The place where Ferdel took me was outside the palace.
It was a mansion located inside the castle.
It gave me a good view of the palace for the first time in my life. Not only that, but it was also where civilians lived inside the castle. It was the first time Iâd seen all of it, so I couldnât even recognize the fact that Ferdel had kidnapped me while watching the new world.
At first, I was embarrassed. I should have cried when I was leaving the palace, but I was fascinated by the new things coming into my eyes.
Oh, Iâm so screwd.
However, it was amazing.
I vaguely imagined the hard-to-live and ruined city of war, but what I saw was the richness and abundance of the Agregiant Empire that I faced in front of me.
Of course, I knew I was rich, but I thought it was only possible because I was a princess. What is this though? The kingdom I saw was beyond my imagination.
Was this the picture of a wealthy empire armed with imperialism?
The richness from more than a dozen colonies overflowed this empire. I realized why the soldiers of Agregiant, armed with a spear knife, were trying to invade other countries.
Itâs hard to stop after they had tasted this sweet fruit. Itâs scary in many ways.
âWhat about Silvia?â
âSheâs in the Garden.â
It was a huge mansion where Ferdel arrived. It was impossible to know where it was since I could not read, but it was never a place where authority was weak.
However, was I kind of used to it? Itâs like an arm drawn in my ball. Hmm. Whatâs the name?
âSilvia!â
In a mansion large enough to be a castle, Ferdel found his way to the garden.
Garden?
It was more accurate to say that it was a greenhouse rather than a garden. A space filled with lively plants surrounded by glass walls on all sides. Itâs the size I had seen from a lot of movies.
Wow, thatâs amazing.
âSilvia, say hello. Itâs Princess Ariadna.â
Was that Silvia, the woman whoâs getting married with Ferdel?
I was struck by the pink eyes that ran into me, dimly retracing the memory of last week. How could someone be pink like that? The finely twisted pink hair shook like a petal.
âOh, my God!â
The woman, who was spending a sweet tea time alone, stood up in surprise of her sudden appearance and spilled the teacup. The blue tea spilled down and left a deep stain on the white dress.
That looked expensive. What should I do?
I raised my brows.
âAre you all right?â
âYes, itâs okay.â
The little smiling woman was beautiful, almost too much for this fool.
Wow, sheâs so pretty. What kind of beauty is this?
It was as if pink flowers were crushed and sprinkled. Because of her pale white skin, it felt like the petals on a flowerpot were melting away and spreading. What was sweet, delicate, and neat was my taste.
âI got a crush on you. Please hold my hand.â
She was so beautiful that I wanted to ask if I could hold her.
Some said Serira was an ordinary beauty, Iâll admit. The woman in front of me, no matter how beautiful my mother was, she was so pretty no one could easily top her
âYouâre marrying this angel! Ferdel, you criminal thief!â
âPrincess, sheâs going to be my wife. Pretty, right? Yeah?â
Yeah, sheâs so pretty. I looked at Ferdel with a nasty gaze. At that moment, Silvia smiled shyly in front of me.
âOh, my, you are so pretty. Her face is glowingâ¦â
âHello, Princess. This is Lady Aquileia.â
âPreetee!â
âEven your voice is pretty!â
I clapped my hands and admired her. Why was she so pretty?!
âMy, she spoke so well too!â
Oh, even your smile was beautiful. Silvia looked at me and gave a shy smile. She almost couldnât help herself.
Oh, my, I didnât know what to do anymore. Why was she so pretty? This was cheating! How could she be so pretty!?
âYou told me before, Silvia, that you wanted to see the princess. Thatâs why I brought her here. Good job?â
âIâve never seen you this close before.â
Silvia stood in front of me with an emotional face, her hands folded. Ferdel smiled with a proud look.
You, you.
I remembered a lot of words at the moment, but I just decided to admit it. Yeah, I thought I could understand him being a dullard. Of course, he would have to be dullard when he was marrying with such an angel!
Sob sob, itâs so pretty.
She stretched her hands towards me and opened them up. She looked at me and held my hands carefully. She was so careful with that touch that I was also shy.
âSheâs so very pretty!â
She succeeded in holding my hand, and Silvia smiled brightly. The smile made me laugh too. Why was she so pretty? Could a person be this pretty? This was a fraud.
Her eyes were pink. I thought it would be strange to have a pink personal color, but now that someone like her was standing in front of me, I didnât think there was any color that suited people as much as pink. What a shy and lovely color this was.
âBut have you brought her with his highnessâ permission?â
ââ¦Yes.â
Huh? What?
I turned to Ferdel since he said something ridiculous. Ferdel noded his head without changing his expression.
