It may be a stupid thing to say, but he thought, no, he would be different from the others, because he and I both hate this hellish empire of mine, Reizen.
I thought he was my only savior, but to him I was just the daughter of his enemy.
01
My fiancé, my savior
One fine spring day, the scent of spring filled the room through the window, but my room was still winter. There was not a single servant, the hallway was dusty, and the air was cold and devoid of any warmth. All of this suited me, a half-princess.
No matter how dilapidated the palace was, it was more tolerable than the humiliation and abuse I had endured before I was imprisoned here. This ancient place became my only haven.
"It's spring already," I muttered.
As I sat by the window and stretched out my hand, a petal that had been dancing in the wind fell gently into my palm. Looking at the petal in my palm, I gave a small smile.
"It's beautiful," I murmured.
The moment I tried to grasp the petal,
Bang—
I heard the door open, and when I turned my head to look at the door, it was wide open and three women were standing there in maid's uniforms.
"It's a letter."
Eventually, the woman in the middle stepped forward and handed me a letter. The half-torn envelope did little to hide the fact that it had been read without the owner's permission.
I stared at the letter, then turned away again and looked at my palms, the petals blowing away in the wind.
"You don't even say hello to me."
"This is an engagement letter."
"An engagement letter? For me?"
"Yes, to be precise, it's a letter from Lady Rose. Not Lady Iris."
I glared at the maid holding the letter and snatched it away. Of course, there would be no more letters in Iris' name now, and never again. Iris was dead.
Technically, outwardly, he is dead.
Iris, that means I am the Emperor's illegitimate child.
When the Emperor's beloved daughter, Princess Rose, died, he allowed me to live in her place. Rose died and Iris lived, but then Iris died and Rose lived. From that day on, my life became inextricably intertwined.
"Squips? Choi Seungcheol??"
"Yes, I am the Northern Grand Duke of the Regen region. The princess, that is, is now being taken as a hostage."
After speaking, the maids began to giggle among themselves. The situation they imagined was very different from my current situation. He would be my only lifeline.
A chill ran down my spine. My mouth turned up uncontrollably. My whole body tingled, my breathing became heavy, and I felt excited. He could do it, he could do it, he could bring down this damn empire.
"Choi Seungcheol...no, is it Grand Duke Esquips correct?"
"I... I'm telling you that!"
Choi Seungcheol...Yes, it was the boy I met at the flower garden 10 years ago. He was my only ally in life and my first love. Of course, I haven't seen him since our first meeting 10 years ago, and my name has changed, but I'm sure he would recognize me.
"No matter how much the princess dislikes it, it's no use. The marriage has already been arranged," said one of the maids.
When I heard that, I immediately stood up.
"Marriage? Soon? When is my wedding?"
When the maids heard what I said, they looked at each other and smiled uncomfortably.
"Today."
________
"Ahhh!" I cried.
They continued their work, ignoring my screams. I looked in the mirror, cursing in my mind.
Her messy hair was neatly styled, her tattered clothes were shining pure white, and the earthy smell that had been lingering all over her body had somehow been replaced by the scent of roses.
"Everything is in order."
"Wow..."
Today was the wedding of a daughter who had been abandoned but was outwardly cherished, so the beautiful bride who was really getting married was reflected in the mirror.
While I was admiring myself for a while, the maids had already left the room.
"Your hands are rough, but you do have a technique," I said, turning around to look in the mirror, and the hem of my dress followed me a beat later.
Knock, knock, knock.
There was a polite knock and I answered, still looking in the mirror.
"Come in."
I heard the door open and close, but no words were spoken. I turned around quizzically and saw him standing there.
"Nice to meet you, Princess."
"picture…?"
"Esquips."
This was the second time Seungcheol and I met.