Chapter 16
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16.
Faced with yet another rejection letter, I couldn't hide my anxiety.
I had only just become friends (?) with Wilhelmina Lopez.
At this rate, I might be abandoned...!
But unlike the Male Lead, she possessed a heart as vast and calm as the Pacific Ocean.
She hinted at her intention to become my pen friend.
After rejecting her invitation three times, she still hadn't given up on me—truly, the princess was an angel.
I hurriedly finished my pressing duties, wrote a reply filled with gratitude, and rose from my seat.
I needed to escape the office, at least for lunch.
Winter's end was drawing near, and a pleasantly cool breeze tickled my cheeks.
After asking the duchy to send my reply, I decided to take lunch at the Sun Palace Official Dining Hall, where most of the aides and administrators ate.
Today was the day the head chef who prepared meals for the Emperor would inspect the dining hall's lunch offerings!
It was a rare occasion that happened only once a year.
On a day like this, even ordinary potato potage tasted like Michelin three-star cuisine! I couldn't possibly miss this opportunity.
Of course, the Winter Palace's head chef was also exceptionally skilled, but since Cassian Artez was away on external duties today, I didn't want to trouble anyone unnecessarily.
Besides, the other servants in the Winter Palace usually used the official dining hall anyway.
I decided to boldly take a shortcut so as not to waste my precious lunch hour.
I would have to cut through the gardens near the Dawn Palace where the Third Prince resided, but I'd never run into anyone there before.
Surely I wouldn't run into anyone today of all days—
"You there, your face looks familiar."
—and yet I did.
*
As the other person had said, I recognized that voice all too well.
The primary culprit behind my repeated rejection letters to Wilhelmina Lopez, my one and only friend, was Cassian Artez.
"What brings you to the Dawn Palace, Your Highness?"
But the secondary culprit was none other than this person before me.
The Third Prince's betrothed, the heir of the Anden Kingdom—Alexis Periander.
The Anden Kingdom had a custom where, before marriage, the couple would spend roughly two months at each other's family estates to become acquainted.
Our Empire naturally suggested to Her Highness Alexis, the heir, that she could skip this formality, but the Kingdom refused.
They insisted that the heir could not forsake such a precious national tradition.
They even added a rather unbecoming remark for royalty—that one could not make such a momentous decision as marriage lightly and expect to live happily for a lifetime.
Because she was the Kingdom's heir, the retinue accompanying her was considerable.
Naturally, many officials came along to discuss various inter-state matters.
In other words, my workload and Cassian's workload had become utterly unmanageable.
Even the First Empress remarked how fortunate it was that Cassian wasn't the one marrying into this hellish arrangement of duties.
How grateful we should be that First Prince Charlie wasn't bearing this burden.
In any case, I never expected this culprit to become an obstacle to my lunch.
No, it was my own appetite that wanted to eat quickly. Sigh, it's all my fault.
Swallowing my frustration, I bowed politely in greeting.
"I was merely passing through, Your Highness."
"...The Second Prince's betrothed, weren't you?"
Alexis Periander acknowledged my bow with a casual glance, then regarded me with a smug expression as if confirming she'd guessed correctly.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Hmm."
Now that I've answered correctly, please just let me go.
Despite my silent plea, Alexis Periander showed no sign of releasing her curiosity, her gaze brimming with questions.
"To pass through here at this hour."
The culprit tilted her head with an amused chuckle, then suddenly grabbed my chin.
"Should I interpret that as your clever proposal to have lunch together with me?"
Arrogance was painted across her face, accompanied by absolute confidence.
That's quite the overinterpretation.
Though I desperately wanted to say so, a greater rationality swallowed my protest—the thought that if a diplomatic incident erupted, it would all fall on me.
I suppressed a hollow laugh and had no choice but to agree.
*
They say the Crystal Hall in the Third Prince's Dawn Palace is renowned for its beauty.
The octagonal hall, situated at the western end of the asymmetrically structured building, was rather modest in scale for something bearing such a grand name.
It was sized perfectly for six to eight people to enjoy tea time—which explained why, despite its celebrated reputation, it saw little use for official events.
'Still, it truly is beautiful.'
Unable to hide my admiration as I surveyed the interior, Alexis Periander broke into a satisfied smile.
"I thought it would suit you, so I had the meal prepared here. It seems I made the right choice."
"...Pardon?"
Had she already discovered that I had a weakness for beautiful things?
