The princess rejected the prince’s proposal and begged the king to send him out of the palace. The king, who loved his daughter dearly, granted her wish.
It was a reasonable development. Juliet could understand the princess’s feelings. She must have felt a significant sense of betrayal seeing the prince smiling so brightly, unaware of her true feelings. It was no wonder she found him unbearable.
What she couldn’t understand was what happened afterward.
Despite being so angry, the princess forgave the prince that night, who secretly came to her room to apologize. Juliet felt uneasy knowing there were only a few pages left, and the story ended with the two sharing a reconciliatory kiss.
Unable to believe such an absurd conclusion, Juliet asked her maid, “Is that really the end?”
The maid, looking perplexed, confirmed her words. “Yes.”
So Juliet ordered her to put the book away. Even though they were not real people, she felt frustrated with the princess and irritated with the prince to the point of anger.
As she recalled the content for a moment, Juliet finished brushing her hair and said to the maid who was applying perfume, “It seems the women of Herventel forgive quickly.”
“Excuse me?”
“The book I read earlier today. You said it was a famous novel. If that’s the case, it means a lot of people can relate to it.”
Juliet pouted for a moment. She couldn’t understand the public’s sentiment.
“Is it really reasonable to forgive someone who deceived you so easily?”
But the maid sided more with the public. “But he was someone she loved.”
“Does love mean everything can be forgiven?”
“It depends on the person, but there are those who would.”
She certainly wasn’t one of those people. Juliet shook her head.
“I wouldn’t.”
And she added in a small voice, It’s too heartbreaking.
The maid’s eyes widened in surprise as she asked, “Oh, why not?”
“Are you stupid? The princess was constantly anxious.”
Juliet understood how that felt. Moreover, the princess in the story had some genuine feelings for the prince, so her sense of betrayal must have been even greater.
“He should have revealed his identity as a prince from the start.”
If he had done that, the princess could have liked him without worry.
But the maid still didn’t side with her this time. “Of course, that would have been nice. But there are many people in the world who aren’t that brave.”
Juliet couldn’t understand that. Why would revealing one’s identity require courage? She had always been the king’s daughter, and there had never been a time when that felt shameful.
The prince should have been grateful that he wasn’t a real bard. If he had truly been a bard, he wouldn’t have been able to ask for forgiveness again after the princess rejected him.
Juliet asked, “What do you mean?”
“Princess, do you remember why the princess in the story became friends with the prince in the first place?”
“Well, that’s because he sang for her.”
Juliet paused. The maid noticed she had remembered that part of the story and smiled.
“If the prince had appeared before the princess as a prince, would that have been possible?”
Of course, the prince couldn’t publicly perform as a common bard, so they wouldn’t have been able to get close in that way.
But it wasn’t necessary to sing to become close to someone. Juliet turned her head.
“But still, they could have become friends.”
The maid nodded readily at those words, a gentle smile on her lips.
“Perhaps that could be true.”
“And if he had deceived her like that, he should have told her before leaving to prepare for the proposal.”
In fact, what angered Juliet the most was that part. He left without considering the feelings of the one waiting for him.
How could someone who claims to love act so selfishly?
The maid, finishing up Juliet’s hair, smiled. “You’re right, Princess.”
Juliet shot back with a pout at that vague response. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”
“Of course, I’m on the side of all the princesses in the world.”
She said that knowing her mistress’s heart had already leaned toward the princess. Juliet frowned.
“But what you said sounds like you’re defending the prince.”
“Oh, Princess. I’m not defending the prince. I’m just saying he’s quite a coward.”
Then the maid closed the perfume bottle. Juliet watched her organize it with gentle hands before abruptly turning her head away.
“Anyway, I don’t understand.”
The maid smiled as if she understood that too. “That’s because you’re brave, Princess.”
That night, Juliet lay in bed, reflecting on the conversation she had with the maid.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t agree with the maid’s assertion that the prince acted that way because he was a coward.
