Chapter 17
From behind me, shocked voices rose among Rudolf and the people surrounding him.
“Just now… did the 12th Prince smile?”
“I’ve never seen him speak so gently before.”
“Oh my goodness. So the rumors were true after all…”
I was curious about what kind of rumors were going around, yet at the same time, I really didn’t want to know. While those contradictory thoughts crossed my mind, on the outside I focused diligently on playing the role of an innocent younger sister.
“Rudolf oppa, you’re here too!”
I pulled Richard’s hand toward Rudolf. Richard’s gaze shifted to Rudolf, and just as his eyes were about to turn sharp—
Squeeze.
I tightened my grip on Richard’s hand.
“You’ll greet him, right?”
Please, let’s not make a big scene. Let’s just get through this quietly.
With that desperate wish, I looked at Richard pleadingly. He had beast-like instincts, so I trusted that he would sense my thoughts.
“It’s a night full of imperial grace, Richard.”
Rudolf approached us first. In the brief moment when Richard bowed and straightened up, I was extremely tense.
“Yes, it’s been a while, brother.”
But Richard greeted Rudolf with a smile.
Of course, his twisted smile and slightly provocative tone couldn’t be called perfect, but compared to how one of them used to look ready to kill the other every time they met, this was huge progress.
“Did you choose the dress for her, brother? You have good taste.”
Once again, shocked murmurs rose around us. Richard praising Rudolf—people whispered that this was the first time since the two princes became enemies.
“Thank you for saying that.”
“Not at all.”
But Richard was still Richard.
“However, I’ve decided that I’ll be the one taking care of Lucillia from now on. So if you plan to bring her somewhere like this, you should inform me first.”
The softened atmosphere instantly stiffened again. I clearly heard Luke let out a small groan behind Richard.
“Taking care of her? I wonder if Lucillia agreed to that. I’m quite good at taking care of my younger sister myself.”
Even Rudolf didn’t back down.
The tension between them felt like a piano wire pulled tight. Some people quietly stepped back, putting distance between us.
In the middle of that, I closed my eyes and briefly escaped reality.
Goodbye, heroine unni. I thought this was the end, but I didn’t know things could get even worse. Will we ever meet someday?
Starting tomorrow, rumors would spread throughout high society and beyond the imperial palace. That the 5th Prince and the 12th Prince had a standoff over a single princess. I wanted to evaporate on the spot.
“You’re the one who didn’t get her consent.”
But I couldn’t escape reality for long. Anger had begun to creep into Richard’s voice.
I snapped my eyes open.
Wait—this is dangerous, isn’t it?
These two had actually come close to fighting in front of everyone before. Richard had drawn his sword halfway, and Rudolf had already activated magic, waiting for Richard to charge.
That happened much later in the original story, but their tempers hadn’t changed. It was just as dangerous now.
In a panic, I grabbed Rudolf’s sleeve with one hand and Richard’s with the other. Both of them flinched and looked down at me at the same time.
With the resolve of Mother Teresa giving a speech for world peace, I spoke.
“Oppas… are you going to fight…?”
With teary eyes and a trembling voice.
Even if imperial princes and princesses tend to mature quickly, I was twelve years old—this was my first time even leaving my palace, let alone entering high society. And since I hadn’t been eating well, I looked more like a ten-year-old.
“Please don’t fight. I like both of you, oppas…”
That should be okay to say, right?
I looked back and forth between them, on the verge of tears, then lowered my head.
‘I need to cry, but…’
I managed a sorrowful expression, but forcing out tears wasn’t easy. As I fidgeted anxiously, a calm, older woman’s voice spoke up.
“My, Princes. Making a child uncomfortable—now that’s a failure as older brothers.”
As if they had been waiting for it, others burst into laughter and joined in.
“That’s right, Your Highnesses. The 17th Princess is still at an age where she knows nothing.”
“At twelve, dolls are more interesting than politics, hahaha.”
“And it’s probably her first party. Don’t pressure her so much. Today is a joyful occasion.”
The explosive tension eased once more. No one wanted the birthday banquet to turn into a disaster. That message was clearly delivered to both of them.
“I’m sorry for speaking unnecessarily, Richard. I let my worry for Lucillia get ahead of me.”
Rudolf was the first to apologize. In doing so, he became the generous older brother who apologized to the sibling who had charged first. Richard, however, still looked displeased.
Ah… maybe it’s because Richard is still young. He’s not as sly as Rudolf. Given his personality, I don’t think he’ll ever become as shameless as Rudolf, no matter how much older he gets.
“I understand your feelings, brother. Let’s talk about this again later.”
Still, Richard seemed to realize that making a bigger issue of this would be disadvantageous. When he backed down, Rudolf nodded as well.
“Very well. I look forward to it.”
That ended the conversation.
“Then I’ll take my leave. See you later.”
