The woman with the greatest difference between her outer appearance and inner self in the world, that was Chloe. Selected as a Crown Princess candidate at a young age, she displayed more dignity and grace than anyone else, but the reality was quite different.

Chloe could perfectly play the role of the ideal Crown Princess whenever she felt others watching her.

These were pretentious behaviors resulting from 16 years of being taught to maintain a noble and elegant demeanor in all circumstances.

Therefore, she couldn’t help but consider herself hypocritical.

However, there was someone even more hypocritical than Chloe in the imperial palace. That was her fiancé, Lucius, the Crown Prince of the Nate Empire.

Arrogant and indifferent, he pretended to be affectionate in front of others, but when they were alone, he barely spoke to her, acting like he never had. This despite being engaged for 16 years.

Since he wasn’t someone who easily let others get close, Chloe and her fiancé Lucius inevitably maintained a distant relationship. To be precise, it was a formal relationship.

She first met him when she was 8 years old, when she was selected as the Crown Princess largely due to her father Duke Limerick’s influence. Attending a tea party at the imperial palace with Duke Limerick, she was formally introduced to Lucius.

While this was the day she met her fiancé, it was also the day when hardship, trials, and loneliness began in Chloe’s life.

* * *

“Greet him, Chloe. This is His Highness Crown Prince Lucius.”

“I am Chloe Limerick.”

After Duke Limerick’s introduction, Chloe greeted him as respectfully as possible and looked at Lucius.

His golden hair, reflecting the sunlight, looked like rippling waves of gold, and his beautiful blue eyes sparkled like jewels.

How could eyes be so beautiful?

Lucius was so breathtakingly handsome that just looking at his face made Chloe’s cheeks flush red.

She didn’t possess such outstanding looks herself, so it would be a lie to say she wasn’t jealous, but his beauty was so exceptional that it transcended such feelings.

So marriage to the beautiful Crown Prince seemed something she could accept quite positively.

But that was just Chloe’s misconception.

“You’re my future bride?”

The corners of Lucius’s mouth were smiling as he spoke, but his eyes were not. His disinterested gaze made it clear enough that he didn’t welcome this political marriage.

“Yes.”

“You look like a pumpkin.”

“…”

At that moment, everyone present was too shocked to speak.

Chloe was so offended by his rudeness that had he not been the Crown Prince, she would have confronted him and fought back immediately.

She had never once thought of herself as ugly. Who would have expected to hear such words from the man who was to become her husband?

All sorts of nasty retorts came to mind, but forcing her lips into a smile, she barely opened her mouth.

“The position of Crown Princess isn’t chosen based on appearance. So even if you don’t like how I look, I will fulfill my role as Crown Princess thoroughly, so you needn’t worry.”

“Whatever.”

Lucius’s arrogant expression was incredibly irritating, but Chloe suppressed her anger by clutching the hem of her dress.

He provoked her several more times after that, so while they appeared to be exchanging smiles on the surface, a small battle of nerves took place between their gazes.

“Chloe is more than adequate as a Crown Princess. Please look upon her kindly, Your Highness.”

Belatedly, Duke Limerick defended Chloe and tried to change the atmosphere. After that, the adults’ conversation continued, and she was given no more time to talk with the Crown Prince.

It seemed they were preventing any further harsh words from coming out of his mouth.

Even as the boring tea party continued, Lucius didn’t give Chloe any more attention. Chloe, who had glanced at him several times, stubbornly refused to look at him again, determined not to lose.

Thus, the first meeting with the man who would become her future husband ended terribly.

* * *

“Am I really so ugly that he called me a pumpkin? Tell me honestly.”

As soon as they returned to the Limerick household, Chloe asked Emily, her personal maid. She wanted to confirm directly whether all the compliments about her beauty that she had received were just empty flattery.

“My lady, what are you saying? You’re so beautiful! Who would say such nonsense?”

Emily wore an expression of disbelief.

“That Crown Prince guy said so.”

“My lady, you should watch your language. But did His Highness really say such a terrible thing? How could he do that?”

“I know, right? That jerk has a foul mouth and is so arrogant. I really hate him.”

“My lady!”

“Alright, I’ll be careful with my words.”

Chloe acknowledged her mistake while checking Emily’s reaction.

Nevertheless, her anger toward Lucius didn’t subside. She had never been called pumpkin-like by anyone before, so the word seemed to stick firmly in her mind.

Her bad premonition proved correct when for several days afterward, Chloe had nightmares of being crushed by a giant pumpkin.

After suffering through sleepless nights for several days, Chloe, unable to bear it any longer, sought out Duke Limerick early in the morning to reveal her true feelings.

If she didn’t speak today, she would have to leave for the Crown Princess’s palace tomorrow, so this was her last chance to cancel the engagement.

“I’m not suitable to be the Crown Princess. Please refuse on my behalf, Father.”

For the first time in her life, Chloe rebelled against her father.

“Why on earth do you dislike it? Are you upset because of what His Highness said to you?”

“He insulted me. How can you ask me to endure that?”

“He was probably just being shy. That’s why he played that mischievous prank. Isn’t the Crown Prince the same age as you? At that age, such things can happen. His Highness will improve gradually with proper education.”

Whether they considered the insulting remarks insignificant, the Duke and his wife dismissed Chloe’s opinion.

“That won’t make feelings appear where there are none.”

“Chloe, marriage isn’t about feelings. So discard such useless emotions.”

Though she tried to speak as calmly and composedly as possible, Duke Limerick’s response was cold-hearted. It was exactly what she had expected, leaving her feeling deflated. Still, Chloe wanted to assert her will.

“Surely there are other young ladies more suitable to be Crown Princess than me!”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Please!”

Chloe threw a tantrum for the first time in her life with Duke Limerick, but it didn’t work.

Duke Limerick was strict and resolute in everything. Also, he showed more interest in maintaining the prosperity and power of the family than in his daughter’s happiness, so this outcome was expected.

Chloe looked at the Duchess Limerick with a pleading expression, but she too shook her head.

The Duchess was someone who obediently followed her husband’s orders rather than caring for her daughter’s feelings.

They were always like that. They thought of the empire’s happiness before Chloe’s, and worried about state affairs before her feelings. In some ways, they seemed cold to their daughter.

But since she knew they had always been that way, there was nothing to feel hurt about.

“Go pack your things now. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning, so there isn’t much time.”

Until the formal engagement, Chloe had to stay at the imperial palace and receive education befitting a Crown Princess.

From the moment she became a Crown Princess candidate, her home effectively changed to the Crown Princess’s palace. As a result, the Limerick household became a place she could no longer freely come and go.

But the faces of Duke and Duchess Limerick showed no concern for their young daughter who would now live alone in the imperial palace, separated from her family.

They only wished for Chloe to acquire the dignity and grace befitting a Crown Princess as quickly as possible.

“I understand.”

Realizing that continuing the conversation wouldn’t change anything, Chloe had to return to her room without further objection.

She was only 8 years old too…

The Crown Prince wasn’t the only child. Chloe was also young. Yet the Duke and Duchess treated her like an adult.

Considering their usual attitude, it wasn’t surprising, but she couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

That’s not to say she felt lonely in the Limerick household. There was family who genuinely cared for Chloe.