RLPE Chapter 65

“Hmm…”

The prince didn’t seem entirely on board with my idea.

“But won’t that make things more uncomfortable later? We’ll be seeing each other often.”

“…Why would I be seeing Your Highness often?”

I tilted my head, genuinely confused. He smiled lightly.

“Well, if you become close with Armin, I think we’ll end up seeing each other quite a bit.”

“Oh…”

My face flushed, and I instinctively covered it with both hands.

I’d never thought that far ahead, but what he said made sense.

“You’ll be Armin’s fiancée, after all.”

I gave the smallest nod. It was incredibly embarrassing.

I hadn’t realized my long-dead feelings were very much alive again.

“I’m not ready to be deeply involved with anyone yet. Let’s just leave it at that for now.”

“Yes.”

“But I enjoyed talking with you.”

Zeta smiled warmly.

“We’ll be seeing each other often, so I hope we get along.”

“Same here.”

“Well then, those two have probably finished your conversation, so shall we head back?”

With a soft grunt, he stood up and stepped just ahead to escort me.

If we walked side by side, it might spark rumors, so I appreciated the small courtesy.

From behind, I watched his back.

I’d thought he seemed approachable and kind when we first met, but conversing with him in person, Zeta was even better than that first impression.

Dark hair, eyes just as black—

Maybe it made sense that I, someone who remembers a past life, would feel drawn to someone with features so familiar, so Korean.

As I walked behind him, a strange feeling started to creep in.

‘Wait… dark hair… dark eyes?’

The Empress was a beauty with silver hair so light it shimmered with hints of blue.

And I distinctly remembered that the Emperor had soft pinkish-silver hair.

It suddenly struck me: Zeta didn’t resemble either of his parents.

‘Why didn’t I notice that before?’

Lost in thought, I failed to notice that Zeta had stopped walking—and I bumped right into him.

“Ah, are you alright?”

He caught me before I fell. Without realizing, we’d already arrived back at the Empress’ palace.

“Yes… thank you.”

“No need for thanks. Go on inside. I’ll come to greet my mother in a bit.”

“Okay.”

As he walked away with a bright smile, I found myself thinking—

“Of course, not as good as Armin, though.”

The thought slipped out of my mouth before I realized it.

‘I’m insane, seriously.’

Love really was a kind of sickness. Ever since I started falling for someone, I hadn’t been myself.

Flustered, I felt the heat rise in my cheeks all over again.

* * *

When I returned to the Empress’ quarters, the atmosphere was icy.

The two noblewomen sat across from each other on the sofa, glaring silently.

I instinctively took a step back, wondering if I had come back too early.

It was the Empress—seated closer to the door—who noticed my return first.

She had the same face as the prince, but for some reason, her beauty was intimidating.

“Oh my! You’re back already? Was there not much to see in the palace?”

“Oh, no, it’s not that…”

“It’s fine! Today’s not the only day. And besides, we need to leave something for you to see next time you visit the palace.”

The Empress let out a cheerful laugh—

Just then, the Duchess slammed her teacup down so hard it made a loud clang. I half-wondered if the cup had broken.

“Vivi, let’s go home now.”

“Oh? You’re leaving already?”

“Didn’t we finish what we came to say?”

“Why would we be finished? I want to know how Lady Roha felt after meeting Zeta. I bet she has so much to say!”

The Empress’s words clearly irritated the Duchess.

But it seemed she had no intention of letting me go that easily.

Ugh, this is exhausting. I just want to go home.

But outwardly, I could only smile sweetly.

This was etiquette. Social survival.

As the daughter of a powerless Viscount, I had to work overtime to stay in the Empress’s good graces.

Once she had me seated on the couch, the Empress’s eyes lit up.

“Not just because he’s my son, but he’s really quite a good boy, isn’t he?”

“Ah… um, yes.”

“So? What did you think of him? Don’t you have any questions about Zeta? I’ll tell you anything you want to know!”

She looked like an excited child—

I knew this wouldn’t end until I asked something.

Desperate, I wracked my brain for a question.

Then it came to me: Zeta’s hair.

I’d been curious about it ever since we returned.

“Um… there is something I was wondering about.”

“Yes?”

