Chapter 28
As the Marquis tensed up, Signus gravely asked.
“Do I need to say this first for you to put the bars up on your window?”
“….”
“Don’t let your guard down. You have to be prepared for all possibilities. The most important thing is her safety.”
Hearing Signus’ reproachful remark, Ulysse asked.
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why do you care about Navian so much?’
Watching Ulysse who sounded angry for some reason, Signus answered nonchalantly.
“She’s my fiance, after all.”
Ulysse made a weirded-out expression at his words.
“But….”
“What else could it be?”
I know, right? I already accepted the engagement.
But Ulysse was still making a strange expression.
The marquis who had been silent chimed in as if he just had remembered something.
“Your Highness, the engagement ceremony….”
Ahh, that? Signus mumbled, and then said with a small smile.
“I’ve processed the documents, you don’t need to worry. Let’s set the date later.”
The way he answered so casually made me puzzled.
Didn’t you say you were in a hurry so you can’t wait any longer?
But Signus swiftly changed the subject as if he had read my mind.
“Anyways, just know that I’m gonna send everything you need. You just need to use it well. Don’t be stubborn, unless you want to see this girl in a dangerous situation again.”
“What do you mean, dangerous?”
“Did you forget already? I went to pick you up, didn’t I?”
Everyone’s jaw dropped upon remembering that fact. I reckoned there were few people that saw us at the main gate.
“I have a lot of enemies. I will provide everything for your family, but it’ll be dangerous if you just rely on that and lower your guard.”
I was bothered by something and voiced my concern.
“Aren’t you in a dangerous situation as well, Your Highness?”
“Yeah. It’s dangerous. The whole empire will turn into a sea of fire.”
Unlike his bizarre remark, his golden eyes gleamed briskly.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this dangerous situation.”
Signus mumbled something ambiguously and stood up. Everyone quickly adjusted their postures as soon as they saw Signus getting ready to leave, and instinctively, I tried to sit up with my back straight.
But a big hand pressed my shoulder lightly. Soon, a dangerously low voice was heard.
“You should be careful, too.”
About what?
“If you disappear, you’ll see me run rampant again.”
At that time, there was a loud thudding sound from something falling.
Everyone turned their head to the door.
Claire, Julia, Elizabeth and Vivi stood there with their mouths wide open. Flower bouquets and gift boxes that the girls brought rolled on the floor.
Despite the noise that interrupted him, Signus continued without a care in the world.
“So don’t think about going outside and just stay still. If you’re lonely, call your friends over to play with you.”
The women he inferred were still frozen in place.
“Do you understand? You just need to lay in bed and squander away my wealth until the engagement ceremony.”
The corner of his rosy lips went up.
“If you get up one more time, you’d die for real this time.”
Signus smirked arrogantly at me and turned around without a hitch.
“Doctor.”
Ulysse, who had been frozen, raised his eyes.
“Get what I said earlier immediately.”
“…Ah, yes.”
What did you say earlier? I was curious, but this time, Signus’ eyes went to the captain.
“Protect her well.”
The captain bowed silently as Signus passed by him. The end of his cape fluttered around his long legs.
It was such a spectacular exit.
“A Crown Princess?”
The ladies were surprised when I replied to Julia’s question positively. Claire, who was channeling her healing energy into me, broke into tears and buried her face on my lap.
“I’m fine. Please stop crying.”
Elizabeth, who had a gloomy complexion, tapped Claire’s thin shoulder to rebuke her.
“Keep your voice down, Claire. She’s a patient.”
“Elly is an idiot! How can you be so calm? Don’t you know what that tyrant is famous for?”
Claire raised her tearful face.
“Do you even know the meaning of an engagement? It’s a promise to share your future! Navian is going to live her whole life with a womanizer!”
Claire buried her face on my lap again.
“How can you live with such a person…huu…”
“Calm down.”
“How can I calm down! Navian’s brand new life is completely over!”
Claire, who spoke about my life as it was her own, cried her eyes out.
“But….”
When I raised my eyes, Julia and Vivi exchanged glances with each other.
“His Highness’ attitude was a bit different from the rumor, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. The way he treats Navian is a bit ….”
Claire refuted their words at lightning speed.
“Hmph! He must be pretending to be sweet.”
Sweet? That guy is sweet, you say?
I laughed a little, perhaps because I never really saw him treating me sweetly.
The bawling Claire refuted again.
“He’s been living a promiscuous life. Who’s to say that he won’t bring in a mistress after the marriage? Huh?!”
I was of the same mind as her, but I brushed it off and said.
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
Claire turned her head to me.
“Whether he brings in a mistress or dating another woman, I’m already prepared for that. That’s what a noble marriage is.”
I had witnessed such a thing a lot when I was a knight.
A nobleman left his sick wife and children at home, while he spent a steamy night with his mistress outside.
At the tea party, what surprised me the most was the fact that Signus had changed for the worse, not because he was a womanizer.
It wasn’t that surprising to get married and to meet another lover.
“Really?”
Claire blinked vacantly.
“Are you fine with His Highness meeting another woman?”
“Yes.”
I blurted it out so casually.
“I’m just one of them anyway.”
It was a normal routine for aristocrats to have mistresses, change partners, and kill people.
I personally hated that part of aristocratic customs very much, but that was simply my opinion.
And it would be easier to assume that Signus had turned into one of those rotten noblemen.
Crash! I heard something breaking somewhere, but I brushed it off, thinking that the marquis had caused another accident, and continued.
“It doesn’t matter to me. I can’t possibly reject the royal decree, anyway.”
