Thank you, HugPug, for the Kofi.
***
Perhaps because I was now an “experienced user,” the aftereffects of the magic circle weren’t so severe this time. Stepping down from the circle with a flourish, I confidently walked forward, with Evandel quietly following behind me.
The use of magic circles was prohibited within the Imperial Palace, except for matters of national importance. Therefore, while we could use one to come to the capital, we had to take a carriage to get to the palace, just like last time.
“This way,” said the familiar aide who had been dragged along by me during my last shopping trip, as he prepared the carriage. I was fairly satisfied as I took a seat in the double carriage, which looked more comfortable than the last one.
With a jolt, the carriage began to move. As I gazed at the passing scenery, I pretended to fidget with the window frame and subtly stole glances at Evandel. From the moment he helped me onto the circle until now, he hadn’t said a word. Although we weren’t exactly the type to chat amiably, the wall between us felt more pronounced than usual, making me uncomfortably aware of it.
“……”
His gaze was fixed outside the window, a dullness in his eyes, his lips tightly sealed, and I found myself wondering what he was thinking.
“Aren’t you looking forward to it?”
As I opened my mouth first, he finally turned his gaze toward me.
“What are you referring to?”
“The new princess, of course. You never know, she might be stunningly beautiful.”
“..…”
My playful banter was met with an awkward silence. He seemed unwilling to continue the conversation as he turned his gaze back to the window.
Then, he threw out a statement, almost as if it were an afterthought.
“Even so, could she ever compare to you, Your Highness?”
“……”
Blushing at the completely unexpected jab, I thought, ‘Is he crazy? Is he doing this on purpose or what?’
He had left me utterly flustered, yet he had the nerve to act indifferent, as if he hadn’t said a thing.
“You can’t just say things like that.”
“……”
He didn’t answer further.
“…You’ve never even seen her.”
That irritating guy. Could this be the reason Attila could never let him go?
“And yet, you’re just going to fall head over heels for her,” I muttered softly, recalling the original story’s plot.
While beauty wasn’t everything, it’s still unfair to completely erase the time they’ve spent together since childhood.
I guess in the face of true love, time and affection mean nothing?
A storm was approaching soon. Hopefully, I can manage to secure a safe nest before I end up disgracefully cast aside.
.
.
.
“It’s nice to have you all gathered here.”
I internally scoffed at the emperor, who was lying without a shred of sincerity. A two-faced emperor, a queen who wouldn’t even spare a glance at her child after a long time not seeing her, the pesky Nikolai, and even Evandel, who wasn’t even of royal blood. It truly was a ridiculous combination.
“I’m sure you’ve already heard, but I’ve found my other daughter, and I called you all here to meet her.”
At the mention of the word “daughter,” the queen’s expression soured. It seemed she wasn’t pleased about her husband’s infidelity, even though she herself had taken her current position through an affair.
“Sir Kirk, where is Luna?” the Emperor asked.
Then, the attendant who had been standing quietly nearby answered.
“I received word that she just finished her preparations, so she should be arriving soon.”
If they planned to introduce her, they should’ve brought her in from the start. Or did they want her to make a grand entrance as the “main character” at the very end of this stupid gathering?
It was absurd, making the direct royal family wait like this. Such ridiculous favoritism for the heroine.
“Lady Luna is entering.”
Finally, the drawing room doors opened, and a woman in a white dress stepped in. With a shy face, she walked in delicately and took a seat beside Nikolai as directed by the chamberlain.
If I were to describe her in one word, it would be “pure.”
She had neatly pinned-up indigo hair, which she likely inherited from her mother, and wore a muslin dress embroidered with gold, looking like a fairy just venturing out to see the human world out of curiosity. Following the current fashion, her face was unpainted, yet it had a natural flush, and the deep sapphire eyes she inherited from the emperor sparkled brightly, even as she simply looked around.
Of course, she would be the heroine.
Nikolai, that despicable jerk, was already eyeing her up and down with an appalling look in his eyes. Why did I have to be the one feeling embarrassed on his behalf?
“Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty. I’m so happy to meet my family,” Luna said.
“Haha, it’s great to have one more beautiful daughter,” he replied.
The only ones cheering and celebrating were the heroine and the Emperor. And the sight of them, an oddly mismatched pair, left a bitter taste in my mouth. Since when was he such a doting father, going on about his beautiful daughters?
He only acknowledged Luna, an illegitimate child, for one reason: fear of divine punishment.
The heroine, Luna, was born between the Emperor and a priestess. For a priestess, who must serve only the gods and remain chaste, becoming pregnant was naturally a grave sin.
