Chapter 3. My Place

“The Kingdom of Nordish is building up its military power.”

Richen’s cold voice was directed at Callian.

If you’re the Crown Prince, you should know about international politics. If you have a brain, you should understand the connection between ‘Nordish’s military buildup’ and this ‘sudden marriage alliance.’ And you should comprehend the situation where one person’s sacrifice must be accepted for the greater good.

That single sentence carried many underlying meanings. Unfortunately, Callian failed to meet her expectations.

“So what?”

His clueless response showed not even a trace of understanding.

“…”

Richen shot him a look of contempt. At the same time, she felt irritation toward her husband who shamelessly pursued another woman without restraint.

“Your Highness.”

Impertinently grabbing the Crown Prince’s chin, Richen spoke each word clearly and deliberately, as if telling him to look straight into her eyes and listen carefully.

“Reports have come in that grass is growing in the Land of Death. It’s a sign that the land is recovering.”

“A-and so?”

It became obvious that he had dozed off during meetings. Callian blinked with an expression suggesting he was hearing this information for the first time, though as Crown Prince he should already know it.

“The boundary between the south and north is becoming blurred. We suspect Nordish’s military buildup signals their desire for our fertile southern lands.”

“So you’re sending Eunice away because of mere speculation?”

“It’s not mere speculation. The Kingdom of Kandel reached the same conclusion and requested a marriage alliance with them. The fact that the King of Nordish chose Tranche over Kandel is good news for us, Your Highness.”

Every word she said was correct. Having heard the entire conversation from a step away, Eunice bit her lower lip firmly.

One person’s sacrifice. If it could buy peace.

The resentment of “why me, of all people” kept welling up, but intellectually, she understood the entire situation.

Despite Richen’s thorough explanation, Callian remained stubborn.

“If that’s the case, just send another woman!”

Eunice watched his tantrum with emotionally dead eyes.

There was no other woman to send.

The harsh environment. A brutal and cruel king. These two factors alone would deter any woman, yet they needed someone from a prestigious family.

No sane high nobleman would send his daughter to Nordish. Eunice, treated as a burden by her family, was the only suitable candidate.

“If you insist, try appealing to His Majesty. If you want to switch the marriage partner, you should hurry.”

Richen shot back in an ice-cold voice. Callian hesitated, glanced at Eunice once, and then, perhaps deciding time was truly of the essence, dashed back the way he had come.

Thus, only Eunice and Richen remained in the corridor. After a moment of uncomfortable silence:

“I wonder if Lady von Pavlone is shameless or just confident.”

“…”

Eunice quietly raised her gaze to look at Richen. Disliking that steady gaze, Richen’s lips curved into a crooked smile.

“It would have been better if you had some flaw. His Highness’s one-sided interest was so obvious that I had to use a lot of brainpower.”

“How did you endure wanting to get rid of me all this time?”

Eunice asked, struggling to maintain her composure. A small laugh escaped through Richen’s teeth.

“Well.”

Looking Eunice up and down as if having solved a troublesome problem, she continued in a light tone.

“Being freed from this messy entanglement isn’t entirely bad for you either, is it?”

“…Should I thank you?”

Eunice’s eyelashes trembled. Regarding this with an annoyed look, Richen instructed in an ice-cold voice.

“I don’t expect that, just leave as soon as possible.”

With that cold dismissal, Richen turned away. Unable to take her eyes off the retreating figure for a while, Eunice finally turned her face toward the sky, overwhelmed by emotion.

‘Is there a place for me under this vast sky?’

Her eyes reddened.

* * *

「She’s an ill-omened child who ate her mother to be born.」

「She’s an ugly duckling who doesn’t belong in the Pavlone duchy.」

「Just looking at her makes me angry.」

「She’s like a foreign object.」

Dark shadows surrounded Eunice, pointing fingers at her harshly. She covered her ears with both hands and struggled desperately.

‘No. I won’t be swayed by such words.’

‘Marie… Marie told me. I inherited a beautiful heart from my mother. That I’m a precious child.’

