6.
“Jel. No matter what anyone says, I had to go there. So don’t be so sad.”
If she had refused to go, her two older sisters might have dragged her by the hair and thrown her at that man themselves. No, they definitely would have. From the beginning, they had marked her as the one to be married off to the barbarian.
It had always been like that. Opportunities that should have been hers were never given to her—because she was the youngest, because her sisters came first. So many chances had been stolen from her under the excuse of “because you’re the youngest.”
Even the day the emperor first met Gaia… he was supposed to have been hers. Pri had gone out to the nearby lake, as was her usual habit. There, she unexpectedly encountered the emperor, who was traveling in secret.
Startled by the man who found her reading a book while perched in a tree, she rushed home and told her sisters the story.
The next day, after hearing from Itar that imperial troops had been seen in the area, Gaia went to the lake and pretended to read—just like Pri had done—and met the emperor.
Pri never said anything more about that day. Even if she had been chosen as the empress-to-be, her sisters would have tormented her just the same.
“I’ve lived my whole life being robbed of everything. That was always considered normal, and whenever I complained, I was punished instead.”
You’re not good enough. You’re the weird one. You’re strange. All the problems you have are because you’re different from everyone else.
At first, she believed that. She was always quick to apologize and wondered if everything was her fault. But not anymore.
“I’m not broken.”
“Princess…?”
“Jel. I want to believe that. Everyone always said I was the one in the wrong. But just this once… I want to believe that my choice is the right one.”
As if trying to chase away the dark thoughts, Pri shook her head and lifted a small bag. All she took from the room she had lived in since birth was a handful of small items packed into it.
The carriage had been fully prepared to depart whenever she was ready. No one in her family came to see her off. On the quiet road, only Pri and Jel remained. Like she was being sold off, Pri left the Kingdom of Ezan with only her maid Jel to bid her farewell.
Argent kept his word. As soon as the carriage departed, he withdrew all his knights stationed there and had them accompany the carriage.
She had wondered if he would ride with her, but the carriage held only her. Argent’s carriage went on ahead, and Pri, watching it through the window, slowly closed her eyes.
***
“A short while ago, the emperor of the Empire arrived in the Kingdom of Ezan.”
It was a week later. The carriage, as if trying to hide where the barbarian kingdom was, still hadn’t reached its destination. As soon as she stepped out for a break, Pri heard the news.
“Oh.”
“You don’t seem too surprised. I thought you’d say our marriage should be canceled upon hearing that.”
But Pri just looked up at the sky absentmindedly.
“It’s night already.”
That unreadable reaction made Argent’s insides twist. She was so different now—she troubled him. His kingdom wasn’t far from Ezan; on horseback, it would take two days. Even by carriage, three days at most. But he’d taken the long way.
He was hoping she’d find it too difficult and ask to go back. That she’d get tired of it and he could return her. It was his compromise—he wanted her by his side but also wanted her to be happy. And yet, she showed no sign of struggle.
“The night breeze is lovely.”
“…”
“So, what happened?”
“Hmm?”
“You said the emperor arrived. What’s the situation?”
“Not sure.”
“Weren’t you the one most eager to meet the emperor?”
Her moonlit eyes sparkled. Argent, who had been standing next to her indifferently, suddenly felt his heart drop. Right, she really is beautiful. So beautiful that no matter how often he looked, he wanted to see her again. Seeing her up close, time felt as though it had stopped.
He stared at her for a long moment.
“Wasn’t that the case?”
“…It was. But I’ve lost interest now.”
In truth, the emperor had arrived just two days after they left. For whatever reason, he really did come.
Even Argent had been surprised. The emperor, who never cared which countries he crushed, had actually come running. That hadn’t happened even in his previous life. In fact, the emperor had destroyed the Kingdom of Ezan without hesitation—there was never even a chance to check if something like this could’ve happened.
“Does the emperor really love the first princess?”
Though asked casually, Pri gave no reply. Stretching her limbs, she simply kept walking forward.
Argent didn’t walk with her anymore.
He had sworn he wouldn’t fall in love again—he wouldn’t let her go that easily this time. So instead, he assigned another knight to stay by her side.
“I’ll help you rest, Princess.”
“Oh.”
Pri, thinking it would be Argent coming over, looked up in surprise at the knight who approached. He had blond hair.
Seeing that golden hair, so similar to her own, eased some of her tension. His gentle smile and refined features were comforting. Though slightly shorter than Argent, he was still tall enough that she had to look up at him. As she looked at him, he smiled with eyes that didn’t quite show.
“I’m Ian, assigned to assist you from today.”
“I see.”
Her gaze drifted toward Argent. But he had already moved far away, as if he were busy. He even avoided her eyes.
“Is something troubling you?”
“No. Nothing.”
“You must’ve had a hard time without anyone to properly serve you these past few days. I’m not sure I’ll do well either, but I’ll do my best.”
His voice was warm and kind. Still, Pri couldn’t take her eyes off Argent.
Why is he avoiding me like that? Does he really hate me?
Her head was filled with such thoughts. But it felt different from how her sisters treated her. This was… more cautious, yet distant. Like he disliked her—but not quite in the same way.
She wanted to think simply, but looking at Argent made her emotions anything but simple.
Those emotions weren’t pleasant, so Pri averted her gaze.
From that day forward, Ian attended to her even inside the carriage.
“We’ll be arriving at the castle soon. I’ll stay by your side until then.”
“…So we’re finally there.”
“You’ve been through a lot. A warm bath and your room should be ready so you can rest as soon as you arrive.”
“Will there be time for me to talk to him?”
That was unexpected. Ian could tell she meant Argent. Since the previous night, Argent had only communicated through Ian. Pri didn’t seem to like that at all and frowned.
“If there’s something you wish to say, I can—”
“No. I want to speak to him directly.”
“…I’ll relay that as well.”
Surprised, Ian delivered the message at the next rest stop. After that, Pri said nothing more, as if she were angry. So on the final stretch to the castle, Argent rode in the carriage with her.
“You wanted to speak to me?”
“There’s a lot I want to say. And ask.”
“You could’ve just said it to Ian.”
“…Should I ask him why you hate me so much?”
At that one sentence, Argent’s calm face twisted.
“What are you talking about?”
“Otherwise, there’s no explanation for why you’re avoiding me. Did you fall for my sister like the emperor did? So now you hate that it’s me instead? Is it because I made the wrong choice?”
Pri knew exactly what she was. Someone sold off. She knew she shouldn’t say such things—but she spoke without hesitation.
“…Of course not.”
“And what exactly are you denying? If you still want my sister, I’ll step aside. I’ll behave.”
No. That’s not it.
From the beginning, and even now, the only one he ever wanted was you, Pri.
Argent felt suffocated. He stared at her, burying his unspoken feelings deep inside.
“I told you—I don’t care about anyone else.”
At his cold voice, Pri bit her lip hard.
“…Right. Anyone will do, huh? So how many wives will I be competing with? Just answer that one thing.”
“How many?”
“I heard barb—no, your people can have multiple wives.”
“…You will be the first and the last.”
The face of the girl who had moments ago been bristling like a baby bird instantly froze.
