Chapter 2

The phrase "a bolt from the blue" probably refers to a situation like this.

The first thing that came to Alex's mind was something as trivial as this. When humans are too surprised, they tend to escape from reality.

"Are you to be my concubine?"

"Yes."

"Is it the Emperor's wish that a woman he has his eye on becomes my concubine?"

"Well, that's the gist of it."

Via shrugged nonchalantly.

"Or would Your Highness prefer that I become the Emperor's concubine, and further make a secret pact with Lord Sezon, promising to ensure that the child of Empress Myaarl becomes the next Emperor?"

Alex fell silent. It would be unbearable if such a thing were to happen.

"That might be more advantageous for the Princess."

It was Gruuk, his confidant, who interjected.

"If you become the Emperor's concubine, the Princess will surely make both the Emperor and Lord Sezon her enemies.

Considering which is safer, wouldn't it be better to have the protection of the current Emperor?"

"Hey."

Alex glared at Gruuk, wondering whose side he was on.

Gruuk glanced at Alex and then turned back to Via.

"If you truly desire the protection of Prince Celdis, you should take the hand of the Emperor, not the Prince.

If the Emperor said that Empress Myaarl's interest has waned, then you could gain the Emperor's favor and use it to bring down Empress Myaarl and her family, the House of Sezon.

That would be far more certain. So why have you come to the Prince?"

Via pursed her lips.

Gruuk Morgan was telling Via to speak the truth. Her actions were too unnatural, and she was suspected of harboring some sinister plan as she approached the First Prince.

What would be the right answer?

Via was flustered and her gaze wandered.

She had no intention of deceiving or trapping the First Prince.

There was a reason why Via could not take the Emperor's hand, but it was not because she hated or despised him.

No matter how difficult or regrettable it might be, if it were the only way to save her younger brother, Via would have gone to the Emperor without hesitation.

But the Emperor was not an option. If she took the Emperor's hand, Celdis would likely be killed.

"This might sound unbelievable, but—"

She opened her lips and closed them several times, hesitating before finally speaking.

They might not believe her, but she had no other cards to play. Without the First Prince's protection, Celdis would have no future. She had no time to be cautious.

"I sometimes have dreams. I've heard that my mother had the blood of a Thelma priestess, so it's probably due to that.

The dreams I have are of possible futures that can be avoided. Most of them are not useful, but occasionally, I have dreams that make me glad I saw them."

Via paused, gripping her hands tightly to stop them from trembling.

The terror she felt when she woke up this morning rose to her throat. The King had moved, and the dream had come.

Soon after, she learned of Empress Myaarl's pregnancy.

"Last night, when the Emperor visited me, I had a dream that Celdis was killed. The one who killed Celdis was a young nobleman wearing a dark blue jacket with two star medals on his chest. He had ivory lace peeking out from his collar and a jade collar button."

"A dream with such detailed memories can only be a premonition of a possible future."

Via clenched her hands so hard her nails dug into her skin, looking up at Alex.

"If I become the Emperor's concubine, Celdis will have no future.

I must save Celdis at all costs...

And now, the only one who can reject the Emperor's hand is the First Prince, Your Highness."

Alex sighed. It was an absurd story.

But he thought the Princess was probably not lying. His intuition in such matters was never wrong.

However, he hesitated to accept her proposal outright. He had no room for error either.

One wrong decision could cost not only his life but also the lives of everyone connected to him.

"What other dreams have you had? And if they come true, when would that be?"

"Can you believe what the Princess is saying, Your Highness?"

Amon interjected, unable to hold back.

"Just answer. Even if it's something trivial."

Via lowered her eyes as if searching her memory.

Her mind was not working as well as she wished due to the tension.

She desperately tried to speak of whatever came to mind.

"A few weeks ago, I had a dream where a bag of potatoes split open in the kitchen, and potatoes rolled everywhere. A maid with black hair and a ribbon stepped on a potato and fell. Potatoes were scattered everywhere, causing a big commotion..."

"The dream before that... was about a man's hat being blown away by the wind while he was fishing by a lake. It had a very elaborate feather decoration, and the man's head was... bald."

"It's a trivial dream," Luitas muttered, sounding deflated.

Via panicked. She must have had more serious dreams.

"Indeed, I had a dream where knights were practicing with lances on horseback.

One of the knights, a young man with blond hair, was practicing with a lance when his horse suddenly reared, causing him to lose balance and the lance to pierce his left eye. He had a habit of raising his elbow when holding the lance... and he was warned about it.

He had a crest on his chest... I believe it was the Antore Knights' emblem."

Amon stepped away from the wall. After a moment's hesitation, he asked:

"If we believe the Princess... how long does it usually take for her dreams to come true?"

