Chapter 1.1 – The Declaration of the Fiancée

On a peaceful day, a fiancé and fiancée, who had become the talk of the capital as their wedding approached, sat facing each other.

“I have something important to tell you.”

After much hesitation, her voice finally broke the silence, carrying a serious tone. Since she was not one to speak carelessly, the man sitting across from her willingly dismissed the attendants nearby.

The fragrant aroma of black tea lingered softly in the air, leaving the two of them alone at last.

“All right, what is it? Is it something so serious that we need to postpone the royal wedding?”

“….”

Even after they were left alone, she hesitated for a moment before finally parting her lips.

“I… want to experience romance.”

“…What?”

The man, Servante, the noble Crown Prince of the Asherit Empire, wondered if there was something wrong with his hearing. Otherwise, there was no way such absurd words could come out of the mouth of his fiancée, who was soon to marry him.

“I said, I want to experience romance.”

However, his esteemed fiancée did not merely knock on his reason but shattered it entirely with her repeated words. Swallowing the urge to say, ‘Who are you, really?’ Servante barely managed to lift the corners of his mouth into a smile.

“…Weren’t you here to discuss matters regarding the upcoming royal wedding?”

His tone implied, ‘What nonsense are you spouting so close to the wedding?’ Servante hoped she would regain her senses and calmly explain herself.

Having been the one to drop the bombshell, Carnier nodded with a composed expression.

“I apologize for speaking so hastily. It’s just that if I delay any further, I might not be able to say it at all.”

“All right, then. Calmly explain what this is about…”

“I want to experience romance before the royal wedding.”

“….”

Servante fell silent at her rational yet utterly baffling explanation.

It was a morning, just ten days before their wedding.

***

Carnier Ruble Raymore was ‘the fiancée of the Crown Prince.’ Adding a word, one might call her ‘the perfect fiancée of the Crown Prince.’

Here, ‘perfect’ described both ‘Crown Prince’ and ‘fiancée.’ Everyone in the Asherit Empire had long acknowledged that they were an ideal match, destined to lead the empire into the next era.

While the Crown Prince’s status as the imperial heir was undeniable, the reason why Carnier, as his fiancée, was so firmly trusted was simple. She had been designated as his fiancée from birth.

To be precise, everything had been decided the moment it was revealed that the second child of the Raymore Ducal House was a girl.

At the age of twenty, in the prime of her life, this young lady was more widely known as ‘the fiancée of the Crown Prince’ than as the daughter of the Duke of Raymore. The future Crown Princess, the future Empress. She had learned to walk on a golden path sprinkled with diamond dust.

On this lofty and splendid path, Carnier had never once looked back or turned her head in another direction.

In other words, it was an incredibly monotonous and tedious life.

“Oh my, Lady Raymore. That dress—is it by any chance the one Madame Tiffany made as a one-of-a-kind piece this season?”

“Hahaha, I knew from the moment it was unveiled. Of course, it must have been made for Lady Raymore!”

Admiring gazes full of wonder were cast upon the beautiful dress, which seemed to capture the light of the dawn sky. It shimmered softly like a star with every step she took, adorned with precious jewels and embroidered with rare gold and silver threads. Naturally, it was breathtaking.

The dress alone cost as much as a small mansion in the capital. Wearing it, Carnier was buried under the endless praise pouring in from all directions.

“The fan you’re holding—it must have been imported from the Far East. It’s so unique and refreshing!”

“Could it be that the necklace and earrings you’re wearing are the rumored Blue Tears that His Highness gifted you last month? Oh my, to see the Tear collection in person! Truly, these jewels were made for Lady Raymore.”

“They say His Highness personally attended the auction to acquire these treasures.”

“How romantic!”

“Well, Lady Raymore is His Highness’s one and only fiancée. No one could ever take her place.”

Even without speaking, people identified every detail of what she wore and talked about her endlessly. As a noble lady who had been the center of attention since birth, Carnier never boasted about herself. She simply met their gazes with a smile, responding politely when someone with keen insight and knowledge recognized her possessions.

“It’s such a precious gift that I worried it might be too extravagant, but your kind words put me at ease, Lady Segram.”

