*Sigh.*
I let out a breath of relief as I looked at the firmly closed door.
Judging by Ruth’s not-so-bad reaction, it seemed my story had been quite persuasive.
“I’m tired.”
I had poured all my energy into dealing with him, and fatigue hit me hard.
Weakly, I walked to the bed and lay down, gently closing my eyes.
As my vision was cut off, I suddenly remembered the recent encounter with Ruth.
“Your Majesty is currently not receiving support from the Council of Elders, right? No matter if the previous Emperor was a tyrant, in their eyes, an Emperor who seized the throne through rebellion lacks the qualities of a monarch.”
The card I played to change Ruth’s skeptical mind about the contractual engagement was precisely the Council of Elders.
The Council was made up of former Dukes and Counts who had stepped down from their positions of leadership, only those who met the criteria to be part of the Council.
Because of this, the Emperor needed the support of the Council of Elders to govern smoothly.
Precisely, it meant earning the favor of those who had made their mark in the history of the empire.
However, like the previous Emperor, Ruth was an Emperor who had seized the throne through illegitimate means.
Therefore, in the eyes of the Council of Elders, which prioritized legitimacy above all, Ruth could never be a satisfactory Emperor.
As soon as the Council of Elders was mentioned, I noticed a change in Ruth’s gaze. It shifted from indifferent to calculating.
“So?”
“The Obelton family has been a founding contributor to the kingdom and was once one of the four great ducal families. Although not as much as before, it’s still growing.”
“Enough with the introduction. I don’t prefer long-winded speeches. So, what’s your point?”
Seeing Ruth urging me to get to the point, I slowly continued.
“I will help you. To gain the support of the Council of Elders.”
The die was cast. It was now up to Ruth to accept my offer.
Ruth was silent for a moment, chewing over my words. Then, with a noticeably lighter voice, he asked,
“How?”
“By working together with me and the Obelton family, we can support you in gaining the majority support of the four great ducal families. Earning recognition for your qualities as an emperor is up to you, but gaining the majority support will surely win over the Council of Elders.”
“How can I trust you?”
“If you find it hard to trust me, then trust my words for the sake of the Obelton family.”
I didn’t want to see Ruth’s eyes filled with distrust any longer, so I slightly lowered my eyelids.
Then, with sincerity, I made my appeal, and after a moment of hesitation, he finally sighed.
“Let’s continue this story tomorrow and call it a day for now.”
“Then, the engagement ceremony…”
“It will proceed as planned.”
With those words, Ruth turned around and left the bedroom. And that brings us to now.
Saying we’ll talk more in detail tomorrow probably means I shouldn’t completely let my guard down yet. Still, it’s a relief that we managed to get through the first crisis somehow.
“Is it really a relief?”
This thought naturally arose, followed by doubts. It was foolish to go through with this, even though there were no other options.
I dreaded the thought of being discovered later that I had been deceiving everyone by pretending to be my sister. Moreover, the idea of having to deceive Ruth hurt more than anything.
I had hoped that if we ever met again, I would be a cool adult by then. An adult cool enough to stand on the same ground as Ruth and gaze at the wide world.
But am I that ‘cool adult’ I wished to become now?
No. I’m still the twelve-year-old Selena. The stupid Selena who must hide her true identity from others.
Meanwhile, Ruth was still stunningly beautiful even after 11 years. And that fact felt quite sad.
“……”
I tossed and turned, trying to shake off the rushing thoughts. I hugged the blanket tightly. From the blanket came a pleasant, new scent.
Feeling intoxicated by that scent, I relaxed my body, and my consciousness gradually became faint. Soon, deep sleep came over me.
***
Tweet tweet.
The sound of a bird chirping echoed in my ears. With that sound, the pitch-black darkness gradually lifted, and a bright light stabbed my eyes.
“Ugh.”
I frowned at the beam of light that disturbed my deep sleep and opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was a splendid ceiling. Although it was the ceiling I had seen for days, today it somehow felt unfamiliar.
“……”
I gazed blankly at the ceiling, then pressed the corner of my eye with the back of my hand as the memories of last night revived.
Yesterday, I met Ruth for the first time in 11 years and proposed a contractual engagement to him. He said we should talk more about it tomorrow, and that tomorrow was today.
Finally, it’s the engagement day.
Slowly getting out of bed, I pulled the bell cord. Then soon, Isabella came with a basin filled with water for washing.
“Good morning, my lady.”
