The Princess' Bedroom Doll

It was then. Jamela, who quickly looked around the crystal greenhouse, called Raha with a smile.

“Princess?”

“Yes, Young Lady?”

Raha’s complexion instantly regulated. In such a situation, she seemed too perfect to be an imperial princess. If someone who could hurt her stared at her, she could manage her expression reflexively. It was an action close to survival instinct.

“Shall we go this way?”

The fire garden, which Jamela continued to tend, was very beautiful thanks to its dark greenery. Elegant crystal lights hung here and there, as if they wanted to decorate it with a different charm than the glamorous and intense sun garden.

Perhaps it was the large pond inside the greenhouse that made the water smell mild, and the fragrance of diverse flowers mixed together like perfume flowed in with the soft breeze. The magic instrument that regulated the airflow was another source of imperial pride.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness. There’s still much missing, but it’s not bad.”

Following Jamela’s lead, Shed threw a glance at Raha.

Was it the face he had just seen, just before she cried, or was it this cool, graceful face that he liked? Shed had no idea.

Walking into the center, a new space was revealed, floored in a beautiful blue marble and with high glass walls. It was a perfect place to dine without spoiling the view of the surrounding area. Unlike the rest of the flower-filled greenhouse, there were no flowers in this vicinity. Perhaps the strong floral aroma might ruin the appetite.

“Princess.”

The attendants who were already there bowed politely. Raha raised her hand after sitting in the chair that the servant had taken out.

“Please take a seat.”

The host was Jamela, but since Raha’s status was too high, it was Raha’s role to recommend a seat. When Raha saw that Rosain was the last one to sit down, she looked at Jamela and opened her mouth.

“There’s only a few months left.”

Jamela’s eyes widened a little at Raha’s reference to the national wedding. She smiled shyly, as she was the model of an elegant aristocrat.

“There’s still some time.”

“A few months.”

Karzen had treated Jamela coldly in public, but that was in the past. Moreover, preparations for the national wedding had been steadily underway since Karzen was off to war. To be honest, if Karzen changed his mind and said to have the wedding tomorrow, it would be done without any problem. For the preparations were almost completed.

Delo’s national wedding was almost always held in the spring.

A beautiful melody could be heard from not far away. The atmosphere was further softened by the sound of music, the musicians were sitting and playing behind tapestries embroidered with gold thread.

Raha took a bite of the fresh salad while exchanging appropriate banter with Jamela. It was lunchtime, but perhaps it was formal, heavy drinks were also served.

Raha unconsciously reached for the wine glass, but stopped for a moment. For no reason, she turned to glance at Shed. Then she picked up the juice instead of the wine glass.

“Can’t you drink wine for lunch?”

Such was a question she later heard, but the clear apple juice had already moistened her mouth.

”Royal Lord.”

In the midst of all this, Rosain was asking Shedd rather sincere questions. Shed answered appropriately, and the atmosphere at meal time was calm. He was not, however, the kind of person who ignored what others say. He was not so cold, although his facial expressions were basically indifferent.

Rather, Raha knew very well that Shed was quite gentle, unlike his brusque impression. Sometimes she just wanted to be buried in his hard body heat all day. She often felt a strange sense of stability, as if she were huddled against a giant tree that would never collapse. It was only a mere week, but she already felt comfortable with him.

She felt that the name “slave” had to stop. Because she felt sorry for Shed.

So what would be an appropriate expression? Raha repeated the word “fiancé” in her mind, and it kind of made her feel itchy.

Clank!

“……!”

Suddenly there was a loud noise. It was the sound of the wine glass, which Raha had not reached, had been placed nearby and fell to the floor. The dark colored wine splashed Raha’s dress. It was the mistake of the servant who tried to fill Raha’s empty juice cup.

Jamela stood up in a panic.

“Princess, are you alright?”

“Oh, Princess! I’m sorry, I’m sorry…..!”

The chamberlain immediately became contemplative.

One of the attendants, who had been quietly standing behind her, quickly approached and wiped the liquor splashed on Raha’s hand with a handkerchief. However, there was nothing they could do about the red stain on the dress.

When the wine that was splashed on the thin and delicately laced like a spider’s web, did not disappear, the servant’s face turned pale as a corpse.

“Oh, forgive me…!”

The servant bowed flat on the floor. Raha received a wet towel from the maid and wiped the wine off her neck.

