CH 6

6. The prince seem to dislike me

‘Phew. I thought you were going to talk to me about something.’

I crossed my arms and raised my chin as if to encourage her to go on.

“Haha. You can’t even sleep with ‘such a husband’. That’s pretty impressive, huh?”

Mmm. It’s one thing to ignore me, but to refer to the Prince Charming as ‘such a husband’? I almost fell for her provocation. I forgot that we were in the middle of a banquet hall.

Instead of getting angry, I took a long, searching look around the ballroom.

Despite my pretense, there were quite a few eyes on us. If I got into a fistfight here, it would bring not only me but Jeremy into disrepute.

‘Ah, you wanted me to swing my fist in front of the nobles. Well, I think I want to punch a few and send them flying, but I’ll handle it in a slightly elegant way today. I´m more elegant than I look.’

Chersha raised one eyebrow as I calmed my temper.

“Ho-ho, you’re holding it together, aren’t you?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. I was honestly pissed, but I acted like I hadn’t taken a single blow.

‘This is why I hate social circles. You want to grab everyone you don’t like and beat them up, but you can’t, right?’

I’m tired of having to argue with her, but it would be nice to get a few words in, so I take a step closer to her.

“There’s a dog barking somewhere, it’s easier to think about it and ignore it, you little dog-shit-eating ant.”

Then, without anyone else being able to hear, I unleashed a graceful shower of shit in her ear that made her flinch away from the sound of it.

“Shit……? Did you just say shit?”

I could see her hand on the fan trembling. Apparently, this was the first time she’d ever heard the word in her life.

“How dare you, a lowly baroness, speak such nonsense to me, the Lady of the House of Raymond?”

In the Empire, the hierarchy of status was very strict; the difference between a Count and a Baron, even within the same nobility, was as great as the difference between heaven and earth.

Moreover, technically speaking, a female noble of a barony was hardly different from a commoner.

The countess had every right to be angry that the Baroness had insulted the only daughter of the Count’s family by calling her a piece of ant shit who ate dog shit. But there was one thing she had forgotten.

’Things are different now, aren’t they, Chersha?’

I opened my mouth, my eyes narrowing as if I’d heard something strange.

“The countess has a bad head on her shoulders, and in terms of status, I’m above her now.”

Then I laughed lazily and pointed to the tiara on my head. Tiaras were only allowed to be worn by royalty.

‘Wow. This is what power tastes like. I love times like this, even if the fake imperial life is a bit of a pain in the arse.‘

For a moment, I basked in my own satisfaction. My good mood was quickly dashed to the ground by Chersha’s next question.

“Status? Your brother is missing, your father is a madman.”

Chersha whispered to me in a low voice so no one else could hear.

“It’s safe to say your family has fallen, and you try to put me down with a fake identity?”

Talking about family was a taboo subject for me. My face automatically stiffened. The hand holding the hem of my dress trembled slightly.

“Chersha.”

I said her name with all the rage I had inside me. With the killing intent that if she crossed any more lines, I would not end with a warning.

“Chersha? How dare you call me Chersha?”

Chersha glared at me through clenched teeth. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t yet been called by her own name by her master. She was especially irritated by being called by her first name.

“Ah, shall I call you nameless then?”

Perhaps it was the heat of the moment, but I spoke in a provocative way that I wouldn’t normally have.

The word “nameless” was powerful enough to blow away all her rationality.

“Na…..meless?”

Ain called only a few chosen Shadow Knights by name. All the rest were nameless.

They would die a loyal death for their master but would not be remembered by him by name until the end.

“Did you just call me…. nameless?”

Chersha’s eyes widened as she realized she was hit by her Achilles’ heel.

“You must be very proud to be called by your first name.”

“Not much……?”

“You bitch. What have you been doing to our master? This secret mission was supposed to be mine, too, if you hadn’t stolen it from me!”

“I didn’t steal it, as usual.”

“You can afford to look relaxed now, though, one day I’m going to kill you.”

Chersha’s eyes hardened. She kept her voice low, as if conscious of her surroundings, but the muscles in her face were visibly distorted.

“Really? Then I’ll keep my fingers crossed. It doesn’t seem possible.”