“Oh, my! Lady Raymore, you’re truly humble! Really…”

The young lady of the Segram family, who had been the first to recognize the Blue Tears, exclaimed in an excited tone. She was thrilled simply because her name and words had been acknowledged by Carnier. This prompted others gathered around to compete in praising everything about her from head to toe. While some were genuinely impressed, most were eager to win the favor of the future Crown Princess.

However, Carnier did not respond to just anyone. Amid the simultaneous bombardment of praise, she only offered a few words of gratitude to those whose remarks were worth acknowledging. This made those chosen feel as if they had been specially selected. This beautiful young lady always stood out, whether among those younger or twice her age.

“Where could one find a more perfect Crown Princess than Lady Raymore?”

“She’s truly a role model for all noblewomen.”

Wherever she went, people spoke of Carnier Ruble Raymore in such terms. But they didn’t know.

“Welcome back, Carnier. How was the party today?”

That this seemingly perfect young lady was always hiding her boredom and irritation.

“It was just the same as always.”

Carnier sighed deeply as she carelessly tossed aside the feathered hat that had earned her countless compliments for its elegance. Ironically, even the act of tossing it looked graceful, making it hard for anyone to notice her frustration.

“At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if they guessed the color of my undergarments next.”

“It seems you received a lot of attention again today.”

“And it’ll be the same next time.”

The Empress, the most prominent woman in the empire, had long since passed away. The imperial princesses were either married and devoted to their families or too young to rival Carnier. Naturally, Carnier became the center of attention among noblewomen in the Asherit Empire’s social circles. There was no one else who could compete with her.

“I wish I could go somewhere far away.”

The very person at the center of all this attention longed to escape it and fly far, far away.

“Oh, Carnier. You’ll be leaving soon enough. Before I even have a chance to hold you back.”

In response to Carnier’s lament, Aisha smiled faintly.

“And it’ll be to the most sought-after destination of all, the Kingdom of Delva.”

“…Oh, right. The honeymoon.”

“Yes, indeed. It’s less than a fortnight away.”

Less than a fortnight. At those words, Carnier’s eyes quivered slightly before returning to a calm demeanor. Aisha, unaware of the fleeting turmoil, signaled to the butler. The elderly butler, who had been waiting, bowed politely.

“I shall prepare some warm tea.”

“What about my brother?”

“It seems he will be working late. Since he hasn’t contacted us, I was thinking of having a cozy tea time with just the two of us. What do you think?”

At Aisha’s playful suggestion, a faint smile spread across Carnier’s previously stiff lips. In the past, if her brother returned late, she would dine and drink tea alone. But not anymore. Ever since a new family member joined them, the mansion, which had been too large for just the two siblings, felt a little less empty.

Although Aisha still hadn’t removed her dazzling and heavy jewelry, her bright smile lightened Carnier’s heart slightly.

“Since you came, Aisha, I feel like I’ve been spoiled quite a bit.”

“Pardon? Did I mishear that I’m the one being spoiled?”

In the vast and grand Duke’s residence, the laughter of the two women echoed like a picturesque scene.

However, late at night, in her bedroom, Carnier’s expression lost its laughter as she sat in thought. Dressed in a white lace negligee, she perched by the window, her face shadowed with concern. She had stripped off her luxurious dress and glittering jewels, and her bare appearance starkly contrasted with her earlier glamorous presence under the chandelier. Now, she seemed fragile, delicate, and weak.

Leaning her head against the cold window frame, she reached out to pick up a music box placed in front of her. The sound of the winding mechanism echoed, and soon a lovely lullaby began to play. As the soft and soothing melody began, a tiny angel inside the glass sphere started spinning gently. Watching the scene, Carnier closed her eyes and hummed the lullaby she had heard countless times before. But soon, the music box stopped abruptly as the spring unwound. Opening her eyes again, she stared at the now-silent music box and the unmoving angel within.

If she wanted to hear more, all she had to do was wind it up again. But she didn’t. Her faint reflection on the glass surface showed her quivering eyes.

Eventually, Carnier rose from the cold window and buried herself in the bed. Even after she left, the music box remained on the moonlit windowsill, its tiny angel’s face cast in shadows.