Chapter 116

It was the night after the boisterous engagement ceremony. But despite the lingering warmth of the festivities, the house felt strangely empty with Princess Florin gone. No one said it aloud, but surely everyone was feeling the same.

The news that Princess Florin had returned to the Imperial palace meant her brother, Prince Garbo, had returned as well—bearing the divine oracle, no less.

‘What if the oracle names someone other than Sasha…?’

The mere thought was terrifying. From what I had seen, Sasha and Princess Florin made a perfect pair. Yet, what if  they were to cast their feelings aside, to marry based on some decree from a supposed divine message?

‘No. That can’t happen.’

Still, I told myself that a being worshipped as a god in another nation couldn’t possibly be that foolish. Clutching my blanket tightly, I stayed curled up on the bed. Now that Princess Florin had returned to the Pmperial palace, I could’ve moved back into my original room—but I didn’t feel like it. I remained in the guest room we had once shared.

Princess Florin wasn’t just Sasha’s fiancée. She was a dear friend—my first close female friend—and from the bottom of my heart, I wished for her happiness. With that in mind, I forced myself to sleep, however uneasily.

Some time later—

Bang! Bang!

Urgent, heavy knocking echoed all the way to the upper floor. I jolted awake and shot up in bed. A glance at the clock showed it was well past 3 a.m.

‘Who on earth would visit the Viscount’s estate at this hour?’

Judging from the murmurs outside my room, I wasn’t the only one who heard it. I threw on a robe and stepped out into the hall.

“Andre?”

When I reached the entrance, I found Andre standing there. I knew he often rose early for merchant work, but there was no reason for him to come to their house—especially not at this hour.

Rubbing my eyes, I called his name drowsily. Andre looked up, utterly exhausted. And at the sound of my voice, someone suddenly rushed out from behind him.

The moment I recognized who it was, I couldn’t help but gasp.

“Oh my goodness! Princess Florin?”

The Princess was a mess. She looked like she had run out in her sleepwear—her silk pajamas were stained with dirt, and her once-glossy golden hair was now tangled and dirty.

The moment Princess Florin saw me, she visibly relaxed, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“Wh–what on earth…?”

My father stood behind me, too stunned to speak. I stepped forward and embraced the princess.

And in my arms, the princess began to sob—loudly and without restraint. That was enough to tell me something was deeply, terribly wrong.

“I’m sorry… I know crying doesn’t fix anything… but just seeing your face… sniff… I can’t stop the tears…”

My mother and father, both alarmed, dismissed the servants who had rushed over. Sasha, watching the Princess with pity, stood frozen in place.

He was perceptive. He must’ve already understood. There could only be one reason for Princess Florin to cry like this.

It was clear that my principled brother thought that he could not touch a woman who would be another man’s wife.

“Princess, let’s go to my room, okay? The floor is cold…”

I gently coaxed her to get up. I didn’t even have to imagine it—I knew. The Princess must’ve wandered through the night, fleeing the palace in her sleepwear.

As Florin tried to rise, she stumbled from dizziness, her tears having drained her strength.

“Ah—”

Sasha caught her.

He hadn’t meant to. He had resolved not to touch her. But at that moment, his body moved on its own.

“Forgive me,” he whispered.

Sasha hurriedly pulled his hand away from the Princess’s body and averted his gaze. At his apology, Princess Florin seemed shocked. However, Sasha turned his back on her and returned to the room.

I took Princess Florin into my original room. It had barely been a day since the engagement ceremony, and yet another incident had occurred. It was truly overwhelming.

“Princess, there’s no one here but me, so please speak honestly. What’s making you cry so sorrowfully?”

Once the door was closed, perhaps feeling more at ease, tears began to flow from Princess Florin’s eyes. After sitting there for a while, she soon stood up.

“No, I… I think I was wrong. I shouldn’t have come here.”

“What do you mean? Do you know how far it is from the palace to here? You must have had a reason to come all this way in the morning dew.”

I firmly held her hand. If she didn’t speak, I couldn’t help her.

