Chapter 3
We Were Good Friends
Rachel was a princess? I never imagined it.
It was right after Father, troubled by my proposal to send me as the kingdom’s treasure, dismissed Damon and me from the hall.
The Rachel I knew was bright and cheerful.
The Central Palace of the royal castle was open to the citizens, and Damon’s friends often visited. They all treated me kindly, but Rachel had always been a little different.
People around me followed court manners and maintained dignified behavior.
But Rachel alone treated me casually and freely. I never disliked it—never found it uncomfortable. That was simply the kind of person Rachel was.
Whenever we met by chance, Rachel would talk to me. Sometimes she came to seek me out on purpose. It was only a few visits over the years, but each time she brought me something small.
“Daisy, these are macarons. I thought I might see you today, so I brought them.”
“Princess Daisy, so you were here! I heard something fun today. Come, I’ll tell you!”
“Baby Princess Daisy, your white hair is so pretty. But your eyes attract me even more. Why is that? It’s truly fascinating.”
Rachel lightly held a strand of my hair and laughed.
Even though she tugged on it a little, I ended up laughing with her. There were many days like that.
“Let’s meet again next time!”
Even when we met only briefly, Rachel always promised the next time.
Playful expressions no matter the situation, her loud and clear voice, her bright, ringing laughter—Rachel always gave me something, and she never wanted anything in return.
“Daisy, are you serious?”
Damon grabbed my shoulders and shook me lightly.
“Of course. I’m actually relieved I thought of this. It lets me fulfill my responsibility as a member of the royal family.”
I swayed forward-backward-sideways as Damon shook me. Oh dear, the world was spinning.
“But still!”
“You didn’t do something ridiculous, right? Like telling the princess your true name?”
I laughed. “Brother? Really?”
“That’s not it! It’s hard to explain, but I never did anything shameful.”
I had never doubted Damon. Though he caused trouble often, he cared for the kingdom more than anyone.
Damon clenched his fists and released my shoulders. The ceiling of the Central Palace stopped spinning.
“Then I’m not sacrificing myself instead of you, right?”
“Daisy… nothing is decided yet. If we discuss more, a better idea might appear.”
“Right.”
Even in my dizziness, I smiled at him. But Damon knew the truth too.
Sending me was the best option.
“Owen is really greedy.”
Damon exhaled like sighing the words.
It had been only a few centuries since Owen rose to the status of an empire through conquest. A short time in history. Not long ago, they tried to swallow this land whole through war—and now they desired to elevate their global prestige.
“Brother, you knew Rachel was a princess, didn’t you?”
Damon let out a real sigh this time.
“Yes, I knew.”
“Were you the only one?”
“Probably. At least it’s clear she wanted to hide it from everyone. Her documents were flawless. I only learned she was a princess by accident.”
Damon seemed to be recalling his academy days years ago.
“Like she said, I don’t think she came to the academy with some plot. More precisely, Rachel didn’t seem to care that she was an imperial or a princess.”
“She didn’t care?”
“She didn’t seem fond of the imperial family. Not all ruling families are like ours. You know how messy the Owen Empire gets over the crown prince position.”
True.
The descendants of the first emperor—who had conquered the continent—fought for the throne as if it too were a conquest.
The internal problems of the Owen imperial family were well-known.
“And we were—”
Click.
The door of the Audience Hall opened then, and Shade stepped out. He wasn’t surprised to find his two siblings waiting.
“We were good friends.”
The moment Shade closed the door, Damon’s words spilled out.
His eyes—identical in color to mine—held the past. Unsorted emotions dripped from his voice.
“That’s what I thought. I don’t know anymore. Even the hair and eye colors she had were lies—changed by magic.”
Damon, Rachel, and their other friends—five of them—looked happy wherever they went.
Always loud, always sharing some funny story among themselves.
Rachel did treat me kindly, but only a little. She laughed more with them.
Curly brown hair, shining red eyes—how she used to look among her friends.
Now even those appearances were lies shaped by magic, it seemed.
“Both of you, go rest.”
“Brother.”
Shade touched my shoulder lightly before turning away.
He was born a crown prince and raised as one. I had never seen him confess emotions.
That touch on my shoulder was his way of offering comfort—no, his version of it.
I understood Shade’s heart well.
I lifted my head and looked out the window. The sun was already setting.
I should return to my palace, have a light dinner, and think.
What to pack, how to speak to Rachel…
“Daisy! Your eyes! You’ve already decided you’re going!”
Damon seized my shoulders and shook me again.
“Daisy, at least get angry! Ask why she hid she was a princess! Ask what happened eight years ago—nag her, demand answers! Tell me to change Rachel’s mind… at least say it! Please? This is all tied to me—tell me it’s my responsibility, your wish. Remember? I promised to grant you a wish. Daisy. Please?”
His voice grew quieter, and his grip loosened.
By the time he said my name, he lowered his hand and bowed his head.
“Brother, none of that is special.”
I smiled. Leaning forward, I met his eyes.
“We can talk later. I’ll need you gone if I’m going to curse someone out anyway.”
The next day, I went to Father’s office. I hadn’t made an appointment, but the king welcomed his unexpected visitor warmly.
“Father, if the princess hears my true name, she won’t be able to refuse our proposal.”
Once she knew it, Rachel would no longer be able to claim I was unwilling.
A true name, once heard, could never be unheard.
I would be placing my weakness directly into her hands.
“You may be Lundra’s Leatria, but the Empire may see that as wordplay. They won’t look kindly on someone who deceived them.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“She requested three years, and she used the word borrow. If you go, you will be treated like a tribute.”
“I’m aware of that too, Father. But she won’t dare treat a princess terribly.”
“Daisy. My treasure. My child.”
Father pressed a hand over his eyes. I rose and sat beside him.
“I believe this is the best way. While I’m in the Empire, the imperial family won’t be able to reveal my brother’s incident. Meanwhile, the royal family can prepare countermeasures—strengthen security at the academy and institutions. This is a good opportunity for structural reform. Our kingdom can grow stronger.”
I placed my hand gently over his.
“The Empire will not be able to reveal they know your true name. So I will propose that we announce to the world that you are going because the Empire formally requested you for study. Not Owen’s ideal scenario, but still significant—a princess moving under imperial request is impactful. At least it won’t appear as though Lundra is bowing.”
Father slowly blinked.
“But Daisy… if we do this, then truly, you will…”
Even then, he could not finish the sentence.
I leaned into his arm.
“Then I’ll really think of it as studying abroad. Their culture is different; living there may broaden my perspective. Thinking that way… I feel excited, actually.”
“Daisy… aren’t you angry at me, for crafting all these explanations?”
I smiled sheepishly.
“Please don’t say that. Help me fulfill my responsibility as the princess of Lundra.”
“…Forgive me, Daisy. I cherished my youngest so much I never let you face the world—and now this.”
With a sigh, Father embraced me.
As always, before being my father, King Yones II had to be the king of Lundra.
