Special Story 1
“Your Highness. Are you here again?”
I squeezed my eyes into crescents and smiled at Sir Derek, who had deep wrinkles etched into his forehead, hoping to break the awkward tension.
“Sir Derek.”
I had known the moment Freyer brought a desk into my bedroom. He must have come to the Baimery estate again today with a mountain of work.
“You seem quite idle, Sir Derek. Seeing as you’ve come looking for me.”
Freyer placed his stack of papers and his glasses down on the desk and stared at me intently.
“Do I look idle to you, Crown Prince Freyer Lundberg?”
Ever since I woke up, Freyer had begun to cherish me to an excessive degree. This whole mess started when he declared that he couldn’t possibly stay at the Imperial Palace without me.
“If you won’t stay at the Palace, then I have no choice but to stay by your side, Lilithia.”
Claiming it was unavoidable, Freyer had barged into my mansion to conduct his official business about a week ago.
“You must maintain the dignity of the Crown Prince!”
Derek’s voice trembled slightly. Freyer raised his own voice as if Derek was being a nuisance.
“The place where I belong is wherever Lilithia is.”
Realizing that words weren’t getting through, Derek let out a short sigh and asked, “What will it take to get you back to the Palace? Everyone keeps asking me where Your Highness has disappeared to.”
Derek, glaring at Freyer, finally poured out the words he had been holding back.
“I am your knight, not your nanny! Coming back and forth like this is a waste of time, a waste of talent, and a waste of the Crown Prince himself!”
Derek went on and on, practically spitting in frustration, but Freyer remained perfectly composed.
“Your Highness…”
Currently, I was the only one walking on eggshells, caught in the crossfire of this giant clash. I felt like the room was so silent you could hear my eyes rolling. Freyer approached me, sat on the edge of the bed, and spoke in a playful tone.
“If Lilithia moves into the Palace, the problem would be solved. Wouldn’t it, Derek?”
This all stemmed from my initial refusal to stay at the Imperial Palace. Derek, realizing I was the key to getting Freyer back to his post, shot me a pitiful look.
“…I beg of you, for my sake.”
“For the sake of Sir Derek’s hard work, please reconsider,” Freyer added.
“That’s a bit…” I hesitated, offering a faint rejection.
“Why…! Why do you refuse to stay at the Palace?”
“I didn’t ask before because I thought you might dislike it, but I’d like to know the reason now. Why won’t you enter the Imperial Palace?” Freyer asked.
“If it’s just because staying there is uncomfortable, please, for the love of God, think of me and reconsider!” Derek pleaded.
Freyer’s eyes crinkled softly, radiating curiosity, while Sir Derek looked like he had aged five years from the stress. This was making me look like the stubborn one.
“The reason is?”
“Lady Lilithia…! I beg you!”
“…Well, you see.”
Under Freyer’s expectant gaze, I finally squeezed my eyes shut, gripped the soft bedding, and shouted.
“What if people misunderstand?!”
“Misunderstand?”
At Freyer’s murmur, I opened one eye and nodded vigorously. Freyer tilted his head, still lost as to what ‘misunderstanding’ I was talking about. Derek, seemingly catching my drift, clapped his hands and pointed a finger toward the ceiling.
“That’s it!”
“Exactly! That’s it!”
I was relieved he understood my heart. Derek was quick-witted, likely from years of reading the room. However, my jaw dropped at his next words.
“Do not worry! No one will object to Lady Lilithia receiving treatment from the Imperial healers! Since your medical expenses are paid from the Crown Prince’s private funds, no one can pressure you financially. Furthermore, the Crown Prince would never let anyone who questions this go unpunished!”
How’s that? I’m right, aren’t I! Seeing Derek puff out his chest with pride gave me a mounting headache.
“If that’s the reason, there’s no need to worry. No one can blame you,” Freyer added.
To make matters worse, Freyer—apparently lacking any social intuition—thought Derek made sense and gently took my hand, telling me it was fine.
‘If it were about the medical bills, I would have brought that up the moment I woke up!’
The god who had given him beauty, swordsmanship, and intellect had clearly missed one thing.
