Side Story Chapter 6

I crouched in front of the royal carriage storage.

Seeing me stubbornly refusing to leave, James, who was hammering the broken wheel, turned to look at me.

“When do you think the carriage will be fixed?”

“It will take quite a while. It’s not just the wheel; the mounting above the wheel is also broken. While we’re at it, we’ll fix the window too. It’s cracked.”

“…Are you sure you’re fixing it?”

Today, his work seemed unusually slow. Could it be that he had feelings for Suren as well?

The wheel looked more damaged than when I last saw it.

“It’s because of the temperature difference. The wood has warped.”

I was relieved it had broken down before reaching the capital. If it had broken here, I might have suspected Deon.

I plopped down in front of the carriage wheel.

“Just fix the wheel quickly and let’s set off. Make sure to chain the wheels properly so we don’t slip on the snowy roads.”

James stopped hammering and gave me a troubled look.

“But if we leave without proper repairs, it’ll be uncomfortable.”

I gave a bitter laugh.

“How uncomfortable can a rattling carriage be? I’m more uncomfortable here…”

I murmured softly, burying my head in my knees.

The carriage wasn’t the issue. It was my situation that was unbearable.

Even though the newcomers were the intruders, I felt like the unwelcome guest.

The palace seemed unfamiliar.

Since leaving the north, I had often felt uncomfortable in my seat, but never like this.

Men and women draped in exotic fabrics roamed the halls, and gifts offered to the empire were piled up in the gallery room.

The palace maids had also received presents; they were wearing hairpins I hadn’t seen before.

When I asked about the hairpins, they eagerly praised the foreign princess for her thoughtful gifts to the royal staff.

I didn’t want to hear about the quality of foreign products or see the items that caught my eye.

Earlier, I had seen Deon walking in the garden with her.

He was just showing the long-time trade partners around the palace, but it left me feeling uneasy.

This would happen more frequently in the future.

Deon would continue to face pressure from officials to secure an heir.

He would age, hearing about the duties of the emperor incessantly.

I remembered the rumors about Deon and me.

Though they had subsided, there was a time when stories linking us circulated in the capital.

People speculated that I had received the granary territory, which had long been under royal ownership, because I had seduced him.

They said the reason he hadn’t taken an empress or consort was that I was manipulating him to block the appointments, calling me a traitor who had the emperor in my grip.

Why were there so many people who wanted me to be a traitor?

And that I was enjoying it?

It was laughable.

It was just one of many theories, and the rumors died down as soon as Deon intervened, but they still stuck with me.

Even though they were just rumors, it was true that my presence had influenced his decision not to take an empress.

“Double.”

I held up my fingers.

“Sorry?”

“I’ll double your pay. Can you fix it by tomorrow?”

The coachman looked behind me, or more precisely, at the setting sun.

“Do you mean by midnight?”

“Of course. And if you finish before the evening bell, I’ll quadruple it.”

James’ eyes gleamed with greed. I liked that look of desire.

“I’ll fix it as quickly as possible.”

He made a firm decision and picked up a bigger hammer. He started working faster, hammering more vigorously than before.

* * *

“Are you just going to let this slip away?”

Lady Elizabeth, who had visited the palace, set her teacup down with a loud clink.

Having heard about the royal marriage issue from her brother, she was more agitated than I was and knocked on the palace gates.

Her chest heaved dramatically as she set down the teacup.

This was the first time I’d seen the usually calm lady show such intense emotions. It was hard to believe she had placed a teacup and not a bottle of alcohol.

“What are you so afraid of? Lady Leonie, just accept it. The emperor isn’t a bad match. If you like him, accept it, and if not, you can refuse him clearly.”

If things went wrong, I might end up on the guillotine… Lady Elizabeth trailed off, leaving the important part unsaid.

That unsaid part seemed more important, but I didn’t press her further.

She was right.

I had to choose. Either draw a line or negotiate clearly.

The choice in this persistent tug-of-war lay with me… I knew, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak in front of Deon.

Contrary to Lady Elizabeth’s assumptions, even if I rejected him, he wouldn’t kill me. Even if I declared I’d never come to the palace again.