However, Luna’s mother, known for her kindness and good deeds, was allowed to remain in the temple, doing odd jobs with the help of her fellow priestesses. And obviously, Luna had spent her entire life within the temple’s walls.
Why her mother suddenly decided to reveal her daughter’s existence to the emperor, I have no idea. But, while he’s cold-hearted, he still wants to secure his place in heaven, so unlike with Dexter, he had quickly acknowledged Luna.
Now that I finally got to meet the heroine, I wondered how our male lead might be reacting. I turned to glance at Evandel beside me, curious to see his expression, only to catch him already looking at me.
“……”
I raised an eyebrow at the unexpected encounter, and he slowly looked away.
…What’s that about?
Then, out of nowhere, the emperor suddenly mentioned me.
“The child is not familiar with the palace and its customs, so Tila, I hope you’ll give her plenty of guidance as her older sister.”
“…….”
What kind of absurd nonsense was this?
I forced a smile, trying to control the twitch at the corner of my mouth.
“Regrettably, as I don’t reside in the palace, I don’t think I can be of much help.”
“I understand Luna will continue to stay at the temple. Since it’s close to the marquisate, it should be easy for you to visit each other often.”
“…….”
I had forgotten how these two would keep getting entangled with one another.
The temple where the heroine and her mother live is located within Evandel’s domain. And due to various incidents and crises that involved Attila, they would keep getting closer.
I could feel blood rushing to my head as my carotid artery throbbed.
“I’m not sure if I can take good care of Luna, as I’m quite lacking…”
I struggled to get the words out while suppressing the boiling anger inside me, but the emperor shamelessly continued.
“I trust you, Tila. Lord Listane, please take good care of her as well.”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I will do so.”
“……”
That old man, if I ever need to use dark magic, you’ll be the first to go.
Even though my extreme displeasure must have been clearly written on my face, Luna simply smiled brightly at me, as if she was either thick-skinned or completely oblivious to the situation.
“I’m so happy to have an older sister! I look forward to your guidance!” she said, excited.
Ahhh, life truly was a continuous series of ridiculous pranks.
Thus, Evandel, Luna, and I ended up traveling together on our way back to the territory.
Since I was already notorious for my bad temper, I thought about flipping everything upside down, but the Emperor’s final words indefinitely postponed that plan.
[Tila, if you take good care of Luna, I will allocate the budget to you again.]
My dear father had secretly whispered this to me after everyone had left following the luncheon. And as I was preparing for the impending divorce, it was obviously a proposal I couldn’t refuse.
…I absolutely must not become like Mary; I told myself.
However, It was quite disappointing that I couldn’t throw the handbag I was holding at that wrinkled face of his.
He feared divine punishment, but did he not fear the punishment from men?
The fact that he entrusted his daughter to another daughter who was raised without a father for such a trivial reason was truly galling.
“Your Grace, thank you for escorting me to the palace the other day.”
It was Luna’s soft voice that pulled me out of my reverie. Her cheeks, flushed a bright red, looked like a maiden who was excited to meet a knight she admired.
By the way, since she mentioned being escorted by him before today, it meant this meeting wasn’t their first encounter.
Realizing this fact, I felt inexplicably displeased.
“I simply did what I was supposed to do,” Evandel responded with a curt, formal reply that appeared brusque on the surface.
But I could tell without looking at him that he was internally confused.
After being tormented daily by his devil-like wife, how could he not fall for a sister-in-law as angelic as Luna.
Now that I thought about it, it was indeed a truly messed-up relationship. The more I contemplated it, the more it felt like an unsolvable story.
At that moment, the carriage jolted violently, as if one of its wheels had caught on a stone.
“Oh no!”
Luna, who was sitting across from me, lost her balance and leaned toward me.
No, wasn’t this supposed to be one of those moments where she pretends to stumble and falls into the male lead’s arms? Why was she falling on me?
In an instant, I muttered a string of curses and tightly shut my eyes, but Evandel managed to catch Luna before she fell into my lap.
Thanks to his quick reflexes, I avoided having Luna’s body squished against my face, but as a result, I had to witness them embracing right in front of me.
…What the hell.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
“……It’s fine.”
“…….”
Who am I?
Where am I?
Why am I suddenly the third wheel?
See? This is exactly why I wanted to get a divorce as soon as possible.
Letting out a small sigh, I looked up at the ceiling before letting my gaze fall back down. At that moment, I locked eyes with Luna.
“….”
As an awkward moment lingered, she suddenly smiled brightly at me.
…What was that?
Something about it made my gut clench, but I dismissed it as mere imagination and looked away.
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