Chapter 6.11

Lisael’s shoulders, which had maintained a composed stillness until now, began to tremble uncontrollably. Her voice poured out like crashing waves, as if pleading. Lisael’s hand, gripping Miguel’s wrist tightly to provoke his emotions, carried a different kind of desperation. Even if it was cowardly, she hoped this grip would shake his resolve.

“Lisael, I’m no different from my father. I’m no longer afraid of being hated by others. The only thing I fear is you. If I can avoid your resentment, it doesn’t matter if everyone else despises me. Conversely, even if everyone loves me, it means nothing if you hate me.”

“Then, all the more reason…”

“That’s why I have to do this. You’re that important to me. Didn’t I promise to free you from the Dante family? Trust me this time too. After this, I promise the village will change in the way you’ve always wanted.”

It was incomprehensible. Lisael’s grip on his wrist loosened, drained of strength. 

Was this just another ploy to deceive me? If I truly mattered to him, wouldn’t he waver for me, just this once?

“A forest that’s going to be ruined anyway… And you’re saying the village will change in the way I want, even if you play the villain? Do I look like a fool who’d fall for such feeble words?”

Miguel glanced sideways. 

Arguing like lovers in front of the palace—no wonder the palace guards, misunderstanding the situation, were beginning to watch them closely. Miguel wanted to give Lisael more reassurance, but the timing was bad. Too many ears were listening, and it was a problem.

“…I would never treat the village carelessly. After all, it’s what you hold most dear. I must go now.”

To make it seem as though they were nothing more than an eccentric couple, Miguel pulled Lisael into a firm embrace, whispered softly into her ear, and then entered the palace. The thick iron gates of the palace closed tightly behind him after he was let in, and the guards blocked Lisael’s path.

Lisael stood there, staring blankly as Miguel moved further and further away, beyond her reach. 

Doesn’t loving someone naturally mean cherishing what they love as well? Not long ago, she had lamented this very thought to herself, but that bitter disappointment had long been forgotten. 

Now, she could only sigh about how her childhood friend had always been an enigma. That cold friend, who refused to leave even a sliver of room for persuasion, felt unbearably cruel.

In the end, she had changed nothing. Miguel wasn’t someone who could be swayed by mere complaints or emotional appeals. To deal with someone like him, one had to make a deal and offer a reward that matched his value.

‘But I have nothing to offer.’

That’s why the territory’s residents couldn’t negotiate with their Lord or persuade him. This bitter truth, which she already knew all too well, only engraved itself deeper into her heart.

“Madame, if you don’t have an appointment at the palace, please return now.”

One of the guards approached Lisael, who stood motionless like a forlorn statue, and spoke politely. Only then did Lisael tear her gaze away from the palace and turn to leave for her carriage. 

Just then, a large carriage bearing the royal emblem, indicating it belonged to someone of high status, approached. The palace guards hurriedly opened the gates without even checking who was inside, ensuring the carriage wouldn’t have to wait.

Lisael instinctively stepped aside, bowing her head slightly. The carriage, which seemed intent on entering without slowing down, suddenly came to a halt between the gates. 

The abrupt stop puzzled not only the guards but also Lisael, who raised her head in surprise.

Soon, the carriage door opened, and a man who appeared to be an attendant stepped out and quickly approached Lisael. 

Was he about to scold me for standing at the palace gates without permission? 

Nervous, Lisael took a few steps back, but it was a meaningless gesture.

“Madame, are you the Countess of the Dante family?”

“Yes… that’s correct.”

He knows who I am. 

Lisael grew even more tense, clasping her hands tightly together. However, the attendant’s previously stern expression softened slightly as he gestured toward the carriage.

“You are being summoned. Please come this way.”

‘Could it be…?’

When Lisael reached the carriage, following the vague instruction, the window opened halfway, and a face peeked out from within.

‘I knew it….’

“Greetings to Your Highness, Prince Ivan.”

The only member of the Imperial Family she knew—and who knew her—was Prince Ivan. Of all places, why did she have to run into him here? The commotion at the Dolce village market was a memory she never wanted to revisit. 