What was there to be afraid of in the first place?
Juliet was sure that if the prince had revealed his identity along the way, the princess would have forgiven him. She might have been a bit upset, but in the end, she would have accepted it. What mattered between them was the feelings they had built up, not their social status.
So, I would have done the same.
Suddenly struck by a thought, Juliet bit her lower lip.
She hadn’t mentioned it to the maid, but she had experienced something similar before.
It all happened when she was eighteen.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
At that time, Juliet was excited about the foreigners visiting the royal palace.
Since the moment she could remember, she had always lived in the palace and was always thirsty for new experiences.
Driene often brought her interesting things to keep her from getting bored, but the newest things were always from foreign lands. Strange-tasting snacks, paintings made with unfamiliar paints, and books written in foreign languages were fascinating just by their existence.
Her sister-in-law, Iasonia, who hailed from the neighboring country of Barigton, often invited people from her homeland for her curious sister-in-law.
“In fact, if we trace the lineage of the Barigton royal family, you and I would be relatives.”
Iasonia had said this while Juliet delightedly examined the pearls brought by the Barigton delegation in the light.
“Your mother, Queen Ignacia, was my cousin.”
But Juliet didn’t know much about her mother. From the moment her memories began, Driene had always been by her side.
Juliet asked, “Do you know much about my mother?”
“It was just a typical cousin relationship. We were close when we were young, but as we grew older, we became distant.”
Though she understood that in her mind, Juliet had never experienced such a thing herself. For one, the Rosenta royal family was small, with few direct or collateral relatives, and even those few connections were managed by Driene.
The same was true for the Barigton royal family, with whom she shared half her blood. The only Barigton royal she was close to was Iasonia.
Every year on her birthday, gifts came from Barigton, but those were purely for diplomatic reasons. Such gifts also came from other places.
Observing the softly pink-tinged pearl, Juliet said, “My brother said I look like my mother.”
In her eyes, she resembled her father the most, but Driene always insisted otherwise. “My sister, your eyes, nose, and smile are all just like your mother.”
Iasonia neither confirmed nor denied her words.
“She was a beauty,” she said, gently brushing aside her sister-in-law’s stray hair. Her touch was soft.
Iasonia asked in a gentle voice, “Do you like the pearls?”
“Yes, I love them because they’re beautiful.”
The pearls were all uniformly shaped and large.
Moreover, they were in a color that she adored. Juliet ran her fingertips over the smooth surface of the gem.
While black pearls were often considered the most valuable, she preferred these pink-tinged ones the most.
“How can everything from the sea be so beautiful?”
Juliet truly felt that way. Pearls, corals, and even the seemingly countless grains of sand sparkled in the sea.
Seeing her admiration, Iasonia asked, “You’ve never been to the sea; have you, Princess?”
“No.”
She had never traveled due to frequent illnesses. She didn’t have the strength to ride horses or travel by carriage.
But perhaps her upcoming birthday would be different.
When she turned nineteen, Juliet planned to urge Driene to send her on a trip to a warm region.
Driene would surely be reluctant, but she thought he might agree if she persuaded him well. Juliet had gained hope by eavesdropping on his conversations with the palace officials.
“Now, they said it would be okay to travel by carriage.”
That wasn’t complete approval, but if all went well, she might get to see the sea at least once. Juliet recalled the descriptions of the sea she had read in books.
It sparkled like silver and gold, and if you looked deeply into it, it was an infinitely blue place.
The paintings of the sea she had seen were all beautiful. Juliet loved those clear, deep blue landscapes. She had always liked the color blue; it felt like it opened up her heart.
Iasonia, who had been watching her play with the pearls, asked, “Later, shall we go to the sea with your brother and Ludvel?”
“Really?”
Juliet responded eagerly. If Iasonia mentioned it to Driene, getting permission would be easier. Driene rarely opposed his wife’s wishes.
Seeing her beloved sister-in-law, Iasonia smiled.
“Of course. What could possibly prevent us?”
