Chapter 2. How Insulting

It was a story even children knew. Recalling the rumors commonly circulating in the south, Eunice involuntarily shuddered.

“…nice. Eunice.”

A stern voice struck her eardrum at that moment. As she barely managed to gather her dazed thoughts, Rockford’s cold gaze pierced her retina.

“His Majesty is waiting.”

“What? Oh, yes…”

Goodness. She hadn’t heard a thing.

As her eyes wavered in embarrassment, Wilhelm II kindly waved his hand dismissively and graciously repeated himself.

“I asked if you needed anything before going to Nordish.”

It was a ceremonial question.

When discussions about the marriage alliance took place, when Eunice was mentioned as a candidate, and even when this political marriage was finalized, Eunice knew nothing.

Her opinion didn’t matter at all. And just as it had always been, the answer to this question was already determined.

“…Nothing, Your Majesty.”

It felt like having a thorn stuck in her throat.

According to street storytellers and minstrels, she was being sold off to a cruel man who was practically a monster.

She wanted to ask.

‘Why me? Among all the princesses of Tranche, why did it have to be me?’

‘Ah… I see. That damned Crown Prince Callian.’

Looking at Richen, who was staring at her with cold eyes, she couldn’t help but understand. Crown Princess Richen and Duke Dale had pulled some strings. And her father would have accepted it without any objection, with his typical silence.

Her heart ached. After ignoring his daughter’s existence with silence for her entire life, he was finally discarding her like this.

She had thought that if she did her work well, if she managed the territory properly, he wouldn’t be able to throw her away. She thought that even if she couldn’t be a beloved daughter, she could at least be a necessary one.

She closed her eyes tightly to compose her miserable feelings.

‘It’s okay. Life is bitter anyway, right? It’s okay. You’ve endured well so far. It’s okay. You’ll get through this somehow too. It’s okay. It’s okay…’

“How dare you block my way! Move aside right now!”

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Everyone in the reception room turned their heads toward the door. Eunice’s expression immediately crumpled into one of distress as she recognized the voice’s owner.

“Tell them I’m here!”

“I apologize, Your Highness, but His Majesty is in an important discussion with Lady von Pavlone…”

“What could he possibly have to discuss with Eunice? Father! Father!”

At the booming voice, Wilhelm II touched his forehead and let out a metallic groan. This was utterly humiliating.

It was because he had spoiled his heir, obtained with difficulty at forty, too much. Though he was trying to correct his mindset belatedly, it wasn’t easy.

BANG!

“Eunice! When you come to Melbourne, you should rush to see me first… oh…”

Callian, who had forcibly pushed aside the knight guards, flung the door open roughly. His excited voice quickly disappeared.

His navy blue eyes darted around the reception room. Everyone held their breath, watching how Callian would handle this situation.

“Ahem… Richen, you’re here too.”

“Seeing how much the Crown Prince cherishes Eunice, perhaps I should go to Nordish instead.”

Richen’s voice contained not a hint of warmth. Her icy gaze looked capable of stabbing someone to death.

Eunice realized that Richen’s earlier glare at her had actually been relatively friendly. But Callian, failing to read the atmosphere, asked in a clueless tone.

“Go where? Eunice, where are you going?”

“…”

Eunice was dumbfounded.

Just moments ago, she had been overwhelmed with fear about marrying a cruel and brutal monster, but suddenly she felt she could do anything if it meant not having to see Callian’s face.

A bleak voice escaped Eunice’s lips.

“A marriage has been arranged with the King of Nordish, so I’m leaving for Nordish.”

“…What? Marriage?”

The blood drained from Callian’s face. Unable to watch any longer, Wilhelm II spoke with an angry voice.

“It’s for the alliance between our two countries.”

Meaning, if he understood the gravity of the situation, he should shut up. But Callian, whose head was filled with flowers, didn’t meet his expectations.

“That’s absurd!”

“Ah…!”

A scream burst from Eunice’s lips as her wrist was roughly grabbed. Soon, the watching ministers, Wilhelm II, Richen and Duke Dale, and even Rockford, who normally showed not the slightest interest in Eunice, widened their eyes in shock.

