Chapter 1 - Part 1
“Crazy…”
[Am I crazy?]
Because of Griffith’s soft wink, Lelia felt absurd.
[I don’t know if he’s suddenly gone crazy or if he’s been hiding his kindness…]
When she thought of Griffith, who comforted her and treated her grandmother when she was living in the Superion Territory, her stomach felt funny.
She didn’t even know what the real Griffith looked like.
[Now that I see him, all the images he showed me of himself at that time were all selfish.]
No, she didn’t even know that for certain, and that made her shiver.
This is what it feels like when your chin drops.
Lelia gave up thinking about it anymore. She sighed and turned her head away.
It was then.
Knock, knock, knock.
The maid came in and said with a difficult look.
“Well, Princess…”
“What’s going on?”
“That’s… I… Princess Julianna came to see you.”
As soon as Lelia heard the name, she felt like something heavy weighed on her chest.
Currently, Lelia’s irritation level has reached its limit. Now, she has to meet Julianna in this situation?
Lelia shook her head.
“I don’t want to meet her right now. Tell her to come back later….”
However, as soon as she told the maid that, the door burst open.
Julianna, who looked angry, walked toward her in a huff.
“I can’t believe you came into the room without permission.”
It was ridiculous that a princess of a country would do something like Kalix.
She also realized how much she was ignoring Julianna.
Lelia immediately faced her with a calm look.
“How could this happen?”
Julianna shouted at her out of nowhere. Clenching both her fists, she was about to rush in right away.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“What do you mean you don’t know? You did everything intentionally! You beast-like girl!”
“What?”
“How can you steal your sister’s fiancé? That’s something that even beasts don’t do!”
“….”
At that time, all of my friends stirred and tried to approach Julianna. Lelia reached out and blocked them.
“I wanted you to… I was going to accept you as a real sister! I was going to share everything with you and take good care of you because I felt sorry for you!”
Sigh…
Lelia closed her eyes and touched her forehead.
She didn’t know where to start pointing out the problems with what she’d said.
The most absurd thing was that Julianna tried to accept her as a real sister.
Lelia had no intention of becoming family with her.
And what? She took away her sister’s fiancé?
If Julianna’s fiancé is Ruth, then she thinks Lelia was trying to take Ruth?
“Julianna Auraria, you seem to be completely misunderstanding something…”
Perhaps Lelia’s attitude was considered very shameless, a spark erupted in Julianna’s eyes at that moment.
Then she suddenly reached out.
But Lelia was a little faster.
And quickly grabbed her wrists.
Julianna’s eyes were red.
“How can a Princess be so clueless?”
Lelia let go, while slightly pushing Julianna’s struggling arm away.
Julianna lost her balance, and fell on the floor.
“You dare push me?”
“Julianna!”
At the sudden voices calling out, Lelia turned her head.
When she turned around, she could see Cedric and Damien who’d opened the door and entered.
The two looked alternately at Lelia and Julianna, and soon ran to Julianna.
“Come here! What should I do now? My dad… My dad… Ruth and that child…!”
“Calm down, Julianna. Huh?”
“Everything will be fine. So don’t cry, it’s okay.”
Lelia looked at the two princes comforting Julianna with empty eyes.
[Why should I be looking at this right now?]
She felt like she had become the one and only evil woman in the world.
Julianna was looking at her with resentful eyes, and Cedric and Damien strangely comforted Julianna while looking at Lelia.
“Damien, you take her out.”
“I got it.”
Damien kept glancing at Lelia’s face, and soon took Julianna out.
“I want to talk to you for a second.”
“….”
Lelia looked at Cedric and turned to her friends.
“Please give me a second.”
“Will you be okay?”
When Romeo anxiously asked her, Lelia forced herself to smile and nod.
***
After her friends left, Cedric glanced at Lelia while drinking the tea brought by the maid.
The gaze persistently stayed on Lelia’s face.
It was strange to see a face that looked just like the portrait of his mother.
Lelia asked in an emotionless voice.
“What is it that you wanted to say?”
“….”
Cedric was having trouble speaking.
It was easy to believe that the woman in front of him was his biological sister, because she looked exactly like his mother.
But this woman… was Sir Raymond last time he’d seen her.
It was hard to believe that fact.
No, he didn’t want to believe it.
Because he clearly remembered how he treated Sir Raymond.
Perhaps that’s why he was having trouble speaking. He wanted to say ‘I’m sorry…’
“…I didn’t know you were my sister.”
“….”
“You… You dressed up as a man and came to the Imperial castle… No, the fact that you’re alive in the first place…”
“What do you want to say?”