The knights were like family to Amon.

"Usually, within three to four months. If it goes beyond that, it won't come true."

"Anything else?"

"Before the dream about the knight, I had a dream about a boy in blue falling from a tree and breaking his leg. His name was Roland, and he was probably from a noble family.

His mother, who rushed to his side, was wearing a crimson dress with a lot of taffeta and a beautiful jade necklace."

Amon and the others fell silent, looking to Alex for a decision.

"Is this enough for you to believe in her dreams?"

"I'm not lying."

Alex did not respond, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

This alone was not enough to make a judgment.

Alex sighed and, thinking of something, asked Via:

"If I accept your proposal, are you really okay with it?

Regardless of your intentions, will you not regret spending your life as my concubine?"

When asked again, Via finally remembered something she had wanted to say.

"That's what I wanted to mention."

It was very important to her.

"Once Your Highness's position is secure and Celdis's safety is guaranteed, I would like you to release me."

"Huh?"

Alex involuntarily made a surprised sound.

"Whether you get tired of me and let me go, or make it look like I died of illness, it's fine.

In other words, I want to start a second life after serving as a concubine."

"So, so that's it..."

This Princess was a woman who defied all of Alex's common sense.

"I was told by my mother to spend my life with a man who, even if he was bald, old, and fat, would treat me as a proper wife."

Bald, old, and fat?

Alex's eyes widened in confusion, unable to understand what the Princess was trying to say.

"Excuse me.

Did Empress Tsity really say such a thing?"

Luitas asked with a strained smile.

"My life goal is to be a wife."

She declared it loudly.

"Being a mistress is an unstable position.

After ten years with Your Highness, I will be twenty-six. Fortunately, I inherited my mother's appearance.

If I don't seek luxury, I believe there will be many who would take me in."

While that might be true in terms of appearance, Alex immediately dismissed the thought.

"Wait, I don't think there are any nobles who would take a former mistress as a wife."

"No worries. I plan to live in the city. The palace is too troublesome.

My mother always told me to do so.

To avoid being noticed by a noble, I never appeared in public."

"Carelessly?"

"Perhaps 'carelessly' is a better word."

No, that's not the issue.

Alex cleared his throat.

"Someone raised in the palace can't suddenly live in the city, can they?"

"I often left the Purple Jade Palace and went down to the city.

I was supposed to be bedridden, so I could easily hide my movements."

Ah, the sickly image...

The four of them looked at each other with distant eyes. This woman, who now spoke so energetically, seemed no different from someone who had been walking the streets of the city.

"I've also learned to cook, clean, and do laundry.

I believe the life of a commoner suits me much better."

Alex was starting to feel indifferent.

So he asked about something else.

"…After ten years, you said you would leave me.

What do you plan to do if you have a child? Do you intend to abandon it?"

Via shook her head.

"I won't have children."

"Are you asking me to cooperate with that?"

"No, I will take a potion that prevents conception, so there's no need to worry."

Gruuk, who was knowledgeable about medicine, immediately contradicted her.

"There's no such convenient potion."

"Oh, there is."

Via calmly contradicted him.

"When Celdis was conceived, it was unexpected, and my mother couldn't prepare it.

After all, she never thought she would be chosen by the Emperor of a great nation.

But after Celdis was born, to avoid further complications, she sought out a potion from a Thelma woman through connections.

That's why she never conceived again."

"I heard that it was because her body was weakened after giving birth to Celdis."

"That's what she told the Emperor. She couldn't tell the truth."

Via looked at Alex with a gentle gaze.

"My mother was truly afraid that conceiving another child of the Emperor would cause political turmoil.

Your Highness... My mother always wished for a peaceful life in the city.

She was prepared to spend her life in the Purple Jade Palace for Celdis, but she always longed for the freedom of her life as a dancer."

"You also wish to live in the city?"

"Yes."

Via nodded with a smile.

"I don't want to spend my life trapped in a birdcage."

It's a luxurious birdcage, Alex thought to himself.

As the First Prince, he believed without doubt that he would eventually become the Emperor and rule over the vast Ansheese.

His relatives, including his mother, and the loyal subjects who admired him, as well as these three friends, all wished for him to inherit the throne.

The next Emperor or death.

Unlike himself, who had only these two options, this Princess was so free and unbound.

Having such a woman by his side, Alex thought, would never be boring. A woman who knew a different world and held different values from his own.

"Alright. I'll think about it."

That was all Alex could say at the moment.

Via understood but couldn't back down with just that.

"Your Highness."

She lowered her eyes, as if uncertain, and then spoke softly.

"I can't wait much longer."