15.Eternal Love Only For You

“It’s been like this since the first time I saw you. In Triviache…Susan, you’re strangely calm. Your lips tremble when you’re scared, but isn’t that only for a moment? The death of other people in your perspective is divided into whether they’re of use to you or not. Even if you pretend it’s not, I can see it. In terms of shadiness, you’re one step ahead of Mr. Berkne.”

“Don’t speak thoughtlessly. Anyone who is driven off to a cliff is bound to turn like me.”

“Well…Really? Stop acting like you’re an ordinary person. You were just like us from the beginning. His Excellency has only awakened that instinct.”

At his remark, a sudden heat rushed to the top of my head

“Shut up, what do you know about me? You’re just an empty-headed fool who can’t even count properly!”

“Just thank me for the advice…Ugh!”

I bit him on the shoulder before he could make any more idle noise. Maybe because I bit him mercilessly like chewing a piece of meat, Kean quickly lifted himself up. Who’s teaching whom? It would be more beneficial to learn from stray dogs in the back alley than Kean.

“Ha…You’ve become a real b*stard by being near His Excellency.”

“If you know, then get out of here, Kean. Before I chew on that chatty tongue of yours and melt it all away.”

Even before I finished my threat, Kean moved as if throwing a fit and slammed the door. I glared at the tightly closed door and slowly wiped my lips.

It was information that I learned very recently that the only ones who were completely infected with Ingord’s poison were me and Berkne.

Despite living in Ingord for the rest of his life, Kean only knew the identity of the poison and had absolutely nothing to do with its power. This meant that if I forcefully kissed someone or fed my blood, I could melt their tongue and the roof of their mouth.

“Should I put my blood in the water and feed it to him? Then he will be quiet for a few days.”

He said I was just like them from the beginning? It was a nonsense remark that no laughter came out. I wasn’t even a character in this novel in the first place. Before I came into the book, I was…

…What kind of person was I? The lamplight above my head went off suddenly, and complete darkness came.

‘Never mind. It’s not important. I can think about it later.’

It was because I was tired. I threw away my worries to get rid of my headache and bent over to lie down.

“Why is it so quiet?”

It was as if I was submerged in the deep sea. Richton couldn’t have not known Wilhelm had come to see me or to be exact Beatrice.

And yet, why didn’t he come looking for me and scold me?

Was he busy interrogating the hiding remnants of Wilhelm?

Because it’s not a big deal? Or because I am just a dog?

‘If you want an Empire, I’ll give you an Empire, and if you want to bring down the sky, I’ll bring down the sky. Instead, you shouldn’t choose Wilhelm.’

That couldn’t be right. He begged me not to choose him. He must have been busy torturing those who hid in that room. How painful it must be. I closed my eyes imagining an inaudible scream.

***

“Your Highness.”

It was already the fifth call. The restless maid approached my side, sweating profusely. It was a very careful move, lest the repeated words might offend my feelings.

“It’s seventeen minutes past six o’clock.”

“I guess you don’t know anything. It’s already old-fashioned to be on time for an appointment.”

“His Excellency is waiting, Your Royal Highness.”

“What could be a more pleasant time than waiting for your beloved? I’ll be out soon, so stop rushing me.”

Playing as Beatrice was quite, no, a lot more enjoyable than I expected. A smile naturally formed on my lips when I thought of Richton, who was waiting for me in the main hall for nearly twenty minutes. If not at this time, when would I ever be able to play a joke on him?

After exactly thirty minutes, I got up. I had to walk with the help of a servant as my face was mostly covered with a veil. The hotel during sunset was bright with dazzling chandeliers.

“Richton!”

Ah, unfortunately, I couldn’t jump right into him. It was because the man who was waiting for me was such an aloof gentleman that it was hard to meet his eyes.

His formal appearance was so unfamiliar to me as I had only seen him in light indoor clothes or bloody shirts.

A pale complexion and an even whiter platinum hair. In addition, the color of his eyes that was like mist that had spread throughout the lake made him stand out and appear unreal.

I was under the illusion that all the attention in the world was focused only on him. With that beautiful face, he’d be able to put a knife in the heart of his enemies. I stood in front of Richton a beat late.

“Beautiful.”

That’s what I was supposed to say. We walked side by side in the hotel hall.

“You’re not angry because I’m a little late, are you? I’m sorry, I just wanted to look a little more perfect.”

“I was anxious.”

“Oh my, you were anxious? Because I didn’t come out?”

“Your existence alone makes me anxious. Knowing that fact, you keep tormenting me. The princess is truly a wicked woman.”

It was a tone that had no sincerity at all. It was also ironic how he speaks shameful things well.

“Everyone wants to get validation. How sincere my lover is to me, how desperate he is for me.”

“It seems like if you want to get validation, even the inner desires should be satisfied, too.”

“A corner of the heart should be filled abundantly. Ah, I’m loved by this person. That kind of sense of relief that we love each other.”

Even though those words were plausible, it had been a long time since I felt them, and now it was a feeling that came in vain. In Triviache, I was busy adjusting to this world, and after coming to Ingord, I was busy taking care of my own body.

It was not enough to have poison in my body that I even stabbed a person yesterday. I wondered whether a day would ever come when I would love someone like this. It seemed that the day that I would receive such love, let alone loving someone, would never come.

As we got closer to the center of the hall, the number of people increased. Most of them were aristocrats attending the banquet, each of them looked gorgeously decorated like peacocks.

