Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Reconciliation?
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The cold war between the two had begun. News of their rift had already spread throughout the entire palace. The maids whispered among themselves—opinions ranging from wondering why the Crown Princess was making such a fuss to rumors speculating what on earth the Crown Prince must have done to cause this.
The palace was suffering from the rumors like a bad illness. All sorts of speculations circulated daily, and the nobles were in an uproar. At every meeting, talks of replacing the Crown Princess arose, giving the Emperor a headache he had to nurse more than once or twice.
How on earth had the noble faction caught wind of the Crown Princess's escape attempt? And how did they find out she had entered the Palace of Punishment?
The Emperor suspected the nobles, but he couldn't press them on it. After all, the fault lay with a member of the imperial family trying to shirk her duties and flee. Even if he had tacitly given his permission.
However, he couldn't give the nobles any leverage. That would mean admitting the truth, which would deal a major blow to Lainen. In the end, the Emperor summoned Lainen and grilled him on how their quarrel had become known to everyone.
“…….”
Lainen remained silent. He had no choice. He himself didn't understand why this situation had arisen.
In the midst of growing busier with work, he had learned only recently that his wife had miscarried and fled the palace. He was still bewildered. He couldn't fathom what he had done wrong for his wife to glare at him with such murderous intent.
Lainen knew about Luca Min's death, but before he could even bring it up, she had turned away from him.
Seeing the expression on his son's face, the Emperor sighed, realizing the boy was clueless too. The Emperor himself had no idea why Cannibela had suddenly declared she wanted to leave. He had simply let her go because she insisted.
The Emperor acknowledged his own mistake. Father and son sighed in unison.
“Hoo…… You may withdraw.”
“Yes.”
He bowed to the Emperor and left. Returning to his own palace, he sat down in his office. As if waiting, Kashan entered, arms full of documents. Kashan set them on the desk and said with a grave expression,
“This is serious.”
“What's wrong?”
“Strange rumors are spreading among the common folk.”
“What rumors?”
“You'd better see for yourself.”
Kashan handed over the top document. It claimed that the Crown Prince, who had suddenly appeared on a ship, had vanished with a ghostly woman—and that woman was the Crown Princess. But it turned out she had boarded the ship to meet her lover somewhere on the continent.
Lainen's hands trembled. It was utterly ridiculous. Before meeting him, Cannibela had been virtually imprisoned in the palace of the Rasone Kingdom. How could someone like that possibly escape to meet another man?
Still, Lainen was displeased that such vile rumors were attaching themselves to Cannibela. The very fact that someone had fabricated them filled him with rage. And he couldn't understand why such gossip was circulating precisely now, during this busy time.
“It reeks of conspiracy……. Could it be the nobles' doing?”
“I'll investigate.”
“Please do.”
Kashan was the most trustworthy person he knew. Lainen entrusted the matter to him for now. Then he picked up another document. The moment he saw the title, sweat broke out on his hands, and he heard phantom voices.
[……Nen! It's dangerous!]
He heard the voices of those who had died because of his foolish actions. Even after all this time, he couldn't shake it off. His late mother and brother wouldn't want that, but the guilt remained.
“……Mother, why is happiness always so distant…….”
He murmured, but no answer came. He sat there blankly, waiting for the reply that never came. Then he stood up. Staying cooped up in the room too long wasn't good.
‘I should get some fresh air.’
He opened the door and stepped out immediately. His personal attendants and maids followed. He dismissed them at a suitable spot and entered one of the gardens his mother had tended in her lifetime.
“…….”
The scent of flowers wafted toward him. The wind blew as if stroking his hair, like his late mother caressing him. It lifted his spirits.
‘This year, we'll set out on the same scale as last year.’
About a month remained before departure. He thought he should quickly finish processing the documents and talk with Cannibela the day before. With that in mind, he took a rest.
* * *
Locked away in the Palace of Punishment, Cannibela's daily life remained unchanged. She simply read books as before. Unlike before, she could now think and speak freely.
However, she had to constantly worry about Ray, who persistently sought her out.
“Why don't you return to your quarters now.”
“Your Highness…….”
“I'm an imperial who is being punished. No, I'm not even sure if I'm imperial anymore.”
“…….”
“For you to serve someone like me is like abandoning your own path to advancement. As a commoner already, I don't want to see you suffer more.”
“Your Highness…… I've made up my mind. I want to continue serving you. As long as we don't get caught, it'll be fine.”
She couldn't understand why Ray was so obsessed with caring for her. But she didn't believe it was pure goodwill. She suspected he had some ulterior motive.
‘Mother once said: Keep allies close, enemies…… even closer.’
In truth, she knew almost everything about Eora—family background, circumstances, personality, and more. But about Ray, she knew nothing beyond his name.
Moreover, Eora hadn't shown herself since Cannibela was confined to the Palace of Punishment. By rule, no one except the servants assigned to the palace and other imperials could approach. Yet Ray evaded notice and visited daily.
‘I should keep a close eye on him.’
Her gaze sharpened as she watched Ray. Unaware of her sharp intent, Ray lit some incense.
“This place is rather stuffy compared to where you stayed before. So I lit some incense.”
“I see.”
She nodded. A fragrant scent filled the air. It felt familiar, like something she'd smelled before. She tilted her head curiously. It was strangely nostalgic.
As the incense rose, Ray turned to her with an unusual look in his eyes.
“Your Highness, I have something to say.”
“What is it?”
“Do you trust me?”
She didn't. But for some reason, it felt like she had to say she did. Her mouth moved on its own.
“……I trust you.”
“Then how about a deal with me? If you agree, I'll get you out of here.”
Her eyes widened. Of course Ray, her exclusive maid, would know about the escape attempt. But to offer to help after it had already failed?
