It was just bad luck. Of all times, I had to run into Luke when I was with Nathan.
Luke usually went back and forth between the training ground and the library. So I never expected to run into him in the garden at this hour.
‘Isn’t he the one who always called nobles drinking tea while admiring flowers pathetic? What’s he doing here…?’
Curious about the reason, I looked around and, of course, spotted Naila behind him. She must have begged Luke to come out to the garden with her.
Anyway, I had no desire to deal with him, so I quickly apologized.
“Sorry for stepping on you. Does your foot hurt?”
Even after my apology, Luke’s grim expression didn’t improve. In fact, it twisted into something even more hostile.
“Forget the apology. I’d rather you just leave. Naila’s uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, we’ll leave. Enjoy your rest.”
I knew well how annoying and irritable Luke could be. Especially since Nathan was with me, I planned to let it go easily.
However, Nathan didn’t seem to have the same plan.
“Why should we leave?”
Hearing those words, I stopped mid-step.
‘Ah, Nathan doesn’t know how irritating Luke is yet.’
He seemed to have no understanding of why I was trying to leave quickly.
I tugged on his arm, signaling for us to go.
“Your Highness, let’s just go.”
“You said you’d show me the garden.”
“Well, since they’re already here, maybe we can come back later—”
“So? Do we have to leave the garden because siblings are using it?”
Nathan nonchalantly passed Luke and went to sit on a bench in the garden. Naila was already seated there, but he didn’t seem to care.
“….”
Luke’s face twisted in silent displeasure. His expression made it clear to anyone watching that he was full of dissatisfaction. But there was no way he could openly complain to Nathan, a prince.
In the end, he chose to pressure me instead.
“Shouldn’t you be considerate of your sister? Can’t you see Naila is scared?”
Before I could respond, Naila spoke up to stop Luke.
“Brother, don’t say that. I don’t mind Claudia being in the garden.”
I glanced over at Naila as she spoke.
‘She does look uncomfortable because of me. Is that natural?’
I had tried to get along with her, but… it’s only natural she still felt uneasy around me.
Considering what the original Claudia had done to her, it made sense.
‘Thinking back, it’s understandable why she didn’t defend me when Luke misunderstood me before.’
Who would actively stand up for someone who had tormented them?
I fully understood that.
But even so, I couldn’t stop my shoulders from drooping.
“Well, if Naila is uncomfortable because of me—”
“If someone’s uncomfortable, then the uncomfortable one should leave.”
Before I could finish, Nathan interrupted again. His gaze moved between me, who was shrinking back, and Luke, who was glaring at me. His eyes were full of discontent.
“For someone who has done so much for this family, Claudia is treated awfully. If we’re being honest, the reason the Duke has such a large estate is thanks to Claudia’s arranged marriage.”
“…Enjoy your time. We’ll leave. Naila, let’s go.”
Having no words to counter, Luke quickly left with Naila.
I watched them walk away and then quietly said to Nathan,
“Was it really necessary to drive them away? We could’ve just stepped aside.”
“Doesn’t it bother you, seeing their attitude? You’re remarkable. I’m not kind enough to let that go.”
“It’s not that it didn’t bother me… I just didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.”
Nathan shook his head at me, disappointed.
“If you keep giving way for reasons like that, eventually, they’ll think it’s only natural to be given what they want.”
It felt ironic to hear that from someone who was willing to give up the throne to Regis.
But what he said made sense, so I nodded.
We then sat on the bench near the fountain, enjoying the cool autumn breeze. The breeze was so soothing that I found myself drifting off to sleep.
—
When I woke up, I was in my room. It seemed that Nathan had carried me here, just like last time. I wanted to thank him, but he was nowhere to be found.
‘Where did he go? Did he go out for some fresh air?’
It wasn’t like he would have gone far within the Duke’s estate.
I was about to go back to sleep when I heard a knock.
Dragging my stiff body out of bed, I shuffled to the door and opened it. Naila stood there, waiting quietly.