“Princess, you are my precious friend. Please give me a chance to help you. Okay? Just tell me anything. Talking about it might help ease your heart.”

At my words, tears began to pour from her eyes again. Instead of answering, she fumbled and put her hand into her chest.

Just as I was about to wave my hand in surprise at her sudden action, a folded letter unexpectedly popped out from an unexpected place.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry! Sniff. I’m sorry, Vivi.”

“What is this?”

“It’s the prophecy that Brother Garbo brought back for me.”

The envelope was already torn open. I carefully opened it and quickly began to read.

The contents of the prophecy detailed significant events from Princess Florin’s birth and childhood in chronological order. As I read further, it mentioned that Princess Florin would come to this country with Prince Garbo.

The important part was next.

In the year she turns twenty-two, she will marry a man from the empire. His name was…

“Huh? Hmm?”

Why are you… showing up here?

I read the same line several times. It was truly an unbelievable story.

“Armin?”

“Ugh…!”

“Princess, Armin’s name is written on this letter. Is this correct?”

The Princess could only nod her head without answering. Seeing her like that made the heat that had risen to my head cool down. I took a deep breath and exhaled twice.

“Princess, you’re not crying because you want to marry Armin, are you?”

“Of course not! Sniff…! I really don’t want to. I really, really don’t!”

She shouted while wiping away her flowing tears.

“Vivian is also a precious friend to me. I swear I have never looked at Duke Grey in that way, not even once.”

“But it says so in the prophecy.”

Of course, regardless of what the prophecy said, I had no intention of giving up on Armin. After overcoming the trials of the Crown Prince’s obsession, I thought I was finally going to be happy, and now it seemed that the gods were going to interfere with my love life. However, I didn’t want to voice my thoughts out loud.

Because I had a plan that came to mind as soon as I saw the letter, but it required the Princess’s determination entirely.

Perhaps my calm demeanor in the face of the prophecy was unexpected, as Princess Florin’s tears dried up. Her eyes were filled with a look of confusion.

“Vivi, why are you saying that?”

“When you first came to our house, you clearly said this: that you wanted to change rooms, that you needed to pray in the direction facing Gellang. Would someone like that disregard the prophecy?”

Princess Florin looked at me, speechless. I wanted to comfort her and tell her not to worry right away, but I spoke firmly.

“Do you remember what Prince Garbo told His Majesty the Emperor? He said that prophecies don’t work that way. This is about your future. You need to think seriously about it.”

“Vivi… are you okay? Even if I… even if I marry Lord Armin…”

“Of course I don’t want you to. But there are things in this world that can’t be helped, right? What I’m curious about is the Princess’s feelings. Please don’t worry about me and just speak your mind. It’s written in the prophecy.”

For the royal family of Gellang, this was not just some trivial prophecy. It was a life guide, a spoiler for life, with a 100% accuracy rate. At least if one lived by it, there would be no need to agonize over choices in life. The best option would be written in the prophecy.

But Princess Florin spoke without hesitation.

“I don’t want to.”

“Even though it’s a prophecy? The prophecy you considered so important?”

“I said I don’t want to.”

“But the people of Gellang are all deeply faithful. How can you disregard the prophecy? You might regret it in the distant future. I mean what you’re saying right now, in front of me…”

“I told you I don’t want to. Huh? Vivian, I really have no intention of doing that.”

“But I’ve dated Armin, and I know he’s quite a good man. He’s kind, handsome, and of high status. If you marry Armin, your life will be smooth. Look, he’s supposed to have three children. The first child will inherit the title of Duke Grey. The prophecy doesn’t mention Armin cheating, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Vivian Roha!”

After enduring my nonsense, Princess Florin finally burst out in anger. I looked at her, pretending to be calm, with a gaze that said I didn’t understand why she was acting this way.

Her eyes were glistening with tears, but they didn’t fall. The sense of betrayal she felt towards me was likely too great for that.

“How could you do this to me? I thought you would understand my heart completely.”

“I do understand. But I want to tell you that if you regret it in the distant future, it will be too late to turn back.”

Princess Florin’s body trembled as she sensed my probing tone. She rarely glared at me.