But the more she struggled, the smaller Eunice’s body became, as if traveling back in time. Eventually, as she turned into a young girl, the shadows around her grew larger and fiercer.

「Useless thing!」

「You’re annoying. It would have been cleaner if you were never born.」

「Your very existence makes us uncomfortable. Ugh, so irritating.」

Finger-pointing, condemnation, mockery…

It felt like her heart was being slashed with kindling. Young Eunice didn’t even know how to defend herself. She could only tremble, sob, and endure.

The world was too big compared to her small self.

Her stepmother and half-siblings. They had been together since her earliest memories. If Marie hadn’t been by her side, she might have grown up thinking it was natural to be mistreated.

It was then that a bright light appeared.

Marie appeared like a hero and drove away the dark shadows. Then she extended her hand to the cowering young Eunice. When she lifted her tear-soaked face, Marie embraced her warmly with compassion. She was pure light.

But the next moment, that light faded weakly.

「How lovely our young lady will be when she grows up… You’re already so pretty…」

「Marie, are you in a lot of pain?」

「I’m fine, my lady.」

「I didn’t fight with Sophia and Philip today. I shared my toys, and like you said, whenever they picked on me, I just thought of them as dirty poop and avoided them. Then I came here.」

「Well done.」

「So, Marie. I can’t be without you… You need to get better soon. You have to read me fairy tales again.」

「Of course. *cough*…」

Even at her young age, she knew. Marie’s health would not recover easily.

But Eunice couldn’t give up hope. She only had Marie. Marie was the only one by her side.

With desperate wishes, she placed wildflowers she had picked with her small hands into her nanny’s hand. Marie said they were beautiful and gave her strength. It was a lie.

The hand holding the flowers rapidly lost vitality. It dried up like moisture being sucked away.

‘Marie, the sky is really pretty today!’

‘Marie, I saved this from dinner and brought it for you.’

‘Marie, how are you feeling?’

‘Marie…’

‘Marie…?’

Please answer me…

The light went out completely. Young Eunice was left alone in perfect darkness. She wailed. She sobbed until she could hardly breathe.

Just as her heart was being squeezed unbearably tight, Eunice woke from the illusion of drowning in tears. Hot streams flowed from her eyes, soaking her pillow.

“Ah, it was just a dream…”

How could a dream be so vivid? Even after waking, her heart still ached.

Eunice exhaled a murky breath and rose from her bed. The dim dawn air seemed to quietly embrace her. Her expression was calm as she carelessly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

“It was nice to see you after so long.”

Are you watching over me from heaven?

Not knowing where to direct her greeting, she muttered while looking out the window, then after a blank moment, let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Her lowered gaze held longing and regret.

Such a precious person, yet time is so cruel.

Fourteen years since her passing. Marie’s face was no longer clear in her memory. If she had known, she would have kept at least one portrait.

It was regret that came too late.

Well, even if she could turn back time, a seven-year-old girl who was despised by her family would have struggled to call a painter. Especially to paint a maid.

Leaving the window, Eunice approached the bookshelf occupying a corner of her bedroom. Perhaps because she had dreamed of Marie after so long, she wanted to reminisce about faded memories.

“It’s been a while for you too.”

She slowly caressed the cover of an old fairy tale book. The sensation of time and dust clung curiously to her fingertips.

It was her favorite fairy tale book from childhood.

Rustle, rustle. The sound of turning pages disturbed the quiet dawn air.

Eunice carefully read the content she had practically memorized. It was a story about a brave warrior defeating monsters and saving the world. The story ended with him quietly departing to a land covered in ice.

“Ice land…”

Perhaps it was because she would soon leave for Nordish. Her heart anxiously fluttered just because of a fairy tale.

This ice land resembles Nordish, and the monsters… though said to have existed only in ancient times, somehow Johannes comes to mind.

“Johannes Reinhardt…”

After closing the book, Eunice turned her head toward the window facing north.

‘Please, God…’

‘Don’t let that man be as frightening as the rumors say. Even if he is brutal, don’t let him rule his wife with violence. Don’t let him have strange preferences in bed.’

Once she started, her prayers continued endlessly.