Richard walked past us after saying his goodbyes. As I watched his back, he suddenly turned his head and looked straight at me.
His red eyes flashed.
You’re dead.
He didn’t say it out loud, but I felt like I could hear it clearly.
What would become of my future? If Richard ever came to my palace again, I might need to give all the servants the day off.
Still, I was relieved that the worst had been avoided for now. The moment I relaxed, a fierce hunger twisted in my stomach.
Oh, right. This is a party. I’d been so busy greeting people that I hadn’t eaten a single thing.
Starving a person is just cruel. As I glared at Rudolf with that thought, he smiled faintly, as if he had read my mind.
“Tired, aren’t you?”
I quickly hid my dissatisfied expression and nodded weakly.
“Let’s rest for a bit. And eat something.”
Rudolf gestured to a servant beside him. The servant disappeared, then returned with several others.
I thought Rudolf had told them to bring food, but what they carried were a table and chairs.
They placed a garden table and chairs beside us, then quickly set food and drinks on top. Finally, they surrounded the table with an ornate fabric screen and disappeared.
Everything happened so smoothly that I stared, captivated, like a child watching a magic trick.
So this is how a garden party works. Instead of going to the table, the table comes to you. This really is high society.
I sat down in a daze.
When I saw the food laid out on the table, my eyes widened again. Dishes you’d only see in movies shimmered beautifully before me.
Rudolf, however, didn’t seem interested in the food at all. He only held a champagne glass, not even glancing at the cutlery.
No appetite? Well, if he gets hungry, he’ll eat on his own.
I picked up the small cream puff that looked the softest and popped it into my mouth.
It melted gently on my tongue, and when I bit down, rich cream burst inside my mouth.
Ahhh… what do I do? This is so good.
Sweet first, then salty. I swallowed a cracker topped with cheese, olives, and crispy bacon in one bite. The salty, greasy flavor filled my mouth.
Next was fresh cream pudding, then a ham-and-cheese sandwich, then strawberry tart…
I happily devoured the food, enjoying the sweet-and-salty balance. It was so delicious I almost lost myself.
That’s why I nearly forgot about Rudolf’s presence.
Just as I took a bite of a scone slathered in butter and jam, I felt my throat catch from its dryness. At that moment, Rudolf poured black tea into the cup in front of me.
When I looked up, my eyes met Rudolf’s.
How long had he been watching…?
Embarrassed, I avoided his gaze and drank the tea. The tea, too, had a wonderful aroma.
“Looks like the Opal Palace doesn’t have a very generous budget.”
Rudolf said.
Is this his way of asking if the servants are starving you?
Afraid he might cause bloodshed in my palace too, I shook my head vigorously.
“I just couldn’t eat much while preparing for the party today.”
They’d been washing me and dressing me since dawn. Aside from a few pieces of fruit Miriam fed me, I hadn’t eaten anything.
“I suppose so. I was the same.”
Unexpectedly, Rudolf nodded in agreement.
Rudolf went through all that chaos too?
Well, the birthday banquet is one of the empire’s biggest social events, along with the New Year’s festival. He must’ve had just as much to prepare. He must be starving too.
“Aren’t you going to eat, oppa?”
“I already did.”
That sounded like a lie.
“This is really good.”
Gathering my courage, I placed the chocolate pudding I’d been saving for last onto Rudolf’s plate.
If you’re going to eat a little, you might as well eat something high in calories. You need the energy to survive the rest of the party.
But Rudolf didn’t touch the pudding at all. He quietly looked at me and said,
“How much of this is acting, and how much is real?”
“Huh?”
I blinked.
“That silly little child act. The one you put on in front of Richard earlier.”
I swallowed what was in my mouth.
He’s really throwing a straight punch out of nowhere. While I’m eating, no less.
“Richard doesn’t seem fooled either. Did you really think I’d fall for it? But looking at you like this…”
Rudolf studied me for a moment, then said,
“You look about seven years old. It’s strange.”
So he’s saying my innocent twelve-year-old act has been completely exposed?
“I don’t know what you mean. I—”
I tried to laugh it off, but Rudolf ignored me.
“I wasn’t sure after the Three Questions of Carlisle. But after coming here, I’m certain.”
Rudolf spoke slowly, resting his cheek on his hand. An amused smile played on his lips.
“It was your eyes.”
“My eyes?”
This wasn’t acting. I truly didn’t understand. What could he tell just from my eyes?
“You weren’t interested in most of the nobles.”
Rudolf poured champagne into an empty glass as he spoke.
“No matter how they introduced themselves, I could feel your lack of interest. You listened carefully, but still. Yet among them, there were a few people you observed with shining eyes…”
Rudolf looked at me over the champagne glass. His blue eyes shimmered, melting into the golden liquid.
“Because they were interesting.”
