’s affair and his family’s cruelty, then hit him with a vase and got divorced?”
“It doesn’t have to be that detailed. We can mix truth and fiction.”
“……”
“Let’s drop the part about your family being poor—you’re a Baroness now and own this estate.”
“And?”
“Don’t mention the friend. If you call her a friend, they’ll ask for her name, and it’s risky to bring up the Leatis family right now.”
“So I’ll just say that I discovered my husband was cheating, lost my temper, and hit him—not because of jealousy or rage, but because I was betrayed?”
“…That sounds reasonable enough?”
“That’s not very reassuring, Your Highness!”
“Well… it’s true you did hit him with a vase,” Riouniel added carefully.
Lucy groaned. “Exactly! Who would want a daughter-in-law like that? Forget the Crown Princess—anyone would be scared of me.”
“Lucy, mind your words,” Riouniel warned gently.
“Oh, right, sorry. I’ll be careful.”
It was overwhelming. The thought of standing before the Emperor and Empress—explaining her personal life in detail—made her dizzy.
For a moment, she even considered running away.
Then H spoke quietly.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“Five days from now is the wedding of Lady Miel Leatis and Baron Theodore Garnet.”
“…Is that so?”
“His Majesty plans to congratulate them by granting Baron Garnet the title of Viscount.”
Pierre frowned. “So the adulterous couple is being rewarded? That’s troublesome.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Lucy grumbled.
“Some of us are having a nervous breakdown here.”
“I was just thinking,” Pierre said, smiling slightly, “that you’ll have another task after visiting the palace tomorrow.”
“What task?”
“Five days from now is Miel and Theodore’s wedding.”
“…”
Lucy’s expression changed instantly—her eyes burning with determination.
Pierre and H exchanged satisfied looks.
“After introducing you to the Imperial Family,” Pierre continued, “we’ll announce that someone other than Lady Nurte will become Crown Princess.”
“That announcement will completely overshadow their wedding,” H added.
“Exactly. Then you’ll attend their wedding—looking more beautiful and radiant than the bride herself.”
“You mean… revenge and a declaration of war at the same time?”
“At the very least,” Pierre said with a smirk, “it’ll make their wedding the worst memory of their lives.”
Lucy smiled back, her eyes gleaming. She clearly liked the idea.
“All right. If it’s for that kind of show, I’ll just have to be bold.”
Right now, Lucy was driven by her hatred and desire for revenge against Theodore and Miel.
Pierre intended to use that fire—to turn her pain into confidence—until the day she could stand tall on her own.
