Chapter 61

“Are you happy, Demian?”

From a young age, Demian was unusually obsessed with Meia.

<You’re pretty.>

It was what eleven-year-old Demian said when he first saw seven-year-old Meia.

Since then, Demian had been following Meia around.

<Where were you going?>

Since seeing Meia, Demian had wanted to ‘marry’ her.

<Mother! Since we’re still young, we should get engaged first, right?>

<Please tell Father!>

He dreamed of a rosy future with Meia, smiling brightly. Until the talk of Patzraelli and Meia’s engagement came up.

<It’s me over brother Patzraelli! It’s me!>

<Demi.>

<Mother! Why can’t it be me?>

Since being told why Meia couldn’t be his bride, he became very edgy and started studying furiously.

He even diligently practiced swordsmanship, which he had hated.

Honestly, no one knew how much the smile of that little girl affected Demian.

At some point, Patzraelli became the enemy of the world to Demian, and he didn’t hide his ambition to become the Crown Prince.

Thanks to this, Patzraelli’s vigilance grew day by day, and their relationship deteriorated. The clear thing is that Demian wants both the position of Crown Prince and Meia.

From his mother Luruna’s perspective, she honestly felt uneasy. Demian had been highly obsessed with Meia since childhood.

Obsession is like an abyss from which one cannot escape.

“If by any chance she accepts my request as I think, I will be even more captivated by her.”

With an ecstatic expression, Demian laughed and looked at the sky, making a resolution once more.

No matter where she is, he will make sure she has no choice but to return to his side. Even if by force…

“Ah, Meia.”

He will now create a splendid new cage. He will wrap the cage with thorny, beautiful roses.

No one will be able to approach, and she won’t be able to fly anywhere either.

Only he can open that cage.

Thinking of her waiting for him, trapped in that cage, Demian clutched his heart, which felt like it would explode like a volcano.

*

“I’m sorry for being late, Young Lady.”

Meia sat down on a chair and spoke in a low voice to Juan.

“There must have been a reason. Tell me why you were late.”

In response to Meia’s question, Juan bowed his head deeply and answered.

“Agnita was locked in solitary confinement, so it took time.”

Meia found Juan’s words puzzling. Just before she left, the only thing lacking from the Duke’s residence was the ‘solitary confinement.’

“Who made such a thing as solitary confinement in the Duke’s residence?”

“Lady Meryl created it.”

Nodding, she asked the next curious question.

“How has Cousin Meryl been doing these days?”

“Lady Meryl has been enjoying tea parties with young lords. She visited the underground club where young lords usually play every 2 to 3 days. And she seemed very close to Young Lord Thomas Kurundal.”

“What about Her Majesty the Empress?”

“Her Majesty the Empress…”

Juan relayed the current situation of the people Meia asked about. She learned that the relationship between Patzraelli and Meryl was not good, that the person Meryl was close to these days was Young Lord Thomas, and that Luman was using money for excessive business ventures.

“And… Madame Marienne was injured.”

“Why happend to her?”

Hearing that Meryl threw a plate of refreshments at Madame Marienne, injuring her enough to bleed because she wouldn’t give her a fur gift, Meia sighed.

No matter how far away Meia is and how bad her relationship is with her uncle and cousin, it doesn’t change the fact that she is a member of the Hatzbellua Ducal House. But the thought of how people would view the Hatzbellua Ducal House due to their actions made her chest feel tight.

“You’ve worked hard, Juan.”

Nodding at Juan’s words, Meia looked at Puring and said.

“Thank you, Master. You brought Agnita and Juan here safely to the Grand Duke’s residence.”

“Lady, the reason I came is not just to bring Juan and Agnita.”

“Please, go on.”

“It’s because of Prince Demian’s request.”

“A request?”

Puring took out an envelope from inside his robe and handed it to Meia.

She opened the envelope immediately and read the request inside.

“Does this mean the Mage Tower approved it?”

“It seems the wise Mage Tower knew I would show the request to the you first. In the past, such requests were immediately rejected.”

The Mage Tower, which has a will of its own, always prioritizes the safety of mages. That’s why when a new Master of the Mage Tower is born or a dangerous war breaks out, the Mage Tower teleports the building itself to the place it thinks is safest.

