02

Aris opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

The one chattering in front of her was none other than Aris’s deceased younger brother, Aion Eldeiz.

Aion, looking at Aris’s dumbfounded face, crossed his arms with an annoyed look. He seemed ready to get irritated if he had to wait any longer for an answer.

Aris opened her mouth without even having time to think about what was going on. She wondered if she was dreaming.

“As for the engagement with the Crown Prince, I’m not really…”

“Not really? Don’t tell me you don’t like it?”

Aion’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. Aris was about to add more but just nodded instead.

Was she dreaming of this day, when she stood at a crossroads of choice, because she was thinking of him until her last moment?

‘Again, an engagement with that person…’

Aris thought about it blankly.

Her feelings for him were still the same. After all, the reason she died was the pathetic fact that she rushed forward, unable to bear seeing him get hurt.

But that’s why she wanted to avoid marrying him even more. Hasn’t she had enough of foolishly getting hurt by loving him too much on her own?

“Sister.”

At that moment, Aion’s hands on Aris’s shoulders tightened. Aris, lost in thought, was startled.

For a dream, Aion’s strong grip felt incredibly real. She slightly furrowed her brow in pain.

“You’re going to refuse that? Are you stupid? What are you saving that brain for?”

His tone and actions were incredulous. Aris looked at her brother’s face in confusion, then glanced around.

‘Is this… really a dream?’

How could a dream feel so realistic?

Aion sighed deeply and got quite angry.

“If you don’t choose the Crown Prince, what are you going to do, sister? Don’t tell me you want to marry Duke Clanef?”

“Duke Clanef?”

As Aris repeated the name, a new shock appeared in her eyes. Aion followed up with sarcasm.

“Yes, Duke Clanef. That perverted old man.”

Aris’s mouth fell open unnecessarily.

She remembered. At this time, she hadn’t even been engaged to Kalaian yet. On this day, Aris was given two choices.

As the daughter of the leader of the eastern nobles, she either has to become engaged to Kalaian Etenbarke as a symbol of unity, or marry the old lecher Duke Clanef, who had already gone through several wives.

In reality, Aristena had no choice at all. Who would want to marry a duke old enough to be their grandfather?

The her before death had naturally chosen to be engaged to the Crown Prince. At this time, she admired Kalaian, and as someone facing the crisis of marrying an old lecher, his proposal felt like salvation.

So Aris thought they were destined. Because the opportunity to marry the person she liked had fallen so easily into her hands.

‘If this is really a dream… No, even if this is reality, I don’t want to make the same choice again.’

Aris gently grasped Aion’s hands that were holding her shoulders. She looked into his eyes silently for a moment. Aion’s irritated expression gradually changed in a strange way.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

That grumpy expression and tone. A child who often behaves rudely, but can’t be said to have a bad nature.

Seeing him, Aris felt a faint smile. Somehow, she felt like she might tear up.

After this child died, Aris grieved for a long time. Although they weren’t particularly close, losing a sibling she had grown up with was that sorrowful for her.

She wanted to miss her dead younger brother more, but when Aris got married, she couldn’t even take a single photo of Aion. The situation didn’t allow it.

So she had almost forgotten. How intelligent, mischievous, and playful his eyes were.

“Your eyes were a blue that took after mother’s… Yes, that’s right.”

“…Sister, are you sick? You’re strange today.”

A hint of worry appeared on Aion’s grumpy face. Aris shook her head gently, endlessly happy to meet him again.

‘Looking at you, it seems I’ve fortunately come to heaven…’

Aris wanted to remember Aion’s eyes, which she had encountered again, for a long time. She didn’t want to be forced into a situation where she couldn’t even take a single photo of this child, repeating the past.

“I’m not going to get engaged.”

“What? Then…”

“I’m not going to marry Duke Clanef either.”

Aion’s eyes changed suspiciously. Aris muttered with a sense of relief.

“…I’m not going to marry anyone.”

If she could make a different choice again, she wanted to enjoy one by one the things she could never enjoy when she was the Empress of Belvaiden.

She wanted to live differently, just once, a life that had been full of doubts about whether she had to live so passively.

