Chapter 15
“Are you really sure? Absolutely?”
Khalid looked down at me, his words sparse. He leaned his face closer to mine.
Having already cried my heart out in front of Khalid once before, I instinctively avoided his gaze.
For some reason, I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable being conscious of Khalid.
“I said no. It’s overwhelming, so stop getting so close.”
“Geez, even when I’m worried about you.”
I tried to treat Khalid as I usually did. He wrinkled his nose and grumbled.
Yes, this was enough.
This was sufficient. I didn’t expect much from Khalid.
I never dreamed of him treating me kindly like Isar did.
“Lady Renata!”
Just as I was pressing my fingertip against the spot between Khalid’s thick golden eyebrows, Laura came running into the garden, her dark brown hair fluttering like a poodle’s.
Her big eyes scanned the garden for a moment before quickly finding me.
Holding the hem of her skirt, Laura ran towards me.
“Oh my, Lady! You suddenly asked me to come to the Crown Prince’s palace… I just arrived. When did you move to this place? Oh, hello, Your Highness Prince Khalid.”
A torrent of words flowed from Laura’s small pink lips.
She was chattering away at me, then noticed Khalid beside me and hastily offered a polite greeting.
Khalid, looking somewhat annoyed, responded with a dismissive wave.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“But Lady, I have a telegram from the head of the house at the mansion. He says the dress for the engagement ceremony is ready, so you should stop by the De Buna Boutique on your way… Oh, did I say something wrong?”
Of course, my father, who is all about formality, wouldn’t miss the chance to prepare a new dress.
I quietly confirmed Laura’s question with silence.
Khalid’s expression, which had been soft for a while, suddenly changed.
He stood up straight and immediately stepped away from me.
Without thinking, my hand reached out on its own.
By the time I realized what I was doing, my hand was already gently tugging at the hem of Khalid’s shirt at his back.
Oh, damn it. I spoke very cautiously.
“…Khalid.”
Thwack!
However, Khalid coldly brushed off my touch and stood up.
His eyes, filled with intense emotion, darkened.
“I told you, Renata. I am not marrying you.”
Khalid made it clear that he wouldn’t listen to anything else.
He spoke sharply.
“Go back. Your maid has come to take you.”
With that, he walked past Laura, as if to leave.
I couldn’t let him go now.
I could almost hear my father’s reprimanding voice in my head.
I hurriedly followed Khalid and asked,
“I don’t understand you at all. If we have to get married, can’t we at least try to get along? Is that so difficult for you?”
“…And is that so easy for you? Is it that simple?”
“I, I…”
“You were Isar’s lover. And now you think you can be my wife overnight? Is that possible?”
“…”
I clammed up at Khalid’s sharp retort. He looked at me in silence.
Feeling the chill of his gaze, I slumped my shoulders.
Then, Khalid suddenly stretched out his long arm, wrapped it around my waist, and pulled me close.
“W-What are you doing?”
“What do you think?”
“Let go of me. Let’s talk this out.”
“Hey, Renata. You’re recoiling from this much contact, and you think you can marry me?”
“That’s…”
“When we’re married, there will be much more intimate contact. You know that, right? You and Isar—”
Smack!
That name, Isar, Isar.
Before Khalid could finish his sentence, I slapped him as hard as I could.
I didn’t understand exactly why he was acting this way.
But I knew for sure that he was trying to make me feel the same or similar humiliation.
When I came to my senses, I was rubbing my stinging palm, on the verge of tears.
“Yes! I loved Isar! I promised my future with him! So what? Why does that matter now?”
“…That was a hard slap. I think my lip’s bleeding.”
“If you’ve forgotten in your madness, it was your father who proposed this marriage to our family. It’s your side that should be lowering their head.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
Khalid retorted, rubbing his reddened cheek.
For some reason, he seemed to be strangely enjoying the situation.
Caught off guard by his reaction, I lowered my gaze.
Then Khalid, as if nothing had happened, coldly massaged his reddened cheek.
Now he shook his head, as if I was repulsive.
“I still can’t do this. I can’t accept it.”
“I… Yeah, I feel the same. But we can’t keep mourning Isar’s absence forever.”
The sooner, the better.
Khalid and I needed to face reality.
In the current war, the Beldevar Empire, disoriented by Isar’s loss, had ended up retreating after a chaotic struggle.
This allowed the enemy forces that clashed with the Empire to become increasingly confident, and rumors began circulating that the Beldevar Empire was on the decline.
The Empire needed to prove that it was still strong.
And at times like these, the imperial family desperately needed the wealth of the Carnelutti family.
But it wasn’t just the imperial family that needed Carnelutti.
Our own family was also eager for the prestige of producing an empress.
Renak, who was always exhausted from traveling across the continent, said that once I became the empress, the process of making deals would be much easier.
This would alleviate his fatigue and enhance our family’s already substantial wealth through numerous foreign business contracts.
As Carnelutti grew larger, the ultimate beneficiary would be the imperial family.
And as the imperial family benefited, the Beldevar Empire itself would benefit as well.
“But just how long are you going to keep acting like a selfish child?”
As I continued my thoughts, my patience seemed to be reaching its limit.
Khalid, how many times are you going to push me away and refuse me?
It’s not like I don’t get hurt. I’m already suffering enough as it is.
“…What? A child? Ha ha.”
Khalid let out a cold, expressionless laugh. He continued,
“You seem to think you’re some kind of saint sacrificing yourself for the country… But no matter how saintly you are, you wouldn’t be happy to see us becoming husband and wife in this beastly way, would you?”
“…What did you just say? Beastly?”
I thought there were things one should and shouldn’t say.
And Khalid used an unacceptable term to describe our relationship.
What in the world?
I couldn’t tolerate his harsh words.
I felt as if my skin was burning. The heat surged, making my throat feel constricted.
“I don’t understand why I have to hear this. Why, why do I have to?”
“…”
Khalid said nothing, merely staring down at me.
That made me even more furious.
I felt like a shard of glass that would shatter with the slightest touch, my edges sharp.
“Fine. Just don’t. Don’t get married. Don’t get engaged. I don’t need it, I don’t need any of it. Just go, go far away!”
“This is the palace, and you’re the one who should leave.”
“…You bastard. I can’t stand this anymore.”
My fingertips were trembling.
I clenched my fist with all my strength and struck Khalid’s chest.
Of course, he didn’t flinch, and I staggered from the impact.
I lifted my heated eyes and looked for Laura, who was nearby.
I grabbed her hand tightly and ran out without looking back.
* * *
That night, my body was in severe distress.
Back home, as soon as I collapsed onto the sofa, I felt a terrible chill.
Even after pulling the blanket from the back of the sofa over me, I still felt horrendous cold, shivering and closing my eyes tightly.
Yet despite the cold, my body temperature kept rising.
Moreover, I felt as if my mind was becoming hazy, so I shook the bell on the table to call Laura.
However, before Laura could find my room, I fell into a deep sleep.