“It’s alright. Get up.”

“Thank you ….”

The servant was at a loss. Her hands were shaking violently. A chamberlain of higher rank eyed her to go away, and the servant who had spilled the wine barely carried her shaking legs.

“I must go and get changed.”

Raha said, looking at her wet clothes. Shed parted his lips.

“Let’s go together.”

Raha pushed his hand  away immediately.

“No, that’s okay.”

After all, he must still think of himself as a slave rather than a fiancé. No matter how far away Hildes was, they spoke the same language and wore the same clothes, no matter how different their social culture was. When small accidents like this happen, one had to go with the same gender.

Jamela had heard Shed Hildes was living in seclusion all his life. He didn’t seem to make many public appearances.

“Princess.”

Jamela, frowning weakly between her brows and looking at Raha’s messy dress, spoke up.

“Shall you go with me then?”

“Sorry to trouble the lady.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Jamela quickly left her seat.

* * *

“Royal lord.”

Rosain was not too bewildered when Raha and Jamela suddenly left their seats.

“Do you enjoy drinking?”

“I don’t drink much.”

“I see.”

If he (Rosain) had been so flustered, he would never have been able to get in Duke Winston’s sight in the beginning. No matter how distantly related Ligulish was to Winston, from the duke’s point of view, he was just an earl.

Besides, the meal was at the end anyway. Rosain looked at the champagne bottles and smiled at its peach-colored as they served dessert. In a polite tone, Rosain recommended Delo’s famous champagne to Shed. A sweet melody still befitting a luncheon drifted in the ears.

He (Rosain) was captivated as soon as he saw this place for the first time. He could feel the hard work that Jamela had diligently managed. He heard that after the Empress’s death, the place was half in ruins with no one to take care of it.

Without any unexpected events, Jamella would be Empress in late spring in a few months. The only empress of the Delo Empire.

Rosain took a few sips of champagne and then opened his mouth.

“Rumors are spreading in Delo society. The lord saw the portrait of the Princess and fell in love with her at first sight.”

Shedd replied, swirling his glass lightly.

“It wasn’t love at first sight.”

The answer was as weightless as the wind drifting through the forest. Rosain understood the answer to mean that he kept looking at the portrait and fell in love after a while. Not only that, but that was how most people who heard the reply interpreted the words. Only Raha would understand it in a different way.

Rosain laughed softly.

“I too understand how it feels to be captivated only by a glance, and more and more by the heart.”

It was the right time for me as Rosain to buy this Lord’s favors anyway. Because this royal lord, who had only just arrived in the Delo Empire, must not yet have any imperial person with whom he has a particularly close relationship. If that first imperial person could have been him (Rosain), it would have been the best of all worlds.

“I don’t know if you did, but…….”

In order to desperately buy someone’s heart, it had to be preceded by a show of your own heart.

“I was also in love for a very long time, thanks to my first love.” (Rosain)

Rather, Rosain was able to show his innermost feelings because Shed was a person of another country, not someone he knew in this empire.

This royal lord would be leaving for the distant kingdom of Hildes anyway. Light as a dandelion spore blowing in the wind.

“I should have backed off as suspicious from the moment I got the over-the-top feeling that I couldn’t love anyone if it wasn’t that person at all. I found myself with nothing but unrequited love for over a decade.” (Rosain)

And frankly, Rosain was very jealous of this royal lord, whom he met face to face for the first time. Because after all, he ( Shed) had a seat next to his beloved (Raha).

Shed held his champagne glass, his chin tilted at an angle. His blue-gray eyes were looking behind Rosain. He (Shed) saw Jamela standing in the distance.

Jamela came quietly to tell the attendants that once they were finished eating, they should be taken ahead to where the tea was prepared…. 

“…….”

She had a strange expression. To be precise, the moment her eyes met Shed’s, her eyes shook like waves. Shed stared at her for a moment and she panicked.

Because everyone panics when they receive an unexpected gaze from Shed that they could not have anticipated.

“…….”

Shed lowered his gaze again without any change in expression.

“Your first love must be a difficult partner to marry.” (Shed)

“Yes. She’s already married and had a child.” (Rosain)

Rosain gave an embarrassed smile. Jamela slowly turned around and quietly went back the way she had come. It was impossible not to know the lies mixed with consideration of her longtime childhood friend.

There was no way she couldn’t know the truth. (Rosain loved Jamela for a long time.)