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It sounded too much like a joke to be sincere, yet too much like he was inwardly trembling to be a mere joke.
Had that subtle emotion been conveyed properly?
Yulan's attitude, which had been nothing but light, became significantly more serious.
After a moment of quiet contemplation, Yulan reached a conclusion and spoke firmly.
“The sample size is too small, so I can't give you a definitive answer on whether it will be completely different or exactly the same.”
“…….”
“I've erased names for a total of six people so far. And that includes the Imperial Princess. And…”
“And the methods they used were all different?”
“You're catching on. Exactly.”
Clap. The cheerful sound of a hand clap felt as if he were shouting, ‘Now, please despair!’
However, Yevgenia's face instead took on a bright glow.
‘What? Then that means I might not be terminally ill?’
It was as if she had become Schrödinger's terminally ill patient.
Depending on the confirmation of her lifespan, she might be terminally ill, or she might not.
There was only one reason Yevgenia could take this so lightly.
It was because she had already finished sorting out her feelings from the moment she had come to find Yulan—no, Nox.
‘I'm actually happy to have gained even a sliver of hope.’
Yulan took an interest in her calm demeanor, which remained steady even in a suffocating situation where one's face should have contorted from the uncertainty of the future.
Tilting his head slightly as he observed her, he asked, “Aren't you scared? You don't know what might happen.”
“Well… it would be a lie to say I'm not at all, but it's not as if I'm terribly worried about it.”
“This isn't a problem you can just brush off so lightly. If it ends well, you'll live your whole life needing support; if it ends badly, you could stop breathing tomorrow morning.”
The sentence, spat out with hard pronunciation word by word, was chilling.
It was as if he thought she still hadn't realized the reality of the situation.
‘Does he expect me to burst into tears right now and throw a fit, saying I can't handle that? I suppose he thinks I can flip my words and have a meltdown at any moment, since I'm a famous crazy bitch who only recently became an adult.’
What could she do? This was the result of the things she had done, even at the cost of her own reputation.
Shrugging lightly, Yevgenia continued, satisfyingly stroking her collarbone.
“Whether I spend my life ailing or die early… as you said, the fact that I am the only Imperial Princess of the Atrux Empire doesn't disappear. If I have to live with a disease, I can just keep the empire's best doctors by my side, and if I die early, can't I just enjoy life to the fullest until then?”
“…….”
“Doing my absolute best, so that no regrets remain.”
As she spoke, Yevgenia looked like someone who felt liberated.
As if there were no longer any obstacles left in her path.
After staring at her face for a long time, Yulan noticeably changed the subject.
“So, when are you going back? I think I should wake the coachman soon.”
“Ah. My father will be suspicious if I'm any later, so I should go now.”
Her arms and legs, which had been shaking uncontrollably until she sat on the sofa, seemed to have calmed down.
She would likely suffer from muscle pain for the next week, but she was immensely relieved it was only that.
As she barely managed to stand up by gripping the armrest of the sofa, Yulan naturally supported her body.
“Thanks. ……Um, since we won't be meeting again except when I deliver the payment, it's a bit awkward to call you by your name, isn't it?”
“After you called me that until your voice went hoarse in bed.”
“Nox, stop! Stop it!”
She shuddered at the voice that was clearly intended to tease her.
As she frowned deeply and shook her head violently, a low, chuckling laugh echoed in her ear.
“I've prepared a change of clothes in advance. I can't let just any fabric touch the precious Imperial Princess's body.”
“Can't you stop saying things like that? It's not like you actually think of me as an ‘Imperial Princess.’”
“Hmm. I didn't know my sincerity would be slandered like this.”
“Sincerity, my foot…”
Yevgenia snorted and brushed back her disheveled hair.
Yulan's touch as he led her was quite polite, but she knew this was different from the manners shown toward an ‘Imperial Princess.’
However, she felt no dissatisfaction regarding this.
‘A relationship where we only exchange what we truly need. Isn't that great? It's clean.’
Left alone in a spacious guest room following Yulan's guidance, she hummed a tune while rummaging through the clothes to change into.
For her, who was suffering because of her filthily clingy relationship with Raymond—the opposite of Yulan—this was beyond satisfying.
A relationship that was infinitely dry, yet possessed mutual respect.