‘Why did you forget to give him tact, dear god?’
I had more to say, but I just let out a deep sigh and looked up.
“I am not among those permitted to reside in the Palace.”
Principally, access to the Imperial Palace is restricted. One cannot just enter because they want to; at the very least, one’s status must be verified. Those staying there are managed even more strictly. There are only three exceptions to those rules: members of the Imperial Family, foreign envoys, and Palace staff. I didn’t fit into any of those categories.
Faint confusion flickered across Freyer and Derek’s faces.
“I give my permission, so who would dare block your entry?”
“I shall find out immediately!”
I reached out to stop Derek, who looked ready to scatter his papers and bolt out the door.
“There’s another reason.”
“Another reason?”
After hearing the rampant rumors from Winnie a few days ago, my steps toward the Palace had grown even heavier. I glanced at Freyer and spoke.
“There are rumors that I… will become the Crown Princess.”
Between Freyer and me, many things had happened in a bit of a muddle. From our first meeting where I practically tackled him, to the fact that we clearly liked each other now—we had never actually promised a future together.
‘I haven’t even received a proposal yet. Calling me the Crown Princess is jumping the gun way too much.’
I looked down, fidgeting with my fingers. To quiet the rumors that were treating my position as a foregone conclusion, I felt I had to stay away from the Palace as much as possible.
Freyer’s eyes wavered with dissatisfaction. His mouth turned into a sulky pout. Surprised by his reaction, I glanced at Sir Derek, but he had the exact same expression.
“Lilithia, you really are…”
Freyer grabbed both of my shoulders. His voice, laced with a heavy sigh, surrounded my ears.
“For such a trivial reason.”
His intense gaze made the hair on my arms stand up.
“What do you think is the reason I am staying by your side?”
“Because… you’re worried about me?”
I knew for sure he liked me. That’s why he wanted to be near me and take care of me.
“You know the reason, and yet you didn’t catch the meaning behind my invitation to the Palace?”
‘Wait, wasn’t it just for convenience because of the skilled healers?’
“I’ve told you many times that I cannot live in this world without you. Has your heart already left me?”
Freyer looked at me with a dejected expression. For a second, I had the illusion of seeing his eyes sparkle as if tears were forming. My heart had always been solely for him. Honestly, I was happy he came all the way to my mansion every day.
Feeling as though I’d been hit by a hammer because of his absurd words, I stammered.
“…No! Not at all!”
“Then, are you trying to tell me indirectly that you don’t want to be the Crown Princess?”
‘Huh? What?’
“I’m terrified that you won’t stay with me for the rest of our lives. If the title of Crown Prince is a burden, I’m willing to step down from the position right now.”
“Your Highness!”
The door opened and Norman entered with a tray of light snacks, adding his two cents.
“A Crown Prince who isn’t accepted by the woman he loves… the citizens would hardly trust him to lead the Empire.”
“I suppose so. If I can’t even win the heart of one person, no citizen would believe in me.”
“I wouldn’t want to trust him either,” Norman added.
I gaped at their extreme self-deprecation. How did the conversation turn into this?!
“What must I do to win the hearts of the citizens and the heart of the woman I love?”
As Freyer monologued, Norman, who was setting down the teacups, chimed in.
“Why don’t you ask her again?”
“To be my Crown Princess? But I’m afraid of being rejected.”
They both turned their heads and stared at me expectantly.
“It’s not that I hate the idea of being the Crown Princess! It’s just… how can I be the Crown Princess when I haven’t even been proposed to?!”
Realizing I’d fallen for their trap, I squeezed my eyes shut and yelled.
“So that was the reason.”
“…I mean! It’s not that I was upset! It’s just that I wasn’t sure of your heart…”
If I didn’t end up as the Crown Princess, those rumors would be bad for my reputation. As I rambled on, Freyer kissed the back of my hand.
“Lilithia Baimery, please become my, Freyer Lundberg’s, wife.”
Freyer pulled a jewelry box from his pocket. He slipped a silver ring onto my finger and smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“Let’s get married, Lilithia.”
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aryaanisha15
wat a absurd play they all did