“Naila? What’s up?”
“Father’s looking for you.”
The moment I heard that the Duke was looking for me, all traces of sleep disappeared.
‘Is he finally going to approve the marriage…?’
I hurriedly tidied my hair and rushed to the Duke’s study.
Something felt odd, though.
I had expected Naila to just deliver the message and leave, but she followed me instead. She seemed like she had something to say, so I waited patiently.
Eventually, she spoke in a soft voice.
“Sister, but… why is *he* here?”
There was only one person she could be referring to as “him.”
“Prince Nathan?”
“Yes… I heard from Brother that you’re planning to marry Prince Nathan instead of Regis. Is it true? I can’t believe it.”
Given that she had even seen us sharing a room, you’d think she would’ve figured it out by now.
It must have been hard for her to believe, though.
‘Well, I did change my intended husband rather suddenly. No wonder she’s finding it hard to accept.’
I was about to give her a vague answer when an idea popped into my head.
I wanted to test her.
Was she truly kind?
Or did she have darker intentions?
What did she think of me?
I knew nothing about her.
I stopped walking toward the study and faced her.
“Yes, you heard correctly. As you know, Regis doesn’t really like me. So if I have to marry a royal, I thought it would be better to marry the kinder Prince Nathan.”
“Kind…?”
“Yes, he may seem aloof, but he’s always been kind to me.”
At that point, Naila’s expression remained unchanged.
I decided to cast a second bait.
“And Prince Nathan is also set to become the next emperor.”
“…?!”
This time, unlike before, her expression hardened in an instant. Her voice even trembled as she replied,
“What… what do you mean by that?”
It wasn’t strange for her to be surprised.
Luke probably hadn’t told her this part.
But her reaction went beyond surprise—she looked completely shocked.
‘Why is she so shocked? Does she dislike the idea of me becoming empress instead of her? Or… was she planning to become empress and take revenge on me?’
It was a real possibility.
After all, the game always ended with Naila’s revenge.
I decided to probe further.
“I found a way to lift the prince’s curse. Once the curse is lifted, it’s only natural that the eldest prince, Nathan, will become the crown prince. …You seem really surprised?”
I moved closer to Naila, who still looked frozen.
“Did you want to become empress?”
I wondered if she was already planning a terrible revenge.
When she didn’t respond, I asked again.
“What did you want to do as empress?”
“…No, I never wanted to be empress. I wouldn’t dream of it.”
I couldn’t tell if her answer was sincere.
But since she denied it, I decided to stop probing and smiled brightly.
“Then everything worked out for the best, right? You’ll marry Prince Regis, and I’ll fulfill Father’s wish by becoming empress.”
“…Yes.”
It was good news for everyone, but for some reason, Naila’s tense expression didn’t ease the entire way to the study.
—
The Duke didn’t even glance at me when I entered the room.
Was he still upset with me?
Or was he feeling guilty about almost hurting me before?
Either way, it wasn’t a pleasant atmosphere.
‘He called me here, but now he’s saying nothing?’
Tired of waiting, I spoke up first.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“Hmph… Yes. About the other day… I apologize for startling you. It was my mistake.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t get hurt, thanks to His Highness.”
At the mention of the prince, deep wrinkles formed on the Duke’s forehead.
“Yes, the prince did catch you. He just happened to be there by chance.”
“…”
“But tell me, have you thought about whether that man will still be so kind after you’re married? Men always act as if they’ll give you everything before marriage, but after the wedding—”
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
A look of confusion spread across his face.
That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.
“I’ll be going now.”
I turned my back on him, leaving him in a state of bewilderment.
Just as I was about to walk out the door,
“Nathan is…!”
His urgent voice stopped me in my tracks.
Before I knew it, he had approached and grabbed my arm, turning me around to face him. His eyes were full of concern as they met mine.
“Nathan is a fierce man who enjoys slaying monsters with a giant sword. How can you marry someone like him instead of gentle Regis? Do you not care about your father’s feelings at all?”
