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“Why do you ask such a thing?”
Observing him from below, Valentin's eyelashes were so thin and lush that they looked like a bird's tail feathers.
“I was simply curious about what kind of man would win Your Highness's heart.”
As I took in the straight bridge of Valentin's nose while he asked in a calm, steady voice, I swallowed a sigh.
The man who won my heart is you.
And you know, when it's you—of all people—showing such curiosity about my intended fiancé, it keeps making me hope.
Of course, you probably don't know how I feel. That's why you can say things so easily. Unlike me, whose brain freezes and words falter under dozens of imaginings every time you speak or ask a single question...
The sadness stemming from the realization of the difference in the weight of our hearts weighed heavily on my chest.
“I feel comfortable when I'm with him. There's nothing particularly uncomfortable or off-putting... and I like that he's Emma's brother. There's a certain joy in finding the similarities between the two of them, even though they seem completely different.”
I consciously used a cheerful voice to forget my gloomy thoughts.
“For example, Igor and Emma both walk very slowly. They speak slowly, and they smile very slowly. I tend to be a bit impatient, so when I'm with them, it feels as if time flows slowly and softly, which makes me feel good.”
Leaning his head against the chair and staring out the window, Valentin seemed utterly bored by my story. He was so impassive that the voice that followed sounded like he was just saying whatever came to mind out of politeness.
“A partner who is comfortable and makes you feel good. Certainly... Igor Tolstoy is a suitable partner for marriage.”
I'm better.
“It seems the Emperor shares a similar sentiment to Your Highness.”
Is that so?
“As for me, it is a pity. I wished to spend more time with Your Highness.”
Ah, wait a second.
“What do you mean? Valentin, are you leaving again? For how long? Where? Is it that Horgan business again?”
The hand that had been confining me gently pressed down on my upper body as I tried to bolt upright. Finally tearing his gaze away from the scenery of Makhachkala to look at me, a deeper smile than before was etched on his face.
“No. If Your Highness marries Young Count Igor, we won't be able to stay as we are now, will we?”
His hand enveloped both of my hands, which I had placed on my abdomen. As a cool warmth seeped between my fingers, a powerful bolt of lightning struck my mind.
“Things like holding hands like this... or letting you use my lap as a pillow.”
As he whispered, the regret in Valentin's eyes was vivid. It was enough to make my own heart ache as I looked back at him.
“We likely won't even be able to exchange letters anymore. I won't be able to hold you when you are in pain, as I do now.”
We can't even send letters?
“Don't talk nonsense. Letters can be sent anytime...”
“I had intended to give my life to Your Highness.”
Did I hear that wrong? In my shock, my right arm nearly slipped off the chair. If Valentin hadn't gripped my hand tightly, I surely would have fallen.
“Why?”
I asked calmly, praying that my voice wouldn't crack from tension. An expectation, floating higher than ever before, swelled within me as if it were about to burst.
“Why would you give your life to me?”
“Because you saved me.”
Ah, I see.
Valentin feels a great sense of responsibility because I was shot. Even though I stepped forward of my own will. That's why...
Pshhh. The expectation that had swelled so large shriveled up like a deflating balloon. I didn't want Valentin, who was scanning me thoroughly as if searching for something, to see my disappointment, so I turned my body away.
“Do you dislike it?”
Why is he smiling?
“Shall I give it to another woman instead?”
Why is he playing with Princess Larisa's head as he pleases?
I shook my head. Valentin patted my back as if praising me for doing well, and then began to stroke my hair again.
If Valentin truly gives me his loyalty without marrying... would he become my lover?
But a lover is a relationship where one... shares deep love through physical intimacy. It didn't seem like Valentin and I would ever move toward such a relationship.
“...Still, you must marry, Valentin. Tatyana said that people with excellent bodies and minds should have plenty of heirs to contribute to the development of humanity.”
And it was also the duty of our imperial family to ensure that the lineage of prestigious houses, like the Dmitrievs, did not end.
The pleasantly cold hand covered my eyes this time.
“I must have been too bothersome to Your Highness. Please close your eyes and rest. We still have a long way to go.”
His tone suggested he hadn't listened to a word I said. I felt strangely relieved and closed my eyes as he told me to.
The Illyn villa in Shaharansk.
With the red sunset behind it, the first impression of this castle, which possessed the elegant silhouette of an ancient fortress, was that it was gloomy.
In the center of the stone walls that rose high like a fortress, the only way in and out of the villa was a gate so sturdy it seemed it would take three or four cannonballs to break it. Although the inner garden was somewhat cramped, it had a quaint charm, but because it was surrounded by crude grey stone walls, it still felt suffocating.
A castle like this is a villa? As the rumors said, she certainly has unique tastes.
Duchess Illyn came out to greet us, dressed in adornments as lavish as those worn at a banquet.
“I have been waiting, Princess Larisa. The journey here must have been very uncomfortable for you in your fragile state. Please understand generously, as this was a decision made to hide from the eyes of the rebels.”
The interior was less grand than the exterior... but it was certainly old-fashioned. The windows were not particularly large, so it felt as though it would be pitch black, like being trapped in a basement, if the curtains were drawn at night.
Only then did it sink in once more.
That this fortress-like villa was, in fact, the optimal castle for me to hide in.
“Until when should I stay here?”
Duchess Illyn, who was pouring milk into hot black tea, wore a mysterious smile.
“You are as wise as I heard. Count Valentin, how long must Her Highness stay at this villa?”
“Fifteen days will suffice. I will come down every three days to see Her Highness, so please do not worry.”
Fifteen days.
He intends to root out the rebels within fifteen days.
He must have moved me in that old carriage the day after I woke up specifically to avoid Libertan's surveillance. Though I didn't know the reason, Libertan seemed to have a particular grudge against me.
My shoulder, which was already throbbing, felt stiff as if it would fall off from the long journey. I needed a painkiller. I wiped away the cold sweat and turned my head with composure.
“Hello, nice to meet you. You're Oksana, right?”
A small, petite girl with brown hair sitting beside Duchess Illyn bowed her head.
“Yes, I am Oksana of Illyn. It is an honor to serve Your Highness...”
Her voice, trembling slightly as it passed through her throat, created a modest atmosphere that was the complete opposite of her sister, Therese.
Had she said her engagement was broken before her coming-of-age ceremony? I figured there must be circumstances I wasn't aware of.
While I was lying unconscious, did Valentin express his intention to marry Oksana?
The owner of that proposal that had tormented me for the past few weeks. The very person who had made me feel not only curiosity but also foul envy and jealousy. Despite declaring that he would give his life to me, marriage and love were for this woman...
My stomach began to churn, and my vision started to swim.
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