“Yes. Good morning.”
Isabella, who handed me the basin, blinked her eyes as if she had something to say.
Ignoring her burdensome gaze, I wiped my face with the lukewarm water.
Having spent a few days with Isabella, I learned that once she started talking, the conversation continued non-stop unless the topic changed.
Sometimes I appreciated it, but today it felt a bit overwhelming.
But Isabella, who hadn’t noticed how I felt at all, opened her mouth with an excited expression.
“Today’s finally the day. Aren’t you nervous?”
There was no subject, but it wasn’t hard to understand.
“Not really.”
I wasn’t too nervous about the engagement ceremony. I just had to smile and stay quiet.
More than that, I was nervous about the conversation I would have with Ruth today.
I had to talk well.
Somehow, I was already nervous, repeatedly fiddling with my hands.
“You’re amazing. I would be so nervous, I wouldn’t even be able to breathe properly.”
Seeing Isabella chattering away, I smiled faintly and then looked at the dress prepared on one side of the bedroom.
The elegant white dress was for the engagement ceremony and the reception. It was luxurious without being too flashy, which was my taste.
However, looking at that dress made my heart uneasy.
You can do this, Selena.
I murmured to myself quietly and took a small deep breath. Then I got out of bed and said to Isabella.
“I think it’s about time to start getting ready for the engagement ceremony, could you prepare the bathwater for me?”
“Yes! I’ll prepare it right away.”
Under my command, Isabella hurried off to prepare the bathwater.
I watched her back and then checked the time. The hour hand was pointing at 7.
The engagement ceremony is around 3 o’clock, so there’s more than enough time to prepare.
“……”
I shifted my gaze from the clock and looked out the window.
The weather was especially nice today.
***
It took hours just to prepare for the Emperor’s engagement ceremony.
Having finished preparing, I waited in the waiting room near the banquet hall for the time to enter.
About 30 minutes left, it seemed.
The fingers resting on my knees moved anxiously. Facing the engagement ceremony itself, I was a bit nervous. No, actually, quite a lot.
The engagement ceremony was the first time I, as Serbia Obelton, was to properly face people.
Could I do well?
Just as I was struggling to suppress the rising slight anxiety, someone knocked on the waiting room door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, sister.”
Hearing Ian’s voice from outside, the corners of my mouth lifted.
“Come in, Ian.”
As soon as my permission was given, Ian entered the waiting room with our mother.
Having not seen each other for just a few days felt like it had been years.
“Mother, why are you here instead of being at the banquet hall already?”
With a mix of joy and a touch of reproach, I asked my mother.
She looked at me with a look of pity and gently stroked my cheek.
“I just wanted to see you soon, so I came. How’s life in the palace?”
“It’s okay.”
No, actually it feels a bit overwhelming.
“My dedicated maid is kind, and I can feel that His Majesty is taking good care of me.”
I’m scared every moment that they’ll find out my true self.
I chose my words carefully, hiding my true feelings as much as possible and putting on a smiling face. I didn’t want to worry my mother.
Upon hearing my answer, my mother smiled warmly, as if reassured.
“I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried you might be having a hard time.”
“You don’t need to worry too much, Mother.”
As I spoke, placing my hand on the back of my mother’s hand, her smile deepened.
After staring at me for a while, my mother glanced at her watch and stepped back.
“It’s almost time, so I should go to the banquet hall now. Always remember, Seri, the Obelton family is behind you.”
“Yes, see you in a bit.”
I watched my mother leave the waiting room until she was out of sight, then turned to look at Ian, who was still there.
“Sister.”
As our eyes met, Ian called out to me as if he had been waiting. Then, he took out a small necklace with a flower ring from his belongings.
It was something I always carried with me, so it didn’t take long to recognize the necklace.
“You left this behind.”
“Ah. Thank you. I wondered why my neck felt so empty.”
I received the necklace from him with a smile, feeling as if a missing part of my body was now reconnected, which made me feel ticklish.
Ian, watching me with shaky eyes, murmured softly.
“…Too much.”
“Hm?”
“If it becomes too hard, you can come back. I can take care of everything afterward.”
I flinched without realizing it.
It seems I wasn’t hiding it as well as I thought. That Ian saw through me so helplessly.
“Thanks, even just for saying that.”
“It’s not just words…!”
Knock, knock. Just as Ian was about to raise his voice, suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Turning towards the sound, there stood Ruth, leaning against the now wide-open door.
