Chapter 3

Helio chuckled. Hearing someone speak so confidently about their lack of value was amusing.

He reached out and put his hand inside the carriage window. Liliana flinched and tried to move back but widened her eyes and stayed still.

A woman more daring than expected.

Helio made this assessment as he touched Liliana’s pink hair. The soft strands tangled in his fingers and then gently untangled with the motion of the horse and carriage.

“If you bear a child, people will care about that child.”

There was no arguing with that. It would be a child with a claim to the throne. The Kingdom of Nieta couldn’t ignore such a child.

They might even want to bring the child to their own country to prevent their influence from growing too large. They’d have to pay a substantial price to do that, and Helio might be aiming for that.

‘One way or another, this man plans to have an heir with me.’

Liliana despaired inwardly. Indeed, in the original story, Helio and Liliana had a child for political reasons—not once but twice.

The first child was lost due to scheming and slander, which took a severe toll on the original Liliana’s health. When Helio received reports that she had recovered, he visited her palace to conceive a second child.

But those reports were false, made by the original Liliana to survive in the harsh palace. Her unrecovered body couldn’t endure childbirth, and she died.

As Liliana thought about it, she realized something: her lips parted in an O shape.

‘If I don’t fake my recovery, the emperor won’t visit me!’

The emperor seemed not to lay with women who weren’t fully recovered, so she wasn’t necessarily doomed to die. But still…

‘Having the first child means miscarrying and ruining my health! I don’t want to live weak and sickly for the rest of my life!’

Liliana shuddered at her own horrific thoughts. As she vigorously shook her head, her soft, candy-floss hair swayed. Helio watched this with a curious expression.

‘This little one is thinking hard.’

She was like a small squirrel, likely to lose all her acorns while futilely using her brain.

Helio let Liliana continue her intense thinking as he lightly nudged his horse forward, moving closer to the front of the procession. Meanwhile, Liliana was still in turmoil.

‘How can I make the emperor forget about me?’

* * *

In fact, crossing the border didn’t feel that significant. Liliana thought there were more outposts, and the equipment looked more refined.

The military power of the Carlo Empire and the Kingdom of Nieta was said to be decades apart, but Liliana, having no military knowledge in either life, naturally didn’t know this.

So, it wasn’t until they reached a large town that Liliana truly felt she had arrived in the Carlo Empire.

The well-maintained roads, bustling markets, and prosperous-looking people were astonishing. Liliana opened the carriage window to look outside and asked a nearby knight riding a horse,

“Sir, is this the capital?”

The knight replied stiffly,

“No, this is the border city of Arsen, Your Highness.”

“This is a border city?”

Liliana was surprised, her eyes widening. She had never left the capital of the Kingdom of Nieta before this. She had only this one chance to compare the borders of Nieta and Carlo. Yet, the stark difference was unmistakable.

“The borders of the Kingdom of Nieta were so desolate…”

Military bases were all there was, and the people seemed starving. As Liliana mumbled, the knight, with more pride than before, said,

“The empire is strong. Living on the border is not dangerous at all.”

That’s why people could gather and live here. Liliana nodded. While leisurely looking outside, she felt people staring and whispering beyond the carriage.

“What’s with that carriage?”

“They say it’s the princess from the defeated Kingdom of Nieta.”

“Oh dear, how pitiful.”

Feeling embarrassed, Liliana bit her lip and carefully closed the window. With the curtains drawn, the voices were reduced to a hum.

“Princess, please don’t mind them.”

“I’m not. It’s just strange that everyone is talking about me.”

Sophia looked even more pained by Liliana’s words. Sophia was indeed a kind maid. It must not have been easy for her to follow Liliana to this distant land, but she had willingly come along. Liliana held Sophia’s hand and comforted her.

“Let’s do our best. Once we reach the palace, things will quiet down. We can live peacefully there, tending to the flower garden.”

“Yes, let’s do that. Though the palace won’t be so quiet once you have a baby.”

Sophia said this as if to offer comfort. Liliana shuddered again and forced a smile. She would never have a child. She wouldn’t even conceive one in the first place.

“Why, what’s wrong, Princess?”

“Well…”

After a moment’s hesitation, Liliana pulled Sophia’s hand closer. Sophia looked puzzled, wondering why Liliana was acting this way. Liliana whispered into Sophia’s ear,

“Get me some contraceptives when we arrive at the palace.”

“What?”

Sophia let go of Liliana’s hand in disbelief.

“If we get caught, it’ll be a big trouble! You think only I will die? You’ll die too, Princess!”

“Sophia, please. I absolutely don’t want to get pregnant.”

“Why on earth? Where else can you find someone as helpful as the heir in this lonely palace life? You’ve even been promised the right of succession.”

“That’s the problem! Because of that damn right of succession, the emperor will never, ever step down! He’s got a firm grip on the shackles of the Nieta Kingdom, and he won’t throw away that opportunity.”

Liliana looked pitifully with her pink eyes and pouted her lips. But this act of pity didn’t work at all. As if scolding a child, Sophia tapped Liliana’s lips with her index finger and shook her head.

“Absolutely not. I can’t help you do anything that would harm His Majesty.”

Sophia looked resolute. It seemed impossible to persuade her. Liliana decided to take a step back. She might find a way to manage it on her own.

Liliana turned her sulky face to the side. But all she could see was the gently swaying curtain, which only made her feel more bored.

* * *

Liliana’s pouting and pitiful expression didn’t last long. Her weary body couldn’t withstand the boredom, and she fell asleep.

What woke her was the loud sound of drums and the shouts of people.

“Long live the Emperor!”

“Long live the Carlo Empire!”

People were excitedly shouting and singing songs of victory.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes… Where am I?”

“We’re in the capital.”

Liliana slightly pulled back the curtain and looked outside. The capital of the Carlo Empire was so beautiful and grand that she couldn’t help but be amazed.

There were countless large buildings, and even the people who seemed to be commoners were dressed in luxurious silk, making it hard to tell them apart. Liliana murmured bitterly.

“…It was inevitable for the Kingdom of Nieta to lose.”

It was foolish of the King of Nieta to resist such a powerful country.

The carriage passed through the capital’s main street and entered the imperial palace. From there, it branched off in several directions. The carriage that Liliana was in arrived in front of a certain palace.

The columns were so white that they seemed to be made of snow. The palace’s roof was a refreshing sea-like emerald, and the windows were engraved with intricate patterns.

Liliana couldn’t help but marvel at such a splendid and grand palace.

“Why have we come to such a place? Should I pay my respects immediately?”

Liliana thought this palace belonged to the empress dowager or another high-ranking person. However, the servant attending her during the ride denied this thought with a bow.

“The Emerald Palace is a palace that His Majesty the Emperor has bestowed upon Princess Liliana. You will be staying here from now on.”

Liliana wanted to gape at this revelation but couldn’t because of her dignity as a princess. She tried to hide her surprise and carefully asked,

“Ah, is it a palace for receiving guests?”

It made sense to build such a beautiful palace to receive guests. However, the servant shook his head and delivered the final word.

“Princess Liliana, you are the only owner of this palace.”

Liliana entered the Emerald Palace in a daze. Maids were lined up, waiting for her. The head maid in the front row stepped forward and handed her an envelope. Liliana accepted it and looked inside.

A short sentence was written in cursive on the letter, decorated with a gold border.

“All your maids are spies, so don’t think of running away.”

Ha, this crazy emperor…

Liliana felt a headache coming on.