Chapter 6: A Death That Leaves Questions

Emperor Icar of Bashker had always maintained a spotless reputation, not just regarding marriage but in all matters of that sort.

And that wasn’t all.

The princess, sent abroad for compulsory studies, not only forged connections with foreign royalty and influential nobles but also returned home with a substantial reward.

So, her triumphant return was perfectly justified.

Yet among the conservative nobles, unaware of the princess’s private circumstances, a reluctance to arrange a marriage with the First Princess began to take hold.

This naturally created obstacles for her marital prospects.

Still, for Reneve, even that felt like a sign of a very favorable future.

In this life, she had resolved to remain unmarried, spending money freely and living well—of course, only after she had meticulously gathered power to bring down the empress, Lucius, and Esika.

Thus, Reneve could not comprehend why the two men of the Seiren family wore such grim expressions.

But persuasion seemed necessary.

“Don’t worry. From what I’ve researched, Bashker is a land full of opportunities.”

“……?”

The two men of the Seiren family raised an eyebrow in unison.

Reneve had already expected that one word wouldn’t be enough to persuade them, so she calmly listed the advantages of going to Bashker, point by point.

“First, today, Her Majesty the Empress attempted to make public the marriage negotiations between Lucius and me.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

This time, for a different reason, the Seiren men’s brows furrowed deeply.

“They didn’t even consult our Seiren family in the slightest.”

As soon as Reneve spoke, the two men erupted in outrage.

“Are you insane?”

“Isn’t that an insult to our family?!”

In the past, the two had ground their teeth at whatever the Empress did.

But Reneve, completely smitten by Lucius’s charm, had paid little attention to her family’s words.

Ultimately, the two men could not change Reneve’s mind.

What could they do when she was in love?

“You’re right, Father. Her Majesty likely mistook some atmosphere between Prince Lucius and me, and acted on that misunderstanding.”

In the original story, the two Seiren men were portrayed as rational and composed.

Before her reincarnation, Reneve had few opportunities to interact with them, so she hadn’t known much. But now, she realized both were quite hot-headed.

Though slightly surprised by this deviation from the original portrayal, Reneve focused on the current situation.

It would be unwise to openly confront the Empress, who wielded power almost equal to the Empress’s.

While the Seiren family was indeed powerful, if they fought the Empress, the people of their territory would bear the brunt of the consequences.

“Th… Reneve, weren’t you interested in the Third Prince?”

Patrick asked cautiously. Waiting for her answer, the Seiren Marquis also watched her intently.

Reneve let out a hollow laugh.

“Oh, Brother… what are you saying?”

She barely restrained the harsh words that wanted to escape and smiled faintly.

“Of course not. They say every shoe has its pair. He’ll have someone suitable, but it’s not me.”

Patrick scratched his head, watching Reneve closely.

“Oh… I see. I didn’t realize… sorry, I misunderstood.”

“Actually, even Father here had misunderstood, thinking you liked the Third Prince. Lucky, isn’t it?”

Reneve asked the two men, who seemed strangely relieved.

“Lucky?”

“Father wasn’t satisfied with the Third Prince as your match.”

“I didn’t say it, but I felt the same, Reneve.”

“Why did you think that?”

Calmly, Reneve asked, and Patrick replied:

“I can’t pinpoint a concrete reason, but my instincts told me so.”

The Seiren Marquis nodded in agreement.

‘Nothing has even happened yet…?’

Reneve was confident that the two men had a sharp eye for judging people.

“But if your goal was to avoid marriage with the Third Prince, couldn’t there have been other ways?”

At the Marquis’s words, Reneve shook her head.

“Postponing a marriage with the Third Prince is possible, but avoiding it completely would be difficult.”

“……”

“Even if you temporarily got engaged to another noble, the Empress would interfere and annul it.”

“Hmm…”

The two men’s faces reflected concern, as if agreeing with Reneve’s reasoning.

“Also, I’ve recently learned that, contrary to rumors, Emperor Icar of Bashker is quite faithful.”

The two men exchanged glances.

The Seiren family daughter had been raised like a greenhouse flower, and they likely assumed she wouldn’t know the detailed circumstances of a distant foreign country.

Of course, it wasn’t true that Emperor Icar was entirely faithful.

But at the very least, he would not cause any problems that the two Seiren men needed to worry about.

“By the way, Reneve, how did you learn that the Empress intended to announce the engagement and that the Bashker Empire invited the Princess?”

