Volume IV

Chapter 1. Cracks for Happiness (2)

As Adelia thought, the Emperor was paying attention to her words. Though his anger hadn’t subsided, he would first show interest if it concerned Ariana.

Only then did Adelia bring up her final story.

“Once there was a boy who received a parrot as a gift from his father. The boy treasured the parrot so much that he didn’t want to show it to anyone, so he put it in a glass jar and kept it in a box.”

“……”

“Naturally, the parrot died. The boy learned from this that actions without consideration for others are wrong. Unfortunately, they say he never learned that life shouldn’t be confined anywhere.”

Adelia told the story gently as if reading a fairy tale to a child. As her story continued, the Emperor’s face subtly creased.

This was the story the Emperor had told Ariana. After experiencing his beloved daughter’s two escapes, he told this story from his childhood while apologizing to his daughter and repenting his sins.

The Emperor found the story familiar but couldn’t bring himself to ask about it.

At that time, as the 10th prince, he was a prince even the Emperor didn’t remember. The parrot was the first gift that had reached his hands after passing through his older siblings, a gift from a distant country. There would be no records remaining of the 10th prince who received none of the Emperor’s attention.

The Emperor dismissed this as mere coincidence and sharply turned his head away.

Adelia added one final comment.

“And material gifts won’t be enough to soothe the princess’s heart. Put away that jewelry list.”

What the Emperor had been looking at on his desk was a list of jewelry for young girls. Though they were splendid and valuable items, Ariana’s feelings couldn’t be bought with money.

“Enough. That’s enough. Both you and Lucian, get out.”

The Emperor pressed his forehead with one hand while waving the other dismissively. His head was starting to throb.

Various emotions mixed on the Emperor’s face. Anger, irritation, displeasure, self-loathing, regret.

Adelia took a step back. Since faint regret showed on the Emperor’s face, her role was finished. What came next was for the Emperor to decide for himself.

Lucian, who had been sitting, approached Adelia. He placed his hand on her shoulder and bent down to whisper quietly.

“Wife. Let’s leave.”

“Alright.”

Adelia nodded obediently. Before turning to leave, she corrected her posture.

Adelia placed one hand on her chest, held her dress with the other, and bowed at the waist toward the Emperor.

“I shall take my leave.”

Pleasant phrases like ‘have a peaceful day’ or ‘have a good day’ would only provoke the Emperor’s anger more.

Adelia gave a clean greeting. As she straightened her back again, the familiar scent of sandalwood wafted strongly.

“Shall we go?”

Lucian approached Adelia and held out his hand. Adelia habitually raised her hand to take his. But she hesitated and instead of placing her hand on his, she gently pushed his hand away.

Adelia slightly crinkled her eyes and shook her head.

“It’s not far, I’m fine.”

“I understand.”

At her rejection, Lucian’s hand hesitantly lowered. It was the first time Adelia had rejected his escort. He was also concerned about how she had oddly lowered her hand first when entering the office.

Adelia walked proudly without an escort. She glanced at the Emperor who still had his gaze fixed on documents and placed her hand on the doorknob.

Before turning the handle, Adelia turned her head again.

“Look at me, Your Majesty. I lived like a doll in the Count’s residence my whole life and struggled to escape, didn’t I end up leaving by marrying His Highness the Crown Prince? People are not dolls. They cannot live under parental control forever.”

Of course, Adelia and Ariana’s situations were different.

Adelia had escaped because she was sick of abuse, while Ariana would leave to see the world away from the Emperor’s control.

Though they were two people with different backgrounds, only one thing reached the Emperor’s ears.

Marriage.

This was also what Adelia had led to. What the Emperor dreaded most was Ariana marrying and living away.

Seeing the red eyes shake violently at the word marriage, Adelia turned the doorknob.

When she opened the door, she saw palace servants trembling outside. Some had already collapsed and been taken to the infirmary, so there were fewer than before.

Meanwhile, the maids from the Crown Princess’s palace were worried about their mistress. While sitting on the floor, they raised their heads to check Adelia’s condition.

Adelia gave them a bright smile like a flower bud blooming fully to reassure them.

“Go visit the physician. I’ll return to my room, so you may rest until the next schedule.”

She felt sorry seeing the maids trembling from experiencing the Emperor’s anger for the first time, and was touched by their concern for her even in that state.

Adelia called knights to support the maids. Only after seeing them leave for the infirmary did she start walking.

Though much had happened in a short time, Adelia’s steps were light.

‘Being expelled from the palace and becoming the Emperor’s enemy… That was part of my thirty-fourth plan anyway.’