Puring took out a pile of letters from his magic bag and placed them on the table.

“These are letters addressed to you, Young Lady. I burned the love letters and marriage proposals.”

“Thank you as always, Master.”

As Meia shifted her eyes while reading Demian’s request, she finally put it down and asked Puring.

“A mage registered in the Mage Tower can accept Prince Demian’s request, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Surely, Prince Demian must have returned to the Carpen Empire with great pride after making a request to the Mage Tower.

She could vividly imagine his smug smile, even without seeing it.

“Master, what was your impression of meeting him?”

“His obsession with you was quite dangerous, Lady Meia.”

“To say it’s considerable doesn’t do him justice.”

She had endured countless times as a child. Her cherished pets were mercilessly killed by him.

The reason for killing them was always the same. It was because she paid attention to animals instead of him.

“Then I will accept Prince Demian’s request.”

Mages registered with the Mage Tower can choose their requests.

‘A request to find me.’

Meia felt a romantic sensation.

Juan scratched his head and turned his gaze elsewhere. Agnita also sighed and drooped her shoulders powerlessly.

Puring slightly furrowed his brows in the office as he looked at Meia.

“I have never been able to make choices in my life.”

Living as the only noble lady of the Hatzbellua family, Meia never once made a choice herself in what to eat, wear, see, say, or even her engagement.

“For me, the only answer to choices was always one. ‘Yes, I understand. Father, Mother.'”

The smartest flower of the social world, trained to perfection. The intended Crown Princess and future Empress.

All of it was crafted by David and Violet, the former Duke and Duchess of Hatzbellua.

“Of course, because Father and Mother loved me dearly, they wanted to place me in the best position in the Empire, ‘Empress,’ and knowing their hearts, I always answered ‘yes.'”

Of course, there were times when she whined that she didn’t want to. Her parents, respecting her wishes, sometimes let her roam freely. However, Meia’s rebellious phase was short.

Even after that, she tried to say ‘no,’ but she realized that there was more to lose and that she was a noble with great responsibilities and duties.

And after her parents passed away, she no longer stuck to the only choice available.

Of course, a significant reason was that there were no parents to say ‘yes’ to anymore.

There are no parents to rejoice even if she becomes the Empress. So she easily accepted the breakup with Patzraelli. Of course, her pride was certainly hurt, but it wasn’t bad.

For the first time, she could hold the initiative, not being the only choice.

However, the more she read the letters in front of her now, the more she saw that they were ‘choices with predetermined answers to choose from.’ The letters from close young ladies were full of advantages of their family men.

[Lady Meia, I hope you come to our family…]

[My brother is polite and…]

[My cousin is kind-hearted and…]

Meia sighed as she glanced through the letters in front of her. She was grateful that they saw her favorably and wanted her as the mistress of their family, but Prince Demian was going around saying he would make her his princess.

Even if Meia wanted to marry into a place with power as strong as the Carpen Empire because she didn’t want to marry Demian, he surely wouldn’t stay still. Meia thought he might even kill the man she marries, just like he did to her childhood pets.

Declaring, ‘Meia will soon be his princess,’ she couldn’t understand what confidence made him say that, but she felt there was definitely something behind it.

Meia read other letters aloud for those present.

“If you marry into our family, we’ll ensure you walk only on paths of flowers and money.”

Someone who doesn’t know would say. 

Choose from these many noble young lords!

With so many men begging, you don’t want to choose? Thinking it’s a rich thought? What’s the problem?

But that’s precisely the problem.

What they want is not Meia as a person. They just need the position that holds the title of the flower of the social world, which will strengthen their family.

Love? Marriage? Their obvious intentions are clear, and she’s not naive enough not to see that.

Liking is free, but the moment it’s forced, her choices naturally disappear.

Watching Meia smile like that, Puring said.

“I understand you’re quite fed up, Young Lady.”

Meia burned the letters Puring brought in the fireplace and said.

“Among these letters, there’s not a single person who respects my choice.”

While understanding them, she was also very disappointed that there wasn’t a single person who understood her heart.