‘I didn't think we'd end up on such good terms at first.’
Perhaps it was because their first meeting had been so shocking.
Even after she became certain of his identity, and even when he showed an infinitely reasonable attitude.
A wall still stood deep within Yevgenia's heart toward him.
But now, she felt as if that wall had partially crumbled.
“Did I develop a physical attraction to him…”
That didn't mean Yevgenia had suddenly started feeling love for him.
Rather, she was slightly surprised—and relieved—that she didn't…
Regardless, Yevgenia viewed her relationship with Yulan quite coldly.
The reason she could maintain a healthy distance and engage in light conversation with him despite everything was probably…
‘How should I put it? It feels like I'm watching from behind a veil.’
Even though he was by her side, engaging in conversation, she didn't feel as if she were looking at him entirely.
It would be roughly explained as feeling like she was talking to a created character, ‘Nox,’ rather than the person ‘Yulan Artlux.’
That was likely why talking to him felt comfortable.
No one feels tension when talking to a perfectly trained AI.
As her thoughts reached that point, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
‘Just how many years has that man lived like that?’
The only time—the absolute only time—he had shown a side that wasn't like ‘Nox’ was for a very brief moment.
When he had demanded things of her in a rough voice…
“Stop, let's stop thinking about it. Either way, it's better to just forget it.”
As she touched her slightly flushed cheeks and left the room, a long arm reached out beside her.
“You really have no openings.”
“That's my strength.”
A silly laugh escaped her lips.
As she climbed into the carriage under his polite escort and looked down at Yulan, the image of Raymond from some time ago was momentarily superimposed over him.
The back of a man who had acted as if he had erased his own existence, let alone provided an escort—without hesitating for a moment, without looking back once.
At first, just seeing his back had felt like a heart-wrenching pain, but after spending years that way, she had become quite accustomed to it.
Still, occasionally—very rarely—she would feel a prickle of forgotten pain.
In those moments, she would comfort herself, believing that the day would come when Raymond would look back at her, and that affection would dwell in those cold eyes.
As that hope dragged on too long, Yevgenia became twisted beyond repair, and eventually…
‘……Well, it's all just an excuse. Since I was angry at Stella instead of Raymond, who was the real problem, Yevgenia had already crossed the line.’
Hating the suddenly gloomy mood, she forced the corners of her mouth upward.
When she reached out and lightly touched the tips of Yulan's hair, his body stiffened for a moment.
Unaware of this, Yevgenia toyed with his jet-black hair and asked casually, “Nox, do you also take requests to say a specific phrase?”
“……Depends on the type. I can't easily say things like transferring succession rights.”
“That's a relief. I just want a very meaningless phrase—that your hair color isn't real.”
Yulan's green eyes glanced at Yevgenia.
As he seemed to be searching for the true intention behind her words, she preempted him.
“There's really no reason. It's just that it bothers me that the only two men in my life both have black hair.”
“Ah… come to think of it, was Larsen black-haired?”
“Yes, a black so deep it's unpleasant. Just like yours right now.”
That was why Raymond, and her lingering past, kept coming to mind.
Thus, she had to completely erase the correlation between him and Raymond, even in this way.
Although she wouldn't be meeting him again after today, she had a strong desire to shake off this lingering, unpleasant feeling.
For the sake of that, she could easily hand over a building in the center of the capital.
Realizing there was no lie in Yevgenia's words, Yulan looked slightly bewildered.
His expression seemed to say, ‘For something like that?’
“I know this is a very stupid request. But could you just do it for me? I'll match whatever payment you want…”
“Really? You can match ‘whatever’ I want?”
It was a sentence that sounded almost ominous.
However, judging by his grinning expression and smooth voice, he undoubtedly just wanted to tease Yevgenia.
So, she didn't back down and nodded confidently.
As if slightly disappointed, he shrugged and tapped his own cheek.
“Why? You want me to hit you?”
“……Seriously, I can't tell if the Imperial Princess has any tact or not.”
Saying so, Yulan stepped up onto the carriage step and gave Yevgenia's cheek a loud, smacking kiss.
Flustered, she held her cheek and looked at him with a stunned face.
However, completely ignoring her as she asked ‘What on earth are you doing?’, Yulan smiled.
“Now, the Imperial Princess just has to do the same.”
