Chapter 19
-What do you think is the first thing you should do if you’re captured by enemies?
When Chloe first started learning how to wield a sword, Gideon often sat her down and taught her about real-life combat. She was a diligent student, always trying to answer Gideon’s questions earnestly, and today was no different.
-Look for an escape route?
-And if it’s deemed impossible?
She furrowed her brows, hesitating as if unsure, and murmured with uncertainty.
-Wait for an opportunity to escape…?
-If it seems like you’ll never be able to escape, what should you do then?
Gideon’s question was persistent, leading her in a certain direction as if she already had an answer in mind. Chloe, pretending not to know, finally opened her mouth reluctantly.
-Take my own life. Before facing even worse torture.
-That’s right. Before reaching a state where you can’t die.
Chloe sighed deeply, resting her chin on her hand, her expression indicating she completely disagreed. But Gideon, ignoring her attitude, continued.
-Today, I’ll teach you how to end your life with as little pain as possible.
-Do I really have to learn that?
-Just in case. Of course, you might feel uncomfortable…
-Me?
Gideon hesitated before answering, seeing her reluctance just moments ago.
-Langshers considers suicide a crime.
Gideon was taken aback by the shock in her eyes, though he didn’t show it on his face. He denied the words he had spoken in haste.
-No, that’s not true. Forget I said anything.
At that moment, Gideon deliberately changed the subject, seeing her still wanting to ask more questions.
Chloe at that time was younger than she is now, still carrying the inherent charm of those who had been loved and nurtured. Showing how delicately and beautifully she had grown up.
Born into a knightly family, she had never even held a sword, never heard the family’s maxims, only surrounded by pretty and precious things, growing up in warmth and tenderness.
The Langshers, who were not in their right minds, desperately pretended to be fine only in front of Chloe. Because she was too pretty. Too precious…
That’s why she hated Luke Olfenster.
Gideon still remembered what the deceased Empress had said about the young Luke. It was a gathering of Troy Langsher and his brothers, and amidst the gloomy silence, she screamed as if she were the only one left alive.
“I’m going to kill him! Before he becomes just like his father!”
With a pale face, she continued to murmur without a break.
“He has to die. Chloe is mine to protect. I can’t trust my brothers.”
The young Luke Olfenster was ignorant, hadn’t crossed any lines yet, but she seemed convinced that he would become ‘just like his father’.
“I’ll get revenge. Got it? I’m different from my stupid brothers! I, I’ll never… never live like you!”
She continued to shout a futile scream amidst the empty eyes of the Olfensters. As if asking for condemnation.
“Even if I become the kind of person you despise, it’s okay. I won’t forgive anyone. Not even you!”
And before the year was out, Gideon fled with Luke.
Knowing he would eventually regret it.
Knowing that Luke Olfenster would long for Chloe Langsher as long as he breathed.
“-I told you to calm down. Gideon!”
His hand gripping her thigh loosened. Chloe, who had twisted his hand away, looked at him with an expression of incomprehension, then sighed softly.
“It means you’re worried that I might be exposed, right?”
In a soft voice that calmed Gideon, she glanced at her skirt crumpled by his touch. It would have been better if she had gotten angry or used force.
Can’t her affectionate nature change?
“But to avoid being exposed, it’s best for me to enter the palace and then leave. Of course, I’ll have to be more careful than now…”
Her gentle voice continued within the layers of the canopy. Gideon remained silent for quite some time without mixing his words with her voice.
And yet, he nodded his head despite knowing he would regret his decision once again.
Knowing it was the best choice, but also knowing he would regret this choice was a terrible feeling.
* * *
The palace in the middle of the rose garden was quite modest for a palace.
Originally built as a small villa inside a greenhouse, it couldn’t be expanded due to the need to be smaller than the greenhouse. It was pretty enough as it was, but being a one-story villa was too small for Princess Sylvia to live in.
In the end, the princess came with only two maids and one cook, leaving most of her belongings in the existing palace, and came to the rose garden.
She had to assign reasonably decent individual rooms to the noble-born maids, but there were only two bedrooms worthy of use in this cramped, rundown villa. Furthermore, they had to repair the shack next to the villa to accommodate the two maids and the cook.
Sylvia could clearly see why no one had lived in this beautiful villa.