It was the first time she had witnessed someone openly criticizing the Cherlin family, and she hadn’t been able to conclude the prince’s escort smoothly. Surely, Prince Ivan, who was even more fastidious than Miguel, wouldn’t have a favorable impression of her.

The fact that he had gone out of his way to summon her in the capital implied he bore a grudge.

As Lisael bowed her head, a command came for her to raise it. Despite her resentment, Lisael could only act meekly in front of royalty.

“I didn’t expect to see you here. What brings you to the capital?”

Prince Ivan’s expression, as he addressed her in the capital, was entirely different from the sullen face she had seen in Dolce. The faint smile on his youthful face even made him look somewhat innocent. Was he only more irritable back then because he was in a distant land?

“My husband, the Young Earl of the Dante family, is visiting the palace on business, so I accompanied him.”

Rather than explaining her situation in detail, Lisael opted for a light lie, thinking it would be more convenient for both sides. For now, she was relieved that the prince hadn’t summoned her to reprimand her. 

At this moment, she didn’t have the emotional capacity to endure any more criticism.

“I see. If the Dante family is moving, it must mean there’s a lucrative business opportunity.”

Even a young boy who had just passed through puberty was well aware of the Dante family’s influence. Lisael couldn’t help but marvel at their reputation. Judging by the prince’s candid tone, it seemed the Dante family’s notorious reputation hadn’t reached the capital.

After all, to those in power, the Dante family was merely a naturally gifted business dynasty. No matter how much wealth the Dante family amassed, it had no bearing on them.

This was now true for Lisael as well. If Lisael, as part of the Dante family, were to complain about their exploitation of commoners, the capital’s nobles would likely consider her delusional. 

When she had been part of Cherlin, no one had listened because she lacked power. Now, as part of Dante, no one listened because her power was seen as the Dante family’s, not her own. Either way, powerlessness was a luxury she could never escape.

“That… peculiar dessert I had at the market last time.”

Suddenly, Prince Ivan cleared his throat and brought up a new topic. Lisael, who had been trying to maintain a neutral expression, furrowed her brow slightly at the unexpected question.

‘Ah… cotton candy….’

After a brief moment of recollection, Lisael remembered the cloud-like white cotton candy and the scornful looks it had drawn from the cotton candy vendor. It was not a pleasant memory.

“Yes, I believe you’re referring to cotton candy.”

To Ivan, however, the cotton candy seemed to have left a strong impression. It was certainly an intriguing treat for someone encountering it for the first time.

“Yes, that’s it. No one around me seems to know about it.”

As if a weight had been lifted off his chest, Ivan smiled brightly and clicked his tongue at his attendant. Judging by the attendant’s embarrassed bow, it seemed they had gone to great lengths to inquire about it.

“You can probably find it at the capital’s markets.”

“Madame, go with my attendant and bring some back.”

Ivan’s sudden order left Lisael unable to respond immediately. Running an errand for cotton candy in her current mood was the last thing she wanted to do.

However, neither the prince nor his diligent attendant seemed to consider the possibility that Lisael might be reluctant. They simply assumed she would comply. In the end, Lisael had no choice but to head to the capital’s market, a place she had never visited before, to fulfill the unspoken demand.

Lisael’s prediction proved correct when she spotted a stall nearby, displaying colorful, fluffy cotton-candy-like treats stuck on sticks. The attendant, who had been trailing behind Lisael, lit up the moment he saw the cotton candy and dashed toward it in excitement. Muttering repeatedly, “So this is cotton candy,” his elation made it clear how much effort he had put into finding it.

The attendant ended up buying twelve cotton candies, bundled together as if he would never eat them all. Lisael, intending to take her leave after offering a polite farewell, was stopped by the attendant.

“Please wait, Madame! You must accompany me back to the palace.”

“To the palace? Me?”

“Yes, His Highness Prince Ivan gave the order.”

It was an unexpected opportunity to enter the palace. Unlike the flustered Lisael, her companions Charlotte and Emma seemed thrilled at the rare chance to visit the palace. 

Even if she went to the palace, it wasn’t as though she would be able to roam freely or find Miguel. It was too much of a coincidence. Lisael accepted the unavoidable command without protest.