Yet, I had never told him I wouldn’t see him anymore. And now, hearing that he might engage in a royal marriage, my emotions were in turmoil.

Now he wants to marry? Who had left room for affection all this time?

I wanted to slam my teacup down like she did, but unfortunately, all I had in front of me were biscuits.

I squeezed the star-shaped biscuit hard, and it crumbled into powder.

“The land given to Countess Leonie was also a courtship gift, wasn’t it? We all know, even if it’s kept hush-hush.”

She picked up her teacup again.

Unlike her earlier rough demeanor, her fingers were graceful as they held the cup.

Calming down, she reverted to the elegant lady she usually was.

“Can’t you tell me why you won’t accept His Majesty’s proposal?”

“Well…”

I hesitated.

It was hard to say that he was originally destined to kill me.

And it wasn’t as if he still craved my blood now, as he once did.

Moreover, she still didn’t know why Milana existed. Even Isella was tiptoeing around the truth to avoid shocking her until she recovered her health.

There was no reason besides love for him to keep me around, just as she suspected.

I had received better lands than any founding contributors. He even incorporated the land where I once stayed as part of my territory.

Despite being a position where I didn’t need to work, he changed it to in-person reports to summon me to the palace frequently.

Though she claimed to keep it quiet, every time I attended a party, eyes were on me. Anyone with sight couldn’t help but notice.

As the emperor, Deon had abused his privileges, as if his claim that he ascended the throne for me was genuine.

However, Lady Elizabeth was wrong about one thing.

I had never received a proper proposal!

After being dragged to the palace, I had heard him say that if I were to bear a child, it should be by his side. But did that count as a proposal?

That was an outburst of spite. I absolutely didn’t consider it a proposal. Besides, that happened two years ago.

I shook my head.

“Lady Leonie, you need to be a bit more selfish.”

She whispered, lowering her voice. It was an uncharacteristic statement for her.

“You don’t plan on staying unmarried forever, do you?”

“I just became a countess. Marriage is something for later. Right now, I have a duty to prosper my territory. I want to fulfill my noble obligations as a lord.”

When I tried to steer the conversation away, her eyes sparkled.

“If you want to keep your hard-earned title, there are other ways.”

“…What?”

“Do you know? Imperial law allows children born to the same mother to have different surnames. It was made because there are many noble families with few heirs.”

Her voice rose excitedly.

“There was a time when high-ranking women nobles were reluctant to marry because the titles often merged with the male noble’s family. So, the empire granted leniency.”

She held two person-shaped cookies in her hand and snapped them in half.

“If a couple had two children, one could take the mother’s noble surname and the other the father’s, effectively splitting the family lineage.”

It was an interesting law, even if it wasn’t the reason she brought it up.

Lady Elizabeth was already dreaming of a future where I married Deon and had two children.

“Lady Elizabeth, it’s good information, but I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”

“I understand. While you two seem to get along well, I imagine you have your grievances. He wasn’t always warm and kind in the north.”

Lady Elizabeth nodded vigorously, emphasizing Deon’s lack of tenderness.

“If not that, then wield your power.”

Her eyes sparkled again.

“Such affection shouldn’t go to waste. Punish the nobles who gossip carelessly.”

She grabbed my hand tightly.

She told me to wield my power freely, but I wasn’t sure if what I held was a leash or a whip.

I didn’t know the extent of my influence over him.

It was like handing a gun to a child who had never killed.

And now that my life was no longer in danger, I didn’t particularly want anything.

“Lady Leonie, do you have plans for tonight?”

Lady Elizabeth changed the subject, releasing my hand.

“No.”

When I shook my head, she smiled brightly.

“There’s an opera at the Royal Grand Theater tonight. Have you seen a royal play since the renovation? How about attending this one?”

“Well, I wasn’t planning to stay the night at the palace, and I didn’t bring a dress…”

As I hesitated, she clasped her hands on the table.

“It’s dark, and the audience can’t be seen from the stage. There’s no problem attending in what you’re wearing now. I haven’t been to a social event in a long time, and I’d love to go with you. Will you come?”

Her green eyes looked up at me pleadingly.

It was hard to refuse her request.

I nodded. I was also curious about the performance, reputed to feature the empire’s best actors.