Chapter 49 …
The young lady, having greeted improperly, bowed her head with a flushed face.
“Your Highness, the Archduke. May the eternal blessings of Elicia be upon Your Highness.”
Tension circulated throughout the reception room.
Even the young ladies who had been whispering among themselves didn’t know what to make of the situation.
Of course, there was a proper way to greet, but who would quarrel over a single misplaced word?
It was obvious that they had overheard their own conversation.
One of them, mustering courage, spoke in a pitifully defensive tone.
“I haven’t had the honor of meeting you yet, but I’ve heard you are extremely noble. I might have said too much out of excitement.”
“Y-yes. You are so beautiful that I feared if I smiled upon seeing you, it might be improper.”
Epper raised an eyebrow and stared at the young lady who had spoken.
The gaze was so intense that she swallowed nervously and stammered.
“Um… if a smile appears, perhaps we could just applaud? That way, our intentions would be clearly understood.”
“Th-that’s a good idea. I was worried you might misunderstand otherwise.”
The young ladies whispered agreements among themselves while keeping an eye on Epper.
Most of the nobles of Elrenoa would have stopped at this point.
Not because they trusted what was said, but simply considering it as a gentle warning.
But Epper, who had lived all his life in the capital and had been in Elrenoa for only a few months, was not like that.
“Really? Then go ahead and try it.”
“Eh?”
“Try it. Let’s see how well your intentions are conveyed without misunderstanding.”
“H-here?”
The young ladies exchanged glances before slowly raising their hands and clapping, “clap, clap.”
“I’m not sure this really conveys heartfelt intentions.”
They smiled and clapped faster, but Epper shook his head.
“The sound isn’t loud enough. How do you expect the Archduchess to feel your hearts this way?”
It wasn’t until ten minutes of loud clapping had resounded in the reception room that Epper turned gracefully away.
“Alright. Let’s see how you young ladies perform tomorrow.”
Though he had teased them childishly, Epper was quite satisfied.
However, when he made eye contact with Fior waiting across from him, he awkwardly looked away.
Fior chuckled softly and followed Epper.
“It’s fortunate that Lady Rozanne didn’t attend the wedding. If she had seen Your Highness just now, she would have probably shook her head in disbelief.”
“What?”
“She said not to inherit rudeness.”
He knew exactly who the comparison was to. Since childhood, he had often heard how much he resembled the late Emperor.
Rozanne, who had been like a nanny to him, always treated him with care, saying that his cleverness should not inherit the harshness of others.
‘But I can’t just stand by while my wife is insulted.’
Epper stood tall and spun around abruptly.
“This isn’t rudeness; it’s a light punishment.”
Fior recoiled, eyes wide in shock.
“Ah, why did you suddenly stop? I almost kissed Your Highness.”
“It’s a warning not to speak carelessly.”
“…Are you saying that to me or to those young ladies?”
“You decide for yourself.”
Epper turned back and walked away from Fior with quick steps.
‘Rozanne would have approved if she were here.’
Rozanne Proha.
A close friend of the late Emperor, she had an exceptional ability to warm hearts with her gentle smile.
Even the current Emperor, his father, relied on Rozanne like an aunt. Epper, as a child, was no different.
Unlike his mother, who scolded him harshly for stumbling, Rozanne comforted him carefully with her wrinkled hands.
Epper recalled her face and nodded. Even if his methods of revenge were childish, she would have praised him for having the courage to act for someone he liked.
‘Someone I like…’
Suddenly, Epper remembered the stories Rozanne had told him long ago.
-
“I wish Rozanne were my grandmother.”
-
“Don’t say such scary things. I want to live my full life.”
-
“Why? Did the late Emperor have no charm? They say I resemble him a lot.”
-
“Still, at one point, I admired the late Emperor too.”
The smile Rozanne had then was extremely graceful.
-
“Now, we are just comfortable friends, but I could have easily become the most troublesome obstacle in His life.”
-
“But the late Emperor is deceased, right? How can you still be comfortable friends?”
-
“…Regardless, I faced many crossroads of choice myself.”
-
“Crossroads of choice?”
-
“I unconsciously knew it wouldn’t work anyway. Do I hold on with selfish desire, or accept and forget?”
Of all the stories Rozanne told him, this one remained the clearest in Epper’s mind.
-
“Which choice did Rozanne make?”
-
“To become a better person.”
To become a better person.
-
“I didn’t want to remain a bad person to someone I liked. It was painful that my feelings weren’t returned, but being upset doesn’t justify doing wrong.”
When Epper had heard this as a child, he thought of his older brother Herion, his mother, and father as the “people he liked.”