“What if the princess’ heart is one-sided?”

At the sudden question directed towards me, I turned to Richton. His gaze pierced through the fine gaps of the veil, examining my face as if tearing it off one by one.

“I wonder if you’re the type of person who’ll surrender if you get tired of a one-sided love.”

“Surrender? Are you asking if I will surrender? Well…I think such worries are unnecessary. Because I have an eternal love for you, Richton.”

“That’s an exemplary answer.”

“What about Richton? Is Richton a man who’ll surrender to a one-sided love?”

“Do you even need to ask? I also have eternal love only for you.”

His answer was natural as if it wasn’t worth thinking any further.

“Normal people don’t covet a seat next to someone with a lover. If they already have someone next to them, or even if they don’t have one, they still can never be yours. If that’s the case, are you going to give up like everyone else?”

“I’m going to have it, by all means.”

Perhaps it was an illusion. Richton’s voice contained a slight sigh.

“And tame it, one way or the other.”

Whoever it was, the woman who would be loved by Richton was bound to get tired in many ways. Would it only end with tiredness? Maybe it’s better to go down to hell.

Ingord’s carriage occupied the nearest and widest space in front of the hotel. We were busy talking about this and that like everyone else, but we shut their mouths as soon as they got on the carriage. No matter who went inside first, the interior became suffocatingly quiet.

Should I ask him if he knew Wilhelm came in yesterday? I didn’t know how many minutes I had been thinking about it. It took me so long to worry about it to the point that we had already arrived at their destination before I could even come to a conclusion. Crohertz’s mansion, where the banquet was held, shone splendidly under the darkening sky.

“Is there anyone else I should be careful of besides the prince?”

Immediately after getting off the carriage, I whispered as we walked through the entrance of the flower-scented banquet hall. In a very small voice that even ants wouldn’t hear.

“The people on the prince’s side.”

“What about among the ladies?”

“We’ll be far away tomorrow anyway. What are you so worried about?”

“I can’t make a mistake.”

“That kind of attitude is good enough. Be careful, but don’t be afraid. Because you’re with me as my lover.”

I’m the lover of Richton Ingord, so relax. As expected, it boosted my confidence greatly. Because the sky became cloudy, I had to walk closer to Richton. It was cumbersome wearing the veil. It was not a common attire in the Grenferg Empire, so the eyes of the people around them were more blatant.

“Entering His Excellency Richton Ingord and Her Highness Princess Beatrice Adenrozia Kale!”

The door opened with a loud and resonant shout. The noisy atmosphere subsided quietly for a moment.

“Ah.”

So, this was what the banquet of nobles looked like. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling was so bright that my eyes hurt, and the scent of mixed perfumes from all over the place wafted out.

There were a lot of men and women dressed in splendid outfits like courting birds. The jewels and clothes they wore on their bodies were hard to look at from the view of commoners.

The flowers that decorated the tables were also expensive flowers that could only be obtained in greenhouses. It was a strange world for me who only sat in the kitchen and drank tea with the maids.

“Don’t forget your role, Princess.”

“The role of loving Richton passionately? Don’t worry about that.”

As I slowly descended the stairs, I could hear small whispers from here and there. It was a whisper that I would never notice if my five senses had not become sensitive because of the poison.

“Kale? Hmm. Is that the little kingdom in the South?”

“Does she have a big scar on her face? Why is she wearing a veil?”

“It’s a tradition in the Kale Kingdom for women of the royal family to wear veils in outdoor activities. It’s a very outdated tradition for us. I don’t know what it’s like for that hillbilly princess.”

“The Great Duke Richton. He even brought in a foreign woman.”

“I’ll bet on the fifteenth day.”

“Aren’t you being too safe, Count? Then I’ll bet on two days.”

Was it because Beatrice is from a small kingdom located in the south? The response was more of a disregard than goodwill or hostility. Right, that was how it felt like. The nobles looked at Richton, or even me standing next to him as if they were seeing a mysterious animal in a cage. Some struggled to see me face beneath the thin veil.

“Your Excellency.”

The Ingord family was the founder of the Grenferg Empire, owning the largest land and most luxurious property in the Empire. Wealth, honor, power. As a family that didn’t lack in anything, people gathered from all directions. Just like bees flocking towards a single flower that bloomed on the ground.

“May I say hello to your precious someone?”

Described from Wilhelm’s point of view, Richton was the cruelest devil in the Empire. However, such an appearance was closer to the inside knowledge hidden from anyone which only his political enemies could see.

Richton, depicted in the banquet hall in the 『The River Where the Sun Manoeuvres』, was always a popular figure surrounded by people.

Contrary to his nickname as a slaughterer, the nobles who followed Richton were scattered throughout the Grenferg Empire. Even the expression on his face as he stood next to me was full of composure, unlike in Ingord.

“Is that all right, Princess?”

“Of course. I’d love to have a pleasant conversation with Richton’s friends. I am Beatrice from the Kingdom of Kale. There’s no need to treat me like a tedious princess.”

(PR/N: I think tedious means is being difficult to deal with because Richton asked her permission when it was totally fine with her)

A man with a familiar face kissed the back of my hand.

“I am Campbell from the Colin family. I’m impressed at how amazingly fluent you are with the imperial language.”

“It was an essential knowledge of a royalty. Nice to meet you, Viscount Campbell.”

I was wondering who it was and it was Viscount Campbell.