CHAPTER 01………………………………….
The Beginning of a Misunderstanding]
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of the Robea Empire did not love each other. They were nothing special—just an utterly ordinary, typical “show-window couple.”
Have you ever seen nobles or royals marry for love?
Usually, they marry first for political reasons. If they’re lucky, love comes afterward. If they’re average, they simply respect each other and live their lives. If they’re unlucky, they end up ruining each other’s wealth and reputation.
So in the Robea Empire, a loveless marriage was neither tragic nor unusual.
The real problem was an heir. No matter how much they disliked each other, they still needed to produce one. But even after several years of marriage, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had no child.
A loveless marriage? Common enough.
But this pair was different. Do you know why?
The Crown Prince hated the Crown Princess. He couldn’t even stand their hands touching, or their eyes meeting. At that point, wasn’t it basically disgust?
Why did he hate her so much? She was beautiful, from a prestigious family, and had an agreeable personality.
So why?
Hearing all those rumors, Rosennelly wanted to ask the same thing.
Why? Why do you hate me so much?
But there was no one to ask. Once again today, the Crown Prince had left her behind and gone out.
Sitting by the window, Rosennelly gazed at the full moon as if it were her husband and murmured:
“Why do you hate me so much?”
The cold marble beneath her bare feet sent a chill through her body. But colder still was her heart, neglected for months.
She didn’t even hope to be deeply loved.
She only wanted something ordinary—simple greetings, shared meals, sleeping in the same bed.
Was that really so much to ask?
Even if he couldn’t say he loved her, did he really have to frown every single time he saw her?
His handsome face twisted into a scowl whenever their eyes met. Sometimes, she wanted to gather her courage and ask him directly.
But every time she saw that expression, she shrank back.
Still… perhaps tonight was the night.
“I want to be held warmly at least once.”
At that moment, someone reached from behind and wrapped their arms tightly around her.
Startled—yet the warmth of that embrace was so comforting that she instinctively closed her eyes.
Then she quickly turned around in shock.
“W-who—”
The identity of the person made her even more flustered.
It would’ve been a problem if it wasn’t the Crown Prince—but it was also a problem if it was him.
And unfortunately—or fortunately—it was him.
The Crown Prince, Leonhardt, stood there, faintly smelling of wine, looking at her.
He hugged her tightly once more.
“…Your Highness Leonhardt?”
He must be drunk—too drunk to even recognize who he was holding.
Rosennelly didn’t reject him. Instead, she gently placed her hand over his arm, as if hoping he wouldn’t let go.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Should she act calm?
Or should she look at him more intently?
Unable to meet his gaze properly, her eyes darted nervously.
“…Did something happen? You seem quite drunk…”
But when their eyes met—
They were so cold. Colder than the moon in the sky, colder than the marble beneath her feet.
Then, suddenly, he loosened his hold.
The faint smile on her lips faded into disappointment.
At this rate, he would say something like “I’m sorry, it was a mistake,” and leave her alone again.
“Yes… it’s me. Rosennelly. You seem very drunk. I’ll explain things to the attendants about tonight, so… you may go rest.”
She told herself she was no longer young enough to be hurt by his tone and gaze.
But her heart still stung.
He always avoided their shared nights, and when he couldn’t, he returned late after drinking.
You’d think she’d be used to it by now.
But somehow, it still hurt every time.
Yet that night was different.
“…Why are you looking at me like that…?”
Normally, he would avert his gaze immediately.
But tonight, he didn’t.
It wasn’t contempt.
It was… deep. Intense.
His unwavering gaze made her feel awkward and shy.
“Is there something on my face?”
As she touched her cheek, Leonhardt silently lifted her chin.
“I… love… you.”
She couldn’t hear him properly.
Her attention was entirely fixed on his face—perhaps the first time they had truly looked at each other since their marriage.
Then his face drew closer.
“I love you.”
“…?”
Had she misheard?
As if reading her thoughts, he repeated it more clearly.
“I love you.”
He leaned in.
Her lips parted slightly, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
Afraid he might hear it, she closed her eyes—
And felt his lips meet hers.
An indescribable emotion surged within her.
Her eyes burned with tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck when he held her waist.
They fell onto the bed together, clinging to each other as if they had never ignored one another before, desperately seeking each other.
That night, when they confirmed their feelings, when their bodies intertwined—
She thought everything would become happy.
But instead, everything collapsed.
In his arms, Rosennelly realized—
She might come to love this man too much.
And so, she needed to leave him. To push him away.
But human greed has no end, and people repeat the same mistakes.
Her desire to be loved had no limit.
Perhaps thinking they could now love each other—
Was nothing but a misunderstanding.
If she had known how painful the end of that one night would be,
She would have left much sooner.
But she didn’t.
And so, she faced the worst possible outcome.
Like a collapsing mountain, she crumbled completely.
“I don’t love you.”
The words escaped her swollen lips like a sigh.
“I don’t love you…”
Yet her eyes, fixed on Leonhardt, were filled with longing.
“I won’t love you…”
As she broke down, sobbing, Leonhardt said nothing—
Only held her tightly.
And he resolved:
If she ever tried to leave him, he would pretend not to know—and let her go.
A few days later, the Crown Princess attempted to take her own life.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince discovered her in time. The sight of him desperately holding her bloodied body became a topic whispered among the attendants for a long time.
Soon after, a strict order was issued:
No one was to speak of that day.
Anyone who did would be executed.
When the Crown Princess finally woke after hovering between life and death—
She seemed to have forgotten everything.
She no longer cried or tried to harm herself.
But—
Something about her had clearly changed.
[1. Why She Chose Divorce]
The Crown Princess of the Robea Empire chose divorce.
After marrying at fourteen and spending five years in the imperial palace, she finally put an end to it.
Crown Prince Leonhardt, perhaps respecting her decision, agreed to the divorce quietly—without any legal dispute.
In the Robea Empire, divorce was very, very leniently accepted.
The imperial court made no comment.
As if bound by secrecy, countless suspicions remained while the Crown Princess returned to her family—the Ferdi household.
Rosennelly Ferdi.
Once the Crown Princess of the Empire.
She abandoned the luxurious palace life and returned to her family estate in the southern countryside.
When their daughter, who had left at fourteen, returned five years later—
The Duke and Duchess of Ferdi said nothing, only embracing her tightly.
“No matter what happened, we are on your side, Rosennelly.”
“…Was the journey hard? Come inside, our daughter.”
They cherished their only child more than anything.
They didn’t care about the stigma of divorce or any loss of status.
All that mattered was how much their broken daughter must have suffered.
Life in the palace was never easy.
Their once carefree daughter, who had been loved and sheltered, had to bear the burdens of a Crown Princess.
A girl who once ran freely in the countryside had been turned into a flower in a vase.
How suffocating it must have been.
How painful it must have been to become the subject of gossip.