I was still frustrated, but I decided to stop arguing with her. There was no point in arguing with someone who had lost her mind.

I quickly raised my middle finger and turned away from her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jeremy standing nearby.

‘Heuk. You didn’t just witness the whole thing, did you?‘

I nervously fidgeted with my middle finger. But it was too late, and I could see his mauve eyes widen in shock. And there were pretty little tears at the corners of his eyes.

“Bride…….”

“Why…… why are you crying? Prince.”

After a moment of panic, I hastily folded my hands politely over my navel, walked over to him, and looked at him with the politest expression I could muster.

“I have not done anything.”

“Ugh……. Not the bride, that woman just said that she was going to…… kill the bride.”

Huh? It was an insult I’d heard so many times from Chersha that it didn’t even tickle me. But apparently not for Jeremy, who was still wearing his idiot mask.

“Are you…… going to kill my bride?”

Jeremy grabbed Chersha by the collar and looked at her with moistened eyes. He raised his voice like he was trying to humiliate her.

“Huh?”

Chersha looked visibly flustered. When she regained her composure, she tugged at Jeremy’s hold on her collar and lifted the corner of her mouth.

“When did I ever say that…….”

“Jeremy, could hear you right in his ears, you just told my bride that you were going to kill her.”

Jeremy’s words caused a stir around the room. The nobles gossiped as they looked at Chersha, and her face grew darker and darker.

“The crown prince is crying?”

“Lady Chersha must have said something harsh.”

This would be a chance for Jeremy to show a lot of nobles what an idiot he is, and a chance to strip Chersha of her angelic image.

“I think you misheard Your Highness.”

Chersha glanced in my direction, her eyes urging me to do something about this situation quickly. I gladly answered her call, taking a step closer to Jeremy.

“You heard her correctly. I was actually quite surprised to be threatened out of the blue.”

I lowered my eyes and mimicked a slender girl, and I could hear the noble’s murmuring oohs and aahs beside me.

“Could it really be that Lady Chersha said such a thing?”

“I don’t think the prince is telling a lie.”

“Did Lady Chersha have that kind of image?”

The prince was so pure and pristine that people seemed to believe him.

Chersha had spent years cultivating an angelic image in social circles, but it was only a matter of time before the innocence of Jeremy’s attack reduced her entire facade to dust.

“…….”

Chersha chewed her lip as the odds grew stacked against her. Then, deciding there was no point in continuing, she turned and ran.

’That, that……. I don’t know if she’s going to go like that and be meaner to me later.’

I was feeling both exhilarated and annoyed when Jeremy sneakily grabbed my hand.

“Bride.”

“Yes?”

“I was very upset to hear that.”

I guess he saw that I was upset, and that’s why he held my hand and comforted me like this……?

I know he’s acting like an idiot, but it’s kind of touching to see him look at me with those crying puppy eyes. It’s like he really cares about me.

“I was really upset, but the prince came to the rescue and paid it off for me, so I’m fine now.”

I was about to lose my cool after hearing all the family insults, but now I was feeling much better.

“Mhh. Next time that young lady bullies you again, call Jeremy. Jeremy is sad when his bride is hurt.”

“Ah, I don’t get hurt. I’m stronger, prince!”

“……really?”

His moistened mauve eyes turned to me. The way he tilted his head slightly, waiting for me to speak, was…… cute, even if it was a little too cute. Oh no….. I think I’m going to get greedy again.

“Ugh, before that happens, I’m going to die because of the prince.”

“Huh……? Why?”

“Because you’re too pretty.”

I said, pressing my hands together near my heart. Jeremy’s eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn’t expected to hear that.

‘Ooh, there goes my royal act. I’ve been getting a bit better at acting lately, perhaps you can share a few tricks with me.‘

I folded my arms and began to instruct him.

“Prince, smile like this.”

I gently lifted his cheeks with my fingers. Hmm, he still looks a bit too clueless.

“Cheese. Say cheese.”

“Chee-se.”

After a slight hesitation, Jeremy repeated my words. His cheeks were slightly blushing from embarrassment.