I just need to do one thing.
“His Highness said he needed me. So I’m going to help.”
To be exact, he needed someone with Yeronimo’s last name.
“What if he doesn’t need you?”
“I’ll just leave.”
Claire suddenly raised her head.
“Then run away now! You’re going to leave anyway!”
“I’ll seriously die if I get caught.”
“It’s okay. You can just disappear without a trace! I’ll help you!”
Looking at the flames in her blue eyes, I shook my head firmly.
“I can’t do that.”
“Why?”
I chuckled small.
“I made a promise.”
I made a vow to dedicate my whole life to Signus.
I had sworn on my life and took it as my life principle.
Even if my body had changed, my will to protect my friend and my only master didn’t change.
“I will try to help him as much as I can. Whether getting engaged or getting married to him, or becoming a crown princess in name only.”
Except for taking off my clothes however he wanted, of course.
Claire pouted when she saw my unwavering expression.
“What if he gives you a hard time? What if he abuses you?”
“I won’t stay still. I will curse at him, torment him, and hit him too.”
The young ladies were looking at me with eyes wide open, and I continued talking.
“What I mean by helping him is to share my power. I’m not saying that he can treat me carelessly.”
Silence ensued. Elizabeth, who had been silent, burst into laughter.
“That’s so like you, Navian.”
What? I threw a confused gaze at her, and she continued.
“I knew that you wouldn’t bend so easily no matter who’s your partner.”
Elizabeth put her hand underneath her chin.
“Well, at least His Highness is treating you differently.”
Does he treat me differently?
I was blown away because even Elizabeth, who looked a bit indifferent, was saying the same thing.
“But I’m glad that you look brave. I was worried after hearing the rumor, but I feel relieved now.”
“What rumor?”
“His Highness sent a carriage to your residence.”
Julian and Vivi responded.
“I heard you both even rode a carriage together.”
“I knew that he did that because of the recent monster attack, but how can I stay still when I hear that?”
Claire muttered with a worried expression too.
“I was worried, so I came to see you right away, and they said you were kidnapped. Even His Highness is here today. I can’t believe such an incident happened.”
Elizabeth held my hand tightly.
“As expected, it’s a good thing that we came. It’ll be better with more people than alone.”
Julia nodded eagerly, and said.
“If you have any difficulty or concern, tell me anything. I’ll be by your side.”
Vivi also added.
“More than that, your body needs to get better first. Your complexion and voice aren’t good, you’re going to faint again at this rate.”
Their faces were seriously filled with concern. I couldn’t understand why they were acting this way, so I asked.
“Why?”
As I was still confused, Claire’s voice rang clearly in my ears.
“Because we’re friends.”
I was puzzled by her immediate answer.
We only spent half a day together, not even one day. We didn’t have time to build a strong bond. We only chatted and drank tea.
Why are you so worried about me?
The capital was said to be dangerous. Despite countless warnings not to come out, they still visited me.
Even those who had a blood relation did not go this far. Even when I lived in the same house as my parents, the walls in our hearts did not crumble.
No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn’t understand why these people were closing their distance so easily.
“Don’t keep it all to yourself. We are here with you.”
I clenched my fist upon hearing Julia’s sweet voice.
I wanted to say that I didn’t deserve to get such treatment from them, and that I have nothing to repay them no matter how well they treat me, but I couldn’t bring myself to say that.
I felt like I was going to tear up for unknown reasons.
“Listen carefully.”
A serious atmosphere lingered in the medical office where the young ladies and I stayed.
Mainly because the young ladies who sat in a circle around the bed on which I was lying started the meeting.
“The Yeronimo family has long been famous. There were many people who were jealous of the marquis’ achievements and Doctor Ulysse’s abilities. But if Navian gets engaged with the crown prince…”
Julia, who blurred the end of her words, continued with a serious expression.
“In other words, Navian is currently in a very dangerous position. For now, I will tell you the information I know about the Imperial Palace.”
It was a matter that I knew so well. But since everyone looked too tense, I decided to open my mouth.
“Please speak comfortably. You can just take it easy.”
Talking formally was like an occupational disease. It was the same for Anna and Ulysse. It was a bit scary to have a habit that couldn’t be fixed even after death.
“Can I do that?”
“Yes. We promised to do that last time, didn’t we?”
Julia looked delighted by what I said.
“Yes, I remember that….”
The young ladies’ faces brightened in an instant. Vivi chuckled and raised her fist up.
“Yeay! We are inseparable buddies now!”
Are we buddies just because we speak casually now? I chuckled inside because it was cute.
“I’ll go first, kay?”
Vivi cleared her throat.
“It is said that His Highness likes to change his woman so easily, right? Veramin said women had been going in and out of the Imperial Palace for two weeks.”
Who’s Veramin?
Ah, it must be the knight apprentice that Vivi has been seeing.
“Navian. Isn’t it a month ago when the royal decree went down?”
Nod, nod.
“Was it a week ago when you first met His Highness?”
That’s right.
“He said that the women came to the Imperial Palace in the first week of the month. Meanwhile, His Highness met Navian in the third week. Then….”
Then what?
“His Highness has not called women in since he met Navian.”
Elizabeth calmly refuted Vivi’s words.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that he still met another woman even after sending the royal decree.”
Soon, Julia and Vivi also agreed.
“That’s right. He’s so mean.”
“Right. He still did that even if he had a fiance. It’s unforgivable.”
Claire crumpled her face.
“Oh gosh, I told you I have a good eye for men.”