Reneve lowered her eyelashes and bit the tender skin inside her mouth.

Patrick, perceptive as always…

“Yes, right. Why didn’t you ask me for help earlier?”

Encouraged by Patrick’s words, the Marquis also urged her. Yet, despite their words, it was clear they felt sorry for leaving her to handle the problem alone.

The delay in palace news was partly because of the fierce battles on the western frontier until recently.

“Well… it’s like this,” Reneve said, weaving a story: she had gotten lost in the palace and happened to learn that the Empress was in a difficult situation.

“Prince Lucius himself had given me a heads-up about the engagement announcement.”

“……”

“Previously, the Empress had even summoned me separately to the palace.”

Having explained, the two Seiren men pressed their lips together tightly.

Reneve didn’t know exactly what they were thinking, but judging by their sharp gazes, both were undoubtedly grinding their teeth inside.

“Reneve, I’ve been thinking about this all night.”

Patrick chewed on a bloody tomahawk steak, swallowing it with gusto.

The Seiren Marquis, slicing a tomahawk steak as large as a human face, looked at Reneve.

In contrast, her plate held only a simple arrangement of fresh tomato caprese and tea.

“What have you been thinking about?”

“They said your study abroad will last three years, right? How about sending someone resembling you and letting them stay in a rural village in the Seiren territory for that period?”

“Yes. It might delay marriage a bit, but Father will search every corner of the Seiren lands to find you a good husband.”

So this was what they had been talking about late into the night.

“Emperor Icar is not so careless as to let that happen.”

Reneve wiped her mouth without finishing half the food on her plate.

“If it were discovered that the person standing in for me is a fake, it could escalate into serious conflict between the two nations.”

When Reneve rejected the idea outright, the Marquis wet his dry throat with wine, and Patrick bit his lip anxiously.

“Finding a woman my age with silver hair and purple eyes won’t be easy either.”

As Reneve prepared to leave the table, the Marquis added:

“Father will find another way. Reneve, you don’t need to worry.”

Reneve sighed lightly.

“Thank you, Father. I don’t have much appetite, so I’ll leave first.”

Though resolved to leave, she couldn’t help but feel concerned at her father’s protective instincts.

In her previous life, the Seiren Marquis died in battle. His skill with the sword was said to rival a Swordmaster’s.

‘He died in battle…?’

It had been sudden, and at the time, Reneve was overwhelmed by her own life, unable to investigate his death properly.

Looking back now, she sensed something suspicious.

‘Did they kill Father first before trying to get rid of me…?’

But in this life, she knew both would be safe until she returned from her studies abroad.

From early morning, the maids busied themselves packing Reneve’s belongings at the mention that she would soon leave the Seiren mansion.

Judging by the piles of luggage, they seemed to think she was emigrating.

“You only need to pack a few dresses to wear while away.”

The maids, skeptical, bowed reluctantly.

“Yes, Miss.”

After watching them briefly, Reneve headed to the garden. She believed a walk stimulated the brain’s thinking circuits.

“So, this is the last time here.”

As the silver hair blowing in the wind fell across her face, a maid came running, urgently speaking:

“Miss! The, the Prince has come to the mansion…”

Before the maid could finish, Lucius appeared, walking toward her.

Dressed in a crisp blue uniform with a white cravat, he smiled broadly, revealing gleaming white teeth that caught the sunlight.

Reneve was certain her infatuation had ended. In her previous life, she had thought him handsome—how utterly ridiculous she had been.

“Seems like you’re taking a morning walk.”

Lucius smiled again as he spoke.

Smile? Smile?

Reneve couldn’t resist the impulse to twist his neck and raised her hand slightly.

“Your Highness.”

A royal knight approached, carrying a large bouquet of flowers.

Other knights from afar also arrived, watching her. Among them was the one who had escorted her before her death. Remembering that made her cheeks flush with anger.

“Flowers suit a beautiful lady.”

Lucius nodded to the knight holding the bouquet, who then presented it to Reneve.

“The Prince prepared this himself.”

Reneve glanced at the fresh pink lilies.

‘Lucius himself? Unlikely.’

It was likely the Empress had instructed him to hand them over.

Reneve snorted.

As if mistaking it for a smile of delight, Lucius’s face lit up with a satisfied grin.

“Indeed, as expected, it suits you very well.”

Reneve didn’t take the bouquet, only looked at it. Lucius added:

“It seems heavy for your delicate arms. Give it to one of the maids over there.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”