Of course—as the Kingdom's heir, she would naturally have investigated anyone remotely connected to the Imperial Family—
"Your face, isn't it?"
Or so I thought.
When I stared blankly at her abrupt question, Alexis Periander smiled as though her words had been answer enough, then gracefully escorted me to my seat.
"Once the imperial marriage is finalized, won't we be family? So I made inquiries about you beforehand—and about others as well."
She pushed in my chair with perfect timing and offered me a charming expression.
I found myself momentarily captivated by her impeccable etiquette, as though such courtesy were second nature.
It was likely the aura she commanded that had this effect.
She wore a pristine white military uniform tailored perfectly to her frame, and her long dirty-blonde hair, slightly darker in tone, was gathered into a single braid to keep it from interfering with her movements.
Given her reputation for frequent outdoor activities, her complexion was noticeably deeper than most, and her wine-red auburn eyes gleamed with both confidence and ambition.
"So you were captivated by her face after all, weren't you?"
"Pardon?"
My head turned to follow Alexis Periander as she took her seat, bewildered by such a preposterous suggestion.
"The First Prince's betrothed is a marquess's daughter—the Hanella Marquess House has considerable influence. But you, the Second Prince's betrothed, are merely the daughter of a baron's house that hasn't quite collapsed, are you not?"
Her directness was striking, yet it didn't offend me in the slightest.
It felt less like criticism and more like a simple confirmation of facts.
"So I thought it must be your face. Despite being bound up as though hidden away, your chestnut hair gleams with such allure, and paired with your luminous, milk-white skin and those emerald-green eyes—so beautiful they seem borrowed from precious gems themselves."
She gazed at me with leisurely eyes, propping her chin on her hand.
"The way these features combine so delicately into something so lovely—it's a beauty that makes perfect sense. Is this what they mean by a face that topples kingdoms?"
"That's not it!"
I found myself denying it outright, unable to help myself against such conviction in her expression.
I should have softened my response.
But as she continued confidently offering wrong answers, I simply couldn't help myself—
"Hmm, then what is it?"
Yet Alexis Periander showed no displeasure; instead, her eyes filled with curiosity as she regarded me.
She even noticed when I flinched slightly upon seeing the French onion soup—with its fantastic caramelized topping—that had just arrived at my lips, and with considerate grace, she gestured for me to eat while we talked.
Grateful for her thoughtfulness, I brought a full spoonful of the onion soup to my mouth.
The savory and sweet flavors intertwined exquisitely, filling my mouth with bliss.
One delicious course followed another after that.
It wasn't until dessert arrived that Alexis Periander asked me in a leisurely tone.
"If it wasn't your face that captivated me, then what was it? From where I'm sitting, that seems like the most reasonable explanation."
She had observed me intently throughout the entire meal, her demeanor suggesting she could find no answer beyond that one.
"Well, that's...."
But I found his certainty even more puzzling.
Cassian Artez could satisfy his aesthetic desires just by looking in a mirror—did he really need to choose his partner based on appearance?
"Of course, it's my work competence."
I delivered the answer with confidence.
If you've investigated me, shouldn't you have also looked into how much I've been ground down working beside Cassian Artez, Your Highness?
That's undoubtedly my most redeeming quality.
"Heh."
As I stared back with silent conviction, Alexis Periander let out a short laugh.
"Work competence, is it."
Tap, tap—Alexis Periander rose from her seat, her long fingers with prominent knuckles, accustomed to swordplay, tapping the teacup twice.
"So it's not just a convenient excuse for your report."
"Pardon?"
Then she extended her arm to me as if to offer an escort.
Naturally, as a fragile office worker, I lacked the courage to refuse such an offer from someone of her station.
*
Somehow, the path Alexis Periander guided me through felt familiar.
She confidently opened the door to the Winter Palace Office, and upon Cassian Artez's return from completing external duties, she declared:
"I would like to borrow her, Cassian Artez."
Indeed, I understood why the Kingdom called her a calamity of great proportions.
Cassian Artez's violet eyes, struck by this sudden disaster, briefly gazed upon me.
A chill ran through me.
It was a chill that suggested he might inflict another trial upon me.
"...I wondered what you were saying, barging in so suddenly."
Cassian Artez sighed at the sight of me being escorted, then extended his hand.
"My beloved Rose has captivated even others besides me."
As if erasing Alexis Periander's very existence, he gently pulled me close and embraced me, then whispered:
"How can I monopolize you?"
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