“Elisha, let me know if Chevelyn wakes up.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After entrusting Elisha with that, Hilane walked towards where Emperor Roman was.
She met the head chamberlain in front of the door.
“I greet the fourth princess.”
“I’ve come to see my father before the ceremony.”
The head chamberlain welcomed Hilane warmly.
“Yes, we have been expecting you. This way, please.”
Following the head chamberlain, she reached the innermost part of the bedroom where Emperor Roman lay asleep.
The faint sound of his breathing was the only indication that he was alive.
Emperor Roman was practically dead.
He had been unconscious for over ten years.
“Please, take your time.”
The head chamberlain respectfully stepped aside.
The atmosphere was very quiet.
“…….”
Hilane properly looked at Emperor Roman’s wrinkled face.
‘A lot of time has passed since that day.’
The sight of his hair, now entirely white, was still unfamiliar.
When she had visited right before her wedding to Revan, she had only briefly greeted him from outside the canopy and hadn’t noticed.
Now that she was about to leave for Belzette, she had come to see him in person, but she had nothing in particular to say.
“Father, you used to cherish me a lot. You even sat me on your knee and fed me snacks yourself.”
Hilane tried to recall her childhood memories, thinking she should say something.
“…Although it wasn’t what I liked, but what Aunt enjoyed.”
Even if it was affection given out of longing for someone else, there had been a time when she had secretly liked her father’s attention.
“Father.”
“…….”
“I no longer need to strive for your affection or imitate my aunt.”
It was sincere. She could now live without Emperor Roman’s interest.
And… she no longer had to pretend to like what she hated or act cheerfully on purpose.
She wanted Emperor Roman to know that.
That she could live well even without him.
“So, Father, please wake up soon.”
“…….”
“Please watch me live as myself.”
With those words, Hilane turned away without regret.
Had she turned just a moment later, she might have seen it.
The very slight movement of Emperor Roman’s second finger.
* * *
“Kin, did you deliver the gift to Hilane? How did she react when she saw what mother sent?”
Glazé, who had been practicing swordsmanship in the training hall since dawn, spoke to Countess Kin who had come to her side.
“She seemed pleased.”
“That’s a relief… Did you inform Marquis Rata about Hilane’s remarriage?”
Glazé, curious, asked several questions at once.
“Yes, as you instructed. I heard he left Emik Kingdom and boarded a ship right after receiving the news. He should arrive soon.”
“Emik Kingdom? That’s where the Grand Duchess resides.”
“Lady Lezen, the Countess of Luize, is staying there.”
“Lady Lezen? Isn’t she Marquis Rata’s former fiancée?”
Glazé paused, puzzled.
“I heard she gave birth to a child at the Countess of Luize’s residence.”
“…….”
“It is uncertain if the child is Marquis Rata’s, but he reportedly helped her seek asylum in Emik Kingdom.”
Countess Kin’s explanation made Glazé resume her sword practice with renewed intensity.
“…That’s why I dislike that man. Not only did he inherit his title hastily, but he also had a long-term fiancée.”
Wiping her sweat with the handkerchief Countess Kin handed her, Glazé gritted her teeth.
At that moment, a maid approached and whispered something into Countess Kin’s ear.
Nodding, Countess Kin immediately relayed the information to Glazé.
“Crown Princess, Marquis Rata has arrived at the Marquisate.”
“Grand Duke Belzette is at the temple, and Hilane is with the Emperor, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go to the temple. I need to speak with the Grand Duke.”
Without delay, Glazé headed to the temple.
Before she could reach the entrance, the commander of the Imperial Guard, who spotted her first, bowed to her.
“I greet the Crown Princess.”
“When Marquis Rata arrives, let him in without stopping him.”
She ordered the Imperial Guards stationed outside.
Upon entering, she saw a silhouette that appeared quite tense.
‘Did he dress up to impress Hilane?’
There stood Aachen, adorned with the Leo Dean earrings given as a gift, wearing a white uniform with a half cape.
“Crown Princess?”
“I have something to say to the Grand Duke.”
“Please, speak.”
