With the cool breeze, Chevelyn soon fell asleep in her arms.
‘Remarriage… with a man who doesn’t even know my given name.’
Hilane was deeply lost in thought, pondering Glazé’s proposal.
As she slowly walked down the corridor, she noticed a shadow.
It was Duke Tessa.
“Greetings to Her Highness the Fourth Princess and the Princess.”
“Duke Tessa.”
The duke, whom she met in the corridor, greeted her politely.
Hiding his dark intentions.
“Oh my, the Princess is asleep.”
Hilane instinctively tightened her grip on Chevelyn.
He might very well be the prime suspect in the attempt to poison Chevelyn.
He was also the one who had set the fire that killed her mother and younger sister in the past.
“The Princess has received the name ‘Esther,’ I hear.”
“Indeed.”
Hilane felt uneasy when Duke Tessa mentioned Chevelyn.
“Now you needn’t worry. I was concerned she hadn’t been formally invested, but now she is a proper member of the royal family.”
He stroked his beard, feigning benevolence.
As Tessa said, Chevelyn hadn’t been formally invested.
The emperor, who was supposed to bestow the tiara at the investiture ceremony, was bedridden.
He was mocking the fact that receiving a baptismal name without an investiture was meaningless.
Insulting Chevelyn was intolerable.
“Duke Tessa, do you know the habits of raccoons?”
“Raccoons…?”
Duke Tessa responded, puzzled by the sudden change in topic.
Old raccoon.
It was Glazé’s way of referring to Duke Tessa.
“Raccoons always lose their food because they wash it in water. They repeat this foolish act over and over.”
“Your Highness, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that if you, like a raccoon, end up starving, I might not be able to hold back my laughter at your funeral.”
Duke Tessa’s face darkened instantly.
“So be cautious. In every word and action.”
“Your Highness, there is no set order in which people die. Just because I have lived long doesn’t mean I will die first.”
Duke Tessa responded calmly.
“There may be no order, but if you’ve committed a crime, you will pay for it. Even if the consequences don’t come directly to you.”
“…Do not touch Her Highness Queen Nigel!”
He shouted in immediate anger.
“She is a pitiable person who has suffered her whole life.”
The only person Duke Tessa truly cared for was Queen Nigel, his only weakness.
“If you want to protect your daughter, don’t touch mine.”
Hilane warned Duke Tessa, covering Chevelyn’s ears.
“Forgive me, but I don’t understand what you mean.”
Duke Tessa smiled slyly.
“I always wish for the Princess’s peace.”
“Peace…?”
Hilane’s expression hardened.
She knew she should respond nonchalantly, but she couldn’t manage it.
“Your Highness? Are you feeling unwell?”
Though she knew it would be a loss to show her feelings, she couldn’t calm down.
“…I’m fine.”
Hilane forced a smile.
She raised her trembling lips as high as she could.
Then she took a deep breath.
“…You must be on your way to see Her Highness the Princess, so I’ll leave you to it.”
“Then, until next time.”
Duke Tessa’s distinctively heavy footsteps receded.
Hilane, stroking the back of sleeping Chevelyn’s hair, spoke.
“To protect you… it might be an unavoidable choice.”
She felt certain now that she had to accept the remarriage to Grand Duke Belzette.
There was also a physician in the Requier Empire who could treat Chevelyn.
Considering that, it might be for the best.
* * *
The next day, Hilane, knowing that Glazé was in the royal library, went to see her.
“Your Highness.”
“Hilane? What brings you here?”
Glazé, who had been browsing the bookshelves, turned to Hilane with curiosity.
“I will remarry Grand Duke Belzette.”
“You came sooner than I expected. I thought it would take you longer to decide.”
Glazé gave her a look of surprise.
“You said you’d tell me what you want after I agreed to remarry. What is it that you desire, Your Highness?”
“This is why I like you.”
Glazé smiled with satisfaction at Hilane’s quick calculation.
“Bring me information about the Grand Duke of Belzette.”
“Information…?”
She knew Glazé wouldn’t want simple, well-known information.
“…Are you asking me to become a spy?”
Glazé took a few steps toward the window.
She drew the heavy curtains and flung the window open.
The sudden sunlight made Hilane squint.
“How long do you think two suns can coexist?”
Unbothered, Glazé stared at the distant sun.
Two suns.
This referred to the emperors of Peztein and Requier.
It was a dangerous statement.
“Are you planning… to start a war?”
Hilane swallowed dryly, tense.
“I rule Peztein in place of my father, but I’m still just the crown princess.”
Glazé continued, neither confirming nor denying Hilane’s question.
“To prove that I’m a rightful future emperor, I must consider the possibility of war.”
“……”
“We’ll have to see how things unfold after this royal marriage.”
Hilane’s heart pounded at Glazé’s mention of war.
“Hilane. Don’t worry. It’s just a consideration; I won’t start a war recklessly.”
“…I see.”
Glazé reassured Hilane, sensing her unease.
“Besides, with the Grand Duke of Belzette being a mage, we would be at a disadvantage.”
As Glazé said, the Grand Duke of Belzette, a royal of Requier, was a mage.
With him around, they couldn’t be sure of winning a war.
‘At least she’s not rushing into war, that’s a relief.’
Hilane placed a hand on her racing heart to calm herself.
Thud-
Suddenly, Glazé pushed a bookshelf aside.
Behind it were forbidden books only the emperor and their heir could see.
Glazé pulled out a book with a dark blue leather cover.