‘Awww, I don’t know why you’re so cute. You were so wary earlier, and then you disappeared, and now I feel like I’m going back and forth between heaven and hell with your expression.’

I felt a little resentful, but I can’t help it. It’s because our prince is so handsome.

“It’s good to see that he and the princess are getting along.”

While I was still engrossed in the acting game, I saw a man with golden hair and a woman with silver violet hair approaching. They were the Emperor and Empress of the country, clad in grace and dignity from head to toe.

“Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress and the princess. Glory to Glory to Elkisies.”

After I finished my greeting, I glanced in the direction of the emperor.

Golden hair, blue eyes. He was middle-aged, with a gentle smile and an air of royalty about him.

If the Crown Prince were to reach middle age, he would look exactly like that.

This time, I shifted my gaze to the Empress. With a neat appearance reminiscent of a lily of the valley, she was a young empress in her thirties. She had a rather blunt appearance, but she was extremely beautiful, as expected from someone who had been courted by the emperor for so long.

“Brother, hello!”

I lowered my gaze to the source of the sound and saw Princess Karen, buried in the hem of the Empress’s dress.

“Hello, Karen.”

Children of emperors with different mothers often didn’t get along, but Jeremy and Karen were different. They were a desirable example of imperial camaraderie.

However, we won’t see them together for another month. Karen will die a month later at the Heren Festival.

‘Ah, my teeth. I’m about to burst into tears.’

The thought of how much Jeremy had cried when Karen died made me sick. As I was alone with my thoughts, I suddenly felt an intense gaze from below.

“Hmm, is this brother Jeremy’s wife?”

“Yes, she’s my bride.”

“But she’s got a weird look on her face, like she’s about to cry.”

Oops. I hadn’t been managing my facial expressions, and how strange I must have looked, crying all by myself in front of the princess.

“Hello, Princess.”

I smiled, trying to correct my expression. Karen blushed slightly and bowed her head.

“Hello.”

Why is she so cute, just like my prince?

To think that someone so cute would be dead in a month’s time, tears welled up in my eyes again. But apparently my behavior had misled the emperor.

“I feel sorry for you, for marrying a prince when he is not in his right mind.”

“No, that is not the case at all.”

“If it weren’t for the crown prince’s wishes, I would never have arranged a marriage for him.”

What, you were planning on never letting him marry?

‘That’s ridiculous, Your Majesty. You have arranged the marriage three times. “Are you suggesting that our prince should grow old as a bachelor and die?” “That’s a load of bollocks, Your Majesty. You’ve been married three times. Are you saying that our prince should grow old and die a bachelor, now?’

I glanced at the emperor with a hint of displeasure, and then felt a glance from the Empress.

“Your Majesty, I was actually thinking that the prince’s marriage was a very good thing indeed.”

“What do you mean, Empress?”

“You see, don’t the two of them make a very good match indeed, and though they have known each other less than a month, they look as if they have been together for years.”

The Empress’s blue eyes fixed on me. I involuntarily stiffened under her sharp gaze.

“I hope you will be of much service to the prince.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Please come by the Empress’s palace sometime and be my companion.”

Ah, now that I think about it, I had also heard that on my previous regression, and even then, the Empress had secretly hoped that I would come to her for company. Although I only visited her once.

During our first teatime, she gave me a searching glance. But she did not call on me after that, as if I were unwelcome.

“The Empress has taken a keen interest in you.”

“The bride is beautiful.”

It was Jeremy who intercepted the emperor’s comment to the Empress, and he took my hand, grinning sheepishly, as if he couldn’t feel the emperor’s fierce stare.

“My bride is beautiful, isn’t she? I’m a happy man with the most beautiful woman in the world as my bride.”

Suddenly, all eyes were on me. Not only the emperor, empress, and princess, but also the nobles who were listening to the conversation from around us.

I could see some people sticking their heads out of the corner of my eye, wondering if I was so beautiful that I was worthy of bragging about in front of the emperor.

‘The prince seem to dislike me…….’

I looked at Jeremy with some resentment.

The nobles were asking, ‘Where? Where is the greatest beauty?‘ There was a conflict within me between wanting to shout, ‘Here she is, here she is!‘ and wanting to quietly bow my head and leave.