Reily often spent time with Carver because of her frequent visits every day. Her father always treated her like a precious possession whenever she was in the presence of Prince Carver.
“How are you, Your Highness? Are you not getting more beautiful by the day?”
“The Tralila family seems to have some free time these days.”
Though he was only a child of twelve, Carver knew all too well why the Duke of Vetter was speaking to him like that.
Carver narrowed his eyes at the sight of Riley’s stony face.
“Hahaha. I have no choice but to make time because your Highness is busy with construction.”
The Duke of Vetter chuckled shakily. Inwardly, he was saying things he couldn’t even bring himself to say, but he could afford not to show it outwardly.
“Now that I don’t have to see you, you may leave. Princess Riley will go home herself.”
“…I guess I was tactless. I’ll see you next time.”
Duke bowed his head to Caber, who wouldn’t even look at my face, and disappeared.
Carver, who was still looking at Reilly, cleared his throat.
“She looks very thin.”
“If she’s like this in front of me, what the hell is she like at home?”
Ever since He’d learned something he hadn’t known as a child, he’d felt guilty about my relationship with Riley.
He never once thought of her as a tool for himself.
‘Riley became a sword for me…….’
Nor had he ever wanted her to be sacrificed. Carver had secretly admired Riley since she was a child.
He was attracted to her from the first time he saw her, so he thought that even if he signed a contract with her in the future, it would be a different contract from what others think.
Marriage registration, living as each other’s companions for the rest of their lives.
“Reily you look like you’re tired. Your father seems to be demanding a lot of your time lately.”
“It’s okay, it’s just that I’ve been a little tired lately, so don’t worry about it.”
As she sipped her tea, her face showed no emotion.
“What you think is going to happen is not going to happen.”
『……How do you plan on breaking your destiny?”
Reilly’s eyes, which contained no expectations, reached Carver.The eyes that had been so full of life and glowed whenever he looked into them were no more.
What had happened to a child of only ten?
Before he knew all the facts, Reilly approached him every time with a smile. She was a child who was selfless and clear.
“I’m going to cut it out.”
Carver turned to Riley with a look of determination. He didn’t tell Reily, but he had been struggling for a year to find a way in his own way.
It was roughly ten years until her coming-of-age ceremony.
“No, Your Majesty will never be able to cut it off.”
Riley shook her head. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Carver, but it was better not to expect something she wasn’t sure about.
“Because if you get your hopes up, you’ll be more disappointed.
She wanted Carver to remain the person she felt comfortable with, the only person who had been her childhood friend.
Carver said nothing in the carriage that drove Reilly home.
* * *
“Why didn’t the sigil appear?”
A shiver ran down Reily’s spine at the sight of his distorted face and anger in his voice. he wasn’t a friendly father to her, but he had never been so angry with her.
“Tell me, Riley, are there really no other changes in your body?”
“…… What the hell is that sigil?”
“It speaks to your worth, and I don’t need to tell you what your worth would be without it.”
The Duke of Vetter clicked his tongue and dried his face. He looked down at Reily, who was standing with her head bowed, then stood up, grabbed her hair, and tried to tear off her clothes.
“I hope you’re not hiding something.”
“Ew! Dad……. Why, why are you doing this?”
“No! Don’t do this!”
“Tsk.”
Unable to find any markings on her bare chest, he let her go.
She felt fear and fear in the image of her father, who changed in an instant. She was shaking and ashamed to the point where she wanted to die.
“What a useless thing. If that mark is not there, then you are not my daughter, nor are you a member of the Tralila family. I don’t know what position I am in because of you.”
Duke looked down at her and then left the room.
“Come in and check.”
“Please, no!”
“Stay quiet. The Duke said if the Lady resists, make her comply quietly. If that’s what you want.”
The maid continued to examine Reily’s body, ignoring her struggle. As she lifted Reily’s skirt, her face turned with Reily’s kicking foot.
“Stay still, as the Duke said. If the Lady rebels, we have no choice.”
The maid’s gaze turned cold. Reily, looking into the maid’s eyes, had tears streaming down her face. Suppressing the screams she couldn’t utter, she swallowed her unspoken cries.
“Ugh…huh.”
“Let’s go and report.”
The maids left her behind. Reily gathered the scattered clothes and wrapped herself in them, burying her face in her knees.
Her entire body was filled with shame. Her jaw trembled and her teeth clicked together, making a clattering sound.
‘How could it come to this?’
She chewed on her lip, trying to steady her trembling body. Riley’s value, her father had said, was as a sword, as a weapon, for the crown prince: her life’s work.
To live for the Crown Prince, not as Riley, but solely for the Crown, for the Crown.
Looking at the sword on the wall, she bit her lip; she never wanted to live like that.
Despite her resolve, her life had been filled with more despair since that day. Her father treated her as if she didn’t exist, and all the duke’s maids united to ignore her.
No one would speak to her.
Except for one, Leta. But she had to go to the imperial court in her place, so she didn’t see her very often.
She had realized what her father meant by saying that this was not her home.
There was no place for her to be. If she left, her sister would take over the pain, but for now, all she could think about was escaping from that suffocating.
She wondered if her sister, whom her father had always thought beautiful, would be okay, unlike her. She didn’t realise that she was being selfish and complacent.
* * *
Carver hadn’t seen Riley for a while. Naturally, he thought things would get better after she became an adult, but reality seemed to laugh at him.
“It’s been a long time.”
Reily, looking even more worn out than before, stared at Carver silently. When Reily did not show any sigil, the Duke stopped paying attention to her.
That meant she was not welcome at the palace. From that day forward, Leta was in and out of the emperor’s palace.
“I heard from my father. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to get out of the house.”
Carver’s gaze was shaken by her voice, which looked quite exhausted.
“Riley, just a little longer and we’ll really be done…….”
Reilly shook her head lightly. Do I have the power to endure this hellish situation longer? I didn’t want to become a sword.
“Carver, I’m sorry for you too.”
He won’t be able to sign a contract, so the days ahead will be tough for him without power. Nonetheless, Reilly couldn’t tell the truth.
Because She didn’t want to let her life flow in a set order, as her father wanted.
“Thank you, Your Highness, for everything.”
『……If I love you as a person and not as a sword, does that change anything?”
Looking into Riley’s unwavering, straight eyes, Carver smiled weakly. She didn’t have to say it, he could tell. She would not come to him.
Now that he had come to hate the Emperor, the cause of all contracts, he was no different.
“You can always turn to me for help in your time of need, and I will always stand by your side.”
As long as She came to hate the imperial family, the main culprit of all contracts, he was no different.
“When you have a hard time, ask me for help, because I will always be on your side.”
“It’s a dangerous statement that an emperor of a country will stand by one person.”
Reilly smiled lightly at Carver’s absurd remarks.
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