But of course, the most shocked person was Eunice herself.

“Let go of me, Your Highness!”

She resisted desperately. But that was all. She heard Wilhelm II shouting behind her, “That damned son of a…!” in a blood-pressure-raising voice, but truly, that was all.

Ignoring the king’s fury, Callian dragged Eunice out of the reception room.

* * *

“Wait! Stop, Your Highness!”

Eunice shouted, struggling not to step on her dress. Unfortunately, Callian was too insensitive to consider a delicate lady’s circumstances.

“Eek!”

Only after she tripped on the hem of her dress did he finally stop.

“Eunice!”

He quickly turned around, approached the fallen Eunice, and lifted her dress up to her knees.

“Your Highness!”

Eunice cried out, her face flushing with shame. What indecent behavior was this, in broad daylight in the middle of the palace!

But Callian was always like this. Only his feelings mattered, only his thoughts were pushed forward.

“Oh no, your pretty knee is injured.”

“I’m fine. I’m fine, so please stop…”

“Eunice, a beautiful woman like you should take care of your body.”

“I fell because of you, Your Highness.”

When the accusatory voice fell, Callian finally took his eyes off her knee and examined Eunice’s face. But he wasn’t considering her feelings.

‘Even her frown is pretty.’

Callian liked how she was swayed by him.

Whether she blushed with shame, got angry, felt awkward, or barely contained her emotions with a tearful face. He liked how she reacted to him.

How to put it… Callian enjoyed the thrill of being able to manipulate such a modest, delicate woman.

But marriage…

“You’re marrying the King of Nordish? Was your opinion considered?”

“My opinion doesn’t matter. I simply follow the royal command.”

Eunice pulled down her dress hem and stood up. Callian rose with her.

“What’s that about? So you’re being forced to go to that barren land. You have to cross the Land of Death.”

“It may have been the Land of Death in the past, but it’s been developed now.”

“Nonsense. There must be thousands who died trying to cross it to come south.”

“Those are all old stories. The Nordish lands have been unified, and the Children of Death have disappeared.”

Eunice knew a hundred times more than Callian about anything related to Nordish. The northern boundary of the Pavlone duchy bordered the Land of Death.

In fact, Eunice had even met children from the north who had successfully crossed the ‘Land of Death’—the so-called ‘Children of Death.’ There was even a poorhouse for them in St. Laurent.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors about him?”

Callian stirred up her biggest concern.

“They say he’s a cruel and brutal monster. Who knows what terrible things might happen to you there.”

“Please stop…”

“He’ll beat you and mistreat you. Rather than marrying such a man, become my woman instead.”

“How insulting.”

Her voice trembled with anger and shame.

“What’s insulting about it? I’m saying I’ll embrace you preciously. Don’t tell me you doubt my sincerity? It’s true. I’ll hold you more often than Richen.”

“Your Highness! How could you say such things…!”

“I’m the Crown Prince offering to cherish you, what’s the problem?”

“Do you really not know what the problem is?”

Eunice looked at him with eyes that said she was going to go crazy from frustration. Unfortunately, Callian’s expression showed he truly didn’t understand what the problem was.

“Let’s put aside all the complicated stuff!”

He shouted forcefully, gripping Eunice’s shoulders firmly with both hands. She couldn’t move under his strong grasp. She felt scared, ashamed, and angry as Callian pressed close to her face.

Callian spoke in a tone close to threatening, enunciating each word.

“If you go to Nordish, I’ll never see you again. That’s my problem. It makes no sense that you won’t be there when I go to St. Laurent. So tell them right now that you can’t go. Stay by my side.”

“…”

“No, that’s not it. If you’re burdened and afraid to tell His Majesty, I’ll speak for you. You just stay right here, Eunice. I’ll stop you from going to that dangerous land…”

“That would be problematic.”

A new voice interjected at that moment.

Startled, Callian moved away from Eunice and turned his head. Eunice also looked in the direction of the voice.

Who knows how long she had been there, but Richen was leaning obliquely against a marble pillar. As if she had seen enough of the unsightly scene, she straightened her body slowly and approached the two with clicking shoe sounds.

With eyes that looked ready to stab someone’s heart to death.