The man who walked in looked like he had come from eternal snow, so fair and cold.
“It’s truly His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Why has His Majesty come…?”
Amidst the stunned crowd, the emperor took his seat on the throne. His golden hair shimmered as he tilted his head.
“Crown Prince.” He spoke in a voice cold as frost. “What are you doing right now?”
“…Your Majesty.”
“I asked what are you doing, Crown Prince?”
Raios’s eyes trembled with a sense of betrayal.
Observing his astonished face, I smiled slyly. His uncle, the emperor, is the person he fears the most in the world. After all, he took the throne that was supposed to be his and became the emperor.
Yes. I made a deal with him. With the person threatening his throne.
What did you say earlier? That you wouldn’t stop me if I wanted to be miserable?
It’s you.
You’re the one who should be miserable now. Since I’ve abandoned you too.
* * *
“Your Majesty.”
That was it.
“I didn’t know you’d attend.”
Raios quickly regained his composure as if nothing had happened. His face was calm.
“I was in the middle of the engagement ceremony, Your Majesty.” Raios’s face was composed and serene. “I hope you’ll give me your blessing as well, Your Majesty.”
“Engagement ceremony.” The emperor gazed intensely at Raios with inhumanly piercing blue eyes. He muttered again. “It’s an engagement ceremony.”
Meanwhile, Allice shivered in fear and disbelief. Why?
Why did His Majesty come? How? Why?
Could it be Sister Dana asking for his intervention? Tears welled up in her eyes, and she bit her lip to stop from crying. It’s so unfair. Sister Dana is stooping so low to stop the engagement ceremony. Really―
“I see.”
“…?”
Allice’s eyes widened in shock. The moment tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Please proceed.” The emperor gestured lazily.
The priest, who was completely frozen, was startled and stuttered. “Th-then, I will continue the ceremony.”
Confused, the priest faithfully recited a passage from the Bible, signifying the oath of eternal love before God. And then he asked, “Allice Windsor, do you swear eternal love before the Sun God, Ramun?”
“Yes, yes.” She answered for now.
The priest immediately turned his gaze to the crown prince. “Raios Geranze, do you swear eternal love before the Sun God, Ramun?”
“…I swear.”
“Thus, before the Sun God, Ramun, the two of you have pledged eternal love.”
The unbreakable oath of love was made, and Dana just calmly watched. Allice thought it was strange.
It’s certain that sister summoned His Majesty to the banquet hall. But why… didn’t she stop the engagement ceremony?
And why. Why isn’t she looking jealous?
“Let’s now move on to the main event.” At that moment, the emperor stood up. “Lady Danae Windsor, please step forward.”
Dana walked forward, and a servant approached the emperor, showing him a box. The box Raios had sent to Dana. It was a box of medals.
“Danae Windsor. You have purified the rotten land and brought peace to the continent.”
Saying so, the emperor lifted the medal. A necklace shining with brilliant gold. My eyes sparkled as I gazed at it.
Yes, this is it. I made a deal with the emperor so as not to lose it. I never intended to ruin Raios’s engagement ceremony. I actually hoped it would succeed. That way, there would be a narrative to my breaking-up engagement.
“Recognizing your contribution and honoring your name, I bestow this medal upon you.”
As the emperor placed the medal around my neck, his cold fingers brushed my nape. I was startled but bit my lip to endure it.
“Do you wish to die?”
The memory of last night. The emperor’s hand that had strangled her neck. His voice. I pushed it down as much as I could and managed a calm smile.
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
The die was cast. Now, there was nothing that could be stopped.
* * *
“What are you playing at.”
I went to the terrace to take a breather, and Raios followed me out.
“What kind of trick did you pull?”
Expecting it, I wasn’t surprised and turned around, smiling broadly. “Where did you leave your partner, Your Highness?”
“Danae Windsor. Answer me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t beat around the bush. Tell me the truth.” Raios spoke as if spitting out the words. Cold flames seemed to flicker wildly in his eyes.
“What did you do with my uncle last night?” The rage in every breath seemed immense as if he was terribly angry. “What did you do to make my uncle grant your request?”
I just smoothly smiled back at him, just as he had observed her anger a few days ago. Of course, he’d be curious.
That stubborn emperor, an introvert who cared about nothing but religion, moving according to my wishes, must have been surprising.
“Well, what could I have given him?”
“I told you to answer!” Raios’s neck veins bulged with how angry he was.
“Why don’t you ask your uncle directly if you’re so curious?”
“Danae!”
“Why are you so angry?”
“You don’t know? Is that what you call an answer?”
“Yes. I really don’t know.” I tilted my head as if genuinely curious. “I didn’t stop the engagement ceremony, so why are you so angry?”
“…”
“Are you angry that I received a medal?”
“…You ruined my engagement ceremony.”
“Think of it as a compromise. It was supposed to be my medal award ceremony in the first place.” I shrugged. “And if I really intended to ruin it, I would have asked His Majesty to prevent the engagement ceremony.”
It was true. I could have made that request. The emperor would have gladly complied. We had made a deal, after all.
“But I didn’t make such a request. Because.” I smiled broadly. “I support both of your loves.”
For a moment, Raios’s jaw tightened. He seemed to clench his teeth. After a while, he uttered in a low, grating voice, “You’re good at pretending to be kind…”
“I’m sincere.”
“No, don’t pretend. I’ve seen through your pretense long ago. You appear gentle, but you never bend. How tiresome that stubbornness of yours is.”
Saying so, Raios took a step closer. Just that was enough to close the distance between us. I tried to step back, but the terrace railing was behind me.
“Danae Windsor.”
At that moment, he suddenly called my name tenderly. Like a few days ago. As if whispering love. The moment I got a chill, he already grasped my shoulder.
“I know I’ve made you feel neglected.”
“Let go.”
“But why have I changed like this, shouldn’t you ask yourself?”
Get this off me! I wanted to scream that but held back.
The large hand enveloping my shoulder. Its warmth. The skin. I wanted to remove it all entirely. The fact that he was touching me was dreadful. He touched Allice with that hand, and now he touches my body!
“You should learn from Allice.”
“…”
“Allice is younger than you but surpasses you in many ways… especially in handling men.” Raios slowly lowered his head, whispering in my ear. “Allice makes me ecstatic.”
In that instant, I felt dizzy. It seemed as if my breath would stop.
“Maybe you should get lessons from Allice. Who knows? Maybe I’ll fall for you again like before.”
I bit the inside of my mouth hard. Filled with humiliation, flames blazed in my chest, heating my throat, making me want to spit everything out. But I knew. This was Raios’s intention. A blatant provocation. Therefore, I intended not to lose my composure.
I mustered all her strength to produce a calm voice. “Next time…”
Ah. Fortunately, my voice was calm. Rather, it even carried a hint of mockery towards the person in front of me, as if finding him laughable. Relieved by my own voice, I scoffed as much as I liked.
“I’ll try to do better with the next man.”
“What?”
“My last relationship failed, so why bother trying again?”
As Raios’s eyes grew colder, I finally felt relieved. I breathed easily and smiled broadly.
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll do better with the next man, Your Highness.”
Thank you a lot for the chapter, dear Translator!❤️🔥
she’s a boss, I bow down before dana