A life where she does what she wants to do, doesn’t fall in love, and doesn’t get hurt anymore.

Aris decided to live such a life, in this dream that might be heaven or reality.

* * *

Aris stared blankly at the letter.

The sender was the Crown Prince of the Imperial Palace. And the recipient was probably herself. Without even looking at the contents, it was likely a marriage proposal.

The first time Aris had heard about her engagement to the Crown Prince was 8 years ago. Although Kalaian and Aristena’s engagement was already a decided fact kept confidential, he had formally sent Aris a marriage proposal.

So this situation was a certain day 8 years ago.

Sixteen years old. That was Aristena’s current age.

Aris carefully opened the envelope stamped with the imperial seal and took out the letter. However, as Aris unfolded and read the letter, a bitter smile soon bloomed on her face.

Now she could recognize it. Although it had been 6 years of long waiting and only 2 years of married life, as someone who always did her best in her duties, it was easy for her to distinguish his handwriting.

‘Even this proposal wasn’t written by him. Back then, I was so happy to receive this.’

Although this wretched letter wasn’t in his handwriting, it was pretending to be him, speaking sweet words and proposing.

Aris skimmed through the letter and folded it back. Then she took out new stationery from the drawer.

Even this. Before, she carefully kept deciding which stationery to send to him after days and days of contemplation, and then hesitating over what to write in reply. Thinking about it now, it was really a pointless act.

Aris moved her ink pen over the fragrant floral stationery. A stiff and polite refusal was inscribed, contrasting with the bright paper.

‘Will the one who receives this letter be disappointed, or relieved?’

Perhaps it won’t even be him reading this letter, but one of his aides or servants.

‘…That’s right, I won’t marry you again.’

Aris put the concisely finished letter into a new envelope without even checking it. Then she rang the bell to call a servant, and handed over the letter without hesitation.

“This is a reply to His Highness the Crown Prince. Please give it to the courier.”

May this letter bring you a new life as well.

Aris sincerely hoped so.

As the next day dawned, Aris set out to find Marquis Eldeiz, who had just returned from a business trip.

It would have been nice if it could end with just that reply, but there were many interests intertwined in Aristena and Kalaian’s engagement. Their marriage was for the unity of the West and East, which had become strained due to an unfortunate incident long ago.

If the West played a crucial role as a defense line centered around the Imperial City, the East was an economic stronghold where money-making experts gathered. The most powerful among them was Aris’s father, Marquis Bendere Eldeiz.

So he put forward his daughter as half of the symbol for East-West harmony. He was an ambitious man, and not one to miss the opportunity to become in-laws with the imperial family.

‘To cancel this marriage, I must convince Father.’

Aris took a deep breath and knocked on Marquis Eldeiz’s office door.

‘Don’t tremble, Aristena.’

If she wanted this dream to be reality, and if she wanted to claim her life in that reality, she couldn’t be afraid.

Aris composed herself and entered her father’s office.

“What brings you here?”

Marquis Eldeiz asked gruffly. As his indifferent gaze fell on her, Aris was enveloped in an unfamiliar feeling. It had been a very long time since she had seen her father, and it was the first time she had ever confidently visited her father’s office with a purpose.

‘Even after seeing you for the first time in a long while, you’re still the same.’

Is it natural because this is the past?

As his gaze, still devoid of any warmth, coldly settled on her, Aris felt a bitterness in her mouth.

Now or then, no matter what position she stood in, her ever-consistent Father. Consistently… hating her…

‘You can do it, Aristena.’

Aris took a light breath and opened her tightly closed mouth.

“I have something to say to you, Father. Please refuse my marriage with His Highness the Crown Prince…”

“What?”

The Marquis’s sharp retort cut off Aris’s words. Aris flinched for a moment. But she continued undeterred.

“Father, I have no intention of getting engaged to His Highness the Crown Prince. I think it would be better for him to take a wife other than me…”

Bang!

Once again, Aris’s words were interrupted. Aris looked at his fist that had slammed down on the desk, her mouth still open. Her heart pounded as if lightning had struck right in front of her.

She could see the ink pen in the Marquis’s hand bending almost to the point of breaking. His face instantly turned red with anger.