Adelia had about fifty different plans. She had even recorded them in detail in a book since they were too many to remember.

She was satisfied that she had done what she needed to do, regardless of how things might change after today.

“What do you think of what I said, Your Highness?”

She was curious about the thoughts of Lucian, who had shared the Emperor’s thinking in the original story. If his thoughts had changed, perhaps the Emperor would change his mind too.

Lucian looked at Adelia with his red eyes and opened his mouth.

“Ariana is still young and weak.”

For a moment, disappointment flashed across Adelia’s face. Seeing this, Lucian spoke hurriedly as if making an excuse.

“But I agree with what you said. We can’t keep her in the palace forever. When she goes out, you and I will be there so there won’t be much danger.”

Lucian’s words made Adelia’s heart feel lighter.

Adelia chuckled as she gracefully walked down the corridor.

“Right? His Majesty is quite timid, you know.”

“Eh? Surely you don’t mean Father?”

Lucian, walking beside Adelia, stopped and asked.

Timid. It was a word that absolutely didn’t suit the Emperor. The Emperor he knew was always like a sturdy and firm tree.

To begin with, the word timid seemed out of place for someone who had bloodied his hands countless times to ascend to the Emperor’s throne.

Adelia nodded.

“Yes, His Majesty is afraid the princess might get hurt outside. Even though the princess is quite strong.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. Even if her imperial blood is a bit thin as the third child, she’s still a member of the imperial family with red eyes. She’s much stronger than ordinary children.”

Lucian narrowed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.

It was just that Lucian and Lawrence were so sturdy that the princess seemed weak in comparison, but measured against ordinary people, all three were very healthy and strong.

Lucian nodded half-believingly. To him, Ariana was still his small and weak youngest sister.

When the conversation ended, silence fell between them.

Lucian rolled his red eyes while looking at Adelia and spoke again.

“By the way, where did you hear that story?”

“Which one? The parrot story?”

“Yes. It seems like I’ve heard it somewhere before, and Father’s expression changed a bit.”

The gifted parrot. Somehow it felt like he had heard it from his mother when he was very young. The memory was hazy so he couldn’t be sure.

Adelia quietly contemplated while looking at Lucian. The sight of him looking down at her from his tall height while talking caught her eye.

‘Was he originally one to lead conversations?’

In conversations with Lucian present, Ariana and Adelia led the atmosphere. Even when just the two of them were alone, Adelia was usually the one to start conversations.

This was the first time Lucian had led the conversation.

‘He’s being considerate of me.’

He was leading the conversation to be considerate of Adelia who must be tired from arguing with the Emperor. To keep the walk to the Crown Princess’s palace from being awkward, while also not weighing down the conversation with heavy topics. It was Lucian’s way of comfort and consideration, as verbal comfort was awkward for him.

Adelia, who was about to brush it off, gently crinkled her eyes. A clear smile colored her fresh face.

“I read it somewhere. It’s the childhood story of a very noble and beautiful boy. Thanks to that, the boy learned that actions without consideration for others are wrong, so he met a very good wife and lived happily. But it seems he never learned that life cannot be confined anywhere.”

“What?”

Adelia added an unnecessary epilogue. This was not the past but the future. A future that might come or disappear.

“That boy also raised his daughter confined. Then his daughter ran away. First she ran away with a guard knight saying she wanted to see the ocean, and when she grew a bit older, she eloped with that guard knight.”

“What a horrible story.”

Lucian said with furrowed brows. Hearing the word ‘elope’ made his hair stand on end and his chest feel tight.

He listened attentively to her story, adding reactions here and there. Though it was just a story from a book, it particularly caught his ear.

Adelia, who had been telling the story while walking gracefully with her hands behind her back, smiled with her eyes half-closed.

“Right? But the ending was happy. The boy lived happily with his family, and his daughter also married the guard knight and lived happily. It’s a happy ending where the guard knight cherished and loved the boy’s daughter for life.”

Thinking of that happy scene naturally brought a smile. It wasn’t like other books that ended with ‘and they lived happily ever after.’ It depicted the princess and the prince who had been a guard knight living happily. Their happy figures whispering love until the end were vivid in her mind.

But Lucian frowned as if he didn’t like Adelia’s words.

“Though it’s a happy ending, I absolutely don’t want to show it to Ariana. What’s the title? I need to ban it immediately.”

“Haha, don’t worry. It’s a book that can’t be read even if you want to.”

Adelia suppressed the laughter bubbling up from deep inside and only showed a faint smile.

If you were to discover my secret, would you be able to tell me? That this boy is your father, and the boy’s daughter is your sister.