“It says here that the power of the Requier royal family clashes with magic, causing those with mixed royal and magical blood to go berserk and die.”
“Berserk…?”
“Yes. So how can the Grand Duke of Belzette, with jewel eyes, survive as a mage?”
Glazé rubbed her temple, puzzled by the age-old mystery.
“When I first read this as a child, I became very curious about the Grand Duke of Belzette.”
“That’s the information you want, Your Highness.”
“I want you to become the Grand Duchess and unravel this mystery for me.”
“……”
“And…”
Someone’s voice interrupted Glazé.
“Lady Elisha Dion, a maid of Largon Palace, wishes to speak to you both.”
“…What is it?”
With Glazé’s permission, the maid entered.
She bowed deeply before speaking.
“Princess Chevelyn has taken a serious fall.”
“Oh dear.”
Glazé expressed regret, and Hilane was alarmed.
“A fall? How badly is she hurt? Is Chevelyn alright?”
“She refuses treatment and is asking for Your Highness…”
The maid rolled her eyes nervously at Hilane’s questions.
“Hilane. She’s probably very scared. Go comfort her.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Glazé watched Hilane hurriedly leave.
She then leaned against the window, her body weary.
Countess Kin, her nanny, cautiously opened and closed the door.
“You’ve come, nanny.”
Glazé smiled faintly, sensing the presence.
“Tell me, nanny.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Glazé hugged the countess tightly.
She rarely showed such vulnerability.
Knowing how exhausted she was, Countess Kin gently stroked her shoulders.
“What is a child? How can one love something so much that they sacrifice themselves for it?”
“……”
Glazé was infertile. No matter how much she desired, she couldn’t have a child.
She found it fascinating that Hilane would do anything for Chevelyn.
“Sometimes, I think that way.”
Maybe, she was also envious.
“Having a child might be a weakness, but sometimes I want one badly enough to accept that weakness.”
“Your Highness…”
“When I see Hilane, I feel it more.”
Glazé smiled bitterly.
Countess Kin, knowing how hard Glazé had tried to have a child, couldn’t say anything.
“By the way, you’ll soon meet Grand Duke Belzette.”
“Meet the Grand Duke?”
Disliking the mood, Glazé abruptly changed the subject.
“Accept the marriage proposal we discussed, but suggest changing the partner to the Grand Duke.”
“Will he accept? Initially, Emperor Kalliosa wanted the marriage with Princess Violet.”
Countess Kin voiced her concern.
“And… Her Highness Hilane has Princess Chevelyn.”
Glazé shrugged as if it wasn’t a problem.
“Isn’t it Duke Belzette’s second marriage too?”
She heard that the commoner duchess had died five months ago.
“Last year, he married a commoner who was secretly raising his child, but she passed away shortly after due to illness.”
Thinking of the former duchess, Glazé sensed something odd.
“But why did the duke give up his position as the crown prince upon marriage?”
“I don’t know….”
“And why did he succeed his father’s position without taking a new title after years of no contact?”
He could have made the commoner mother of his child a noble’s adopted daughter and brought her in as the crown princess.
‘Being the eldest son of the Requier crown prince would be more advantageous than being the Duke of Belzette.’
There was no reason strong enough to give up the crown prince title.
“Perhaps, since the former duke’s position became vacant after his twin brother’s death.”
“Hmm….”
She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some hidden secret.
“Or maybe the former duchess, being a commoner, felt burdened by entering the royal family.”
Despite Countess Kin’s various speculations, Glazé remained unconvinced.
“That’s strange. They didn’t seem to be on good terms, nor did he seem particularly affectionate when the former duchess was mentioned….”
Even though she was the mother of his child, Aachen did not seem sad when talking about the previous Grand Duchess.
Instead, he seemed more agitated when Hilane’s name was mentioned.
“I heard he sent a bracelet made of Larimar for Chevelyn’s baptism.”
“Yes. Later, I found out that it was a bracelet made of the highest quality gemstones.”
Knowing the rarity of Larimar, Glazé couldn’t understand Aachen’s kindness towards Hilane.
“Have the two of them met before?”
“Perhaps he developed feelings after seeing Princess Hilane’s portrait?”
“Portrait?”
“Before she married Marquis Rata, one was sent to Requier.”
“Is that so? Hilane is indeed beautiful, just like her aunt Lariette.”
Thinking of Hilane’s portrait, Glazé agreed.
“That’s why His Majesty the Emperor cherished Princess Hilane so much.”
“Hilane was a stand-in for his sister.”
A dry laugh escaped from Glazé’s lips.
Hilane was doted upon by Emperor Roman because she closely resembled his beloved sister, Princess Lariette.
People envied her for being a beloved daughter, but it wasn’t truly Hilane’s place.
To Emperor Roman, she wasn’t a cherished daughter but a substitute for his dear sister.
The Emperor’s affection for his daughter soon translated into attention towards his son, making Empress Millet perpetually uneasy.
Thus, Hilane had to mimic every little habit of the aunt she had never met, from her frequent expressions to her favorite clothes and food.
“Nanny, everything about Hilane is just like or similar to her aunt.”
“Even her name, which was given with the same meaning.”
Countess Kin nodded in understanding.
“Indeed. Nothing that Hilane had was truly hers.”
“…….”
Glazé lamented her situation, where she had to use and manipulate her sister.
“I said I would help her, but I’m no different from our father.”
“But, Your Highness, you proposed it because you trust the Princess….”
Even this was a deception to Hilane.
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