Wow, look at this guy. He was such a good liar. How could he lie like that?
âI heard theyâve doubled the guards at Solay Palace after last yearâs assassination attempt, yet heâs allowed you to bring her, then.â
Seeing Silvia smiling brightly hurt my heart.
âSilvia, youâre being fooled. Iâm being kidnapped!â
However, I could not explain well because of my pronunciation when I mumbled. âOh, sh*t, this world is rotten!â
âYes, he is indeed a true man, as you know. He allowed me wholeheartedly.â
He sure was a man, but he didnât allow this!
Of course, Ferdel didnât just drag me in. before he kidnaped me, it did seem like he wrote something on a scrap of paper and sent it to the palaceâ¦
However, I highly doubted my crazy daddy would sit still because of some scrap note.
âBut why would he send her alone? Shouldnât she be accompanied by her nanny or someone like that?â
âHmm, indeed. I wonder?â
At Silviaâs words, Ferdelâs smile broke slightly. He lied calmly, and then, in that little crack, Silvia opened her eyes and stared him for a moment. Even that was unbelievably cute.
âWhy are you marrying that guy? Marry a better manâ¦â
âFerdel.â
Silvia smiled quietly and smiled with her eyes, but why was it that her smiling gaze send shiver down my spine? I shuddered at the time when I couldnât even tell.
âYouâre not lying, are you?â
âUh, no? P, probably?â
ââ¦â
Itâs stuck, man.
Silviaâs face stiffened. Ferdel flustered in a sudden panic.
Tsk tsk. Caught just like that!
When I clicked my tongue, Silvia scolded Ferdel in silence. Ferdel bowed his head with a flustered face like a broken cracker
âIt was nothing big. I will take care of this afterwards.â
It looked like a real dark one outside, but I didnât think much about it. Come to think of it, was the first principle of the Marquis of Vietervo âeverything for the familyâ? Some of the stories I overheard were like that.
Silvia stared for a long time and finally sighed. When she closed her lips with a face that said she couldnât help it.
âReally?â
âYes!â
âWow, would you look at him laughing right away.â
It was a silly laugh, but there was something strange about Ferdelâs laugh that melted peopleâs hearts. Even I felt annoyed about him, but I felt like I was the bad one for getting mad at this idiot. Of course for Silviaâs sake.
She sighed and shook her head, then finally condoned Ferdelâs madness.
âBut the princess really is so cute. I want to have a child like her too.â
âYou can!â
Ferdel smiled and held Silviaâs hand. Then he cleared his throat for a while.
âWhat, are you picking a song for her?â
âSo, please have mine.â
âLook at him blush! Oh, my God! Mommy, Hereâs a couple about to get dirty over here! Iâm getting goosebumps! Itâs going crazy, Ugh! And she likes it! Why do I have to be stuck between this dirty couple!? Go to your room and make out! Sob sob, how dirty this world is.â
âShe is so well-behaved. I hear most kids cry a lot when they come to a new place.â
âMy princess is fine because sheâs a princess. Sheâs the daughter of that Emperor.â
âThatâs something that doesnât make sense, but it makes sense, too, at the same time.â
With me in the middle, these two looked at me with good intentions.
I was a little weirded out by it.
Itâs ticklish but sad. Yes, the ideal parents I imagined looked alike. If I was born under these parents, I would be better off.
I thought about it. Stupid and idiot, but had a lot of money, got someone on their back, and an incredibly smart dad. Meanwhile, here was a warm, kind-hearted mother who looked somehow like Serira. I envied the child who would be born between the two.
Stillâ¦
I could never deny I had already opened my heart to my father, given that I didnât want to leave him and be adopted to this house.
Itâs a f*cking annoying father, but I am his only child. Hold on, if I would come to think of it, was my dad okay right now? He wouldnât kill Serira for this⦠right?
I had got a bad feeling about thisâ¦
It was then. Suddenly, a commotion rang by the entryway.
âYour Highness!â
As soon as Ferdel heard the sound, he turned me over to Silvia. Then suddenly, he ran towards the window.
âWhat, hey! Youâre gonna kill yourself?â
âFerdel!â
His Majesty the Emperor!
Ferdelâs suicide attempt ended in failure today. Caitel caught Ferdelâs neck trying to escape through the window as soon as he came into the garden. How scary he was, Silvia and I had to hold our hands together and looked at them.
âAhhhh!â
Before running away, the just-caught Ferdel was thrown to the floor while his shoulder was stuck on a tree branch.
Oh, it must have hurt.
Holding a sword, Ferdel did not know when Caitel pointed the blade into his throat. The sharp white light made my heart cool.
âYouâre not really going to kill him, are you papa?â