Chapter 22
“Really, Your Highness, you only see what you want to see.”
“What do you mean by that?”
It was truly an arrogant misunderstanding.
‘You see my hair let down, but don’t notice that I didn’t bother to dress up like I used to.’
She hadn’t even been conscious of having her hair down until he pointed it out. It wasn’t like she had put much thought into it; she simply hadn’t felt like getting ready because it was exhausting.
Estelle couldn’t understand why she had ever liked Leonov.
Her feelings had faded, but now she even found her past emotions toward him strange.
“You want me to kneel and beg, Your Highness? If that’s the case, you won’t be seeing it. My decision to not proceed with the engagement hasn’t changed.”
She turned her head away, not wanting to waste any more time with this conversation.
Since she had expressed that it wasn’t worth engaging in the conversation, Leonov would likely get up and leave soon.
“…Why?”
But he crossed his legs and asked.
Why?
‘Is your pride hurt?’
The stern expression on his face was strangely amusing.
“Haven’t I already told you?”
“Then why? You liked me, didn’t you? Why don’t you want to get engaged now?”
If she spoke honestly, would he think she was crazy?
‘You who whispered love to Melody in a greenhouse while poisoning me, who worried about Melody’s safety at my funeral—there’s no reason left for me to love you anymore.’
She hadn’t gone back to the past right after experiencing death. She had been trapped in the quicksand of time, unable to move forward.
That’s why this newly gained life felt so precious.
“I won’t deny what you just said. Yes, I liked you, Your Highness.”
“But why?”
Even though she knew full well what the outcome would be, she wasn’t foolish enough to repeat the same process again.
‘If I truly loved you, I would have tried to make you love me, instead of Melody. I wouldn’t have wanted the same tragedy to repeat itself.’
She had loved him, but perhaps her love wasn’t big enough to ignore everything she knew.
“It was a one-sided love, so I tried to be content even without being reciprocated. Even if you didn’t love me the same way.”
Could she really pretend not to notice the red mark Leonov had left on Melody’s neck that day?
To avoid another tragedy, she had to let go of him first.
“You are going to be the emperor of Valderman, and I know that to live by your side, I would have to give up my own life. I thought I could do that.”
Estelle didn’t want to be played by these two, knowing the situation.
“It wasn’t like that. I don’t have the courage to live my whole life like that. You haven’t lost anything, have you?”
“I haven’t lost anything?”
Leonov asked, his voice full of disbelief.
“Winchester’s support remains unchanged. There are many young ladies with better qualities than me, and since it wasn’t a formal engagement, no one will gossip about it.”
Estelle hated him. He had never begged her to love him, and he never intended to deal with the women he wanted to have.
‘You wanted me dead.’
Yet, he chose Melody. That girl who had always taken what was hers.
“Choose someone who can truly open their heart to you, someone you can be with.”
She still couldn’t forgive him, but the advice she gave to someone she had once loved came out sincerely.
“How can you be so sure? That I’ll never reciprocate your feelings? I’m not like my father, who would take a mistress or father illegitimate children.”
“…”
“I can’t promise that I’ll love you, but the heir born from you will be my successor.”
Those would have been words that could have made someone cry out of gratitude—if she hadn’t already experienced everything.
‘You say you won’t take a mistress or have illegitimate children?’
She had seen it all. He had embraced Melody and taken her into the palace, making her his Empress while she was pregnant.
She had seen him smile while caressing Melody’s belly, and she wanted to show him just how deep her heart had been buried in the mud.
‘If you had said it like that back then, I wouldn’t have believed it.’
Even if he gave her what she wanted now, she no longer needed it.
“I don’t trust you.”
“You… you’ve always had this talent, haven’t you? To test the limits of my patience. How much more of a promise do I need to make before you’ll believe me?”
Leonov’s eyes were filled with anger.
‘You don’t love me, yet you’re so restless.’
Even without Winchester, there were plenty of better candidates. It was hard to understand why he was lowering his pride and asking for an engagement.
‘Wasn’t it you who didn’t want to get engaged to me? Ah, I forgot about the Empress.’
Leonov had only wanted to maintain the engagement and marry her because of the Empress’ influence.
It had all been because of the Empress’ wishes.
‘I didn’t beg you to be with me, so the Empress must be getting anxious and pressing you to do something.’
Now that she thought about it, the Empress had always wanted Estelle as a daughter-in-law.
‘Every time we had tea, the Empress didn’t really welcome me.’
She didn’t want Estelle, she wanted the status of being ‘the daughter of Winchester.’
It was even more ambiguous now.
‘There are many other noble families with power comparable to Winchester’s. If the Empress’s influence is too strong, it will be hard for Leonov to secure his position.’
The Empress, who had lived in the power-concentrated imperial palace, surely knew this well, so there must have been something else she was focusing on.
‘Something that no other noble family has, but only I possess…’
Her maternal family, the Count of Madel.
They also held the title of Duke of Luenbein in the borderlands, and for generations, imperial princesses had been married into that family.
The results of the incestuous marriages were so disastrous that, at some point, royal marriages with the Count of Madel ceased.
Now, the imperial blood had thinned out to almost nothing.
‘I don’t get it. Why would the Empress’s eldest son, Leonov, want me, who has almost no imperial blood, when he already has the imperial blood of the Emperor?’
He had already become the crown prince, surpassing Michael, who held the golden seal. So, it wasn’t for the purpose of gaining power.
“Lady, didn’t I ask you? Are you thinking something else while I’m here in front of you?”
Leonov, showing his displeasure, tapped the table.
“…I have no more to say. Your Highness is just wasting your time.”
“Lady!”
“I’m not feeling well. Out of consideration for Your Highness, I will see you off, so please return to the palace.”
She stood up first and left the reception room, with Leonov following behind her. The excuse about not feeling well was just that—an excuse—but oddly enough, her vision was dizzy.
“Lady, where does it hurt?”
“…What?”
“You said you weren’t feeling well. If you’re really in pain, I can send for a royal physician.”
For the first time, a kindness was thrown her way when she hadn’t even wanted it.
“Sister!”
Just as she was about to refuse, Melody came running from afar, looking delighted.
The redness around her eyes was probably concealed with makeup, and her dress was now much more extravagant than before.
‘The smell of perfume… She must have gotten all dolled up in the short time after hearing that Leonov was here.’
The lavender scent from Melody was even stronger, as though she had poured the perfume all over her head.
Estelle fought back the nausea in her stomach, forcing herself to calm down.
“Oh, Your Highness, the crown prince is here too. I’m so happy to see my sister, I’ve made a mistake in my manners.”
Melody glanced shyly at Leonov.
Her feelings of love for him were long gone, but seeing them together made her heart ache like a sharp needle piercing through it.
‘Calm down, don’t let yourself be stirred up.’
Melody smiled brightly and stood in front of Leonov.
“Melody Winchester greets the Crown Prince of Valderman!”
She almost felt relieved that Melody spoke up first, as her own voice felt like a burden.
“I see. It’s a pleasure.”
The look in his eyes was completely different from the one when he had once gazed at her with so much affection. It was cold, and brief.
He quickly returned his attention to Estelle.
“Lady, I’ll leave it at this for the farewell. I’m going today, but I’ll see you again next time.”
He was so different from the person who had been the first to worry about Melody at her funeral.
What did that even matter?
There was no time to dwell on useless changes.
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