[CHAPTER 85]
I wish the sun would never rise.
Buried under the blankets, Dianu Ortensa thought so.
Ravelan Arasas was scheduled to leave the Catalos Empire early in the morning.
It was an attempt to avoid drawing even the slightest attention.
Even though she knew she should get up and prepare to see him off, she kept dragging her feet, of course because of Rision Catalos.
Last night, she had barely managed to escape the situation, but today the two of them had to return to the Oak Palace together.
That meant she could no longer postpone the “conversation” Rision had requested with such loaded meaning.
Should I pretend to be sick?
Or should I say I’m so happy to see Erin Erbinjel again that I want to stay longer at the grand ducal residence?
Dianu buried her face into the pillow.
Should I use Father as an excuse and just run back to my hometown?
Her role was completely over anyway, so even if she fled back to the Erbinjel Grand Duchy claiming homesickness, it would not cause any real trouble.
The real problem is His Majesty…
His expression had been one of firm resolve.
If Dianu showed even the slightest sign of trying to run away, he might do it right there and then.
No, that might not be it.
Does it even make sense for His Majesty to do that to me in the first place?
Just thinking about it made her anxious, as if it might turn into reality, and what followed that forbidden “thing” was a possibility so irreverent it was unbearable even to imagine.
Clutching the pillow as if she might tear it apart, Dianu shook her head violently.
That’s impossible.
His Majesty must have lost his mind for a moment.
How could I possibly, possibly…
How could she become the Empress of this country?
Dianu let out a hollow laugh.
It was so absurd that, instead, her anxiety seemed to fade a little.
Yes, it had to be a misunderstanding.
Meaningful words and meaningful situations had piled up on top of each other until she had arrived at the ridiculous conclusion that Rision Catalos might propose to Dianu Ortensa.
It had to be that way.
Suppressing the ominous premonition, Dianu forcibly closed her eyes.
* * *
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.
I hope we meet again soon.”
“…Please travel safely.”
Ravelan’s farewell was simple and restrained.
After kissing the backs of Princess Elpenlira’s hand and that of Erin Erbinjel, the Grand Duchess, he approached Dianu, who was standing far away to avoid Rision.
Dianu silently bowed her head to him.
He stared at her for a long moment, then spoke just before the atmosphere became unbearably awkward.
“Please take good care of Rision.”
It was the last thing she wanted to hear in front of everyone.
Ravelan neatly ignored the plea in Dianu’s eyes.
As he pressed his lips to the hand she reluctantly offered, he whispered in a voice too quiet for others to hear.
“Think carefully about what truly serves Rision’s best interests.”
“…Pardon?”
“He is a man who has been lonely his entire life.
Please do not make him lonelier.”
Ravelan did not wait for Dianu’s reply.
Letting go of her hand as she stood there speechless, lips trembling, he stepped back and bowed with surprising formality.
“I look forward to the day we meet again, Miss Dianu Ortensa.”
The last person Ravelan bid farewell to was, of course, Rision.
Standing face to face, the two men looked like brothers in some ways, yet seemed complete opposites in every other respect.
They stared at each other as if locked in a silent duel, then almost simultaneously smiled.
Ravelan was the first to speak.
“The next time we meet, it will be an engagement ceremony.”
“So it will be.”
“I hope you achieve everything you have set out to do.”
Rision’s gaze turned toward Dianu.
Startled, Dianu quickly lowered her eyes.
“It will happen.”
With that, Ravelan Arasas left the Catalos Empire.
Whistling as he went, with Ambassador Nixandor’s ledger of corruption tucked under his arm.
* * *
Dianu’s ominous premonition proved to be perfectly accurate.
The moment they returned to the imperial palace, Rision stopped her.
“Dianu.
Let’s talk for a moment.”
Even when he saw Dianu’s half-terrified expression, Rision did not relent.
The hand gripping her arm carried far more strength than usual.
Princess Elpenlira and Sir Edric Loisen looked back and forth between the two of them, then, with faces full of realization, hurriedly disappeared into the palace.
In the end, Dianu had no choice but to be dragged along by Rision all the way to the garden.
No, why is there no one here?!
Rision had clearly sent word ahead to restrict access to the garden.
Otherwise, there was no way not even a mouse would be in sight.
“Your Majesty.
Please, wait a moment.”
“……”
“Your Majesty.
How far are you planning to go?”
“Somewhere we can be alone.
Just the two of us.”
The place Rision led the now-silent Dianu to was, coincidentally, one she also recognized well.
It was a small clearing with a bench, meant for resting during walks.
On a day that now felt like the distant past, Rision had spoken to Dianu in this very spot.
“Don’t you think we make rather good partners?”
At the time, she had thought it was nonsense, but now even Dianu had to admit he had shown remarkable insight.
There was no way this choice of location was a coincidence.
Dianu trembled with bottomless fear.
After confirming that there were no prying eyes, Rision finally released her hand.
Meeting his unusually clear green eyes, Dianu froze like a deer before a beast.
Rision spoke in a calm voice.
“I believe you already know what I intend to say.”
“……”
“I was taught that dropping to one knee without warning is discourteous.
So I am giving you time to prepare yourself.”
“……”
“Dianu?”
A sense of urgency crept into his voice as he called her name, seeing that she had lowered her head.
Completely out of place, Dianu was staring at her own shoes.
The shoes she wore now had been made to match the dress Rision had given her.
A master craftsman who had made shoes for imperial women for generations had personally knelt before her to measure her feet.
The kid leather, which she had only ever associated with fine gloves, was astonishingly soft.
It felt wasteful that shoes destined to wear out after only a few uses should be so exquisite, but the sturdy shoes she usually wore did not suit the clothes Rision had given her at all.
She suddenly felt like crying.
Facing Rision, Dianu felt like a student confronted with an impossible exam question.
“Yes.”
“I am a tutor.”
Without waiting for his response, Dianu continued.
“My family split off from the Ortensa baronial line three generations ago.
My late mother was the daughter of a lawyer, and all the men on that side of the family have professions.
Some of them are merchants.”
She assumed he already knew all of this.
Even so, she wanted to say it in her own words.
She wanted him to understand just how unreasonable what he was about to do truly was.
“Our household employs only a cook and two maids.
One of those maids even lives in a nearby village and commutes.”
She clenched the hem of her skirt tightly.
“My father has dressed and undressed himself his entire life.
We cannot afford to hire a manservant.”
She had never felt resentment or shame about not coming from a wealthy family.
When she realized she had to choose between marriage and her studies, and when she gave up the chance to live a “proper” life as a member of high society, Dianu accepted it all calmly.
Having no ambition was not a virtue for her.
It was a survival strategy.
A lavish and wealthy life, a life admired by others, those were things she had already abandoned.
After giving up everything one by one, only a single possibility remained: a peaceful life.
And to love Rision Catalos, she had even given up that modest dream.
“I may be living in the imperial palace now, but I am originally an insignificant person.”
Yet the heart she had wanted so desperately, even at the cost of everything else, was now destroying him.
Dianu could not accept that possibility.
Her existence had already become a weakness for Rision.
There had been several times when his concern for her had prevented him from making the best decision.
That alone was painful enough.
She had no intention of becoming a lifelong stain for which he would have to pay the price forever.
Dianu took a small breath.
She had to gather every bit of courage and resolve she possessed.
“Even if Your Majesty were to kneel…
my answer has already been decided.”
“……”
“Even if the sky collapses and the earth splits open,
I cannot give you the answer you want.”
Dianu bit her lip tightly.
Otherwise, she felt her voice would tremble beyond control.
“So please, do not make this any harder for me.”