“His Highness’s hair color—it’s different from Yours or His Majesty’s, isn’t it?”

I had only meant to ask a simple question about where that dark hair came from.

But the moment I asked, the air in the Empress’s quarters grew frigid.

“What are you implying?”

The Empress, who’d been kind to me all day, suddenly had a sharp edge to her voice.

The look in her eyes said it all. Ah. I stepped on a landmine.

“N-no. I just…”

“Just what? Are you saying you believe the rumors going around outside?”

“Sorry? Rumors…?”

I genuinely had no idea what she meant. But the Empress was already thoroughly upset.

She stared at me for a long moment before turning away coldly.

“Zelda.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Our guests are leaving. See them out.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.”

The Empress turned her back and left the room.

Her expression was… hard to read. A mix of sadness, anger, and maybe even pain.

“I will escort the guests.”

The old woman’s face didn’t look too pleased, either.

And just like that, with no clue what had gone wrong, I left the palace with the Duchess.

I could’ve asked the Duchess what had upset the Empress.

But she, too, didn’t seem inclined to explain.

In the end, I didn’t return to the Duke’s estate—but to my own home.

News of the Empress’s invitation had apparently spread, because Sasha was waiting for me.

“What happened?”

“That’s the thing… I’m not sure myself.”

“What do you mean, you’re not sure?”

Sasha frowned.

I explained everything—

The old woman I’d helped in the street, the Empress’s invitation, the Duchess’s sudden appearance, the walk with Prince Zeta, and the cold end to the visit.

After listening to everything, Sasha leaned against the wall.

“What’s wrong?”

“Haah… Why did you have to say that?”

Sasha gently pressed between his eyes as if he had a headache. Then, he said to me in an irritated voice.

“You really don’t know anything, do you, Vivi.”

Judging from everyone’s intense reactions to my story, I must’ve stepped on a landmine.

But I had no clue what it was, so I just stared at Sasha, waiting for him to explain.

“Talking about Prince Zeta’s appearance… it’s an unspoken rule in the imperial palace.”

“Why?”

“Like you said—he doesn’t resemble either Her Majesty the Empress or His Majesty the Emperor! It’s honestly incredible you didn’t know there’ve been rumors about Prince Zeta’s birth going around for ages.”

Sasha’s words poured out rapid-fire, like a machine gun.

“Why do you think Prince Zeta’s never made an appearance in high society?”

“I heard he just finds those events annoying…”

“You believed that?”

“You mean… there’s another reason?”

“Prince Zeta turned of age this year. And yet, he still hasn’t been officially acknowledged as a royal heir. Why? Because he looks nothing like the Empress or the Emperor.”

“But his smile—he looked just like Her Majesty when she smiled.”

At my small, hesitant protest, Sasha covered his eyes with his hand. It was the universal sign for ‘I can’t deal with you right now’.

“That’s exactly the problem. There’s no doubt the Empress is his mother.”

Like an idiot, that was the moment I finally understood what Sasha was trying to say.

My hand flew up to cover my mouth in shock.

“When you plant an apple seed, you get apples. When you plant grapes, you get grapes. But a prince who doesn’t resemble the Emperor at all? Until now, every single heir to the throne has been born with pink-toned hair. Prince Zeta is the very first exception.”

“So what you’re saying is…”

“Yeah. Ever since Prince Zeta was born, for twenty whole years, both he and the Empress have been under constant attack about his legitimacy. And you just asked them a question about his hair color. In that context.”

It was a completely unintended disaster.

Maybe I looked too shocked, because Sasha started trying to reassure me.

“That’s not what I meant to say—”

“I’m sure Her Majesty knows you didn’t mean it that way. You’re not exactly good at hiding things—your face gives everything away.”

“But… kids don’t have to look like their parents, right?”

I defended myself.

I’d been too tense in the palace to say much, but now I spilled all my frustration like a soapbox speaker.

Sasha frowned like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“If a child doesn’t look like their parents, then who would they look like?”

“They could take after a grandparent instead of their parents.”

“Vivi. Be serious.”

Sasha, one of the smartest people I knew, stated flatly:

“There’s no such thing as a child who doesn’t resemble their parents. It just doesn’t happen.”

…Unfortunately, even the smartest person in the world didn’t know everything.