Chapter 10

“Ah, geez! I’m so tired!”

Lilith shouted and sank into the soft bed with a plop. It was the same line she had said when she first stepped into the room, but now she had finished getting ready for bed and was about to sleep. The stuffy dinner party had ended, and Lilith had finally been able to catch her breath.

During the dinner party, Lilith had miserably failed. She had smiled many times and tried hard to find a topic to start a conversation, but all she got from Gesualdo were the two words, “Yes, that’s right” and “Is that so?” Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was something like that.

(He’s quite a tough nut to crack...)

Lilith knew she wasn’t welcomed by Gesualdo, but she had hoped that since he had accepted her, he would try to be a bit more open. It seemed she had been too optimistic.

(Mm... but I won’t give up. I’ll make that sullen face smile somehow!)

Always optimistic, Lilith fell asleep while thinking about how to make Gesualdo laugh, albeit in a somewhat misguided way. And the reality dream she saw was about the "comedy" of another world.

* * *

“Can’t we leave?”

“Yes, I’m afraid it will be a bit of a bother, but my sister needs more rest.”

The next day, when Gesualdo announced that they were planning to leave for the capital the following day, Prince Eam replied. Given the recent grueling journey and the fact that Lilith was still sleeping, Eam thought it best to let her rest a bit longer. However, Gesualdo’s face clouded with dissatisfaction.

“...Can such a fragile body really serve as my consort?”

“This engagement was desired by your country, was it not? Unfortunately, the other princess, Dalia, is already engaged, so it was decided to be Amalilis. I have informed the Emperor about Amalilis’s health, but he said it was fine. However, it seems you have other thoughts, Your Highness?”

“This... is not my intention.”

“Then, you should convey that to the Emperor. We, and the servants of the castle, all love Amalilis. We would have preferred not to part with her.”

“Then why did you accept these conditions so easily? You could have negotiated better.”

“That’s because... Amalilis herself strongly wished to marry into your country, to you, for the sake of our Freud Kingdom. She is a bit... no, quite unique, but she is a rare treasure. I believe you will come to understand her... But for that, could you please try to be a bit kinder to her?”

Gesualdo fell silent for a moment after Eam’s words. But when he spoke again, he had a sarcastic smile on his face.

“I will try. But I can’t promise anything. She might even avoid me.”

“No, that will never happen.”

“Maybe...”

Gesualdo left with a self-deprecating smile, and Eam watched him go, sighing deeply. It seemed Gesualdo was quite stubborn. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say he had closed his heart. Eam frowned, thinking about Lilith’s future, wondering if it had something to do with the late Queen Corina.

(I should have opposed this engagement more...)

Lilith’s family, including her father, had agreed to the engagement, hurried along by the reality dream Lilith had seen. Eam even considered taking her back now, but breaking a promise was out of the question. He sighed deeply again.

As for Lilith at that time—

She had tried to show the "comedy" she had seen in her dream to Tena and the others, but only received pitying looks in return. Lilith had laughed heartily in her dream, but it seemed that the skills of a "comedian" and Lilith were different. She pondered how to acquire those skills and continued to practice alone.

...The brother’s heart, unknown to the sister.