He was brazenly tapping his own cheek again, laughing.
Had that subtle emotion been conveyed properly?
Yulan's attitude, which had been nothing but light, became significantly more serious.
After a moment of quiet contemplation, Yulan reached a conclusion and spoke firmly.
“The sample size is too small, so I can't give you a definitive answer on whether it will be completely different or exactly the same.”
“…….”
“I've erased names for a total of six people so far. And that includes the Imperial Princess. And…”
“And the methods they used were all different?”
“You're catching on. Exactly.”
Clap. The cheerful sound of a hand clap felt as if he were shouting, ‘Now, please despair!’
However, Yevgenia's face instead took on a bright glow.
‘What? Then that means I might not be terminally ill?’
It was as if she had become Schrödinger's terminally ill patient.
Depending on the confirmation of her lifespan, she might be terminally ill, or she might not.
There was only one reason Yevgenia could take this so lightly.
It was because she had already finished sorting out her feelings from the moment she had come to find Yulan—no, Nox.
‘I'm actually happy to have gained even a sliver of hope.’
Yulan took an interest in her calm demeanor, which remained steady even in a suffocating situation where one's face should have contorted from the uncertainty of the future.
Tilting his head slightly as he observed her, he asked, “Aren't you scared? You don't know what might happen.”
“Well… it would be a lie to say I'm not at all, but it's not as if I'm terribly worried about it.”
“This isn't a problem you can just brush off so lightly. If it ends well, you'll live your whole life needing support; if it ends badly, you could stop breathing tomorrow morning.”
The sentence, spat out with hard pronunciation word by word, was chilling.
It was as if he thought she still hadn't realized the reality of the situation.
‘Does he expect me to burst into tears right now and throw a fit, saying I can't handle that? I suppose he thinks I can flip my words and have a meltdown at any moment, since I'm a famous crazy bitch who only recently became an adult.’
What could she do? This was the result of the things she had done, even at the cost of her own reputation.
Shrugging lightly, Yevgenia continued, satisfyingly stroking her collarbone.
“Whether I spend my life ailing or die early… as you said, the fact that I am the only Imperial Princess of the Atrux Empire doesn't disappear. If I have to live with a disease, I can just keep the empire's best doctors by my side, and if I die early, can't I just enjoy life to the fullest until then?”
“…….”
“Doing my absolute best, so that no regrets remain.”
As she spoke, Yevgenia looked like someone who felt liberated.
As if there were no longer any obstacles left in her path.
After staring at her face for a long time, Yulan noticeably changed the subject.
“So, when are you going back? I think I should wake the coachman soon.”
“Ah. My father will be suspicious if I'm any later, so I should go now.”
Her arms and legs, which had been shaking uncontrollably until she sat on the sofa, seemed to have calmed down.
She would likely suffer from muscle pain for the next week, but she was immensely relieved it was only that.
As she barely managed to stand up by gripping the armrest of the sofa, Yulan naturally supported her body.
“Thanks. ……Um, since we won't be meeting again except when I deliver the payment, it's a bit awkward to call you by your name, isn't it?”
“After you called me that until your voice went hoarse in bed.”
“Nox, stop! Stop it!”
She shuddered at the voice that was clearly intended to tease her.
As she frowned deeply and shook her head violently, a low, chuckling laugh echoed in her ear.
“I've prepared a change of clothes in advance. I can't let just any fabric touch the precious Imperial Princess's body.”
“Can't you stop saying things like that? It's not like you actually think of me as an ‘Imperial Princess.’”
“Hmm. I didn't know my sincerity would be slandered like this.”
“Sincerity, my foot…”
Yevgenia snorted and brushed back her disheveled hair.
Yulan's touch as he led her was quite polite, but she knew this was different from the manners shown toward an ‘Imperial Princess.’
However, she felt no dissatisfaction regarding this.
‘A relationship where we only exchange what we truly need. Isn't that great? It's clean.’
Left alone in a spacious guest room following Yulan's guidance, she hummed a tune while rummaging through the clothes to change into.
For her, who was suffering because of her filthily clingy relationship with Raymond—the opposite of Yulan—this was beyond satisfying.
A relationship that was infinitely dry, yet possessed mutual respect.
‘I didn't think we'd end up on such good terms at first.’