So even if everyone misunderstood him, he didn’t lash out or put them in danger; he waited and persevered until they understood his true feelings.
But now, recalling her words felt like a prophecy for the present.
‘I wish Rozanne had come to the wedding.’
Perhaps because Count Pelua, who wasn’t supposed to come, had suddenly appeared. Epper longed to see Rozanne, who had always been more motherly than his own mother.
He wanted to tell her that he had grown up and had someone he liked. He wanted to ask how she would act in this situation.
The answer would probably be obvious:
-
“Forcing your feelings on someone isn’t love.”
She would say not to become the villain out of greed and to not interfere with a relationship.
‘But… it’s not really interference, is it? Just a little expression is fine.’
The Archduchess had told him she had broken up with her previous partner. If he refrains from doubting that, expressing himself isn’t interference.
‘Even if I don’t force her, it’s okay to show how I feel.’
Epper stopped walking and turned around.
“Fior.”
Fior, who had been following closely, couldn’t stop this time.
“Ah!”
He exclaimed, wrapping Epper in a sudden embrace.
Epper, looking disgusted, pushed Fior away.
“…What is it?”
“Don’t suddenly stop while walking.”
“I need to go check something, so you finish the scouting.”
“Where are you going?”
“To find a treasure.”
Without finding anything in particular, night fell with a clear moon shining.
‘The wedding is tomorrow…’
A night full of thoughts.
I plopped down on the sofa instead of the bed, cautiously fiddling with my tail.
The fluffy texture calmed me a little.
I had spent the whole day searching for Herion’s spy, but found nothing, leaving me uneasy.
Yet what unsettled me even more was something else entirely.
‘Why do people enjoy gossiping so much?’
Being insulted didn’t particularly bother me.
I had lived for a thousand years borrowing someone else’s name. Even if criticized, it didn’t feel directed at me.
The same applied now. Since it was Lady Roselia Pelua being insulted, it didn’t leave a mark on my heart.
But knowing that Epper might have overheard the gossip made me slightly embarrassed.
‘Epper must be angry too.’
No matter how much he put up walls, to others, we were still seen as one person.
‘My insults are basically his too, so he’d be upset.’
I wasn’t particularly happy when the Crown Prince criticized Epper either.
‘And if I take back the jewel and run, the gossip will get even worse…’
The Duke of Pelua would likely spread false rumors too.
Even in the original story, Roselia running caused Epper a lot of stress. If I disappear, he might truly search for me like in the novel.
I would feel sorry for Roselia and for Epper, whose rebellion plan would fail.
The Count of Pelua’s wedding could become a funeral.
Of course, the best solution would always be not to run.
‘If Epper just spends a hundred nights with me, it would be fine.’
Since the marriage vows are tomorrow.
‘Even spending just the nights together would be fine.’
But considering how I freeze like a broken robot when he touches me, that might be impossible.
‘He probably won’t share a bed with me without feeling anything.’
You can’t force someone’s heart, especially someone like Epper, who is cautious and distrustful.
I was twirling my tail with my fingers when suddenly—
“Archduchess. May I come in?”
Startled by Epper’s voice, I hurriedly hid my tail and stood up.
He wouldn’t come at this late hour.
‘Could he have found out what Herion is planning?’
I opened the door wide.
He seemed to have come to sleep. Under a lightly draped coat, I could see his pajamas.
Perhaps he had just washed up, as his hair was still slightly wet.
‘Could it be urgent?’
I looked up and met his eyes.
“What is it?”
Epper didn’t answer, only staring intently at me.
Was it my imagination, or was his gaze a little intense?
He slowly put his hand inside his coat.
Maybe it was because I had just been thinking about spending the night together.
Or perhaps it was because he looked so attractive when he came to me.
I could picture him taking off his coat in my mind, and I unconsciously licked my lips.
‘Ugh, stop fantasizing. He would never do that.’
As expected, he didn’t act like that at all.
Instead, he pulled out a thin, long box from inside his coat.
“I came to give this to you.”
“What is it?”
Without a word, Epper handed me the box and opened it to show me.
Looking down, I saw an accessory sparkling as if it had captured stars from the dark night sky.
The set of jewelry was embedded with pink-hued gems that looked like a matched set.
It was clearly luxurious and seemed extremely expensive.
“This is the jewelry the first Empress wore at her wedding. The Flowers of Ordi.”
I gawked, looking up.
So this… is a gift for me?
“Why are you giving this to me?”
His voice was calm.
“So that no one underestimates you.”
His words reached deep into my heart.