She wanted to scoff. Even with the Emperor's collusion, it had failed—how could you possibly succeed? But her mouth opened again unbidden.
“I'll do it. What do I need to do?”
Ray then explained the plan ahead. She listened silently. It seemed reckless but had its own systematic structure.
“Your Highness just needs to do as I say. In return, grant me one wish later.”
“……Very well.”
Ray smiled in satisfaction at her response. Time passed, and the subtle incense scent filled the room. Then Ray extinguished it and opened the window.
“The incense is toxic. Close the door in 30 minutes.”
Deep down, she liked the incense. It inexplicably lifted her mood. It gave a sense of fulfillment, like floating on clouds. But Ray shook his head, saying any more might alert the maids.
“Then I'll take my leave.”
Ray opened the door. The corridor was quiet—late hour, no one around. As Ray vanished, she sat on the windowsill, feeling the gentle breeze, lost in thought.
‘Can I really escape just by doing this?’
It was an absurd plan. What if it failed again? She might be executed for deceiving an imperial.
This was a poisoned chalice. Failure meant death. Success meant escaping this imperial family that threatened her life and starting anew—even if it was a different life from before.
‘I must succeed. Then…… I suppose reconciliation is next?’
The core of this plan was reconciliation with Lainen. The moment she agreed, the operation began.
Lainen was, as usual, deep in approving documents. His eyes ached, so he rubbed them and glanced out the window. Far off, the Palace of Punishment came into view.
“…….”
She was so very far away. The sunset dazzled him, making him squint, but he couldn't tear his eyes from where Cannibela was. He just stared at the scenery.
‘I miss her.’
It was a peaceful scene. Resolving the northern landslide, quashing rumors between them, procedures for visiting the imperial tombs and selecting the entourage—he was incredibly busy. Yet even in this brief respite, she held him captive.
He felt a strange sadness amid the beautiful view. To enjoy this scenery alone.
But then a voice shattered his reverie.
“What's with the long face.”
A somewhat curt voice—Kashan. He had rolled up his sleeves, fanning himself as if hot. Come to think of it, summer was approaching.
“Just watching the sunset because it's beautiful.”
“Don't lie. You're missing that woman, aren't you.”
He chuckled. His old friend knew him too well. As said, he missed her terribly. Especially since they had parted after fighting last time.
‘I want to reconcile soon…….’
“Everything's in the final stages anyway. I'll approve today's documents, so go see her. You look like a puppy wagging its tail right now.”
“…….”
“She reached out first, you know. So go talk to her.”
Kashan pushed his back. He feigned composure despite his joy.
“Ah, just go already!”
Prodded by Kashan, he headed to her palace. Hoping this wasn't a dream he never wanted to wake from, he opened the door. And there she was, smiling brightly as before.
“You're here?”
He was dumbfounded. Doubting if it was a dream, he had to close and open his eyes repeatedly. In the meantime, she lightly hugged him and said many things, but he couldn't hear them. He poured all his effort into accepting the situation.
“This isn't…… a dream, right?”
“No. You and I are in reality. So touch me. Can you feel it?”
She took his hand and placed it on her cheek. Her warm body heat transmitted to him. Only then did he realize this was real.
“……Thank you. For taking me back.”
He said in a voice thick with emotion. She made no reply but smiled. That made it even more touching.
He still didn't fully understand why she had been angry. But this seemed fine. Everything was back in place. Yes, that was enough.
He gently took her hand. She gripped his tightly in return. Feeling her pulse and warmth, he finally relaxed. As tension ebbed, exhaustion from overwork poured out. Looking at her with a sleepy expression,
“That look drives me crazy.”
At her words, his half-closed eyes snapped open. It felt like he'd heard something he shouldn't have. Sleep vanished.
“You feel the same way about me?”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“Why that face?”
She called his shy expression cute and lay beside him. Then she embraced him. He felt her heart pounding against her chest.
Ah, if I get aroused here, I'll be a beast. We just reconciled, and if I do this now, she'll be disappointed! Please, not here!
But contrary to his desperate wish, his face flushed and arousal built. Feeling every part of her, he thought he'd go mad. He desperately averted his gaze, trying to calm down.
“Pfft!”
Her laughter rang out. So clear even then. His desire peaked. This shouldn't happen…….
“No. It's okay.”
How did she know his desire? But those words snapped his restraint. He declared softly,
“This is definitely something you started.”
“Of course. Naturally.”
Thus began a night of utterly mismatched dreams.
* * *
Day broke. No curtains meant sunlight streamed straight through the window. Lainen woke first. Seeing himself utterly naked, he kissed the forehead of Cannibela, who lay curled under the blanket beside him.
“I'll be back.”
He stepped out. At that moment, Cannibela's eyes opened beside him.
“…….”
She hurried to the small attached bathroom and washed. Her whole body ached, testament to last night's intensity. In the mirror, she saw scars.
She stared at her body for a long while. The tub overflowed with water. Steam filled the humid bathroom, but she didn't care. Her mind replayed only last night—him carefully kissing her wounds.
Calculated eyes, calculated words, calculated actions. All part of the plan's performance. No real emotion mixed in.
She had thoroughly deceived him. Exploited his love for her. Amid hatred, she felt guilt. She had felt it clearly yesterday.
‘Lainen still loves me.’
Every gesture, word, action brimmed with love. Even in pleasure, he was considerate of her. She wanted to apologize immediately and run away.
No, just give up.
But in this unsafe world, she had no choice but to trust Ray and escape.
Fortunately, Lainen wouldn't be in the palace starting today, making escape easier.
Thinking so, she washed, exited the bathroom, dried off, and changed into simple indoor robes. At that moment, a knock sounded, and someone entered.
“Your Highness, it's Ray.”