While the red and white roses were so beautiful that admiration naturally arose wherever the eyes fell, everything else was a problem. Even though it was only for one night, Sylvia, with her sensitive ears, suffered from the noise of the gardeners trimming the garden all night to maintain this beautiful garden.
“…”
Wearing only a thin muslin nightgown, Sylvia lay on the bed, resolved to live in this uncomfortable villa as minimally as possible.
“Princess?”
At the slow call, Sylvia barely lifted her head. It was finally the culprit who had made her live in this uncomfortable villa. Her name was Marie. It was too common a name to remember who she was just by looking at her face-.
“Princess, are you feeling unwell…?”
Beautiful.
“Princess?”
For a moment, Sylvia felt the limitations of vocabulary. People were too… too beautiful.
The pale face tilted with curiosity. With that small gesture, the flowing silver hair broke like stars under the yellow sun. The golden eyes blinked. The irises looked like jewels.
“…Are you Marie Edant?”
“Yes. Princess. Shall I help you change your clothes?”
Sylvia barely nodded her head. Her heart was beating fast. So, this is what people call a beauty. How could there be such a beautiful person in the world?
Without even knowing what she was wearing, Sylvia’s eyes followed her frantically. The slow, melodic voice was like a sweet lullaby. For some reason, her mouth watered.
“You can sit down now.”
As the woman, half bent over, adjusted Sylvia’s skirt, she swept her flowing hair behind her ear and looked up with wide eyes. What was it? Was she trying to show off how pretty her eyes were?
“Are you feeling too hot? Should I bring a thinner dress?”
Sylvia realized she hadn’t been breathing. She hurriedly took a breath and shook her head, and the woman smiled softly.
“Good. Thank you, Princess. I thought you might not like it if it’s too tight because one of my hands is not free at the moment…”
Only then did Sylvia notice the wrist wrapped in bandages, and she was startled. It bothered her that she had made her do chores right after arriving. She should have told her not to. After all, she was just brought here to sit quietly.
Yeah. Just brought here as a face for the Emperor…
Sylvia’s vacant expression suddenly stiffened.
“What’s your schedule for today? Is there anything I should know separately?”
Looking at the kind face of the woman, Sylvia suspected the Emperor. Wasn’t it just because she resembled Chloe Langsher? Not because he was interested in her?
What if I get caught up with this woman and lose interest in Chloe Langsher?
Sylvia reassessed the Emperor’s obsession with the dead woman she had never thought was worth it. It was inevitable. How could such a pretty woman win against this?
“Oh. Please call me Marie, Princess.”
Even her name was so elegant? Sylvia nodded as if mesmerized. It was too much of a waste for this woman to be involved with the trashy Emperor. She thought the Emperor’s interest would cool off after seeing her a few times, but she couldn’t help but mutter to herself when faced with such instinctive beauty.
“Marie.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Marie…”
“Yes.”
As Sylvia softly called her name, Chloe, quietly following behind Sylvia, tilted her head. From a distance, she seemed quite arrogant and cold for a child, but did she see it wrong?
Despite looking shy and somewhat timid…
Chloe furrowed her brows slightly at the strange assessment. Come to think of it, was her personality similar to Luke’s in his childhood? Was it because of the bloodline? Although she looked a lot like her aunt…
“I’m going to introduce you to the room…”
Sylvia hesitated and led the way. Chloe followed quietly behind Sylvia, wondering why the princess kept glancing back at her.
‘Why does it feel like she’s watching me?’
And why was the princess personally guiding her like this? Chloe tried to hide her doubts, and for now, she checked the luggage that had been moved during the morning. Seeing the luggage taking up a corner of the magnificent room made her realize she had entered the palace.
Sylvia, unaware of Chloe’s complicated thoughts, stared absentmindedly at her standing by the window.
The maid, who was organizing the luggage, wondered why she was staring like that. Even if she wiped her eyes and looked again, there was nothing but a woman who seemed to be in pain. Was it because it was so surprising to see someone so young with hair as white as snow…?
One of the truths Sylvia Olfenster would deny for quite some time was that there were quite a few similarities between her and the Emperor. And that included a distorted aesthetic that was particularly targeted at one person.
Taste is hereditary.
…Gideon rubbed his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted as he watched Sylvia, who didn’t even realize he was there. Fortunately or unfortunately.
Again, taste really is hereditary.
