“I said it’s impossible to know something like that for sure.”
What utter nonsense. There was no way they wouldn’t know about the incident of purchasing this mansion for 8 billion gold. Even if they truly didn’t know, they should have at least said, “We’ll look into it.” This was essentially a roundabout way of saying they had no intention of helping.
“I see!”
At those words, I clapped my hands together once, smiling brightly.
“Wow! This is really, really great! Honestly, it’s such great news!”
Everyone looked at me with expressions that clearly said they couldn’t understand my reaction.
In the silence, I turned my gaze toward Kayan and asked.
“You asked what happens if you don’t become part of that society, right?”
Then, gesturing toward Hans, who was still looking blank, I continued.
“This is what happens.”
“…‘This’?”
“Word gets out that your family is one with no connections, no knowledge of city life, and just a heap of blind money.”
“…”
“Even the information guilds you approach on a whim will conspire together to rip you off.”
“…”
“I wasn’t sure how to explain it, but now such a clear and simple example has come up. Isn’t this a great thing?”
I said, smiling brightly.
“As long as you hold a title, you can’t live like a commoner. The commoners will try to exploit you, and the nobles will mock and ignore Barcklith. After all, this is a place with no wars or barbarians, so there’s no one for you to protect.”
Kayan’s face was stiff.
I erased my smile slightly and spoke kindly but firmly.
“Of course, if you want to just stay in your own little world with your people, then do that. I won’t force you.”
In my past life, 22-year-old Kayan had said he wanted to become a “proper noble.”
But maybe the current Kayan felt differently. I had no intention of forcing him.
“Let me tell you about myself. I’m also not exactly a proper princess right now.”
Looking at Kayan’s inscrutable face, I continued.
“I won’t live like this forever. I’ll step out of my brother’s shadow and stand on my own, with my own strength.”
“Ah…”
“No matter what, I’ll free myself from the influence of House Cerno. I don’t want to, but if necessary, I’ll even become the emperor. I’ll become a proper princess—one for whom that role won’t feel awkward or strange.”
In a way, I was choosing the exact opposite path from my mother’s dying wish.
She had told me not to flaunt my second-in-line status and to stay low, following my brother’s orders.
‘Forgive me for being a disobedient daughter, Mother… But I can’t just let us all die like this, can I?’
Inwardly, I asked for her forgiveness.
Truthfully, I had felt uneasy all day after having a nightmare last night where my mother scolded me, asking why I wouldn’t listen to her.
But even so, I had to protect Kayan and the people of the north, who were alive and breathing right before my eyes. I had to suppress the weakness of my wavering heart, no matter what.
Meanwhile, as Kayan silently listened to me, a glimmer of light began to return to his eyes.
“…In that case…”
“Of course, no one can do anything alone. I need allies, close confidants, and noble families who will stand by me. I want that to be you and Barcklith. That’s my hope and my decision.”
I spoke calmly.
“Of course, your future is your decision.”
I had voiced my wish, but it didn’t mean he had to comply.
“It’s up to you how you lead Barcklith. Whether you choose to somehow become a proper noble family or return to the north and live happily in your own world as you did before. There are plenty of nobles who just stay tucked away in their territories.”
“…”
“Do you really want to live like this?”
I looked into his eyes with a face more serious than ever.
“Tell me what’s in your heart.”
If Kayan were to say right now, “I just want to go back to the north with my people,” I was prepared to stop everything and let him go.
My revenge was important, but so was Kayan’s happiness.
I wanted him to stay by my side, but I had no intention of forcing him if he didn’t want to.
‘But please, stay with me.’
Of course, that was only my “willingness.” My “desire” was clear.
‘Please don’t leave me alone.’
Perhaps it was the desperate wish I’d had since childhood.
‘I’ll do anything. I know it’s selfish of me, but still, please stay with me…’
I had been acting like I knew everything, like I was incredibly strong, but if I were to be honest, the tips of my toes were trembling slightly.
‘No one has ever truly wanted me. Not Mother, not Father… To my brother, I was nothing but a burden. And yet, I had nothing to offer in return.’
That’s why, at least with Kayan, I wanted to have a chance to repay him for everything from the past. It felt like something I was capable of doing.
‘Whether as a friend, a woman, or in any form, I just want to be by your side…’
A brief silence fell.
Neither of us avoided the other’s gaze.
Quite some time had passed, and just as Hans, reading the room, quietly closed the door and slipped out, Kayan looked straight at me and slowly gave his answer.
“I want to make Barcklith a proper noble house.”
At his clear statement, my heart pounded loudly.
“If I didn’t have that desire, I wouldn’t have aspired to the barony in the first place.”
“…Huh?”
“A year ago, I was the one who went to the North and asked my father for the barony. While I was in the imperial palace, I read in the law books that expanding the empire’s territory could lead to being granted a title.”
Ah, that explains it. I had always wondered why Arthur had suddenly gone as far as conquering the North just to claim a barony.
Arthur never seemed to care about things like that, so it had puzzled me. But to think it had been Kayan’s idea all along—it was a little surprising.
“That day, when I left the imperial palace…”
Was he referring to the day I cut ties with him?
“I sincerely wanted to become a noble.”
“Ah…”
“But I don’t really know how.”
Kayan let out a faint sigh as he continued.
“Even if I earned the title legitimately, that was all it amounted to. Nothing seemed to truly change…”
His eyes gradually darkened.
“In hindsight, maybe I’m just someone who struggles to accept reality.”
“What are you talking about? You’re just forward-thinking.”
“Maybe I’m immature and unaware of my own limits…”
“Of course not. You’re ambitious and progressive.”
I clenched my fists as if to affirm my words, desperately bending objective facts to fit my narrative.
“You have so much potential. Until you grow into it, just trust me and follow my lead.”
Suppressing the twinge of sadness in my chest, I forced a cheerful smile and continued.
“Do as I say, learn by watching. You’re smart and sharp—you’ll pick it up in no time. I mean it.”
Kayan stared at me silently.
“…Why would Your Highness go to such lengths for me?”
“Huh?”
“There are many excellent noble houses aside from Barcklith. I don’t know much, but since you’re second in line to the throne, surely many noble houses would want to align with you. Not to mention, there are plenty of nobles close to Crown Prince Edwin. Why, of all things, would Your Highness go to such lengths for Barcklith, which lacks so much…?”
I blinked, as if he were asking a pointless question.
“Because I like you, and by extension, I like Barcklith. Why would I need to look for others when I already like the people I care about?”
“Pardon?”
“I know you’re hurt. I know it takes an incredible amount of effort to rebuild trust once it’s been broken.”
“…”
“I’ll wait. Until the day you want to be friends with me again.”
“…Not as friends, but as ruler and vassal…”
“I’m saying I want to be friends,” I interrupted firmly.
Talking about romantic relationships to a fifteen-year-old felt way too fast; my goal for now was simply to return to how we used to be.
“I’ll wait until you feel that way. If there ever comes a day when you feel like being my friend again…”
Looking him in the eyes, I spoke clearly.
“To call me ‘Iv.’ And on that day, I’ll call you ‘Kay’ again.”
Back in the North, we had always called each other by those nicknames.
Kayan didn’t respond.
“I’ll wait. For as long as it takes.”
With that final declaration, I rang the bell cord with a soft ding to summon Connie and Hans.
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