Chapter 4
Caleb ran over and pulled Alaisia into a tight hug. Though not quite as tall as Franz, he was still tall enough to envelop her completely.
“Are you really leaving already? Not even saying goodbye?” he pouted.
“That’s what I’m saying,” Patricia chimed in mockingly from behind him. Her irritation was practically leaking out of her pores.
Alaisia swallowed a laugh. Patricia was seething, not knowing where to direct her anger. Seeing this scene—a moment she had imagined in dreams—brought a strange sense of satisfaction.
“I was caught off guard since His Highness came in person. I’m sorry.”
“You’ll be gone so long, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye… Ah!”
“That’s enough,” Franz cut in sharply, sliding between them.
He pushed Caleb aside and stood directly in front of Alaisia, shielding her from view. Alaisia, now behind him, glared in disbelief.
“You’re not going to let me say goodbye to my family?” she snapped.
“Family?” Franz repeated, eyeing both Alaisia’s red hair and Caleb’s silver locks with doubt.
“You don’t have to look alike to be family,” Alaisia replied politely, hiding her displeasure.
What’s with him?
Franz had never cared about her, let alone her family.
She remembered painfully well how he had ignored her every time she’d asked to have Caleb visit. She clenched her fist and said,
“Even if the blood isn’t identical, or if we don’t look alike, we can still be family—just like Your Highness and the First Prince.”
“So you and this man are family?” he asked bluntly.
She had just said that, hadn’t she?
“Family…”
Franz repeated the word, as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Alaisia struggled to suppress her growing irritation.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but Caleb and I are normal siblings, no different from any others.”
“Normal?”
“Yes. Typically—”
Alaisia started to explain what a typical sibling relationship meant, but then hesitated.
Caleb and she were just that—siblings.
Though half-siblings, Caleb had always stood by her, even when Patricia treated her cruelly.
She had first met Caleb when she was barely two years old—still unable to read. And he, only two years older, wasn’t much more advanced.
Most noble children could read by then, but Caleb had been born a commoner.
People gossiped that he was lucky—how his life changed when he inherited the baron’s title after Alaisia’s father died.
But Alaisia had never thought of him that way.
Regardless of Patricia’s ambitions, Caleb had always been her brother.
When she scraped her knees, he’d blow on them and carry her home. A kind, steady presence.
Still, in a noble family, sibling closeness was rare. And for a royal like Franz, the very idea of a “close sibling” might have been foreign.
After all, Franz was locked in a silent rivalry with his half-brother, the First Prince Crayton, over the throne.
So Alaisia chose to explain like she would to a child.
“A normal sibling relationship means growing up together—eating meals together, playing together, studying together. It’s like being playmates, or like Your Highness and the First Prince.”
“I see.”
Franz finally withdrew his hand blocking Caleb, his expression softening into a faint smile. That smile—one she had once longed for so desperately—was far too easy today.
“Resa? You okay?” Caleb asked, craning his neck toward her after listening quietly.
When he gestured, silently asking if he could hug her again, Alaisia gave him a bright smile.
“Yeah, Caleb. Be well, alright?”
“Why are you talking like we won’t meet again? We will, won’t we?”
No. We won’t. Franz would never allow it.
Alaisia swallowed the words and gently patted Caleb’s back.
Franz watched them wordlessly. His stiff expression betrayed displeasure.
But Alaisia didn’t care. She had endured far worse contempt before.
“Shall we go, Your Highness?”
She deliberately ignored Patricia, who had been waiting with her chin raised for a proper farewell. When her face turned red with indignation, Alaisia still paid her no mind.
Franz watched her for a moment before gesturing toward the waiting carriage. Alaisia followed his gaze—and her face stiffened.
The golden carriage meant for the Second Princess.
She walked toward it slowly.
It felt like walking into the mouth of a beast. Once she stepped in, hell would begin again.
Two years of loneliness, neglect, and cruelty.
But this time, I won’t be the one suffering.
Each step was a vow. Her emerald eyes burned with quiet resolve.
The imperial carriage was far more luxurious than anything the Ambrose family owned. One could probably sip tea comfortably inside.
As the carriage rolled forward with a small jolt, Franz gripped the window frame.
“Uncomfortable? It’ll take about three hours to get there. We could use a portal, but there are side effects.”
“Side effects? I thought it was just a bit of dizziness.”
Alaisia looked at him curiously.
Franz had always favored using magic. The more he used it, the less his mana tormented him.
Even though portals consumed very little mana, he still used them often to relieve pressure.
“Yes,” Franz replied curtly, then closed his mouth.
Clearly, he had no interest in continuing the conversation.
And Alaisia didn’t push it either.
The old Alaisia would’ve tried desperately to keep the dialogue going. But not anymore. Now, she cared only for herself.
What now?
She glanced sideways at Franz.
He was exactly as she remembered.
Almost too beautiful to be called masculine—with sharp eyes that added dignity, wide shoulders that tapered into a narrow waist, and long, straight legs.
Still stunning. Still radiant. But something about him felt… different.
Not everything has to play out the same, I suppose.
Could Franz have come back in time too?
Highly unlikely. But she needed to confirm it.
If he had returned with memories intact, she’d strangle him on the spot.
But if not…
Either way, it doesn’t matter. I’ll have my revenge.
Alaisia smirked, calmly planning her steps.
“Oh, I forgot to properly greet you,” she said, sitting up straight and placing her hand on her chest.
“Pleased to meet you, Your Highness. May the glory of the Sun rest upon you.”
Franz turned to her. She continued smoothly.
“I am Alaisia Ambrose, soon to be Alaisia Eustace—your bride.”
“…Is that all you have to say?” he asked, reaching out with a dry voice, his golden eyes tinged with something desperate.
She looked at his hand, then slowly raised her head.
Their eyes met—clear gold and deep green.
His golden gaze wavered the moment she entered it.
But Alaisia feigned ignorance and smiled sweetly.
“Would there be anything more to say to someone I’ve just met? Or… have we met before?”
“No.”
Franz turned away quickly, as if her smile was unbearable.
“No, we haven’t.”
The way he flinched away—how familiar it was. Alaisia raised an eyebrow.
So he didn’t come back in time.
If he had, that smile would’ve triggered the memory of her dying breath—because that was when she last smiled at him.
He would’ve remembered the curse that followed her confession.
If that were the case, he wouldn’t be calmly sitting in this carriage. He’d be demanding the curse be lifted.
But he wasn’t. Just as she had suspected—this Franz didn’t know the future.
I hope the curse is still active. Too bad I can’t cast it again.
Casting the same curse on the same person twice would backfire on the caster. Even if the previous curse had faded, it wasn’t safe to try again.
Then, Franz spoke unexpectedly.
“You said… you and Sir Caleb are normal siblings.”
“…Excuse me?” Alaisia blinked.
He was looking straight at her now.
What is he talking about?
“Sir Caleb Ambrose. You said you’re normal siblings.”
It was like he had read her mind. She nodded.
“Yes, I did. Why do you ask?”
“I want us to be a normal couple.”
The sudden proposal made her frown.
What was he saying? Did he even know?
For a royal to say he wanted a “normal” relationship with his future bride?
“Eat together, take walks, sleep in the same room. That kind of normal.”
Franz smiled, a flawless curve to his lips.
Alaisia stared at him, dumbfounded, unable to say a word.
Because the version of Franz she had loved the most… was finally looking at her.