Perhaps it was because their first meeting had been so shocking.
Even after she became certain of his identity, and even when he showed an infinitely reasonable attitude.
A wall still stood deep within Yevgenia's heart toward him.
But now, she felt as if that wall had partially crumbled.
“Did I develop a physical attraction to him…”
That didn't mean Yevgenia had suddenly started feeling love for him.
Rather, she was slightly surprised—and relieved—that she didn't…
Regardless, Yevgenia viewed her relationship with Yulan quite coldly.
The reason she could maintain a healthy distance and engage in light conversation with him despite everything was probably…
‘How should I put it? It feels like I'm watching from behind a veil.’
Even though he was by her side, engaging in conversation, she didn't feel as if she were looking at him entirely.
It would be roughly explained as feeling like she was talking to a created character, ‘Nox,’ rather than the person ‘Yulan Artlux.’
That was likely why talking to him felt comfortable.
No one feels tension when talking to a perfectly trained AI.
As her thoughts reached that point, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
‘Just how many years has that man lived like that?’
The only time—the absolute only time—he had shown a side that wasn't like ‘Nox’ was for a very brief moment.
When he had demanded things of her in a rough voice…
“Stop, let's stop thinking about it. Either way, it's better to just forget it.”
As she touched her slightly flushed cheeks and left the room, a long arm reached out beside her.
“You really have no openings.”
“That's my strength.”
A silly laugh escaped her lips.
As she climbed into the carriage under his polite escort and looked down at Yulan, the image of Raymond from some time ago was momentarily superimposed over him.
The back of a man who had acted as if he had erased his own existence, let alone provided an escort—without hesitating for a moment, without looking back once.
At first, just seeing his back had felt like a heart-wrenching pain, but after spending years that way, she had become quite accustomed to it.
Still, occasionally—very rarely—she would feel a prickle of forgotten pain.
In those moments, she would comfort herself, believing that the day would come when Raymond would look back at her, and that affection would dwell in those cold eyes.
As that hope dragged on too long, Yevgenia became twisted beyond repair, and eventually…
‘……Well, it's all just an excuse. Since I was angry at Stella instead of Raymond, who was the real problem, Yevgenia had already crossed the line.’
Hating the suddenly gloomy mood, she forced the corners of her mouth upward.
When she reached out and lightly touched the tips of Yulan's hair, his body stiffened for a moment.
Unaware of this, Yevgenia toyed with his jet-black hair and asked casually, “Nox, do you also take requests to say a specific phrase?”
“……Depends on the type. I can't easily say things like transferring succession rights.”
“That's a relief. I just want a very meaningless phrase—that your hair color isn't real.”
Yulan's green eyes glanced at Yevgenia.
As he seemed to be searching for the true intention behind her words, she preempted him.
“There's really no reason. It's just that it bothers me that the only two men in my life both have black hair.”
“Ah… come to think of it, was Larsen black-haired?”
“Yes, a black so deep it's unpleasant. Just like yours right now.”
That was why Raymond, and her lingering past, kept coming to mind.
Thus, she had to completely erase the correlation between him and Raymond, even in this way.
Although she wouldn't be meeting him again after today, she had a strong desire to shake off this lingering, unpleasant feeling.
For the sake of that, she could easily hand over a building in the center of the capital.
Realizing there was no lie in Yevgenia's words, Yulan looked slightly bewildered.
His expression seemed to say, ‘For something like that?’
“I know this is a very stupid request. But could you just do it for me? I'll match whatever payment you want…”
“Really? You can match ‘whatever’ I want?”
It was a sentence that sounded almost ominous.
However, judging by his grinning expression and smooth voice, he undoubtedly just wanted to tease Yevgenia.
So, she didn't back down and nodded confidently.
As if slightly disappointed, he shrugged and tapped his own cheek.
“Why? You want me to hit you?”
“……Seriously, I can't tell if the Imperial Princess has any tact or not.”
Saying so, Yulan stepped up onto the carriage step and gave Yevgenia's cheek a loud, smacking kiss.
Flustered, she held her cheek and looked at him with a stunned face.
However, completely ignoring her as she asked ‘What on earth are you doing?’, Yulan smiled.
“Now, the Imperial Princess just has to do the same.”
He was brazenly tapping his own cheek again, laughing.
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