“….”
“I don’t want to talk to you for a long time.”
“…I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I think I want to…”
Cedric rambled.
Lelia stared at him with a very tired look and said.
“You don’t have to be sorry. If you had known it was wrong, you wouldn’t have acted like that in the first place.”
“What?”
Honestly, she didn’t even want to hear an apology. It was all very annoying.
Lelia was resentful towards herself a while ago when she said she would go to the Imperial city.
She expected it to be hard, but… she didn’t think it would be this annoying.
“We’ll never see each other again anyway.”
“What does that mean? Aren’t you going to live in the Imperial castle for the rest of your life?”
“…Me? No way. I’m going to leave for Superion territory soon.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s my home.”
“No way, His Majesty is your biological father and I’m your biological brother… Why is that your home? Of course, grandfather is there… Still, we’re your real family!”
Lelia jumped up from her seat without listening to Cedric.
Cedric looked at her in surprise.
“You seem to be completely mistaken… I’m not your family, Prince Cedric.”
“What?”
“You think we’re all family just because we have the same blood? I’m not an idiot.”
“….”
“If it were you, would you consider someone who punched you in the face as your family?”
“That’s…!”
“Get out.”
“….”
“You don’t have to do anything for me now. Just like before, you can continue to live as if I’m not here.”
Cedric frowned as if he was having a hard time believing the words coming from Lelia’s mouth.
Lelia tried to tell him to get out, but he said, “Oh,” and left on his own.
At this time, it seemed like it would be best if she paid a visit to the emperor and spoke clearly about her intentions.
In addition, there were other problems to solve.
[What? Who will be marrying who?]
She didn’t have the option to decide on her own path.
Lelia walked over and closed the open door. Cedric only looked at the closed door with a foolish look.
***
“Your Majesty… Princess Lelia is at the door now…”
The embarrassed servant could not even finish talking to the emperor.
Suddenly, the door opened.
Among the embarrassed servants and knights, Lelia strode inside.
She looked at the emperor, who was looking over paperwork, as the attendant trembled in front of him.
The emperor sent out the restless servant.
He recommended to Lelia, who came in without permission, to sit without pointing out how rude she was being.
She did it out of anger, but it was funny because it looked like it wasn’t a big deal.
Well, Julianna, Cedric and Damien also opened doors without permission, but when she does it then it’s terrible?
Lelia said without taking a seat.
“I’m going to leave for the Superion estate tomorrow.”
“What? No!”
Immediately, a loud voice poured out.
The emperor looked at her angrily.
“Do you want me to marry Sir Ruth?”
“What does that mean?”
“Princess Julianna came to me and made a fuss. ‘How can you take away my fiancé like a beast?’”
“….”
The emperor’s brow furrowed.
It was a misunderstanding. He obviously called the Count and asked about a marriage.
[Editor: Then it’s not really a misunderstanding, is it?]
At the same time, Count Castril came in with a list. There seemed to be a strange rumor.
“Your Majesty, do you think you have the right to decide who I marry?”
After a moment of confusion, Emperor Perseus answered with a calm expression.
“…I’m your biological father, of course I do.”
Lelia’s forehead wrinkled at his brazen answer. As she continued to stay in the Imperial Castle, her stomach pains seemed to be getting worse.
[How can you all shamelessly force your ideas onto me?]
At that time, the emperor squinted and asked.
“Are you planning on marrying one of them, one of your friends?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You’re the princess of Auraria! There’s no way!”
“….”
“How did you get to know the royal families of other countries? How?!”
Lelia’s eyes widened.
Hahaha…
A sudden laugh broke out right away.
“Don’t you know yet?”
“…What?”
Lelia blinked slowly and said.
“I can’t believe you still don’t know that I went to the neutral zone instead of Prince Leo…”
“….”
The words stiffened Perseus’ face for a moment.
The shock seemed to stop him from thinking.
‘Where, where did you go? When?’
Long ago, he knew that the temple had gathered young members of the royal families to the neutral zone on the pretext of a war.
But Lelia went there instead of Prince Leo…?
It was a fact that only a few knew in the first place, and it was the truth that was buried because almost all of the parties involved died before they could ever tell.
“Why? How…? Why did you go there…? Why, why did you go?”
Emperor Perseus asked as if he did not understand. His eyes trembled.
Lelia answered in a calm, low-pitched voice.
“Because the former emperor Lydios said he would give me something to eat.”
“What?”
“For me, who barely lived by eating soil… he gave me something to eat. I fell on my face and cried because I was thankful that I would never go hungry in the future.”
***