“I hope you’ll understand a bit of an uninvited guest arriving shortly.”
Aachen, not yet understanding what she meant, raised his eyebrows slightly.
* * *
“Are you leaving now, Princess Hilane?”
“Take good care of my father.”
The head chamberlain replied in a somber voice to Hilane’s request as she left Emperor Roman’s bedroom.
“I firmly believe he will wake up soon.”
“I hope so.”
Responding to the chamberlain, Hilane stepped into the corridor where Elisha awaited her with a veil.
“…Your Highness.”
“Elisha, has Chevelyn woken up?”
Hilane thought the child had awakened when Elisha called her.
However, Elisha’s words were far from her expectations.
“Uh… I’ve been informed that His Highness the Grand Duke of Belzette has arrived at the temple.”
“…Already? There’s still some time before the ceremony starts, isn’t there?”
Hilane was surprised at Elisha’s news.
“Let me put the veil on you first.”
“Elisha, bring Chevelyn to the carriage when the ceremony is over.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
With the veil on, Hilane headed to the temple.
Upon arrival, the Imperial Guards bowed to her.
“Greetings, Fourth Princess. His Highness the Grand Duke of Belzette is waiting for you.”
Opening the door to the temple, she would find the Grand Duke inside.
‘This union with the Grand Duke is of great national importance. Don’t show any emotions; stay calm.’
Hilane suppressed her tangled emotions.
Then she gently pressed her lips together.
The slight tremble revealed her nervousness.
Forcing a smile, she tried to hide her anxiety.
Finally, her face brightened like a flower blooming in spring.
“Open the door.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Though it was a simple ceremony, signing the documents would make them a married couple.
Calming her nerves, Hilane took steady steps forward.
“You’re here….”
Aachen, who had been fidgeting with his white gloves, saw Hilane and appeared dazed.
‘What’s with him?’
Aachen, seemingly in a trance, slowly approached Hilane and escorted her.
His adam’s apple bobbed violently, indicating his tension.
His eyes… were as clear and mysterious as the sea of Oskwaltz.
“Thank you for accepting my proposal.”
“…You’re welcome.”
Hilane recently learned that she had spent a night with his twin brother. She deliberately did not let this show.
‘I can’t ruin the ceremony.’
Though she wanted to ask why he proposed despite knowing, she held back.
The High Priest began the ceremony, and Hilane stood beside Aachen.
“We shall proceed with the ceremony.”
* * *
“Grand Duke Aachen Requier Belzette and Princess Hilane Peztaine.”
A simple vow ceremony with only the bride, groom, and officiating High Priest present.
“Do you swear before Lady Freya to always respect and love each other under any circumstances?”
The High Priest solemnly asked.
“I will always respect and love her.”
Aachen, whose hair resembled a starry night and eyes held the deep sea, answered with a smile.
Aachen Requier Belzette.
He was the former crown prince of the Requier Empire and the head of the north, the Grand Duke of Belzette.
“…Forever.”
His whisper, meant only for the bride, startled Hilane.
‘It’s just a ceremonial vow… Why add such words?’
He was an inscrutable man.
“Princess Hilane?”
“Ah… I swear.”
Called by the High Priest, Hilane hastily responded.
“May Lady Freya’s blessings be upon this newly wedded couple.”
After the High Priest rang the bell three times and made the sign of the cross, Aachen turned to Hilane and slightly bowed.
“After finishing the ceremony here in Peztaine, we will head directly to the north.”
“Yes.”
“We shall later hold a grand state wedding befitting my noble consort.”
Aachen smiled softly and extended his hand.
Hilane, smiling back, placed her hand on his.
As Aachen bowed and his lips gently touched the back of her hand.
Bang—!
Suddenly, the temple doors, which had been firmly closed, burst open with a loud noise.
Startled, Hilane turned around.
‘Revan?’
It was a familiar face.
Her ex-husband and the father of her beloved daughter, Chevelyn…
Revan, Marquis of Rata.
♡♡♡
If you want to support the translation and the translator, please buy a coffee ♥︎
